TDN Round Table: 5 Most Underrated Drivers On DIRT

They're in the shadows, for whatever reason which is not always clear. The drivers that perform at a high level week in and week out, but never seemed leave their mark on the sport the way they deserved. They are, the underrated. And all of us fans have them that stick with us. The ones who deserved a better fate and more recognition.

We're a collection of some of the most passionate dirt racing fans in the world here at TDN, and we'd like to take the opportunity to present to you, the driver's we think that are the most underrated to us. Some of them you may agree with, some of them you've never heard of, but they're ones that we're passionate about.

So with that being said, we bring you our most underrated drivers per contributor...Enjoy!

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Kyle Symons - I had to think long and hard about this when it comes to drivers that I think are underrated, but I think I've come up with a pretty good list mixing both Late Models, Sprints and Modifieds.  The five I have listed are in no particular order.

Jeff Rine - Rine picked up a World of Outlaws Craftsman Late Model Series win this season at Selinsgrove and his second career Appalachian Mountain Speedweek championship.  Rine may not get to run at a lot of different tracks, but he is criminally underrated for a regional driver.  You never hear his name among the top regional drivers, but he is there.

Brock Zearfoss - Zearfoss was the breakout driver in central Pennsylvania this season on the Sprint car scene, but I still feel the Port Royal Speedway track champion doesn't get the credit he deserves, but I think that will change soon.  This season was a great season for Zearfoss as he picked up a World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Series victory at Williams Grove, and was dominant at Port Royal in the month of August.  Look for him to travel more next season, and surprise some people with how well he runs at new places.

David Breazeale - The Mississippi native is a criminally underrated talent.  He always runs well when the big name drivers enter his region, and he picked up several victories against Tennessee competition earlier this season as well.  Breazeale is a talent that many don't talk about, but he's very good.

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Mat Williamson - For those of us that were at Charlotte for the World Finals you saw this Big Block Modified pilot out duel 40 race winner Matt Sheppard on the first night of action.  Williamson is a Lernerville regular who dominates the Modified competition there, but since he's a Lernerville regular, which is not part of the main geography of Big Block Modified racing, he rarely gets the respect he deserves.



Ryan Smith - Another second place run on the All Star Circuit of Champions tour for this young driver makes him underrated.  He's won outside of Pennsylvania many times including two All Star wins at Mansfield this season, and a strong charge from the back to 5th in the Kings Royal make Ryan Smith an underrated talent.

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Josh Bayko - Like Kyle, I've been doing some pretty serious thinking on this for the past day or two. I also tried to come up with names in various divisions, because being underrated isn't relegated to just one class.

Tim Fuller - I know what you're thinking. How can Tim Fuller be underrated, but hear me out here. Despite winning countless races in a modifed, he has never really been considered one of the very best in that class. And then there's his late model accomplishments. He also won quite a few races in a late model. I mean, he's 10th all time in feature victories with the modified SDS and 12th all time with the World of Outlaws late models. If that's not talent, I don't know what is.

Jamie Lathroum - Yeah, I know, Jamie isn't winning at the clip he used to since Huey Wilcoxon passed away, but for a while there, he was pretty much the man to beat in the Mid-Atlantic region. I mean, he even has a WoO victory under his belt. I never hear anybody talk about him anymore because let's face it, the recent results haven't been pretty, but there is definitely a bunch of talent there.

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Jason Sides - Jason never seems to get mentioned when people are talking about the best of the best, but seriously, he's good for a top ten points finish and win or two just about every year. I get that the WoO is currently pretty much the Donny and David show, but Jason is just about on their level and a threat to win pretty much everywhere he unloads.





Martin  Truex Jr. - Yes, I am including a NASCAR driver on my list. Sure, maybe my Jersey bias (I did grow up in New Jersey folks) may be showing a bit here, but the dude won a Cup championship in the Furniture Row ride. I don't care who you are, that's impressive.

