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,
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 young high school drivers really stepped up to the plate.
The second driver got
his start late in 2003 making four starts in the tough Stock Car class at just 16 years
old. This young racer realized he wasn’t
quite ready for the Stock Cars and when it was announced that Mercer was adding the
Strictly Stocks for 2004, he made the necessary changes so he could gain valuable
experience in the new division.
After getting a late
start in 2004, which put him behind in points, 2 top 5s and 7 top 10s, including a career
first on August 7 later, he finished 10th in points. The teenager led on many nights and clearly had the
fastest car, but he struggled at times to keep a handle on his #77
Back in the Strictly
Stocks for one more season, 2005 was a breakout year as he turned spins into wins. Bryan Shaffer led the division with 7 heat race
wins. He added 4 more feature wins tying for a
division-high. He recorded 9 top 5s and 11 top
10s on his way to 4th in points all despite missing two shows.
At the end of the
season, he purchased Gary Norman’s car as he’ll again give the Stock Cars
another shot this upcoming year, this time with a little more experience.
The future looks bright
for this