They’re always there, waiting in the background on their turn to strike, their turn to take advantage of even the smallest of mistake and put themselves on the podium. Some are house hold names that may not have had the best year, while others are struggling to work their way into the lime light. No matter how you spin it, though, they are always lurking in the shadows. There is no doubt that at least a handful of sleepers will find themselves on the podium once Sunday’s trophies are awarded and it’s our job to try and pin point just who those sleepers might be.

Seeing as there are literally dozens of riders skulking the pits that are capable of playing spoiler we’ve decided to break this one up into two segments. Part 1 will include all Amateur classes (big bikes) while Part 2 will cover all Youth classes (mini bikes).

Believe it or not, but there’s a lot more to the pro class than just Dean Wilson. Given, Wilson has had an unbelievable run and he deserves every bit of the credit he’s been given, but don’t count out the rest of the field just yet. While all of the following may not have legitimate title shots, each and every one of them has the potential of putting on podium runs.

Until Thursday we would have said that Tevin Tapia didn’t have a chance at a podium, much less a title. His finishes of 10th and 16th in both 450 classes gave him little hope of putting in a top five overall at Whitney. But the mud specialist from the Pacific Northwest showed his worth on Thursday with a second in the first 250 A division. A race that not only gave Tapia a shot at a title, but did so to another sleeper by the name of Kyle Engle as well. Engle has put in lackluster results thus far at Whitney but it appears as if his time spent training in the Southeast has paid off, well, at least in the mud it has. Engle took his first national win of his pro class career and kept his title dreams alive in the 250 A class on Thursday.

Another sleeper, and one which may have the most shots at pulling off a podium, is Yamaha’s newest addition Drew Yenerich. Yenerich has been working with Coach Seiji over the winter and it's showing. A fourth in 250 A/Prosport and a third in 250 A don’t only give the Illinois native a shot at a podium, but if things go his way, he could actually walk away with his first pro title of his career.

Other notable sleepers in the pro class include Justin Weeks, who put in a very impressive ride in division two of the 250 A/Prosport class when he reeled in class winner Taylor Futrell from a mile away to pressure him on the last lap. Consistency is a question in Weeks' case though. When he’s on, he can run inside the top five, but when he’s off he’s way off. If he can get a good start in the main we’ll really be able to see what this kid’s made of. Tyler Worthington is another rider this week that you probably haven’t heard much about. He’s got a sixth and a ninth to his name this week and while this may not lend itself to putting him on the podium, he’s got a good shot at placing himself inside the top five, which is a huge accomplishment considering the group of riders he’s up against.

And what about Tommy Weeck? We haven’t seen this kid race a national since he wadded up in practice a few months ago and rolled away with a cast of both arms and both legs. Tommy didn’t have the best start of the week, but he put in a superb ride in the mud on Thursday and managed to ride off with a win in the 250 A class. Tommy was on top of the intermediate class when we last saw him, and now it looks as if he’s trying to make his move to the top of the pro class.

Last, but certainly not least, is Tyler Sjoberg. Sjoberg has very quietly had a successful week thus far at Whitney. He’s got a 26th to his name, which was fluke, but has also put in a ninth and a third. His third gives him a shot at a podium and we wouldn’t be surprised to see his ninth turn into a top five overall.

Now on to the Intermediate and Open sleepers.

We’ll start the Intermediate bidding off with Alabama’s Heath Harrison, a rider relatively unknown in the amateur national world, but one who has consistently impressed here at Whitney. With finishes that include a third, fourth, seventh and an eighth, Harrison has set himself up for numerous top five finishes this week. His speed doesn’t look to match up to that of class leaders such as Max Anstie, but he’s in that next group of frontrunners that legitimately have a shot at putting themselves on the podium. We’ll keep you up to date on this one.

Seeing as he won a title at Mini O’s, AJ Catanzaro can’t necessarily be called a sleeper, but he has yet to earn mention this week and we’d be doing everyone an injustice if we didn’t give him the mention he deserves. He’s got a win, two thirds, a fourth and a fifth heading into main events of Sunday and he will definitely be one to watch out for as things begin to unfold. Another unfamiliar face in the intermediate class is that of Cam Dillion. A ninth and a 13th early in the week weren’t extremely impressive, but his skills in the mud have been. Despite early struggles Dillion has managed to rack up two podium potential finishes with a third in 250 B Mod and a sixth in Schoolboy.

Other Intermediate sleepers include that of Chris Plouffe, Coby Adair, Jacob Hayes, Tyler Bereman, Cody Sankey and Preston Tilford. Adair has a slew of top ten finishes to his name, which include a third, seventh, eighth and ninth. His consistency inside the top ten has been dually noted, now let’s see if he can turn any of those into top fives and solidify himself as a legit sleeper. Tilford has perhaps been the most impressive of all intermediate sleepers. His second in Collegeboy and third and 450 B Stock has everyone on the line wondering where in the heck this kid came from. As for Plouffe, Hayes, Sankey and Bereman, all four have had their ups and downs this week, but all have also shown the speed to do something special.

The list of potential sleepers runs a heck of a lot longer than this. Other riders to keep an eye on include Cody Lackore, Austin Howell, Jonathan Foskey, Hunter Mims and Jason Langford in the 250 Open class and Blake Barnes, Jason Bunch, Chris Marshall, Jake Lyon, Riely Pimberton and Colton Mleod in the Novice classes.

Be sure and check back in tomorrow for a look at Part 2 of our March feature special, Lake Whitney Sleepers.