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David Smith
Director of Scouting
DRIVER GRADES FOR TOP
PERFORMERS
This was my first full
visit to Lowe's Motor Speedway Summer Shootout. The
Legends car and Bandolero fraternity could be compared
to a cross of tee-ball and AAU basketball.
There might be an 8-year-old Bandolero Bandit driver who
hangs a right heading into turn one.
There could certainly be some ego-fueled, starry-eyed
racers in Legends cars.
And of course, there's a dark group of snake oil
salesmen and get rich-quick schemers looking to recruit
young drivers to sell them on false promises.
In between, there was a flurry of good competition,
albeit at a youthful ability level. Who's ready for the
next level? Who looked good? Who improved their stock?
Here's my highlight (with grades) on the Shootout's top
performers:
Chris Buescher,
Prosper, Texas - The 15-year-old driver for David Ragan
Racing was the breakout performer of the 10-week event.
With two race wins in the Legends Pro Division, Buescher
finished second in the division's point race but gave a
glimpse of what could be if he were to climb into a
full-bodied stock car. Between his on-the-edge car
control and affinity for highlight-reel passes, he fits
the current prototype for an ideal C.O.T. driver and is
more than ready to graduate to a late model in 2009.
Grade: A
Casey Roderick,
Lawrenceville, Ga. - He didn't compete for a points
championship but the 2006 winner of the Legends Pro
Division in Shootout competition provided a strong cameo
appearance, winning two races and giving Ragan teammate
Buescher fits. Roderick, for all intents and purposes,
is done with Legends racing has has moved to Bill
Elliott's late model team. The 15-year-old has been
hailed as an "all-world performer" in Legends cars and
he did not disappoint in his brief Shootout stint in
2008. Grade: A
Jordan Anderson,
Forest Acres, S.C. - He's now a two-time Legends Pro
Division champ after winning three races and closing
strong in the last three races, making up a 72-point
deficit to win the title. The lead driver for Nick
Pistone Racing, the 17-year-old demonstrated he isn't
afraid to ruffle feathers, developing an aggressive
flair and a bumper kiss that would make Kurt Busch
blush. Still, he's a talent -- he and his pristine
trophy case will move to late models in 2009. Grade:
A-
Bryce Walker,
Dallas, Texas - This 14-year-old is the national point
leader for the Legends Semi-Pro and Young Lions
divisions and he's now the reigning champ for the
Shootout's Young Lions Division, thanks for four race
wins, including two in the last two races. Though he
wasn't potent in his consistency in the earlier weeks,
his own personal chase for the championship was
absolutely impressive. Expect Walker to jump into some
late model action either at the end of the 2008 or
beginning of 2009. Grade: B+
Dillon Bassett,
Winston-Salem, N.C. - Little Dillon won five races and
the championship in a fairly competitive Bandolero
Bandit Division that claims the likes of David Ragan and
Joey Logano as former national champions. The
11-year-old, whose parents constructed a Legends-style
track in his backyard, was the class of a division that
could be a precursor to continued success throughout his
budding career. Grade: B+
Mason Massey,
Winston, Ga. - Another 11-year-old Bandolero Bandit was
fun to watch and was the most similar to Buescher in
terms of car control and overall excitement. A
disqualification after the first week's feature put him
in an early hole in terms of competing for points but he
still managed to wrangle back-to-back wins in week #7
and week #8. He'll more than likely move to Legends next
year and can already be penciled in as a Shootout title
contender in '09. Grade: B
Chad Finchum,
Knoxville, Tenn. - The reigning national Bandolero Young
Guns champion returned to the division in 2008 as a
13-year-old and dominated the Shootout to the tune of
eight wins and a title that was a mere formality. Why
such a low grade? It almost seemed like he
cherry-picked: the kid is ready for some serious Legends
racing as he had no competition in the Young Guns
Division. Grade: B-
Austin Hill, Winston, Ga. - Hill was the champion
in a Legends Semi-Pro Division that didn't particularly
have a breakout performer. He captured two race wins
after looking solid in the final three weeks of the
Shootout but never conveyed the sheer dominance that
past Legends drivers-turned-NASCAR stars celebrated.
