KEVIN THOMAS JR. & PIERCE TEAM UP FOR SUMAR CLASSIC
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Terre Haute, Indiana (May 20, 2021)………The first of Kevin Thomas Jr.’s 16 career USAC Silver Crown starts came at Indiana’s Terre Haute Action Track in 2015, and the famed half-mile will also be the site of his next start on Thursday, May 27, during the 19th running of the Sumar Classic.
Thomas (Cullman, Ala.) will compete in the 100-lap race at Terre Haute in Sam Pierce’s No. 26. The ride has been synonymous with driver Aaron Pierce behind the wheel for the past decade-and-a-half, but Thomas, the victor of 29 career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature events, will take over the wheel of the ride for Terre Haute.
Seeking his first career USAC Silver Crown triumph after five runner-up finishes between 2018-19, Thomas is eager to find victory lane for the initial time with the series and feels his pairing with Pierce gives him a great shot.
“I think this is a good opportunity for me,” Thomas said. “They’ve got really good stuff, good engine, good chassis, good mechanics, and everybody that works on them at the shop throughout the week, and Davey (Jones) on the weekends. I think it’s as good of a shot of any that I’ve had. I’ve had some pretty good rides and just haven’t got the deal done yet. I think if there’s an opportunity to do it again, I’m in that one.”
Many of Thomas Jr.’s most memorable USAC moments in USAC have come with Davey Jones serving as his crew chief, including two victories in the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car division in 2021. However, the Sumar Classic will mark the first time Thomas and Jones, the 2019 USAC Chief Mechanic of the Year, will work together in USAC Silver Crown competition.
“I assume it would be like anything else,” Thomas anticipates. “He’s a pretty intelligent dude when it comes to racecars; he’ll get it figured out. Just like the sprint car side, we struggled a little bit and got some things figured out. I don’t think Silver Crown will be any different between him and me. We have good communication between the two of us and, whenever it comes down to at-racetrack scenarios, I think we jell pretty good.”
Thomas has won twice with the USAC National Sprint Cars at Terre Haute, in both 2013 and 2017. His lone Silver Crown performance at the track came in a 10th place run back in 2015. Silver Crown cars, by comparison to a Sprint Car, are heavier, hold a lot more fuel and the distance of 100 laps in a Silver Crown car is more than three times longer than a 30-lap Sprint Car race around Terre Haute.
While there are certainly some differences, as well as similarities in some ways, Thomas feels the experience he has allows him to compensate for those particular differences that are starker than others.
“It’s just a racecar,” Thomas stated. “You just get out there and drive it, and whatever it gives you, it gives you, and if you can win the race, go do that. I think the Silver Crown cars on the half-mile tracks are pretty good for us, and whenever you get Davey and I together on the communication side, it’s good for us. We’ll go out there, give it our best and try to win the race.”
The Sumar Classic will also feature the Scott's Custom Colors DIRTcar Modifieds. Pits open at 2pm EDT, grandstands at 3pm, hot laps at 6:30pm with racing to follow. Adult general admission tickets are $30. Infield admission is $20. Pit passes are $35.
Track Enterprises, the promotion company for the Terre Haute Action Track, has also announced a three-day SUPERTICKET, which includes general admission for all three days of the Week of Indy events at Terre Haute for just $75, a $15 savings off the single day prices.
For advance sale Wednesday/Thursday tickets or the 3-day SUPERTICKET, visit www.tracpass.com. Tickets will also be available at the gates on each race day.
The race will be streamed live on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/3dgONXz.