USCS announces 60-race 2021 and 25th Anniversary USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour schedule of events.

Atlanta, GA - November 23, 2020 - The United Sprint Car Series has released the dates and places for their 25th Anniversary 2021 USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour. The schedule shows 60 events with just a few yet to be announced.

Among the many highlights of the 25th Anniversary tour will be the USCS 25th Anniversary Celebration event at Talladega Short Track in Eastaboga, Alabama on Friday and Saturday, April 23rd and 24th. Those dates coincide with the NASCAR Talladega 500 weekend at the Talladega Super Speedway located just across the street from the 3/10 mile clay oval at Talladega Short Track.

The April 23rd and 24th event is significant to the United Sprint Car Series because the track hosted the first-ever USCS event on Friday, April 25, 1997 also during the Talladega 500 NASCAR race weekend.

Other highlights include the USCS Winter Heat Series in February and March to kicks the season off. The USCS Sprint Speedweek kicks off on May 28th with 7 races in 9 days thru June 5th. 

The Firecracker 4 on Independence Day weekend and the 2nd Annual Fall Brawl 10 race mini-series ends the season in October and November are also on the busy 60 event schedule for an exciting 2021 season..

For all the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour info visit www.uscsracing.com or like and follow the USCS Racing Facebook page. USCS is also on Twitter @uscsracing

The 2021 and 25th Anniversary USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National ALL RACE Schedule (As of 11/23/2020)

Month_Day/Date_Track_City/Town
FEBRUARY
FRI 5 Hendry County Motorsports Park, Clewiston, FL
SAT 6 Hendry County Motorsports Park, Clewiston, FL
FRI 19 Southern Raceway, Milton, FL
SAT 20 Southern Raceway, Milton, FL
FRI 26 Hattiesburg Speedway, Hattiesburg, MS
SAT 27 Magnolia Motor Speedway, Columbus, MS
MARCH
FRI 5 Chatham Speedway, Chatham, LA
SAT 6 Chatham Speedway, Chatham, LA
FRI 12 North Alabama Speedway, Tuscumbia, AL
SAT 13 North Alabama Speedway, Tuscumbia, AL
FRI 26 Lexington 104 Speedway, Lexington, TN
SAT 27 TBA
APRIL
FRI 9 Carolina Speedway, Gastonia, NC
SAT 10 Cherokee Speedway, Gaffney, SC

FRI 23 Talladega Short Track, Eastaboga, AL 25th Anniversary
SAT 24 Talladega Short Track, Eastaboga, AL Celebration Event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  
Super Rookie Conner Leoffler garnered 2020 USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series Championship

Atlanta, GA – November 24, 2020 – Sixteen-year-old USCS National “Rookie of the Year”, Conner Leoffler from Myrtle Beach South, Carolina claimed the USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series title during the series 2020 and 24th anniversary season. Leoffler rode two stops in the www.RockAuto.com USCS Victory Lane after victories plus seven top five and thirteen top ten finishes during the USCS Southern Thunder Tours’ thirteen events to the regional series Championship.

The talented first year winged sprint car driver bested seventy-six different drivers during the thirteen USCS Southern Thunder events that averaged 23 driver entries per event who competed for the title during the Covid-19 shortened 2020 USCS Southern Thunder regional series schedule. Leoffler also finished in the runner-up spot for the National title just 41 points shy of the crown behind defending and 13-time USCS National Champion Terry Gray. Leoffler’s three trips to the www.rockauto.com  USCS Victory Lane were the third most series wins for drivers competing in USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour events during the 2020 season. The young gun (Leoffler) additionally finished in fourth position in the tough USCS Mid-South regional series standings at season’s end as well.

