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MACDONALD MOTORS RUNNIN' REBEL PREVIEW
April 26, 2008
No-repeat workdays for 4-cylinder
gang
Only one driver has ever repeated
as Macdonald Motors Runnin' Rebel champion in the history of the
Oxford Acceleration Series, and it isn't likely to happen again this
year.
If Tyson Jordan's entry into the TD
Banknorth 250 Presented by New England Dodge Dealers is a reliable
indicator, the 2007 four-cylinder champion has aspirations of making
a huge jump this season.
Jordan's departure keeps the record
of Gary Chiasson (2003-04) safe. It also reduces the number of
championship contender in the division to, oh, about 29.
That discussion must begin with Kyle
Hewins. One race away from joining his dad and brother as OPS
champions, Hewins entered that final event tied with Jordan but was
caught up in a late-race wreck. Hewins held a nice consolation prize
in the form of the Agren Appliance Grand Slam (Saturday Showdown)
title. This season, there's no doubt that his eyes are locked on a
clean sweep.
Gregg Norton, the driver with the
most wins in Runnin' Rebel history, hopes a new car will help him
complete the unfinished business of a championship. Norton won six
races in 2007, but he would tell you without hesitation that it was
the worst season of his career, with just about every other start
ending early in a mechanical difficulty or a crash. Even with half
as many victories, Norton should be a title contender from start to
finish.
Another veteran hoping to shake that
feast-or-famine reputation is Jamie Leavitt. Perhaps appropriately,
it was Leavitt who loaned his #93 to Norton and yielded one of those
six wins on a night when the #119 wouldn't come up to speed. Let's
not forget that Leavitt logged two wins of his own and will be back
in the hunt for more in '08.
Josh Childs won three features and
Rookie of the Year honors last season, and he's still only 17 years
old. With David Childs in line for a run at the Outlaw crown,
there's a great opportunity to see an OPS first this season, with
father and son capturing titles in the same season.
Matt Dufault and Troy Jordan endured
their fair share of ups and downs last season, but top-five finishes
were frequent and speed was evident. Both have the experience and
talent to take the title home to Turner.
Twenty-eight different drivers won a
feature in 2007, and the list of conquerors could be almost evenly
split between savvy veterans and kids. Brandon Munroe, Ryan
Philbrick, Calvin Rose Jr. and Logan Melcher joined Josh Childs as
part of that major youth movement. Rose will have the benefit of a
proven teammate, Archie Watt Jr., who's returning to the driver's
seat after a four-year hiatus. Munroe and Brian Hawthorne represent
another team that could have two cars in the 'A' feature any given
night.
Both members of the Cook family,
Derek and David, went to victory lane last year. So did (deep
breath) Nic Stanley, Craig Farrington, Jay Dufour, Bill Dunphy, Cole
Flagg, Jerry Goss, Jeff Hebert, Brian Nason, Jason Short and James
Wood. It'll be no upset for any of them to make a return trip this
season.
Equally impressive is the list of
drivers who were shut out from the winner's circle, including top-15
performers Mike Ward, Brady Romano, Jeff Beaule, Jim Hart and Bill
Grover. No lesser threats: Scott Farrington, Charlie Webster, Randy
Nutter, Nathan Guptill and Zach Audet.
The return of Ben Krauter, an 11-time
Rebel feature winner, should spice up the Agren Saturday Showdown.
It's also bound to give dad Martin incentive to challenge for the
title in his Wednesday appearances.
Josh Brown heads the Rookie class
after an impressive limited schedule that yielded several trophies
at the end of last season. Mike Anderson, Brandon Palmer, Cody
Record, Cody Smith, Kyle Treadwell and Jacob Roberti strengthen that
roster.
It sounds like three 20-lap races of
unpredictable fury every week, and it looks like another
championship race (make that two championship races) too close to
call.
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