By Bob Miller
Grandview Speedway along with Lincoln, New Egypt, Port Royal and Susquehanna will be the participating tracks when the USAC Non-wing AMSOIL Eastern Storm returns for their eighth consecutive year. Grandview Speedway and the NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series were the driving force in bringing USAC back to Berks County and the east coast. Grandview Speedway has hosted seven of the sixty-six USAC events presented in Berks County, starting way back in 1956 when Oley, PA driver Tommy Hinnershitz won the first three USAC events held at the Reading Fairgrounds.
Past winners of USAC events in Berks County include Johnny Thomson, AJ Foyt, Jim Hurtibise, Roger McCluskey, Greg Weld, Red Riegel, Jud Larson, Johnny Rutherford, Bobby Unser, Bruce Walkup, Toby Tobias, Larry Dickson, Gary Bettenhausen, Lee Kunzman, Larry “Boom-Boom” Cannon, Pancho Carter , Lee Osborne and Fred Linder just to name a few of the history makers. In more recent years (2007 – 2013), USAC Thunder on the Hill feature winners include Levi Jones, the late Jesse Hockett, “The Beast” Bobby East, Bryan Clauson and the 2013 winner, the “Modern Day Cowboy” Daron Clayton.
The NAPA Auto Parts Thunder on the Hill Racing Series will showcase USAC on Tuesday night, June 3 with the Non-Wing sprints and the eighth edition of the wildly popular “Eastern Storm”. USAC will present five nights or racing at five different tracks from June 3 to June 8.
Grandview Speedway and Thunder on the Hill will open the USAC Eastern Storm Series on Tuesday night, June 3rd with the “Jesse Hockett Classic”, a 40 lap feature event that will pay $6,000 to the winner. Hockett lost his life in a garage accident in 2010, just prior to heading east for the Eastern Storm. The previous year at Grandview, Hockett absolutely thrilled the crowd by winning two USAC features on the same night. The ARDC Midgets will be part of the Grandview Speedway Eastern Storm that will get underway at 7:30 PM.
The USAC Eastern Storm Series will then shift to the Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, PA on Wednesday night, June 4. The MACH 1 Chassis sponsored event will showcase the URC 360/358 Super Series event with a 25 lap feature. Race fans visiting the track in the “pigeon hills” will get to see non-wing and winged sprint cars on the same night.
New Egypt Speedway in New Egypt, NJ will open their doors to the USAC Eastern Storm joined by the ARDC Midgets on Thursday night, June 5. USAC reports that their phone just rang off the hook with requests from fans and competitors to return to the New Jersey facility, so it will happen again in the coming Eastern Storm.
USAC will take Friday night off then return to racing on Saturday night, June 7, when the Eastern Storm will head to the Port Royal Speedway with ARDC being part of the show at the always fast and furious half-mile. The Eastern Storm Finale is set for Sunday night, June 8th at the Susquehanna Speedway in Newberrytown, PA. In the 2013 Eastern Storm at Susky, Shane Cottle won a thriller that had the crowd on their feet for the final laps.
In the 2013 Eastern Storm event at Grandview Speedway, “The Modern Day Cowboy”, Daron Clayton thrilled the crowd while bouncing off the walls lap after lap to pick up his first “Eastern Storm” feature win. 2012 Grandview winner Bryan Clauson was again crowned the “Eastern Storm” champion in 2013, backing up his mini-series championship from the year before en route to a second-straight National title. Other previous winners at Grandview include Bobby East (2011), Jesse Hockett (2010), and two-time winner Levi Jones.
All championship contenders are expected to return to action in USAC for 2014 including Clauson, who will defend his title in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing #20 team. He will again be challenged by Dave Darland, who looks to close in on the all-time National Sprint Car win record, as he trails Tom Bigelow by just five, with 47 triumphs of his own. “The People’s Champ” from Lincoln, Indiana has finished second to Clauson each of the last two years in the National Championship.
Previous Eastern Storm Champions
2014 8th Annual
2013 Bryan Clauson/Nobelsville, IN
2012 Bryan Clauson/Nobelsville, IN
2011 Levi Jones/Olney, IL
2010 Levi Jones/Olney, IL
2009 Cole Whitt/Alpine, CA
2008 Cole Whitt/Alpine, CA
2007 Levi Jones/ Olney, IL