Who’s ripe for a comeback in 2009 at the Bullring? Here’s one guy’s guess for each of the four weekly series:

Late models: It’s no secret Jerry Weisenberger was again talking about retirement late in the 2009 season, but here’s one fan hoping he decides on (at least) one final hurrah. Between 2005-07, Weisenberger strung together three strong top-five points finishes. The past two years he struggled at times, although he did secure a pair of top-10 points finishes. As wide open as this division could be with Mark Burgtorf and Jason Frankel apparently not running for the track title (again), a strong rebound from Weisenberger could find him in the championship mix. Now that would be a way to cap a career.

Modifieds: Robbie Reed missed five weeks of points racing, but still managed to sneak into the top 10 in points. If he opts to run a full schedule at 8000 Broadway he should be in the midst of a wild championship struggle with reigning champ Justin Reed, Tony Dunker and Steven DeLonjay. The law of percentages says Reed is due for a comeback. Since winning the 2006 track championship, he has finished 4th, 8th and 10th in points.

Stock cars: Chris Wibbell ran into an almost-unbelievable stretch of bad luck during the final month, falling from title contetion to seventh in points. I not only like Wibbell to make a strong comeback, but be a lagitimate title contender. Wibbell reminds me of late model track champ Lonnie Bailey. They both know how to points race and maximize each run for the big picture.

Hobby stocks: We kind of forgot about Wes Mayfield late in the season. He hung it up for the year while sitting second in points early in August, deciding to sell his car but vowing to return in 2009. Mayfield wound up eighth in points, a position he is almost certain to improve on in 2010.

Jared Schlipman

The 2010 racing season at the Bullring could again be ripe for some “sleeper picks” to win track titles.

A year ago at this time, how many were tabbing Justin Reed to win the modified championship? How about Abe Huls in the stock cars?

Here are four names to ponder as we all await next year to arrive:

Late models: Jason Perry intrigues me, and if a semi-dark horse is to emerge in this class I can see it being Perry. He has improved each of the last three years and shown he knows how to run up front once he gets there. Few probably realize he finished fourth in points behind Lonnie Bailey, Justin Reed and Mark Burgtorf. There’s an intangible involved here, too. If you have ever talked with Perry it is obvious how much he loves this sport. His commitment oozes from every comment. I always look for those kind of things in drivers. Horsepower is important, but so is desire channeled in the proper means.

Modifieds: I’m sure Jared Schlipman will wind up in a late model some day (don’t forget who is dad is), but before that day arrives there could be some nice modified rewards, too. Schlipman looks like he’s ready to take the last step toward being a serious title contender in this series. He has proven he can win the heats and dashes, and he has shown he can lead a feature. What we need to see next is his ability to close the deal. The modified are a brutal division to earn your stripes in because there are so many bona fide contenders. And I think Schlipman could be the next true championship threat.

Stock cars: I would not necessarily call Aaron Brocksieck a “sleeper,” but when you mention stock cars the first names likely to roll off your tongue are Abe Huls, Kevin Tomlinson, Terry Houston and Chris Wibbell. Brocksieck proved with his second half of 2009 he is ready to duplicate that hobby stock title he won in 2008. I think Houston is the man to beat going into 2010, but Brocksieck should be right in the mix, too.

Hobby stocks: There was little doubt who the most improved driver in this series was over the final couple of months. Tanner Klingele, 15, proved he could drive the wheels off his fire-engine red No. 3. I know at least one modified team that was looking to add him as a driver, but his family will keep him in that hobby stock for the foreseeable future — and that’s a great idea. Klingele’s dad is a former track champ and it should not be surprising to see Tanner duplicate that feat at some point — maybe as soon as 2010.

Justin Reed is the answer to a rather interesting trivia question involving the Bullring.

Reed, who won the modified track title and finished runner-up to Lonnie Bailey in the late model points race, turned a 70 mph feature lap in both classes last season. Only two modified drivers reached that speed, the other being Michael Long.

And Reed not only turned a 70 mph lap with his late model, it was the fastest IMCA lap since trhe track adopted its electronic timing system in late 2007.

Here’s a look at the top five feature lap speeds for each of the three classes where transponders are used.

