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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 Competition Director.


Windom & Then Some! Big Daddy & CBI Win Again at Eldora

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Rossburg, Ohio (September 22, 2023)………Death, taxes and Chris Windom/CB Industries winning USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget races at Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway.


 

That is the itemized list of life’s seemingly inevitabilities that have been certain in recent years, and nobody has proven it more often of late at the 1/2-mile dirt oval than the Canton, Ill. driver and the Mooresville, N.C. based team.


 

During Friday night’s BeFour The Crowns 25-lap feature event, Windom checked out on the field from his front row starting position and kept himself and his right rear tire firmly planted within inches of the outside wall en route to a wire-to-wire victory in his CB Industries/NOS Energy Drink – PristineAuction.com – K & C Drywall/Spike/Speedway Toyota.


 

It was Windom’s third Eldora midget win in his last four starts at The Big E dating back to 2021. His 15th overall USAC National Midget feature triumph also moved him inside the top-50 all-time alongside USAC Hall of Fame inductees Don Branson and Larry Rice.


 

Furthermore, CB Industries’ prowess on the high banks was once again on full display as the team became the first entrant to earn four consecutive Eldora feature wins – three with Windom in 2021-22-23 and another with Mitchel Moles on the opening night of the 2022 4-Crown Nationals weekend.


 

The outfits who had previously earned three-straight at Eldora are synonymous with the sport: Steve Lewis (2001-02), Keith Kunz Motorsports (2011-13 & 2015-17) and Clauson Marshall Racing (2018-21). However, one team now stands alone in uncharted territory – CB Industries.


 

Windom’s sixth overall 4-Crown Nationals feature win (3 Midget, 2 Silver Crown, 1 Sprint) ranks fourth all-time behind only Jack Hewitt (19), Tyler Courtney (7) and Dave Darland (7). In all those wins, nothing compares to the moment when everything clicks from the track to the car to the individaul behind the wheel. All of it worked in perfect synchronicity for Windom and CBI on this night. Their night.


 

“It’s just such a fun racetrack when it’s like this, up on the fence,” Windom, the 2020 USAC National Midget champion, explained. “You’ve got a lot of room and midgets are so fun to run when it’s like that. I’ve had a decent amount of experience here doing it too. I always enjoy coming back and racing for (team owner) Chad (Boat) every chance I can; we have a lot of fun together. It’s so much fun and it’s one I look forward to doing every season.”


 

Windom’s initial starting spot was slated to be the outside of the front row. However, original pole starter Jade Avedisian was ruled to have jumped the initial start and was subsequently penalized, dropping her back to the second row for a complete restart. That moved Windom to the pole, yet still, the outside line is where he preferred as he immediately slid right up to the high line in turn one right after the 21-car field took the green flag.


 

By halfway, Windom had stretched his lead to more than a full second over Bryant Wiedeman and Avedisian who utilized two distinctly differing approaches in their pursuit of Windom. Wiedeman stuck his CB Industries machine to the bottom wall while Jade stayed true against the outside wall lap after lap.


 

Avedisian raced her way back into the second spot on lap 16 as she dug in on the high line to beat Wiedeman to the stripe, then began to track down Windom little-by-little to within a half second. However, with Windom occupying the same top side path, Avedisian followed his tracks up top, a location Windom had no intention of straying from.


 

“Early on throughout the night, guys were able to run the middle and the bottom, and there’s enough juice on exit to where you can do that,” Windom detailed. “Once it cleans off and the sprint cars run, it’s hard to beat momentum here. If you can get up top and hit your marks and not make a mistake, it’s really tough to beat a guy up there.  I knew that’s where I needed to be, and I wasn’t going to move until I saw anybody else.”


 

Under five laps to go, traffic began to loom for the front runners with Avedisian feeling she just might have a shot to pounce for the win. However, Windom navigated with extreme precision, refusing to cave to the pressurized situation that lay ahead, and instead, never wavered off his line.


 

With that said, Avedisian remained well withing striking distance to the tune of about a half second behind Windom. Nonetheless, with three laps remaining, Avedisian stumbled against the turn three cushion/wall, which cost her another half second along with a shot at stealing one away from Windom late in the going.


 

In the end, Windom was 2.149 seconds ahead of the field when he crossed under the checkered flag in front of Jade Avedisian, Rico Abreu, Bryant Wiedeman and Logan Seavey, the series point leader who recorded his 13th consecutive top-five result.


 

For Avedisian (Clovis, Calif.), it was a fine first-time run as she rode the high line in spectacular fashion to finish as the runner-up in her Eldora Speedway debut aboard her Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Mobil 1 – TRD – JBL Audio/Lynk/Speedway Toyota. Eldora is a venue she considers a bucket list track, and to her, it lived up to hype, as she equaled her best career series finish once again for the third time this year.


