Speedway, Indiana (December 10, 2024)………Wyatt Burks is the 2024 USAC Wholesale Batteries Midwest Wingless Racing Association Sprint Car champion. If that sounds familiar to you, it’s because it is!
In 2020, 2022, 2023 and now 2024, the driver known as “The Sheriff” shot down the competition to be crowned USAC MWRA champion for the fourth time in the past five seasons after also winning the Iowa Sprint League title in 2019.
For those keeping score, that’s three-in-a-row for the Topeka, Kansas native, and while his 2024 campaign resulted in only a single victory in May at Missouri’s Electric City Speedway, consistency was the key as he led all drivers in terms of top-fives (10), top-tens (11) and heat race wins (5) on the 13-race slate to score the championship by a 170-point margin.
“We’ve been fortunate to win it the last three years,” the 29-year-old Burks remarked. “This year, we didn’t have the greatest season, and we tried some new cars at the beginning of the year and struggled with them. We went back to the Triple X (chassis) in the middle of the year and we were pretty decent with a lot of seconds and thirds.”
Toward the end of spring, Burks and team took a couple weeks off to regroup and put their old cars back together to finish out the season, a move which paid off with eight consecutive top-fives to round out the year, including four-straight runner-up finishes in his final four appearances.
Two main factors have been present during his championship run over the past handful of seasons, and every year since Wyatt started racing as a child. The first is Wyatt himself, a smart, driven, and a talented racer and mechanic to boot. The second is his father, Jeff Burks, the 2022 and 2023 USAC MWRA Chief Mechanic of the Year who has the skill set to complement Wyatt’s abilities perfectly.
This combination, along with crew members, family, and friends, has created an infrastructure that perfectly fits together to win championships. Wyatt stands as the winningest driver in USAC MWRA history with 17 scores, and this year’s title pursuit was a sense of both relief and pride with his dad by his side.
“A lot of that comes down to being consistent along with my dad doing a lot of work at the shop,” Burks stated. “Him and I worked our butts off all year long to get here.”
Wyatt’s father competed in karts and his uncle, Donnie Clausen, is a big race fan and supporter of his career. After racing micro sprints extensively, when the time came to move up to a sprint car, Wyatt made the successful transition.
“My parents took me up all the way through the micro scene, but we pretty much knew from there that we couldn’t afford to go any further,” Burks revealed. “My uncle came around and he wanted to buy me a sprint car. He got me into the sprint cars and I’ve been lucky enough to drive for a few people from there on out. Then we’ve been able to keep going through race funds and sponsors, and I’m very grateful for everybody who’s given me these opportunities.”
A plumber by trade, Wyatt has been racing sprint cars for 11 years now, getting his start at the age of 15 behind the wheel of a winged sprint car. After dabbling a bit in 360 c.i. competition, Wyatt had shed the wing by his 18th birthday, dropped in a 410 c.i. engine between the frame rails, and since that point, has never looked back.
In his own Wyatt Burks Racing/Wholesale Batteries - Harris Fabrication - KH Suspension/Triple X/BR Chevy, Burks has only finished outside the top-10 once in the past three seasons with USAC MWRA, and the only reason that occurred was due to flipping while going for the lead in the 2024 opener at Missouri’s Valley Speedway.
Three drivers shared the stat line for most series feature wins on the season by grabbing two victories each. Cody Baker (Lone Jack, Mo.) secured August rounds at Kansas’ Lakeside Speedway during the Weld Memorial and Missouri’s Valley Speedway. Wesley Smith (Nixa, Mo.) collected a pair of early season wins in April at Missouri’s I-70 Motorsports Park and Electric City Speedway. Jack Wagner (Lone Jack, Mo.) annexed Valley Speedway twice in May and again in June while leading all series drivers with 66 laps led.