FASTEST LATE MODEL FEATURE LAPS

1. Jeep Van Wormer, 78.284 (July 3,2009), UMP TRACK RECORD
2. Justin Reed, 74.295 (Aug. 30, 2009), IMCA TRACK RECORD
3. Lonnie Bailey, 74.127 (May 10, 2009), IMCA
4. Jason Frankel, 72.717 (Aug. 31,2008), IMCA
5. Mark Burgtorf, 72.656 (Sept. 6, 2009) IMCA

FASTEST MODIFIED FEATURE LAPS

1. Michael Long, 71.170 (Aug. 30, 2009), UMP
2. Justin Reed, 70.441 (July 12, 2009), UMP
3-tie. Steven DeLonjay, 69.791 (May 17, 2009), UMP
3-tie. Michael Long, 69.791 (May 10, 2009), UMP
5. Michael Long, 69.735 (April 10, 2008)

FASTEST STOCK CAR FEATURE LAPS

1. Terry Houston, 65.603 (Aug. 30, 2009)
2. Shawn Johnson, 64.393 (July 3, 2009)
3. Chris Wibbell, 63.376 (May 17,2009)
4. Kevin Tomlinson, 63.342 (May 10, 2009)
5. Aaron Brocksieck, 63.085 (July 26,2009)

Bullring fans, cherish the past three seasons. They have been historical in nature and it’s unlikely we’ll see anything like them — ar least as many of them — again anytime soon.

There have been 17 track championships in 35 years decided by 9 points or less — and eight (count ‘em, E-I-G-H-T) have come in the last two years. What are the odds?

Here’s a look at those close calls:

Year, class, drivers
2008, stock cars, Jeff Mueller def. Chris Wibbell by 0 points (title decided my most features won when Mueller and Wibbell tied in points).
2008, modifieds, Michael Long def. Tony Dunker by 1 point.
2008, hobby stocks, Aaron Brocksieck def. Wes Mayfield by 1 point.
2007, hobby stocks, Todd Reichert def. Steve Carlin by 1 point.
1998, “B” modifieds, Gary Dreyer def. Joe Hooper by 1 point.
2006, hornets, Steven DeLonjay def. James Leffew by 2 points.
2004, “A” modifieds, Hank DeLonjay def. Michael Long by 2 points.
1983, pure stock, Jeff Klingele def. Hal Roach by 2 points.
2007, hornet, Steven DeLonjay def. Levi Long by 3 points.
1998, “A” modifieds, Sam Burgtorf def. Hank DeLonjay by 3 points.
2004, late model, Lonnie Bailey def. Brent Slocum by 4 points.
2009, stock cars, Abe Huls def. Kevin Tomlinson by 5 points.
2009, late models, Lonnie Bailey def. Justin Reed by 6 points.
1989, “A’ modifieds, Darin Walker def. Sonny Smyser by 6 points.
1984, sportsman, Hank DeLonjay def. Lonnie Bailey by 6 points.
2006, modifieds, Robbie Reed def. Hank DeLonjay by 7 points.
2009, hobby stocks, Steve Carlin def. Jim Powell by 9 points.

All the dirt-track conspiracy theorists that are convinced starting on the pole or front row of the feature is a virtual lock for victory might want to rethink that belief.

Of the 84 features run last season at the Bullring, only 9.5 percent were won from the pole and just 26.2 percent were won from the front row.

Here are the facts:

WINS FROM THE POLE

Late models: 2 of 23, 8.7 percent
Modifieds: 3 of 20, 15.0 percent
Stock cars: 2 of 20, 10.0 percent
Hobby stocks: 1 of 21, 4.8 percent
Totals: 8 of 84, 9.5 percent

Victories:
Late models: Mark Burgtorf, Justin Reed
Modifieds: Robbie Reed, Steven DeLonjay, Michael Long
Stock cars: Terry Houston (2)
Hobby stocks: Steve Carlin

WINS FROM THE FIRST ROW

Late models: 10 of 23, 43.5 percent
Modifieds: 4 of 20, 20.0 percent
Stock cars: 5 of 20, 25.0 percent
Hobby stocks: 3 of 21, 14.3 percent
Totals: 22 of 84, 26.2 percent

Keeping with the “combined” theme, here is a look at the career victory leaders of all of the classes included as one.

