By Jacob Hord, @HordRaceWatcher
Another dirt racing season has come to an end in the Buckeye State. For the second year in a row, it was Cap Henry and Jeff Ward Motorsports who topped the 410 class in Ohio. The team amassed eight wins, 30 top fives and 32 top ten finishes in 47 starts in Ohio. To go along with that, the team picked up the Attica track championship and AFCS Championship. Although he didn’t top his 11 wins in 2023, he made up for it with more top fives than any driver in Ohio has posted since 2017, and second most top tens since 2017. The only driver to post more top ten finishes than Cap in a single season since 2017 was Cale Thomas, coincidentally this season.
The Top Ten: OhioDirtTrackStats.com ranks drivers based on their results in the state of Ohio, now that the season is completed, here are the top ten, along with how I think their season went. All stats are from Ohio races unless noted otherwise:
- Cap Henry- Most of his accolades for the season are in the first paragraph. But, it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for Henry this season. He missed two of the first three features at Attica, but did have a win between the missed features. The team seemed a little off for the first part of the season, but things turned around during Speedweek. Henry won two Speedweek shows (Attica and Millstream) en route to his first Speedweek title.Henry had two stretches in his season where he was on an absolute tear: From May 31 to July 6, Henry had 13 top fives in 15 races. From July 26, to October 12, excluding the Knoxville Nationals, Henry finished outside of the top five twice in 15 races; a sixth place at Fremont and a 21st due to a mechanical failure during the Pete Jacobs Memorial. Those are the kinds of results a driver needs to claw their way back into championships and win championships, like Henry was able to do. Henry could’ve had more wins, too. He finished second an astounding nine times this year. 23 podiums in 47 Ohio starts is an incredible season.
- Cale Thomas- From his first weekend with Jay Kiser Racing in July of 2023, I knew that Thomas and JKR had what it took to compete with Cap Henry and Jeff Ward Motorsports night in and night out in 2024, and that’s precisely what they did. Eight wins between Attica, Fremont, Waynesfield, and Wayne County to go with 23 top fives and 34 top tens, which is the most any driver has recorded in a single season since 2017 when ODTS started. He also finished with two top tens, and a P11 against the World of Outlaws. It was an absolute pleasure watching Thomas and JKR battle for wins with Cap, because it made for some really good racing. A couple bad nights at the end of the Attica and Fremont seasons kept Thomas from a track championship, and the AFCS championship, but for a good chunk of the season, Thomas was a legitimate contender for the Ohio Triple Crown. I know there will be a lot of “what ifs” for Thomas about this 2024 season, but he and his team accomplished a lot, and he was able to take it to our locals like the Macedo brothers and Buddy Kofoid did during their Ohio stints. Thomas and JKR have parted ways, but I hope this season showed big teams what Thomas is capable of.
- Kalib Henry- Kalib might be the biggest surprise of this top ten list. Our most recent Californian transplant felt right at home here in Northwest Ohio by seasons end in the Muth Running Boxer 101 machine. Six wins, 19 top fives and 26 top tens for Henry and crew chief Kevin Osmolski in Henry’s first full season in the 101, and first full season in Ohio, to go with the Fremont track Championship. Henry also notched a top five with the World of Outlaws at the May race at Attica. What’s more impressive is that Henry missed some races in Ohio to go High Limit Racing in California in August. Of his 11 Ohio race starts after Kings Royal Weekend, Henry didn’t finish off the podium but one time, and that was a fifth place finish at Attica’s season championship night. This pairing has a lot going for them. If they stick around Attica and Fremont in 2025, they could be Triple Crown contenders.
- Zeth Sabo- Sabo quietly put together a really solid season in the Rich Farmer Racing #29 machine this year. He picked off two wins, one at Fremont and one at Attica, and added 16 top fives and 23 top ten finishes in 40 starts. A 40% top five average is nothing to hang your head about. He also made all three World of Outlaw features between Attica and Fremont. He made a solid improvement statistically in 2024 from his 2023 season. I think with a little more consistency in the top five and top ten categories, Sabo will find himself in the thick of championship battles, like he was in the beginning of this season. Sabo’s name is one we’ll be hearing a lot as the years go on.
- Cole Duncan- Per usual, Cole Duncan had another Cole Duncan-esque season. Seven wins in Ohio, ten total on the season, to go with 13 top five and 21 top ten finishes. Honestly, if Atomic Speedway didn’t have a weather curse, those totals could have been higher. He ended the Ohio season by winning four of his last five races, and claimed another Atomic track championship. He’s also inching closer to that elusive World of Outlaws win. He finished fourth against the Outlaws twice at Atomic, and had a tenth place run during the #LetsRaceTwo weekend. It’s common knowledge that Duncan can run just about anywhere with any series and be competitive. It was no different this year.
- Trey Jacobs- Looking at his stats, Trey Jacobs had a really solid season. Two wins (Fremont and Wayne County), 12 top fives and 27 top tens in 42 starts in Ohio is pretty darn good. For most of his “local” races, he was in the hunt, or charging his way through the field and ran out of time. But, some mistakes and mechanical woes also cost him some better finishes. Trey ended his season on an 11 race top ten streak, and scored a top ten against the Outlaws at Fremont. His Fremont win was also the first of his career there. If Trey can minimize the bad nights, he can easily be a driver that flirts with ten wins. He’s going to have a change of scenery in 2025 though, as he and the McClure team have split, with rumors of the McClure’s shutting down their operation.
