User blog:Ajaxcupseries/2025 Ajax Cup Series Season Preview

The Fallon Corner - August 2025

Ladies and gentlemen, we sit a little under three weeks out from another ASCA Speedweeks being upon us in what will likely turn out to be one of the most critical seasons in the sport’s history.

While many teams already start to look ahead into the future with the new V6 turbo hybrid engines being introduced for the 2026 campaign - that doesn’t mean an Ajax Cup championship during this season isn’t very much up for grabs.

Will title contending organizations sacrifice 2025 to go all in on developing a dominant package under the new regs, or will the best of the best throw everything they have at this season with one last chance at glory using what they’ve got?

Lets break down some of the most intriguing storylines entering another fresh, new year shall we?

The Drive for Five in 2025?
Last year, Diego Orkedi proved for him that age is just a number - as the 33 year old produced arguably the most consistent title run of his career, wearing down his title rivals with 14 top 10’s and no finishes lower than 18th in 16 total events to claim his record tying fourth Ajax Cup title.

The question is: will the ASCA legend be able to break Ronnie Woods’ all time mark with a FIFTH championship this season?

The Belltown native’s new temperament has led to a stunning development of finesse this late into his career, which might just be the key to him accomplishing the Drive for Five in 2025.

Gone are the days Orkedi finds himself embroiled in controversy on a weekly basis, whether that’s from run ins with other drivers or even firing his entire team. Instead, the 25 time Cup winner seems to be in perfect harmony with now crew chief Sheldon Price as the pairing enter their third year together.

Even at the age of 34, there’s no doubt that if you want to win this year’s Ajax Cup championship, you’ll have to go through the man behind the wheel of the No. 22.

The End of an Era?
Not only does 2025 mark the final year of Ajax Cup cars using EFI V8 engines as they have for the past decade without fail, but also the final year for 2016 Cup Series champion Nick Orkedi competing full time at the top level of the sport.

The 35 year old has played an absolutely pivotal role in Orkedi Bros Racing establishing themselves as the dynasty they’ve become in the modern era thus far, and while the elder Orkedi’s legacy pales in comparison to that of his younger brother - that doesn’t mean he isn’t a first ballot Hall of Famer in his own right.

2015 Windows 300 winner, Ajax Cup champion, 14 time Cup Series winner overall, the stats speak for themselves. On his day, especially making right turns, Nick Orkedi was borderline unstoppable for the competition.

With the Belltown native’s retirement, it also begs the question: are we finally witnessing the changing of the guard right before our very eyes?

Longtime veterans such as Randle Woods and Norm Lester are now 37 and 38 respectively, reigning champion Diego Orkedi is 34. Michael White Racing’s prized free agent signing Brynn Rennerd just turned 33, and even formerly touted ‘young guns’ now entering their 10th Cup seasons Todd Kidd and Ryan Dixon are 29 and 30 respectively!

Get ready ASCA fans, because by the end of this decade there will be a bunch of brand new faces leading this sport into the 2030’s and beyond.

ASCA Superstar’s Legal Troubles
Outside of the still ongoing dispute between Chris Barrymore and his father’s team, the biggest storyline of the offseason was the FBI opening a formal investigation into breakout star from last year, Laquon Scransen.

If you recall, the 22 year old was arrested back in April 2024 on multiple drugs charges and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon in his hometown of Compton, but posted bail and the case went cold while Scransen continued to win races throughout the rest of the year.

However, over the past month or so the feds clearly received a tip or found some damning evidence on Scransen to open an investigation on him - which is not good for the superstar’s long term future in the sport.

Many within Dexter Andrews Motorsports believe the 5 time Cup Series winner’s days in the sport may be numbered at this stage, as the FBI generally has an over 90% indictment rate when opening a case file on a potential suspect. This is why the team responded by bringing back longtime tenured veteran Derek Lewis in a reserve driver role to potentially replace Scransen if he is arrested once more at any point during the season.

Coming off a fourth place points finish last year, Scransen enters 2025 as a championship favorite so this story will certainly be one to follow throughout the campaign.

