BROWNSBURG, Ind. — The Tezos All Star Circuit of Champions presented by Mobil 1 will begin the 2022 points championship this weekend at Attica Raceway Park’s annual Core & Main Spring Nationals on Friday and Saturday, April 15-16.
A staple in the All Star history books, the home of “Ohio’s Finest Racing” has hosted the traveling All Stars on 65 occasions throughout its existence, most recently on September 4 for the $10,000-to-win Attica Ambush finale won by Lebanon, Indiana’s Spencer Bayston.
Including the upcoming Spring Nationals, Attica will host the All Stars on four occasions during the new year including the Ohio Sprint Speedweek sendoff, dubbed the Bert and Brigitte Emick Classic, on Friday, June 10.
The two-day Spring Nationals showdown, featuring back-to-back $6,000-to-win main events, will not only open a full April slate for the All Stars, complete with eight events across three weekends of competition, but it will also give open wheel fans their first glimpse of the 2022 All Star roster.
Fourteen teams will battle up and down the All Star trail over the course of the 2022 season including “Sunshine” Tyler Courtney and Clauson Marshall Racing, who are back to defend their 2021 series championship.
A surefire mix of talent and ambition, the 2022 All Star lineup is complete with up and comers, as well as veteran knowledge, creating one of the most competitive rosters in series history.
Tyler Courtney – Clauson Marshall Racing – No. 7BC
Reigning All Star Circuit of Champions champion “Sunshine” Tyler Courtney, aims to defend his All Star dominance.
Tyler Courtney looks to make it two in a row in the championship fight.
The Indianapolis-native, also a former USAC National Midget champion (2019), as well as a former USAC National Sprint Car champion (2018), scored eight point-earning victories during his 2021 All Star championship campaign, tallying up 25 top-five finishes in 48 feature appearances.
“I’m excited for this year,” Courtney said, “as we got a big monkey off our back last year winning our first year out. Now we have more experience, but we’re still always working to improve. We know we had a good year last year, but we want to prove to ourselves we can compete at that level year in and year out. We’ve got the same team and same great sponsor in NOS Energy Drink and we’re ready to get the season started and try to defend our championship from last year.”
Cory Eliason – Rudeen Racing – No. 26
A staple on the All Star Circuit of Champions campaign trail, Eliason and Rudeen Racing have accomplished a lot during their series tenure, everything but a series championship.
The team will work to overturn that statistic in 2022, ultimately bettering their 2021 title chase that concluded second in the overall driver standings padded by a pair of victories and an impressive 16 top-five finishes.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be an All Star again in 2022″ Eliason said. “Kevin Rudeen and all of Rudeen Racing gives us the equipment and the opportunity necessary to be successful. Our goal is to earn a championship in 2022 and that’s what we’ll be working for from day one.”
Zeb Wise – Wise-Priddy Racing – No. 10
Angola, Indiana’s Zeb Wise is ready to do it again, returning to the All Star Circuit of Champions campaign trail for a third consecutive season while aiming to compete for a series championship aboard the Wise-Priddy Racing No. 10.
Wise, the 2020 All Star Rookie of the Year, finished fourth in the 2021 All Star driver championship, earning two victories along the way including the $26,000 Rayce Rudeen Foundation Race victory at Kokomo Speedway.
Wise earned his second victory of the 2021 All Star season at Attica Raceway Park on September 3. Wise’s most notable feat is perhaps earning the title of being the youngest driver to ever win a USAC National Midget Series victory; 15 years, 8 months, and 21 days old.
“I’m really looking forward to getting 2022 started with the All Stars” Wise said. “Last year was my second year on the tour, and obviously the first year for Wise-Priddy. We went from an empty race shop to a full-time race team in about three months. We had our struggles, growing pains, etc., but one thing stayed consistent and that was our speed. Now with a year under our belt, I don’t see any reason why we can’t win more races and compete for a championship. We’ve shown we can compete, now we just have to put it all together. Wayne and Derek have been putting in countless hours in the shop this winter and I couldn’t be more ready to get the year started. There is no doubt in my mind we will win races and be a contender in the championship.”
Justin Peck – Buch Motorsports – No. 13
Coming off a career-season with the All Star Circuit of Champions, Monrovia, Indiana’s Justin Peck and the Buch Motorsports “Misfits” are back for another round, once again throwing their hat into the ring for a shot at the All Star championship.
Justin Peck in victory lane. (Dan Demarco photo)
The Pennsylvania-based motorsports outfit earned four All Star victories during the 2021 campaign, highlighted with a $20,000 Lincoln Speedway Dirt Classic triumph in September.
Ending his 2021 All Star season seventh in the driver standings, Peck’s other victories occurred at Attica Raceway Park, Sharon Speedway, and Muskingum County Speedway.