 

“This is awesome,” I’ve always dreamed of coming to Eldora and it lived up to the moment,” Avedisian exclaimed. “I was going hard from the start, and I just really want to win one of these races. If we keep finishing up front, our time will come. From the start, I got put back, which kind of set us back, but during the last 10 laps, we were closing the gap on him, and I made a mistake in three and lost the gap again.”


 

For Rico Abreu (St. Helena, Calif.), it was a solid reemergence in midget racing for the two-time 4-Crown Midget race winner. Abreu made his first series start since 2020 a good one, finishing third in his Tanner Thorson Racing/Maestro’s Classic - Eddie Gilstrap Motors - Smith Titanium/Spike/Stanton SR-11x. After jumping out of the midget, he promptly strapped in for a World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car feature and proceeded to win it about a half-hour later.


 


 

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


 


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 22, 2023 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio – 1/2-Mile Dirt Track – BeFour The Crowns


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-16.637; 2. Bryant Wiedeman, 81, CBI-16.743; 3. Rico Abreu, 24, Thorson-16.782; 4. Daison Pursley, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-16.845; 5. Chris Windom, 89, CBI-16.846; 6. Jade Avedisian, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-16.905; 7. Justin Grant, 2, RMS-16.978; 8. Gavin Miller, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-16.987; 9. Daniel Whitley, 58, Abacus-17.005; 10. Ryan Timms, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-17.008; 11. Taylor Reimer, 25K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-17.071; 12. Jacob Denney, 25, Malloy-17.093; 13. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, RMS-17.207; 14. Jake Andreotti, 25m, Malloy-17.248; 15. Mitchel Moles, 19T, Reinbold/Underwood-17.274; 16. Clinton Boyles, 98x, RMS-17.299; 17. Briggs Danner, 98, Schneider-17.351; 18. Hayden Reinbold, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-17.364; 19. Holly Jones, 4, Bundy Built-17.528; 20. Kyle Simon, 23, Simon-17.757; 21. Ian Creager, 36, Creager-17.944.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Ryan Timms, 2. Logan Seavey, 3. Justin Grant, 4. Thomas Meseraull, 5. Daison Pursley, 6. Clinton Boyles, 7. Holly Jones. 2:18.90


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Bryant Wiedeman, 2. Jake Andreotti, 3. Chris Windom, 4. Gavin Miller, 5. Taylor Reimer, 6. Briggs Danner, 7. Kyle Simon. 2:20.94


 

T.J. FORGED/CAR IQ THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Mitchel Moles, 2. Hayden Reinbold, 3. Rico Abreu, 4. Jade Avedisian, 5. Jacob Denney, 6. Daniel Whitley, 7. Ian Creager. 2:20.78


 

FEATURE: (25 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chris Windom (2), 2. Jade Avedisian (1), 3. Rico Abreu (4), 4. Bryant Wiedeman (5), 5. Logan Seavey (6), 6. Daison Pursley (3), 7. Justin Grant (9), 8. Gavin Miller (10), 9. Thomas Meseraull (14), 10. Ryan Timms (7), 11. Jacob Denney (13), 12. Mitchel Moles (8), 13. Daniel Whitley (11), 14. Jake Andreotti (15), 15. Hayden Reinbold (18), 16. Taylor Reimer (12), 17. Clinton Boyles (16), 18. Briggs Danner (17), 19. Holly Jones (19), 20. Kyle Simon (20), 21. Ian Creager (21). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-25 Chris Windom.


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-1227, 2-Justin Grant-1031, 3-Bryant Wiedeman-1021, 4-Jade Avedisian-1000, 5-Ryan Timms-992, 6-Daison Pursley-982, 7-Jacob Denney-907, 8-Gavin Miller-884, 9-Cannon McIntosh-868, 10-Thomas Meseraull-785.


 

4-CROWN NATIONALS PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Bryant Wiedeman-6, 2-Logan Seavey-5, 3-Thomas Meseraull-5, 4-Rico Abreu-4, 5-Kyle Steffens-4, 6-Trey Burke-4, 7-Chris Windom-3, 8-Justin Grant-3, 9-Hayden Reinbold-3, 10-Dave Berkheimer-3.


 

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-171, 2-Logan Seavey-125, 3-Emerson Axsom-108, 4-Shane Cottle-106, 5-Justin Grant-103, 6-Matt Westfall-101, 7-Robert Ballou-98, 8-Brady Bacon-92, 9-Chase Stockon-90, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-71.


