With the 2017 Rod Bowen Prestige Smash Repairs Australian Sprintcar Championship at the Valvoline Raceway in Sydney only weeks away it is time to look at some of the leading contenders from across the country. With the official nomination list standing at 100 entries it will be almost impossible to include them all but Sprintcarworld will attempt to give a guide on the drivers to watch in the 55th edition of Australia’s most prestigious Sprintcar race.

The opening preview release will include the drivers from Victoria and Tasmania:

VICTORIA:

When you take a look at the Victorian drivers in the entry list the leading drivers that come to mind are Jamie Veal and two times Australian Champion Dave Murcott.

With Veal’s record at Valvoline Raceway over the past couple of seasons he will most definitely be one of the pre-race favourites with 3 wins this season but his results over the last month haven’t been quite as good as what you would expect from such a talented race car driver and team. His last win was at home track in Warrnambool in December at the Max Race but he has still found the podium on three occasions since his last win. The current USC and Classic Champion has been third in the Australian Championship for the last two years and he has the potential to go a couple of places better in 2017.

After a late start to the 2016/17 season David Murcott already has two A-Main victories this season but one of those came for car owner Matt Eastham and not in his regular #Q83. At the recent Origin of Speed Murcott was victorious in the A scramble and he was 9th in night 2 of “The Darley”. His record in this race proves he can get it done with Two Championships, a runner-up and a third.

Grant Anderson will be a “Dark Horse” due to the number of laps he has done in recent years in Sydney while Michael Cunningham and Matthew Reed, who is the current Australia #2 in 360ci Sprintcars complete the Victorian entry.

If you really want to get technical a man by the name of Max Dumesny is also a Victorian despite residing in Sydney for many years. Max would love to claim another National Championship to go with his three previous championships but it will be a tough assignment for the veteran.

TASMANIA:

With only four nominations from the “Apple Isle” the Tasmanian hopes will lie with newly crowned Scott Darley Champion Shaun Dobson. His recent win has really catapulted him into tile calculations but many may forget that in 2012 at Speedway City he led the Australian Championship and it was only a slight mistake that allowed Brooke Tatnell to make the pass and go on to win. Dobson would still hold onto second in the #T77. He has a great Crew Chief this year and he a lot of laps at VR this season.

Tim Hutchins will have his sights set on making the A-Main and he has been impressive during his recent stint on the mainland. Youngster Callum Zizek and former WSS racer Mark House will also make their presence felt at the 2017 Title.