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A Look Back At The 2020 Champions

USAC NATIONAL MIDGET SERIES

By earning the championship with the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series, Chris Windom joined the elite group of “Triple Crown” winners.

Windom joined Pancho Carter, Jerry Coons Jr., Dave Darland, Tracy Hines, Tony Stewart, and J.J. Yeley as the only drivers to have won championships in all three of USAC‘s premier divisions.

1 – Chris Windom – 1,779
2 – Tyler Courtney – 1,778
3 – Tanner Thorson – 1,751
4 – Buddy Kofoid – 1,707
5 – Cannon McIntosh – 1,532
6 – Daison Pursley – 1,348
7 – Tanner Carrick – 1,271
8 – Justin Grant – 1,179
9 – Andrew Layser – 1,133
10 – Cole Bodine – 1,128

With the two remaining races on the schedule issuing only show-up points, Windom needed to finish no more than three positions behind Tyler Courtney at California‘s Bakersfield Speedway to secure the title.

“Big Daddy” charged from 20th to seventh, behind Ricky Stenhouse, with “Sunshine” running third as the field entered the final lap.

Some controversial contact between Windom and Stenhouse saw Stenhouse spin and Windom earn the title by one point over Courtney while his car owner, Tucker-Boat Motorsports, secured the owner points title.

Windom earned four wins over the season. Tanner Thorson won the season-opener, the season finale, and five other features throughout the season to top the win-list.

Courtney earned five checkers, Kyle Larson took four, and Michael “Buddy” Kofoid earned three features on his way to earning the series‘ Rookie of the Year honors.

Cannon McIntosh and Thomas Meseraull earned two wins as the only other drivers to claim multiple feature victories.

1 – Chett Gehrke – 305
2 – Jacob Denney – 297
3 – Adam Taylor – 275
4 – Stratton Briggs – 263
5 – Emerson Axsom – 231
6 – Russ Gamester – 209
7 – Ian Creager – 203
8 – Hayden Reinbold – 186
9 – Cory Guingrich – 160
10 – Aaron Leffel – 157

USAC MIDWEST REGIONAL MIDGETS

Chett Gehrke snagged the USAC Midwest Regional Midget Series championship by eight points over runner-up finisher in the standings, Jacob Denney.

Adam Taylor, Stratton Briggs and Emerson Axsom filled out the top five in the series featuring a mix of national-spec and D2 midget cars.

USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGETS

The USAC Western States Midgets ran a limited schedule of mostly co-sanctioned events, with an exception being the midget portion of the inaugural Tom Tarlton Classic at Keller Auto Speedway at Kings Fairgrounds in Hanford, Calif.

That event was won by Carson Macedo, who set fast time, won his heat race, won the dash, and led flag-to-flag in the feature in a midget owned by Tom Tarlton Sr.

USAC SILVER CROWN

With the cancellation of Eldora Speedway‘s 4-Crown, the usual finale of the USAC Silver Crown season, the Bettenhausen 100 became the deciding race of the season, and Justin Grant rolled into the Illinois State Fairgrounds with a 22-point lead over Kody Swanson.

1 – Justin Grant – 266
2 – Kody Swanson – 220
3 – Chris Windom – 212
4 – Matt Goodnight – 189
5 – Kyle Robbins – 186
6 – Shane Cottle – 184
7 – Aaron Pierce – 168
8 – Shane Cockrum – 162
9 – Bryan Gossel – 161
10 – Mike Haggenbottom – 159

Grant finished third, while Swanson finished 10th in the race, securing the title for Grant.

The championship was the first USAC national driving title for Grant, and was also the first series owner title for his car owner, Ron Hemelgarn.

Grant finished third in series points in 2016, fourth in 2017, and was the runner-up to Swanson in 2018 and 2019. Bryan Gossel topped the Rookie of the Year points.

The 2020 USAC Silver Crown season was the eighth ever, and first in 29 years, to feature a lead change in every event.

UNITED SPRINT CAR SERIES NATIONAL (USCS)

1 – Terry Gray – 4,932
2 – Connor Leoffler – 4,894
3 – Jim Shuster – 4,313
4 – Mallie Shuster – 4,290
5 – Jeff Willingham – 4,130
6 – Mark Smith – 4,092
7 – Dale Howard – 3,623
8 – Morgan Turpen – 3,542
9 – Danny Smith – 3,507
10 – Kyle Amerson – 3,214

USCS MID-SOUTH THUNDER TOUR
1 – Morgan Turpen – 2,004
2 – Dale Howard – 2,002
3 – Terry Gray – 1,998
4 – Connor Leoffler – 1,915
5 – Mark Smith – 1,792

USCS SOUTHERN THUNDER TOUR
1 – Connor Leoffler – 1,192
2 – Terry Gray – 1,157
3 – Mallie Shuster – 1,071
4 – Kyle Amerson – 1,026
Tie – Jim Shuster – 1,026

In 36 events contested by the United Sprint Car Series presented by K&N Filters, Terry Gray finished outside the top 10 only five times on his way to his second consecutive championship.

Mark Smith topped the series with 14 feature victories. Dale Howard earned six wins, while Connor Leoffler and Derek Hagar claimed three.

Kyle Amerson, Howard Moore and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. each took two wins apiece, as the series‘ other multiple feature winners.

Jordon Mallett won the USCS Speedweek, while Mark Smith bested the USCS Winter Heat series.

Morgan Turpen claimed the USCS Mid-South Region championship by a scant two points over Dale Howard, with Gray just four points further back in third place.

Meanwhile, rookie Connor Leoffler snagged the USCS Southern Thunder regional crown over Gray.

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