2004 Horizon Award

Shining brightly in the distance is the horizon- a spectacle that can make you mysteriously continue to look forward into the distance.  Our Horizon Award was put into place to recognize drivers, whose careers shine as brightly as the sun on the horizon.  Past winners of this award are Don McKnight, Matt Lux, Brian Woodhall, Chad Reitz, and Andy Paden- an impressive group of talented, young racers.

Young blood of course is one of the most important elements in the makeup of our Horizon Award.  No race track can survive into the future without a strong contingent of young lions.  They add color and excitement to our program each and every Saturday night and it is truly an honor to watch them grow and develop into some of the region’s toughest competitors. 

This year we felt it necessary to give out two Horizon Awards as two drivers really stepped up to the plate.   

The first Horizon Award goes to a driver that certainly turned some heads this season.  In 2002, this Ohio driver made a half-dozen appearances with his 360 Sprint and recorded a best finish of sixth.  The father-son duo liked coming to Mercer so much that in 2003 decided they would run a full season with their 360.  Two top 5s and 8 tops including a season-best fourth propelled the high school senior to 6^th in the 410 points and 3^rd in the 360 points.

That brings us to 2004.  A new Victory Engines 410 powerplant was under the hood for the college freshmen, while the 360 was used for the 360 shows.  Right out of the box the youngster finished 4^th on opening night.  By season’s end, only one time did he finish outside the top 10 and that was the night he was leading a special 25-lap feature and got tangled with another car on lap 21.   Throw in a career best second on July 10 and several other near misses and it was quite a season for Jeff Banyas.

We all know how tough that first win is, and not only is it in the near future, but we’re sure several more will follow.  Jeff and his dad Ray and family are big supporters of Mercer Raceway Park and we’re glad they’ve chosen Mercer Raceway Park as their Saturday night home when two other Ohio tracks are much closer.  It’s with great pleasure that we honor Jeff Banyas with our first 2004 “Horizon” Award.