Ranking the Eldora Million Field “March Madness” Style

A field of over 80 cars are expected at Eldora Speedway this week for the Million. Only one driver will walk away with one million dollars when its all said and done. We ranked the entire field below, seeding them as if they were going to be placed in a bracket. Go ahead and roast us about where we went wrong.

1 Seeds

57 – Kyle Larson – Larson is probably the number one overall seed. Although he doesn’t regularly compete, he is one of the best drivers in the country and there is no arguing that.

24 – Rico Abreu – Rico is having a career season. He has been competing for wins on a weekly basis and is always fast at Eldora.

2 – David Gravel – Coming off his $250,000 win at Huset’s, Gravel has all the momentum right now.

19 – Brent Marks – This was a tough one, but Marks is good at Eldora. He took all of the money last year and he will be a threat to do so again.

2 Seeds

1S – Logan Schuchart – Eldora suites Logan well. I almost had him as a 1 seed over Marks.

41 – Carson Macedo – Coming off a World of Outlaws win at Wilmot, Carson will look to carry that momentum into the million.

7BC – Tyler Courtney – King Tyler just won the All Stars race at Sharon. He can never be overlooked at Eldora.

49 – Brad Sweet – King Brad has been a little off this year but I have no doubt he will be on top of this game this week.

3 Seeds

18 – Gio Scelzi – Gio has had some big wins already this year. He steps up on the biggest stages.

83JR – Buddy Kofoid – Engine failure took a potential $250,000 win away from Buddy and Roth Motorsports. This connection will only get stronger as the season goes on.

83 – James McFadden – JMAC has been solid ever since the great tire scandal of 2023. Both of the 83 machines will be ones to watch.

5 – Spencer Bayston – Bayston has been enjoying a good season so far. He was fast at Huset’s and has had some consistent finishes lately.

4 Seeds

39 – Anthony Macri* (withdrawn)- Macri was almost a 3 seed. He dominated PA Speedweek and will carry that momentum over.

21 – Brian Brown – Brown just won at Knoxville on Saturday. He has run well during High Limit competition and would not surprise me if he was running up front at the Million.

17 – Sheldon Haudenschild – It has not been the best start to the season for Sheldon, but you can never count him out of big races.

26 – Zeb Wise – Zeb has the 26 car rolling as of late. He was 2nd at Skagit for the dirt cup and just won with the All Stars at Ransomville.

15 – Donny Schatz – Maybe the best 4 seed of all time. Unfortunately for Donny, his season has not been living up to his standards. You know he will show up when the big money is on the line.

5 Seeds

11 – Cory Eliason – Cory has been good in the no. 11 car this year. That car is top notch and Cory has what it takes to get the job done.

55 – Kerry Madsen – Kerry has been good in his two races with the Vermeer 55. He was on the podium in his first night back in the car.

39 – Hunter Schuerenberg – Hunter has had some unfortunate luck this season that ultimately led to him losing his full time ride. Now, he will be behind the wheel of the Swindell Speedlab 39, a car that is very capable of winning.

71 – Shane Stewart – Shane came out of retirement and immediately won a race in the Indy Race Parts no. 71. This combination has been successful in the past and there is no reason it can’t be again.

6 Seeds

39M – Lance Dewease – Lance will jump in the 39m to replace Anthony Macri. The Hall of Famer has the experience to be competitive. His usual no. 69K withdrew from the event.

13 – Justin Peck – After a scary crash earlier in the year at Bridgeport, Justin has rebounded nicely. He had some good finishes during PA Speedweek and will be in contention at Eldora.

1A – Jacob Allen – Jacob will be one of three Shark Racing entries at Eldora. We have seen him improve every season and we know he can win races.

55 – Daryn Pittman – Pittman might be a little rusty coming out of retirement for this one but he’s behind the wheel of a fast Alex Bowman Racing no. 55.

7 Seeds

21H – Brady Bacon – The non-wing superstar does well when he throws the wing on the car. Brady always seems to qualify for the big races.

9P – Parker Price-Miller – If he is behind the wheel of the 11 or the 9P, it won’t matter, Parker has a good chance to run well at Eldora.

8 – Aaron Reutzel – It has been a quiet year for Reutzel so far but there is no reason he won’t be competitive this week.

25 – Lachlan McHugh – The 25 machine has been fast at times this year.

8 Seeds

9 – Chase Randall – The quickest chicken is having a break out year. He is only down here because he lacks some Eldora experience that other drivers have.

7 – Ian Madsen – Good to see Ian find a ride for this race. We will have to wait and see what this combination can do on the track.

17B – Bill Balog – Balog had a rough go last year with the All Stars but he has had some good finishes this season.

48 – Danny Dietrich – Another POSSE member is coming off the porch for the big money. Danny has had some bad luck this year, but just won at Lincoln over the weekend.

9 Seeds

4 – Chris Windom – Windom is still looking for that first 410 winged sprint car win. He has gathered up some solid finishes in All Star competition recently.

15H – Sam Haftertepe Jr – Sam got a big win earlier this year at Eldora. He could be an underdog this week.

3Z – Brock Zearfoss – It’s been a disappointing year for Zearfoss with the Outlaws. Hopefully he can turn it around at Eldora.

