While more than 1000 drivers continue to converge on Lincoln, Nebraska, 300 competitors will already be hard at it on Saturday and Sunday at the Tire Rack ProSolo Finale. Let’s take a quick rundown of all the classes and who we think you should be watching. This is the best of the best. There isn’t a class represented that won’t be stacked with talent and we’re not expected many large margins of victory. That also means there’s a good chance we’re wrong.
JA – 6 drivers
Robert Ekstrand, Mason Herrick, and Tyler Cormier are all undefeated this season with points tied between the three at 40. Herrick is the favorite as reigning JA Solo Nationals Winner.
JB – 2 drivers
Carter Heaton is undefeated this season, but hasn’t faced challenger Alana McKee this season, so while we’re leaning towards the Heaton brothers in both classes, there is still a chance of an upset.
SS – 6 drivers
While there’s a three-way tie at the top of points, no driver is undefeated in Super Street, making this a definite class to watch. Steve Waters, Monty Pack, and Brian Connors are coming in with the lead.
AS – 7 drivers
Seven drivers are plenty to put on a show as five of these drivers have wins this season. The favorites must be Laurence Casey and Mark Daddio, coming in with the points lead, but Matt Jones, Glen Hernandez, and John Laughlin should keep the top of this leaderboard tight.
BS – 14 drivers
Ryan Clark is coming into the Finale with the points lead, and is the only undefeated competitor with 3 wins this season. Brian Johns, Rachel Baker, Jeremy Foley, and Alex Muresan are the most likely challengers.
CS – 14 drivers
The Spec ND Miata class is as strong as could be expected. Point leaders Brian Coulson and Mark Shrivastava each have a pair of wins to their names, but we know that Daniel McCelvey, Maurice Velandia, Chris Harp and Julian Garfield will bring the pressure. All have a win to their names as well this season.
DS – 6 drivers
While there’s a three-way tie between Mark Scroggs, Dennis Sparks, and Steven Berrodin, none of these drivers have faced the other two this season. With three different cars represented, course design could make the difference. Of course, if Lincoln throws a curveball with weather, Sparks will have the unfair advantage with AWD.
ES – 12 drivers
Johnathan Roberts, Paul Brown, and Eric Peterson have each had exceptional seasons. We’ve watched Brown have several impressive drives this season, including at Spring Nationals. With similar conditions predicted, he’s the favorite. Tony Rodriguez and Michael Ron will be right in the mix.
FS – 7 drivers
Jeff Cashmore stands alone at the top of the point standings and has been dominant all season. While Courtney Cormier, Rod McGeorge, and Jason Bucki will be contenders, Cashmore should take the win.
GS – 3 drivers
Doug Rowse will lead the charge from the Focus STs. David Howdyshell should be a contender when they bump.
HS – 8 drivers
This field of low-horsepower cars will be tight. Six of the eight drivers have wins to their name this season. Mike King and Scott McHugh are undefeated with a pair of wins each. Watch for Greg Reno and Russell Blume in the Minis to challenge the Fiesta ST and Accord, as each have wins this season as well.
SSR – 14 drivers
An SSR class without Strano, so we have to be a little creative here. Joking aside, Jason Rhoades and GJ Dixon are the clear favorites, but we’ll be watching Matthew Braun and Grant Reeve to also be fast. Josh Luster will probably have the speed, but expect cones to break his heart.
STF – 3 drivers
David Hedderick will lead the STF charge when they bump. Joe Austin will contend, but hasn’t had the speed to keep up with Hedderick this season.
STS – 14 drivers
David Whitener has been consistent all season, but the Miata can have some course dependencies, so watch for Stephen Yeoh, Shane Jensen, Todd Kunze and Ron Williams to lead the Honda charge.
STX – 19 drivers
In the second-largest class of the weekend, the lone Mini is expected to set the pace with Craig Wilcox behind the wheel. Marcus Pyne and Chris Thorpe will be fast as well. Don’t count out Jonathan Lugod and Kyle Herbst before Sunday morning runs are in the books.
STU – 8 entries
Bryan Heitkotter comes into the Finale with the lead, and knowing his history we have no problems listing him as the favorite. Robert Pendergest, John Hale, Wojtek Hajduczek, and Bill Zerr should have a pretty good battle for the trophies.