 

NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 23, 2023 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio – 1/2-Mile Dirt Track – 41st 4-Crown Nationals Presented By NKTELCO


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Hot Laps Fastest Driver: Ryan Timms (16.735)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Logan Seavey (16.637)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Ryan Timms


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Bryant Wiedeman


 

T.J. Forged / Car IQ Third Heat Winner: Mitchel Moles


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Chris Windom


 

Hard Charger: Thomas Meseraull (14th to 9th)

 


GRANT SCORES USAC SILVER CROWN POLE FOR SATURDAY'S 4-CROWN AT ELDORA

 

Ryan Sellers

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Rossburg, Ohio (September 22, 2023)………Justin Grant scored the pole position for Saturday night’s USAC Silver Crown main event at Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, part of the 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals Presented By NKTELCO.


 

Grant (Ione, Calif.) made the Honest Abe Qualifying run during Friday night’s preliminary program with a time of 17.076 seconds around the half-mile dirt oval in his Hemelgarn Racing/NOS Energy Drink – Super Fitness – Nick Bohanon LLC/DRC/Foxco Chevy.


 

It’s Grant’s second consecutive pole position with the series after also starting from the number one spot for the Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds on September 2. Grant’s ninth career Silver Crown pole position tied past series champions Chuck Gurney (1989) and Jason Leffler (1998) for ninth all-time.


 

The top-20 qualifiers were locked in through time trials with Dallas Hewitt (Troy, Ohio) making the final cut for Saturday’s event.


 

A subsequent 12-lap Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Qualifying race was held with the top-six transferring their way into Saturday's feature. Jerry Coons Jr. (Tucson, Ariz.) captured the victory, thus making the cut for his 20th career Eldora 4-Crown Nationals USAC Silver Crown start. Wayne Johnson (Tuttle, Okla.) secured the final transfer spot by a car length over Joss Moffatt (Columbus, Ind.).


 

USAC Silver Crown National Championship point leader Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) will start sixth in Saturday’s field while Kody Swanson (Sutter, Calif.) will roll off eighth. Seavey leads Swanson in the standings by one single point entering Saturday, which serves as the penultimate race of the series’ season. Seavey has also won the past two Eldora Silver Crown features in 2021 and 2022.


 

Furthermore, Russ Gamester’s fifth place finish in the Qualifying Race secured his spot in Saturday’s feature lineup. It will be a milestone run for the Peru, Ind. native as he gets set to make his 212th career Silver Crown start, which will tie him with Brian Tyler for first place all-time.


 


 

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


 


 

USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 22, 2023 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio – 1/2-Mile Dirt Oval – 41st 4-Crown Nationals Presented By NKTELCO


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-17.076; 2. C.J. Leary, 6, Klatt-17.145; 3. Brady Bacon, 9, Dyson-17.264; 4. Jake Swanson, 10, DMW-17.336; 5. Chase Dietz, 86, Lee-17.444; 6. Logan Seavey, 22, Rice/Abacus-17.497; 7. Matt Westfall, 54, Westfall-17.516; 8. Kody Swanson, 77, Doran/Binks-17.534; 9. Mario Clouser, 92, Kazmark-17.696; 10. Carmen Perigo, 52, Stehman-17.735; 11. Chase Stockon, 69, Pink 69-17.764; 12. Kevin Thomas Jr., 24, Haggenbottom-17.813; 13. Emerson Axsom, 20, Nolen-17.926; 14. Trey Osborne, 81, BCR-17.943; 15. Brian Ruhlman, 49, Ruhlman-17.974; 16. Mitchel Moles, 97, Lein-18.023; 17. Kyle Robbins, 7, KR-18.032; 18. Kaylee Bryson, 26, Pierce-18.043; 19. Matt Mitchell, 5, DMW-18.045; 20. Dallas Hewitt, 57, Hewitt-18.117; 21. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-18.171; 22. Travis Welpott, 18, Welpott-18.227; 23. Sterling Cling, 07, Tosti-18.240; 24. Jerry Coons Jr., 55, Bateman-18.334; 25. Zach Hampton, 99, Armstrong-18.347; 26. Joss Moffatt, 37, Felker-18.361; 27. Wayne Johnson, 12, Two C-18.434; 28. Kyle Steffens, 08, Steffens-18.558; 29. Chris Fetter, 15, Fetter-18.572; 30. Trey Burke, 11, Hamilton/SRG-18.655; 31. Taylor Ferns, 555, Ferns-18.738; 32. Mark Bitner, 4, Yeska-18.803; 33. Dave Berkheimer, 31, Berkheimer-18.854; 34. Danny Long, 44, Long-18.866; 35. Tim Simmons, 3, Simmons-19.590; 36. Gary Dunkle, 34, Dunkle-20.704.


