From Richie Murray
SPEEDWAY, In. (May 6, 2019) — Steven Drevicki has conquered championships in the Eastern U.S. in midgets twice as an ARDC champ in 2014-15 and as a titlist in the inaugural Rapid Tire East Coast Sprint Car season in 2018.
Now, the Reading, Pa. driver has plans to enter the fray on the National level when the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship arrives for the 13th edition of “Eastern Storm” June 11-16, driving his own No. 19 Maxim chassis, utilizing a Rider engine from Gene Franckowiak and technical assistance from Clauson Marshall Newman Racing.
“Gene called me a couple weeks ago,” Drevicki recalled. “He threw an offer out to team up with him and CMNR for an Eastern storm deal. It’s going to be my car and crew all that stuff, Gene’s motor and technical assistance from CMNR. From my end, it’s a pretty neat opportunity for someone from the East Coast to have the opportunity to work with a national team like that. I’ve been trying for the last two years to put a deal together, but last year, the pieces didn’t all fall together. This deal came together, and it was something I couldn’t pass up.”
Drevicki, a graduate of Penn State University and a project engineer in the industrial crane business, leads the USAC East Coast Sprint Car standings following a season-opening victory with the series at Lincoln Speedway in Abbottstown, Pa. He won twice on the East Coast trail a year ago and has competed on the National stage in USAC’s NOS Energy Drink National Midget division, racing at Eldora during the “4-Crown Nationals” as well as “Pennsylvania Midget Week.”
Franckowiak has fielded front-running cars during Eastern Storm for a number of years, winning the Eastern Storm round at BAPS Motor Speedway in 2013 with driver Shane Cottle. CMNR had Franckowiak’s Rider-power under the hood en route to 11 victories and a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car crown in 2018. With that kind of championship pedigree in his corner, Drevicki relishes the opportunity.
“It’s about as exciting as it can get really,” Drevicki exclaimed. “We’ve raced on the national level with the midgets the last few years during Pennsylvania Midget Week. It’s a little bit of a different level than it is on the East Coast. Not to take anything away from the East Coast, but you’re racing with the absolute best there is. To get to do that in front of the home crowd, it’s definitely an exciting opportunity.”
Tim Clauson of CMNR is thrilled with the opportunity to put this program together for Eastern Storm, something of which could become an annual reward for the USAC East Coast Sprint Car champion on a yearly basis in the future.
“I think we’ll take it one year at a time and see the first year goes,” Clauson said. “Our partner, Gene Franckowiak, normally runs a car of his own and we talked about running a second car. Gene actually had the idea to give the East Coast champion a chance and try to figure out something to do with them to help as a reward for that. I thought it was a great idea!”
USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series Director Curt Michael is pleased to see the champion from the East get to go to battle on the big stage.
“It’s a great deal,” Michael said. “I’m glad those guys are helping and working with us. “The series is really going to give us a boost to show Drevicki is a really good racer. I think Drevicki is going to do a really good job. It’s going to be a challenge to run up front, but he’s a smart racer and I think he’ll do really well at the racetracks they go to that he’s been to before.
“To have CMNR back our series like that is really going to help,” Michael continued. I think you just might have people wanting to come run the series to try to catch that deal. It’s really excellent the way CMNR helps racing.”
With a focus on defending his East Coast Sprint Car title in 2019, Drevicki stated that he’d like to do more 410 racing in the future, with a possible trip to the Midwest in the works later this season if all comes to fruition.
First up for Drevicki will be Eastern Storm, with five USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car races in six nights, beginning June 11 at Grandview Speedway in Bechtelsville, Pa., followed up on June 12 at Bridgeport Speedway in Swedesboro, N.J., June 13 at BAPS Motor Speedway in York Haven, Pa., a Silver Crown race on June 14 at Williams Grove Speedway in Williams Grove, Pa., June 15 at Port Royal Speedway in Port Royal, Pa. and June 16 at Weedsport Speedway in Weedsport, N.Y