Legends Nation ... And Justice For All

2008 Winternationals Champions

Final Points Standings

After Five of Five Events

Orlando Speedworld (Orlando, Florida)

The 2008 Winternationals at Orlando Speedworld (FL) has come to a close. Five events of racing action determined champions in eight divisions of Legends, Bandolero and Thunder Roadsters racing (Chargers did not race for a championship). While some divisional championships were wrapped up before the final race of the season, others were not determined until the final checkered flag flew. In one case a motor protest didn't make anything official until Monday afternoon.

Below are the champions and the final points standings for the 2008 Winternationals.

LEGENDS MASTERS: #29 Clay Hair

Clay Hair was the driver everyone thought would be the champion in the Masters division of Legends racing, but early on it didn't appear he was going to make it to the top. While he didn't seem to be the fastest during Speedweeks, he was the most consistant Masters driver. Hair finished all five events in the top five and was able to enter victory lane during the third and fifth rounds, which helped propel him to the championship.

Dennis Knox and Tim Brockhouse were the only two drivers that were within distance of Hair in the final standings.

Pos

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

13th

14th

15th

Car #

Driver

Clay Hair

Dennis Knox

Tim Brockhouse

Hoyt Demis

Larry Friddle

Roger Austin

Scotty Eddward

Cotton Spry

Darrell Vance

Cy Harvey

Rick Wetmore

Gary Bursey

George Whitney

Will Cagle

Wendell Napper

Points

144

136

104

Pos

16th

17th

18th

19th

20th

21st

22nd

23rd

24th

25th

26th

27th

28th

29th

Car #

29C

Driver

Carlos Moore

Kevin Yeatts

Doug Dougger

Stephen Mitcham

Doug Hall

Mark Esposito

Gene Cannon

Steve Carter

Marc Fuchswanz

Spike Shultze

Rodney Pucak

Frank Johnston

Bruce Silver

Mike Beebe

Points

LEGENDS PRO: #5 Kory Abbott

The Pro division looked to be one of the tightest battles during the 2008 Winternationals. Craig Goess, Nick Pistone, Florida native Kory Abbott, Kyle Beattie, Chelsea Schillig, Daniel Hemric and Jordan Anderson appeared to be the drivers battling it out for the top spot in the championship.

Early on, Goess, Pistone and Abbott took charge as the front runners, but when Goess dropped out it became a two-driver race to the title. The championship hinged on the final race in the series and which one of the two drivers would win the race. Abbott was able to pass Pistone during the race, taking the race win and the title.

Despite having to drive multiple different cars during the week, Beattie finished third in the points standings.

Pos

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

11th

Car #

96B

161

20P

Driver

Kory Abbott

Nick Pistone

Kyle Beattie

Chelsea Schillig

Jordon Anderson

Daniel Hemric

Jesse Bunnell

Nick Johnson

Patrick Cameron

Matt Stover

John Gottsacker

Points

152

148

104

Pos

12th

13th

14th

15th

16th

17th

18th

19th

20th

21st

Car #

99X

20M

Driver

Parker Hammons

Ryan Johnson

James Edsall III

Rette Causey

Chris Lemmonds

Craig Goess, Jr.

Jason Miller

Robbie Carter

John Hilliker

Dan Snyder

Points

LEGENDS SEMI-PRO: #38S Justin Swilling

The biggest crap shoot of the entire 2008 Winternationals was the Semi-Pro division championship. With so many cars, wrecks and overall total chaos every time the group got on the track, it was hard to tell who was going to be the clear-cut champion.

Michael Brown looked like the racer to beat on the track every event, but a few bad races cost him a shot at the championship. Meanwhile, Justin Swilling competed in just the final three races of the five-race series, but a third-place finish and two victories propelled him to the championship over Brown. Gene Kirila, who split time between Orlando in his Legends Car and New Smyrna in a Late Model, finished the championship in third.

Pos

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

13th

14th

15th

16th

Car #

38S

99X

199

38M

29D

Driver

Justin Swilling

Michael Brown

Gene Kirila

Alex Kempf

Jimmy Norman

Chad Hackenbracht

Kevin Eskew

Shaughn McCormick

Ryan Moore

Mike Alcaro

Kara Clarke

Dustin Davis

Tyler Kivett

Bryan Silas

Currie Pierce

Tanner Berryhill

Points

112

104

Pos

17th

18th

19th

20th

21st

22nd

23rd

24th

25th

26th

27th

28th

29th

30th

31st

32nd

Car #

20C

29B

17x

Driver

Cody Blackburn

Zach Alspach

Dylan Presnell

RS Senter

Trevor Alspach

Zach Zimmerly

Corey Weaver

Cullen Camasta

Ryan Truex

Chris Weddle

Justin Boston

Mike Fuchswanz

Paul Blenkenhorn

Landon Bullock

Phillip Bell

Mike Lester

Points

LEGENDS CHARGERS

Even though the Chargers didn't race for a championship, we decided to include them on the champions page anyway since the track did give them all last place points (4 points) for every event they competed in.

