I can say withy any hesitation the stock cars are the most intriguing series heading into 2010. There just isn’t any clear-cut favorite, which should — at least on paper — make for a third straight right-down-to-the-final-race kind of season.

A case can be made for at least seven bona fide title threats, plus a handful of others who are knocking on the door. My personal pick remains Terry Houston, but I would have no problem taking Aaron Brocksieck, Steve Steinkuhler, Chris Wibbell, Abe Huls, Kevin Tomlinson or Doug Huls. And you wouldn’t have to twist my arm too hard to lean toward Andrew Griffin, Jerry Jansen or Michael Larsen.

That said, the real wil card could be Sarah Woodhurst, who simply needs to learn how to finish all of those races she leads. Sarah is tied for the career (two-year) lead in heat victories, but has yet to close the deal on a checkered flag come feature time. (Maybe it’s some sort of weird racing karma, but as I am writing this I have an ESPN Classic broadcast of Danica Patrick’s first IRL victory playing in the background. If Sarah goes on to win a feature next season, or even the title, remember this blog!)

In case you have forgotten, here’s how the the first two stock car championships were decided:

2009: Abe Huls won the title by five points when Kevin Tomlinson was disqualified for not having a muffler on his car in the season championship race.

2008: Jeff Mueller and Chris Wibbell tie for the title following the final points race. Mueller is awarded the championship on the strength of more feature victories.

I wonder what 2010 will hold?

While you ponder that, here’s a look at the career victory leaders in the stock car series following its first two seasons at the Bullring:

TOTAL VICTORIES
Jeff Mueller, 15
Terry Houston, 10
Steve Steinkuhler, 9
John Oliver Jr., 9
Doug Huls, 8
Sarah Woodhurst, 8
Abe Huls, 7
Kevin Tomlinson, 7
Dave Wietholder, 7
Andrew Griffin, 6
 
FEATURE VICTORIES
Jeff Mueller, 10
Terry Houston, 5
Kevin Tomlinson, 4
Dave Wietholder, 3
Aaron Brocksieck, 3
John Oliver Jr., 3
Steve Steinkuhler, 2
Chris Wibbell, 2

HEAT VICTORIES
Doug Huls, 8
Sarah Woodhurst, 8
Steve Steinkuhler, 7
John Oliver Jr., 6
Terry Houston, 5
Andrew Griffin, 5
Abe Huls, 5
Jeff Mueller, 5
Michael Larsen, 4
Dave Wietholder, 4
Rusty Tobias, 4

Michael Long

Even if modified standout Michael Long does not race full time in 2010 at the Bullring, he should be there enough to win a few heat races and become the career leader in that category since track stats started being charted in 1999.

If — or when — Long takes over the career lead for heat victories he will then hold the top spot in all four victory classes. Long will enter 2010 the career leader in total wins (150), feature victories (53) and dashes (24). Long currently trails retired Hank DeLonjay in heat wins 73-71.

One driver who looks poised to make considerable strides in the career stats next season is Dave Wietholder, who with moderate success should climb to No. 6 in overall victories, crack the top 10 in feature victories and move into the top five in heat wins.

Here’s a look at the career leaders in each modified category.

TOTAL VICTORIES
Michael Long, 150
Hank DeLonjay, 130
Tony Dunker, 94
Wyatt Lantz, 77
Vance Wilson, 67
Joe Hooper, 47
Brandon Lennox, 44
Dave Wietholder, 42
Robbie Reed, 41
Joe Bliven, 40
Ryan Meyer, 38
 
Active drivers with minimum 10 victories
Brandon Brown, 31
Danny Lake, 20
Steven DeLonjay, 16
Jared Schlipman, 16
Justin Reed, 10

FEATURE VICTORIES
Michael Long, 53
Hank DeLonjay, 42
Vance Wilson, 30
Wyatt Lantz, 24
Joe Hooper, 18
Tony Dunker, 12
Joe Bliven, 8
Sam, Burgtorf, 8
Gary Wilson, 8
Greg Uppinghouse, 8
Mike Karhoff, 8

Active drivers with at least 1 victory
Robbie Reed, 7
Brandon Lennox, 6
Dave Wietholder, 6
Ryan Meyer, 6
Brandon Brown, 6
Justin Reed, 4
Steven DeLonjay, 3
Danny Lake, 1

HEAT VICTORIES
Hank DeLonjay, 73
Michael Long, 71
Tony Dunker, 62
Wyatt Lantz, 39
Brandon Lennox, 27
Joe Hooper, 27
Ryan Meyer, 26
Rob Carter, 24
Vance Wilson, 23
Joe Bliven, 23