Six drivers tallied one win apiece on the 2024 USAC MWRA trail, including Kory Schudy (Battlefield, Mo.) on April 6 at Valley Speedway; Braydon Cromwell (Lone Jack, Mo.) on April 19 at Electric City Speedway; Xavier Doney (Odessa, Mo.) on May 10 at Lakeside Speedway and Ricky Lewis (Camarillo, Calif.) closing out the season with a victory in September at Valley Speedway’s Helm Memorial.
Two of those drivers became first time USAC MWRA winners during the season, both of which came at Missouri’s I-35 Speedway. Kobe Simpson (Bonham, Texas) corralled his initial victory in July while Chris Parkinson (Gladstone, Mo.) won for the very first time in what was his 54th career series start in September.
Chris’ father, veteran racer Junior Parkinson (Wichita Falls, Texas), was the lone driver to start all 13 feature events in 2024 en route to a third-place finish in the standings following a best result of third at I-35 in September.
Meanwhile, Dakota Earls (Independence, Mo.) finished a career best second in points. Chad Winfrey (Gladstone, Mo.) slotted into the fourth spot of the final points tally, his third consecutive year ranking inside the top-five. For the first time in his career, Zach Clark (Olathe, Kan.) earned a top-five points finish with series, taking fifth.
Furthermore, five non-points special events were held during the season. Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) and Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) collected each night of the Avanti Windows & Doors Corn Belt Clash in May/June at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway in conjunction with the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship.
Additionally, Wesley Smith captured May’s Open Wheel Showdown at Missouri’s Lucas Oil Speedway. Cody Baker and Mario Clouser (Auburn, Ill.) took each end of the Non-Wing Nationals in August/September at Missouri’s Lake Ozark Speedway. All three of these events were co-sanctioned by the POWRi WAR Sprint Car League.
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR STAT LEADERS:
Driver Champion: Wyatt Burks
Most Wins: 2-Cody Baker, Wesley Smith & Jack Wagner
Most Laps Led: 66-Jack Wagner
Most Top-Fives: 10-Wyatt Burks
Most Top-Tens: 11-Wyatt Burks
Most Heat Race Wins: 5-Wyatt Burks
Most Feature Starts: 13-Junior Parkinson
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR DRIVER POINT STANDINGS:
POS. PTS. DRIVER, HOMETOWN
1. 2010 Wyatt Burks, Topeka, Kan.
2. 1840 Dakota Earls, Independence, Mo.
3. 1735 Junior Parkinson, Wichita Falls, Texas
4. 1710 Chad Winfrey, Gladstone, Mo.
5. 1700 Zach Clark, Olathe, Kan.
6. 1630 Kobe Simpson, Bonham, Texas
7. 1625 Luke Howard, Overland Park, Kan.
8. 1480 Justin Johnson, Parkville, Mo.
9. 1470 Tyler Burton, Independence, Mo.
10. 1385 Wesley Smith, Nixa, Mo.
11. 1245 Cody Baker, Lone Jack, Mo.
12. 1230 Michael Moore, Camden, Mo.
13. 1005 Kory Schudy, Battlefield, Mo.
14. 965 Taylor Walton, Warrensburg, Mo.
15. 905 Tom Curran, Kansas City, Mo.
16. 830 Chad Goff, Spring Hill, Kan.
17. 650 Mark Lane, Grain Valley, Mo.
18. 525 Xavier Doney, Odessa, Mo.
19. 460 Kyle Gorham, Kansas City, Mo.
20. 445 Lance Silvers, Ottumwa, Iowa
21. 390 Brad Wyatt, Kearney, Mo.
22. 230 Bryson Smith, Springfield, Mo.
23. 205 Chris Desselle, Richmond, Mo.
24. 200 Ricky Lewis, Camarillo, Calif.
25. 185 Chase Howard, Nesbit, Miss.
26. 130 Dean Bowers, Knob Noster, Mo.
