Media Contact: Steven Ovens - woodhullracewaypr@gmail.com or (315) 729-3825 For Immediate Release – December 10th, 2016 – SWL Awards photo -
(WOODHULL, NY) – The NAPA Crate Sportsman division was dominated by Chris Daugherty in 2016, with Daugherty picking up yet another track championship. But this championship didn’t just revolve around race wins, even though Daugherty took home seven point-paying wins.
What made this championship different was Daugherty’s ability to show speed right off the trailer in his heat races. Daugherty scored eight heat race wins and only failed to score points (by finishing in the top three) in just one heat race this season.
By the end of the season, Daugherty had won the championship by more than two full races. But what made Daugherty’s season even more special was the emergence of Daugherty’s son Jeffery, who won in his first Crate Sportsman start during a Fall special after the points season finished up. Father and son will compete weekly together in the NAPA Crate Sportsman in 2017.
The level of talent in the Crate Sportsman division is almost too lengthy to write about in our yearbook segment, but here are some highlights.
Josh Keesey started the season on his lid, trashing a new car. But less than three weeks later, he was proudly waving a checkered flag in Instant Heat Wood Pellets Victory Lane. Keesey would end up second in the final points tally.
Brandon Butler made it another season with a victory, as did AJ Costley in the Ridge Runner Café No. 40. Stacy Jackson scored two emotional victories in 2016 after the loss of his father Steve.
The young talent on the rise in this division to keep your eye on is no doubt Dayton Brewer, Jake Dgien and Stevie Hartman. Brewer was a solid top five car every week and scored two points-paying wins on the year. If he can just send someone different to the draw window in 2017, who knows how many more he can score next season. Dgien picked up a big win midseason, and Hartman ended the year with best finishes of second and third. Hartman was incredibly close to a win in 2016, and will look to kick that door down in 2017.
“Brandon Hearn” fell just short of the top five in points, in after driving all the way to New Jersey to let the Teo boys play chop, cut, rebuild. Tim Guild scored the non-point opening night victory on a chilly night in April, his first win in the Crate Sportsman and first career victory on the High Banks.
All of Woodhull Raceway’s track champions will be crowned on Saturday night at the Watson Homestead & Conference Center in Painted Post, New York. Cocktail Hour kicks off at 5:30PM, with dinner and awards taking place immediately afterwards. Turn 5 Live on the Performance Motorsports Network will be recording a LIVE episode of their weekly dirt track racing program throughout the event and will interview all of the champions and many other drivers and special guests.
For more information visit www.woodhullraceway.com or visit Woodhull Raceway on their Facebook and Twitter pages.