1/1/2016
Aaron Reutzel
Reutzel Named to "All Hammer Down" Team
ROCKLIN, Cal. (December 31, 2015) - HammerDownUSA.com, today, named the 2015 All-HammerDown! Team. Led by Racer’s Racing Series Champion, Donny Schatz, the 40 driver “team” includes those who performed best at the highest paying and most prestigious American, grass roots, open-wheel events.
“The All-HammerDown! Team is our way to acknowledge the drivers that are performing well on a national stage,” said Bobby Gerould – editor of HammerDownUSA.com. “We keep points for 60 of the biggest USA events. You have to finish in the top 15 in an A-Feature to secure points. This year there were 204 drivers that earned points but only the top 40 receive the All-HammerDown! status.”
Five drivers continued their streak of making the All-HammerDown! Team in each of the 13 years since the honor was created in 2003. The legendary five are: Dave Darland, Danny Lasoski, Daryn Pittman, Joey Saldana, and Donny Schatz. Six drivers made the team in 2015 for the first time in their career, headed by young World of Outlaws star, Logan Schuchart. Joining Schuchart as first-time All-HammerDown! Team honorees are Sheldon Haudenschild, Carson Macedo, Ian Madsen., Aaron Reutzel, and Dusty Zomer.
The 13th annual All-HammerDown! Team, in alphabetical order:
· Rico Abreu – St. Helena, CA. – Age 23. Abreu had a stellar 2015, winning the Chili Bowl (Tulsa Expo Raceway, Tulsa, OK.), World of Outlaws A-Mains at Tulare (Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA.) and Stockton (Stockton Dirt Track, Stockton, CA.), the Vermeil Classic (Calistoga Speedway, Calistoga, CA.) and his first NASCAR race to boot. Abreu won in a winged sprint car (both 360 and 410), a non-wing sprint car, a midget, and in a stock car.
· Brady Bacon – Broken Arrow, OK. – Age 25. For the seventh time in his young career, Brady Bacon is on the All-HammerDown! Team. Bacon won a dozen feature events in 96 starts in 2015. He finished third in the USAC Indiana Sprint Week points and was also third in the Western World Championships (USA Raceway, Tucson, AZ.)
· Robert Ballou – Rocklin, CA. - Age 27. Ballou won the 2015 USAC National Championship as well as the Indiana Sprint Week crown. His 13 USAC National sprint car victories tied J.J. Yeley’s 2003 season as the second most single season wins in USAC history.
· Christopher Bell – Norman, OK. - Age 21. Bell won feature races in open-wheel cars as well as stock cars and trucks in 2015. He captured the Silver Crown and midget portions of the Four Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH.). Bell also beat the World of Outlaws in a winged sprint car at I-55 Raceway (Pevely, MO.) in May. His biggest win was also at Eldora in the Mud Summer Classic for NASCAR Trucks.
· Dale Blaney – Hartford, OH. – Age 51. Blaney won 16 A-Mains and his sixth All-Star Circuit of Champions title in 2015. He cashed in at BIG races, defeating World of Outlaws competition at Attica, OH., and in the Don Martin Memorial Silver Cup at Lernerville Speedway (Sarver, PA.).
· Brian Brown – Grain Valley, MO. – Age 37. Brown won seven features in 2015 to run his career total to 145 W’s. His best in Racer’s Racing Series points earning events was a fourth place finish in the Mediacom Shootout at Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA.). Brown finished sixth in the 2015 Knoxville Nationals A-Main.
· Bryan Clauson – Noblesville, IN. – Age 26. Clauson saved the best for last in 2015, winning the non-wing sprint car Perris Oval Nationals (Perris, CA.), and the Western World Championship (Tucson, AZ.) in mid-November. Clauson’s impressive year showcased his versatility, as he finished tenth in a midget at the Chili Bowl, and 12th at the Knoxville Nationals in a winged sprint car. On USA soil, Clauson won 13 A-mains in 2015.
· Dave Darland – Atlanta, IN. – Age 49. Darland did not score any Racer’s Series points until July but he rallied to make the squad again. He won the popular Smackdown race at Kokomo, IN., and finished as runner-up at the Perris Oval Nationals. Darland scored his 100th career USAC feature win in 2015 on his way to a half-dozen W’s for the season.
· Cody Darrah – Red Lion, PA. – Age 26. Darrah finished second in the All-Star Circuit of Champions points in 2015, winning three series races. His biggest score came in April when he won the Bob Weikert Memorial at Port Royal Speedway (Port Royal, PA.).
· Danny Dietrich – Gettysburg, PA. – Age 27. Dietrich won 16 feature events in 2015 including the World of Outlaws sanctioned Williams Grove Summer Nationals (Williams Grove Speedway, Mechanicsburg, PA.). He also won the Jim Nace Memorial at Selinsgrove Speedway (Selinsgrove, PA.). It was Dietrich’s first win at the historic track. Dietrich earned RRS points in the Knoxville Nationals with a 15th place finish.