“Tom, Sean, and Kurt have spent a lot of time trying to fine tune our program for the upcoming season” Peck said. “I feel like we are more prepared for the fight this year and if we can put our best foot forward 99% of the time, we can come out on top.”
Hunter Schuerenberg – Vermeer Motorsports – No. 55
“Hunter Percent” Hunter Schuerenberg is back for more in 2022, back in charge of the Vermeer Motorsports No. 55 for another run at the All Star Circuit of Champions title.
The series sophomore will enter the new year with a win under his belt, finding All Star victory lane for a $6,000 prize at Stateline Speedway.
In all, Schuerenberg accumulated 29 top-ten finishes in 47 feature starts in 2021, ending his first-ever All Star season third in the final driver standings.
“I’m really excited to build off everything we did last year” Schuerenberg said. “It’s nice to know we’re going into year two with the same equipment, sponsors, and personnel.”
Bill Balog – B Squared Motorsports – No. 17B
A two-time winner in 2021, the “North Pole Nightmare” Bill Balog and B Squared Motorsports are ready to hit the road again in 2022, working to outdo last year’s performance that concluded with a fifth-place finish in the All Star driver standings.
Bill Balog in victory lane at Angell Park Speedway. (Julia Johnson photo)
Balog, who earned his All Star triumphs in back-to-back fashion during action at Plymouth Dirt Track and Angell Park Speedway, accumulated 20 top-ten finishes in 47 point-earning feature appearances, 11 of which equaling fifth or better.
Balog is arguably the most decorated competitor in IRA Outlaw Sprint Car Series history, racking up ten titles before hopping on the All Star trail full-time.
“The decision to run with the All Stars for a second year came pretty easy” Balog said. “We’ve had great sponsors over the course of several years, and the All Stars are a great place to advertise for them and also compete at the highest level. This off season has felt like the longest one yet. We are definitely looking to step up our game and have the confidence too with year one under our belt. We’ve updated a few things in the engine and chassis department that have been long overdue. This series is a blast to run with.”
Cap Henry – Lane Racing – No. 4
Cap Henry will enter the 2022 season with not only confidence, but experience, back in charge of the Lane Racing No. 4 for another full-on campaign with the All Star Circuit of Champions.
Henry, a six-time series winner over the course of his career, will enter the new year fresh off a sixth-place performance in the 2021 series driver standings padded by 28 top-ten finishes in 43 A-Main starts, two of which were victories.
Henry found All Star victory lane at Gas City Speedway and Lake Ozark Speedway.
“I’m very excited to compete this year,” Henry said. “I feel as a team we are much more prepared to hit the ground running, and better prepared for the in’s and out’s of it. The All Stars have evolved a lot from my early years and it’s such a tough group of guys. You just have to be ready to go from start to finish, and I feel we are ready.”
Kyle Reinhardt – RQM Enterprises – No. 91
Kyle Reinhardt in victory lane at the Dirt Oval at Route 66 (Mark Funderburk photo)
Once again at the helm of the RQM Enterprises No. 91, Neptune City, New Jersey’s Kyle Reinhardt is ready to take on the All Star Circuit of Champions in 2022, itching to add more marks to the win column.
A challenging year for the 2021 rookie of the year contender, Reinhardt capped the season with nine top-ten finishes, accomplishing a first-ever All Star victory in the process.
A bonus victory at that, Reinhardt’s triumph occurred at the Dirt Oval at Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois, and was accompanied by an $8,000 prize.
“Im very excited to get our second year going” Reinhardt said. “We’ve ran a few races so far in 2022 and I’m feeling good so far. We have some great people behind us and I’m looking forward to getting them to victory lane.”
Parker Price-Miller – Sam McGhee Motorsports – No. 11
Joining efforts with Sam McGhee Motorsports, Parker Price-Miller is set to take on the All Star Circuit of Champions in 2022, aiming to not only contend for victories, but also a series championship.
Seeing limited All Star action in 2021, “The Law Firm” accumulated five top-ten finishes in nine feature starts, three of which tallied within the top-five.
Price-Miller’s most successful All Star outings in 2021 occurred during starts in Lincoln Speedway’s Kramer Klash and Eldora Speedway’s Four Crown Nationals where he finished second on each occasion.
The Hoosier owns one career All Star victory, earned at Orrville, Ohio’s Wayne County Speedway during the 2015 season.