Mark Burgtorf has a shot at reaching 200 wins (since 1999)  next season, while Tony Dunker and Lonnie Bailey have the opportunity to become the fourth and fifth members of the century club.

I find interesting that Hank DeLonjay, who has been retired for two years, is still No. 1 in heat victories. If Michael Long races enough at the Bullring in 2010 he will likely pass The Crank.

Feature-wise, teenager Steven DeLonjay is two wins away from cracking the top 10, which is borderline unbelievable. Is it any wonder why we love this sport of dirt-track racing? Is it April yet?

TOTAL VICTORIES SINCE 1999
Totals reflect wins from all classes a driver may have participated in. For example, Mark Burgtorf’s total represents his victories in both late models and modifieds at Quincy Raceways.

(Drivers in bold face were active in 2009)
1. Mark Burgtorf, 181
2. Michael Long, 150
3. Hank DLonjay, 138
4. Tony Dunker, 94
5. Eddie Dieker, 91
6. Lonnie Bailey, 88
7. Denny Woodworth, 80
8. Steve Carlin, 79
9. Wyatt Lantz, 77
10. Dave Wietholder, 72

On the bubble
Vance Wilson, 67
Adam Birck, 64
Bill Genenbacher, 54

FEATURE VICTORIES SINCE 1999

(Drivers in bold face were active in 2009)
1. Mark Burgtorf, 82
2. Michael Long, 53
3. Hank DeLonjay, 42
4. Eddie Dieker, 39
5. Vance Wilson, 30
6. Steve Carlin, 28
7-tie.. Wyatt Lantz, 24
7-tie. Adam Birck, 24
9. Lonnie Bailey, 22
10-tie. Dave Wietholder, 18
10-tie. Joe Hooper, 18
10-tie. Denny Woodworth, 18

On the bubble
Steven DeLonjay, 16
James Leffew, 13
Jim Powell, 13
Jason Frankel, 12
Tony Dunker, 12
Bill Genenbacher, 12

HEAT VICTORIES SINCE 1999

(Drivers in bold face were active in 2009)
1. Hank DeLonjay, 80
2. Michael Long, 71
3. Mark Burgtorf, 66
4. Tony Dunker, 62
5. Eddie Dieker, 51
6. Steve Carlin, 50
7. Wyatt Lantz, 39
8-tie. Denny Woodworth, 38
8-tie. Adam Birck, 38
8-tie. Dave Wietholder, 38

On the bubble
Jerry Weisenberger, 36
Lonnie Bailey, 35
Bill Genenbacher, 35

DASH VICTORIES SINCE 1999

(Drivers in bold face were active in 2009)
1. Mark Burgtorf, 31
2. Lonnie Bailey, 29
3. Michael Long, 24
4. Denny Woodworth, 23
5. Tony Dunker, 18
6-tie. Vance Wilson, 17
6-tie. Brent Slocum, 17
8. Hank DeLonjay, 16
9-tie. Dave Wietholder, 11
9-tie. Brandon Lennox, 11
9-tie. Mike Karhoff, 11

On the bubble
Wyatt Lantz, 10
Jamie Wilson, 10
Robbie Reed, 9

Keith Pratt fans voted No. 33 the most likely to win a late model track championship from a list of 10 of the younger — in tems of both age and experience — drivers at the Bullring.

Keith Pratt

Pratt edged Matt Bailey, 35.2 percent to 33.9 percent, in what may have been the closest online poll result this blog has seen since it debuted more than two years ago. There were 227 ballots cast by the time we shut off the voting Friday morning. The poll was open for about two weeks.

I purposely removed drivers like Mark Burgtorf, Jason Frankel, Lonnie Bailey and Justin Reed from the equation. Three of the four are veterans of more than a decade of competitive racing and all have already won at last one track title at 8000 Broadway. The fourth, Reed, was runner-up this season and has firmly established himself as an annual top-five threat.

I wanted to see how the fans viewed the next tier of drivers attempting to crack the upper echelon at the track. Plus, Burgtorf and Frankel will likely not be actively competing for the 2010 title, preferring again to test the weekend waters outside Adams County.

NOW IT’S THE MODIFIEDS’ TURN

Starting today we’ll do the same thing with the modifieds. I have not included some of the established powers such as Reed, Steven DeLonjay and Tony Dunker. (I find it kind of ironic to eliminate DeLonjay from this list when he’s still a teenager, but I don’t think anyone will argue that he is already an elite driver.)

