USAC SPRINTS’ PT ROYAL RETURN SATURDAY

The USAC AMSOIL Sprintcar National Championship returns to Port Royal (Pennsylvania) Speedway on Saturday night, June 18, for the penultimate round of USAC Eastern Storm. (Steve Koletar Photo)

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Port Royal, Pennsylvania (June 16, 2022)………The Speed Palace is more than just a nickname; it’s an apt description of Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway.

USAC AMSOIL Sprintcar National Championship racing’s kings have excelled and thrived at this joint with names like Brady Bacon and Robert Ballou presiding over the win list at the half-mile dirt oval, and who will be vying to ascend the throne once more this Saturday night, June 18, for the penultimate round of USAC Eastern Storm.

Bacon (Broken Arrow, Oklahoma) was victorious at Port Royal in 2014, winning the Eastern Storm crown that year before adding a first USAC National Sprintcar title as the cherry on top. The now four-time USAC National Sprintcar Champion finished second at Port Royal in 2016, third in 2017, fourth in 2013 and seventh in both 2015 and 2019. His time of 2:32.57 set in 2019 is the 8-lap USAC National Sprintcar track record at Port Royal.

Ballou (Rocklin, California) had an Eastern Storm for the ages in 2015, sweeping the series, including the stop at Port Royal en route to a dominating Eastern Storm championship and was the king of the USAC National Sprintcars at season’s end. He enters this week as the reigning Eastern Storm champ and, at Port Royal, he’s also cooked up fourth place finishes in 2012, 2014 and 2018, as well as an 8th in 2016.

CJ Leary (Greenfield, Indiana) possesses the one-lap USAC National Sprintcar track record at Port Royal of 18.105 seconds, set during his Eastern Storm and USAC National Sprintcar Championship season of 2019, a night in which he earned his best career finish at the track, a third in the feature. Leary added a fifth in 2016 and a 10th in 2018.

Justin Grant (Ione, California) has twice been a fastest qualifier in USAC AMSOIL National Sprintcar competition at Port Royal in both 2014 and 2017. The 2020 USAC Silver Crown champ finished second in 2017, and added a fifth in 2019, seventh in 2014, seventh in 2018 and eighth in 2015.

Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, Indiana) was the fastest qualifier at Port Royal in 2016 and finished as the runner-up in the feature during 2015 Eastern Storm, adding that to his resume along with a fourth in 2019, fifth in 2013, sixth in 2014, sixth in 2018 and seventh in 2017.

Shane Cottle (Kansas, Illinois) earned a pair of 10th place finishes at Port Royal with the USAC National Sprintcars in both 2013 and 2015. Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, California) has earned a top-10 during Port Royal’s Eastern Storm date with a sixth in 2017 while Shane Cockrum (Benton, Illinois) took ninth in 2014.

Mark Smith (Sunbury, Pennsylvania) was 11th in the first Eastern Storm visit to Port Royal in 2012 and was fifth in USAC East Coast Sprintcar action this past April. Matt Westfall (Pleasant Hill, Ohio), meanwhile, was a best of 14th in the Eastern Storm event at Port in 2018.

A number of USAC East Coast Sprintcars’ best have performed well at Port Royal. Alex Bright (Collegeville, Pennsylvania) won two USAC EC features, first in 2020 and again in 2021. With the USAC National Sprintcars at Port Royal, Bright finished 13th back in 2017.

Three-time USAC East Coast Sprintcar champion Steven Drevicki (Reading, Pennsylvania) finished second behind Bright back in April’s EC race. Drevicki was 20th in the 2019 USAC National Sprintcar race at Port Royal. Briggs Danner (Allentown, Pennsylvania) has garnered the last two consecutive USAC East Coast Sprintcar feature victories in 2021 and in April of this year. Joey Amantea (Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania) was a 15th place runner back in April of this year with East Coast.

