The 2024 season is officially underway for Michigan and Template Late Model racers. Kalamazoo Speedway kicked things off on Friday night with Berlin Raceway following suit. Nearly adopted into the Michigan race track family, Saturday also opened the season for Toledo Speedway and their Template Late Model division. So, it's time for the first installment of the Michigan Template Late Model Power Rankings Presented by VanDoorn Racing Development.
First, a lesson on how we're keeping score. Template Late Models will be defined as any car racing in a division specifically titled, Super Late Model, Pro Late Model, Late Model Sportsman, or a variation of the three. Points will be awarded based on finishes and size of the field; a race winner will earn 10 points, while a driver who finishes 10th will earn one point. The exception is for any race where the field is less than 15 cars, then the top five will earn points, 5 for 1st and 1 for 5th-10th. When a Touring sanction such as the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour, ASA STARS National Tour, or Vore's Welding CRA Late Model Sportsman are in town, the race winner will receive 15 points, and will work down to 6 points for 10th. The idea that a Touring division would be more challenging than a standard night of racing.
Berlin Raceway opened the season with a strong 24 car starting field that featured some of the biggest powerhouse names in Template Late Model competition. Evan Shotko inherited the lead after Brian Campbell and Austin Hull spun near the halfway mark and was able to hold off a hard charge from Kyle Crump and Joe Bush. Also on Saturday, Kyle Worley paced the field in the opener at Toledo Speedway to put his blue No.15 in Victory Lane. Friday night, a chilly evening for racing at Kalamazoo saw Jerry Pierman and Billy Shannon duel it out for the win in the 12 car field. Pierman would get the best of Shannon for the opener.
Full Rankings:
Rank | Name | Points | Wins | Top 5s | Top 10s |
1 | Evan Shotko | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
2 | Kyle Crump | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
3 | Joe Busch | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
4 | Chase Burda | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
5 | Blake Rowe | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
6 | Jerry Pierman | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
7 | Chase Pinsonneault | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
8 | Kyle Worley | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
9 | Billy Shannon | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
10 | Andrew Scheid | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
11 | Howard Kelly, Jr | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
12 | Jared Blanchard | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
13 | Chris Shannon | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
14 | Michael Young | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
15 | Kenny Head | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
16 | Levi Jones | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
17 | Jim Froling | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
18 | Chris Garrett | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
19 | Rick Senneker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
20 | Keith Herp | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
21 | Ken Sharp | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
22 | Taylor Sexton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
23 | Mason Metzger | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
24 | Jorden Brinkert | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
25 | Nick Pressler | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
26 | Andy Harding | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
27 | Brice Thomsen | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
28 | Brian Rachuba | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |