Auto Lube & Repair of Mooresville will become the sponsor of the Pro Cup series for the 2022 season. Also new to the pro cup series is the field splitting into 2 separate series for the first 7 races. Pro cup Vs. Busch Series will be a fun way to watch DNQ racing. Everyone will be keeping an eye on the competition leading up to the 3 National Championship series races at the end of the year. 2021 season champion Austin Compton has opted to run the Busch Series this season. Who will take his spot? Who has even declared to run in Pro Cup? We have all the news and info for the 2022 outlook.
2021 Champion Austin Compton will join the Busch Series for 2022
2022 Drivers that have declared to run Auto Lube & Repair Pro Cup
Zach Smith
Chris Guin
J.R. Norris
John Kidwell
Hunter Weaver
Jay Czarapata
Adam Wilcox
Zach Stroupe
Johnny Oliverio
Ben Murphy
Brandon Conard
There will be more to come for sure however who that is will be interesting. Most of the competition seems to have joined the Busch series notably Robert Showalter Austin Compton & Brian Shaw. This opens the door for drivers like Zach Smith , Zach Stroupe & Brandon Conard. Drivers can share a kart who will share a ride who will challenge for the top 10 spots in this series to make the National Championship? Who will miss the cut & Win the ARCA title? There are so many story lines that will unfold through the year. There are still many drivers that have yet to decide what series to run namely Ryan Ayers , Chris Lawson.
Top 5 Contenders for the Pro Cup Championship (out of drivers that have declared for Pro Cup)
Jay Czarapata
Czarapata ended the 2021 season 7th in points, The 2nd year competitor has decided to run the Pro Cup Series this season. The split will help Czarapata as he enters into his 3rd year of DNQ racing, 2021 was a trying season, with a best finish of 7th Czarapata had moments of speed but was not able to find it consistently. The 2022 season might be a breath of fresh air for Czarapata who had been taken out a few times this season while running towards the front. He is our #5 out of all the drivers that have declared for the Pro Cup Series.
Jay Czarapata #32 Racing In The Road Course Race He Went On To Finish 12th
Bradon Conard
Brandon Conard ended the 2020 season on fire, wining 2 races at Nationals Conard had mega momentum heading into the 2021 season. That momentum fizzled out after the first few races in the 2021 season. A tech failure early in the season hurt Conards chances at a championship, after that he missed 3 of the last 5 races of the year. With a series best finish of 3rd in 2021 Conard will look forward to winning a few races in the new system. Conard is no slouch when it comes to racing, expect him to win a few races and maybe have a shot at the National Championship.
Conard during practice in 2021
Zach Stroupe
The 2020 Pro Cup champion comes in as the #3 contender for the 2022 title. Stroupe had a rough year in the pro cup series. With a best finish of 4th Stroupe struggled to keep his momentum going from the 2020 season. Mike Rought got into his kart at Nationals and lead a bunch of laps and almost won the pro cup feature. Could this have been what Zach needed? The new dirt on Millbridge has thrown a lot of the drivers and teams a curve ball. It seems that the Stroupes have the answer for the new dirt, that may make Zach Stroupe a heavy favorite for the 2022 Pro Cup Championship. He comes in at #3.
Nick & Zach Stroupe celebrate their 2020 Championships
John Kidwell
One of the most scary prospects in the USACK Series comes in at #2 in the Pro Cup series John Kidwell. Kidwell came out of no where and won 2 Pro Cup races in the summer months of racing. Kidwell who is a USACK stand out found victory lane 7 times this season across 2 series. Kidwell with help from John Kinder has become a dominant force in any series he races in. Kidwell is our #2 for the Pro Cup series but may surpass all of our expectations going into the National Championship races.
John Kidwell pulls into victory lane after winning on Busch Classic Night
Zach Smith
Zach Smith is no stranger to the tech shed in the DNQ Series. A failed tire sample put him out of the contention for the 2021 championship. Since then Smith has become one of the best in the Pro Cup series. Smith finished 2nd twice and had 1 win in 2021. Smith comes from a high pedigree of racing, Smith brings a lot of experience in dirt racing to the Pro Cup series. Smith yarded the field at The Fall Final along with his brother/teammate Austin Compton. The 2 of them can be found testing for hours at Millbridge Speedway. That hard work has shown direct success on track he is our #1.
Zach Smith Celebrates a win at the Fall Final