Camping World Series East Top 10

It was announced Tuesday that two NASCAR Camping World Series drivers will climb the ladder to the Nationwide Series. Austin Dillon will run a full CWSE schedule in 2009 and will run seven Nationwide Series races. Also, Peyton Sellers will run a limited NNS schedule.

So I got to thinking. What drivers have had the most impact in the CWSE and beyond? Here's my top 10 of the greatest Camping World Series East drivers of all time. The rankings reflect not only the accomplishments in the CWSE division, but also in NASCAR's upper tiers.

1. Andy Santerre (Cherryfield, Maine) - Most CWSE championship (4) and third in all-time wins (21). He also claimed the Nationwide Series rookie of the year award in 1998 and won an NNS race at Pikes Peak in 1999.

2. Ricky Craven (Newburgh, Maine) - Craven took the CWSE by storm. He won the ROY title in 1990 and backed it up with a championship the following year. He moved on to win rookie titles in the Nationwide and Cup Series. He finished second in NNS points twice and later won two Cup races, including a thrilling finish with Kurt Busch at Darlington in 2003. That finish was the closest in history (0.002 second).

3. Martin Truex Jr. (Mayetta, N.J.) - Though he only claimed five CWSE victories, he flourished in the Nationwide Series by winning two championships in his only two full-time seasons. He then won a Sprint Cup race at Dover in 2007.

4. Kelly Moore (Scarborough, Maine) - Ranks first in wins and starts, though championships didn't come to him as easily. He is the 1995 CWSE champion but he finished in the top 5 in points 12 other times. He never moved much beyond the CWSE division.

5. Brad Leighton (Center Harbor, N.H.) - Like Moore, he never ventured beyond the Northeast, but he did amaze 24 wins, second all-time, and two championships in only seven full-time seasons.

6. Mike Stefanik (Coventry, R.I.) - Stefanik mostly made his name on the Modified circuit, but he left his mark on the Camping World Series East. He remains the only driver to win two NASCAR championships in the same season, and he did it twice (1997-98). He ranks 9th in CWSE with 12 wins to go along with his seven Modified championships and 68 Modified wins, most since 1985. He also won the Craftsman Truck Series rookie honors in 1999 after finishing second at Homestead.

7. Jamie Aube (North Ferrisburg, Vt.) - He was the first driver to win three-straight CWSE championships (1988-90). He finished his career with nine wins, but never made it far past the regional tour.

8. Mike Olsen (North Haverhill, N.H.) - Success never came quickly for Olsen, but his persistence eventually paid off. It took Olsen nearly a decade to win a race, but he did win two championships (2001, 2006) and ranks in the top five in starts.

9. Mike McLaughlin (Waterloo, N.Y.) - Like Stefanik, McLaughlin really made his name on the Modified tour, but he did run quite a few Busch North/CWSE races. He won seven times on the circuit and finished fourth in points twice in only two full seasons. He went on to win six Nationwide Series races and he finished as high as third in NNS points twice (1995, 1998). He was also named the Most Popular Driver in the Nationwide Series in 1997.

10. Joey Logano (Middletown, Conn.) - Though Logano only raced for one season in the CWSE, he certainly left his mark. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver won five of his 13 races enroute to top rookie honors and the championship. He also won his first race in the West series while battling teammate Marc Davis. The Toyota All-Star Showdown was also no match for Logano as he won the prestigous race in his only start. He's gone on to win a Nationwide Series race at Kentucky in only his third start and now readies for the Cup Series for his rookie campaign in 2009.

Other notables: Joe Bessey, Dale Shaw, Steve Park, Matt Kobyluck, Dick McCabe, Dave Dion, Joey Kourafas, Bobby Dragon, Ted Christopher and Sean Caisse.