Season 11 Breakout Star - Carson Schmidt
Last year, I went with Jared Ayers to fill this void with the expectation that a calmer, more calculated version of the 25 year old would lead to a return to form he showed at the start of the decade.

That aged about as well as you’d expect it to when Toyota proceeded to have their first winless season since joining the ASCA and Ayers finishing outside the top 10 in points for the third straight year.

This time around, I’ll go with a safer, much more educated guess - 22 year old Carson Schmidt.

Finishing the season with a 6th, 3rd, and win in three of the last four races proves that the now TikTok megastar has seemingly finally cracked the Cup Series code and now enters 2025 riding a wave of momentum he’s never had before.

The Dallas native has also begun long term contract extension talks with Orkedi Bros Racing, entering these negotiations with the expectation of being paid like an elite level driver. While Schmidt certainly proved last year he has the potential to fulfill that label, he still has yet to prove that over a full season.

That will all change this year.

And the 2025 Ajax Cup Champion will be……
Coming off his record tying fourth title last year, the obvious favorite to win it again HAS to be Diego Orkedi; right?

In a perfect world, yes.

However, Orkedi has not won a championship in an odd numbered season in over a decade, which means he’s never gone back to back and successfully defended his crown after capturing it the year prior.

Also keep in mind the effort many organizations will be putting into developing the turbo hybrid V6 engines for 2026 - meaning that there’s a chance a bigger team could be caught out not focusing all of their efforts on the new season ahead, and thus may lag behind as a result.

With that in mind, my choice to win this year’s Ajax Cup championship will be…..Shane Park.

Due to the uncertainly surrounding Laquon Scransen’s long term future in the sport, its impossible to predict him to win anything, let alone a title going forward despite him easily having the most potential of the young drivers to do so.

Todd Kidd was also a possibility considering how close he has come each of the past five years, but at this point will he EVER step up and take home the grand prize or is he always destined to be a bridesmaid?

Out of the title contenders from last year, this leaves Shane Park as the best bet, and there’s plenty of evidence to support this prediction as well.

Entering his fifth season at the age of 24, there’s reason to believe the Long Island native hasn’t reached his peak yet with room still to grow - which is a SCARY thought for the competition.

Park has proven he’s the man to beat on road courses these days with both of his Cup wins coming on those, but he can also preform on oval tracks; whether they’re short or long.

If this team can just piece together more than one victory and elevate their performance specifically down the stretch, I see no reason why they CAN’T win it all in 2025.

And the 15th Annual Windows 300 Winner will be….
Last year, it was Todd Kidd’s turn to get off the snide. The year before, Cameron Atwood. The year before that, Greg Healey.

Are you seeing the trend I’m seeing?

The former ‘young guns’ turned superstars are rising up and taking over the sport as many expected them to a half decade ago - and I don’t see this pattern stopping anytime soon.

Thus, despite his ongoing feud with his longtime team CJ Barrymore Racing, give me Chris Barrymore to FINALLY capture his much deserved 300 victory in his 10th start running the sport’s biggest race.

While it may not make much sense on the surface for the 27 year old to have any success driving for a team he obviously wants out of, when you consider the fact that he may be hitting the open market for the first time; Barrymore still very much has something to race for in 2025.

Sure, the Computerville native hasn’t exactly lived up to the lofty expectations set out for him when he became the youngest winner in ASCA history at the time nine years ago. But love him or hate him, there’s no denying his track record at one of his home tracks, Computer Motor Speedway.

Winning the Apple 225 in 2018 and the All Star Race in 2023 at the sport’s most historic circuit proves that on his day, Barrymore certainly has the talent to beat just about anyone.

So why can’t he win the sport’s biggest race this season?

That’s a wrap on another edition of The Fallon Corner previewing the 2025 campaign! With plenty of new faces in new places, the final year of the current regs, and the farewell tour for a Windows 300 winner, it’s safe to say they’ll be PLENTY to look forward come the start of Speedweeks with the 11th Annual Intel Shootout come Tuesday, August 24th!