2006 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, Andy Paden, Jeff Banyas, Jeremy Paup, Bryan Shaffer, and Brad Rapp- 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 for the first time we felt it necessary to give out three Horizon Awards as these young drivers certainly fit the mold.  And what a crop of a talent they were as simply the sky is the limit for these three.

We don’t have a “rookie-of-the-year” award, but if we had one, this driver certainly would earn the honor as a rookie.  Not only was he a rookie, but he was pure rookie having never run in another class and is just 18 years old.  His first career win came on May 6 and he went on to win a total of 7 features tying for a division high and just one win shy of the track-high. 

Not only did he win his first feature on May 6, but he won his second career feature that night as well.  And what a pair of wins it was.  The victories came on the memorial night for his uncle, who passed away tragically just days before.  The emotional victories seemed to kick-start his amazing season. 

To win a race is not an easy task, to win your first race as a teenager is special, to win 7 races in your rookie year and then win the championship as a high school senior is even more amazing.  But that’s exactly what our first Horizon Award winner did. 

This driver purchased last year’s Horizon winner, Bryan Shaffer’s Strictly Stock over the winter and went on to make history.  We wanted to honor this achievement by giving our first Horizon Award to Bryan Wagner.