Bloomington Speedway announces season’s champs

0

Bloomington Speedway has announced its champions for the 2016 racing season.

Jeff Bland Jr. of Bedford ended Brady Short’s run of five consecutive Sprint Car titles. Jared Fox of Bloomington won the RaceSaver Sprint Car title. Jacoby Hines of Nineveh captured the Modified championship. Chris Hillman of Camby was the top driver in the Super Stock class, and John Mayer Jr. of Edinburgh won the Hornet Division championship.

Bland won his first career track title, scoring enough points to outdistance reigning champion Brady Short of Bedford. Short was looking for his sixth straight Bloomington championship and his seventh in the last eight years, but wound up second to Bland in the final standings.

Trailing Bland and Short at Bloomington in the Sprint Car points were Jordan Kinser of Bedford, Lawrenceburg Speedway champion Jarett Andretti of Indianapolis and Kevin Thomas Jr. of Cullman, Alabama. Jadon Rogers of Worthington was the 410 Sprint Car rookie of the year.

Jared Fox, a veteran open-wheel racer and grandson of longtime mechanic, owner and driver Galen Fox, took top honors on the RaceSaver Sprint class. Luke Bland of Bloomington finished second to Fox, with Ethan Fleetwood of Bloomington, Kendall Ruble of Vincennes and Ethan Barrow of Bloomington rounding out the top five in the final standings. Tony Anderson of Bloomington was named rookie of the year in the class.

Jacoby Hines, a native of Seymour who now lives in Nineveh, captured the Modified division points title. The second-generation racer ended the season atop the points ahead of Jorden Wever of Bloomington, Mike Bowersox of Washington, Jason Clark of Ellettsville and Bradley Sterrett of Bloomington.

Hines’ Diamond Race Car is sponsored by Warrior Race Engines, Century 21 by Corina Jones, Honey Creek Auto and Thirty-One Auto Group. Hines also was the track champion this year at Brownstown Speedway. Josh Settles of Coatesville was crowned the rookie of the year for the Modifieds.

Chris Hillman’s championship at Bloomington completed a successful season, also winning the points title at Paragon Speedway. Hillman’s title at Bloomington came over Josh Boller of Greencastle, Steve Hollars of Bloomington, Steve Peeden of Paragon and Seymour’s Jamey Wilson, who won the Super Stock championship this year at Brownstown Speedway. Greg Garrison of Bloomington was the division’s top rookie.

John Mayer Jr. of Edinburgh won Bloomington’s Hornet Division title. Chad Taylor of Bloomington was second to Mayer in points, with Davey Waggoner of North Vernon, Jaden Mayhan of Elizabethtown and J.P. Matthews of Bloomington rounding out the top five.

The 35-year-old Mayer’s car is sponsored by Coffey Auto Enhancement, Hoosier Machine and Welding, Drain Master, Jack’s Garage, Smooth Stone Excavating, Britton Lawn Service, Supreme Customs, Wesley Motorsports, Core Capital, SRT Transmission, M&L Motorsports and The Hornet Factory.

Mayer also won the track championship at Brownstown Speedway this season and now has four track titles in his racing career. His first track title came at Brownstown in 2009, and his second was at Whitewater Valley Speedway in Liberty in 2014.

Mayhan was honored at the track’s awards ceremony on Oct. 2 for winning the Hornet Division rookie of the year. Mayhan’s car is sponsored by Wedan Street and Performance, Drain Master, Paul’s Columbus Auto Salvage, Victory Circles and Expressions Ink Tattoo and Body Piercings.

Bloomington Speedway also hosted on Saturday Nights Go-Kart racing for the first time. Several divisions of carts were contested, and those drivers were presented awards, as well, for the 2016 season.

In the Junior 1 Clone division, it was Jayden Hilenburg winning the points over Elijah Freeland, Kameron Arthur, Kayla Ruell and Brayden Parsley.

The Junior 2 Clone division was won by Denton Duncan from Columbus. Duncan won the points over Nathan Sipes, Justin Preske, Mae Rhodes and Braedin Patterson.

The Junior 3 Clone class was captured by Cory Lawrence II. Kenan Richards-Lowe was second, followed by Cameron Barker, Zipperhead May and Austin Green.

The Junior 1 Flathead division was won by Case Smith. Kadden Eaglin was second, and Cord Smith finished third. Elijah Freeland and Braedin Patterson completed the top five.

The Open division was won by Harold Emerson over Brennan Brown, Jacob Brown, Cody Johnson and Bobby Smith.

James Essex writes a motorsports notebook for The (Columbus) Republic, a sister paper of The Tribune. Send comments to [email protected].

No posts to display