October 23rd, 2020,
Nick Fillman USAC ECSC
As the 2020 Rapid Tire, USAC East Coast Sprint Car Season ended at the Big Diamond Speedway, the 2020 season was one of great growth, development, and challenge for the series and our drivers. Just as spring time arrived and series all across the country geared up to get going, the COVID-19 Pandemic arose, and ground every series plans to a screeching halt. The USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series, was not immune to the effects, as the series lost the first nine of our originally scheduled 22 events due to restrictions on events in the east coast.
But, as the tracks reopened and got back to business, so did the series. By the season ending event at the Big Diamond Speedway, 12 events were completed, with 13 feature events being run under the series direction in 2020. Just over half of the seasons originally scheduled events had been completed. While the 2020 season was difficult, a number of new achievements, and fantastic racing, was provided all season long by the series ever growing and developing crop of drivers.
67: Sixty seven drivers entered a USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series event during the 2020 campaign. An increase of 20, over 47 total drivers entering an event in 2019.
38: Of the sixty-seven different drivers who entered a USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series event in 2020, 38 of them were either a rookie to a non-wing sprint car, or making their first ever start behind the wheel of a sprint car of any kind.
30: Thirty was the high car count for the series on the 2020 season trail coming at the Bridgeport Speedway. The high count of Thirty matches the series high of 2019 at the Big Diamond Speedway in May of 2019.
23: Twenty-three was the series average car count for the 2020 season. This is an overall increase from the series average of 19, during the 2019 series schedule.
19: Nineteen different drivers collected a heat race victory with the series in 2020, in Thirty different heat races across the season. Showing the depth of the series field in 2020, and only Eight different drivers winning more than one heat race.
7: Seven different drivers found victory lane on the series trail in 2020, which is an increase over the 2019 season where only five different drivers graced victory lane with the series.
6: Six of the feature winners in the 2020 season were rookies with Alex Bright, and Kenny Miller lll leading the way with two wins a piece.
6: Six is also the number of rookie drivers who finished inside the top 10 in points on the 2020 series trail.
5: Just as in 2019, five is the number of feature event wins that 2018, 2019, and 2020 Series champion Steven Drevicki on his way to collecting the series championship.
- Fourth is the average starting position of the feature event winners in the 2020 season. Alex Bright holds the honor of winning from the furthest back in the field in 2020 from 8th at the Big Diamond Speedway. Kenny Miller lll had the furthest starting victory from 7th at Delaware International with Steven Drevicki winning from 6th twice at Williams Grove and Winchester.
With the growth and continued development of the series field in 2020, the 2021 season should see an increase in almost every caption from car counts, to feature event wins. Preparations with tracks and work on the series schedule for the 2021 season are already well underway, as the series continues to build and grow for next year and beyond!
As always, stay up to date with news and articles, including the “Breaking Down the top 10” series of articles that will be release on the website over the next few weeks by following our social media pages! On Facebook at: USAC East Coast Sprint Cars, and on Twitter at: @USACecsc.
- Nick Fillman on Oct 23, 2020
- Article Date: 10/23/2020 by Nick Fillman