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The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500. Today, USAC serves as the sanctioning body for a number of racing series, including the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Cars, National Midgets, Speed2 Midget Series, .25 Midget Series, Stadium Super Trucks, and Pirelli World Challenge. Seven-time USAC champion Levi Jones is USAC's

Friday’s Texarkana USAC Sprint Opener Rained Out; $10,000 On the Line Saturday

rainy & wet Texarkana 67 Speedway on Friday night

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Texarkana, Arkansas (September 7, 2024)………Mother Nature claimed the victory during Friday night’s Wingless Short Track Nationals opener at Arkansas’ Texarkana 67 Speedway.


 

Just as the first USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship heat race was lining up, persistent heavy rain came and washed away the remainder of the evening’s racing activity.


 

Before the rain arrived, Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) set a new one-lap USAC track record at the Texarkana 1/4-mile dirt oval. His time of 14.110 seconds in his Dynamics, Inc./Davis Brothers Trucking - Tel-Star Communications/Triple X/Rider Chevy broke the previous record of 14.311, set by Jake Swanson in 2023.


 

Additionally, Bacon’s fast time in the Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying session was the 53rd of his USAC National Sprint Car career, tying him with C.J. Leary for fourth most all-time.


 

The second and final night of the Wingless Short Track Nationals gets underway at Texarkana 67 Speedway on Saturday, September 7. A full racing program will be held for the USAC National Sprint Cars featuring qualifying, heat races, a semi-feature and concludes with a 30-lap feature event paying $10,000-to-win. The front gates will open at 5pm Central with hot laps starting at 7pm.


 


 

=====================


 


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 6, 2024 – Texarkana 67 Speedway – Texarkana, Arkansas – 1/4-Mile Dirt Oval – Co-Sanctioned by the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Sprints


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-14.110; 2. Kevin Thomas Jr., 3R, Rock Steady-14.117; 3. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-14.159; 4. C.J. Leary, 15x, BGE Dougherty-14.160; 5. Mitchel Moles, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-14.171; 6. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-14.250; 7. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-14.271; 8. Daison Pursley, 21AZ, Team AZ-14.283; 9. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-14.297; 10. Kyle Cummins, 3p, Petty-14.327; 11. Kale Drake, 2B, 2B Racing-14.411; 12. Hunter Maddox, 24m, Maddox-14.518; 13. Kobe Simpson, 21K, Simpson-14.521; 14. Chase Howard, 13, Howard-14.526; 15. Justin Zimmerman, #1, Zimmerman-14.628; 16. Jason Howell, 72, Pack Rat-14.827; 17. Paul White, 1, Wade-14.907; 18. Keith Martin, 79, Hall-14.989; 19. Anthony Nicholson, 16, Nicholson-15.111; 20. R.J. Miller, 34, Miller-15.379; 21. Brennon Marshall, 43, Miller-16.042; 22. Ronny Howard, 44, Howard-16.387; 23. Colby Stubblefield, 2, Stubblefield-NT; 24. Rhett Butler, 34R, Butler-NT; 25. Kyle Jones, 79x, Hall-NT.


 

REMAINDER OF EVENT RAINED OUT


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-2429, 2-Brady Bacon-2349, 3-Daison Pursley-2200, 4-C.J. Leary-2183, 5-Kevin Thomas Jr.-2112, 6-Mitchel Moles-2104, 7-Robert Ballou-2054, 8-Justin Grant-1995, 9-Kyle Cummins-1962, 10-Carson Garrett-1548.


 

USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-168, 2-Logan Seavey-146, 3-Robert Ballou-134, 4-C.J. Leary-113, 5-Kyle Cummins-108, 6-Justin Grant-107, 7-Chase Stockon-101, 8-Brady Bacon-99, 9-Kevin Thomas Jr.-96, 10-Joey Amantea-92.


 

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 7, 2024 – Texarkana 67 Speedway – Texarkana, Arkansas – 1/4-Mile Dirt Oval – Co-Sanctioned by the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Sprints


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Hot Laps Fastest Driver: C.J. Leary (14.523)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Brady Bacon (14.110)

 

Cannon Rumbles! McIntosh Masters Angell Park’s Firemen’s Nationals

MONDAY SEPTEMBER 2ND...Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.) celebrates his victory following Monday night's 39th running of the Firemen's Nationals at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin's Angell Park Speedway. (David Nearpass Photo

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (September 2, 2024)………“I saw that trophy Zach (Wigal) was holding last night, and I was like, man, it would be nice to have one of those.”


 

When Cannon McIntosh hopped out of his car in victory lane following Monday night’s 39th Firemen’s Nationals, he embraced the moment, the opportunity, the check and the trophy that he had desired after finishing as the runner-up 24 hours earlier at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin’s Angell Park Speedway.


 

McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.) seized the moment this time around, heisting the lead from Wigal, the previous night’s winner, on the second lap, then stormed to his first victory at the 1/3-mile dirt oval at the controls of his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Gear Wrench – TRD – Mobil 1/LynK/Speedway Toyota.


 

“Last night, we were so close,” McIntosh lamented. “I was running it with everything I had, and I felt like I got to (Wigal) there in traffic. He just got through a little bit better than me. But I was hungry for it tonight. Everyone I talked to before the race today, I told them I was going for it tonight, and that’s what we did. In qualifying, you want to be quick time but when you can qualify around the fifth or sixth spot, it’s huge because you get to start on the front row, and we just went all out from there. It definitely feels better to be back on the top step. Podiums are always great, but wins are amazing.”


 

Dating back to its inaugural edition in 1982, the Firemen’s Nationals features one of the most storied histories in all of midget racing. Boasting a list of past winners that includes eight inductees of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame and 11 USAC National champions, McIntosh is grateful to be the latest name added to the list.


 

With that said, to even have his name attached to a USAC National Midget triumph at Angell Park, well, that’s pretty special for McIntosh.


 

“It means a lot,” McIntosh exclaimed. “Before this weekend, I was watching the highlights from when Jeff Gordon won here (in 1990). He went pretty much four above (the cushion) and that’s all I did tonight.”


 

Cannon’s latest win was his first in USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship competition since opening night in mid-May and was the eighth overall of his career with the series, which puts him in 84th place all-time alongside Brady Bacon, Merle Bettenhausen, Tony Bettenhausen, Hank Butcher, Kevin Doty, Dan Drinan, Ronnie Duman, Brian Gerster, Kenny Irwin Jr., Eddie Johnson, Michael Lewis, Andy Michner and Josh Wise.


 

During the heat races, Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports had foreshadowed their prowess across the board on this particular evening, with KKM drivers Gavin Miller, Ryan Timms and Kale Drake winning each of the three heat races. Not to be left out or undeterred, McIntosh and car owner Keith Kunz formulated a familiar plan of attack for the main event.


 

“Keith and I just thought really hard about what we were going to do, and I gave my input on what I was comfortable with after qualifying and the heat race,” McIntosh relayed. “We just went back to what we did last night. We had done something different in the heat race and we were still good, but with the track work, we went with our gut, and it worked.”