Port Royal first-timers are in abundance this weekend with Wednesday night Bridgeport Eastern Storm winner Logan Seavey (Sutter, California) in attendance along with two-time 2022 USAC National Sprintcar feature winner Emerson Axsom (Franklin, Indiana), 2020 USAC National Sprintcar Rookie of the Year Jadon Rogers (Worthington, Indiana), 2020 USAC National Most Improved Driver Brandon Mattox (Terre Haute, Indiana), 2017 USAC West Coast Sprintcar Champion Jake Swanson (Anaheim, California) and 2018 USAC Southwest Sprintcar Champion Charles Davis Jr. (Buckeye, Arizona).

USAC AMSOIL National Sprintcar Rookie Alex Banales (Lafayette, Indiana) will be on hand for his first Port Royal run as will be Korbyn Hayslett (Troy, Ohio) and Dallas Hewitt (Troy, Ohio), plus late model/modified standout Brian Ruhlman (Clarklake, Mich.) and Austin Graby (Lebanon, Pennsylvania), who will take the wheel of the Lotier-Nemeth Motorsports number 7, normally driven by Timmy Buckwalter, who has modified racing obligations that same night.

Saturday night’s Eastern Storm/Open Wheel Madness II “USAC Eastern Blast” featuring the USAC AMSOIL Sprintcar National Championship, the USAC Silver Crown National Championship and 410 Wing Sprintcars.

Pits open at 4pm Eastern, front gates open at 4pm and hot laps at 6pm, followed by qualifying and racing.

Adult admission tickets are $30, students age 13 to 18 are $15 and children 12 and under will be admitted free. Pit passes are $35 for members and $40 for non-members.

All Eastern Storm events will be streamed live on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/3u7ID2N.

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 2022 USAC EASTERN STORM SCHEDULE:

June 14: Grandview Speedway | Bechtelsville, PA

June 15: Bridgeport Motorsports Park | Swedesboro, NJ

June 16: Selinsgrove Speedway | Selinsgrove, PA

June 17: Williams Grove Speedway | Mechanicsburg, PA

June 18: Port Royal Speedway | Port Royal, PA

June 19: Bloomsburg Fair Raceway | Bloomsburg, PA

 PORT ROYAL USAC NATIONAL SPRINTCAR WINS:

2-Chris Windom

1-Brady Bacon, Robert Ballou, Bryan Clauson, Tyler Courtney, Dave Darland & Damion Gardner

PORT ROYAL USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINNERS:

2012: Damion Gardner (6/9)

2013: Dave Darland (6/8)

2014: Brady Bacon (6/7)

2015: Robert Ballou (6/6)

2016: Bryan Clauson (6/11)

2017: Chris Windom (6/17)

2018: Chris Windom (6/16)

2019: Tyler Courtney (6/15)

TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CARS AT PORT ROYAL SPEEDWAY:

1 Lap – 6/15/2019 – C.J. Leary – 18.105 – 99.420 mph

8 Laps – 6/15/2019 – Brady Bacon – 2:32.57 – 94.383 mph

12 Laps – 6/17/2017 – Dave Darland – 4:06.66 – 87.570 mph

USAC EASTERN STORM CHAMPIONS:

2007: Levi Jones

2008: Cole Whitt

2009: Cole Whitt

2010: Levi Jones

2011: Levi Jones

2012: Bryan Clauson

2013: Bryan Clauson

2014: Brady Bacon

2015: Robert Ballou

2016: Bryan Clauson

2017: Chris Windom

2018: Chris Windom

2019: C.J. Leary

2020: Not Held

2021: Robert Ballou

USAC EASTERN STORM FEATURE WINS: (2007-2022)

6-Bryan Clauson, Levi Jones & Chris Windom

5-Robert Ballou

4-Brady Bacon

3-Kevin Thomas Jr. & Cole Whitt

2-Tyler Courtney, Justin Grant, Thomas Meseraull

1-Chad Boat, Chad Boespflug, Daron Clayton, Shane Cottle, Dave Darland, Bobby East, Damion Gardner, Jesse Hockett, Jason McDougal, Hunter Schuerenberg, Logan Seavey, Jon Stanbrough, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. & Chase Stockon