Here are the five finalists for HARF DOY that attendees of Saturdays HARF Monte Carlo night at the Speedway motel can vote for.(Dont shoot the messenger)

Jerry Coons Jr
2008 USAC Sprint and Silver Crown champ
10 wins
3 USAC Sprint 1 USAC Midget & 1 USAC Silver Crown

Tony Schumacher
2008 NHRA Top Fuel champ
He has win 15 of 22 races with one left on the schedule

Billy Puterbaugh
2008 Lincoln Park and I-69 champ
7 wins
6 Lincoln Park
1 I-69

Danny Smith
23 wins
5 Midwest All Stars
11 Skyline speedway
4 K-C raceway

Brad Sweet
2008 USAC Midgets 3rd USAC Sprints 8th
4 USAC Midgets(Belleville & both Knoxville nights)
1 USAC Sprints(4 crown)

Thanks to Eckerts database for making it so easy to look up stats!

I don't know who picked this group,but where is Dave Darland at ? Oskaloosa,Bob Darland memorial, Terre Haute and Eldora champ cars, just to name a few.

:confused:I'm still looking for H-BURG SLIMS name

Hey messenger:shout:shout

You have not seen nothing yet.

Agreed, it's beyond ridiculous that Darland and Schuerenberg are not on this list. Darland had a career year, with his mid-August run where he won everything in sight standing out in my mind. And Schuerenberg was unbeatable in certain stretches, especially at Kokomo.

And as much as I like and respect Danny Smith, he no longer has a place on this list as he's now based out of Chilicothe, OH. I'd bet there are very few folks who enjoy seeing an NHRA competitor thrown in this bunch, and Brad Sweet's season was good but not great.

Not trying to be negative, I just feel like there are other Indiana guys out there whose 2008 campaigns merit consideration for this prestigious honor.

Not to say that I am voting for Schumacher because I'm not but remember its not Hoosier Open Wheel racing fan club. Schumacher has had a more dominating year than ANY sprint car driver in the country and I believe he deserves his nomination. Plus his shop is here in Indiana. Also if you think that Daland and Schuerenberg deserved to be nominated(they were but didnt make it past the elimination voting) then Stanbrough does too, he won more races than either one I believe but his were all at the beginning of the season with the Foxes. That being said maybe we need the IOW awards, I would certianly contribute to a fund to provide placques for the winners. JMO

This is the first year that there isn't going to be a clearcut winner in some time, but I find it to be an egregious error that Dave Darland, Hunter Scheurenberg, and Jon Stanrough have been left off of the ballot...Is there a box for write in votes?

But, let me applaud HARF for the inclusion of Tony Schumacher. His dominance of the NHRA Top Fuel division this season has been remarkable, and since the team is based in Indianapolis, it makes complete sense. If win percentage dictates the HARF DoY (as it essentially has the past two years) he should be a hands down winner. Alas, I don't think the voting members en masse are open minded enough to allow a "straightliner" to actually win said "title". Sad, but most likely true.

Just my opinion.

DM

I hear you, and you make good points. I just would rather see an open-wheeler on there in place of a drag guy. But, I know this is certainly not unprecedented, as HARF has always included guys from other genres for consideration.

As far as Stanbrough goes, without looking at Open Wheel Times, I think he won 12 or 13, with all but a mid-season Baldwin Bloomington win and the Kokomo Klash victory coming very early on.

My final five would be Darland, Schuerenberg, Puterbaugh, Coons and, I suppose, Stanbrough. Darland is still the clear winner in my mind, based on quality of wins as much as quantity.

Derek, our private discussion aside, I appreciate you making my point when I said the following: Alas, I don't think the voting members en masse are open minded enough to allow a "straightliner" to actually win said "title".

I understand the bias, as it's a membership that includes primarily open wheel short track enthusiasts. My only real question is, if Tony Schumacher simply cannot win this award because of said prejudice, what is the point of nominating him at all? <rhetorical>

Again...Just.My.Opinion.

DM

Let's be honest, Dean....HARF is deeply-rooted in short-track Indiana racing, which is headlined by the sprint cars. As great a year as Tony Schumacher has had, HARF is not in that element. I cannot help but think that the award would mean infinitely more to a true Indiana racer than to Schumacher, who has raced exactly how many times in Indiana this year? I guess he must have a chance to win it if he has made it onto the final ballot, but I would have liked to see a ballot full of USAC/sprint car racers who have put up big numbers this year. I think it has less to do with the members being closed-minded and more to do with the fact that this is generally one award that goes to "one of our guys," where a guy like Schumacher has plenty of other accolades coming his way and could not truly understand the meaning behind such an honor as the HARF DoY.

That being said, I would have expected it to be a tough decision anyway between Darland, Coons, Schuerenberg, Stanbrough, Sweet (more USAC wins this year than anybody), or even Levi Jones....they have split up the accomplishments so much this year that it's hard to pick a winner!!