Grade: B-
Jimmy Heavlow, Galena, Md. - As mentioned above,
there wasn't a standout driver in the Semi-Pro Division
but the closest would have been either Hill (the champ)
or Heavlow, a three-time race winner with wins in week
#'s 1, 7, and 10. The Maryland native was certainly fast
but I'd rather see him compete against the Pro Division
and replicate 2008's performance. Grade: B-
Kason Plott, Marietta, Ga. - It's a shame when
you're in serious contention for a championship and
you're only the third best performer in your division,
which is the case for Kason Plott. The Georgia driver
point raced well (something I'm not a fan of) and
grabbed two wins; however, he lost headlines to
sensational performances by Bassett and Massey. Still,
Plott should be commended on an admirable effort.
Grade: B-
Cody Blackburn,
Stanley, N.C. - A two-time winner in the Semi-Pro
Division, this kid sure did look good despite having to
switch rides (going from a Chris Rogers-owned car to a
David Ragan Racing backup). Despite the car-hopping,
Blackburn is still young enough to make a mark in
Legends racing and showed sporadic flashes of talent.
Grade: C+
Scott Hensley,
Olive Branch, Miss. - Based on the first three weeks of
racing, Hensley looked unstoppable. After that, he fell
off the radar, losing ground rapidly to Young Lions
standout Bryce Walker. The tall kid from Mississippi
should return in 2009 in a higher division and hope to
land more wins and remain in serious contention for a
championship. Grade: C
August 15, 2008
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NIGHT #10 - ANDERSON EMERGES WITH CHAMPIONSHIP
CONCORD, N.C. - This was supposed to be a night of
celebration in which one of two drivers -- both of whom
performed admirably over the course of the last ten
weeks -- would receive the proper coronation, befitting
of a champion.
Instead, chaos ensued.
The high level of competition that was the Legends Pro
Division hit a wall during the tenth and final week of
the Lowe's Motor Speedway Summer Shootout.
For the first 17 laps of the Pro Division feature, point
leader and two-time race winner
Chris Buescher and
defending division champion and three-time race winner
Jordan Anderson ran
toe-to-toe. On a restart with three laps to go, the
double file field bunched and slowed into the second
turn. Anderson, running fifth at the time, laid back on
the green flag and gained momentum into the second turn
but was met with a Legends car-filled road block.
A combination incident -- the top four cars were jammed
in the corner and Anderson never lifted -- determined
the championship. Buescher, running third was bumped and
forced to wobble around the incident. Anderson finished
fourth, Buescher seventh.
Anderson emerged as the division champion. Andrew Smith
won the race after leading all 20 laps.
Week #5 winner Daniel Hemric finished second, followed
by Concord, N.C. three-star
Darrell Wallace.
The incident sparked several post-race confrontations in
the garage area but was, for the most part, a myriad of
mistakes that lasted only a split second. That split
second gave Anderson, of Forest Acres, S.C., the crown.
Both Anderson and Buescher are expected to make this
their swan song Legends car appearance. Buescher, of
Prosper, Texas and cousin to Plano, Texas five-star
James Buescher,
indicated that he may return on a limited basis during
next season's Shootout. 17-year-old Anderson will turn
to late models. Both have the gusto for the next level.
Winston-Salem, N.C. 11-year-old
Dillon Bassett and
Dallas, Texas 14-year-old
Bryce Walker
hoisted championship trophies in nail-biting fashion.
Bassett finished an uncharacteristic second to Marietta,
Ga.'s Kason Plott in Bandolero Bandit competition while
Walker won his fourth race of the Shootout convincingly
in the Legends Young Lions Division.
Winston, Ga.'s
Mason Massey, a
two-time race winner in the Bandolero Bandits Division,
finished third in the year's final feature.
13-year-old
Chad Finchum won a
Shootout-high eighth race in the Bandolero Young Guns
Division. The defending national champion, hailing from
Knoxville, Tenn., clinched the championship one week
ago.
Jimmy Heavlow won the Legends Semi-Pro Division
20-lapper as Austin Hill, on the heels of two race wins,
captured the division title.
August 13, 2008
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NIGHT #9 - LONG, HOT NIGHT ENDS IN WALKER WIN
CONCORD, N.C. - Temperatures in the high '90's, caution
flags galore, and one race -- postponed until the end of
the evening for bad behavior -- highlighted the ninth
night of the Lowes's Motor Speedway Summer Shootout.
