LEGENDS - MASTERS: CHARLES KISER
Early on during the 2008 season, it appeared it would be another Clay Hair title at CMP, but a track rule and a sticker changed that quickly as a competitor to Hair's business sponsored the Legends series at the track. In order to continue getting points, Hair was required to run the sticker on his car. He refused to run the sticker, which allowed him to still race, but not receive points.
That put Charles Kiser in the mix as the lead Masters racer. With assistance from just about every major team out there, the budget racer went on to win four races during the season and the championship.
In His Words:
"It is nice to have that trophy for my trophy case, especially being under budgeted as we are, running against all this big money that we run against in the Masters division. We compete every week and win some. That is what I am most proud of."
LEGENDS - PRO: DANIEL HEMRIC
Daniel Hemric showed from the drop of the green flag of the season he was ready to take the CMP track championship. He won four of the first seven races of the season. He then added two more wins before the summer break.
When the track returned from the break, Hemric was the most dominant driver across all divisions at CMP, winning seven of the last eight races. That gave him a points lead of over 500 points. Domination? I think so.
In His Words:
"It shows how hard Dan Snyder worked for me all year. We came out here and didn't have to start, but we decided to take a new car and shake it down and get ready for Nationals."
LEGENDS - SEMI-PRO: JUSTIN LLOYD
The Semi-Pro division at CMP is usually one of the most competitive Legends groups at the track. Many drivers visit the track to see what they can do for a race or two, but only a few run the whole season at the track.
Justin Lloyd ran most of the races throughout the year, which gave him a points advantage over the competition in the running for the title. Still though, he needed to perform, and that is just what he did. Out of the 21 races during the season, he won 10, the most of any driver in the division. This allowed him to skip the final race of the season and still win the championship by a few hundred points.
In His Words:
"Anytime you get a championship, it is an awesome feeling. It really shows what you have done the whole season as a team. We have overcome adversity thoughout the year and we were able to have great success with 10 wins. The luck and the teamwork we have shows that when you focus and put your mind to it, anything can happen."
LEGENDS - CHARGERS: JORDAN STILLWELL
Drivers who need time to get accustomed to Legends cars that are either moving up from Bandoleros or are new to the scale cars can opt to enter the Legends Chargers class, a beginners group to help them hone in on their skills before moving to the Semi-Pro ranks.
Because the group is new to Legends, there are many first-time winners during the season. Also, some drivers choose to move up and out of the division before the end of the season, so sometimes it is hard to pick who will be the champion.
Jordan Stillwell stayed in the division all season after moving up from Bandoleros. His skills on the track have improved, winning multiple races during the fall part of the season. That gave him the points lead and championship in the Chargers division.
In His Words:
"It is really personal because in two years I haven't won a championship. I finished third both times. Last year I had a good chance at a championship, but I came up a bit short. I am glad I finally won one."
BANDOLEROS - OUTLAWS: BRETT PEPPICELLI
When the Bandolero Outlaws season started, many felt it was just going to be another Kendall Sellers benefit tour at CMP. He is one of the most successful Bandolero Outlaw racers in the country and this year was thought to be no different, but Sellers skipped racing many events at the track, allowing for someone else to take over the top spot in the points.
In came Brett Peppicelli, an unknown driver to many in the Bandolero ranks. It didn't take long for people to realize he was the real deal, battling for the win with Sellers every week. In fact, Sellers and Peppicelli accounted for 14 of the 21 race wins this season with six of those belonging to Peppicelli. Competing in all 21 races, Peppicelli was declared the champ.
In His Words:
"It means a lot to me. I think I got a lot accomplished this year with the championship. I am speechless. We have a lot of good drivers out here – Bailey Daniels, Kendall Sellers, Benny Mingo and a bunch of other people that come out here and race every week. This is my first Bandolero championship."
BANDOLEROS - YOUNG GUNS: ROBERT POOLE
A total of 33 drivers raced in the Young Guns division this season at CMP, but only a handful went to victory lane. Drivers like Chad Finchum, Jeremy Birch, Noah Triplett and Corey Gordon all took home trophies from the races, but the battle for the top of the charts was between Robert Poole and Matt Linker.
On victories alone, Linker more than doubled Poole's stats. Poole only went to victory lane four times during the season while Linker saw the checkered flag first nine times. The difference though came down to Linker getting parked a race for an incident with Finchum. When that issue occured, Linker dropped out of contention for the championship and allowed Poole to take the top spot and eventually the title.
In His Words:
"It means a lot to me. I started four years ago racing Bandoleros, and I was really bad. I have gotten a lot better over the years and now I have come out here every race and have drove my way to the championship. It feels really good."
BANDOLEROS - BANDITS: DILLON BASSETT
They call him "Spark Plug," but his nickname might change to the "Dominator."
With 16 wins out of the 20 races he competed in this season, Dillon Bassett won the most races of anyone across any division racing on CMP's quarter-mile track in 2008. The kid just don't like to lose and acts like he doesn't care about where he finishes if he doesn't win.
Bassett did miss one race this year, which closed up the points a bit with John Holleman on his tail, but it didn't matter. Bassett wasn't going to be denied his second CMP championship in a row.
In His Words:
"It means a lot because you have to run all the races just to win. We did miss a race, but ended up with the points lead. I am just excited to win two years in a row."
BANDOLEROS - BEGINNER BANDITS: JORDAN PLUMMER
The Beginner Bandits division is a class for the new, young racers to gain experience, confidence and get their vehicles up to speed on the track before entering a more competitve group of racers.
When Jordan Plummer started her Bandolero career, it almost appeared she wasn't ready to race. Her #22 machine was slow early on, and in some cases it appeared too slow for race conditions. Over time though, her confidence level went up in the car and herself as her speed picked up throughout the season.
Even at the NASCAR level, team owners and crew chiefs always preach seat time. That is what Plummer did, racing all 21 events in the 2008 season, taking the title.
In Her Words:
"It means a whole lot. God helped me focus. I am going to put my trophy in my room with my collection."
2008 Concord Motorsport Park Track Champions
Who Won The Titles & What They Had To Say About It
By Jason Buckley
LegendsNation.com