Veteran points chaser and the 2020 and 13-time USCS National Champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee finished fifty-one points behind Leoffler in second place in the final USCS Southern Thunder regional standings. In addition to his 2020 National crown, Gray finished in the runner-up spot in the competitive USCS Mid-South regional series as well.
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Kyle Amerson from Montgomery, Alabama claimed the third spot in the final 2020 USCS Southern Thunder regional series standings. Amerson picked up his first two career-wins in United Sprint Car Series competition during 2020 Southern Thunder regional series competition. He won the prestigious Randy Helton Memorial Race at famed Dixie Speedway in July and then parked in the www.RockAuto.com USCS Victory Lane at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, South Carolina in September. Amerson, who is a medical student was a no=show early in the season at one event or maybe would have finished higher, but, his two wins, six top five and nine top ten finishes during 2020 had to go down as his best ever season in the USCS Southern Thunder Tour competition. He will be one to watch in the future.

Mallie Shuster from Newville, Pennsylvania finished fourth in the USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series point standings. He competed in every event in that series and had enough top ten finishes and points awarded via his USCS Hoosier Speed Dash finishes in the series to gather enough points to garner a highlighted spot on the season. He also finished fourth in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National point standings. He also grabbed a top ten spot in the USCS Mid-South regional series in sixth place.

The other half of the Dad and Son Race Team, Jim Shuster also from Shuster Newville, Pennsylvania finished fifth in the USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series final 2020 season point standings. He also competed in every event in that series and had enough top ten finishes and points awarded via the USCS Hoosier Speed Dash finishes in the series to garner that spot on the season. He also finished in third place in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National 2020 final point standings. He also grabbed a top ten spot in the USCS Mid-South regional series in seventh place.

The 2012 USCS National Rookie of the Year, Jeff Willingham from Ripley, Mississippi finished in sixth place in the USCS Southern Thunder regional series after the 2020 season points were totaled. Willingham ended the Covid-19 shortened season in fifth place in the USCS National point standings to keep up a string of at least five years in the top five of the National point standings. He finished in eighth place in the other USCS regional series, the USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour.

National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 2015 Inductee Danny Smith from Chillicothe, Ohio finished behind Willingham in seventh place in the standings. The Midwest veteran sprint car racer had seven top ten finishes to go with his three top five finishes but missed several events due to sponsor commitments at his home track in Ohio or he would have ranked higher. Smith did also finish in ninth place in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters season 2020 final point standings.

Terry Witherspoon from Jacksonville, Florida finished the 2020 season ranked eighth in the USCS Southern Thunder point standings. Witherspoon competed in enough USCS 2020 events to finish 13th out of 144 competitors in the final USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National point standings.

Mark Smith who competed in 15o of the 20 USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series evets and had eight of his fourteen USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour wins in USCS Mid-South regional series competition. That was good enough to finish in the fifth position in the final USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional series point standings. Mark Smith also finished in ninth place in the other USCS regional sprint car series, the USCS Southern Thunder Tour where he won the first six events and then added two more on Labor Day weekend that were dual region points awarded events. He also garnered a sixth-place finish in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National standings while competing in 29 of the 36 National events.

The sixth positions in the USCS Mid-South regional series standings was earned by Mallie Shuster, both from Newville, Pennsylvania who competed in every 2020 USCS season event regionally and Nationally. In the Southern Thunder Tour regional series Mallie Shuster finished in fourth place. Mallie Shuster also finished in fourth position after 36 completed events Nationally.

Mallie Shuster’s team-mate, Jim Shuster, also from Newville, Pennsylvania finished in the seventh position in the USCS Mid-South regional series. Jim Shuster also finished in fifth place in the USCS Southern Thunder regional series. He had his best United Sprint Car Series effort in the USCS National point standings finishing in the third position competing in all after 36 races.

The “Ripley Rooster”, Jeff Willingham from Ripley, Mississippi, who was the 2012 USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour “Rookie of the Year”, finished in the eighth position during the 2020 season in the USCS Mid-South regional series final standings. Willingham also garnered a fifth-place finish in the 2020 USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National point standings and finished sixth in the USCS Southern Thunder regional series.