 

McIntosh started the 30-lap feature from the outside of the front row beside pole sitter Thomas Meseraull. However, it was last night’s winner, third-starting Wigal, who surged to the front on the opening lap when he scooted along the bottom of turns three and four to take over where he left off from the night before. Nonetheless, the tables were turned on the second go-around when Wigal entered turn three high, leaving an open path on the bottom for McIntosh to breeze on by and assume the lead.


 

Meanwhile, deep into the field, Logan Seavey was relegated to starting at the back of the pack after a broken pump drive shaft prevented him from recording a qualifying lap. Starting 22nd in the feature, Seavey had advanced five positions up to 17th by lap four but was contacted in the rear bumper by Frankie Guerrini in turn four, sending Seavey spinning backwards into the outside wall, albeit with light contact. Restarting at the tail once more, Seavey ultimately advanced +15 to finish seventh to earn both hard charger and Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Night honors.


 

One lap following the resumption of the race, fifth running Meseraull biked on his entry into turn three, then broadsided the wall, which sent him helicoptering through the air multiple times before landing upside down. Meseraull eventually walked away after the accident, but his heavily damaged ride was towed to the pits with him still sitting in the seat, but officially out of the race.


 

While McIntosh was busy applying the gauntlet on the field to the tune of 1.6 seconds on the ensuing restart, Zach Wigal, Justin Grant and Daison Pursley were running three-wide for second. On the sixth circuit, Pursley slotted ahead of both drivers in a fourth-to-second grab-and-go on the back straight. Wigal, meanwhile, held on with all his might as he half-spun in turn three right in front of Grant, but kept on motoring, still in third, but a long way from the front where McIntosh had established control.


 

The night’s second and final red flag occurred on lap 11 when Frankie Guerrini (15th) cartwheeled four times at the exit of turn four. After the nasty tumble, Guerrini was able to walk away from the wreckage.


 

From halfway on, McIntosh was continuously hounded for the lead by Pursley who could never seem to get within a couple car lengths from the rear bumper of McIntosh. As the top two entered the tail end of the field with seven laps remaining, McIntosh nearly sailed it a little too high in turn four on lap 24, coming within a whisker of nailing the concrete. But it was no harm, no foul as McIntosh rooster-tailed the wall and raced away from Pursley once more, maintaining a 1/2-second lead in the process.


 

“I feel like the car was really good as the race went on and it actually got a little bit tighter as it went on,” McIntosh explained. “I was worried we’d get too free throughout the middle of the race, but the car just came to life as the fuel load kept burning off. I was just watching the laps click off and I saw Daison poke a nose about halfway and I knew I had to give it all from there. I just kept running hard and I didn’t really know what line he was running. Keith (Kunz) said he was keeping it up all the way around, but I stayed with the line I was running. I felt like it was good, and it obviously worked.”


 

All in all, McIntosh couldn’t be touched down the stretch as he closed out a 0.554 second margin of victory over runner-up Daison Pursley with Zach Wigal third, Ryan Timms fourth and Justin Grant rounding out the top-five.


 

Prior to the weekend, Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) had made three career USAC National Midget starts at Angell Park. Those results came in the form of an 8th, 9th and 7th. One night earlier, he came home fifth, but in the weekend finale, he improved to second in his CB Industries/PristineAuction.com – NOS Energy Drink – TRD/Spike/Speedway Toyota.


 

“Our car was good tonight, and I felt like I had to try too many lines late in the race to try and catch Cannon because he was just fast enough in three and four where I couldn’t really gain on him or capitalize on one of his mistakes,” Pursley stated. “It’s just part of midget racing with how fast everybody is right now, but overall, it was a good weekend for the team.”


 

It was a career best weekend for Zach Wigal (Belpre, Ohio). After winning his first career USAC National Midget feature on Sunday night, Wigal finished his first Firemen's Nationals experience with back-to-back podiums. On Monday night, he raced to a third place result at the wheel of his CB Industries/Dave Knost Auto Outlet – S2 Cyber Security/Spike/Speedway Toyota. His 1st and 3rd finishes on back-to-back nights now stand as the two best USAC National Midget performances of his young career so far.


 

“(Car owner) Chad (Boat) had the car super hooked up and we were digging,” Wigal recalled. “It was a super technical track. It’s just super awesome that somebody with as little experience as me can come out and run with the best of the best.”


 

To begin the night, Pursley earned his sixth career USAC National Midget Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifying time. That tied him for 94th on the all-time list along with several drivers. Among them is his car owner, Chad Boat.


 


 

===============


 


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 2, 2024 – Angell Park Speedway – Sun Prairie, Wisconsin – 1/3-Mile Dirt Oval – 39th Firemen’s Nationals


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Daison Pursley, 86, CBI-14.617; 2. Justin Grant, 2, RMS-14.813; 3. Kale Drake, 97K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.813; 4. Zach Wigal, 89, CBI-14.840; 5. Rylan Gray, 87, RMS-14.852; 6. Cannon McIntosh, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.866; 7. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, Engler-14.867; 8. Jacob Denney, 25, Malloy-14.871; 9. Chase McDermand, 40, McDermand-14.874; 10. Jade Avedisian, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.921; 11. Ryan Timms, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.957; 12. Kevin Thomas Jr., 14, 4 Kings-14.957; 13. Gavin Miller, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.963; 14. Zach Daum, 16, Royal-14.995; 15. Ethan Mitchell, 19m, Bundy Built-15.030; 16. Jakeb Boxell, 44, 4 Kings-15.163; 17. Will Armitage, 83, Fatt Right Foot-15.166; 18. Mariah Ede, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-15.167; 19. Frankie Guerrini, 8, Cornell-15.231; 20. Ricky Lewis, 4, 4 Kings-15.248; 21. Adam Taylor, 7T, ATM-15.592; 22. Cameron Weishoff, 55, Weishoff-16.356; 23. Daniel Whitley, 57A, RAB-NT; 24. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-NT.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Gavin Miller, 2. Daison Pursley, 3. Zach Wigal, 4. Thomas Meseraull, 5. Jakeb Boxell, 6. Frankie Guerrini, 7. Cameron Weishoff, 8. Jade Avedisian. NT


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Ryan Timms, 2. Zach Daum, 3. Logan Seavey, 4. Justin Grant, 5. Will Armitage, 6. Jacob Denney, 7. Rylan Gray, 8. Ricky Lewis. 2:04.262


 

T.J. FORGED / CAR IQ THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Kale Drake, 2. Cannon McIntosh, 3. Ethan Mitchell, 4. Kevin Thomas Jr., 5. Mariah Ede, 6. Adam Taylor, 7. Chase McDermand, 8. Daniel Whitley. 2:04.108


 

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Cannon McIntosh (2), 2. Daison Pursley (6), 3. Zach Wigal (3), 4. Ryan Timms (7), 5. Justin Grant (5), 6. Jacob Denney (10), 7. Logan Seavey (22), 8. Kale Drake (4), 9. Gavin Miller (8), 10. Chase McDermand (11), 11. Zach Daum (14), 12. Jade Avedisian (12), 13. Mariah Ede (18), 14. Rylan Gray (9), 15. Jakeb Boxell (16), 16. Will Armitage (17), 17. Adam Taylor (20), 18. Kevin Thomas Jr. (13), 19. Cameron Weishoff (21), 20. Frankie Guerrini (19), 21. Ethan Mitchell (15), 22. Daniel Whitley (23), 23. Thomas Meseraull (1). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Zach Wigal, Laps 2-30 Cannon McIntosh.


