{"id":16271,"date":"2024-11-18T20:17:38","date_gmt":"2024-11-19T01:17:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ascsracing.com\/?p=16271"},"modified":"2024-11-18T20:17:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-19T01:17:38","slug":"champions-honored-at-2024-american-sprint-car-series-awards-banquet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ascsracing.com\/recap\/champions-honored-at-2024-american-sprint-car-series-awards-banquet\/","title":{"rendered":"Champions Honored at 2024 American Sprint Car Series Awards Banquet"},"content":{"rendered":"

After the 2024 American Sprint Car Series National Tour wrapped up at Creek County Speedway on Saturday night, teams made their way over to the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa on Sunday to celebrate the season.<\/p>\n

The 12 drivers who completed the full 34-race tour were awarded for their achievements throughout the year and paid their share of more than $150,000 in prize money. Six ASCS regional champions were also recognized, and several special awards were handed out to individuals who left an invaluable mark on the Series in 2024.<\/p>\n

Drivers Champion<\/strong>: When Seth Bergman ran the full National Tour for the first time in 2009, he finished 16th in the final standings. Fifteen years later, instead of being one of the first drivers to cross the stage at the banquet, he was the last one on stage as the Series champion for the first time.<\/p>\n

A victory in the season opener at Super Bee Speedway set the tone for the remainder of the year, which included six more trips to Victory Lane to nearly double his previous best of four wins in a season.<\/p>\n

Bergman became the 15th different National Tour champion in the 33-year history of the Series and the first to receive the new ASCS Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy, which was officially presented to him Sunday by Hahn himself.<\/p>\n

\"Seth
ASCS founder Emmett Hahn and Series director Lonnie Wheatley presented Seth Bergman with the ASCS Emmett Hahn Championship Trophy (Emily Schwanke Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Owners Champion<\/strong>: Sam Hafertepe Jr. spent much of the year battling Bergman for his sixth Drivers title before ultimately falling short in the closing weeks of the season. However, he was able to bring Hill\u2019s Racing Team the Owners championship in his seventh year competing under their banner.<\/p>\n

The Owners battle turned out to be the closest points battle of all, with one point separating the No. 15H and TwoC Racing going into the final night of the season. Whoever finished better on Saturday night at Creek County would earn the prize, and Hafertepe got the job done, driving from ninth to the lead to win the race and the title in walk-off fashion.<\/p>\n

The 12th triumph of the year for Hafertepe further extended his lead over the field in the race wins column, and 2024 now sits as his second-best season in that category behind his 15-win 2017 season.<\/p>\n

Rookie of the Year<\/strong>: While he came up short of delivering the Owners championship to Todd Carlile, Davis was still able to earn the National Tour Rookie of the Year Award after an outstanding freshman season.<\/p>\n

Davis didn\u2019t join TwoC Racing until the third race of the season at Rush County Speedway but quickly found his footing to the tune of five-straight top fives to start his tenure.<\/p>\n

After several close encounters with Victory Lane throughout the summer, Davis broke through at Electric City Speedway with the first two wins of his career on back-to-back nights and picked up his third six weeks later at Paducah International Raceway.<\/p>\n

Davis beat out a strong field of rookies on tour in 2024 for the award, which included Andrew Deal, Zach Blurton, Terry Easum, Austyn Gossel and Bradley Fezard.<\/p>\n

Crew Chief of the Year<\/strong>: A severe crash in April may have forced Wayne Johnson to hang up his helmet, but he wasn\u2019t going to let that keep him off the road. He took on the role of crew chief for the first time in his career, and seven months later, he was awarded the Lee Maier Crew Chief of the Year Award.<\/p>\n

After Bergman departed the team two races into the season, Johnson took Davis under his wing and guided the then 20-year-old through his first season traveling with a national Sprint Car series. The pairing became a roaring success, with Johnson and Davis scoring three wins and a fourth-place points finish together.<\/p>\n

In 2025, Johnson will add \u201cWorld of Outlaws crew chief\u201d to his resume when he hits the road with Cole Macedo full-time with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car Series<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Hard Charger Award<\/strong>: No one passed more cars in 2024 than Kyler Johnson, and after moving up 107 positions in Feature competition on the season, the third-year National Tour competitor was presented with the National Tour Hard Charger Award.<\/p>\n

Gary Wright Determination Award<\/strong>: Andrew Deal was primarily considered a local racer prior to the 2024 season, but he decided to take on the full National Tour schedule for the first time this year. Even with limited crew help and a myriad of other challenges, he remained competitive all year long and was rewarded with the Gary Wright Determination Award for his efforts.<\/p>\n

Sportsmanship Award<\/strong>: The V&H Fresh Race Team and driver Bradley Fezard had plenty of growing pains in their first full season with the National Tour, but team owner Vince Rosa remained a positive presence at the No. 938 trailer night in and night out. He was presented with the National Tour Sportsmanship Award for his unwavering dedication and support of the Series.<\/p>\n

Regional Champions<\/strong>: Champions of the seven ASCS regional tours were recognized for their achievements.<\/p>\n