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| 2016 PA Speedweek champion moved up 10 spots in our latest Top 25 rankings |
Okay...you can relax and catch your breath. Both Ohio and Pennsylvania Speedweeks have concluded. Enjoy a short week off before we head into the World of Outlaws "Month of Money", where events like the Doty Classic, Kings Royal, Silver Cup, Summer Nationals, and Iron Man lead us into the greatest week of Sprint Car racing this world has to offer.
Danny Dietrich made some serious headway this past week off the tails of his speedweek championship. Advancing from No. 23 to No. 13 in the poll, the "+10" gain is the second largest this poll has experienced in nearly two months.
Sheldon Haudenschild also surged ahead in the rankings following his two-win performance with the All Star Circuit of Champions in the state of Michigan. Although he only moved up three spots (No. 13 to No. 10), this marks the first time Lil' Haud has cracked the Top 10 in this poll's short history.
Surprise, surprise. Current World of Outlaws points leader Donny Schatz captured every 1st-place vote and mainted the top spot in the poll for the 7th consecutive week. Fellow WoO competitors David Gravel and Shane Stewart round out the podium, while Central PA hotshoe Greg Hodnett sits behind them and is the only non-Outlaws driver in the top seven.
New to the poll are Pittsburgh, PA's Danny Holtgraver and Oklahoma transplant Stevie Smith. Holtgraver makes his first return to the poll since being ranked No. 20 in the initial May 25th rankings. Stevie Smith has cracked the Top 25 for the first time in its history.
The hard charger award went to Dietrich for his "+10" performance. Other notables worth mentioning are Rico Abreu (+8), Joey Saldana (+5), and Sammy Swindell (+5).
The two drivers who dropped out of the rankings from last week's poll were Indiana's Bryan Clauson and Ohio's Byron Reed.
Our panel of voting members for Week 7 included the following:
Blake Anderson, Brian Liskai, Bobby Gerould, Tony Bokhoven, Mike Leone, Kyle Symons, Anthony Corini and Tyler Beichner.
1. Donny Schatz, 175 points (7)
Recent Results: Recorded two wins at Rockford and Badlands, along with an uncharacteristic 7th at Badlands.
Previous Ranking: 1st (NC)
2. David Gravel, 164 points
Recent Results: Reaches the podium three times between Rockford and Badlands.
Previous Ranking: 3rd (+1)
3. Shane Stewart, 156 points
Recent Results: Victory lane eludes him, but still manages runs of 3rd & 4th at Rockford/Badlands.
Previous Ranking: 4th (+1)
4. Greg Hodnett, 142 points
Recent Results: Couldn't pick up any more PA Speedweek wins, but did add four Top 5 finishes.
Previous Ranking: 5th (+1)
5. Daryn Pittman, 137 points
Recent Results: Struggles all week long with finishes of 6th, 10th & 12th at Badlands and Rockford.
Previous Ranking: 2nd (-3)
6. Brad Sweet, 132 points
Recent Results: Finds speed and victory lane at Badlands to follow up 4th place run at Rockford.
Previous Ranking: 6th (NC)
7. Joey Saldana, 128 points
Recent Results: Three Top 5 finishes last week including two runner-up performances at Badlands.
Previous Ranking: 12th (+5)
8. Dale Blaney, 117 points
Recent Results: Cannot capitalize off his 2nd place finish at Hartford; scored 21st in I-96's final rundown.
Previous Ranking: 8th (NC)
9. Chad Kemenah, 111 points
Recent Results: Consistency is key. Notched a 3rd & 4th place finish at Hartford & I-96 Speedway.
Previous Ranking: 7th (-2)
10. Sheldon Haudenschild, 109 points
Recent Results: Swept the All Star weekend at Hartford & I-96 Speedway.
Previous Ranking: 13th (+3)
11. Lance Dewease, 108 points
Recent Results: In a rare three-start week, he picks up two wins and a 7th during PA Speedweek.
Previous Ranking: 14th (+3)
12. Danny Lasoski, 107 points
Recent Results: Scores a podium 3rd at Knoxville in his only start of the weekend.
Previous Ranking: 10th (-3)
13. Danny Dietrich, 80 points
Recent Results: The now 2016 PA Speedweek champion picked up wins at Williams Grove and Selinsgrove.
Previous Ranking: 23rd (+10)
14. Kerry Madsen, 77 points
Recent Results: Finishes 5th at Knoxville, but can't crack the Top 10 in either WoO at Badlands appearance.
Previous Ranking: 9th (-5)
15. Lucas Wolfe, 72 points
Recent Results: Notched three more Top 5's during PA Speedweek including a win at Port Royal.
Previous Ranking: 19th (+4)
16. Sammy Swindell, 70 points
Recent Results: Bagged a win at Knoxville for the 2nd consecutive week.
Previous Ranking: 21st (+5)
17. Rico Abreu, 50 points
Recent Results: One of the fastest cars all weekend at Badlands with only a 4th place finish to show for it.
Previous Ranking: 25th (+8)
18. Terry McCarl, 46 points
Recent Results: Disappointing 14th & 17th place results during the World of Outlaws stop at Badlands.
Previous Ranking: 16th (-2)
19. Dusty Zomer, 45 points
Recent Results: Runner-up in NSL action at Knoxville before mixed results at Badlands with the Outlaws.
Previous Ranking: 22nd (+3)
20. Brian Brown, 31 points
Recent Results: Scored 12th in the final rundown at Knoxville in his only start of the week.
Previous Ranking: 15th (-5)
21. Mark Dobmeier, 28 points
Recent Results: Another River Cities win precedes respectable 10th & 11th place finishes at Badlands.
Previous Ranking: 18th (-3)
21. Craig Dollansky, 28 points
Recent Results: Musters up a 7th place effort against National Sprint League competition at Knoxville.
Previous Ranking: 17th (-4)
23. Kyle Larson, 27 points
Recent Results: NASCAR responsibilities kept him away from the dirt this week.
Previous Ranking: 11th (-12)
24. Danny Holtgraver, 23 points
Recent Results: Back-to-back Top 5 runs with the All Stars including a runner-up finish at I-96 Speedway.
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
25. Stevie Smith, 19 points
Recent Results: Scored finishes of 2nd & 4th (Port Royal) and 3rd (Hagerstown) during PA Speedweek.
Previous Ranking: Not Ranked
Dropped Out of Rankings
Bryan Clauson (20), Byron Reed (24)
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