USCS Rookie of the Year contender Landon Britt from Atoka, Tennessee finished ninth in the highly competitive USCS Mid-South regional series standings. Landon Britt who previously competed in the Winged 305 Sprint Car division at Riverside International Speedway had seven top ten finishes in USCS Mid-South regional series action. Britt’s efforts were good enough to garner the USCS Mid-South Thunder regional series Rookie of the Year award.
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Another 2020 USCS Rookie of the Year contender, Eric Gunderson from Canton, Georgia completed the top ten in the USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour point standings. Gunderson who had no sprint car experience prior to running just a few races in 2019, showed marked improvement throughout the 2020 season and was impressive at the USCS Flip Flop event at Riverside International Speedway on November 6th and 7th. He finished just out of the top ten in the USCS Southern Thunder regional series and in the National standings, where he was just out of the top ten in the 11th place in both standings.

Mark Smith from Sunbury, Pennsylvania led the wins column in the USCS Mid-South Thunder region with eight wins during 2002 in the series. He was followed by Dale Howard with five 2020 wins in second place. The 2013 USCS National Champion, Derek Hagar from Marion, Arkansas was third during 2020 with three victories. Howard Moore from Memphis, Tennessee won twice in USCS Mid-South competition and 2020 USCS rookie of the Year, Conner Leoffler from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Hayden Martin from Olive Branch, Mississippi both won one USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour even during 2020t.

USCS Founder and President, Pete Walton said ‘We are proud to announce that Dale Howard was able to capture his first USCS title in a USCS series after having a great 2020 season. He proved he is not only one of the Mid-South’s, but one of the Nation’s top 360-winged sprint car drivers.

The complete season schedule and all winners for the 2019 USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters with winners can be found at www.uscsracing.com For rules and other info please visit www.uscsracing.com or call the series office 770-865-6097. We invite you to please follow USCS Racing on Facebook and Twitter as well @uscsracing

Photo/Caption car #22: The 2020 USCS National Rookie of the Year, Conner Leoffler from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina claimed the USCS Southern Thunder regional series and career-first USCS title during 2020. (USCS file photo)
   
USCS 2020 Southern Thunder regional series Final 2020 Point Standings as of November 14, 2020          
Pos. Car# Driver Point
1 22 Connor Leoffler 1931
2 10 Terry Gray 1880
3 29 Kyle Amerson 1721
4 49 Mallie Shuster 1696
5 20 Jim Shuster 1686
6 28 Jeff Willingham 1612
7 4 Danny Smith 1314
8 43 Terry Witherspoon 1220
9 M1 Mark Smith 1219
10 23 Lance Moss 1082
11 7E Eric Gunderson 934
12 47 Dale Howard 914
13 5 Justin Barger 884
14 10M Morgan Turpen 876
15 33 Joe Larkin 842
16 83 Mark Ruel Jr 700
17 97 Dale Day 668
18 5k Jake Karklin 594
19 7 Johnny Bridges 568
20 5 Hayden Campbell 566

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 
Terry Gray claims his 13th USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National Championship in 2020

Atlanta, GA – November 24, 2020 – The defending (2019) United Sprint Car Series Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters Champion Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee added to his massive resume to capture his 13th USCS National Championship during the 2020 season. Gray who has competed regularly with the United Sprint Car Series since the 2001 season and only missed three events during his USCS career used 31 top ten and 7 top five finishes plus points accumulated from the nightly USCS Hoosier Speed Dash to reel in the crown. In addition to the National Championship title he also finished in the runner-up spot in both the USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional series and the USCS Southern Thunder regional series.

Although going winless during the 2020 season for only the second time in the two plus decades he has competed with the USCS he was able to take the point lead in mid-season when early season points leader, Mark Smith missed several races due to a mid-season hiatus. Gray then continued to string together consistent finishes while holding off 2020 National Rookie of the Year, Conner Leoffler’s late season charge for the title. Gray bested Leoffler by a scant 41 points on the final race weekend to capture his 13th title in ten seasons competing in the United Sprint Car Series. Gray had to best a total of 150 different driver entries during the 2020 season to wear the series 24th season crown.

