The American Sprint Car Series has long been synonymous with Sprint Car racing at the grassroots level, and that remained evident this season week in and week out at dirt tracks across the nation.
More than 80 races were contested in 2024 across seven regional tours under the ASCS banner. In the end, six drivers hoisted a championship trophy, five of them doing so for the first time.
For the weekend warriors of the sport, earning the right to call themselves an ASCS champion will always be their proudest achievement as a race car driver. For others, their success this year could open the door to continue climbing the open-wheel ladder.
Here are your 2024 American Sprint Car Series regional champions:
Kelly Miller (Frontier Region, Northern Plains Region)
If you were wondering why there’s a discrepancy between the number of series and the number of champions, there’s a good reason for that – Kelly Miller.
The Stirling, AB driver took home his first Frontier Region title in 2023 and was back in 2024 looking for more. Six wins in 13 races on the way to a championship was going to be tough to beat, but Miller found a way to do that with not one, but two championships in one year.
“It’s pretty cool to get two out of one year,” Miller said. “It’s a pretty big milestone in my career.”
On the Northern Plains side, Miller began the season in less-than-ideal fashion when he started from the back at Casper Speedway and was only able to salvage a ninth-place result. That turned out to be the only blemish on an otherwise dominant season in which Miller won six times in the remaining 10 races with no finishes worse than fifth.
Meanwhile with the Frontier Region, Miller got off to a hot start with three podiums in the first four races to take the early points lead. As the summer wore on and the consistent finishes kept rolling in, a double-up looked more and more possible with each passing week.
“I think it was right around Knoxville, Belgrade time, they had some races fall off the Frontier deal,” Miller said. “That’s what kind of triggered in that it was possible. Mid-summertime, mid-season, it looked like it was possible.”
With the 2025 season fast approaching, Miller said his exact schedule is still up in the air, but he plans to continue being the man to beat each weekend across the region.
“Being the way we are and how we operate, it’s hard to drive past a racetrack that’s running to go race somewhere else,” Miller said. “Being up in Canada, our schedule will kind of revolve around what’s happening closer to home first before going off in other directions. I think our main focus is just to have fun to be honest with you. Forget all the points and politics and chasing championships and whatever else, it just adds a little stress to something that’s stressful enough as it is.”
Adam Trimble (Western Plains Region)
You only have one chance to win the first one, and in the newly-formed ASCS Western Plains Region, that title went to Pueblo, CO’s Adam Trimble at the conclusion of the inaugural season.
Trimble kicked off the year at El Paso County Raceway in April by taking the checkers in the opener against a strong field that included national-level drivers like Sammy Swindell, Zach Blurton, Bryan Gossel and Austyn Gossel. His performance that night set the tone for the remainder of the year, which saw Trimble go a perfect six-for-six in podium finishes with the Series.
“Kind of crazy how it all worked out,” Trimble said. “Jeff gave me a call earlier in the year, and we kind of agreed on running a handful of races and just going and having some fun. Before you know it, the first race we went to we ended up winning. Won another one and then another one and things just got on a real good track.”
Trimble’s streak of success continued all the way through to the final two races of the year at El Paso County, which saw Trimble win twice more at the same place he started the year in Victory Lane to lock up the title.
“It was obviously very successful, and to put it all together and run consistently well means a lot to us,” Trimble said. “Now having my name as winning an ASCS regional race as well as getting the championship, it’s absolutely top of the list so far.”
However, the Sprint Car only represents half of Trimble’s racing endeavors – he also picked up six Midget wins in 2024 with the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association on his way to a runner-up in those standings. Between the two cars, Trimble raced more than ever this season, which he said was a key reason behind his uptick in success.
“It definitely helps. The more that you race, the more comfortable you become, you kind of figure out the cars,” Trimble said. “Whether we raced the Sprint Car the most or the Midget the most, just getting to the racetrack pretty consistently I think helped quite a bit in making things more fluid. Mark and Jeff kind of know now what I like in a race car and same thing for me, I know what they want in a race car.”
As for his 2025 plans, Trimble said he plans to make a run at back-to-back Western Plains Region titles, while also squeezing in some marquee events in both cars, starting with his second trip to the Chili Bowl Nationals.
“The whole Chili Bowl thing kind of just worked out for us,” Trimble said. “We weren’t necessarily planning on running it, but a handful of things came together. Obviously, we’ve done really well this season, and we thought ‘well, maybe we should go give it a shot.’
“As far as the 2025 season is concerned, some more of the same stuff going on. We’re planning on running some of the ASCS regional stuff as well as with RMMRA here in Colorado and surrounding areas. We’re really excited for the deal at Garden City, the Xtreme Series and the RMMRA partnered up to do that two-day show there, so I think that’s going to be a lot of fun. And then we’re going to kind of sprinkle in some national-type shows. Some ASCS National shows, some Xtreme shows or even some USAC shows. Try to get just a little more exposure, different racetracks and some more seat time for me and all that good stuff.”
Casey Wills (Sooner Region)
As one of the oldest tours under the ASCS banner, the Sooner Region has long been known as the place where Oklahoma’s finest Sprint Car talent make a name for themselves. The list of past champions includes plenty of names who went on to have success on the National Tour and beyond, including the likes of Sam Hafertepe Jr., Matt Covington, Kevin Ramey, Danny Jennings and more.
