As the 2016 season gets underway, the Short Track Scene staff has come together to discuss and decide who the top names of the season will be. After seeing the first few races of the season, we have concluded who we think will be the most competitive names of the year. Typically, power rankings set up a rank of 10 drivers, but we’re sticking with five for right now. We want to wait for the season to develop more so we can scout out more top-notch talent.
Late Model Stock Cars:
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Tommy Lemons, Jr.
Coming off a win in the Icebreaker 200 at Myrtle Beach Speedway, Lemons has already made sure the public knows how fast his highlighter bright #27 car is. Lemons finished off the 2015 LMSC season by winning the legendary Martinsville clock from the Valley Start Credit Union 300. He also finished second in the UNOH Battle at the Beach at Myrtle Beach to Myatt Snider in November. Lemons has plenty of momentum heading into the 2016 season and his win in the Icebreaker 200 proved that. His “never-hold-back” driving style is enough to indicate that he is a force to be reckoned with in 2016.
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Matt Bowling
Fresh off his Twin 100 sweep in the season opener at South Boston, Bowling proves to be one to beat yet again this year. He is a consistent character that contends for the win nearly every race. Bowling is a two-time South Boston Speedway track champion, clinching his second championship last year with five wins. Along with South Boston, where he is a consistent threat, the veteran racer will also compete in the CARS Tour this season and could be a threat to win races and, if he runs full-time, the championship.
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Chase Purdy
One of the biggest headlines that made its way into LMSC season is that Legends champion Chase Purdy will be taking over the seat of the #41 Hawks-McCall machine during the 2016 season. What you may not recall is that the #41 car, driven by Brayton Haws last season, was the inaugural LMSC CARS Racing Tour championship winner. Purdy is a Legends car, well….legend. The 15 year old won 4 races in a row during the 2015 Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He won 6 races throughout the season altogether. Purdy has had a lot of success in Bandoleros and Legends, and we expect to carry all of that success and momentum over to his new LMSC ride. He has multiple wins in an LMSC already this season. He won the Twin 75’s on the opening day at Greenville Pickens where he has previously won a Limited Late Model race. He finished sixth at Myrtle Beach Speedway in his Icebreaker 200 debut.
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Austin Thaxton
Hot off his March 19 South Boston 100 win, Thaxton had a dominate performance that proves he has a lot of momentum heading into the rest of the season. He won the pole for the opening day races at South Boston and felt he could have won the twin 100 events that day, but fate wouldn’t fall in his hands. From what we have seen from Thaxton already this season, we definitely think he will be a threat for the South Boston track championship and maybe even more.
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Trey Gibson
Gibson, another prospective track champion contender for Greenville Pickens, picked up his first set of wins at the track. He won the twin 75 events on the second week of the Greenville Pickens season. Gibson scored a lot of wins last season, but was also disqualified several times, prompting many to believe he’s been singled out by the notoriously tough tech shed at the track promoted by former NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national champion Anthony Anders. Despite those setbacks, Gibson always rebounds and answers with victories.
Super Late Models
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Bubba Pollard
You can’t deny Bubba Pollard. It’s only the beginning of the season and he’s already won the pole for the Redeye 100 and the Rattler 250. You know what else? He finished second in both races. He also won the Winter Showdown at Kern County Raceway Park which earned him a bonus cash award. That’s not all though, Pollard also clinched the SpeedFest win out of Watermelon Capital Speedway in Cordele, GA.
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Ty Majeski
The New Smyrna Speedway World Series of Asphalt champion. Majeski put on an incredible show throughout the week in Florida back in February when he won three races and finished second in three races. How many races were there, you ask? Six (one was a rainout). In 6/6 races, Majeski finished 2nd or better. Not only did he school everybody in Speedweeks, but he obliterated the competition in the Rattler 250 at South Alabama Speedway. He nailed every restart, and when he got the lead, he ran with it without looking back. Pure domination.
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Harrison Burton
Burton has put on some veteran performances this season. All week long during Speedweeks in February, Burton battled Ty Majeski each and every night for the top spot. Burton won two of the six events at New Smyrna Speedway. During the Rattler 250, Burton put on a show while battling in the top five with Christian Eckes, Christopher Bell, and others throughout the race; however, during a late race restart, Burton and Eckes connected, and Burton got the bitter end. While the finish wasn’t worth of his performance, Burton still put on one incredible drive all race long.
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Ben Rowe
The Easter Bunny 150 (PASS) victor put on a dominant performance throughout the race while holding off Riley Herbst. He locked himself a position in the Oxford 250 that will be held at Oxford Plains Speedway which is one of the highest paying SLM races of the year.
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Christian Eckes
Eckes was the only person to be able to compete with Majeski during the Rattler 250. After the first mandatory break, Eckes would never let Majeski break away with the lead. It was a promising performance for the newest member of the LFR Chassis team. We think there are many, many more performances like this to come from the young gun.