· Craig Dollansky – Elk River, MN. – Age 49. Dollansky made the All-HammerDown! Team for the 12th time in his career. He and car owner Troy Renfro won a National Sprint League sanctioned event at Iowa State Fair Speedway (Des Moines, IA.) in July. Dollansky’s best Racer’s Racing Series finish was a second place run at the Jackson Nationals (Jackson, MN.).
· David Gravel – Watertown, CT. – Age 23. Gravel made the All-HammerDown! Team for the fourth consecutive year on the strength of podium finishes in BIG races. He was second at the January 10th Winter Heat event, third at the World of Outlaws race at Attica, OH, and third on his preliminary night at the Knoxville Nationals. Gravel finished eighth on Saturday night at the Nationals.
· Sheldon Haudenschild – Wooster, OH. – Age 22. Sheldon earned his first All-HammerDown! Team nod following a terrific, five-win season. Among Sheldon’s biggest accomplishments, he won the Lou Blaney Memorial event at Sharon Speedway (Hartford, OH.) in July, and finished 14th in the Knoxville Nationals A-Main.
· Greg Hodnett – Thomasville, PA. – Age 46. Hodnett won 18 A-mains in 2015, including The Dream Race at Port Royal in August (Port Royal, PA.). He captured his fourth career Williams Grove Speedway championship, and finished tenth in the Knoxville Nationals.
· Jason Johnson – Eunice, LA. – Age 39. Johnson personified toughness by returning to the cockpit after suffering fractures to two vertebrae in a crash at Placerville Speedway (CA.) in April. Tackling the 2015 World of Outlaws tour, Johnson scored six top-five finishes in the rugged series including a runner-up at the Kings Royal.
· Bud Kaeding – Campbell, CA. – Age 36. Known for his prowess in a non-wing sprint car, Bud flipped the script in 2015 and scored all his RRS points with a wing on top. He won the Trophy Cup (Thunderbowl Raceway, Tulare, CA.), and features at Petaluma Speedway (Petaluma, CA.), and Silver Dollar Speedway (Chico, CA.). Bud finished in the top 15 with the World of Outlaws in home-state races at Tulare, Calistoga, Placerville, and Chico (eighth in the Gold Cup).
· Tim Kaeding – San Jose, CA. – Age 37. Tim won five feature events in four states in 2015, including a victory with the World of Outlaws at Thunderbowl Raceway in March. Tim finished second in the Badlands Motor Speedway (formerly Husets) points, and third in the National Sprint League points.
· Kraig Kinser – Bloomington, IN. – Age 31. Despite enduring a season that saw him miss time due to back surgery, Kraig Kinser earned enough points to secure his tenth All-HammerDown! Team honor. He had four, top-five finishes in World of Outlaws competition. His best in Racer’s Racing Series points earning events was a third place run at Devil’s Bowl Speedway (Mesquite, TX.) in April.
· Danny Lasoski – Dover, MO. – Age 55. “The Dude” showed no signs of slowing down in 2015. He won 17 A-Mains and was crowned champion of both the National Sprint League and Knoxville Raceway (his tenth). He won a Winter Heat A-Main (Cocopah Speedway, Somerton, AZ.), and a WoO feature (Greenwood, NE.). Lasoski finished eighth in the Knoxville Nationals A-Main.
· Carson Macedo – Lemoore, CA. – Age 20. Macedo won the King of the West championship, scoring two wins in the series in 2015 to help him earn his first All-HammerDown! Team selection. He finished second in the overall Trophy Cup points.
· Ian Madsen – Saint Mary’s, New South Wales, Australia. – Age 31. Joining his brother Kerry on the All-HammerDown! Team, Ian finished second in the National Sprint League point standings in 2015. His best Racer’s Racing Series points earning finish was a third at the Front Row Challenge (S. Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, IA.).
· Kerry Madsen – Saint Mary’s, New South Wales, Australia. – Age 44. Madsen finished as the highest ranked international driver in the Racer’s Racing Series in 2015. He was on the podium at the Front Row Challenge (2nd), the Knoxvillle Nationals (2nd), and the Gold Cup (3rd). “The Madman” has made the All-HammerDown! Team nine times, more than any other international driver.
· Brent Marks – Myerstown, PA. – Age 25. Marks won three features in 2015 on his way to his second All-HammerDown! Team honor. Among his trio of wins was a triumph in the prestigious Tuscarora 50 (Port Royal Speedway). Marks finished fourth in the Front Row Challenge.
· Terry McCarl – Altoona, IA. – Age 51. McCarl won ten feature events in 2015 including the Knoxville 360 Nationals. He also scored Racer’s Racing Series BIG race wins versus the World of Outlaws at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and on his preliminary night at the Knoxville Nationals. McCarl was the best as well at the NSL’s Jackson, MN. stop in May.
· Paul McMahan – Hendersonville, TN. – Age 45. McMahan won the first Racer’s Racing Series points race of the year, the Winter Heat event (Somerton, AZ) on January 2, 2015. He added three World of Outlaws A-Main victories to make the All-HammerDown! Team for the 12th time in his career.
