Forum: HoseHeads Sprint Car General Forum (go)
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Final 2006 North American 410 Sprint Car Poll

1. Donny Schatz (25), Fargo, ND, 2525

2. Danny Lasoski (2), Higginsville, MO, 1295

3. Tim Kaeding (1), Campbell, CA, 1055

4. Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN, 622

5. Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN, 609

6. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN, 562

7. Fred Rahmer, Salfordville, PA, 434

8. Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK, 324

9. Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, AUS, 260

10. Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, PA, 239

11. Doug Esh, Lancaster, PA, 176

12. Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon, WA, 161

13. Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH, 157

14. Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA, 148

15. Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA, 119

16. Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, OH, 95

17. Billy Alley, Lincoln, NE, 64

18. Greg Hodnett, Memphis, TN, 61

19. Jonathan Allard, Chico, CA, 44

20. Brian Brown, Higginsville, MO, 35

21. Chad Kemenah, Fremont, OH, 24

22. Paul McMahan, Oroville, CA, 19

23. Kerry Madsen, Sydney, NSW, AUS, 14

tie, Travis Whitney, Champlin, MN, 14

25. Dale Blaney, Fowler, OH, 7

tie, Ed Lynch, Jr., Apollo, PA, 7

Also receiving multiple votes: Mark Dobmeier, Andy Forsberg, Jason Sides, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

Who is Fred Rahmer?

-----------------------------------------------------
A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

Nice to see the local Knoxville contingent is slowly climbing up the rankings Jackhole... I see Billy Alley even squeaked one out over Hodnett who was laid up half the summer and then got fired. Next you know they will even be able to beat the Outlaws or Rahmer at home one of these days...lol. Lord, I apologize.

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

Careful there Cubic, if I am not mistaken I tried to engage you in a bet with regards to these results before the season started. Heck, we may have even had one, help me out if I am right. Either way, I am the winner as the big 3 never made it in the top ten.

Fred gets 7th and can't win a weekly race at the Grove all year long, must be a lot of PA voters in this deal or a lot of voters that don't leave their porch or pay attention in class. Greg Hodnett should be a lot farther up on the list and his win ratio is much the best in Central PA this year, he could easily have replaced Lance if not higher in my opinion.

You wanna try a similiar bet for next year, lol? The more I think about it, the more I think I won this year's, time to check my email, lol. Take It Easy....

I am from PA and I gotta agree with MSPN here that the voting is kinda out of whack. Rahmer seems too high at number seven. He had a decent year, but definitly not one of his best seasons. On a lot of nights, Dewease and Esh were faster than Fred.

That being said, MSPN's stats are again wrong about Hodnett's win percentage being much the best in PA this year. According to a November 1 Kevin Eckert column, Hodnett went 11-74 (14.9%) this season. Doug Esh won 14 times in 76 starts (18.4%). Even Lance had a higher win percentage than Hodnett this year (15.3%) by winning 15 times in 98 starts. Much the best? His win percentage wasn't tops in the area.

Even if MSPN tried to claim that Hodnett's numbers were adversely affected by him returning from injuries, consider that Greg was 9-58 (15.5%) prior to getting hurt in the Port Royal Speedweek show. Esh still had the most impressive numbers in Pennsylvania this past season.

MSPN, Rahmer did have a little bit of an off year, not as bad as 2003, but bad enough for him to quit the #22 ride I guess... but he still won the track championships at Williams Grove and Susky, plus had 13 wins including two against the Outlaws at the Grove and another prelim victory at Knoxville. Having to come from mid-pack week in, week out, in Central PA is every bit the task as say for instance coming off the front row in a National Sprint Tour 360 match race this season. If Kinser is ranked 5^th for his five wins, then there's nothing wrong with Rahmer being ranked 7^th... last year they were ranked 1^st and 2^nd. At this point I think Rahmer should have a little bit better year next season being reunited with Elwell and running out of his own shop. He's still going to have to contend with the problems of starting up a new team however. Susky cutting back also should hit the win total a little bit for everyone as well. I'm still hoping for 20 wins and the Grove and Lincoln Championships however. Rahmer has talked about retirement for several years now. I'm cheering my guts out for him to go out on top, when and if he does.

As far as the big three not all being in the top ten this year goes... Hodnett got banged up this year ...next year Rahmer, Dewease, Hodnett and Esh all have a good shot at being in the top ten with the Outlaws being back together, the 77 car and the Apple car being gone, and the Zemco car probably being a little messed up without Smith in the picture. Things were a lot more wide open this season on all fronts.