“First off, I want to say I’m thankful that I even have the opportunity to race with the All Stars this year, let alone full-time with a great team like SMM,” Price-Miller said. “Everyone knows what I’ve been going through but it’s been hard. At one point, I didn’t know if I was ever going to race again. Luckily I’ve had great doctors, support, friends, family, etc., and I’ve made great progress. A huge wave of emotions. Excited, nervous, thankful…pretty much anything in the book. My goal is to go win races and put the team in good spots to make them money and myself money. I’m back to 100% and I believe we are a team capable of doing big things. Only time will tell.”
Bradley Howard – Coldren Motorsports – No. 07
Newly hired gun for Mark Coldren’s Coldren Motorsports No. 07, Bradley Howard is set to rejoin the All Star Circuit of Champions in 2022, aiming to transfer recent successes into nightly contention.
Howard, a $3,000 Western Pennsylvania Speedweek feature winner in 2021, doing so at Tri-City Raceway Park, will hunt for his first-ever All Star victory during the new year.
“I’m excited to get this year going,” Howard said, “and I’m thankful for the opportunity to team up with Mark and Julie Coldren. I had an opportunity to do the All Star deal about six years ago with my dad, uncle, and pap, and it was an eye opening experience to see what it took to be successful in this sport. We’ve been building our own team each year since then with the goal to be more prepared and professional each year. Teaming up with Mark & Julie and bringing Todd Berkheimer onboard as the crew chief excites me as a driver. We’re ready to get the new year underway.”
Tim Shaffer – Bryan Grove Racing – No. 28
Tim Shaffer has his eyes on the championship. (Adam Fenwick photo)
A name certainly synonymous with open wheel racing, as well as a name that peppers the All Star Circuit of Champions history books, the “Steel City Outlaw” Tim Shaffer will return to the All Star trail in 2022, aboard the Bryan Grove Racing No. 28.
A decorated competitor, nonetheless, the former Knoxville Nationals winner is also a four-time All Star champion, earning his last title in 2012 over Dale Blaney and David Gravel.
Shaffer is a 67-time winner with the series, ten of which occurring at Fremont Speedway.
“We’re excited,” Shaffer said. “Bryan Grove has given us the opportunity to go out and contend for a championship this year and we’re going to do our best to put it all together.”
Kevin Thomas Jr. – Snow Racing – No. 9K
Two-time Indiana Sprint Week champion and former USAC National Sprint Cars Series competitor, Kevin Thomas Jr., is hitting the road full-time in 2022, but this time with a wing on, as he’s set to join the All Star Circuit of Champions for a full-on campaign aboard Clayton Snow’s Snow Racing No. 9K.
Despite a short resume among the wing sprint car ranks, Thomas’ non-wing accolades compensate, boasting not only the pair of aforementioned Indiana Sprint Week championships, but also three Perris Auto Speedway Oval Nationals victories, three Lawrenceburg Speedway Fall Nationals titles, and four Haubstadt Hustler wins.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be making the move to the All Stars in 2022,” Thomas Jr. said. “We have partnered with Snow Racing for the upcoming season, and I’m thrilled for the opportunity. I have enjoyed getting to know these guys and forming a team with them. Clayton has worked extremely hard to put all of this in motion and I can’t thank him enough for taking a chance on me.”
Scott Bogucki – Snow Racing – No. 28
Scott Bogucki will compete in his first season with the All Stars. (TWC photo)
Powering a second entry for Clayton Snow’s Snow Racing, former multi-time ASCS National Tour winner Scott Bogucki is ready to take the next step of his open wheel career.
A former ASCS National Tour Rookie of the Year recipient, Bogucki, a native of Australia, will now hunt for All Star Circuit of Champions Rookie of the Year honors, battling head-to-head with stablemate, Kevin Thomas Jr.
“I’m very excited for the opportunity to compete with the All Star Circuit of Champions in 2022,” Bogucki said. “Cayton Snow and Snow Racing have given me a great opportunity and I’m looking forward to taking on this new challenge. There will be a large learning curve to overcome, especially when competing at tracks I’ve never seen before, but we’ll do our best to do our homework and be prepared for whatever is thrown at us.”
Chris Windom – Hayward Motorsports – No. 19
Working to become the next former USAC champion to earn an All Star Circuit of Champions crown, “Big Daddy” Chris Windom is now a full-time All Star, hitting the road aboard the NOS-powered Hayward Motorsports No. 19.
Although limited experience with the wing on top, Windom boasts a rock solid USAC resume that includes a Triple Crown Championship – a feat that less than ten competitors have ever achieved.
“I’m really looking forward to our new adventure with Hayward Motorsports” Windom said. “It’s a new challenge for our entire team with most of us only having a non-wing background. I feel as if we have all the right pieces to go out and be successful this year and we are all excited to get the year started. NOS Energy Drink is a huge help coming along as our primary sponsor this year. I also want to thank all of our other partners and sponsors.”
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