If there would have been a championship based on this points system, Ryan Schleusner would have been the winner. Even though the points were tied with Joe Graf and Bailey Freeman since they all competed in at least four events, Schleusner dominated the Chargers division, winning all five races during the Winternationals (points ties are broken first by total race wins).

Pos

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

Car #

Driver

Ryan Schleusner

Joe Graf

Bailey Freeman

Johnny Love

Fred Graf

Dave Simile

Jack Davenport

Points

Pos

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

13th

Car #

33X

Driver

Mike Fuchswanz

Marc Fuchswanz

Paul Blenkenhorn

Edgar Coleman

Tony Bonavia

Daniel Conlin, Sr.

Points

THUNDER ROADSTERS: #66 Tom Clarke

Only three Thunder Roadsters showed up to race at the Winternationals, and by the end of the week only one competed in the fourth race and no one showed up for the final event. Tom Clarke won the championship.

Pos

1st

2nd

Car #

Driver

Tom Clarke

Jesse Bunnell

Points

140

120

Pos

3rd

Car #

Driver

Steve Carter

Points

104

BANDOLERO OUTLAWS: #6 Kendall Sellers

The Bandolero Outlaws division had the overall lowest division car count during the Winternationals with two cars, but unlike the Roadsters, both drivers competed all the way to the final checkered flag of the five-race schedule.

Kendall Sellers, who is known as one of the best Outlaw drivers in the country, won four of the five races, taking the championship over Jarod Hicks.

Although it was just a two-man race, Sellers told LN he will take a championship any way he can get it.

Pos

1st

Car #

Driver

Kendall Sellers

Points

160

Pos

2nd

Car #

Driver

Jarod Hicks

Points

148

BANDOLERO YOUNG GUNS: #19 Chad Finchum

The Bandolero Young Guns saw a poor car count all week, partially due to drivers moving out of the Bandolero scene. Last year's race winners Ryan Glenski and Ronnie Bassett both have moved out of the Bandos, making way for others to come up through.

Chad Finchum was around last year watching the other two racers run out in front as he learned from them. This year Finchum went out and won all five races during the Winternationals.

He wasn't officially declared the champion until after his motor was deemed legal Monday following a protest by a competitor.

Pos

1st

2nd

3rd

Car #

Driver

Chad Finchum

Sean Shalvoy

Donovan Ponder

Points

160

136

124

Pos

4th

5th

6th

Car #

Driver

Matthew Linker

Meghan Dillner

Brad Eddy

Points

108

104

BANDOLERO BANDITS: #71 Kyle Benjamin

A total of 14 Bandits showed up at Orlando Speedworld to race in the Winternationals, but it still wasn't the number of drivers expected to make it to Florida. Still, some good racing took place all week.

Kyle Benjamin had a great run early on, taking the first three victories of the series. Dillon Bassett then took over, winning the final two, but with Benjamin's solid finishes, Bassett had to settle for second in the points behind Banjamin for the title.

Mason Massey and Critter Saile finished third and fourth, tied in points as they were both strong during the Winternationals.

Pos

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

Car #

Driver

Kyle Benjamain

Dillon Bassett

Mason Massey

Critter Saile

Layne Clifton

Blake Jones

TJ Michael

Points

156

152

124

104

Pos

8th

9th

10th

11th

12th

13th

14th

Car #

Driver

Brady Boswell

Kyle Weatherman

Riley Halverson

Mike Hilliker

Clayton Weatherman

Daniel Conlin

Jacob Wallace

Points

LEGENDS YOUNG LIONS: #83 Dylan Presnell

Dylan Pressnell was on a mission during the 2008 Winternationals: win and win big. That is exactly what he did during the first four rounds in the Young Lions division, taking all four victories and locking himself in as the champion with one race yet to go.

Since he had the title locked up, the final race he moved to Semi-Pro, where he finished fourth. That allowed another driver to take the Young Lions victory, and that was Austin Leitner, who scored his first career Legends win.

Nick Stroupe, Bryce Walker and Ronnie Bassett all ran strong during the Winternationals, which gave them second through fouth respectively in the points chase.

Pos

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

Car #

680

Driver

Dylan Presnell

Nick Stroupe

Bryce Walker

Ronnie Bassett, Jr.

Austin Leitner

Devin Jones

Points

160

136

132

120

112

Pos

7th

8th

9th

10th

11th

Car #

13K

Driver

Travis Braden

Justin Grimes

Kristin Keys

Evan Swilling

Scott Hensley

Points