Securing the title of 2019 Brodix ASCS National Rookie of the Year, John Carney II served notice as a serious contender last season. While Lady Luck sometimes didn‘t play his way, the season was not far from what he figured it would be.
“Last year was interesting because I did well at the tracks I had never been too and struggled at the ones I knew, so it was tough in that regard but not outside of what I was expecting,” said Carney. “It was nice to achieve a lifelong goal of running the National Tour. It was a lot of fun and getting the chance to do it again is an honor, especially being able start fresh.”
Battling for the championship early with Sam Hafertepe Jr. before suffering several hard crashes that left the El Paso native scrambling for parts mid-season, Carney still posted a solid sixth-place finish in the final standings that included his fourth career win.
Returning with fresh cars, engines, sponsors, and crew, the goal on the 2020 season is to simply win.
Paring with Johnny Herrera for the 2019 season, Harli White showed speed immediately.
Winning her first ASCS-sanctioned event in regional competition at I-30 Speedway, White carried that momentum into the National Tour.
While her seventh-place finish in points doesn‘t fully show the progress made with the new driver/crew chief combination, the start of the 2020 season certainly has. White came out of the first four events with the point lead.
Making yet another mark on the history of the sport, she is the first woman to ever lead the points with the ASCS National Tour.
“I feel a lot more relaxed this year where we can focus on the car and winning, knowing we have the equipment to do the job,” explained White. “Last year we tried to really keep everything the same, so I was comfortable in the car, but Johnny‘s starting to try different things with the car now that he knows what I like and what I am capable of. He wants to win. I want to win, so he‘s making me get up on the wheel and, with that, he‘s also not afraid to tell me what I need to hear to get better.
“He doesn‘t talk to me like I‘m a female driver. He doesn‘t see that; he sees a driver. I feel like that‘s been a big part to our success early this season.”
If you‘re going to win, win big. That went to heart for Robbie Price, as the driver from Cobble Hill, British Columbia became the youngest winner in the history of the Jim Raper Memorial Dirt Cup at Skagit Speedway.
Proving the win wasn‘t a fluke, Price backed it up with his second triumph at Lake Ozark Speedway in August.
Operating like a true gypsy, Price will again point his hauler wherever there are races to be had when not competing with the ASCS National Tour.
Marking his third attempt at the National tour, Price had a lot of confidence going into the season.
“We didn‘t need to change much as far as our program. I just spent time doing my
homework and fine-tuning some things, but this season has started off rough, so that‘s got me frustrated right now,” he said. “But right now we‘re ready to get going again so we can get out of this slump and starting winning. The down time isn‘t helping with confidence, but it is what it is.”
Close to victory several times in 2019, in both ASCS Regional and National Tour competition, Arkansas‘ Jordon Mallett may have come up shy of Rookie of the Year but made a big impression on the fans and his peers.
Racing with his father, who serves as crew chief, and wife, Mallett endured an onslaught of new tracks with a season best finish of third at Salina Speedway during Speedweek.
Retooling for the 2020 season, Mallett‘s sophomore year has already started on a stronger note.
“Making each night to start the season this year was big for us. We missed the first three nights in 2019, so this lets me know we‘re on the right path and right in the mix with the guys we have to face every race,” said Mallett. “So, overall, I‘m a lot more content and feel like we‘re in a better position both with myself mentally and with our equipment.”
“Getting that rookie year behind me has given me a lot more confidence in realizing that I can make it through a season, and the opportunities are there. I just hope we get to race sooner than later.”
Taking on the first two events in Arizona, the California swing was absent Washington‘s Seth Bergman, but that won‘t be the case when the season goes back green, as Bergman readies to return to the road.
Missing 2019 as he awaited the birth of his son, Bergman will be behind the wheel of his own Evergreen Coffee Co. No. 23.
“Right now, I‘ve been focusing on getting healthy and in shape so when this all gets behind us I can come out swinging and be in contention to win. I‘m just ready to get back on the road and race. It‘s been so long since I‘ve won a race, I‘m starting to wonder how it feels,” chuckled Bergman.
“The only wining I‘ve been doing lately is on iRacing and that just doesn‘t have the same feel to it.”
While not able to compete fulltime in 2020, the plan for Thomas Kennedy is still to make the cut at nearly 75 percent of this season‘s events and to hit the road fulltime in 2021.
A threat for sure, Kennedy stunned most of the field in 2018 when he swept the first two events at Eagle Raceway and U.S. 36 Raceway. While the start of the 2020 season wasn‘t as strong, Kennedy is determined to make his mark on the season and learn as much as possible before contending for the 2021 National Tour championship.
Looking at the drivers who will be vying for the 2020 Brodix National Rookie of the Year award, one word comes to mind: young.
Graduating from the Lucas Oil National Open Wheel 600 Series, Waco‘s Chase Randall joins the tour at the age of 15. Wheeling the family-backed Bush‘s Chicken/EMI No. 9, Randall has already shown speed and car control to start the 2020 season in what amounts to less than 10 starts behind the wheel of a sprint car.
Competing with the Great Lakes Super Sprints in 2019, Florida‘s Danny Sams III will hit the road in 2020 with the ASCS National Tour. At 18 years old, Sams has been racing since he was four. Starting in quarter-midgets, the 2014 USAC National champion made the move to sprint cars in 2017 with a rookie run with USCS.
Fourth in GLSS standings last year, Sams hits the road in the Sams/LaMountain Racing No. 24d.
Asked what made him make the move to the National Tour, Sams replied, “It‘s the biggest thing we can do right now, and you are only as good as the people you race with. We want to get better and this is the way we can do it. Obviously, looking to be Rookie of the Year, be consistent, and hopefully get a win.”
Moving up from the Racinboys.com ASCS Warrior Region presented by Impact Signs, Awnings & Wraps, 24-year-old Garet Williamson is another driver who has moved up through micro racing to sprint cars at the end of the 2019 season.
Making the quick move to the National Tour, Williamson said the decision was per his car owner.
“He‘s always said if we‘re going to do it, we might as well do it big and go out where we can learn the most.”
With some miles and tracks under his belt now, the challenge becomes more mental. Like so many before him, that‘s the biggest aspect that Williamson is learning to deal with.
“It‘s tough. You just have to put everything behind you as soon as you‘re done with one night and get ready to work again. So that‘s something that I‘m working on, but my biggest goal on the year is to just minimize our DNF‘s and be in the top-10 as much as possible.”
Looking over the team who will be behind the scenes with the ASCS National Tour, Matt Ward will again serve as the National Competition Director. Ashleigh Ward will cover timing and scoring. The 2020 season is the 11th with the tour for the couple.
Terry Mattox will take care of scheduling and, when able, serve as the Chief Starter for the series, a duty he‘s had since 2012.
Calling for the tour full-time since the end of the 2011 season, this writer (Bryan Hulbert) will continue to provide commentary for the series, as well as cover P.R. duties for the tour.