I have included some drivers — Robbie Reed, Vance Wilson, Wyatt Lantz — who have won past track championships. I put Reed on the list because since his 2006 title he has not been a fulltimer, but what if he would be again? The thinking was similar with Wilson. He showed us what he was still capable of in 2009 after not running full-time in Quincy since 2001. Lantz has run sporadically at Quincy since winning a”B” mod title earlier in the decade, but has not yet run a full season in the single-class mod division.

UNOFICIALLY

I believe it’s 21 weeks until the first green flag at Quincy Raceways, but who’s counting?

I think the fans and racers have spoken, at least judging from the responses the previous blog has received. Some sort of fall series seems to be very popular, and so does some sort of Sunday afternoon starting time.

I’m going to be talking to Bullring co-owner Tony Rhinberger in the near future and this will definitely be a topic. The idea behind our meeting was to discuss the 2010 season, so this should fit right in. I’ll keep you posted on this blog about the possibility of a fall series and other potential changes for next season.

To be honest, the early starting time did not occur to me, but I think it’s a great, great idea. I am a football fan like most, but if I had a choice of sitting at home on four Sunday afternoons in September/October or going to 8000 Broadway there is no choice. Get the trackburgers a cookin’ cuz Stevie Dirt is on the way.

Ideas presented by you, the fans, are the beauty of an outlet such as this. If the fall series becomes a reality, you should take all the credit for it.

Is this a great country or what?!

How about a fall mini-series at the Bullring? Four weeks of racing after the points season ends, with the champ in each of the competing series picking up some sort of bonus payoff?

I’m not one who thinks racing needs to extend into November or anything like that, but I think there’s enough interest to support solid Sunday night crowds until — or a little past — the first of October.

What do you think?

A potential sponsor of such an idea contacted me a few days ago and asked me what I thought. Actually, he asked me about another concept that I didn’t think would fly, so I suggested this.

Let me know what you think. This would-be sponsor will be watching the Stevie Dirt blog to help gauge interest.

During the next few blogs we’ll look at some of the “combined” leaders and record holders at the Bullring. By “combined” I mean grouping all the weekly series together to compare victory and other totals, season leaders, etc.

Notice how most of the leading victory figures have increased over the years. I think it’s a combination of two things — obviously outstanding individual success, but also more race dates. In the mid-200s there were quite a few mid-week race nights, along with the regular Sunday evening shows.

To me, arguably the most glaring number is Michael Long’s 36 total victories in the modified series in 2007. For example, compare that to mod driver Mike Karhoff’s 2001-leading 10 wins for all series. That’s simply amazing. (Long is pictured at the right with his family and flagman Chris Miller following one of those 36 wins in ’07.)

While the total season victory standards of Long (36, 35), and even Mark Burgtorf (28) will be difficult to equal or surpass, how about the 17 heat victories from Hank DeLonjay in 2006? That’s the equivalent of winning a heat race just about every week.

COMBINED SEASON VICTORY LEADERS

TOTAL     

2009: Michael Long, Modifieds 16
2008: Michael Long, Modifieds 35 
2007: Michael Long, Modifieds 36 
2006: Mark Burgtorf, Late Models 28 
2005: Hank DeLonjay, “A” Modifieds 23
2004: Wyatt Lantz, “B” Modifieds 24
2003: Mark Burgtorf, Late Models 20
2002: Hank DeLonjay, “A” Modifieds 15
2001: Mike Karhoff, “A” Modifieds 10                     
2000: Sam Burgtorf, “A” Modifieds 12           
1999: Vance Wilson, “A” Modifieds 13
 
FEATURES

2009: Mark Burgtorf, Late Models  7; Michael Long, Modifieds 7
2008: Michael Long, Modifieds 15
2007: Michael Long, Modifieds 16
2006: Mark Burgtorf, Late Models 13
2005: Wyatt Lantz, “A” Modifieds  9; Hank DeLonjay, “A” Modifieds 9
2004: Eddie Dieker, Bombers 9
2003: Mark Burgtorf, Late Models 9
2002: Mark Burgtorf, Late Models 6;  Hank DeLonjay, “A” Modifieds 6
2001: Mark Burgtorf, Late Models 5; Mike Karhoff, “A” Modifieds 5
2000: Eddie Dieker, Bombers 6; Vance Wilson, “A” Modifieds 6
1999: Greg Uppinghouse, “B” Mods 8

