The USCS dabbled with asphalt from 1999-2014. At the time, it was one of a few series in the modern era to compete on both dirt and paved surfaces toward an overall championship.
In the early years of the series, Walton was forced to lease a good number of tracks to complete his schedule. That is no longer the case.
“We don’t lease many tracks anymore,” Walton said. “But some of our better events are ones we lease. You make more money that way unless you have a bad night.”
The stories Walton tells from experiences running the series are endless.
“One time I put on a show at Hickory, N.C.,” Walton said. “This guy tells me he’s on the list and his brother is running a sportsman car. I didn’t even recognize the guy. I’m standing there talking to him and all he’s doing is trying to get in free. It was Jimmie Johnson.”
Terry Gray has been the poster boy for the series over the past 25 years. Gray has 94 USCS feature victories and is a 13-time USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour champion.
“At the time Pete (Walton) started USCS I was running the ASCS national tour,” explained Gray. “It got to where we were traveling pretty much all over the United States. Pete’s deal was a little more regional to the Southeast. That was the main appeal that got me started with it.”
Gray has been somewhat exclusive to the USCS and rarely competes in events put on by other sanctioning bodies. In addition, Gray has fielded a second car for driver Morgan Turpen over the years and still does when Turpen’s schedule allows her the chance to compete.
“The USCS schedule has got us totally full. We do get out and run a few races with other organizations when time permits. Morgan runs my other car and we’ll run some 410 stuff with her occasionally,” Gray explained. “Pete’s got 60 races on his schedule. With two cars that keeps me as busy as I can be.
I’ve run as many as 115 races in a year when I was a lot younger than I am now. Sixty is a good number with trying to run two cars. If I was running by myself like I have in the past, 75-80 is a good number. For a guy like me trying to make a living doing it, 60 is a good number.”
The major appeal for Gray is the fact that the majority of the USCS races are close to home.
“There are a few of them in the Carolinas, which is a little further than I’d like. But Pete’s deal has been awful good to me,” Gray said. “I’ve won the championship quite a few times and along with the championship comes a nice check at the end of the year. Sometimes when you’re traveling 10 hours over to the Carolinas, you gotta remember the big picture. If we were running somewhere else the travel would be worse than it is. To do what we do and to continually make a living, there are not always races just around the corner.
“Pete’s deal has been good for everybody in this area. Pete’s done a lot for sprint car racing in the Southeast. There would be none in the Southeast if it weren’t for Pete. The USCS has definitely been good for me.”
The USCS recently celebrated its 25th season where it all began, as an April 23-24 event at Talladega Short Track featured drivers Tony Stewart and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Walton is proud of where the USCS stands and what he has built.
“I’m proud of the fact we’ve brought sprint cars to tracks that would have never been able to host a World of Outlaws or All Star race. We’ve been able to host a show that draws a lot of fans,” he said. “I’ve been the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame promoter of the year twice. We’ve accomplished a lot. But I’m most proud of the fact I was able to grow sprint car racing in the Southeast.”