HARD CHARGING PERFORMANCES RAMPANT IN EARLY USAC SEASON

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Speedway, Indiana (March 10, 2020)………In the three USAC National series in 2019, the hard charger winner was also victorious in that night’s feature a total of three times throughout the entire season.

In 2020, through just five USAC National events, the hard charger winner has already won four times.  And it’s only March!

Some might say that earning the KSE Racing Products Hard Charger award means they have to qualify better earlier in the night.  While somewhat true, it also proves that the team had galvanized itself following qualifying to persevere and conclude the night on a high note.

Thus far in 2020, no feature winner in a USAC National race has started in the first two rows.  The closest to the front any feature winner has started this year was Tanner Thorson who raced his way from the third row (5^th) on the opening night of the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget season at Ocala, Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park in February.

Thorson (Minden, Nev.) has reached both ends of the spectrum during his two midget victories this year.  He also came from the furthest back of any driver to win this year in last Saturday’s Shamrock Classic at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, charging from 15^th.

Meanwhile, Chris Windom (Canton, Ill.) came from 10^th to win at Ocala with the midgets and Brady Bacon blitzed from 9^th to 1^st on two consecutive nights to win with the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars at Ocala.

By contrast, the three hard chargers to win USAC National races in 2019 came from Shane Cottle’s photo finish victory from 18^th during Indiana Sprint Week at Gas City I-69 Speedway, Tanner Thorson’s miraculous comeback from 15^th during Indiana Midget Week at Putnamville, Ind. and Zeb Wise’s late race heroics from 8^th at Pennsylvania’s Linda’s Speedway during Pennsylvania Midget Week.

And we’ve only just begun.  All the passing throughout the early season has initiated a three-way tie atop the yearlong ProSource Passing Master Award standings, which will reward the top USAC National passer with a $2,500 prize.  At the moment, Thorson, Windom and Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) are all knotted up with 18 positions advanced apiece with eight months remaining on the 2020 trail.

2020 HARD CHARGERS TO WIN A USAC NATIONAL FEATURE: (4)

2/8: Bubba Raceway Park – Chris Windom 10^th to 1^st (Midget)

2/14: Bubba Raceway Park – Brady Bacon 9^th to 1^st (Sprint)

2/15: Bubba Raceway Park – Brady Bacon 9^th to 1^st (Sprint)

3/7: Southern Illinois Center – Tanner Thorson 15^th to 1^st (Midget)

2019 HARD CHARGERS TO WIN A USAC NATIONAL FEATURE: (3)

6/6: Lincoln Park Speedway – Tanner Thorson 15^th to 1^st (Midget)

7/18: Gas City I-69 Speedway – Shane Cottle 18^th to 1^st (Sprint)

8/2: Linda’s Speedway – Zeb Wise 8^th to 1^st (Midget)