The night ended with 14-year-old Texan
Bryce Walker in
victory lane, his third win of the 2008 Shootout. The
race? A Legends Young Lions Division that took 15
minutes to ever register a first lap. Crashes, spins,
and general haste prompted 600 Racing officials to
postpone the race -- first on the night's feature card
-- until after the last scheduled race.
Walker made sure the wait wasn't worth it, spanking the
field in an abbreviated race. Evan Swilling and Harrison
Rhodes followed him to the finish line.
The night's action didn't end there.
Forest Acres, S.C. 17-year-old
Jordan Anderson put
two tires into the grass to pass a tangling Daniel
Hemric and Nick Carey on the final lap of the Legends
Pro Division race to earn his third Shootout win.
Anderson trails point leader
Chris Buescher by
seven points headed into next Tuesday's finale.
Buescher, a two-time winner this summer, appeared to
have ongoing motor problems throughout the day,
finishing a dismal 16th in the feature.
Winston-Salem, N.C.'s
Dillon Bassett held
off runner-up Kason Plott coming to the checkered flag
to score his fifth win of the summer. Winston, Ga.'s
Mason Massey
finished fifth.
Chad Finchum's
dominance of the Bandolero Young Guns Division continued
Tuesday night with a rout of the field for his seventh
win of the Shootout, besting runner-up Corey Gordon by a
straightaway.
Georgia's Austin Hill won the Legends Semi-Pro Division
race, his second consecutive win.
August 6, 2008
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NIGHT #8 - ANDERSON RETURNS TO VICTORY LANE
CONCORD, N.C. - After winning the Summer Shootout
opener, 17-year-old
Jordan Anderson has
suffered through six laborious weeks of being shut out
of victory lane. On Night #8, the stars aligned for the
defending Legends Pro champ.
The Forest Acres, S.C. prospect powered past Nick Carey
on lap five and led the remaining 15 laps to claim the
win in the Legends Pro Division feature thanks to a
strong defensive showing, despite several inopportune
caution flags. Andrew Smith finished second followed by
division point leader
Chris Buescher, of
Prosper, Texas, in third.
Winston, Ga. 11-year-old
Mason Massey
won his second-straight race in the competitive
Bandolero Bandit division. After starting sixth, Massey
passed Kason Plott on lap nine and led the remaining
eight laps (the race was cut from 20 to 17 laps). Past
weeks' winners Plott and
Dillon
Bassett
finished second and third, respectively. Bassett, the
Bandit Division point leader, started 22nd.
Chad Finchum's
run at a seventh Bandolero Young Guns win was put on
hold by Blake Jones who led flag-to-flag for his first
division win of 2008. Finchum, of Knoxville, Tenn.,
finished fifth.
Winston, Ga. 14-year-old Austin Hill won his first
feature event in the Legends Semi-Pro Division, edging
Week #5 winner Jordan Penninger.
Tennessee's Dylan Presnell and Georgia's Evan Swilling
took wins in the two Legends Young Guns features.
Two-time race winner
Scott
Hensley
finished third to Presnell in the night's first event, a
make-up for the postponed feature from last week. Fellow
two-time winner
Bryce Walker
finished runner-up to Swilling in the second race.
July 30, 2008
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NIGHT #7 - RODERICK, MASSEY SCORE WINS
CONCORD, N.C. - If Night #6 was the breakout night for
both
Casey Roderick and
Mason Massey,
then Night #7 was a coronation.
Lawrenceville, Ga.'s Roderick earned his second win of
the 2008 Summer Shootout, holding off Jonathan Ross and
North Carolina's Tyler Green in the evening's Legends
Pro Division A-Main.
Likewise, Massey, of Winston, Ga., earned his first
legal Bandolero Bandit win of the '08 Shootout, just one
week after a losing to Winston-Salem, N.C.'s
Dillon
Bassett
in the final corner. Kason Plott, the winner of the
fifth week's feature, finished second, followed by
Bassett.
Knoxville, Tenn.'s
Chad Finchum
continued his domination of the Bandolero Young Guns
division, collecting his sixth Shootout win of 2008.
