Brady Bacon of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, today was named the 2016 “Driver of the Year” by the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll voting panel of media members, promoters, sanctioning officials and manufacturers for the first time. The United States Auto Club (USAC) point champion earned three (3) first-place ballots cast in the year-end poll. Richard Hoffman, owner of Bacon’s famed number 69 sprint car earned the 2016 non-winged sprint car “Team of the Year” award.
Those drivers ranked second through fifth, respectively, are the late Bryan Clauson, USAC/California Racing Association (CRA) champion Damion Gardner of California, Chad Boespflug of California and Chris Windom of Illinois. Rounding out the ‘top ten’ drivers are Chase Stockon, Kevin Thomas Jr., Dave Darland, Thomas Meseraull and Richard Vander Weerd, respectively. Drivers that earned first place votes in addition to Brady Bacon were the late Bryan Clauson (four), Damion Gardner (two), Chris Windom (one) and Kevin Thomas, Jr. (one).
Kevin Thomas, Jr., and Thomas Meseraull will each receive the “Wild Card Award” for their exciting non-winged sprint car performances in 2016, while Wingless Auto Racing (WAR) champion Clinton Boyles of Missouri will receive the 2016 non-winged sprint car “Rookie of the Year” award. Richie Murray of the United States Auto Club (USAC) will receive the North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll “Media Member of the Year” honors. Jim O’Connor of the Kokomo Speedway earned the “Promoter of the Year” title. John Godfrey of Spike Chassis will receive the “Builder/Manufacturer of the Year” honors.
The North American Non-Winged Sprint Car Poll is an annual awards program of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum Foundation, Inc., of Knoxville, Iowa. All awards will be distributed in 2017 at tracks throughout North America. The awards were announced at the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Midget Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- administrator on Jan 12, 2017
- Article Date: 1/11/2017