The 2020 USCS National Rookie of the Year and USCS Southern Thunder regional series Champion, 16-year-old Conner Leoffler from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina finished in the runner-up spot in the final USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National point standings just 41 points behind Terry Gray for the title. Leoffler had 28 top 10 finishes, 14 top 5 finishes and three wins to garner the second position in the standings. The top 2020 USCS Rookie driver was the 2020 Champion of the USCS Southern Thunder regional series. He also garnered the fourth position in the highly competitive USCS Mid-South region final point standings. Leoffler was also a three-time USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour feature winner. He is the first Rookie USCS competitor to ever win multiple main events in their first season competing in the series. Leoffler’s three trips to the www.rockauto.com USCS Victory Lane were the third most series wins for drivers competing in the 36 USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour events during the 2020 season.

Newcomer to the United Sprint Car Series in 2020, Jim Shuster, from Newville, Pennsylvania finished in the third position in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National point standings after competing in all 36 races. Jim Shuster also finished in fifth place in the USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series. He finished the 2020 Covid-19 shortened season in sixth position in the Mid-South regional series.

Mallie Shuster, the other half of the Dad and Boy Race Team, who is also from Newville, Pennsylvania finished in fourth position after 36 completed events in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National Championship point standings. Mallie Shuster also finished in fourth place the USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series. He also earned enough points in the tough USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional series point standings to finish seventh in the USCS Mid-South regional series standings.

The “Ripley Rooster”, Jeff Willingham from Ripley, Mississippi, who was the 2012 USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour “Rookie of the Year” garnered a fifth-place finish in the 2020 USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National point standings. This was his fifth year in a row to finish in the top five of the National point standings. Willingham finished sixth in the USCS Southern Thunder regional series standings and additionally finished in the eighth position during the 2020 season in the USCS Mid-South regional series final standings.

Mark Smith from Sunbury, Pennsylvania garnered a sixth-place finish in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National standings while competing in 27 of the 36 National events. Smith, who led the series in wins during the 2020 season with 14 stops in the www.RockAuto.com USCS Victory Lane after those victories had 2 top five and 25 top ten finishes including the wins. He led the series National point standings through the July 4th weekend then competed in only half of the events in the latter half of the season due to unforeseen circumstances.

Mark Smith competed in 15 of the 20 USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional series events and had eight of his fourteen USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour wins in USCS Mid-South regional series competition. That was good enough to finish in the fifth position in the final USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional series point standings. Mark Smith also finished in ninth place in the USCS Southern Thunder Tour where he won the first six events. He then added two more on Labor Day weekend that were dual region points awarded events.

Dale Howard from Byhalia, Mississippi finished the 2020 season in seventh place in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National point standings after competing in 26 of the 36 National points events. Howard was the second winningest driver in the series during the 2020 season with six victories in USCS competition. He focused his primary effort on the USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional series title and it paid off as he is the 2020 USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional series Champion, The USCS Mid-South regional series Championship title is Howard’s first ever USCS series Championship and should be noted that this title is for the Championship of the tough USCS Mid-South regional series where Howard secured five of his six 2020 season wins.

Two-time (2015 and 2016) USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National Champion and two-time USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional series Champion, Morgan Turpen from Somerville, Tennessee finished in the eighth position in the 2020 USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National point standings. Turpen, like Dale Howard, ran less than the full National title schedule competing in 26 of the National Championship events. She did compete in all 20 of the USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour reginal series events and claimed the runner-up spot in the Mid-South standings just 62 points back. The USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour title chase was not decided until the final points event during the USCS Flip Flop 50 at Riverside International Speedway on November 7th.

