USAC SPRINTS HEAD EAST JUNE 11-16 FOR EASTERN STORM
Speedway, Indiana (April 22, 2019)………For the 13th consecutive year, the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship returns East with stops at Grandview Speedway, Bridgeport Speedway, BAPS Motor Speedway, Port Royal Speedway and Weedsport Speedway.
The five-race swing, in keeping with tradition, will open with the NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill signature event at the Grandview Speedway. The Tuesday night, June 11 show will boast the USAC $10,000-to-win “Jesse Hockett Classic” joined by the 358 NASCAR Modifieds with racing getting underway at 7:30pm Eastern. This year also marks the 30th Anniversary of the Thunder on the Hill Racing Series.
Wednesday night, June 12, Bridgeport Speedway will present the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship in a doubleheader with the 600 micros.
Thursday night, June 13, the tour moves to the BAPS Motor Speedway and will be joined by the 360 Sprints and Super Sportsman.
The USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series returns to Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Pa. on Friday night, June 14.
Saturday night, June 15, the USAC Sprints invade Port Royal Speedway before closing out the swing at the popular Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, NY on Sunday night, June 16.
Defending USAC Eastern Storm Champion Chris Windom is already planning that trip East. Brady Bacon, winner of the two previous Grandview events would like to make it three in a row and collect that $10,000 payday.
The USAC National Championship is rich with history as some of the greatest names in racing have parked in the coveted USAC victory lane. Drivers like Tommy Hinnershitz, Johnny Thomson, A.J. Foyt, Roger McCluskey, Jim Hurtubise, Jud Larson, Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Unser, Eddie Sachs, Ron Shuman, Pancho Carter, Lee Osborne, Greg Weld, Lee Kunzman, Larry Dickson, Gary Bettenhausen, Bruce Walkup and Toby Tobias are just a few of the legends to compliment even a longer list of current day USAC racing stars.
USAC has four race dates in the books for 2019 with victories going to Chris Windom, Justin Grant and C.J. Leary at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla. Brady Bacon took the win on April 12 at Indiana’s Bloomington Speedway. The series next stop is at Eldora Speedway on May 10-11.
In the 2019 point battle, Kevin Thomas, Jr. holds a three-point lead over C.J. Leary followed by Chase Stockon, Justin Grant, Tyler Courtney, Chris Windom, Brady Bacon and Robert Ballou.
The Berks County one-third-mile, high-banked Grandview Speedway is just the perfect setting for a USAC National Sprint Car event. USAC time trials at Grandview are usually more exciting than the main divisions elsewhere, so don’t miss Fatheadz Eyewear Qualifying.
USAC first raced in Berks County at the Reading Fairgrounds in 1956 and it was Oley, Pa. driver Tommy Hinnershitz who won the first three USAC events on the Reading half-mile. The USAC/Berks County tradition continued until April 1979 when Paul Pitzer took the win at what would be the final USAC event in Berks County, following the closing of the Reading Fairgrounds.
Grandview Track Owner Bruce Rogers and Thunder on the Hill’s Bob Miller made several attempts to bring 410 non-wing sprint cars back to Berks County, even presenting CRA and SCRA events in the 1990s. After many discussions, a deal was worked out, and in June 2007, USAC made the trip to Grandview and it was Levi Jones who took the win in an historic USAC return to Berks County. Now in 2019, Eastern Storm will mark its’ 13th tour of the East, opening on the famed “hill” of Grandview Speedway.
Start planning now for the 13th Annual Eastern Swing, Tuesday night, June 11 to Sunday night, June 16.
2019 EASTERN STORM SCHEDULE
Tuesday, June 11: Grandview Speedway (Bechtelsville, Pa.) - $10,000-to-win “Jesse Hockett Classic”
Wednesday, June 12: Bridgeport Speedway (Swedesboro, N.J.)
Thursday, June 13: BAPS Motor Speedway (York Haven, Pa.)
Saturday, June 15: Port Royal Speedway (Port Royal, Pa.)
Sunday, June 16: Weedsport Speedway (Weedsport, NY)