- Zane DeVault- the new pilot of the Lane Racing 4 car raced here, there, and everywhere, all the time in 2024 as they chased the FAST Series Championship. They found themselves in victory lane three times in Ohio in 410 action (Fremont Double Down Sweep, and Waynesfield) to go with 13 top tens and 22 top fives. The team’s mantra for 2024 was to “ride the wave” and that’s kind of what they did. They had a lot of ups and downs through the season. But when they were on, they were on. They missed out on a shot at the FAST championship due to a mechanical failure, but they still had a really good season. It’s obvious that they like Millstream (big track or little) and Waynesfield, because they were at or near the top of the class there whether it was with the 410 or 360. If the team can ride the highs of the wave a little longer, and minimize the lows of the wave for 2025, they’ll be a top team in Ohio.
- DJ Foos- A welcomed return to the top ten for DJ in 2024 after his burn injury in 2023 sidelined him much of the season. DJ has the unfortunate title of being the highest ranked driver without a win in 2024. DJ and the Burmeister 16 team were able to snag 11 top fives and 16 top ten finishes in 36 starts in 2024, though. It was a pretty slow start for Foos in the first half of the season, only scoring four top ten finishes through Speedweek. But from late June/early July through early September, Foos really hit on something, getting eight top five finishes in eleven races. It resembled the DJ Foos that we saw a few years ago. 410 racing in Ohio is better when guys like DJ are running up front, and I hope that he’s up front a lot more in 2025.
- Jordan Ryan- It was a very hit or miss season for Ryan and the MAR Motorsports team. They picked up two wins, both at Wayne County, including the Speedweek win. Nine top fives and 14 top tens accompanied the two Wayne County wins in 31 starts. The team had Wayne County figured out, getting eight of their top five finishes in Orrville. Another P2 at Attica in May proves that the team is knocking on the door of a win there. If the team can avoid those “off” nights, they could be up front on a more consistent basis.
- Greg Wilson- Another driver that was hit or miss this season, and there doesn’t seem to be any notable streaks. He had four podium finishes at Attica, which came at the Spring Nationals, Eric Phillips Anniversary Classic, Speedweek, and the Attica Ambush. These aren’t Outlaw shows, but these were shows that had good, quality cars, and Wilson was running up front with the best of them. But then there’d be nights where he just looked off. He picked up an IRA win at Wilmot that was in a stretch of four podiums in five races through PA, WI, and OH. He also had a respectable Speedweek. Give me all the races where Wilson is running up front, though.
Notable Drivers:
- Ricky Peterson- Peterson finished 17th in the ODTS standings with two wins, six top fives, and twelve top tens. His two wins came at Wayne County, and they were both perfect nights for Peterson. He was a driver that ran here, there, and everywhere. He spent most of his time in his own #2 machine, but also raced in the Beaver #12 and Chiapelli #98, which he will be racing full time in 2025. Peterson ended his Ohio season with four straight top tens, including back-to-back fourth place finishes at Atomic. We may not see a lot of Peterson in northwest Ohio in 2025, but I’m excited to see him take the next step in his career.
- Leyton Wagner- Right behind Peterson was the 18 year old, who picked up the Wayne County Speedway Championship. Wagner picked up one win on the season, a FAST score at Wayne County. Wagner saw his best results of the season at WCS, but by the end of the season had top tens at Attica, Fremont, and Atomic to his credit. His team added Scott Bartson as crew chief part way through the season and it showed. I’d expect this team to take more steps forward.
- TJ Michael- 23rd in ODTS standings, I think Michael and Prosser Racing could’ve been a lot higher if it weren’t for the bad luck they encountered throughout the season. A mechanical failure took away what could’ve been a podium with the Outlaws at Attica in May, and there were a slew of other instances where something would come up that would take them out of contention in the feature, or would set them behind in a heat race or qualifying. This team is staying together for 2025, get the bad luck out of the way, and I think Prosser’s get that elusive first 410 win, and then some.
- Travis Philo- a disappointing season saw Philo finish 24th in ODTS standings after finishing P3 in 2023. It was just an off season for Philo. Only four top fives and ten top tens was not on my radar for 2024 after a strong 2023 season. Time to hit the reset button and forget about 2024 for Philo and Co.
- Chris Andrews- Year two of Chris running his own team, in my opinion, was better than year one. Andrews started his year on fire, literally, not in a good way. Andrews started making changes to his crew, and ended up adding seasoned crew chief AJ Havens in July, and that made a world of difference. Andrews’ best results of the season came in that second half of the season. That team may have the right pieces in place to become a contender again in 2025.
- Kasey Jedrzejek- I had Jedrzejek listed as a driver to watch and 2024, and thankfully, he made me look smart. He had his most success at Attica, where he picked up his first career 410 win with a last corner slider of Cap Henry on season championship night. The youngster also had two other podium finishes up in Attica, to go a long with five GLSS 360 wins aboard the Ed Neumiester 11N. Now that Jedrzejek has the 410 monkey off his back, I’d expect to see him in victory lane more often.
- Bryce Lucius- The 2023 National 410 rookie of the year started off his sophomore season with a bang, parking it on opening night of Attica. Lucius would score another Attica win in June, but that was about all the good Lucius had in Ohio this season. Some injuries sidelined him this season, but judging by his quicktime with the Outlaws at The Ditch, he hasn’t lost any speed. If Lucius can keep the car on all four wheels, he’s darn good.
- Sean Rayhall- Rayhall’s results don’t show the strides his team made through the year. They had sporadic speed, but just couldn’t put a full night together. If Rayhall can retain his crew, which I have no reason to believe he won’t, I think they’ll keep taking steps forward in 2025 to be a nightly top five contender.
- Tanner Tecco- Tecco was a rookie at Wayne County in 2024, and in his limited starts, he impressed me. He had feature runs of +12, +10, and +9. In seven of his twelve races, he went forward, and had an eighth where he neither gained nor lost any spots. I’ll be interested to see his progression the next few seasons.
Race results and stats courtesy of OhioDirtTrackStats.com and SprintCarRatings.com