Active drivers with minimum 5 victories
Dave Wietholder, 21
Robbiue Reed, 21
Brandon Brown, 20
Danny Lake, 19
Jared Schlipman, 16
Steven DeLonjay, 6
Shawn Deering, 6

DASH VICTORIES
Michael Long, 24
Tony Dunker, 18
Vance Wilson, 17
Hank DeLonjay, 15
Dave Wietholder, 11
Brandon Lennox, 11
Wyhatt Lantz, 10
Robbie Reed, 9
Joe Bliven, 7
Steven DeLonjay, 6
Brandon Brown, 6
Gary Dreyer, 6

Active drivers with minimum 2 victories
Ryan Meyer, 5
Donovan Lodge, 3
Justin Reed, 3
Danny Lake, 2

The e-mail inbox contained some good news today. The IMCA announced the 2010 Deery Brothers Summer Series schedule. Here are some of the highlights:

– The series boasts 16 dates, with 34 Raceway’s $3,000 to win Slocum 50 opening the action on April 10. The West Burlington, Iowa, track will also the traditional tour finale, the $10,000 to win Pepsi USA Nationals Sept. 17-18.

– Quincy Raceway’s June 13 Titan Wheel & Tire Shootout becomes part of the series, paying $3,000 to win.

– All other events will pay $2,000 to win and a minimum of $250 to start. Non-qualifiers will get $100.

– “This year’s schedule should be really favorable for racers and requires drivers to take off as few days of work as we have had for many years,” Tour Director Kevin Yoder said. “With the schedule now announced, we are working on some new and exciting contingency programs for the series that we hope to be able to announce in January.”

– The defending series champion is Jeff Aikey, who won his sixth Deery title in 2009.

2010 DEERY BROTHERS SUMMER SERIES LATE MODEL TOUR SCHEDULE

Saturday, April 10 at 34 Raceway, West Burlington, Iowa
Sunday, April 11, at Quincy Raceway, Quincy, Ill.
Friday, April 16 at Davenport Speedway, Davenport, Iowa
Saturday, April 17 at Jackson County Speedway, Maquoketa, Iowa
Sunday, April 18 at Dubuque Speedway, Dubuque, Iowa
Tuesday, May 18 at Marshalltown Speedway, Marshalltown, Iowa
Monday, May 31 at Boone Speedway, Boone, Iowa
Sunday, June 13 at Quincy Raceway, Quincy, Ill.
Friday, June 18 at Farley Speedway, Farley, Iowa
Wednesday, June 30 at Independence Motor Speedway, Independence, Iowa
Thursday, July 8 at Knoxville Raceway, Knoxville, Iowa
Wednesday, July 21 at Southern Iowa Speedway, Oskaloosa, Iowa
Monday, Aug. 16 at the Iowa State Fairgrounds Speedway, Des Moines
Saturday, Sept. 4 at Lee County Speedway, Donnellson, Iowa
Monday, Sept. 6 at Boone Speedway, Boone, Iowa
Fri. & Sat., Sept. 17-18 at 34 Raceway, West Burlington, Iowa

You knw that it’s already been a long winter when …

1. The family dog, a black lab mix, starts to look more and more like Dale Earnhardt. I can almost see a “3″ emblazoned on her side.

2. The e-mails from Hank DeLonjay are on the increase, meaning he has way too much time on his hands. When it’s race season, The Crank is always working on No. 35 in the evenings.

3. You start scanning the daily lineup of ESPN Classic, hoping to see another NASCAR rerun of the 1992 TransUnion 400 from Martinsville.

4. You and the Little Woman stop at Elder’s on a Sunday evening and order a track burger and funnel cake by mistake.

5. On a hunch, you venture out to Summy Tire during your lunch hour, hoping that Mark Burgtorf or Michael Long happen to show up to chat with Jeff Carter.

6. You call Triple R, hoping Lonnie Bailey answers the phone, just so you can ask him a racing question.

7. You drive to Hannibal, Mo., simply to try and spot a member of the Powell or Watkins family.

8. On Sunday afternoon, the Little Woman wants to drive to Liberty and have a piece of pie at Mike’s Place. While there, you keep staring out the window, hoping to spot Dave Wietholder buzzing down the road in his modified.

9. After work one day, you drive out to the track, get out of your car and imagine you can hear the late models coming out of turn four.

