The 2021 USAC National Sprint Car Series looks to be a promising one. The schedule is larger and more diverse than it has ever been.
The 2021 USAC National Sprint Car Series looks to be a promising one. There have been some changes amongst drivers and teams, and the schedule is larger and more diverse than it has ever been.
As my team prepares for the points racing in the Midwest to begin, we have made very few changes from our championship season last year, still utilizing Triple X Chassis with Rider Engines provided by “Speedy” Gene Franckowiak.
I am not one to “worry” about my competition, however it can be beneficial to be familiar with the different situations of those you have to beat every week.
CHRIS WINDOM: The reigning USAC midget champion and sprint car runner-up will, as usual, be a favorite to win night in and night out. Chris will once again drive for Hayward Motorsports with support from NOS Energy Drink in a DRC Chassis powered by Claxton with FK Shocks.
One change of note for Windom this year will be the absence of Derek Claxton, with whom Windom has had much success over the years. Austin Wenrich will return to lead the team which passed the most cars in 2020, but looks to improve its qualifying efforts and starting positions this season.
JUSTIN GRANT: Grant will be returning to TOPP Motorsports with sponsorship from NOS Energy Drink once again in 2021, but with some large internal changes. The team‘s operations will now be based out of Indianapolis, with Justin taking on a larger role in the management and care of equipment.
It appears the chassis and suspension package, Maxim with Benic AFCOs, will remain unchanged, but the team has switched to Kistler engines. Justin was already very mechanically involved in the setup of the cars, and if he can balance the extra responsibility and find good shop help, the extra control of the team he now has could come with great results.
KEVIN THOMAS JR.: KTJ and his McDonald‘s, Dr. Pepper-backed KT Motorsports team are pulling out all the stops for their 2021 campaign. After a frustrating year last year, KT has brought back Jason McDougal as car chief, added A.J. Parker (formerly with TOPP) and, most notably, reunited with former crew chief Davey Jones.
Davey has an incredible ability to make any team he joins qualify exceptionally well, and with USAC‘s format qualifying is crucial. If Davey can restore the confidence Thomas needs in his DRC, CSI, OneWay package, the combination could mean trouble for the rest of us.
The team already proved to be on track for success at the time of this writing, with wins in Ocala and a $7,500 score at Brownstown.
C.J. LEARY: Leary, who ran most of 2020 for his family-owned team after his original plans changed abruptly post-Florida, is joining forces will Bill Michael for 2021. Michael has garnered countless USAC Southwest sprint car race wins and titles with his familiar green Kodiak Products No. 77M, and they now look to add national success to that list.
The Cressman Ford powerplants utilized by the team may take some time for Leary to adjust their DRC Chassis to, but both parties know how to find victory lane and almost undoubtedly will this season as well. The stable environment Bill Michael appears to be able to provide could be the catalyst Leary needs in his hunt for a second national title.
KO MOTORSPORTS: Chase Stockon seemed to find a rejuvenated focus when he joined forces with KO Motorsports partway through 2020, which resulted in an Indiana Sprint Week title as well as a competitive bid for the year end championship. If Stockon and the team can make refinements off what they learned together in 2020, they could once again be in the title hunt.
KO Motorsports has also summoned upon winged sprint ace Paul Nienhiser to pilot a second entry full time. If team manager Kent Schmidt can balance the workload of a two-car team, they could find their J&D-powered Velocity chassis in victory lane frequently.
ROBERT BALLOU: Since winning the 2015 USAC title, Ballou has been plagued with injuries, but seems to be gaining ground on finding the speed he had in that record-setting season. Juggling a full-time job and competing on the national tour will once again be a huge obstacle for Ballou but, as we have seen, nobody is as determined as the Mad Man can be.
KYLE CUMMINS: The current master of Tri-State Speedway, Kyle Cummins teams up once again with Hank Byrum and Rock Steady Racing. The combination has achieved phenomenal success in recent years, especially on the Indiana bullrings, in their Cummins-powered Mach-1 machines and will no doubt be in contention for wins in 2021.
Kyle has expressed a determination to improve on the bigger tracks and appears to have the team behind him to do so.
JAKE SWANSON: After relocating to Indiana from California at the end of 2020, Jake Swanson and Team AZ plan to tackle the USAC national schedule in 2021. Swanson has been competing more often in the Midwest in recent years and has used that experience to become a competitive force at USAC events. The team will no doubt continue to improve as they navigate their first full national tour.
There are many other wildcards that compete on the USAC trail throughout the year that can contend for wins. Decorated midget drivers Tanner Thorson and Buddy Kofoid appear to be devoting more time to USAC sprints, and both know how to win at a high level.
Logan Seavey and Cannon McIntosh will look to gel with new sprint teams as well. Jaden Rogers gets better every time he hits the track and will battle it out with experienced local drivers such as Shane Cottle, Brady Short, Brent Beauchamp, A.J. Hopkins, Max Adams, and countless others to knock the full-time national teams off the top of the podium.
This year looks to be another exciting year for the USAC National Sprint Car Series.