By Lauren Stewart

The United States Auto Club AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series wrapped up the Eastern Storm on Sunday -- and it was one for the record books with five different winners in five nights of racing. This is the first time that has happened since the sprint car series started its annual trek to Pennsylvania 11 years ago. 

Brady Bacon, Kevin Thomas Jr., Thomas Meseraull, Chris Windom, and Tyler Courtney all picked up wins while in the Keystone State.

Windom claimed the overall Eastern Storm title by proving consistency is key. Over the course of five races, he had an impressive average finish of 4.2. He credited his team for the success, noting how much work goes into a week of racing. 

Windom recalled how his guys worked in the hotel parking lot in the extreme heat and thanked them for all of their tireless work. He touched on what makes Eastern Storm stand out from the rest of the USAC schedule. Other than Indiana Sprint Week, there isn't a more grueling stretch of races on the USAC National Sprint Car schedule. Racing in Pennsylvania is a little different than racing back home in Indiana. 

For the team members, the ones who are usually behind the scenes, the biggest difference is where the work is done. A majority of teams stay at the same hotel in Mechanicsburg, a central location for the five tracks visited during the week. Gates open later in Pennsylvania, compared to Indiana, so most of the work is done in the hotel parking lot. It creates a sort of "old school" feel that doesn't happen very often anywhere else. 

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On Saturday morning, I walked outside to the hotel parking lot, and there were a number of teams working and hanging out together -- Chad Boespflug, Tyler Courtney, and Windom. It wasn't just crew guys and drivers outside, though. Fans were everywhere, which provided a level of accessibility that can only be found at this level of racing and that one doesn't see in any other part of the country. 

That brings me to the most important part of Eastern Storm: the fans. I am a firm believer that Pennsylvania sprint car fans are the most passionate in the sport. They truly embrace the non-wing sprint cars for this one week every year. Seeing it in person is something special for them, and getting a chance to interact with those fans is special for the drivers.

These fans know how to support a driver. Whether it's buying a T-shirt, stopping by at the end of the night to get an autograph and a picture, or just a simple "thank you for coming"… they do it all, and they do it well. 

Yes, the racing is great. Yes, the non-wing cars get to visit tracks that are predominantly winged sprint car venues. But the reason Eastern Storm has been so successful for 11 years and continues to grow bigger and better every year is fan support.

With support like this, I think it's safe to say that Eastern Storm will be on the USAC schedule for years to come. 

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