 

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Jerry Coons Jr., 2. Kyle Steffens, 3. Zach Hampton, 4. Trey Burke, 5. Russ Gamester, 6. Wayne Johnson, 7. Joss Moffatt, 8. Chris Fetter, 9. Taylor Ferns, 10. Dave Berkheimer, 11. Danny Long, 12. Tim Simmons, 13. Gary Dunkle, 14. Sterling Cling, 15. Mark Bitner. NT


 

FEATURE STARTING LINEUP: (50 laps)


 

ROW 1: 91 Justin Grant – 6 C.J. Leary


 

ROW 2: 9 Brady Bacon – 10 Jake Swanson


 

ROW 3: 86 Chase Dietz – 22-Logan Seavey


 

ROW 4: 54 Matt Westfall – 77-Kody Swanson


 

ROW 5: 92 Mario Clouser – 52 Carmen Perigo


 

ROW 6: 69 Chase Stockon – 24 Kevin Thomas Jr.


 

ROW 7: 20 Emerson Axsom – 81 Trey Osborne


 

ROW 8: 49 Brian Ruhlman – 97 Mitchel Moles


 

ROW 9: 7 Kyle Robbins – 26 Kaylee Bryson


 

ROW 10: 5 Matt Mitchell – 57 Dallas Hewitt


 

ROW 11: 55 Jerry Coons Jr. – 08 Kyle Steffens


 

ROW 12: 99 Zach Hampton – 11 Trey Burke


 

ROW 13: 51 Russ Gamester – 12 Wayne Johnson


 

USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-548, 2-Kody Swanson-547, 3-Justin Grant-439, 4-Mario Clouser-380, 5-Taylor Ferns-366, 6-Kaylee Bryson-364, 7-C.J. Leary-358, 8-Bobby Santos-315, 9-Matt Westfall-315, 10-Trey Burke-278.


 

OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-152, 2-Logan Seavey-104, 3-Shane Cottle-102, 4-Robert Ballou-87, 5-Matt Westfall-86, 6-Justin Grant-85, 7-Brady Bacon-85, 8-Emerson Axsom-81, 9-Chase Stockon-69, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-54.


 

NEXT USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 23, 2023 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio – 1/2-Mile Dirt Oval – 41st 4-Crown Nationals Presented By NKTELCO


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Practice Fastest Driver: C.J. Leary (16.498)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Justin Grant (17.076)


 

Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Qualifying Race Winner: Jerry Coons Jr.

 


Straight to the Point: Grant Sprints to James Dean Classic Win at Gas City

David Nearpass

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Gas City, Indiana (September 21, 2023)………Throughout Thursday night’s James Dean Classic at Indiana’s Gas City I-69 Speedway, Justin Grant experienced the fluctuating feeling of a season-long USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship battle swaying in the balance.


 

During the heat races, his point lead vanished for a brief moment when Brady Bacon scored a victory. Shortly thereafter, Grant regained a grip on the lead when he answered with his very own heat race win.


 

With all that said, there was absolutely no fluctuation whatsoever in the feature from the eighth lap onward. As soon as Grant assumed the point, he gained total command of the race at hand and control of the big picture in terms of the series point lead by scoring his 10th series win of the season aboard his TOPP Motorsports/NOS Energy Drink – Bow Foundation – TOPP Industries/Maxim/Kistler Chevy.


 

The performance turned in by Grant was one for the record books as he became just the 11th driver in the series’ 68-year history to reach double-digit feature victories in a single USAC National Sprint Car season, joining Tom Bigelow (14 in 1977), Robert Ballou (13 in 2015), J.J. Yeley (13 in 2003), Larry Dickson (12 in 1968), Pancho Carter (12 in 1976), Bubby Jones (11 in 1979), Tyler Courtney (11 in 2018), Larry Dickson (10 in 1970), Pancho Carter (10 in 1977) and Jay Drake (10 in 2000).


 

Grant officially owns the bragging rights for USAC National Sprint Car racing at Gas City in 2023, already staking claim as the winner of the Indiana Sprint Week round in July. Furthermore, Grant posted his second career James Dean Classic victory, previously doing so in 2020.


 

The 44th USAC National Sprint Car win of Grant’s career now moves him to within one of 1968-70-75 series champion Larry Dickson (45 wins) for sixth place on the all-time list.