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINNERS:
Apr 6: Valley Speedway - Grain Valley, MO
WINNER: Kory Schudy (Jon Sawyer Racing #28)
Apr 19: Electric City Speedway - Butler, MO
WINNER: Braydon Cromwell (Mike Cromwell #4)
Apr 20: I-70 Motorsports Park - Odessa, MO
WINNER: Wesley Smith (Wesley Smith Racing #44)
May 4: (SE) Lucas Oil Speedway - Wheatland, MO
WINNER: Wesley Smith (Wesley Smith Racing #44)
May 10: Lakeside Speedway - Kansas City, KS
WINNER: Xavier Doney (Doney-Lawson Racing #74)
May 11: Valley Speedway - Grain Valley, MO
WINNER: Jack Wagner (Jesse Hockett Racing #77)
May 17: Electric City Speedway - Butler, MO
WINNER: Wesley Smith (Brent Lewis Racing #2)
May 18: Electric City Speedway - Butler, MO
WINNER: Wyatt Burks (Wyatt Burks Racing #11w)
May 31: (SE) Knoxville Raceway - Knoxville, IA
WINNER: Justin Grant (TOPP Motorsports #4)
Jun 1: (SE) Knoxville Raceway - Knoxville, IA
WINNER: Daison Pursley (Team AZ Racing #21AZ)
Jun 22: Valley Speedway - Grain Valley, MO
WINNER: Jack Wagner (Jesse Hockett Racing #77)
Jul 6: I-35 Speedway – Winston, MO
WINNER: Kobe Simpson (Kevin Simpson #21K)
Aug 16: Lakeside Speedway - Kansas City, KS
WINNER: Cody Baker (Tribble-Hall Racing #9H)
Aug 24: Valley Speedway - Grain Valley, MO
WINNER: Cody Baker (Tribble-Hall Racing #9H)
Aug 31: (SE) Lake Ozark Speedway - Eldon, MO
WINNER: Cody Baker (Tribble-Hall Racing #9H)
Sep 1: (SE) Lake Ozark Speedway - Eldon, MO
WINNER: Mario Clouser (Mario Clouser Motorsports #6)
Sep 7: I-35 Speedway - Winston, MO
WINNER: Chris Parkinson (Chris Parkinson #65)
Sep 28: Valley Speedway - Grain Valley, MO
WINNER: Ricky Lewis (Stensland Motorsports #41)
(SE) represents a non-point, special event
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS: (FULL POINTS)
2-Cody Baker (Aug 16 at Lakeside Speedway & Aug 24 at Valley Speedway)
2-Wesley Smith (Apr 20 at I-70 Motorsports Park & May 17 at Electric City Speedway)
2-Jack Wagner (May 11 at Valley Speedway & Jun 22 at Valley Speedway)
1-Wyatt Burks (May 18 at Electric City Speedway)
1-Braydon Cromwell (Apr 19 at Electric City Speedway)
1-Xavier Doney (May 10 at Lakeside Speedway)
1-Ricky Lewis (Sep 28 at Valley Speedway)
1-Chris Parkinson (Sep 7 at I-35 Speedway)
1-Kory Schudy (Apr 6 at Valley Speedway)
1-Kobe Simpson (Jul 6 at I-35 Speedway)
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS: (NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENTS)
1-Cody Baker (Aug 31 at Lake Ozark Speedway)
1-Mario Clouser (Sep 1 at Lake Ozark Speedway)
1-Justin Grant (May 31 at Knoxville Raceway)
1-Daison Pursley (Jun 1 at Knoxville Raceway)
1-Wesley Smith (May 4 at Lucas Oil Speedway)
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR FEATURE LAPS LED:
66-Jack Wagner
51-Wyatt Burks
35-Cody Baker
29-Luke Howard
24-Kobe Simpson
23-Ricky Lewis & Kory Schudy
20-Zach Clark
15-Xavier Doney
12-Samuel Wagner
8-Dakota Earls
7-Chris Parkinson
6-Wesley Smith
1-Braydon Cromwell
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR TOP-5 FEATURE FINISHES:
