Swift Lifestyles Power Rankings - Week 7 (WWT Raceway)

AREA Swift Lifestyles Pro Series
Weekly Power Rankings
Date: 11/29/21
Race 7 – WWT Raceway/Gateway

We are at the halfway point of the inaugural AREA Swift Lifestyles Pro Series, and what better way to celebrate than with our inaugural power rankings/newsletter! Every AREA series has been running strong, but the Swift Lifestyles Pro Series (“SLPS”) has been a hit - great racing, four different race winners in six races, and it’s the highest rated series on AREA in terms of Twitch views. The “ARCA Gang”, as the drivers in the series like to call themselves, have been delivering a great product week in and week out. These power rankings will identify the strongest drivers by way of recent performances week by week as we head towards the playoffs.

SLPS is coming off a holiday week and will start the second half of the regular season at World Wide Technology Raceway, the track formerly known as “Gateway” - a difficult 1.25 mile track with distinct corners and different banking on each half of the track. Tune in at 8:30 p.m. ET with Hunter Sleppy, Jacob Bell and Harold Darner on Twitch to watch the action!

1 - #02, Jordan Herrley
Elwood Designs
Last Week: 4th - Nashville

Jordan Herrley burst onto the scene at Iowa during Race 3 of the SLPS season, qualifying first and finishing second in a plain, unsponsored, white #02 car. Three races later, in a slightly less plain, slightly more sponsored car, Herrley has totaled 3 poles, 2 wins, and has a low finish of 4th at Nashville Superspeedway due to some lapped traffic mismanagement and a shoddy green-flag pit stop. Other than these minor mishaps, Herrley has at times looked unbeatable. The burgeoning rivalry between him and Matthew Robinson for the SLPS Championship picks up every week, and unless there is a definitive change over the second half of the season, Herrley looks like the favorite to take home the inaugural trophy.

2 - #40, Matthew Robinson
JW Racing; Northern Capital/Trak Racer
Last Week: 2nd - Nashville

Matthew Robinson would be the betting favorite to win the SLPS Championship had it not been for Herrley’s entrance into the series during Week 3. Robinson’s stats through a complete, six race half-season to this point - 2 Wins, and 6 Top 5’s - are extremely impressive on their own, but Herrley’s qualifying prowess and long-run speed at this point gives him the slight edge over Robinson in the power rankings. But if you are giving me any SLPS driver on the front row in a green/white/checkered finish, give me Robinson. His restarts are a sight to see.

3 - #83, James Schanewolf
Audible Racing
Last Week: 5th - Nashville

After missing the first race of the season and a disappointing SLPS debut in Week 2 at Homestead, James Shanewolf has posted four straight Top 10 finishes, including podium finishes at Iowa and Dover. He’s one of the fastest cars every week in the series, and he’s a dark horse for the championship halfway through. This week at Gateway should be interesting to watch the #83 - as Schanewolf did win the pole at Dover and there are some similarities between the two tracks. I wouldn’t be surprised if Shanewolf, now inside the Top 12 cutoff for the playoffs, gets his first victory this week.

4 - #19, Rick Christensen
Infinite Gaming
Last Week: 1st - Nashville

Rick Christensen was able to punch his ticket into the SLPS postseason with a win at Nashville, but was there any question he’d end up there even without a win? Christensen has an average start of 5.67, showing that he’s fast enough to compete with anyone when he’s on. An average finish of 8.67 shows that he has the consistency. The win helps prove that he’s a threat to win come playoff time.

5 - #87, Nick Halda
JW Racing, Trak Racer
Last Week: 9th - Nashville

Nick Halda in a controversial finish won the inaugural AREA race at Daytona (make sure you know this for your local bar’s trivia night in the future), but he’s been consistently good all season with the second highest total in points. He has five Top 10’s in six races, and seems to always find himself in good spots to bolster his point totals. Halda hasn’t shown Herrley/Robinson-esque top speed at a non-super speedway yet, but he’s competitive and has a playoff spot locked in.

6 - #1, Trevor Williams
Saloon Door Sports
Last Week: 3rd - Nashville

Towanda, PA native Trevor Williams missed the first week of the SLPS and has had his share of late race struggles early on, but he’s come on as of late - starting in Top 5 and finishing Top 10 in last 2 races, including a 3rd Place finish at Nashville. The upward trend of Williams is something to watch out for, and if you’re looking for new winners in the series, he’s as good of a bet as anyone on this list.

7 – #28, Eli Greene
Swift Lifestyles
Last Week: Missed

After starting the SLPS with four Top 10 finishes, including a 2nd Place at Las Vegas, Eli Greene has dropped to 7th in points after missing the last race at Nashville and a disappointing 22nd Place finish at Dover. Greene places 7th in this power rankings too, and will look to turn his season around in the second half of the season.

8 - #33, Brian Dixon
Last Week: 8th - Nashville

Brian Dixon has been “Mr. Consistent” this year. He’s 4th in total points, and 5th in the points standings, despite never finishing inside the Top 5. Dixon’s race strategy has been clear - he has an average start of 21.67, and an average finish of 9.67. The long-run, late race competitiveness has seen him rack up points. Unless Dixon has a dramatic fall-off in the second-half, he seems very likely to be one of the final twelve drivers come playoff time.

9 - #84, Forrest Smith
OneMind2Design Motorsports
Last Week: 20th - Nashville

Even with a disappointing finish at Nashville, the OneMind2Design Motorsports #84 of Forrest Smith has been consistently fast. Since joining the series, he’s qualified in the Top 10 every race he’s started in, and has four Top 10 finishes.

10 - #22, Sean Corcoran
Sampsin Motorsports; Northern Capital
Last Week: Missed

While Sampsin Motorsports leads the point standings, their individual driver performances have been struggling as of late. The #22 of Sean Corcoran has missed two races this season, including last week at Nashville. However, when Corcoran does run, he finishes well - with 3 Top 10’s in four races. This week’s race will be pivotal for Corcoran to keep his power rankings spot in the Top 10.

On The Bubble:

11 - #69 Gary Lewis, OneMind2Design Motorsports
12 – #3, Kevin Haase, Valvoline
13 – #12, Brandon Hedrick, Fried Pies
14 – #66, Bobby Tinch, Northern Capital
15 – #00, JJ Wang, Infinite Gaming
16 – #92, Dustin Carroll, vADER Motorsports; Audible
17 – #21, Dominic DiLeo, Fazekas Motorsports; Eat Sleep Race
18 – #18, Caleb Steimer, Infinite Gaming; Irontrax
19 – #15, Nolan Neaman, Marketing Data Solutions
20 – #26, Michael Lipe, Miller Racing