HEATS

2009: Nick Ingalls, Late Models  6; Vance Wilson, Modifieds  6;  Tony Dunker, Modifieds 6; Ryan Meyer, Modifieds 6;  Steve Steinkuhler, Stock Cars 6
2008: Michael Long, Modifieds 13
2007: Michael Long, Modifieds 13
2006: Hank DeLonjay, “A” Mods 17
2005: Eddie Dieker, Bombers  14
2004: Wyatt Lantz, “B” Modifieds 11; Adam Birck, Bombers  11
2003: Michael Long, “A” Modifieds 11
2002: Adam Birck, Bombers 8
2001: Rob Carter, “B” Modifieds 8
2000: Eddie Dieker, Bombers 8
1999: Bruce Hatfield, Bombers 9

DASHES

2009: Steven DeLonjay, Modifieds 4
2008: Michael Long, Modifieds 7
2007: Mark Burgtorf, Late Models 8
2006: Mark Burgtorf, Late Models 5; Robbie Reed, Modifieds 5
2005: Denny Woodworth, Late Models 6
2004: Lonnie Bailey, Late Models 6
2003: Brent Slocum, Late Models 4
2002: Brent Slocum, Late Models 4
2001: Vance Wilson, “A” Modifieds 5
2000: Jamie Wilson, Late Models 5
1999: Lonnie Bailey, Late Models 5

COMBINED TOP 10 SEASON VICTORY LEADERS

TOTAL     

Driver, Series   
Michael Long, Modifieds, 36, 2007
Michael Long, Modifieds, 35, 2008
Mark Burgtorf, Late Models, 28, 2006
Hank DeLonjay, “A” Modifieds, 25, 2006
Mark Burgtorf, Late Models, 24, 2007
Wyatt Lantz, “B” Modifieds, 24, 2004
Steve Carlin, Hobby Stocks, 23, 2007
Hank DeLonjay, “A” Modifieds, 23, 2005
Tony Dunker, “B” Modifieds, 21, 2005
Mark Burgtorf, Late Models, 20, 2002
Wyatt Lantz, “B” Modifieds, 19, 2005

 FEATURES

Driver, Series   
Michael Long, Modifieds, 16, 2007
Michael Long, Modifieds, 15, 2008
Mark Burgtorf, Late Models, 13, 2006
Steve Carlin, Bombers, 12, 2007
Jeff Mueller, Stock Cars, 9, 2008
Adam Birck, Bombers, 9, 2006
Wyatt Lantz, “B” Modifieds, 9, 2005
Hank DeLonjay, “A” Modifieds, 9, 2005
Eddie Dieker, Bombers, 9, 2004
Mark Burgtorf, Late Models, 9, 2003

HEATS

Driver, Series   
Hank DeLonjay, “A” Modifieds, 17, 2006
Eddie Dieker, Bombers, 14, 2005
Michael Long, Modifieds, 13, 2008
Michael Long, Modifieds, 13, 2007
Tony Dunker, “B” Modifieds, 12, 2005
Hank DeLonjay, “A” Modifieds, 12, 2005
Steve Carlin, Hobby Stocks, 11, 2007
Adam Birck, Bombers, 11, 2004
Michael Long, “A” Modifieds, 11, 2003
Hank DeLonjay, “A” Modifieds, 10, 2007
Steven DeLonjay, Hornets, 10, 2007
Mark Burgtorf, Late Models, 10, 2006

DASHES

Driver, Series   
Mark Burgtorf, Late Models. 8, 2007
Michael Long, Modifieds, 7, 2008
Michael Long, Modifieds, 7, 2007
Denny Woodworth, Late Models, 6, 2005
Lonnie Bailey, Late Models, 6, 2004
Mark Burgtorf, Late Models, 5, 2008
Mark Burgtorf, Late Models, 5, 2006
Robbie Reed, Modifieds, 5, 2006
Vance Wilson, “A” Modifieds, 5, 2001
Jamie Wilson, Late Models, 5, 2000
Lonnie Bailey, Late Models, 5, 1999