 

**Thomas Meseraull flipped on lap 5 of the feature. Frankie Guerrini flipped on lap 11 of the feature.


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-985, 2-Cannon McIntosh-934, 3-Ryan Timms-876, 4-Zach Daum-826, 5-Logan Seavey-812, 6-Justin Grant-778, 7-Jacob Denney-774, 8-Gavin Miller-752, 9-Kale Drake-704, 10-Zach Wigal-688.


 

USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-176, 2-Logan Seavey-165, 3-Robert Ballou-135, 4-C.J. Leary-113, 5-Kyle Cummins-113, 6-Justin Grant-111, 7-Chase Stockon-109, 8-Brady Bacon-104, 9-Kevin Thomas Jr.-96, 10-Joey Amantea-92.


 

NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: September 20-21, 2024 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio – 1/2-Mile Dirt Oval – 4-Crown Nationals


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Hot Laps Fastest Driver: Daniel Whitley


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Daison Pursley (14.617)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Gavin Miller


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Ryan Timms


 

T.J. Forged / Car IQ Third Heat Winner: Kale Drake


 

Hard Charger: Logan Seavey (22nd to 7th)


 

Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Night: Logan Seavey

 

 

Dreams Come True! Wigal Wins First USAC Midget Race Angell Park

Zach Wigal (Belpre, Ohio) celebrates his first career USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship victory following the opening night of the 39th running of the Firemen's Nationals on Sunday at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin's Angell Park Speedway. (David Nearpass Photo)

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (September 1, 2024)………”Some kids dream of winning the Super Bowl or the NBA Finals, but my dream is to be standing here.”


 

Zach Wigal’s dream came true on Sunday during the opening night of the 39th running of the Firemen’s Nationals at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin’s Angell Park Speedway.


 

For the 17-year-old Belpre, Ohio native, it was his first career USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship feature victory. In doing so, he became the seventh driver to win his first USAC National Midget feature at Angell Park, joining an outstanding group that includes Rich Vogler (1972), Dan Boorse (1987), Scott Hatton (2005), Ryan Durst (2006), Michael Pickens (2007) and Rico Abreu (2013).


 

But for Wigal, it represented even more. Moments prior to strapping in for the USAC Midget feature aboard his CB Industries/Dave Knost Auto Outlet – S2 Cyber Security/Spike/Speedway Toyota, Wigal had lost the lead during the final laps of the accompanying Badger Midget Auto Racing Association Midget feature, leaving him with a sour taste, but also with a little bit of redemption to take care of.


 

As it turned out, the Badger feature did more than simply add fuel to the fire and desire that was already burning within Wigal. It also showed him the fastest path to take around the 1/3-mile dirt oval, something that 22 of the 24 drivers in the USAC field didn’t have the advantage of knowing by running double-duty. Wigal and Brandon Waelti were the lone two to compete in both feature events.


 

“The Badger race helped a lot,” Wigal admitted. “The bottom went away during the Badger race, so I knew that before everybody else, which helped a lot. I’m just so thankful that (car owner) Chad (Boat) gave me such a nice car and (sponsor) Dave Knost gave me the opportunity to live my dream.”


 

Wigal’s recent growing pains had seemingly signaled that he was on the verge of this special moment. All that was required for the 2023 USAC Midwest Thunder SpeeD2 Midget champion was to put together a clean and green run to the distance.


 

For example, during July’s Mid-America Midget Week, Wigal was arguably in a position to win on three different occasions. At Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Raceway, he spun while running fourth. The following evening at Kansas’ Mitchell County Fairgrounds, he was the fastest qualifier and was running third in the feature when he spun to a halt. In the ensuing race two nights later, he led the initial 18 laps and held a healthy lead when he jumped the cushion and promptly fell all the way back to 12th.


 

This time around at Angell Park, Wigal was picture perfect for all 30 laps. Starting third, he challenged patiently as two drivers with brand new monarchial-themed teams paced the field for the first four laps. Outside front row starter Kevin Thomas Jr., making his debut for 4 Kings Racing, swiped the opening lap lead before pole sitter Zach Daum, also in his debut for the Royal Power Sports outfit, slid underneath Thomas in turns one and two to rip the lead away on the second go-around.


 

Meanwhile, Wigal took to the topside, where he had just been beaten minutes earlier in the Badget Midget main event. He used the high line to zip around the outside of Thomas in turn four on lap three to slot into the second position.


 

On lap five, Wigal stayed true to the upper groove and tracked down Daum in a hurry before hustling around the outside of him in turns three and four to corral the spot. By the time 18th running Jakeb Boxell coasted to a stop on the back straight on lap seven with a broken rocker arm, Wigal had shuffled away to a 1.27 second advantage before the caution. Cannon McIntosh took advantage of the lap eight restart to advance past Daum for the second spot on the low side of turn three.


 

The name of the game down the stretch was lapped traffic as Wigal held steady up front with a 1.4 second lead, which McIntosh succinctly cut in half with less than five laps remaining. At that point, Wigal had a tricky trek to navigate as he encountered the cars of Rylan Gray, Kevin Thomas Jr. and Kale Drake, all of whom occupied spots at the tail end of the lead lap.


 

After a slight blip that allowed McIntosh to edge minutely closer to Wigal’s No. 89, McIntosh also had his share of two and three-wide lapped traffic to navigate. But in the end, Wigal managed to separate himself from McIntosh by virtue of a lapped car in between the pair on the white flag lap.


 

From there, it was all gravy for Wigal as he pumped his fist outside of the cockpit as he neared the finish line, where he crossed 0.672 seconds ahead of McIntosh to become the first first-time winner of the 2024 USAC National Midget season. Logan Seavey finished third with Zach Daum fourth and series point leader Daison Pursley in fifth.


 

Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.) has now finished 2nd, 3rd and 2nd in his three most recent USAC National Midget starts at the wheel of his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Gear Wrench – TRD – Mobil 1/LynK/Speedway Toyota. He finished as the runner-up tonight with his best Angell Park result to date after previously finishing a best of 8th in 2023.


