TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The first of Kevin Thomas Jr.’s 16 career USAC Silver Crown starts came at Terre Haute Action Track in 2015, and the famed half-mile dirt track will also play host to Thomas’ debut with a new team.
Thomas, a native of Cullman, Ala., will contest the 100-lap Sumar Classic in Sam Pierce’s No. 26 on May 27.
The ride has been synonymous with driver Aaron Pierce over the past decade-and-a-half, but Thomas, a 29-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series winner, will take over the wheel of the ride for the 19th edition of the Sumar Classic.
Seeking his first career USAC Silver Crown triumph after five runner-up finishes between 2018-’19, Thomas is eager to find Silver Crown victory lane for the first time and feels his pairing with Pierce gives him a great shot.
“I think this is a good opportunity for me,” Thomas said. “They’ve got really good stuff, good engine, good chassis, good mechanics, and everybody that works on them at the shop throughout the week is good, as well as Davey (Jones) on the weekends. I think it’s as good of a shot of any that I’ve had. I’ve had some pretty good rides and just haven’t got the deal done yet.
“I think if there’s an opportunity to do it again, I’m in that one.”
Many of Thomas Jr.’s most memorable USAC moments in USAC have come with Davey Jones serving as his crew chief, including two victories in the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series last year. However, the Sumar Classic will mark the first time Thomas and Jones, the 2019 USAC Chief Mechanic of the Year, will work together in USAC Silver Crown Series competition.
“I assume it would be like anything else,” Thomas noted. “He’s a pretty intelligent dude when it comes to race cars; he’ll get it figured out. Just like the sprint car side, we struggled a little bit and got some things figured out. I don’t think Silver Crown will be any different between him and me. We have good communication between the two of us and, whenever it comes down to at-track scenarios, I think we jell pretty good.”
Thomas has won twice with the USAC National Sprint Car Series at Terre Haute, in both 2013 and 2017. His lone Silver Crown performance at the track resulted in a 10th-place run back in 2015.
Silver Crown cars, compared to a sprint car, are heavier, hold a lot more fuel and the race distance of 100 laps is more than three times longer than a 30-lap sprint car race around Terre Haute.
Thomas feels the experience he has allows him to compensate for those particular differences.
“It’s just a race car,” Thomas said. “You just get out there and drive it, and whatever it gives you, it gives you, and if you can win the race, go do that. I think the Silver Crown cars on the half-mile tracks are pretty good for us, and whenever you get Davey and I together on the communication side, it’s good for us.
“We’ll go out there, give it our best and try to win the race.”