2009 History
 
Cline Construction Steel Block Bandits Champion - Kristian Looney from Bridgewater Virginia
 
2009 Winners
 
Natural Bridge Speedway - May 24th - Walker Arthur
Potomac Speedway - May 29th - Kyle Lear
Winchester Speedway - May 30th - Bo Feathers
Elkins Speedway - King of the Steel Blocks - June 6th - Kris Looney
Natural Bridge Speedway - Aug 19th - Jonathon Dehaven
Eastside Speedway - The Chris Loan Memorial - Nov 8th - Greg Robinson
 
 
2009 Steel Block Bandits Hall of Fame
 
Ralph Davis
Chris Loan
 
In 2009 over 100 race teams competed with the Bandits. Drivers from Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and Pennsylvania played a big part in our first season.

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 The Racing World Experienced Many “Firsts” in the 2009 Season.

NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson became the first driver to win four consecutive titles. Josh Richards claimed his first World of Outlaws Late Model title, and in Stephens City, Va., another “first” was brewing.

Yes, Danny Wilson, a local racing enthusiast and former General Manager of the Winchester (Va.) Speedway formed a racing series for limited late model dirt track teams. His goal was to establish an affordable traveling series for local and regional drivers. From his ingenuity the Cline Construction Steel Block Bandits Limited Late Model Series was formed.

The Steel Block Bandits series competed at five tracks throughout three of the Mid-Atlantic States. Ninety-seven drivers, which included 20 Bandit members, battled in six races before Bridgewater, Va.’s, Kristian Looney claimed the series’ first-ever championship.

Joining Looney with his historic achievement was another driver making history himself.

Forest, Va.’s, Walker Arthur would also solidify his place in the record books by claiming the Bandits first feature win at the historic Natural Bridge (Va.) Speedway on May 24. Arthur held off Buchanan, Va.’s, David Watts to claim victory in the series’ inaugural 40-lap event.

The 2008 Virginia Motor Speedway champion would park his Team Green number 87 machine in the Ernie D’s Enterprises victory lane to claim the first-ever Bandits trophy.

Following Watts across the stripe in third was Waynesboro, Va.’s, Greg “Rocket Man” Roberson, who claimed the runner-up position in points for 2009 at Eastside Speedway in Waynesboro, Va.

Charlottesville, Va.’s, Jared Powell, a former Virginia Motor Speedway track champion, finished fourth to be the highest finishing Bandits member. Gerald Davis of Delray, W.Va., who is a former Winchester (Va.) Speedway track champion and USAR Hooters Pro Cup competitor, finished fifth.

Looney would begin his championship season with a seventh-place finish.

Six days later the series invaded the famed Winchester (Va.) Speedway. This time Winchester, Va.’s, Bo Feathers would claim victory. The multi-track champion held off Arthur, the week’s previous winner, to take the checkers at his home track.

Winchester’s Ronnie DeHaven, Jr., a competitor in select Lucas Oil and World of Outlaws series races, took third while Powell again finished fourth. Following Powell in fifth was Bandits member, Jeff Sweeney, of Winchester. Looney would mirror his race at Natural Bridge with another seventh-place effort.

Looney would catapult himself to the top of the point standings when he scored his victory at the scenic Elkins (W.Va.) Speedway on June 6. He would battle 18 competitors and an unfavorable racing surface to claim the checkers.

The victory did not come easily as he battled fellow Bandits member, Billy Beachler of Franklin, W.Va., who was driving the Larry Ramsey owned machine. Beachler would succumb to mechanical failure while battling Looney for the lead. Looney would then keep his car in the low groove as he stormed to his only Bandits victory of the season.

John Tallman took second while Tracey Sampson scored third. Ron Key and Dustin Hamrick finished fourth and fifth, respectively.    

The races at Elkins and Winchester marked the only races won by Bandits members.

The fourth race of the season, which was held at the Potomac Speedway in Maryland, would prove to be one of the most intriguing of the season. It took two separate dates and, in essence, 41 days to complete.

The race began on May 29. Kyle Lear of Severna Park, Md., grabbed the lead on lap three and held it until lap 15 when rain forced the postponement of the event until July 10. This marked the second time that rain plagued a Bandits event. Weather had forced the inaugural event at Natural Bridge to be moved back from its original scheduled date, as well.

The series would return to the track in July to finish the race.  Lear, once again, started where he left off on lap 15. He would hold the top spot garnering the victory despite a hard charge late in the race by Looney. Looney nailed down the runner-up spot and continued his point lead.

