BRIGHT SHINES IN SERIES RETURN TO PORT ROYAL

By: Nick Fillman – USAC ECSC

Port Royal, Pennsylvania (August 22, 2020)………Alex Bright, of Collegeville, Pennsylvania was victorious in the Rapid Tire USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series return to the Port Royal Speedway, holding off Steven Drevicki in a fierce battle for the checkers.

Winged veterans, and both making their series debut, Kevin Nouse and Shawn Donath would share the front row for the night’s 25-lap feature event following the redraw from heat race competition.

As the field went green and into turns one and two, the vast majority of the field would quickly hug the bottom line, with Alex Bright and a handful of others heading to the high-side and passing cars quickly.

Bright was able to work his way into the runner up spot on the first lap, from his fourth place starting position, before taking the lead on lap two. Steven Drevicki also quickly moved his way into the top two positions on lap three and began his hunt of race leader Alex Bright.

Bright was glued to the high side of the speedway, with Drevicki trying the high line, low line, middle line, and any mixture of options trying to find the best way to maneuver around Alex Bright for the race lead. By lap eight, Drevicki was on the bumper of the number twenty machine, and nearly took the race lead by lap ten.

Ten laps into the feature event found Bright leading with Drevicki in a close second, Davie Franek in third, Shawn Donath in fourth and Chris Allen Jr rounding out the top five. Within the next two laps, the leaders began to encounter the back of the field and work through lapped traffic.

A close call came, when Steven Drevicki made light contact with the lapped car of Heidi Hedin, causing Drevicki to skate up the track, making contact with the Bright machine. Luckily both drivers held onto their cars and did not spin or lose any positions.

At the halfway point Bright had begun to stabilize his lead with Drevicki in a close second, Franek in a distant third, and Chris Allen and Shawn Donath side by side for the fourth and fifth place positions. Billy VanInwegen was marching his way into the top five from his ninth place starting spot and would move into the top five by lap seventeen.

While working lap eighteen, Austin Graby, filling in for Alex Yankowski spun entering turns one and two as the leaders were in thick lapped traffic. The ensuing restart would see the top five remain the same with the exception of Billy VanInwegen moving into the top five.

As the field went green, Bright held his lead with Drevicki attempting a slider for the race lead but thinking better of it and using the bottom. Billy VanInwegen would work by the seventy-one entry of Chris Allen Jr and the rest of the top five remaining the same.

The yellow flag would fly once more as the field was coming to the checkers as Bruce Buckwalter Jr would spin in turns one and two. This would set up a green, checkered, finish to settle who would grab the feature event win.

Taking the green and white flag on the restart, Bright had kept his lead, entering turn one Drevicki would attempt the big slider for the race lead, with Bright powering back by on the high side exiting turn four. With the dominant groove being on the bottom of the speedway in turns three and four, Bright would cruise off of the final corner and go on to collect his first career USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series Victory. Drevicki, Franek, VanInwegen, and Allen would be the top five.

Bright collects his first career win in his third career start with the Rapid Tire, USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series. The new Hummer racing team has been fast so far in their three starts. Bright, the former ARDC and USAC Eastern Midget series champion, has a handful of USAC National Sprint Car Series starts during the annual Eastern Storm events. The prior sprint car experience appears to aid in the team’s ability to have found speed so quickly since joining the series.

Steven Drevicki continued his consistency continuing to add to his points lead over Chris Allen for the championship. Drevicki was a heat race winner on the night, and one of the only drivers who had a car that would work on the top or bottom of the speedway. Drevicki tried everything within reason to pass Bright, but the Hummer Racing Team and Alex Bright proved to be the dominant car.

“No Panic” Davie Franek returned for his second shot at non-winged sprint car racing, and yet again was impressive. Franek was able to hold off Alex Bright for the win in his heat race and ran a solid third all night. Franek has a pair of third place finishes in his two starts with the Rapid Tire, USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series. Not too shabby for the former winged 360 series champion.

Billy VanInwegen and the Gallagher Racing Team are yet another team that has found a great deal of consistency thus far in 2020. VanInwegen ran a solid second to Steven Drevicki in heat race number one and pulled the nine pill in the feature redraw. Over the course of the feature event, VanInwegen, gradually became faster, and more confident coming home with a fourth-place effort.

