Photo Credit: Ashley McCubbin
Following a single points night and the 35-lap Hoosier Spring Velocity invitational, the drivers whom will be at the front all year are becoming clearer. With that said, fans are starting to realize whom they truly need to watch when it comes down to the final laps each week, and the final portion of the year already.
Given how things have shaken out so far, here are five drivers to keep an eye on this weekend in the Graham Construction Corporation Mini Stock division.
Andy Kamrath
Over the past couple of years, there’s been a handful drivers that have found a way to dominate the division, and one of those is Andy Kamrath.
A veteran behind the wheel, he scored three feature victories last season and seems to have that Honda Civic hooked up like no other as evident by his success already this year, with a third on April 30 and a dominating performance in the 35-lap invitational feature last weekend. It’s no secret that he goes out to win every weekend, and he’ll be looking to do that on Saturday.
Gerritt Tiemersma
Gerrit Tiemersma keeps getting stronger as a driver behind the wheel, in finding more speed to get himself closer to front. While he only posted one top-five last year, he should be someone that’s up front on a more regular basis this year. Just look at his results already, in posting a fourth on April 30 and running up front till mechanical issues took him out of the Spring Velocity.
It’s always nice to see first-time feature winners, and after Nic Montanari answered the call on opening night, look for Tiemersma to be next.
Warren Paxton
A past division champion, Warren Paxton is always someone to keep an eye on as he knows what it takes to run with the best of the division. A glance at last year’s statistics back up the claim with an invitational victory and 12 top-10 finishes over the course of the season.
So far this year, he’s off to the same solid start with a fifth and third place finish to start the year. Now if you want to play the number game, you know what that means for Saturday night, right? It wouldn’t surprise, either, as he ran right there with Kamrath and Doug Butler through the 35-lap event.
Jake Watson
Over the past couple of seasons, Jake Watson has continued to improve, posting five feature top-10s last year.
The Wade Watson Racing team has been searching early this year for what his Mustang wants, but has missed the handling by a bit in the first two events of the year with a eighth on night one, followed by 14th in the invitational.
Once they’re able to find the right set-up, expect Watson to be part of the top-five and contending for his first feature victory.
Chris Allard
On opening night, Chris Allard made a statement – he dominated the Mighty Mini division feature, with a telling quote in victory lane.
“Run what you brung. I’m not sandbagging like half the kids in this class,” Allard said post-race. “I know the track is going to move me up, but if that’s what they want to do, all power to them.”
The track responded and bumped him up to the Mini Stock division. It doesn’t look like it’ll dampen the team’s spirits, though, as he put in one of the strongest performances early this year, finishing fourth in the Spring Velocity. Proving he can run with the best of the province last weekend, he could very well make another trip to victory lane this weekend.