The USCS Veteran Midwest and Worldwide sprint car racer and National Sprint Car Hall of Fame 2015 inductee Danny Smith from Chillicothe, Ohio finished in ninth place in the USS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National Championship point standings. Danny Smith competed in 26 USCS National events during the 2020 season and had 18 top ten and 10 top five finishes. He also had a seventh-place finish in the USS Southern Thunder Tour regional series point standings.
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Kyle Amerson from Montgomery, Alabama competed the top ten drivers in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National point standings. Amerson had a career-best season in sprint car racing while picking up his first two career-wins in United Sprint Car Series competition during the 2020 Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters season. He won the prestigious Randy Helton Memorial Race at famed Dixie Speedway in Woodstock, Georgia in July and then parked in the www.RockAuto.com USCS Victory Lane again at Cherokee Speedway in Gaffney, South Carolina in September. Amerson, who is a medical student was a no-show early in the season at one event or maybe would have finished higher, but, his two wins, six top five and nine top ten finishes during 2020 had to go down as his best ever season in the USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series competition where he claimed the third spot in the final 2020 USCS Southern Thunder regional series standings. He will most certainly be one to watch in the future.

Another 2020 USCS Rookie of the Year contender, Eric Gunderson from Canton, Georgia who had no sprint car experience prior to running just a few races in 2019 completed the top ten in the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National Championship point standing. Mid-South Thunder Tour point standings. Gunderson showed marked improvement throughout the 2020 season and was impressive at the USCS Flip Flop event at Riverside International Speedway on November 6th and 7th. He also finished just out of the top ten in the USCS Southern Thunder regional series and in the National standings, where he was just out of the top ten in the 11th place in both standings.

Mark Smith from Sunbury, Pennsylvania led the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters Thunder region wins column during the 2020 season with fourteen wins in the series. He was followed by Dale Howard with six 2020 wins in second place. The 2020 USCS Rookie of the Year and USCS Southern Thunder Tour regional series Champion, Conner Leoffler and 2013 USCS National Champion, Derek Hagar from Marion, Arkansas were tied for third during 2020 with three victories each. Howard Moore from Memphis, Tennessee won twice as did Kyle Amerson, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr from Mooresville, North Carolina. Danny Martin, Jr. from Sarasota, Florida, Eric Riggins, Jr. from Charlotte, North Carolina, Justin Barger from Denver, North Carolina and Hayden Martin from Olive Branch, Mississippi each won one time during the 2020 and 24th anniversary USCS season.

USCS Founder and President, Pete Walton said ‘We are proud to announce that veteran USCS competitor Terry Gray from Bartlett, Tennessee captured his 13th USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters National Championship title in a USCS series after having a great 2020 season. He proved once again that he is one of the Nation’s top 360-winged sprint car drivers.”

The complete 2020 season schedule for the USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters with winners can be found at www.uscsracing.com For rules and other info please visit www.uscsracing.com or call the series office 770-865-6097. We invite you to please follow USCS Racing on Facebook and Twitter as well @uscsracing

Photo/Caption car #10: Veteran USCS competitor Terry Gray from Bartlett, TN claimed his 13th USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour National title during 2020. (USCS file photo)

USCS Outlaw Thunder Tour presented by K&N Filters Final
2020 National Championship Point Standings after 36 events:
  
Pos. Car# Driver Point
1 10 Terry Gray 4950
2 22 Connor Leoffler 4910
3 20 Jim Shuster 4319
4 49 Mallie Shuster 4296
5 28 Jeff Willingham 4135
6 M1 Mark Smith 4092
7 47 Dale Howard 3628
8 10m Morgan Turpen 3549
9 4 Danny Smith 3507
10 29 Kyle Amerson 3227
11 7E Eric Gunderson 2906
12 10L Landon Britt 2422
13 43 Terry Witherspoon 2322
14 17 Alex Lyles 1834
15 13 Chase Howard 1773
16 29 Jeff Oliver 1763
17 44 Ronny Howard 1700
18 5 Justin Barger 1661
19 14 Jordon Mallett 1571
20 67 Hayden Martin 1478

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Dale Howard claims USCS Mid-South Thunder Tour regional series Championship in 2020