STR – 28 drivers
How do you pick a winner for the largest class of the weekend? Well, James Yom, Ricky Crow, and David Marcus each have two wins to their name, but Marcus has come out ahead each time the pair has faced off this year. We’re favoring Yom and Marcus, with our eyes on Crow, Brian Karwan, Ian Stewart, and Jed Peterson.
SSP – 8 drivers
Stan Whitney is the only undefeated driver in this class, but Ryan Johnson and Mitch Fagundes also have a pair of wins and have raced close through the season. Joe Tharpe is our dark horse here, with three 2nd place finishes behind three different drivers. He might be able to break through when it matters most.
ASP – 3 drivers
We’d be fools not to assume that Tom Berry will be strong in bump class. We’re not worried about his chances to make the Challenge and have a strong showing there, unless there are problems with his freshly rebuilt engine.
BSP – 7 drivers
The seven drivers in this class have been racing on two separate coasts with Anthony Porta dominating out west and Gregory Hahn showing his strength in the East. We’re looking forward to watching these two face off for the first time this season. Porta has rebuilt his engine since his last National Solo event, so there’s a big question mark there.
CSP – 8 drivers
While the points show Neal Tovsen and Billy Davis as even foes in the Finale, we have to favor Davis based on past years. Stephen King also has a pair of wins to challenge in the class.
DSP – 8 drivers
With Strano sharing a ride with Vitamvas, that car looks to be untouchable in the season finale. We’ve been watching the development of the RX-8 being driven by Andrew Krystinik and Jeff Hurst all season and expect them to be fairly close. Eric Campbell has taken the win before and will be right there in the mix.
ESP – 5 drivers
Four of these five drivers come into the finale with 40 points, each earning a win this season. These drivers haven’t seen a lot of each other this season, so we’re ready for a showdown. Ryan Finch may have the advantage, but we’re not ready to name a favorite.
SM – 7 drivers
Greg McCance and Tim White are the undefeated favorites, but Erik Strelnieks and Eric Hyman will challenge the Subarus in their pair of GTRs. Aaron Shoe and Daniel Stainback shouldn’t be counted out quite yet.
SSM – 4 drivers
While they’re going to bump, the Randall Wilcox vs. Matthew Glagola show is always good, assuming both cars hold together through Sunday. Jake Namer doesn’t have the strongest record this season, but his history is enough to keep this one far from settled.
SMF – 4 drivers
Another class to bump, Bret Norgaard and Chris Haydu will lead this class with Chris Janusz close behind.
CAM – 6 drivers
Danny Kao swears that his Kaomaro doesn’t have the power to keep up, but we see him and Ryan Otis facing off for the win here.
KM – 7 drivers
Paul Russell is the perennial favorite in this class, but Larry MacLeod and Tom Harrington have had strong seasons. Keep an eye on all three.
R1 – 13 drivers
Because of index, this class could vary based on course design, but regardless, watch out for Jeff and Zak Kiesel at the front. Greg Maloy and Marshall Grice have serious chances to contend, as well as Daniel Stone.
R2 – 15 drivers
Again, index plays a big part here, so our favorites are Fred Zust, Allen Kugler, Brian Peters, Troy Acosta, and Andy McKee. Our second string is filled with Anthony Defiore and Mark Madarash, because you just don’t know until it’s over.
L1 – 15 drivers
Christine Grice, Shelly Monfort, Su Brude, and Tamra Hunt are our favorites in this stacked class, but don’t be surprised if it’s an absolute battle at the top, and by top we mean top 10.
L2 – 11 drivers
There has been some joking that the ladies classes are tougher than open at ProSolos, and L2 will not be an exception. Jordan Towns got a slower start to the season, but will be fast from the start. Codrivers Chris Peterson and Jennifer Bedell will be fighting hard at the top, Julie Heaton, Meredith Brown, and Denise Cashmore will be contending.
L3 – 14 drivers
Kim Whitener is our favorite here, but Laura Campbell, Mina Ingraham, Kate Fisher, and Nicole Wong will be right there. Jennifer Fox, Michelle Knoll, Mindi Cross should be close enough to contend for a Challenge slot.
Photo by Perry Bennett