 

“I feel like I’ve always had really good speed here,” McIntosh explained. “It all starts with having a really good racecar, and right out of the gate, we had one. It really just comes down to me in the seat to go execute for 30 laps. I feel like I fired off right away and started right behind Zach. Obviously, he had a good pace, and I didn’t get cleared as quickly as he did, but still feel like I got through quickly. I was just holding it wide open there and trying to run him down. I was getting tight a couple times there through the middle of the race and adjusted my line. That’s when I started to run him down. I didn’t have much brake, so I just had to figure out how to drive it and just keep running it harder. That’s when I was able to start catching him.”


 

Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) opened his night as the Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier for the 18th time in his USAC National Midget career, moving him past Dave Steele and Mike Streicher for sole possession of 29th place all-time. The defending Firemen’s Nationals champion’s return to a third-place finish to close out the night was a welcome return of sorts after the team had finished 16th or worse in three of its last four starts with their Abacus Racing/CG CPAs – Indy Custom Stone – MPV Express/Spike/Stanton SR-11x.


 

“It was nice just to have a smooth night at a place I like coming to,” a relieved Seavey sighed. “I just needed to be a touch better there, but obviously, it was a good start to the day. I got off and qualified well and got through my heat race well. I just needed to be a little better against the ledge in turns one and two. I didn’t really know where to be in three and four, so I kind of moved all over the racetrack. I felt I didn’t feel like I could gain. No matter what I did, I feel like I stayed even, then they’d get away from a little bit in traffic. Overall, it was a good, consistent night for us and nice to have everything go smoothly.”


 

In his first start for Cornell Racing Stables, Frankie Guerrini (San Rafael, Calif.) made the biggest moves in the feature at the wheel of his Behling Racing Equipment – Signs of Life Graphics/Triple X/Stanton SR-11x. In all, Guerrini went +8 after starting 22nd and finishing 14th to earn hard charger honors.


 

“It was definitely a good ending to kind of a hard start of a night,” Guerrini acknowledged. “I put us behind in qualifying and that kind of hurts your whole night. Thanks to (car owner) Curt (Cornell) and the guys. They got it tuned up pretty good for the feature and it wasn’t too bad there.”


 

Wigal's move to win his first career USAC National Midget feature was swift and decisive. For that, he also earned accolades with the Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Night.


 


 

===============


 


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 1, 2024 – Angell Park Speedway – Sun Prairie, Wisconsin – 1/3-Mile Dirt Oval – 39th Firemen’s Nationals


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-14.427; 2. Cannon McIntosh, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.606; 3. Gavin Miller, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.697; 4. Zach Wigal, 89, CBI-14.698; 5. Kevin Thomas Jr., 14, 4 Kings-14.729; 6. Zach Daum, 16, Royal-14.740; 7. Jade Avedisian, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.789; 8. Justin Grant, 2, RMS-14.792; 9. Ryan Timms, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.805; 10. Chase McDermand, 40, McDermand-14.849; 11. Daison Pursley, 86, CBI-14.857; 12. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, Engler-14.878; 13. Mariah Ede, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.910; 14. Ethan Mitchell, 19m, Bundy Built-14.945; 15. Jacob Denney, 25, Malloy-14.953; 16. Kale Drake, 97K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-15.007; 17. Rylan Gray, 87, RMS-15.058; 18. Ricky Lewis, 4, 4 Kings-15.118; 19. Jakeb Boxell, 44, 4Kings-15.200; 20. Will Armitage, 83, Fatt Right Foot-15.211; 21. Adam Taylor, 7T, ATM-15.531; 22. Frankie Guerrini, 8, Cornell-15.549; 23. Brandon Waelti, 3w, Waelti-15.573; 24. Cameron Weishoff, 55, Weishoff-16.312.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Jade Avedisian, 2. Kale Drake, 3. Logan Seavey, 4. Chase McDermand, 5. Zach Wigal, 6. Mariah Ede, 7. Frankie Guerrini. 1:59:52 (New Track Record)


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Daison Pursley, 2. Rylan Gray, 3. Justin Grant, 4. Ethan Mitchell, 5. Cannon McIntosh, 6. Kevin Thomas Jr., 7. Brandon Waelti, 8. Will Armitage. 2:01.136


 

T.J. FORGED / CAR IQ THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Ryan Timms, 2. Zach Daum, 3. Ricky Lewis, 4. Jacob Denney, 5. Gavin Miller, 6. Adam Taylor, 7. Cameron Weishoff, 8. Thomas Meseraull. NT


 

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Zach Wigal (3), 2. Cannon McIntosh (5), 3. Logan Seavey (6), 4. Zach Daum (1), 5. Daison Pursley (9), 6. Ryan Timms (8), 7. Gavin Miller (4), 8. Jacob Denney (15), 9. Jade Avedisian (7), 10. Justin Grant (10), 11. Kale Drake (16), 12. Rylan Gray (17), 13. Kevin Thomas Jr. (2), 14. Frankie Guerrini (22), 15. Thomas Meseraull (12), 16. Ethan Mitchell (14), 17. Ricky Lewis (18), 18. Mariah Ede (13), 19. Adam Taylor (21), 20. Brandon Waelti (23), 21. Cameron Weishoff (24), 22. Chase McDermand (11), 23. Jakeb Boxell (19), 24. Will Armitage (20). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Kevin Thomas Jr., Laps 2-4 Zach Daum, Laps 5-30 Zach Wigal.


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-905, 2-Cannon McIntosh-856, 3-Ryan Timms-807, 4-Zach Daum-778, 5-Logan Seavey-754, 6-Jacob Denney-716, 7-Justin Grant-710, 8-Gavin Miller-698, 9-Kale Drake-643, 10-Zach Wigal-615.


 

USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-172, 2-Logan Seavey-150, 3-Robert Ballou-135, 4-C.J. Leary-113, 5-Kyle Cummins-113, 6-Justin Grant-111, 7-Chase Stockon-109, 8-Brady Bacon-104, 9-Kevin Thomas Jr.-96, 10-Joey Amantea-92.


 

NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 2, 2024 – Angell Park Speedway – Sun Prairie, Wisconsin – 1/3-Mile Dirt Oval – 39th Firemen’s Nationals


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Hot Laps Fastest Driver: Zach Wigal (14.604)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Logan Seavey (14.427)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Jade Avedisian


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Daison Pursley


 

T.J. Forged / Car IQ Third Heat Winner: Ryan Timms


 

Hard Charger: Frankie Guerrini (22nd to 14th)


 

Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Night: Zach Wigal

 

 

illinois Sweep! Grant Reigns at Du Quoin’s Ted Horn "98"

SATURDAY AUGUST 31ST...Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) swept to victory on both Illinois dirt miles on the USAC Silver Crown National Championship schedule in 2024, his latest coming in the Ted Horn 100 on Saturday at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds (Jack Reitz Photo)

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Du Quoin, Illinois (August 31, 2024)………After standing atop the leader board in practice, qualifying and the 100-mile race two weeks earlier at the Springfield Mile, there was only one way that Justin Grant could top himself. Yet he did.