This year, Sperry, OK’s Casey Wills joined that list as a first-time Sooner Region champion.
“It’s probably the second time I’ve ran for points in my whole life,” Wills said. “It feels good to run a complete season instead of hit-and-miss.”
Given the tour’s location in the home state of the ASCS, the Sooner Region saw more co-sanctioned races with the National Tour than any other region in 2024. That meant drivers like Wills had to fend off the best 360 Sprint Car teams in the nation night after night, which forced him to continuously step up his game to keep up.
“At the first of the year I was in left field running with the National guys,” Wills said. “Seemed like we finished a lot stronger, that’s for sure.”
The stat sheet supports that claim, as Wills went on his best stretch of the year with three-straight top 10s at Creek County Speedway, 81 Speedway and Enid Speedway in August and September.
With his first championship under his belt in his first full season with the Series, the goal for 2025 is simple – becoming the fifth driver to win multiple Sooner Region titles.
“I’ll just run the Sooner and the regional National races,” Wills said. “I like going to West Memphis, RPM. That’s about as far as I want to drive.”
RJ Miller (Elite Non-Wing)
Thanks to a Series-leading four top fives in seven starts, RJ Miller earned the title of the only Non-Wing champion in the ASCS family in 2024 with his first ASCS Elite Non-Wing Series championship.
Much like several of his fellow regional champions, the title came in his first attempt at chasing a points title as a Sprint Car driver, which made the achievement all the more impressive.
“I’d like to say it’s the top thing, but I’ve never really been a points racer,” Miller said. “It’s definitely my biggest accomplishment overall.”
Similar to Wills and the Sooner Region field, Miller had to battle the top talent in the country in the closing stages of his championship run, as the final three races of the season were co-sanctioned events with the USAC National Sprint Cars. Miller held his own against them though, making the Feature on two out of the three nights with a best finish of 15th at Texarkana 67 Speedway.
“It definitely improves it, you kind of get an idea of where you are,” Miller said regarding how his program improves when racing on the national stage. “Whenever you run against the same guys all the time, you kind of get in a groove of knowing what your competition is. But whenever you face the national guys, it really shows you where you need to improve.”
As for next year’s plans, Miller said he plans to defend his Elite Non-Wing crown while also doing some more traveling in an effort to grow his program even further.
“I should run the whole Series,” Miller said. “I do plan on venturing out a little more, I have my eyes set on actually going to Indiana Midget Week if I can get everything together by then, which I should. That’s kind of in the works; I’ve always wanted to go up there and just try that out.”
Marcus Thomas (Elite Outlaw Sprints)
Not only does the ASCS Elite Outlaw Sprint Series wear the badge of being the only 410 Sprint Car tour under the ASCS umbrella, but it also saw the closest championship battle out of all of them.
When the 13-race tour was complete, Marcus Thomas found himself narrowly in front of 2023 champion Austin Mundie in his quest for his first Series title.
After a sluggish spring, Thomas found his groove in June with runner-up finishes at Heart O’ Texas Speedway and Big O Speedway on back-to-back nights. But with Mundie trailing close behind, Thomas knew that winning races was the only way to solidify his lead in the razor-tight battle.
Two months later at Kennedale Speedway Park, Thomas finally broke through for that elusive first win of the year and the fourth of his career with the Series. Mundie was able to gain ground with three top fives in the final three races while Thomas trailed further back, but it wasn’t enough to catch up, as Thomas came out on top by seven points to lock up his first Elite Outlaw Sprints championship.
Lane Whittington (Hurricane Area Super Sprints)
When the 17-race ASCS Hurricane Area Super Sprints tour – the longest of any of the seven regions – wrapped up at Deep South Speedway in October, it was Lane Whittington alone at the top as a first-time Series champion.
Whittington beat out fellow Denham Springs, LA driver Jake Brashier to the title by 110 points. The 2024 season saw plenty of variety in Victory Lane with 11 different drivers winning at least once. The fact that Whittington was the lone full-timer to win more than one race turned out to be a key factor behind his triple-digit points lead at the end.
After kickstarting the year in impressive fashion with a Dash appearance against the National Tour at Super Bee Speedway, Whittington won for the first time on the opening night of a Memorial Day weekend doubleheader at Deep South. A runner-up to Kyle Amerson followed one night later, giving the No. 9 team plenty of momentum heading into the summer months.
A month later, Whittington put on a dominant show at Pike County Speedway, leading every lap on his way to his second win of the year. With a commanding lead on top of the standings, two more top fives in the closing weeks of the season was all he needed to wrap up his first championship in his first full season on the HASS trail.
The 2025 season kicks off with the American Sprint Car Series’ first appearance in the Federated Auto Parts DIRTcar Nationals at Volusia Speedway Park on Jan. 30-Feb. 1. Get your tickets here, or catch all the action live on DIRTVision if you can’t make it to the track.
Stay tuned for the release of the full 2025 schedules for the ASCS National Tour as well as all regional tours in the coming weeks.
ASCS PR