· Daryn Pittman – Owasso, OK. – Age 37. Pittman won the World of Outlaws season opening race in February, on the heels of a sixth place run in the Chili Bowl Midget Nationals. The Oklahoma pilot captured five WoO main events on the season. He finished seventh at the Knoxville Nationals.
· Aaron Reutzel – Clute, TX. – Age 25. Reutzel won the ASCS National Championship, taking the $60,000 that accompanies the feat. In RRS points earning events, he won a Winter Heat race at Cocopah Speedway, and he was first to the checkered flag at the Peter Murphy Classic (Thunderbowl Raceway).
· Joey Saldana – Brownsburg, IN. – Age 43. …Saldana scored three wins and 37 top-fives on the World of Outlaws tour in 2015. He won two WoO races that were part of the Racer’s Racing Series points earning schedule: Cedar Lake in July, and the ultra-tough World Finals at the Charlotte Dirt Track in November. Joey finished fifth in the 2015 Knoxville Nationals.
· Donny Schatz – Fargo, ND. - Age 38. Schatz had a season to remember. He won 31 World of Outlaws A-Mains on the way to his seventh series championship. He won the Knoxville Nationals for the ninth time, and the Gold Cup Race of Champions for the second time. Schatz became only the second driver in WoO history to win 30 or more races in a single season.
· Logan Schuchart – Hanover, PA. – Age 23. Schuchart finished tenth in the World of Outlaws point standings, posting six top-five, and 30 top-ten finishes. He was third in the Williams Grove National Open, helping him to his first All-HammerDown! Team selection.
· Jason Sides – Bartlett, TN. – Age 42. Sides earned his twelfth All-HammerDown! Team selection in 2015. He finished eighth in the World of Outlaws series points, scoring a win in Dodge City, KS. His best result in Racer’s Racing Series points earning action was a runner-up finish at Calistoga Speedway in April.
· Stevie Smith – Broken Arrow, OK. / New Oxford, PA. – Age 49. Running a light schedule, Smith proved again that he is a force. He won both the Williams Grove Summer Nationals and the Williams Grove National Open on his way to a ten-win season.
· Shane Stewart – Bixby, OK. – Age 39. Stewart had a fantastic season, sweeping the Kings Royal weekend at Eldora, winning the Iron Man 55 at Pevely, MO., and the opening night of the Gold Cup (Chico, CA.). He won nine WoO A-Mains. Stewart drove a throwback Larson/Marks #16 to a win on his preliminary night at the Knoxville Nationals. He finished fourth in the Saturday Nationals A-Main.
· Chase Stockon – Elizabethtown, IN. – Age 27. Stockon finished third in the USAC National Sprint Car standings in 2015. He was runner-up at the Smackdown at Kokomo in August which was his best run in RRS points earning events. Stockon won five features on the season, all coming in his home state.
· Brad Sweet – Grass Valley, CA. – Age 30. Sweet won five World of Outlaws events, as well as the Front Row Challenge in 2015. Among the sweetest (pun intended) was his victory on Pennsylvania Posse turf at Port Royal on October 24th. Sweet finished third in the 2015 Knoxville Nationals.
· Sammy Swindell – Germantown, TN. – Age 60. Sammy is still winning. He won the NSL sanctioned Jackson Nationals (Jackson, MN.), and finished fifth in the Chili Bowl. Sammy also had a podium run at the Williams Grove Summer Nationals (third place). Overall, Swindell raced 41 times and won four features.
· Greg Wilson - Benton Ridge, OH. – Age 39. Wilson captured four A-Main checkered flags in 2015, including a BIG win with the World of Outlaws at Eldora during the Four Crown weekend. He has announced plans to run full time with The Outlaws in 2016.
· Chris Windom – Canton, IL. – Age 24. Windom made the All-HammerDown! Team for the sixth consecutive season. His biggest win came on the Anderson Speedway pavement in the Little 500. He also won a Silver Crown event on the high banks at Belleville, KS. Windom finished fourth at the Sprint Car Smackdown at Kokomo.
· Lucas Wolfe – Mechanicsburg, PA. - Age 29. Wolfe won four feature events and the Port Royal Speedway track championship in 2015. He finished ninth in the Knoxville Nationals A-Main. Among his four wins, all came in the Keystone State, with two at Port Royal and two at Williams Grove.
· Dusty Zomer – Brandon, SD. – Age 30. Zomer earned his first All-HammerDown! Team nod on the strength of a brilliant, eleven-win season capped by a triumph with the World of Outlaws at the prestigious World Finals (Charlotte Dirt Track, Concord, NC.).
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Sources: Chris Dolack, Andy Hamilton, Troy Hennig, Dick Jordan, Bill Klingbeil, KnoxvilleRaceway.com, Shawn Miller, NationalSprintLeague.com, Petersen Media, SilverDollarSpeedway.com, SprintCarStats.com, SprintSource.com, Gary Thomas, USACRacing.com, Brad Vores, WoOSprint.com.
Submitted By: Lonnie Wheatley