 

On Saturday’s 70th running of the Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in southern Illinois, it was “second verse, same as the first” for the Ione, Calif. native and his Hemelgarn Racing/NOS Energy Drink – Super Fitness – Hemelgarn Enterprises/DRC/Speedway Chevy.


 

After pacing the field in practice, Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying and the main event at Du Quoin, Grant stamped himself into the record books once more as the 23rd driver to win champ car races under the AAA and/or USAC banner at both one-mile Illinois dirt tracks in a single season.


 

On that particular list, Grant joined Tony Bettenhausen (1951), Sam Hanks (1953), Jimmy Bryan (1955-56), Johnny Thomson (1958), A.J. Foyt (1964 & 1967), Al Unser (1970), Mario Andretti (1973-74), Gary Bettenhausen (1983), Jack Hewitt (1986-87-93), Chuck Gurney (1989-94-96), Paul White (2001), J.J. Yeley (2002), Tracy Hines (2006), Brian Tyler (2008) and Chris Windom (2018).


 

“It’s awfully, awfully special,” Grant exclaimed. “To sweep the miles, and to have my name on a list with names like that, is incredible. Sometimes it feels like I’ve written mine on there with a crayon. But I’m starting to get a little more used to the feeling and I’m certainly liking it.”


 

Despite starting from the pole, Grant fell back to second in the early stages before chasing down and overtaking Logan Seavey on lap 32, then going on to lead the remaining 69 laps and capture his second consecutive Ted Horn 100 victory, the first driver to achieve such a repeat triumphantly at Du Quoin since Shane Cockrum in 2014 and 2015.


 

Despite completing 98 percent of the laps, Grant had 100 percent of the field covered in what was his third-straight dirt mile victory with the series, the longest stretch of success by any driver since Kody Swanson scored four consecutive on the mile dirt tracks between 2014 and 2015.


 

Furthermore, Grant is now the first driver since Tracy Hines in 2006 to win the pole and the race at both Illinois dirt miles in the same season. Grant’s seventh career USAC Silver Crown score also elevated him to 17th on the all-time win list alongside fellow series champions Jerry Coons Jr., Rick Hood and George Snider. In the process, Grant cut his championship point deficit behind Kody Swanson to just 12 after maximizing his output by gaining 76 at Du Quoin.


 

In what turned out to be the first rain-shortened USAC Silver Crown race at Du Quoin since the 1974 edition 50 years ago, weather was imminent throughout much of the day. That aspect, in addition to all of the other necessities of successfully navigating the scheduled 100-mile distance, weighed heavily on Grant’s gameplan.


 

“We raced with the rain in mind all day,” Grant revealed. “I pushed a little harder early and through the middle section of the race than I wanted to.  But with what we had for the weather all day, we worked really hard to make sure we were quick time in hot laps in case we rained out qualifying, so we could get those points and start on the pole. We approached the race a little bit like, ‘hey, we might have rain toward the second half of this thing. Let’s not save it all for the last restart.’”


 

Much of the first half was marred by accidents that led to a Ted Horn 100 record five red flag periods, all of which each driver walked away from. Don Droud Jr., making his USAC Silver Crown debut, was the first such victim on lap seven after his right front spindle broke while running 11th, sending him straight into the outside turn one wall before flipping over.


 

Jimmy Light was next in line to find misfortune on lap 15 when he suddenly slowed in turn two while running 15th, which sent him skating up the racetrack right into the path of Brady Bacon who collided with him, resulting in Light impacting the wall and flipping over. Beforehand, Bacon was required to start at the tail after going to a backup car due to a transmission failure with his primary ride.


 

It was 22nd running Danny Long’s turn next as he banged the outside wall exiting turn four and flipped over on lap 27. Danny Jennings did the same in turn three, making his mark on the turn three wall before flipping several times in his rude introduction to the Du Quoin mile.


 

As far as the “almost” incidents, Grant nearly had one in his pursuit of Seavey for the lead on lap 23. After nearly getting into the back of Seavey’s rear bumper, Grant turned his wheel left, right, left as he swerved to avoid blasting Seavey. The close call proved costly in the short term as Grant saw a one car length deficit balloon to eight car lengths. However, it came within a whisker of ending his day prematurely.


 

“I got down in there and I had to jump on the brakes late,” Grant recalled. “I had the left front down in the dust and the right front in the rubber and it hooked me back right. I was facing the wrong way! I thought, ‘oh boy, we’ve really done it here.’  I was really fortunate to get away with that one and regroup and have another shot at (Seavey).”


 

Once Grant gathered himself, he quickly found his footing again and slid past Seavey on the bottom of turn one on lap 33 to place himself in the race lead. Seavey fought back by cutting under Grant between the long sweeping turns of one and two to retake it, albeit briefly. Grant had the last word as he powered back around the outside of Seavey exiting turn two to take over the top spot, and for good.


 

“I felt like I could make a lot of right rear grip and stay really straight where guys were having to slide their cars, so I could run a really good pace and keep my right rear tire under me and that allowed me to make that move there,” Grant recounted. “I was able to dive in, get across him and still make enough grip out of the rubber to come back to it and stay with him. We were able to hold him down off two. These things on a mile with the fuel load take a minute to get wound up. It’s not like a sprint car where you can just fire down to the other end. You keep them where they can’t get back to the throttle quite as quick as quickly as they want to. When his motor bogs, you can roll up off there and beat him down to three.”


 

Kody Swanson soon slotted into the second position on lap 42 after sweeping around the outside of Seavey on the back straight. Grant possessed a 1.6 second lead at the time, but Swanson, a two-time winner of the Ted Horn in his own right in 2010 and 2017, soon made it a contest as he clamped down on Grant throughout the second half of the show.


 

“In these things, you want to lead them if you can,” Grant explained. “If you feel like you can get there at a decent pace, that’s kind of what you want to do because you can control the race a little bit. Kody was really good there at the end, but we had track position, and we could make a lot of roll speed through the center.”


 

Rookie drivers had their share of the headlines around the midway point of the race and beyond. Saban Bibent, making just his second career series start, entered the top four by the 50th circuit. Meanwhile, fellow Rookie Briggs Danner was surging, making his way into third past Seavey on lap 65.


 

Ultimately, heartbreak bit Bibent on lap 88 while running fifth as he entered turn one without brakes, nearly colliding with the concrete perimeter between turns one and two. Moments later, he dropped low and pulled in, ending a memorable run with an 18th place result.


 

Tire wear became the next issue at hand on lap 90 when fifth running C.J. Leary fell by the wayside with a flat right rear tire, which necessitated a caution. At the very same moment, seventh running Chase Stockon’s right rear went kaput as did eighth running Shane Cockrum’s, sidelining three of the top seven in one fell swoop.


 

Mitchel Moles, running fourth with five miles to go, had his best Silver Crown run to date come to an end when he ran out of fuel and stopped on the main straightaway.