10. You drive to Cheaterville and try to talk Eddie Dieker out of retirement.

The Bullring’s second Deery Brothers Summer Series date in 2010 is being moved to June 13 as part of the annual $3,000-to-win Titan Wheel Shootout. The midseason date and big winner’s check should guarantee a huge field. I would say the track’s 48-car Deery record established in April 2007 will be in danger of falling.

Only seven times in 22 Deery races has Quincy drawn 40 or more cars and only once (2006) did that happen with the late-season date. The IMCA worked with QR owners to make the switch possible. Hats off to all involved. This is a great move.

Here are some other highlights of the 2010 schedule (which is not yet complete):

April 4: Opening night. Dress warm.

April 11: Deery Brothers Summer Series makes its first stop. (IMCA officials are attenpting to schedule all Deery events on weekends, if possible, to cut down on mid-week travel.)

May 30: O’Reilly All-Star Winged Aprints will be part of the schedule.

June 13: Titan Wheel Shootout, $3,000-to-win. This will also be the second Deery Brothers date. (Also helping bolster the car count on this night will be no late models running in East Moline, Ill. Get there early. This could be a memorable show.)

July 4: Midseason championships.

July 11: The UMP Summernationals return for a fourth year (fifth if  you count the 2008 rainout), a show that has become one of the season’s true highlights. It’s unknown whether the winner’s check will be $6,000 or $10,000.

Still to be scheduled:

– Labor Day weekend will be some sort of special, but no determination has yet been made.

– Dates for both modified specials, the River City Rumble and Dunker Concrete $2,000-to-win event, are up in the air, but should be finalized within the next month or so.

– The Tri-State Shootout for stock cars also is on the schedule, but a date has not yet been set.

(Sorry about the delay in the second part of what’s in store in 2010 at the Bullring. Yours truly got nailed by the flu and spent the better part of two days getting up close and personal with his bed and sofa.)

Race fans, we have some news about 2010.

Quincy Raceways co-owner Tony Rhinbeger spent some time with me today discussing next season. Here are some of the highlights, which I will break up over a two-day period. Today’s information deals with specific issues:

– Starting time: The track is going to use a 5:30 p.m. starting time on Sundays during April and if it proves popular with racers and fans alike it will likely become permanent.

My comment: I think this is a great idea. A GREAT IDEA! Many drivers and fans alike were suggesting an earlier starting time an earlier in comments left on this blog after the season. Track officials listened. Is this a great country or what?

– No fifth class: There are no plans to add a fifth class to the weekly lineup of late models, modifieds, stock cars and hobby stocks. Rhinberger feels four classes work perfectly for Sunday nights. He said the rumors about possibly adding crate late models, sport mods or “B” modifieds were not true, although there is the possibility a few crate model shows could be included this season.

My comment: I think at some point there will be a fifth class, but with the current economic times this is probably not the best season. But if the earlier starting time works out this season and the economy picks up, my gut feeling is there still might be a fifth class in the future at 8000 Broadway.

– Opening night: Will be April 4.

My comment: I can’t wait. How about March 4?

– No fall series: Rhinberger said at this time the track plans to keep its traditional schedule, with the last night of racing around the middle of September (but the schedule has not yet been finalized). He said an annual fall-off in spectators, kids returning to school (cutting down on family attendance) and many racers “hanging it up for the season” after Labor Day all weighed in his decision against any sort of fall series.

My comment: I understand Rhinberger’s view, and what he says is correct. But if enough racers and rans would like the season extended, they have to show they would support it. Talk to Rhinberger this season and let him know your feelings if you would be in favor fo such a move. There’s nothing that says a fall mini-season can’t be added if the demand is there.

NEXT: We’ll look at some of the key dates on the 2010 schedule

Hopefully, the third time will be the charm.

For the second day in a row my scheduled meeting with Quincy Raceways co-cowner Tony Rhinberger had to be postponed. Tony is out of commission today with the flu. We’re shooting for Wednesday if he is able to leave the “hot pit.”

Some of the subjects I will be asking him concerning the 2010 season and beyond will be about Sunday night starting time, a potential fifth weekly series, the idea of a short fall series after the conclusion of track points racing, when will the 2010 season open and if he has any thoughts about switching from IMCA to UMP for late model division.

Tony is always straightforward with his answers when questioned, so I’m obviously eager to hear his responses. And I’m sure he’ll have a few surprises of his own concerning 2010 he will want to share.

Hey race fans, I just got off the phone with Quincy Raceways co-owner Tony Rhinberger and we’ve had to postpone our scheduled meeting today until Tuesday, so those of you looking for a 2010 update Monday night will need to wait one more day.

