The USAC Eastern Storm tour was one of the best for the club in recent memory, and, overall, it’s been an intriguing year for USAC with several drivers climbing to the top of the sprint car standings.
Kyle Cummins finally found the support and time needed to give the full slate a go, but it’s still a difficult juggling act for the popular southern Indiana driver who has a successful business that demands his attention.
Jake Swanson joined the ranks of many who moved to Indiana to pursue their racing dreams. He has consistently shown flashes that suggested he could be a consistent frontrunner, and it all seems to be coming together for the affable California racer.
Everyone knew Justin Grant and Brady Bacon would be in the mix, along with C. J. Leary. Then, there is Emerson Axsom. The teenager burst out of the gate in 2022 then endured a bit of a lull. By the time Eastern Storm had concluded, he was the minis-series champion and it was clear he was a force to reckon with.
Except for a rainout at Bridgeport (N.J.) Speedway things went smoothly. The road can be hard on teams and officials alike. When things go well the energy remains high. If things go south, enthusiasm can drain quickly. This time there were clear high points. The combination of the USAC Silver Crown and sprint cars, plus the winged 410s on the card has turned the Port Royal stop into a must-see event.
The combination of traditional and winged sprint cars at Williams Grove is also a treat. At Port and the Grove, the winged cars staged an excellent show assuring that a wide swath of fans left happy. The culmination of the tour at Action Track USA was much discussed, and in some corners even dreaded.
The prevailing question was if this traditional micro track was big enough to support sprint cars.
One public relations veteran even floated the rumor that the USAC teams had no real intention of racing but instead would participate in a glorified high-speed parade and then exit stage left.
What followed was a green to checkered flag race that saw Cummins rocket from the sixth starting position and use three wheels to get the victory. This unique setting creates a level of intimacy rarely seen at other venues. It made for a thoroughly entertaining evening that left fans smiling and officials beaming.
The Eastern Storm isn’t just a series of races on the schedule. It is an important tour for USAC. During the early days of the club, the sprint car dates were divided into Midwestern and Eastern circuits. Legends of the sport such as Tommy Hinnershitz and Johnny Thomson held sway in the East, to be followed by men like Eddie Sachs, A J Foyt and Parnelli Jones. That’s the legacy.
Yet, times change. Places USAC called home like the fairgrounds in Allentown and Reading are history, and with each passing summer fewer remember the fearsome Langhorne Speedway. Sprint car racing has also changed. There was a time when all sprint cars basically looked alike. Not now. What hasn’t changed is this region’s passion for racing.
Pennsylvania remains a hotbed, but when one thinks of the Pa. Posse, they aren’t thinking about USAC. This is where the challenge lies. Winged sprint cars rule the roost in the Keystone State and have a rabid following. Local teams are well funded and attract top drivers. It is a compelling show. Imagine just how difficult it is to sell USAC racing to these fans.
The good news for the grand old club is that by virtue of repeated appearances, it has gained a foothold. At Grandview Speedway, folks are lined up well in advance and they can’t wait to get new gear from their favorite driver. A different product is offered. The task for fans is to simply look beyond the difference in sheer speed and appreciate the style of racing traditional sprint cars present. It doesn’t have to be an either-or proposition.
Every traveling series in America faces one critical dilemma. It must have participants. As simple as that seems, one might check the rosters of some traveling pavement late model series. Given the rapid expansion of the discipline commensurate with the rise of the World of Outlaws, winged sprint cars can be found nearly everywhere.
Accordingly, when the Outlaws show up in a town, there are a host of drivers and teams eager to try to crack the starting field. The United States Auto Club does not have that luxury. The problem is obvious. When USAC plunges deep into winged sprint car country, it desperately needs someone local to join the circus — at least temporarily.
One of the back stories to this year’s Eastern Storm tour was the success of the USAC East Coast series drivers. Some of the power teams among this group had these dates circled on the calendar well in advance and were ready to replace their 360 engines with a 410.
Others just took their 360s to the fight. The tone was set early when talented Timmy Buckwalter and his Hummer Motorsports squad finished fourth at Grandview. Three nights later, Buckwalter was on the podium at Williams Grove.
By now it is no secret that former East Coast champions Briggs Danner and Alex Bright are extremely talented and can compete anywhere. Danner posted three top-10 finishes during the recent swing, while Bright showed speed as always.
Then, there was three-time champion Steven Drevicki, who has an engineering career to manage and appeared to be mired in a slump. However, everything has turned around this season. Not only has Drevicki been back to victory lane, but a sixth-place run at Port Royal had him grinning from ear to ear. Other series regulars such as Joey Amantea and popular veteran Carmen Perigo had great moments, while Jason Cherry made a legion of new fans.
The hard work of USAC East Coast leader Curt Michael has been rewarded. The series has built an attractive schedule and offers a quality product. Heading into mid-July there was little surprise that Danner and Bright were slugging it out at the top, but there had been six different winners on the tour. For any traveling group, sharing the wealth is imperative.
There is also a larger issue at play here. This is exactly what USAC, and by extension, traditional sprint car racing needed. To be a national series, a series must compete around the country. Since 1956, USAC has done just that. There was a reason USAC had a strong foothold in the East from the first days of the club. It is an important market and all efforts have and should be made to attract fans and stakeholders to the product. However, to accomplish this mission requires the support of people outside of Speedway, Ind.
To that end, what Michael and his crew are doing in the East matters greatly to USAC’s overall health.
This story appeared in the August 2, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
