Eriez Speedway Season Preview

May is finally here! The Lake Erie region experiences 4 seasons, the coldest of which tends to grip the region for the longest amount of time, sometimes up to 6 months. This year seems like Mother Nature has decided spring can come on time, however it will be wet. With as much as we are itching to race up here, hopefully she will cooperate. I have compiled a list of the local drivers to watch at Eriez Speedway in each class based upon their (mostly recent) prior results.

Super Late Models

Dave Hess Jr. won his 4^th Super Late Model Eriez Speedway points championship in 2018. It was his second in as many years. Hess collected 2 wins in the 2018 Eriez season. Dave looks to three-peat and will be at Eriez weekly as well as chasing the Ultimate Mid Ohio Valley SLM Series.

Max Blair is a name synonymous with consistency at Eriez Speedway. Finishing in the top spot 3 times in the 2018 season, he was a close second to Hess. Max has amassed numerous wins at Eriez, and is a threat to win weekly. Blair will also be following the ULMS Racing Series during the 2019 season.

Breyton Santee could be called the most improved Super Late Model driver of the 2018 season at Eriez Speedway. Finishing third in points, Breyton has taken his program in the right direction. Look for more good things from Breyton in 2019.

Darrell Bossard, the 2015 Eriez Speedway points champion, is a contender to win any Sunday evening. He struggled a bit in 2018 at Eriez, but looks to reverse that trend in 2019. With a little luck in the pill and redraw, Darrell is hard to beat.

Joel Watson is a name commonly found listed as race winner at Eriez Speedway, but in the E-mod class. 2019 finds Joel stepping out of the the E-mod and into a newly acquired SLM. Watson will be piloting a car used by Hess in 2018 and will also have the support of the Hess crew throughout the 2019 seaon. If Joel can translate E-mod to SLM, look for him to be a weekly contender in a hurry.

Crate Late Models

Jason Genco won the 2018 RUSH Crate Late Model championship at Eriez Speedway. 3 trips to victory lane and a slew of top 5s put Genco atop the standings. Look for Jason to continue his RUSH success in 2019.

As stated before, Max Blair is a model of consistency at Eriez Speedway. With 4 RUSH LM wins in 2018, it was shown once again that if Max is in the house, you’ll see the 111 crate car in the hunt for the win.

Scott Gurdak knows his way around Eriez Speedway as well as anyone. Unlike the previous two drivers, Scott doesn’t tend to travel with any series and runs most of his races at his home tracks. This formula, along with experience and consistency, could spell success in the 2019 season if he can capitalize when the others are away.

E-Mods

Troy Johnson, despite only acquiring one win in 2018, was able to put together a championship season. If Troy starts up front, you’ll be hard pressed to find a way to get by him.

Gary Eicher is always near the front of E-Mod races at Eriez Speedway. Gary has plenty of experience and simply needs a little luck to put a championship season together.

Randy Hall has amassed numerous wins and various series/track championships in his 20+ year career. Teamed with Engles motorsports and a new Ruhlman Rocket, all signs point to good things for Randy in 2019.

Econo Mods

Matt Alexander and Eric Reinwald put on a barn burner of a points race throughout the

2018 season despite neither scoring a single win. Both drivers were models of consistency, Alexander was just a little better. With Reinwald moving to an open E-Mod in 2019, Alexander has to be the favorite to win the title again in 2019. Speaking of Eric Reinwald, he will be running the Clinger Build E-Mods house car in the E-Mod class this season. A natural step up for Eric, look for him to shine once he figures out the horsepower.

Kyle Miller has shown promise the past few seasons, improving upon the previous each year. Kyle knows how to find his way thru the field when its go time. He parked it in victory lane 3 times at Eriez in 2018. Look for him to keep the points close and challenge for the championship in 2019.

Street Stocks

John Boardman took home the Street Stock Championship in 2018 with 4 feature wins at Eriez. It will likely take as many or more wins in 2019 to win the championship. The entire Street Stock class at Eriez stands a chance to put it victory lane weekly, John found the formula for 2018.

Chris McGuire is one of the odds on street stock favorites whenever he pulls into Eriez Speedway. Despite following the Penn Ohio Series Pro Stock Series, Chris found his way to a second place finish in the points at Eriez Speedway in 2018. Look for Chris to challenge for the championship in both the track and the series in 2019.

Super Challengers

Lets be honest, these drivers are having more fun than anyone else on track, and perhaps, anyone in the stands as well. They regularly put on the best show of the night, being so evenly matched. Skip Jackson put together a championship season in 2018. Dylan Green wasn’t far behind him, but hes rumored to have recently acquired a street stock. And Jeff Nunemaker is consistently a top 5 runner at Eriez. Your guess is as good as mine, every night is up for grabs with these guys and their week night garage creations. Pick your favorite colors, the car in the driveway, or your favorite number and make sure they hear you!