Chris Allen Jr. rounded out the top five and continued his quest to shorten the gap on points leader Steven Drevicki. The Old Bridge, NJ driver has plenty of speed so far in 2020 and continues to knock on the doorstep of victory lane.

Twenty-Six Rapid Tire, USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series, competitors entered the pit area on Saturday at the Port Royal Speedway, making the event the highest car count of the 2020 season, eclipsing the high mark of twenty-five at Orange County for the season opener.

Winged sprint car regulars Kevin Nouse and Shawn Donath both made their series debut on Saturday night at Port Royal. Nouse won heat three, and Donath finished second in heat three. Both drivers ran respectable throughout the main event. Donath ended up eighth in the feature and Nouse thirteenth. Not bad for their first ever starts in a non-winged car.

Up Next for the USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series is a return to the Delaware International Speedway on Saturday, September, Fifth. Last season, Christopher Allen and Steven Drevicki split the two events contested on the Southern Delaware oval.

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USAC RAPID TIRE EAST COAST SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: August 22, 2020 – Port Royal Speedway – Port Royal, Pennsylvania

FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, all cars transfer) 1. 19-Steven Drevicki [5]; 2. 5G-Billy VanInwegen Jr. [2]; 3. 7-Austin Graby [4]; 4. 54-Joey Amantea [7]; 5. 117-David Swanson [8]; 6. 15-Mark Bitner [1]; 7. 83-Bruce Buckwalter Jr. [6]; 8. 12w-Troy Fraker [9]; 9. 32-Eric Jennings [3]. NT

SECOND HEAT: (8 Laps, all cars transfer) 1. 28F-Davie Franek [7]; 2. 20-Alex Bright [8]; 3. 23-John Stehman [4]; 4. 17-Christian Bruno [5]; 5. 67-Jason Cherry [9]; 6. 96-Lee Kauffman [3]; 7. 74JR-J.R. Berry [6]; 8. 27c-Craig Pellegrini Jr. [2]; 9. 5Z-Zack Burd [1]. NT

THIRD HEAT: (8 Laps, all cars transfer) 1. 1J-Kevin Nouse [2]; 2. 53-Shawn Donath [4]; 3. 71-Chris Allen Jr. [5]; 4. 17J-Jonathan Swanson [3]; 5. 33B-Bill Unglert [1]; 6. 23m-Kenny Miller III [8]; 7. 5Q-Ryan Quackenbush [7]; 8. 3H-Heidi Hedin [6]. NT

FEATURE: (25 laps) 1. Alex Bright [4]; 2. Steven Drevicki [5]; 3. Davie Franek [3]; 4. Billy VanInwegen Jr. [9]; 5. Chris Allen Jr. [6]; 6. Bill Unglert [15]; 7. Christian Bruno [11]; 8. Shawn Donath [2]; 9. David Swanson [13]; 10. J.R. Berry [20]; 11. Joey Amantea [10]; 12. Kenny Miller III [18]; 13. Kevin Nouse [1]; 14. Lee Kauffman [17]; 15. Jason Cherry [14]; 16. Jonathan Swanson [12]; 17. Austin Graby [8]; 18. Craig Pellegrini Jr. [23]; 19. John Stehman [7]; 20. Ryan Quackenbush [21]; 21. Bruce Buckwalter Jr. [19]; 22. Troy Fraker [22]; 23. Heidi Hedin [24]; 24. Mark Bitner [16]; 25. Zack Burd [26]; 26. Eric Jennings [25]. NT

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Shawn Donath, Laps 2-25 Alex Bright.

USAC RAPID TIRE EAST COAST SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-Steven Drevicki-514, 2-Chris Allen Jr.-436, 3-Bill Unglert-405, 4-Bruce Buckwalter Jr.-298, 5-Ryan Quackenbush-289, 6-Christian Bruno-247, 7-Joey Biasi-243, 8-Jonathan Swanson-238, 9-Jason Cherry-209, 10-Heidi Hedin-191.

NEXT USAC RAPID TIRE EAST COAST SPRINT CAR RACE: September 5, 2020 – Delaware International Speedway – Delmar, Delaware