ONA, WV-The Legends Car class has exploded in growth heading into the 2021 season. The class is set to have numbers that will rival what was seen back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s. Following a season of such great racing last year with a championship battle that came down to the final lap and such an increase in car count, the show race fans will see from the Legends Cars will likely be worth the price of admission alone this season. Here are the storylines for the Legends Car class heading into the 2021 season.
Gue looks to repeat
Second generation driver Cameron Gue had one of the most impressive rookie seasons ever seen at Ona Speedway last year. The 21 year old driver had never raced before 2020 and by the end of the season came across the final checkered flag as the 2020 track champion against an ultra-competitive field of cars. Gue will look to carry this success into his sophomore season and stay as the only Ona Speedway Legends Car champion in the 2020’s.
Can anyone beat Steve Swann?
Steve Swann was the real deal back in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s in the Legends Cars at Ona and after nearly 20 years out of the drivers seat proved last year that he is still the real deal. Swann was perfect in 2020, winning every single race he competed in. He even won on a night where an early race accident sent him to the tail and he had to pass the entire field in less than 20 laps to win. Swann got his season started late and had to end it early due to surgery, but no doubt heads into 2021 as the driver that everyone is aiming to beat.
Veterans look to rise
Steve Swann wasn’t the only driver from the late 1990’s and early 2000’s to return to racing in 2020. Mike Bias, a top runner in the Legends Cars in that time period and a former motocross racer, returned late last season and showed a lot of speed. Jerry Graley, a Late Model veteran at Ona, returned for the Southern Ohio Speed team and picked up a win during the last race of the season. Thomas Crabtree was strong all season last year with several top 5 finishes. Wylie Jeffrey had a strong 2020 season with several top 5’s and a 3rd place points finish. These veteran drivers will look to use their experience to rise above the competition in 2021.
Strong sophomore class looks for big things
Last season saw an impressive rookie class in the Legends Cars. These drivers were all fast last season and with a year under their belt will look for even bigger things in 2021. The driver leading this group with the aforementioned Cameron Gue is Scott Martin. Martin is a veteran driver of Modifieds on both asphalt and dirt, but 2021 was his first season in a Legends Car. Martin narrowly missed out on a track championship and will look to be a strong contender for the track championship this season. The other drivers in this strong sophomore class include Scott Martin’s son Tyler Martin, 15 year old Will Geer, Chad Woodrum, and Newton Moore.
Incredible rookie class
The rookie class this year in the Legends Cars is off the charts. Some of these racers have experience in other classes while others are pure rookies in their first seasons racing anything at Ona. This strong rookie class will be looking for big things like last years rookie class was able too. Here is a look at the large rookie class:
- Sam Collins: Former dirt Sport Mod driver
- Joe Workman: Ona Speedway U Car competitor and winner
- Jay Dunlap: Brother and crew member of Late Model competitor Rob Dunlap
- Evan Proctor: 5th in 2020 Ona Speedway Crazy Compact points
- Dale Garrett: Brother and crew member of Modified competitor Jason Garrett
- Corey Steinbrecher: Ona Speedway Classic Car competitor and winner
- Aaron Auffant: First season racing
- Aiden Coons: Son and crew member of Late Model competitor Brad Coons
- Adam Jeffrey: Son and crew member of Legends Car competitor Wylie Jeffrey
- Thomas Bailey: 2020 Ona Speedway Crazy Compact Track Champion
- Zach Steele: First season racing
Two class format introduced
Due to the car count growth and number of new competitors, the track announced in January that the Legends Cars would be split into two classes in 2020 with the Legends Car Pro and Legends Car Semi-Pro classes. Track promoter Thomas Mays has worked hard to come up with a way to split the classes that will keep both classes equal and competitive. More information about the way the class will be split will be released soon. The introduction of the two class system will also help to make for a smoother learning process for rookie drivers just getting into racing.
2021 Ona Speedway Registered Legends Cars
- Chad Woodrum
- Joe Workman
- Sam Collins
- Will Geer
- Jay Dunlap
- Mike Bias
- Newton Moore
- Evan Proctor
- Steven Partin
- Dale Garrett
- Corey Steinbrecher
- Jerry Graley
- Aaron Auffant
- Scott Martin
- Tyler Martin
- Steve Swann
- Thomas Crabtree
- Wylie Jeffrey
- Aiden Coons
- Adam Jeffrey
- Thomas Bailey
- Jerry Inbody
- Matthew Martin
- Tyler Scott
- Jason Tolliver
- Zach Steele
- Cameron Gue (Probable)
*This is a list only of drivers who have pre-registered. More cars that are not pre-registered could compete in 2021. A probable entry means we have received verbal confirmation of the entry but the car has not been pre-registered.
