2015 NSL Preview

The National Sprint League is nearly all set for their inaugural 2015 season. With 35 teams signed up to run the 28-30 race schedule across the Midwest and $350,000 in point money up for grabs it is shaping up to be a good start for the NSL.
 
Looking at the NSL “roster” my top ten power rankings are:  1. #2 Danny Lasoski, 2. #21 Brian Brown, 3. #24 Terry McCarl, 4. #18 Ian Madsen, 5. #82 Dusty Zomer, 6. #17B Bill Balog, 7. #77x Wayne Johnson, 8. #13 Mark Dobmeier, 9. #56 Davey Heskin, 10. #55 Brooke Tatnell.

1. Danny Lasoski - I have to pick Lasoski as the favorite. He has experience, a good team behind him, and a lot of the race tracks the series is going to a lot of drivers on the roster haven’t seen before, such as Denison, Britt, Farmington, and Moberly. The benefit of financial support will be there with Big Game #2 car to compete at the front every night. As long as Danny and Guy Forbrook can work together, they not only are the favorite to win the NSL Series, but the Knoxville KCCS, and are a serious contender for the Knoxville Nationals. Predicted NSL win total: 8

2. Brian Brown – Brownie will be tough competition for the NSL championship and he has everything going for him that his uncle Danny does, but Danny has the edge when it comes to experience. The NSL Series is going to make Brian a better and sharper driver with more laps in a 410 car this coming year. Brown is at the prime age though to make that next step. He won his first World of Outlaws feature at the end of the 2014. Maybe 2015 he breaks through and wins more.
Predicted NSL win total: 5

 3. Terry McCarl – T-Mac has the same amount of experience as Lasoski does. The only question mark here is if his team can survive the grind of 28 nights with the NSL plus another 30 nights at Knoxville and the WoO Midwest swing in June. For a team on a smaller budget it might be difficult, but he certainly has the ability to win a lot of races and compete for the NSL championship.
Predicted NSL win total: 4

4. Ian Madsen – The 2014 KCCS Champion should have a good season in 2015 as well. He doesn’t have the experience on some of the Midwest tracks that Lasoski, Brown, and McCarl has, but he has a good foundation under him with the KCP racing team who will field good cars for him night in and night out to contend
Predicted NSL win total: 3

5. Dusty Zomer – The LaHaise Buffalo Wild Wings 82 car has had its turnover in the driver seat the past few years. But I feel like Zomer is one of the best talents they have put in the car in a while. Zomer knows most of the tracks on the schedule and he should win a couple of races and that is a benefit to the team. If these guys can stick together and the chemistry is there I could see them competing for the championship.

Predicted NSL win total: 2

6. Bill Balog – The 7-time IRA Series champion should be a contender for the NSL championship. He has proven he can win at several different tracks, but this isn’t the IRA. The competition level is going to be higher and it will be a good test for Balog to see where he stacks up with Lasoski, Brown, and McCarl.
Predicted NSL win total: 2

7. Wayne Johnson – Wayne finished the 2014 on an uptick winning the I-80 Speedway Fall Brawl and hopefully he and his team can carry that momentum into 2015. This NSL Series is exactly what Johnson needed to sustain his 410 program in the Midwest closer to home and hopefully he can find a way to win some races and compete for the championship. He has the experience and talent to win some races if he has his equipment under him.
Predicted NSL win total: 2

8. Mark Dobmeier – This is a big unknown as Dobmeier is putting together a new team in 2015. But he has the talent and proven he can win at any track in the Midwest the past decade. If this team puts it all together, they could be a contender in the NSL.
Predicted NSL win total: 1

9. Davey Heskin – Davey is one of the best young talents in the Midwest right now. He raced this winter in Australia and should be sharper than years past in the spring. More laps and more experience on different tracks is exactly what he needs and I think Heskin will be able have some flashes of greatness in 2015. The big question though is if his team is going to be able to make 28 nights with the NSL and 20 nights at Knoxville. It is an ambitious schedule for this team.
Predicted NSL win total: 1

10. Brooke Tatnell – Tatnell has the experience to compete for the NSL championship. The Vermeer 55 team hasn’t been as fast under the hood as they would like to be the past couple of years. It is a solid team, and racing on the shorter tracks will help them. But this is also an ambitious endeavor for this team to race this many nights.
Predicted NSL win total: 1

The hopeful contenders in the NSL Series are Austin McCarl, Lynton Jeffrey, Kaley Gharst, Josh Schneiderman, Ryan Bunton, Scott Winters, and Dylan Peterson. I can see any of these guys possibly winning a feature this year.

I really hope Austin McCarl is able to make a go of the whole NSL Series and the full Knoxville schedule. In my opinion, A-Mac is THE most talented driver in the Midwest under the age of 30. He has paid his dues working as a mechanic on the family cars and proven he can drive when he has had the opportunity. If there is a rich car owner looking to invest in a young talent, this guy is the real deal. If Austin has the equipment, I fully expect him to win a NSL feature, and hopefully get his first win at Knoxville in 2015.

I am blown away that 35 teams have signed up for NSL membership. Some of these shows will have 40-50 cars entered when you include non-members like Justin Henderson, Bronson Maeschen, Don Droud Jr., Clint Garner, Dustin Selvage, RJ Johnson, Billy Alley, and Brad Loyet. All of them will likely show up at some shows and it will be interesting to see how many of these 35 teams can survive and make it to every show. But what a good sell for the NSL to race track promoters. Who else can bring that many cars to their track for an event? Not to mention a good sell to sponsors.

I have said this all before, but I applaud Tod Quiring for putting this new series together and having the vision to work around the schedules of Knoxville, Huset’s, IRA, MOWA, and the WoO. I think this will only benefit the sport and bring it in front of new fans in some places that will bring them to more races in the future. It will also help our local Midwest teams become better and sharper at what they do to help them be competitive with the “professional” teams that travel across the country with the World of Outlaws when they race against each other and give them a home field advantage of sorts.

 

I'm also happy to see that the NSL is going to have all of their shows available on PPV through Speed Shift (and The Cushion at Knoxville). I watched their coverage this past weekend of the Battle at the Barn and it was great.

2015 is going to be an exciting season for sure.