Tune in on Racing America Thursday night to watch our year-end Short Track Awards Show to close out an exciting 2022 season in short track racing.
During the one-hour program, awards will be given for Driver of the Year, Race of the Year, Headline of the Year and Future Star of the Year. There will also be the Legacy Award, for an individual’s contributions to short track racing.
Nominees for the Racing America Driver of the Year in 2022 include:
Jonathan Davenport – “Superman” enjoyed a record-breaking year in 2022, winning more than $2,000,000 over the course of the season. The high mark of the season included a big win at Eldora Speedway in the return of the Eldora Million in June.
Matt Hirschman – Hirschman collected 28 wins in Modified competition during the 2022 season, at tracks up and down the east coast. From New Smyrna Speedway during Speedweeks to the Turkey Derby at New Jersey’s Wall Stadium, Hirschman found victory lane. Highlights included earning an SRX ride with a win in Stafford’s Spring Sizzler and winning on night two of the Racetrack Revival at North Wilkesboro.
Derek Thorn – After two dominating performances in 2020 and 2021, Thorn broke through to capture his elusive Snowball Derby victory at Five Flags Speedway just a couple of weeks ago. While Thorn did not race as much as he has in years past, he was competitive every time he was behind the wheel, including wins in the All Star Showdown 200 at Irwindale and with the Southern Super Series at Five Flags.
Layne Riggs – Riggs narrowly defeated Peyton Sellers in the fight for the 2022 NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series National Championship. Riggs scored 16 wins during the year in his pursuit of the National Championship.
Nominees for Future Star of the Year, Headline of the Year and Race of the Year can be seen below.
The 2022 Racing America Short Track Awards will air at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, December 15, hosted by Alan Dietz and Jess Ballard. Fans will be able to watch on RacingAmerica.TV, Racing America's social media platforms, and the Racing America 24/7 Streaming Channel.
Future Star of the Year Nominees: Paulie Hartwig, III, Katie Hettinger, Gio Ruggiero, William Sawalich
Headline of the Year Nominees: Dale Earnhardt, Jr. makes his Late Model return, National Super Late Model Tours are announced, Racetrack Revival brings racing back to North Wilkesboro, Derek Thorn wins the Snowball Derby
Race of the Year Nominees: ACT Fall Foliage 200 at White Mountain, CARS Late Model Stock Cars at North Wilkesboro, Oxford 250 at Oxford Plains, Slinger Nationals at Slinger.