Jake Gallardo - Unless you live out west, his name probably doesn't do much for you. Sure, he and his dad Fito tend to stay pretty close home to race, but I've been watching a fair amount of their racing on SpeedshiftTV and I am more and more impressed every time I see Jake race. The kid is a pretty damn good shoe and really fun to watch. You should really check out some of his racing, you'll be impressed too.

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Todd Nunes – Ive been thinking about this the last few day and i've also asked a few friends to see if they think I am off my rocker or if they agree…to which they have told me both…so here we go in no particular order.

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Logan Schuchart – Logan has been with Shark Racing for a few years now and we all know this team is under-funded as all get up and still manages to follow the WoO tour. Despite this, he has still managed to park it several times. Also he has come from way back in many races passing double digit cars to finish inside the top 5. The dude is a wheelman, and he seems to like playing the role of underdog earning even more kudos in my book.

Dan Stone – Dan has been racing for 20+ years now and it still seems every time the super deuce team unloads Big Brother is a threat to take the checkers. He’s been a regional star for years and beat the outlaws as well. Look for good things from him in 2018 in a longhorn chassis.

Steve Casebolt – Steve won The Dream a decade ago, and has earned a few Outlaw and Lucas wins.  He’s a regular competitor at Eldora, and a threat to win everywhere he goes. 19 top 5’s and 3 wins in 2017 against Lucas, Outlaws, ALMS, and Southern Nationals to name a few...he’s still got it. He’s also run an Ohio State Buckeyes scheme at the World (my college football team) and his Twitter is worth a follow (dude could be a comedian in his spare time).

Tim Fuller – As Josh said, Tim Fuller has numerous wins in both a Modified and a Late Model. I’d have to say if it turns left on dirt, he could probably drive it home to a top 5 just about anywhere. Someone should offer him a Chili Bowl ride. Much like Tim McCreadie, he would likely pick up driving a midget quickly.

Rich Michael Jr. – If you know me, you know I love E-Mods. RMJ has over 250 feature wins in his career. He’s won at just about every track in the tri-state (NY, PA, OH) that runs E-Mods, and has battled Strickler, Stremme, Hawkins, and Burdette up and down the Eastern Seaboard to wins and top 5s. Rich has traveled to Boone, IA for the IMCA Super Nationals the last couple years and came home this year with a 5^th place finish in the Last Chance A. Not too shabby for a guy traveling hundreds of miles from NY to face 250 plus competitors.

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Aaron Clay - I'll be keeping my underrated drivers list mostly in the Southwest, as that is where I hale from.  However, I would like to acknowledge that there are so many other underrated drivers, not only in the Southwest, but across the Country, abroad.  Here are my 5 most underrated drivers:

Brody Roa - I would venture to say that most have not heard of "The Broa Constrictor", especially if you don't live near California.  However, make no mistake, this is a guy who can wheel a USAC Sprint Car with the best of them!  2016's USAC West Coast 360 Sprint Car Champion focused entirely on 410 competition this year.  While he wasn't able to unseat "The Demon" Damion Gardner for the USAC/CRA Championship, he was very competitive all year and scored the biggest win of his career on Friday night, at the Budweiser Oval Nationals, in Perris, California.  Brody also made a trip to the Midwest and competed during Indiana Sprint Week.  Don't be surprised if you see Brody continue to contend for wins on the West Coast, along with venturing to the Midwest, in coming seasons!

Chris Simpson - Chris hails from Iowa, but has made the trip to Arizona to kickoff his racing season, for the past several years.  Admittedly, without doing much research, I don't believe that Chris has committed to a full schedule in his Dirt Late Model in quite some time.  However, you will find him competing regularly in Lucas Oil Late Models, World of Outlaw Late Models and Lucas Oil MLRA Late Models.  He finished 2nd place to Bobby Pierce on 3 of the 4 nights during the 2017 Wild West Shootout and finished 3rd on the other night.  He is a very talented and experienced racer that, given the right opportunity, I believe could contend for wins and possibly a Championship on a regional/national level.  Don't be surprised if you see Chris competing for wins in the 2018 Wild West Shootout and get his race season kicked-off right!