As far as the World of Outlaws goes, with everyone being back together win totals will certainly fall. I'd say Lasoski is probably a slight favorite until Schatz proves he can win without Ricky Warner... It shouldn't take too long to be able to get a feel there. Schatz and Kinser by far have the most to prove next season. Kinser could easily win the championship as well... IF and it's a pretty big IF... he is healthy all year. He was in some pretty nasty crashes this year on top of all the stress of all the ulterior goings on... hitting the gym this winter might not hurt either? Saldana will be tough this year with Warner. If Kaeding gets to run for Kinser again he will also be very tough. Dollansky is overdue... It will be a banner year for the World of Outlaws championship chase no doubt.

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

Cubic, there is not any way four PA guys will be ranked in the top 10. In order for that to happen, they would all have to win close to 20 races -- and there just aren't that many races being run for that to happen. The poll will also always be predominantly Outlaws in the top 10, with a few local or regional drivers sprinkled in.

I thought Andy Forsberg's ranking in the 360 poll was flaky. A few others as well. But I'm no expert so o well. 1 thing for sure was #1 Jason Johnson. I also thought Brian Brown shouldn't have been as high as he was in the 360 poll.

How much would could a wouldchuck chuck if a 
wouldchuck could chuck would

Where do you get twenty wins? The only driver that had twenty wins this year was Schatz. I believe this poll represents the toughest competitors in the sport no matter how often they race. If Hodnett didn't have such a rough season we would have been close to four in the top ten as it is. Our top Posse guns will still run a ton of shows next year just like they have for decades anyway.

Final 2006 North American 410 Sprint Car Poll

1. Donny Schatz (25), Fargo, ND, 2525 (28 wins counting Australia, WoO Championship, Knoxville Nationals)

2. Danny Lasoski (2), Higginsville, MO, 1295 (10 wins, NST Championship)

3. Tim Kaeding (1), Campbell, CA, 1055 (16 wins)

4. Craig Dollansky, Elk River, MN, 622 (8 wins)

5. Steve Kinser, Bloomington, IN, 609 (5 wins)

6. Joey Saldana, Brownsburg, IN, 562 (7 wins)

7. Fred Rahmer, Salfordville, PA, 434 (13 wins (2 WoO plus Knoxville Prelim), W. Grove and Susky Championships)

8. Daryn Pittman, Owasso, OK, 324 (9 wins counting Australia)

9. Brooke Tatnell, San Souci, NSW, AUS, 260 (5 WoO wins)

10. Lance Dewease, Fayetteville, PA, 239 (15 wins (2 NST - 1 All Star wins))

11. Doug Esh, Lancaster, PA, 176 (14 wins (WoO National Open), Lincoln Championship)

12. Jason Solwold, Mt. Vernon, WA, 161 (2 WoO, 2 NST wins)

13. Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, OH, 157 (6 wins)

14. Terry McCarl, Altoona, IA, 148 (10 410 wins)

15. Jason Meyers, Clovis, CA, 119 (1 NST win, not sure how many other 410 wins)

16. Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, OH, 95 (All Star Championship, 1 All Star win, not sure how many 410 wins altogether)

17. Billy Alley, Lincoln, NE, 64 (2 Knoxville 410 wins, Knoxville Championship)

18. Greg Hodnett, Memphis, TN, 61 (11 wins, 1 All Star win)

19. Jonathan Allard, Chico, CA, 44 (7 410 wins?, King of California Championship)

20. Brian Brown, Higginsville, MO, 35 (3 Knoxville 410 wins)

21. Chad Kemenah, Fremont, OH, 24 (1 WoO win and Rookie of the Year)

22. Paul McMahan, Oroville, CA, 19 (1 WoO win)

23. Kerry Madsen, Sydney, NSW, AUS, 14 (2 Knoxville 410 wins, not sure if others)

tie, Travis Whitney, Champlin, MN, 14 (IRA Championship and 3 wins)

25. Dale Blaney, Fowler, OH, 7 (2 All Star wins)

tie, Ed Lynch, Jr., Apollo, PA, 7 (Around 10 wins in Western PA?)

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

Cubic, don't get all bent out of shape about semantics. I stand by my statement that to have four PA drivers in the top 10, they would all have to win CLOSE to 20 races. That was what I said. Look at the Hammer this season. He won 14 races and didn't make the top 10.

You can list the wins all you want. Five wins with a national touring group are still going to be viewed by voters across the country as more impressive than 12 or 14 wins in Pennsylvania -- and they probably should be.

And I stand by the statement that Rahmer, Dewease, Hodnett , and Esh each have a legitimate shot at being in the top ten next year... I don't know how you would pick which one doesn't.

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

Oops, lol. I thought Greg was out a lot longer, my bad. Having lived in Canada for the whole racing season and not followed it very much it seemed to me that Greg was the leading winner at the Grove when he got hurt and was the winner the one night I saw a race in Central PA this year, sooooo.

