BECHTELSVILLE, Pa. — Eastern Midget Week for the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series will kick off Wednesday night at Action Track USA.
The four-night run through Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Aug. 5-8, is another piece to the puzzle in crowning this year’s USAC National Midget Series champion, following Indiana Midget Week in mid-June and Mid-America Midget Week in July.
Eastern Midget Week was originally scheduled to begin with the Ken Brenn Midget Masters event at Grandview Speedway on Aug. 4, showcasing the USAC National Midget Series in a doubleheader with the NASCAR 358 modifieds, but that race was called off early due to the advances of Tropical Storm Isaias and a dismal forecast for Tuesday evening.
Following Kutztown, Eastern Midget Week heads to Bridgeport Speedway in Swedesboro, N.J., on Thursday, and Path Valley Speedway Park in Spring Run, Pa., on Friday before concluding at Lanco’s Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Newmanstown, Pa., on Saturday night.
It’s a mini-series that has been plagued by rain over the years, with only two of the previous five editions featuring more than two races completed.
Former driver Chad Boat, now a winning car owner with the NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series, is the leading USAC Eastern Midget Week winner with four victories.
In all, seven drivers have won features during the 14 Eastern Midget Week races over the past five years, including Boat, Zeb Wise, Rico Abreu, Tanner Thorson and current NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series point leader Chris Windom.
While a weeklong champion has never been crowned for Eastern Midget Week, Tyler Courtney would have unofficially taken top honors last year with a perfect record of five top-five finishes in five features.
Using the standard USAC points system, which is also utilized during Indiana Midget Week, Courtney would have secured the 2019 USAC Eastern Midget Week title by 27 points over runner-up Chris Windom.
Despite Courtney’s consistency during Eastern Midget Week last year, he’s never won a feature during the Northeastern swing.
USAC Eastern Midget Week begins Wednesday night at Action Track USA, with pit gates swinging open at 3 p.m. and grandstand gates following suit at 4:30 p.m.
Adult general admission tickets at Kutztown are $25, with seniors $22, children between ages six and 12 admitted for $10, and kids ages five and under getting in free.
Pit passes are $35.