1) Roger Maynor
#28 Barrasso & Son Supply Ford

In 2007, Maynor grabbed his sixth Figure 8 championship, which ties him with Joe Biondolillo Jr. for the Figure 8 record. Maynor took down eight victories, his most since he won nine in 2004, the year of his last championship. Maynor’s chief rival, George Sprague, retired from Figure 8 Racing this past season and Maynor seemed virtually unchallenged on many nights. One of Riverhead’s living legends, Maynor will return once again to the Figure 8’s in 2008, hoping to earn a record-breaking seventh championship, extend his wins record, and race a few late model shows at Riverhead and Mountain.

12 races, 8 wins, 11 top 5s, 11 top 10s

2) Mike Mujsce Sr.
#13 Mike's Auto Service Ford

Love him or hate him, Mujsce has spent years being a fan’s showman in the Figure 8 division, sometimes making moves at the X that were daring enough to draw a gasp from even seasoned spectators. In 2007, Mujsce had a career-best finish in points, spending plenty of time running up front, and remaining mathematically in the chase for the championship until the final flag of the season. Ironically, that checkered flag marked Mujsce’s only win of the season. In spite of winning only one race, Mujsce had 12 top 10s in 12 races, including a 6-race streak of top 5s. Mujsce is hoping for the same consistency in 2008, as he will be back running full-time while also fielding a second car with Arne Pedersen behind the wheel.

12 races, 1 win, 8 top 5s, 12 top 10s

3) Tom Graff
#00 DeMartino Ent. Chevrolet

By any standards, Graff had an outstanding sophomore season. He started the season with a brand new car, the former George Sprague car. Graff attributes much of his 2007 success to his team, including Al Costa Jr. According to Graff, the high point of his season was finishing second to Roger Maynor in the June 16 double-point race. Graff and Maynor battled during the race, with Graff even taking the lead back from Maynor when the duo had to go wide to avoid a car in the X. In Graff’s eyes, finishing second to a veteran such as Maynor while in his second season was comparable to a win. Graff catapulted to a third-place points finish by recording top 5 finishes in 3 out of the last 4 races. Look for Graff to be back in 2008, looking for his first feature win.

12 races, 0 win, 6 top 5s, 11 top 10s

4) Jim Donaldson
#47 Loebs & Gordon Ford

Donaldson is well known for his showmanship in virtually all the events he enters at the track and it has led to quite the fan following for the personable driver who did double-duty in the Figure 8 and Charger divisions. In 2007, he certainly made it known to those in the Figure 8 division that he was just as capable of running strongly and consistently as he was of putting on a show. In fact, Donaldson finished in the top 10 in all 12 features of the season. With a satisfying season behind him, Donaldson is looking forward to 2008, as he expects to return full-time in both divisions, “adding to car counts and to the show.”

12 races, 0 wins, 6 top 5s, 12 top 10s

5) Tom Kraft
#8 Four Seasons Chevrolet

Kraft began the 2007 with much uncertainty. He lost the ride in the championship-winning No. 8 and decided to begin the year with the low-budget No. 16 of Bill Farrell. The team wasn’t noted for its high-performance runs, but Kraft hoped with his talent and his crew chief Rick Swanson’s skill, they could get the car contending for wins. While he and the No. 16 earned a third-place finish on opening night, they would consistently fail to crack the top five. Mid-season his ride in the No. 8 had returned, and after brushing the rust off for a few race, Kraft earned a win, four top 5s, and powered his way into fifth in the point standings.

12 races, 1 win, 5 top 5s, 10 top 10s

6) Carl Baxter
#74 Blast-it Sandblasting Pontiac

Carl “The Ax” Baxter had a career 2007 year. He earned his first feature win since 2000, and had a career best 7 top 5s and 11 top 10s. However, that was not enough, as Baxter failed to crack the top five in points. Carl feels his car had been real good to him during the single-point races, but he had bad luck with the double pointers, which hurt him points-wise. He believes that if he had done better in the double-pointers, he would have finished top three in points. Carl returns for 2008 and this year he’ll be sporting purple and yellow once again, but with a 1940 Pontiac coupe.

12 races, 1 win, 7 top 5s, 11 top 10's

7) Paul Specht
#63 Specht Racing Chevrolet

Specht felt that his season didn’t start off well, but in the end it turned out to be a good year. Specht seemed poised to break out and earn his first career feature, but kept falling short in the end. Specht earned 5 top 5s, his best record in seven years. Towards the end of the season, the family-owned and primarily self-sponsored team began to run short on funds. Specht was forced to ask for hand-me-down tires to compete on for the final three weeks of competition. His performance began to falter and he fell to a seventh place point finish. For 2008, Specht’s looking forward to being more competitive and more sponsorship help. He will have continued help from Mike Mujsce and hopes to see some trophies come his way this upcoming season.

12 races, 0 wins, 5 top 5s, 11 top 10s

8) Kenny Hyde Sr.
#58 Maples Bar & Grill Dodge

For a while it looked as though 2007 might be the season that Hyde outran the monkey that seemed to have been on his back. The driver, accustomed to winning several races each year, has recorded only 1 win in the last 3 years. According to Hyde himself, the first three-quarters of the season looked promising. In one night, however, both of his cars were heavily damaged, and that spelled doom for Hyde. He only ran 11 of the division’s 12 features, as he was suspended from the final event, but recorded 10 top 10s and 6 top 5s in those 11 races. Hyde is hoping that a return to his familiar purple color and “Flintstone” theme in 2008 will produce positive results.

11 races, 0 wins, 6 top 5s, 10 top 10s

9) Tom Ferrara
#0x DeMartino Ent. Chevrolet

According to Ferrara, 2007 was his best season and his worst season all rolled into one. The driver finished lower in points than he has in previous years, but the “Altar Boy” recorded his first win in 12 years of trying. Without a doubt, the win was the highlight of Ferrara’s season. It was quite the accomplishment, since only 5 different drivers in the division won races in 2007. Ferrara had 10 top 10 finishes in 12 races, but only 3 of those finishes were in the top 5. Ferrara hopes for more consistency in 2008, and, of course, he wouldn’t mind getting another win or two under his belt.

12 races, 1 win, 3 top 5s, 10 top 10s

10) John Delavergne
#69x Delavergne Racing Chevrolet

The former Blunderbust competitor decided to tighten up his belts and try to conquer the X this past year. Delavergne jumped into the division not knowing much, and spent the majority of the year making rookie mistakes. Delavergne acknowledged he learned a lot about setup, and just needed some seat time. Out of twelve races, Delavergne attempted nine and earned four top 10s. While Delavergne is hopeful he will contend for a win this season, he does acknowledge the fact he needs more seat time and wants to do better than last year.

9 races, 0 wins, 0 top 5, 4 top 10s

~The End~