You guys give toooo much strength to winning local races, even if you have to start in the 5th or 6th row. It seems to me that there are a bunch of races that the invert system isn't in place and the big dogs almost always win those races, speedweeks etc.

Cubic, I have always judged local racers by what they have done against the best in the business and ranked accordingly in my head. Beating up the local guy with your well funded non-touring Outlaw team was never that big a deal to me and never will be, sorry. Big fish, little pond does not impress me unless you leave the pond and go elsewhere for some competition, like the Posse used to a decade or so ago. If whomever votes for these titles (360 and 410) and trust me it's nowhere near scientific would put a little more thought into this deal I think the voting would be much different and should be! Heck, you could make a decent enough argument that all 4 Posse drivers should be ranked higher than Steve this year and I wouldn't disagree with you. To me it ain't a whole lot different than figure skating judging and people always vote with a prejudice, c'est la vie. Take It Easy....

PS Cubic, no mention of our bet from this year, surely you can look that up, lol....

"You guys give toooo much strength to winning local races" ?

When Central PA runs about a hundred weakly races each year to your couple dozen one would think you might figure that out, guess not. In the big scheme of things when you are talking about National rankings then the local stuff is just that, local. Is this simple enough for ya'? Take It Easy....

MSPN, at the end of last season (2005 410 Sprint Car Driver of the Year Poll) I believe I had hoped the Posse would have three in the top ten in 2006 (Rahmer, Dewease, and Hodnett) and at least one more in the top 25 (either Esh, Layton, or Mark Smith). I wasn't that far off. And Hodnett did have a bad year... he was injured for much of the latter part of the summer. I don't remember having made any wagers however? For the record however, Rahmer did do a lot worse in this year's poll than I had hoped for. In 2007 I’m hoping Rahmer, Dewease, Hodnett and Esh all end up biding for a top ten slot. I don’t think it's that unreasonable a wish......for a Posse fan anyway...lol.

PS... Racing a 100 "weakly" races a year is a large part of why our teams are so high up on this list by the way. The NST themselves proved this year that you get rusty pretty quick only running 40 shows. Our guys having to start mid-pack most weeks doesn’t hurt either... along with the heritage of being able to beat the Outlaws (like red-headed step children) since their inception.

In 1976 and ’77, Johnson leased Louisiana’s Boothill Speedway for March weekends. April ’77 saw him do likewise with Lincoln Speedway in the heart of what was unofficially, the world of outlaws.

During that ’77 season, any given Saturday saw Allen and Steve Smith from Florida; an encore by Kansas City’s Kenny Weld; Jim Edwards of Los Angeles; and Steve Siegel, who was the new kid that had followed Dub and Van May in from El Paso.

I was 13 when dad took me to Ted’s momentous Lincoln program. It was unclear to me how he had done it, but this Ted Johnson coaxed South Dakota’s Doug Wolfgang, Tennessee’s Sammy Swindell, Oklahoma’s Shane Carson, Chuck Amati of Illinois, and Robert Smith up from Florida. We had never seen any of these people.

That was the night Ohio’s Fred Linder told my father that he did not hesitate to travel anywhere that was less than 15 hours away. “Anything more than that,” Fred said, “and we really do have to think about it.” Father was floored.

Johnson’s program at Lincoln listed Friday qualifying and Saturday races: first with wings, and then without. Either way, track regulars kicked outlaw ass, beginning the “Us v.s Them” attitude that prevails in Pennsylvania today. -taken from Kevin Eckert editorial Death of a Salesman

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

Outlaw wins this year will be at a premium, likely harder than ever before although '05 was a heckuva year. The pole I use is based upon what have you done against the travellers or the best in the business in my opinion. Beat them, especially on the road and you have done something. Winning at the Grove is nice, but beat them somewhere else and I'll bow my head. History tells us that the Posse hasn't done this a whole lot more than the rest while racing many, many more times than the rest.

You've lost your home based Outlaw teams for the most part and I really believe the racing may be better than ever on your porch this year as well. I hope that the endless supply of dollars on Fred's team doesn't make the difference on a local basis, watch out. Of course all of this means nothing if you watch the stock market and pray for doom, lmao. Take It Easy.....

 
 
 
They don't even know how to spell sprint car 
much less chromoly...http://www.ycmco.com

No one has answered me yet, Who is Fred Rahmer? Is he like a scientist that cured cancer or something?

Looks like he is holding a Noble Peace Prize in that one picture.

-----------------------------------------------------
A healthy diet of dirt in my nachos and beer.

That used to be my porn name.............. Fred Reamher

Fred is the Best of the rest and has been for years, first ballot Hall of Famer and the guy who will win most everything again in PA this coming season. Take It Easy....

PS After three years of going in reverse on the final night of the Nationals I will predict he will go forward this year.....