Steve Carlin
STEVIE DIRT NOTE: The following is the first of four Driver of the Year and all-Dirt team awards. Coming up in the following days will be the Stock Car, Modified and Late Model honors.
Probably the toughest decision among this year’s Driver of the Year awards came in the hobby stock division, where Steve Carlin gets the nod over Jim Powell.
I felt Carlin’s consistency and stronger second half of the season outweighed that of Powell, resulting in the nine-point difference in the points standings between the two veterans. Powell had better-looking victory numbers, but Carlin had a few more points — and his third track title.
Powell led in feature victories, both drivers were tied in top-five showings and Carlton had an advantage in top-10 performances. What gave Carlin an advantage were two other important categories — he led all series drivers in second-half and feature points.
Carlin follows Aaron Brocksieck as Stevie Dirt Hobby Stock Driver of the Year. Brocksieck moved to stock cars this season, where he was a second-row selection.
In the other three classes, a driver’s success at the Bullring, combined with performance in the Stevie Dirt Regional Rankings, plus success at Lee County and West Burlington were all weighed in making all-Dirt team selections. There are no Stevie Dirt Regional Rankings for hobby stocks. Hobby stock drivers at Quincy drive only at 8000 Broadway.
HOBBY STOCK DRIVER OF THE YEAR
STEVE CARLIN
WHY: Carlin, who has now won three track titles, showed his talent down the stretch and his understanding of “points racing.” … Carlin has always had a knack of coming up big at crunch time. He leads all hobby stockers in feature and second-half points earned over the past three years — that is no accident, or coincidence … Carlin was the first hobby stock hotshoe to reach 700 track points since 2005.
NOTEWORTHY: Carlin will be trying to tie Eddie Dieker’s all-time series record of four track titles in 2010.
FIRST ROW
JIM POWELL
WHY: One of three Hannibal, Mo., drivers — Carlin and Mike Wiley are other others — on this year’s team … Was a second-row selection in 2008 … Led series in feature (6) and total (11) victories … Won three straight main events in late April and early May … First in Herald-Whig Performance Points … Also first in imporvement points.
NOTEWORTHY: Powell led all hobby stock drivers in money earned ($2,590).
MIKE WILEY
WHY: Wiley enjoyed his finest overall season with a third-place finish in points … Struggled somewhat in last two months of the season, which showed in his seventh-place standing in second-half points … Wiley was a perfect 370-for-370 in feature laps run … Finished in the top 10 in 17 of 18 points fatures.
NOTEWORTHY: Wiley is now 12th all-time in career series points, and has second-most points over the past three years (trailing only Carlin).
SECOND ROW
JAKE POWERS
WHY: Powers finished a strong fourth in his first season in the series … Was one of two drivers to finish in the top in all 18 points features (Carlin was the other) … Powers won back-to-back features in August, accenting his strong stretch run that saw him wind up third in second-half points … Was fourth in Herald-Whig Performance Points.
NOTEWORTHY: Powers was third in feature laps run, which translates into his avoiding the all-important DNFs.
TRAVIS BOOHER
WHY: Booher may have enjoyed his finest overall campaign with a fifth-place finish in points and six total victories … Finished in the top six in second-half, feature, improvement and heat points … Booher’s successful season moved him into the top 10 of career, feature and heat victories since 1999.
NOTEWORTHY: Booher has finished in the top 10 in points seven straight seasons. That ties him with Carlin for the top active streak in this class and is only two off Eddie Dieker’s series record.
STEVIE DIRT HOBBY STOCK DRIVERS OF THE YEAR
2009: Steve Carlin
2008: Aaron Brocksieck