Carson Macedo - I know Carson is becoming more of a household name, especially since he took over driving duties of the 3G Winged Sprint Car, replacing James McFadden.  However, I feel like he is still flying under most people's radars, in the Dirt Racing community.  Carson focused primarily on 410 Winged Sprint Car racing this year, scoring several big victories in the upper-Midwest.  Don't get it twisted though, Carson is definitely a "true outlaw" and has proven that he will not hesitate to get behind the wheel of a Midget or non-wing Sprint Car.  I expect that Carson will continue to hone his talent and compete for wins in the coming race seasons, especially in 410 Winged Sprint Car competition!

Cory Eliason - I must be honest and admit that I had never heard of Cory until seeing him race a 410 Winged Sprint Car in Iowa, during Sprint Car Nationals week.  After seeing Cory continually run competitively, along with racing his way into the 2017 Knoxville Sprint Car Nationals, he made me a believer!  Add to that his big Trophy Cup victory in Tulare, California later in the year, along with the opportunity to race a Winged Sprint Car for Roth in 410 competition during 2018, I expect next season will be a "break-out" year for Cory!  I'm not sure if he will stick to a specific schedule next year, but don't be surprised if you see him competing for wins when the World of Outlaws make their trip to the West Coast!

Colton Hardy - I can almost assure you that everyone reading this have never heard of the 2017 Lucas Oil ASCS Southwest Champion.  Colton is from Arizona and cut his teeth racing Micro Sprints, before moving to full-size Sprint Cars last year.  He showed flashes of brilliance in 2016, but also showed that finishing the race can be a challenge, as he tore up his fair share of equipment.  However, 2017 was definitely a big step for Hardy, as he ran consistently competitive all year and became the first driver, other than Rick Ziehl, to win the Lucas Oil ASCS Southwest Championship!  I imagine that 2018 will see Colton run the full ASCS Southwest schedule again, but I hope he gets a few opportunities outside of Arizona, possibly in 410 competition!

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Dobie Compton - I stick to western Pa and the Carolinas/Georgia area where I have lived and watched the majority of my races. Get out and see the next stars of the sport and support our local tracks! Well, let's get it on!

Michael Page - The Douglasville, Georgia driver has been a force in the southeast the past 3 to 4 years albeit under the national radar until now! Michael finally got a dose of the spotlight when he won the Lucas Oil Series event at his home track, Dixie Speedway.

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Matt Lux - Friggin wheelman, that is all. I have watched Matt for the better part of a decade win in a late model and modified "emod" in western Pa. back in the Challenger Raceway days, he was always a force to win a class or even two on the special events weekend. He currently drives the Jim Detman XR1 Rocket chassis late model at Lernerville Speedway. In a new car and good equipment Lux was as good as ever racing against some of the best weekly competition in the USA.

The Carpenter's - Talk about a family of race car drivers, this is it. "Fast Freddie", Tyler "kamikaze", and Chris "joker" building their own Kryptonite Race Cars and racing a few times each every week. Folks in the mid-ohio valley and West Virginia mountains know these boys come to the track to win, and they win often.

Ross Bailes -  The recent hired gun for Barry Wright Race Cars to pilot the house car. I cannot wait for him to get out to a few more races next year in a good car and see what he can do against the elite late model drivers.

Kyle Hardy - since Jeff Rine was already mentioned, I will go with Kyle Hardy here. Kyle will run for rookie of the year with the Ultimate Southeast tour in 2018 and I look for him to have a tremendous season. Win a few races and be top 3 in points should help him to climb another rung on the ladder.

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Tyler Beichner - Underrated to me isn't the guys that you've never heard of, necessarily. You'll see from my picks that a few of them are household names that still do not receive the proper attention. Any given night that these drivers' haulers enter the pit area, they should be considered a threat to win.