 

As the field prepared to face a green-white-checkered restart to decide the finish of the race, Mother Nature had other plans. As the rain continued to fall, cars were ultimately called into the pits. After a delay and an attempt at working in the dirt, it became clear that the race would not be able to continue.  It was estimated that an hour would be required to get the track surface back into raceable shape. However, with a deadline to complete the race within a certain timeframe looming (due to preparations for a concert taking place on the stage at the track), the race was deemed complete with Justin Grant the victor over Kody Swanson, Briggs Danner, Jerry Coons Jr. and Logan Seavey.


 

For Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.), the driver of the Doran-Binks Racing/Mission Foods – Wilke Orthodontics – Glenn Farms/Maxim/Hampshire Chevy, it was his best result at Du Quoin since winning in 2017.


 

Meanwhile, Briggs Danner (Allentown, Pa.) recorded his best career result in his Rookie year with the USAC Silver Crown series, starting and finishing third aboard his DMW Motorsports/Fuel Mart – Power Control Systems – Advanced Materials Technologies/DRC/R07 Chevy.


 

Chris Fetter (Troy, Mo.) raced from 22nd to 10th to earn hard charger honors along with his best career USAC Silver Crown finish. His performance occurred exactly 10 years to the day of his first USAC start on August 31, 2014, also at Du Quoin.


 

It was the feel good story of the day. Jerry Coons Jr. (Tucson, Ariz.) finished fourth in his 23rd career Ted Horn 100 start at Du Quoin. It also came in the Bateman Racing team's final Du Quoin start where they competed in their first race in 1982. For his 11th to 4th run on this special, but bittersweet day for the Murphysboro, Ill. based team, Coons earned honors as the Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Day.


 


 

===============


 


 

USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 31, 2024 – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin, Illinois – 1-Mile Dirt Oval – Ted Horn 100


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-30.438; 2. Logan Seavey, 22, Rice/Abacus-30.476; 3. Briggs Danner, 10, DMW-30.622; 4. Mitchel Moles, 119, Reinbold/Underwood-30.636; 5. Kody Swanson, 77, Doran/Binks-30.702; 6. Trey Osborne, 81, BCR-30.982; 7. Kyle Steffens, 08, Steffens-31.103; 8. C.J. Leary, 6, Klatt-31.186; 9. Don Droud Jr., 8, Cornell-31.212; 10. Mario Clouser, 60, Legacy/Wilson-31.283; 11. Jerry Coons Jr., 55, Bateman-31.459; 12. Saban Bibent, 88, Fetter-31.597; 13. Jimmy Light, 118, Wingo-31.659; 14. Chris Urish, 177, Urish-31.773; 15. Shane Cockrum, 97, Lein-31.911; 16. Matt Goodnight, 24, Haggenbottom-32.205; 17. Chase Stockon, 69, Pink 69-32.288; 18. Danny Jennings, 61, Grace-32.461; 19. Korey Weyant, 99, Weyant-32.546; 20. Gregg Cory, 32, Williams/Cory-32.671; 21. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-32.777; 22. Chris Fetter, 15, Fetter-33.202; 23. Nathan Moore, 48, Thomas/Moore-33.214; 24. Dave Berkheimer, 31, Berkheimer-33.278; 25. Kip Hughes, 160, Hughes-34.096; 26. Danny Long, 44, Long-34.516; 27. Dave Peperak, 777, Peperak-35.152; 28. Brady Bacon, 9, Dyson-NT; 29. Casey Buckman, 25, C-Buck/Sachs-NT.


 

FEATURE: (100 laps, shortened to 98 due to rain, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (1), 2. Kody Swanson (5), 3. Briggs Danner (3), 4. Jerry Coons Jr. (11), 5. Logan Seavey (2), 6. Mario Clouser (10), 7. Kyle Steffens (7), 8. Chris Urish (14), 9. Matt Goodnight (16), 10. Chris Fetter (22), 11. Korey Weyant (19), 12. Gregg Cory (20), 13. Chase Stockon (17), 14. Kip Hughes (25), 15. Mitchel Moles (4), 16. Shane Cockrum (15), 17. C.J. Leary (8), 18. Saban Bibent (12), 19. Nathan Moore (23), 20. Danny Jennings (18), 21. Dave Berkheimer (24), 22. Russ Gamester (21), 23. Danny Long (26), 24. Brady Bacon (28), 25. Jimmy Light (13), 26. Trey Osborne (6), 27. Don Droud Jr. (9), 28. Dave Peperak (27). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-31 Logan Seavey, Laps 32-98 Justin Grant.


 

**Don Droud Jr. flipped on lap 7 of the feature. Jimmy Light flipped on lap 15 of the feature. Danny Long flipped on lap 27 of the feature. Danny Jennings flipped on lap 54 of the feature.


 

USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Kody Swanson-675, 2-Justin Grant-663, 3-Logan Seavey-608, 4-C.J. Leary-528, 5-Kyle Steffens-438, 6-Kaylee Bryson-388, 7-Bobby Santos-366, 8-Gregg Cory-355, 9-Trey Osborne-354, 10-Dakoda Armstrong-329.


 

USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-168, 2-Logan Seavey-147, 3-Robert Ballou-135, 4-C.J. Leary-113, 5-Kyle Cummins-113, 6-Justin Grant-111, 7-Chase Stockon-109, 8-Brady Bacon-104, 9-Kevin Thomas Jr.-96, 10-Joey Amantea-92.


 

NEXT USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 20-21, 2024 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio – 1/2-Mile Dirt Oval – 4-Crown Nationals


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Practice Fastest Driver: Justin Grant (29.651)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Justin Grant (30.438)


 

Hard Charger: Chris Fetter (22nd to 10th)


 

Inferno Armor Fire Move of the Race: Jerry Coons Jr.

 

 

Texarkana Two Step! Wingless Short Track Nationals on Tap for USAC Sprints Sep. 6-7

Texarkana 67 winner Matt Westfall (#33m) battles Robert Ballou (#12) during the 2023 event. (Carey Akin Photo)

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Texarkana, Arkansas (September 5, 2024)………The natural state of a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car is when it’s sideways,  slinging dirt and putting on an exhilarating show for the fans.


 

It seems fitting that the series heads to the Natural State of Arkansas this weekend, Friday-Saturday, September 6-7, for the Wingless Short Track Nationals at Texarkana 67 Speedway.


 

Both nights will feature full programs concluding in 30-lap features with Friday’s event paying $6,000-to-win and Saturday’s finale offering $10,000-to-win.


 

It’s the series’ lone trip of the season to Arkansas and one of the few in the nearly seven decade history of the United States Auto Club.


 

Now, let’s dig in and check out some of the storylines & tidbits to watch at Texarkana this weekend.


 


 

WESTFALL STANDS TALL AT TEXARKANA


 

Seventeen years, two months and twenty-three days. That was the wait Matt Westfall endured between his first and second career USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship feature victories. The dash in the years spanned from his 2006 triumph at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway to his latest score in 2023 at Arkansas’ Texarkana 67.