Third went to Bruce Kane. Tommy Wagner was fourth and Mike Latham rounded out the top five.

The series returned to Natural Bridge (Va.) Speedway on Sept. 19. This time it became Winchester’s Jonathan DeHaven’s turn to shine. In just his first-ever Bandits start, DeHaven would lead the remaining 26 circuits of the 40-lap event to claim the top prize.

Local favorite, Tim Stalnaker, of Natural Bridge, challenged hard late in the race to finish second.  Gladstone, Va.’s, Ricky Knight, a two-time Natural Bridge late model champion, took third while J.R. Overstreet of Lynchburg, Va. crossed the stripe in fourth. Appomattox, Va.’s, Joey Coleman took fifth-place honors.

Looney, who suffered mechanical problems and finished seventeenth, scored enough points to secure his spot in history as the first-ever Cline Construction Steel Block Bandits champion. Gerald Davis and Winchester’s Kris Eaton, despite mechanical problems, were slowly scoring enough points to place themselves in the limelight for the runner-up point position.

The season finale roared into Waynesboro, Va.’s, Eastside Speedway on Nov. 8. A season-high 42 late model teams made the trek to compete in the Chris Loan Memorial. Loan, who was a member of Looney’s race team, passed away unexpectedly on July 29.

Two previous attempts to race at this track earlier in the season had been thwarted by rain. However, fans that made the third trip back were not disappointed as Waynesboro’s Greg Roberson and Winchester’s J.T. Spence delighted the crowd with a spirited battle.

Spence, the 2009 Winchester Speedway Virginia Nationals Champion, would lead the first 25 circuits. With five laps remaining, Roberson scooted past Spence to take the lead. Despite a valiant effort to retake the top spot, Spence would be denied and would be forced to settle for second.

Freddie Carpenter, a Parkersburg, W.Va. resident and Steel Block Mafia member, took third. Potomac winner, Lear, claimed fourth while Potomac Speedway Super Late Model champion, David Williams of Mechanicsville, Md., took fifth-place prize money.

Looney finished a disappointing thirteenth, but the disappointing moment was fleeting as he was officially crowned the champion.

Ironically, Eaton and Davis, who were battling for second in points, finished eleventh and twelfth.

Davis would secure himself in the runner-up spot while Eaton finished 22 points behind in third.

Bubby Tharp of Stephens City finished fourth in points just 10 markers ahead of Slanesville, W.Va.’s, Brian Buckler in fifth. Six through 10 in points were Powell, Beachler, Roy Clower of Romney, WVa., Tom Chaffins of Martinsburg, W.Va., and Charlottesville, Va.’s, Chris Cromer.

Other notables included Winchester winner, Feathers, who finished eleventh in points. Arthur finished second in the overall points, which included Bandit and non-Bandit members. Also, in the overall points were Roberson in fourteenth, Lear in fifteenth and J. DeHaven in 22nd.

This marked the conclusion of the Cline Construction Steel Block Bandits inaugural 2009 season.

The Cline Construction Steel Block Bandits will be back in action in 2010. Series promoter, Danny Wilson, plans to conduct 16 to 18 races ranging from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. “I want to race at tracks within a five-hour radius of Winchester,” he said.

Also on tap for next season will be the Glory Days Grill Young Bandits competition. This will be a point’s competition open to Bandit drivers 25-years-old and younger. The season winner will receive $500.

Series officials are asking limited late model teams, as well as current Bandit teams, to sign up for 2010. “The great thing about the Bandits is that you can pick any driver out of any heat race,  B-Main or feature event and chances are that driver has won a track championship or at least a feature race somewhere,’’ series announcer Mike Donald said.

Race teams interested in joining the Bandits next season can find information at www.steelblockbandits.com or by calling Wilson at 540-336-4673.

Special Thanks to the Following:

Cline Construction, Ernie D’s Enterprises, Driveway Wizard, ARC, Muddslinger Web Services, Dehaven Well Drilling, Hot Custom Signs, Glory Days Grill, D&D Auto Recycling, SUNOC Racing Fuel, Hoosier, American Racer, Revolution Band, Valley Cycle Center, Cliff Dove Motorsports Photography, East Gate Plaza, The Stop, Gold Gym, Saffelle Enterprises/Drewbuilt Race Cars, Rock Harbor Golf Course, Stewart M. Perry, NBS Auxiliary, Walter Nichols Racing, Bandit Staff, Bandit Race Teams and all our race fans.