Dale McDowell - He is one of the preeminent professionals in the sport, and for good reason. McDowell sticks to a fairly limited schedule, as he hits a variety of regional specials and most every crown jewel. But when two of his best tracks year in and year out come where the competition is the greatest (Eldora & Charlotte), it's only further proof that he's one of the best in the "game". Everyone knows him, yes, but I can say without question that his driving abilities are underrated.

Ian Madsen - The Australia native is making his mark on the U.S. sprint car scene. After just a few short years with the KCP Racing team, they're beginning to hit their stride. Although they're not afraid to travel, they've stayed loyal to Knoxville Raceway during the spring and summer months and it finally paid off as they claimed the track championship in 2017. With preliminary plans of following the WoO tour this coming season, don't be surprised if the always-sharp #18 collects a handful of wins and is flirting with a Top 5 in points.

Mark Dobmeier - I would argue that Dobmeier is the most underrated sprint car driver in the country. When he runs at his hometown River Cities Speedway, he wins at a better than 50% clip. The #13 machine always seems to find victory lane when Husets/Badlands is running on a regular basis, and he's a threat to win when he pulls in the gates at Knoxville. If he was located in one of the many sprint car hot beds, there's no doubt Dobmeier would be a household name.

Byron Reed - The familiar black no. 5 machine has been synonymous with northwestern Ohio sprint car racing for decades, and for good reason. His success in the area can't go unnoticed, so this is also a tip of the cap to the drivers he competes against. Fans typically focus on Pennsylvania or Iowa when discussing top-tier talent in the sport, but get more of those guys to run the tight confines that many Ohio tracks offer, and the results may surprise you....

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Michael Norris - The young hotshoe calls Lernerville Speedway his home and that is where the majority of his racing has been done. His career began like most great drivers' did, with a lot of speed and carnage. In 2017 it all came together for Norris as he dominated nearly every night Lerenrville raced. He owns fast time awards from a World 100 and The Pittsburgher, along with some good runs in limited Florida action. I think we're just beginning to scratch the surface of what this kid can do.

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Gary Heeman - See, everyone here did such a good job, I figured I would go last so I could see who everyone else picked! Good idea eh?  I'm going to hit a few that perhaps not many have heard of, unless you're a diehard fan which we know most of you TDN fans are.

Gage Morin- The western Ontario 358 Modified driver has shown flashes of brilliance in his geography in the early part of his career as evidenced by 16 wins and 55 top fives in the past four seasons. Included in those wins were two hotly contested 358 DIRTcar Modified tour wins with some very stout names in attendance. Competing at Cornwall and Brockville Speedways primarily, Morin finished second in the Mr. DIRTcar points battle in 2015 and has left his mark in the area at the age of 25. With more support and opportunities, he could have a serious impact on Modified racing in the years to come and is quite possibly one of the best young drivers in the Northeast and Canada.

Devin Friese - Reports indicate he may have hung it up at the end of 2017, but his career before hand was impressive. He was a late comer to the sport of Super Late Model racing and was a fairly instant success, achieving a win in his first season and proceeding to collect at least three or four wins a year for the next 20 years, including some fairly big regional shows in the Mid-Atlantic area. He was quiet, humble and a very clean driver and never made much noise in the media despite his great record of success.

Austin Hubbard -When he's off, he tends to be way off. But when he's on, he's among the best in the business and never really gets the credit for it. And it's been that way for years. Probably has more to do with the fact that the resources are not always there to get in front of the eyes of focused media at the crown jewels. If those resources suddenly appear one day, watch out.

Cory Eliason - Yes, I know he's already on one of our lists, but he gets a second vote from me. See Mr. Clay's reasoning from above. I saw him for the first time two years ago at a 360 Winged Sprint show in Oregon and he was so smooth for his age and experience, it wasn't funny. His progression has been steady ever since and has now taken him to the seat of the Roth Motorsports ride in 2018.

Ryan Watt - He doesn't drive in central New York or with the SDS all the time, and it keeps him out of the circle of the top drivers in North East Modified racing. But more passionate fans, know what he's done and how he's done it over the years and what he's capable of. That is, potentially beating the best of the business anytime, anywhere.