Bubba Raceway Park has produced just a single winner after making its debut on the schedule one year ago. But now the Ocala, Fla. venue will host numerous drivers who have produced a chunk of victories throughout their USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget careers.

Watch 2020 Winter Dirt Games LIVE!

Feb. 7-8 | 6:30PM ET

To be exact, nine previous winners are expected to compete in this year’s series opener on February 7-8 at the 3/8-mile D-shaped track. While Mel Kenyon’s 111 career wins are practically insurmountable for any current series driver for the time being, there are current standouts on the win list who can reach their own personal milestones in 2020.

Two-time USAC National Midget champion Jerry Coons, Jr. ranks with the most victories among the batch of expected entrants for the 2020 Winter Dirt Games openers in Ocala.  The Tucson, Ariz. native currently stands at 19 victories, tied with Stan Fox, Kyle Larson and Jason Leffler for 33^rd all-time.

One more win with the series by Coons would equal him with the great A.J. Foyt and would also place him on another exclusive list alongside Bobby Unser as only the second driver to win USAC feature events in five decades, the first of which for Coons came during a USAC Arizona Regional Midget event at Raven Raceway in 1987.  Coons has padded his stats with numerous USAC National victories in Midgets, Sprints and Silver Crown cars since the 1996 season.

Two past USAC National Midget champions Tanner Thorson (2016) and 2019 Ocala sweeper Tyler Courtney (2019) are knotted up at 13 series victories apiece.  Both Thorson (Minden, Nev.) and Courtney (Indianapolis, Ind.) can make up substantial ground on the series win list with their next, which would move them into the top-50 all-time if they were to get to win number 14 and equal a trio of names from the early days of USAC – Chuck Arnold, Jack Turner and Leroy Warriner.

Watch 2020 Winter Dirt Games LIVE!

Feb. 7-8 | 6:30PM ET

Likewise, Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Logan Seavey can scale up another story on the all-time series win list with a single victory.  Both currently stand at six USAC National Midget feature triumphs apiece.  One more would move Thomas (Cullman, Ala.) and Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) over the threshold into the top-100 all-time and into the seven-win club along with the likes of Tommy Astone, Jack Hewitt, Don Horvath, Page Jones, Kenneth Nichols, Larry Patton, Les Scott, Len Sutton and Johnnie Tolan.

Four additional drivers have all racked up their initial wins with the series in the last year-and-a-half and appear to be capable of quickly rising up to secure more tallies in the win column on any given night.  While he only plans on competing with the series on a part-time basis in 2020, Zeb Wise (Angola, Ind.) is always a threat to win and currently stands at four victories, including three in the last year.

Chris Windom earned each of his two victories just this past summer after having to wait until his 102^nd career series start at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway in June of 2019.  It only took about another month-and-a-half to reach win number two and the Canton, Ill. driver shall be a top contender once again this year to add onto his total.

Watch 2020 Winter Dirt Games LIVE!

Feb. 7-8 | 6:30PM ET

Cannon McIntosh and Tanner Carrick were each first-time USAC National Midget victors a year ago and will be prime contenders, like Windom, to tack on first place finishes in the coming year along with series returnees Jesse Colwell, Cole Bodine and Andrew Layser or newcomers Robert Dalby, Daison Pursley, Buddy Kofoid and several others.

You can’t begin to rise up the win list without getting a first one and this group is highly capable.  But they’ll have some of the series greats, veterans and rising talents to contend with on a nightly basis.  Last year proved to be the most balanced season in terms of the different number of winners in over a decade with 14 reaching victory lane.  This season appears as if it very well could shake out in the same manner.  Only time will tell.