 

Now, one year later, Westfall hopes the wait between win number two and three isn’t nearly as long. A victory would go a long way toward stemming the tide of eight-straight USAC appearances without a top-10. It is worth noting that entering last year’s Texarkana race, Westfall hadn’t finished inside the top-10 in 10-straight appearances. After his victory a year ago, he finished the year strong with a pair of top-fives and four top-10s in his final five starts.


 


 

THE FINAL QUARTER OF THE TITLE RACE


 

Logan Seavey has held his USAC National Sprint Car point lead since February, and so far, has shown no signs of relenting as he carries an 82-point lead over Brady Bacon into the Texarkana round. The maximum points any one driver can earn in a night this weekend is 84.


 

Nine races also remain for Seavey to equal Tom Bigelow’s USAC record mark of 14 single season victories in 1977. You can’t call it a drought for the 13-time 2024 winner because that would be a silly assertion, but he’s now gone six-straight starts without a victory, his longest streak without a win thus far.


 


 

GRANT HEATING UP


 

Justin Grant has now won a USAC national feature event on each of the past three weekends, including four of the last five weekends.


 

This past month alone, Grant won five total races in the month of August, including three of his past five USAC National Sprint Car starts. Last year, he hit his stride late as well. In his final 10 USAC National Sprint Car starts between August and September of 2023, Grant won five, finished inside the top-five in eight and inside the top-10 in all 10.


 

This year, he’s far and away out of the championship race, residing eighth in the standings entering Texarkana and 430 points behind the leader. Now, it’s all about pride and collecting sweet paydays along the way for him and much of his competition out of championship contention.


 


 

DRAKE ON THE RISE


 

One of the interesting midseason developments over the course of the summer was the installment of Kale Drake into the seat of the 2B Racing ride, which had been driven to a pair of victories in 2023 by Logan Seavey and through the first part of 2024 by Jake Swanson and Wesley Smith.


 

Drake’s first USAC National Sprint Car experience came in a tough spot during the Indiana Sprint Week opener at Lincoln Park, which promptly landed him in a tougher spot – out in the parking lot! Since then, the Collinsville, Okla. native has settled in, gaining laps and experience throughout his first 10 starts, which led him to his first career top-10 finish with the series on the final night of Sprint Car Smackdown at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway.


 

Now that his first top-10 is in the book, the goal is to continue his steady progression to top-fives, and ultimately, contending for wins. Two shots at Texarkana will be the next to add onto his ever-expanding bag of first-time experiences.


 


 

CO-SANCTIONED RACE


 

Both nights at Texarkana this weekend will be co-sanctioned by the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Series. At least the top-six in series points, and more, will be on hand to face off against the USAC national series’ best.


 

The top-six at the moment include R.J. Miller (Edgewood, Texas), Paul White (Temple, Texas), Mason Smith (Wichita Falls, Texas), Jason Howell (Fort Worth, Texas), Josh Hanna (Tyler, Texas) and Josh Hawkins (Whitehouse, Texas).


 

Yes, the Paul White mentioned above is the very same driver who captured the 2001 USAC Silver Crown driving championship after winning the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway and sweeping both the Illinois dirt miles at Springfield and Du Quoin. In 2023, in what was his first USAC National Sprint Car start in 19 years, White finished a solid 11th at Texarkana.


 


 

A NATURAL STATE HISTORY


 

Arkansas’ history with USAC National Sprint Car racing is pretty brief when it comes right down to it. In fact, just five previous USAC National Sprint Car events have been held in The Natural State since 1985, which have been won by five different drivers.


 

Mike Ward scored his first USAC win in 1985 at West Memphis’ Riverside International Speedway. At Riverside in 2012, Brady Bacon earned the first of his 49 wins as a member of the Dynamics, Inc. / Hoffman Auto Racing team. In 2013, Bryan Clauson topped the field at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock. Dave Darland took top honors the following night at Riverside. Most recently, Matt Westfall dominated the field in the series debut at Texarkana with a 30-lap, wire-to-wire romp in 2023.


 


 

RACE DETAILS


 

This weekend’s Wingless Short Track Nationals at Arkansas’ Texarkana 67 Speedway features the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship (co-sanctioned by ASCS Elite Non-Wing), plus the ASCS Elite Outlaw 410 Winged Sprint Cars.


 

On Friday, September 6, the pits open at Noon Central.  Grandstands open at 5pm.  Hot laps begin at 7pm with qualifications and racing to follow. General admission tickets are $25. Kids age 6-11 are $5. Kids age 5 and under are free. Pit passes are $40. Children age 5 and under are free.


 

On Saturday, September 7, the pits open at Noon Central. Grandstands open at 5pm. Hot laps begin at 7pm with qualifications and racing to follow. General admission tickets are $30. Kids age 6-11 are $5. Kids age 5 and under are free. Pit passes are $40. Children age 5 and under are free.


 

Both nights of the Wingless Short Track Nationals can be watched LIVE on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/usac.


 


 

==================


 


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-2415, 2-Brady Bacon-2333, 3-Daison Pursley-2190, 4-C.J. Leary-2170, 5-Kevin Thomas Jr.-2097, 6-Mitchel Moles-2092, 7-Robert Ballou-2043, 8-Justin Grant-1985, 9-Kyle Cummins-1952, 10-Carson Garrett-1548.


 


 

ASCS ELITE NON-WING SPRINT CAR POINTS: 1-R.J. Miller-527, 2-Paul White-491, 3-Mason Smith-480, 4-Jason Howell-461, 5-Joshua Hanna-447, 6-Josh Hawkins-400, 7-Raven Culp-338, 8-Rhett Butler-329, 9-Cooper Sullivan-328, 10-Ricky Lewis-300.


 


 

USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINS AT TEXARKANA 67 SPEEDWAY:

1-Matt Westfall


 


 

USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINNERS AT TEXARKANA 67 SPEEDWAY:

2023: Matt Westfall (9/9)


 


 

TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CARS AT TEXARKANA 67 SPEEDWAY:


 

1 Lap - 9/9/2023 - Jake Swanson - 14.311


 

10 Laps - 9/9/2023 - Emerson Axsom - 2:35.06


 

12 Laps - 9/9/2023 - Logan Seavey - 3:08.44


 


 

USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINS IN ARKANSAS:

1-Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland, Mike Ward & Matt Westfall


 


 

USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR FEATURE RESULTS IN ARKANSAS: (1985-2023)


 

JULY 6, 1985 RIVERSIDE SPEEDWAY FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Mike Ward, 2. Sheldon Kinser, 3. J.T. Hayes, 4. Manny Rockhold, 5. Bud Ward, 6. Mike Brewer, 7. Ray Joe Fager, 8. Ray Bugg, 9. Steve Byrd, 10. Rick Hood, 11. Corky Green, 12. Jim Cofer, 13. Lee Brewer Jr., 14. Mark Zorich, 15. Mike Walker, 16. Ronnie Daniels, 17. Kenny Conrad, 18. Mike Hoover, 19. Paul Hart, 20. David Smith. NT