Judging by the e-mails and phone calls, there’s already a lot of interest about next season, but just be patient. I’ll fill you in as soon as I know something concrete.

When the Stevie Dirt Regional Rankings for late models and modifieds were started in 2008 (and for stock cars in 2009), the idea was to see what driver(s) excelled at the primnary tracks in our general region. I think the SDRR has served its purpose.

Above all else, I think it has illustrated how much the Quincy late model drivers travel to Iowa tracks in West Burlington and Donnellson — and how much the drivers up north do not come south to 8000 Broadway. SDRR points are awarded from April through the end of August for late model feature performances at Quincy, West Burlington and Donnellson.

Quincy regulars command seven of the top eight positions in the two-year career rankings, led by 2008 SDRR champ Jason Frankel and 2009 champ Mark Burgtorf.

In the modified division, Quincy regulars as a whole do not travel much, while many of the Iowa mods go back and forth between Donnellson and West Burlington. Of course, different rules packages changed things in 2009, but there was almost no interaction between the Iowa tracks and Quincy before that, so the Quincy switch to UMP was not a major factor in the rankings.

During the first two years of the modified totals, the Moberly track was included, along with Scotland County in 2008 before it closed. In 2010, we’re dropping Moberly and reintroducing Scotland County to the rankings if it runs as scheduled. The reason for dropping Moberly was minimal traveling between drivers at that track and Quincy, West Burlington and Donnellson — and vice versa.

STEVIE DIRT REGIONAL RANKINGS CAREER LEADERS 2008-09

LATE MODELS
1. Jason Frankel, Quincy, Ill., 947 points
2. Mark Burgtorf, Quincy, Ill., 920
3. Lonnie Bailey, Quincy, Ill., 693
4. Justin Reed, Quincy, Ill., 535
5. Denny Woodworth, Mendon, Ill., 410
6. Tom Goble, Burlington, Iowa, 407
7. Keith Pratt, Mendon, Ill., 399
8. Matt Bailey, Quincy, Ill., 348
9. Tom Darbyshire, Morning Sun, Iowa, 342
10. Matt Strassheim, West Burlington, Iowa, 260

On the bubble
Jay Johnson, West Burlington, Iowa, 251
Jason Perry, Payson, Ill., 198
Tom Bowling, Danville, Ill., 192

SDRR Champions
2009: Mark Burgtorf, 583 points
2008: Jason Frankel, 578 points

Top Illinois Drivers
2009: Mark Burgtorf, 583 points (No. 1)
2008: Jason Frankel, 578 points (No. 1)

Top Iowa Drivers
2009: Tom Goble, 228 points (No. 5)
2008: Tom Goble, 179 points (No. 7)

Top Missouri Drivers
2009: No driver in Top 25.
2008: Kevin Tomlinson, New London, Mo., 86 (No. 17)

MODIFIEDS
1. Michael Long, Quincy, Ill., 913 points
2. Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa, 701
3. David Holder, Clarence, Mo., 451
4-tie. Rich Smith, Davenport, Iowa, 439
4-tie. Steven DeLonjay, Quincy, Ill., 439
6. Tyler Cale, Donnellson, Iowa, 420
7. Dean McGee Sr., Galesburg, Ill., 409
8. Wyatt Lantz, Augusta, Ill., 396
9. Vance Wilson, Frankford, Mo., 384
10. Scott Hogan, Vinton, Iowa, 374

On the bubble
Brandon Rothzen, Raritan, Ill., 364
Dave Wietholder, Liberty, Ill., 346
Tony Dunker, Quincy, Ill., 342

SDRR Champions
2009: Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa, 499 points
2008: Michael Long, Quincy, Ill., 516 points

Top Illinois Drivers
2009: Michael Long, Quincy, Ill., 397 points (No. 2)
2008: Michael Long, Quincy, Ill., 516 points (No. 1)

Top Iowa Drivers
2009: Josh Foster, Montrose, Iowa, 499 points (No. 1)
2008: Bill Roberts Jr., Burlington, Iowa, 348 (No. 2)

Top Missouri Drivers
2009: Vance Wilson, Frankford, Mo., 258 points (No. 5)
2008: Dave Holder, Clarence, Mo., 324 points (No. 4)

I talked with Quincy Raceways co-owner Tony Rhinberger today and he said plans are being finalized for the 2010 season. He plans on releasing all of the details at the Jan. 30 drivers banquet.

I’m going to be sitting down with him Monday afternoon and hopefully will be able to provide a few hints of what’s to come on this blog later the same day.