Galena, Md. 15-year-old Jimmy Heavlow earned his second
win in the Legends Semi-Pro Division in a race that was
shortened from the allotted 20 laps to 11 due to time contraints.
The feature in the Legends Young Lions Division was
postponed due to rain.
July 30, 2008
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NIGHT #6 -
RODERICK, MASSEY EARN
STARRING ROLES
CONCORD, N.C. - Perhaps the most thrilling night of the
2008 Summer Shootout, Night #6 culminated when two
talents emerged from the five scout-focused divisions.
Lawrenceville, Ga.'s
Casey Roderick is
already a household name in Legends/Bandoleros circles
thanks to his Shootout championship in 2006 and
continued dominance in the Pro Division. On Tuesday
night he became a first-time '08 division winner.
Roderick held off David Ragan Racing teammate
Chris Buescher
after the latter put forth a late charge but played
politely enough on the race's last lap to let his
teammate keep the Legends Pro win unscathed. Regardless,
two of the top talents at this year's Shootout put on a
daring showcase of driving talent.
Roderick ran one late model race (in Senoia, Ga.)
earlier this year in ASA Southeast Tour competition but,
admittedly, funding will not allow for any more late
model races for the fledgling 15-year-old talent.
Night #2 winner Steven Ross finished third, followed by
Night #1 winner
Jordan Anderson.
The Bandolero Bandits provided the evening's other
spectacle as battle between Winston-Salem, N.C.'s
Dillon
Bassett
and Winston, Ga.'s
Mason Massey,
albeit a much different outcome, closely resembled the
Roderick-Buescher duel.
With five laps to go, Massey drove away from the field,
all the while sliding into the turns, battling a
noticeably loose race car. Bassett -- already a
three-time race winner in this year's Shootout -- closed
the gap and reached Massey's bumper on the final lap.
Out of turn four, Bassett turned Massey just enough to
force the 11-year-old to over-correct the car and then
collided with him sending Massey into the wall and
before crossing the stripe. Bassett, also 11, extended
his point lead in the division with the win.
Knoxville, Tenn.'s
Chad Finchum
swept the two Bandolero Young Guns Division races,
claiming the night's feature and the make-up race from
last week's race postponed due to rain. Finchum has now
won five out of the six Bandolero Young Guns events at
the Shootout.
Stanley, N.C.'s
Cody
Blackburn
became the first repeat winner in the Legends Semi-Pro
Division, claiming the win in the 20-lap feature after
holding off Week #4 winner Justin Swilling.
Dylan Presnell scored his first Shootout win of 2008
season, winning the Legends Young Lions Division feature
over Olive Branch, Miss.'s
Scott
Hensley
and Mooresville, N.C's Dylan Sawyer.
Kason Plott of Marietta, Ga. won the make-up Bandolero
Bandit feature.
July 16, 2008
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NIGHT #5 -
NEW WINNERS EMERGE
DURING RAIN-FILLED DAY
CONCORD, N.C. - Five weeks into the Summer Shootout,
weather had its way with race day, forcing a
cancellation of both the Bandolero Young Guns and
Bandits divisions; however, all three major Legends
divisions were active.
North Wilkesboro, N.C.'s Justin Grimes scored his first
win in Legends Young Lions competition, starting fourth
and grabbing the lead on lap four restart. He held off
advances from Austin Leitnes and Nick Pistone Racing
teammate Devin Jones for the win. Jones finished second,
Leitnes third, and two-time Shootout race winner
Bryce Walker
fourth.
Daniel Hemric led wire-to-wire in the Legends Pro
Division race to earn his first win of the 2008
Shootout. The Kannapolis N.C. native held off Prosper,
Texas's
Chris Buescher
who was looking for his third win this summer. Tyler
Green, Steven Ross, and Forest Acres, S.C.'s
Jordan Anderson
completed the top five.
Jordan Penninger of Cornelius, N.C. won the Legends
Semi-Pro Division feature.
July 10, 2008
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NIGHT #4 - BUESCHER SNOOKERS HIS WAY TO WIN
CONCORD, N.C. -
Chris Buescher
shouldn't have been standing in victory lane Tuesday
night. After all, the Prosper, Texas driver started 24th
in a 26-car Legends Pro Division field. To win, he would
have to be lucky or good. Turns out, he was both.