 

AUGUST 8, 2012 RIVERSIDE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Brady Bacon, 2. Bryan Clauson, 3. Hunter Schuerenberg, 4. Anthony Nicholson, 5. Robert Ballou, 6. Zach Pringle, 7. Chase Stockon, 8. Jerry Coons Jr., 9. Tim Crawley, 10. Dave Darland, 11. Chris Windom, 12. Damion Gardner, 13. Brad Bowden, 14. Jerod Roller, 15. Cody Brewer, 16. Dale Howard, 17. Wade Oliver, 18. Jordon Mallett, 19. Tracy Hines, 20. Bobby East, 21. Jon Stanbrough, 22. Kevin Thomas Jr., 23. Wes McIntyre. NT


 

SEPTEMBER 6, 2013 I-30 SPEEDWAY FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Bryan Clauson, 2. Kevin Thomas Jr., 3. Brady Bacon, 4. Kyle Cummins, 5. Tim Crawley, 6. Zach Pringle, 7. Tracy Hines, 8. Tyler Courtney, 9. Derek Hagar, 10. Dave Darland, 11. Jordon Mallett, 12. Joe Young, 13. Anthony Nicholson, 14. Chase Stockon, 15. Keaton Dobbs, 16. Nick Drake, 17. Chet Williams, 18. Nathan Moore, 19. Jerod Roller, 20. Robert Ballou, 21. Rick Pringle, 22. Cody Gardner, 23. Tommy Snellgrove. NT


 

SEPTEMBER 7, 2013 RIVERSIDE INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Dave Darland, 2. Jon Stanbrough, 3. Tyler Courtney, 4. Tracy Hines, 5. Keaton Dobbs, 6. Bryan Clauson, 7. Derek Hagar, 8. Robert Ballou, 9. Nick Drake, 10. Brady Bacon, 11. Jordon Mallett, 12. Chet Williams, 13. Kevin Thomas Jr., 14. Tim Crawley, 15. Kyle Cummins, 16. Chase Stockon, 17. Anthony Nicholson, 18. Ronnie Howard, 19. Wade Oliver, 20. Zach Pringle, 21. Chad Jones, 22. Jerod Roller. NT


 

SEPTEMBER 9, 2023 TEXARKANA 67 SPEEDWAY FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Matt Westfall (3), 2. C.J. Leary (5), 3. Chase Stockon (10), 4. Justin Grant (7), 5. Mitchel Moles (8), 6. Emerson Axsom (9), 7. Jake Swanson (6), 8. Robert Ballou (1), 9. Cody Gardner (14), 10. Kyle Cummins (16), 11. Paul White (17), 12. Daison Pursley (13), 13. Kyle Jones (21), 14. Brody Roa (2), 15. Brady Bacon (4), 16. Logan Seavey (12), 17. Jason Howell (18), 18. Jack Hoyer (11), 19. Jadon Rogers (20), 20. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (19), 21. Kevin Thomas Jr. (15), 22. Justin Zimmerman (22). NT

 

 

 

6 New Members Highlight 2024 National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame Class

Class of 2024 National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame inductees Bobby East (left) and father, Bob East (right). (John Mahoney Photo)

By: Richie Murray


 

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (September 3, 2024)………Harry Conklin, Bob East, Bobby East, Junior Knepper, Ken Schrader and Jimmy Sams are the newest inductees into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, class of 2024.


 

The announcement was made during last Sunday night’s USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin’s Angell Park Speedway, the home of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.


 

Harry Conklin notched 15 Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association championships as a car owner for drivers Jimmy LaManna, Steve Troxell, Sammy Sauer, Randy Roberts, Kenny Lewis and Gary Taylor. In a career spanning six decades, his cars won 140-plus Rocky Mountain features, including the inaugural Belleville Nationals with driver Eddie Jackson in 1978.


 

Bob East virtually owned USAC Midget racing throughout the 1990s and 2000s. As a constructor, his Beast midget chassis earned countless victories on both dirt and pavement at virtually every notable event in the sport. Under his role as chief mechanic for Steve Lewis’ and Terry Klatt’s teams, East earned 12 USAC National Midget titles and 150 wins.


 

His son, Bobby East, was one of the most prolific drivers of his era and a USAC National Midget champion in 2004. In 2001, he became the youngest USAC National Midget winner, at the time, at the age of 16. Bobby totaled 22 career USAC National Midget wins, including the Hut 100, the Belleville Nationals, Turkey Night, the Night Before the 500 and the Copper World Classic.


 

Walter “Junior” Knepper-owned cars earned 34 USAC National Midget victories with drivers Bob Wente, Tom Bigelow, Mel Kenyon and son, Steve Knepper between 1968-1997. Junior’s team captured the 1969 Night Before the 500 with Wente, plus the 1988 Belleville Nationals, the 1992 Hut 100, eight MARA titles and a SLARA crown, all with Steve in the seat.


 

Jimmy Sams was one of the early pioneers of motorsports photography. From the 1930s-1950s, he was a fixture at Kansas City area racetracks such as Olympic Stadium where he operated a photography concession. His images preserved the history of midget racing’s golden era. In the late 1940s, he also served as the president of the Kansas City Midget Auto Racing Association.


 

Ken Schrader is among the most accomplished race drivers of all time in a wide variety of disciplines.  He scored 21 career USAC National Midget wins between 1980-1988 and achieved monumental triumphs with the series in the inaugural 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora in 1981, the Night Before the 500 at IRP in 1983 and on the Springfield Mile in 1984.


 

Furthermore, longtime Indianapolis Speedrome promoter John Stiles will be recognized with the inaugural National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame Founder’s Award.


 

The 40th annual luncheon and induction ceremony for the six inductees will be held on Friday, January 17, 2025.  The event will be held at Fair Meadow Hall at the Tulsa Fairgrounds in Oklahoma, adjacent to the Expo Center which will be hosting the Chili Bowl Nationals during the week.


 

For additional information on the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame, contact Barb Hellyer at kingdoodlebug@sbcglobal.net.

 

RPM Canceled, USAC Sprints Resume at Texarkana On Sep. 6-7

The debut of USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship racing at RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas has been canceled.

The event, scheduled to be held this Thursday night, September 5, will not take place due to complications arising for the facility to host this week’s event. It will not be rescheduled.


 

The USAC National Sprint Car season resumes this weekend for two consecutive nights of action at Arkansas’ Texarkana 67 Speedway on Friday-Saturday, September 6-7, for the Wingless Short Track Nationals.


 

At Texarkana, the Friday event will pay $6,000-to-win and $600-to-start. Saturday’s finale will pay $10,000-to-win and $600-to-start. Both Texarkana events will be co-sanctioned by the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Sprint Car Series. Pleasant Hill, Ohio’s Matt Westfall is the defending winner of the event.

 

  

 Momentum sprint car series

  

Momentum SPTINT CAR SERIES  that runs asphalt non-wing sprint cars in the high plains states