21T – Cole Macedo – Cole will be behind the wheel of his California ride for the million. It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

10 Seeds

24 – Garet Williamson – He has been impressive this year and I am sure we will be seeing much more of him in the future.

42 – Sye Lynch – Lynch looked great at Ransomville last week before he jumped the cushion and went for a wild ride. We have seen him qualify for the big events in the past.

97 – JJ Hickle – Hickle can get the job done on the big stage. He has won a few races this year and qualified for the Knoxville Nationals last season.

9 – Kasey Kahne – Kahne got a win at Huset’s earlier this year. He has looked better to start the 2023 season.

11 Seeds

45 – Tim Shaffer – The Steel City Outlaw finally got a win under his belt earlier this year with the All Stars. It looks like the 45 team is heading in the right direction.

91 – Kyle Reinhardt – Reinhardt jumped off the All Stars tour this year and we have not seen much of him. He has experience at the Big E.

52 – Blake Hahn – Hahn has been quiet this season. We have seen him run up front in the past.

35 – Zach Hampton – Zach is a great Twitter follow. I was happy to see him on the million entry list. The 35 is fast and could be someone to watch.

12 Seeds

101 – Cody Maroske – The Running Boxer Farm no. 101 has had some bright spots this season. He could surprise some people this week.

67 – Justin Whittall – The New Jersey native will make the trip to Eldora. Justin runs well with the POSSE and has shown some speed with the no. 67 machine.

49X – Cale Thomas – Cale has had some bad luck with the 49X this year. That car is fast and he just needs some luck to go his way.

2MD – Conner Morrell – Morrell has had some tough luck with the All Stars this season. He will be piloting the 2MD car, which could turn his luck around.

13 Seeds

17AU – Jamie Veal – A somewhat surprising entry for the million. The Aussie’s always put on a show when they come to town.

20G – Noah Gass – Noah was very impressive during the Huset’s High Bank Nationals. He continues to improve while racing with the Outlaws.

22 – Cole Duncan – The Ohio driver knows his way around Eldora. Can he be one of the drivers to surprise the field?

W20 – Greg Wilson – The veteran is back behind the wheel of his W20 this season. He has had some good finishes to start the season.

14 Seeds

81 – Lee Jacobs – Lee was fast at Sharon with the All Stars over the weekend.

99 – Skylar Gee – Gee has had a few wins in 2023 already The no. 99 has shown plenty of speed.

5T – Travis Philo – Travis is always one to watch when the touring series come to Ohio. It would not be surprising to see him have a strong run at Eldora.

25R – Jordan Ryan – Another Ohio driver looking to cash in at the million.

15 Seeds

6B – Brandon Wimmer – Brandon can get it done. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an upset here.

5 – Dylan Cisney – Dylan hops off the porch every now and then. He has shown moments where he can run up front with the big guns.

11 – TJ Stutts – TJ will hope to join his fellow POSSE members with a strong finish this week.

23 – Zane Devault – Zane is going to be a household name in sprint car racing very soon. He can wheel a sprint car and could have a good showing this week.

16 Seeds

11C – Cory Crabtree – Crabtree is coming off a win over the weekend. Can he keep the momentum going?

4* – Tyler Street – Tyler has a win at Wayne County this season and six top tens to go with it.

20B – Cody Bova – Bova has a victory this year at Wayne County.

55T – McKenna Haase – McKenna does a good amount of traveling. She ran well during the Knoxville Nationals last season.

Play In Tournament

1M – Landon Myers – Myers will be the third Shark Racing entry this week. We know those cars are fast.

15C – Chris Andrews – In 15 races this season, Andrews has collected two top fives.

4 – Danny Smith – Danny has been Mr. consistency this year with nine top tens in 17 races.

11N – Harli White – We don’t get to see much of Harli these days. She can still get the job done behind the wheel.

The Rest of the Field

4X – Bradley Ashford – Bradley occasionally brings the 4X out to race with the Outlaws and All Stars. We have not seen much of him this year (or at all?).

46 – Michael Bauer – Bauer has two top fives in only 13 races this year.

56R – Ryan Myers – Ryan has been a regular in Ohio but we have not seen much of him in recent years.

15 – Mitch Harble – Dirty Air Mitch knows his way around Ohio. He won the C Main a few weeks ago at Eldora with the All Stars.

3 – Denny Peebles – We usually see Denny when the touring series hit up New York.

19 – Paige Polyak – Paige has only run a handful of races this season. She has one top five to show for it.

6X – Frank Rodgers – Frank has some appearances with the High Limit series this year.

23 – Michael Millard – Millard was running with the POSSE earlier in the year. He wrecked a few race cars but will return for the million.

35 – Austin Bishop – The final POSSE member that is leaving the porch. He’s collected one top five in 32 races this year.

19W – Trent Pigdon – We saw Trent at Huset’s in a Bill Rose backup car. He ran decently and could do the same at Eldora.

33 – Brent Matus – Brent has four top tens in 19 races this year.

13 – Brandon Matus – Brandon had a top ten at Lernerville over the weekend.

33 – Henry Edward – A quick Google/Twitter search for Edward could yield me nothing. Who is he? It says he has a Toyota Racing engine. Could he shock the field?