Buescher clawed his way to third place on the race's
final lap of the 20-lap division feature which saw the
caution flag drop before the checkered flag flew. Leader
Casey Roderick and
second place
Jordan Anderson
slowed down for the yellow; however, the race wasn't
over it. Buescher pounced on the misstep by the first
two cars and stayed in the gas until he crossed the
start-finish line the victor for his second consecutive
Summer Shootout win.
Anderson, of Forest Acres, S.C., finished second.
Lawrenceville, Ga.'s Roderick finished fifth.
Knoxville, Tenn. 13-year-old
Chad Finchum
took his third Shootout win in the Bandolero Young Guns
Division, winning over Matthew Linker and Brandon
Nelson.
Texas's
Bryce Walker and North Carolina's
Dillon
Bassett
added to their trophy mantels with victories in the
Legends Young Lions Division and the Bandolero Bandits
Division, respectively. It was the second Shootout win
of 2008 for Walker, while Bassett claimed his third
Shootout win of the season.
The Legends Semi-Pro Division feature was won by Cohutta,
Ga.'s Justin Swilling.
July 4, 2008
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NIGHT #3 - BUESCHER WALTZES TO Legends WIN
CONCORD, N.C. – Before last night,
Chris Buescher was
used to the pattern of starting in the back and driving
towards to the front. On the third night of the Lowe's
Motor Speedway Summer Shootout, Buescher's stars
aligned.
After drawing the outside pole of his heat, Buescher
drove away with the win, setting up a fourth place
starting spot in the evening's Legends Pro Division
feature.
Buescher, of Prosper, Texas, stalked John Ellenburg for
the lead and executed a pinpoint bump-and-run to take
the lead with less than ten laps to go. The 15-year-old
extended his lead and took the checkered -- his first
win of the 2008 Shootout.
Night #2 winner Steven Ross finished second, followed by
Lawrenceville, Ga.'s
Casey Roderick.
Both Buescher and Roderick were piloting entries owned
by David Ragan.
Winston-Salem, N.C. 11-year-old
Dillon
Bassett
won his
second-straight Bandolero Bandit feature, winning
comfortably over Winston, Ga.'s
Mason Massey
and Night
#1 winner T.J. Michael.
Olive Branch, Miss.'s
Scott
Hensley
earned his second
victory of the Shootout, holding off Dylan Sawyer and
Night #2 winner
Bryce Walker
in the Legends Young Lions
Division.
Cody
Blackburn
of Stanley, N.C. won the Legends Semi-Pro
feature.
Port Tobacco, Md.'s Timmy Hill captured his first
Shootout win in the Bandolero Young Guns Division.
June 25, 2008
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NIGHT #2 -
13 YEAR-OLD DOUBLES
UP WITH BANDOLERO WIN
CONCORD, N.C. – For 13-year-old Knoxville, Tenn. native
Chad Finchum,
the first night of Summer Shootout action at Lowe's
Motor Speedway was easy pickings. The second night?
Still easy.
Finchum came from the middle of the pack to pass
pole-sitter and then-leader Blake Jones with two laps to
go to seal his second-straight Bandolero Young Guns win
of the Shootout.
The display was the evening's most impressive in a night
full of come-from-behind performances.
Forest Acres, S.C.'s
Jordan Anderson,
the first night's feature winner in the Legends Pro
Division, captured a heat win, was disqualified due to a
rules infraction after the win, and was forced to start
at the tail-end of the B-Main. After driving his way
into the top-five, a call to line up on the outside of
the final re-start gave him his second win of the night
when three cars on the inside line tangled on the front
straightaway, giving him the checkered flag and a
transfer spot to the night's main event.
Anderson finished seventh in the Pro feature, won by
Steven Ross. Ross, last week's runner-up finisher, held
off NASCAR Sprint Cup Series regular David Ragan for the
win.
Winston-Salem, N.C. 11-year-old
Dillon
Bassett walked
off with the Bandolero Bandit feature, winning over
Layne Clifton.
Other Legends winners included Jonathan Ross
(Semi-Pro) and Dallas, Texas's
Bryce Walker (Young
Lions).
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