10-Wyatt Burks
6-Kobe Simpson
5-Cody Baker, Wesley Smith & Samuel Wagner
4-Zach Clark & Jack Wagner
3-Braydon Cromwell, Dakota Earls & Kory Schudy
2-Tom Curran, Xavier Doney, Luke Howard, Michael Moore & Taylor Walton
1-Tyler Burton, Chad Goff, Riley Kreisel, Ricky Lewis, Chris Parkinson, Junior Parkinson & Chad Winfrey
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR TOP-10 FEATURE FINISHES:
11-Wyatt Burks
9-Zach Clark & Luke Howard
8-Dakota Earls, Kobe Simpson & Wesley Smith
6-Cody Baker, Junior Parkinson, Samuel Wagner, Taylor Walton & Chad Winfrey
5-Kory Schudy
4-Tom Curran, Chad Goff & Jack Wagner
3-Braydon Cromwell, Justin Johnson, Michael Moore & Chris Parkinson
2-Tyler Burton & Xavier Doney
1-Craig Carroll, Kyle Gorham, Max Grogan, Chase Howard, Garrett Hulsey, Ty Hulsey, Riley Kreisel, Mark Lane, Ricky Lewis, Dusty Murray, Cam Schafer & Brad Wyatt
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR HEAT RACE WINS:
5-Wyatt Burks
4-Cody Baker & Kobe Simpson
3-Zach Clark, Kory Schudy & Jack Wagner
2-Xavier Doney & Michael Moore
1-Braydon Cromwell, Tom Curran, Dakota Earls, Luke Howard, Riley Kreisel, Ricky Lewis, Junior Parkinson, Cam Schafer, Samuel Wagner & Chad Winfrey
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR SEMI-FEATURE WINS:
1-Tom Curran
2024 USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR FEATURE STARTS:
13-Junior Parkinson
12-Wyatt Burks & Chad Winfrey
11-Tyler Burton, Zach Clark, Dakota Earls, Luke Howard, Justin Johnson & Kobe Simpson
10-Michael Moore
9-Wesley Smith
7-Cody Baker & Taylor Walton
6-Tom Curran, Chad Goff, Kory Schudy & Samuel Wagner
5-Mark Lane & Jack Wagner
4-Xavier Doney, Kyle Gorham, Garrett Hulsey, Chris Parkinson, Lance Silvers & Brad Wyatt
3-Danny Billings, Braydon Cromwell & Jared McCarty
2-Chris Desselle, Natalie Doney, Kevin Frisbie, Max Grogan, Chase Howard, Riley Kreisel, Chris Morgan, Cam Schafer, Lane Stone & Chad Tye
1-Quinton Benson, Blake Bowers, Dean Bowers, Craig Carroll, Matt Fox, Ty Hulsey, Ricky Lewis, Dusty Murray, Todd Pratt, Jake Richards & Bryson Smith
ALL-TIME STATISTICS
ALL-TIME USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS: (FULL POINTS EVENTS)
1. [17 wins] Wyatt Burks
2. [12 wins] Wesley Smith
3. [9 wins] Kory Schudy
4. [4 wins] Cody Baker, Luke Howard & Jack Wagner
7. [3 wins] Xavier Doney
8. [2 wins] Braydon Cromwell, Don Droud Jr., Chad Goff & Ricky Lewis
12. [1 win] Ty Hulsey, Chris Parkinson & Kobe Simpson
ALL-TIME USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR FEATURE WINS: (NON-POINTS SPECIAL EVENTS)
1. [3 wins] Cody Baker
2. [2 wins] Wesley Smith
3. [1 win] Brady Bacon, Robert Ballou, Mario Clouser, Justin Grant, Tim Kent, Riley Kreisel, Daison Pursley, Jake Swanson & Brett Wilson
USAC MIDWEST WINGLESS RACING ASSOCIATION SPRINT CAR DRIVER CHAMPIONS:
2020: Wyatt Burks, Topeka, Kansas
2021: Kory Schudy, Battlefield, Missouri
2022: Wyatt Burks, Topeka, Kansas
2023: Wyatt Burks, Topeka, Kansas
2024: Wyatt Burks, Topeka, Kansas