 

Starting seventh in the 22-car field, Grant had some strenuous work to perform in the 30-lap span. Initially, Shane Cottle bolted to the lead from his outside front row starting position on lap one. However, Cottle’s lay of the land was short-lived as third-starting Robert Ballou split between Cottle and pole starter Emerson Axsom in turn one on lap two to position himself at the forefront of the field.


 

Following a yellow flag for a spin by 22nd running Rylan Gray between turns one and two on lap six, Bacon was the newest riser through the pack as he flashed around the outside of Emerson Axsom for second place on the restart.


 

Quickly, though, it became readily apparent that Grant came to play. First, he hit the alley between Axsom and Bacon in turn four on lap seven to escape from fourth to second. Less than a lap later, Grant was in the lead as he blazed by Ballou midway down the back straight to surge into the lead on lap eight.


 

Immediately, Grant launched away to a near full-straightaway lead as the race neared the halfway mark, more than three seconds ahead with 15 laps remaining as Ballou, Axsom and Bacon fought like bulldogs on a porkchop for the second spot.


 

In traffic, Grant was unattainable as his lead ballooned to five seconds with 10 laps to go. But funny enough, as his lead continuously expanded lap after lap, Grant truly believed that more and more pressure was mounting from the second-place car of Axsom. As it turned out, it was just a mirage in the form of another lapped car.


 

“While I was working lapped traffic, I kept seeing a black and white car kind of poking down there; I thought it was Axsom,” Grant revealed. “I thought I had mega pressure in lapped traffic the whole time, so I had no idea we were that good. It was so slick around here, but I knew our car was really, really good. I was kind of worried about somebody getting the bottom rolling.”


 

Meanwhile, behind him, Matt Westfall was crawling the bottom with perfection to edge his way up to the third spot past Ballou on lap 24 after beginning his race from mid-pack in the 22-car starting field.


 

However, Grant’s lead was erased on lap 25 when Daison Pursley (14th) performed a 360-degree spin in turn four which necessitated a caution. Nonetheless, it wasn’t enough to deter Grant who stepped away from the pack over the final six laps while riding the rim as the trailing Axsom and Westfall rolled the bottom in their pursuit.


 

In the end, Grant was too much to handle as he earned a 1.408 second margin of victory over Emerson Axsom, Matt Westfall, Robert Ballou and Brady Bacon. With Bacon finishing fifth and Grant first, Grant’s series point lead increased to 15 markers with four races remaining. But in this pressure cooker, the night sweats never cease when thinking about the championship.


 

“With Brady, the pressure is never off,” Grant acknowledged. “He’s a really good racecar driver; he always finds a way; and he keeps his cool. He’s just so, so hard to beat. It’s an honor to compete with him in this deal. I’ve had to become a lot better of a racecar driver because of him. It’s fun to go toe-to-toe with him and he’s as good as it gets. When we can come out on top, it feels really, really good and really rewarding.”


 

Emerson Axsom (Franklin, Ind.) had gone seven consecutive USAC National Sprint Car starts without a top-five result in his Clauson Marshall Newman Racing/Driven2SaveLives – ZMax Race Lubricants/Spike/Kistler Chevy. On this night, he ended that streak with a runner-up result.


 

Patience is a virtue and Matt Westfall (Pleasant Hill, Ohio) possesses that in droves. At Gas City, he took to the low side and picked his way from his 12th starting spot to a third-place result in his Ray Marshall Motorsports/Buckeye Machine – Hempy Water/DRC/Gressman Chevy. His plus-nine performance earned him hard charger honors for the evening.


 


 

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


 


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 21, 2023 – Gas City I-69 Speedway – Gas City, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – James Dean Classic


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-11.712; 2. Logan Seavey, 2B, 2B Racing-11.792; 3. Jake Swanson, 21AZ, Team AZ-11.829; 4. Max Adams, 5x, Adams-11.841; 5. Jack Hoyer, 11, Hoyer-11.906; 6. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-11.944; 7. Shane Cottle, 2E, Epperson-11.959; 8. Daison Pursley, 5p, KO-11.962; 9. Emerson Axsom, 47BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-11.965; 10. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-11.991; 11. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-11.992; 12. Carson Garrett, 15, BGE Dougherty-12.010; 13. Mitchel Moles, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-12.050; 14. C.J. Leary, 15x, BGE Dougherty-12.089; 15. Chance Crum, 26, Rudeen-12.114; 16. Jadon Rogers, 17GP, Dutcher-12.121; 17. Harley Burns, 16B, Burns-12.134; 18. Kevin Thomas Jr., 3R, Rock Steady-12.135; 19. Isaac Chapple, 6, Chapple/Hall-12.146; 20. Zack Pretorius, 9z, Pretorius-12.146; 21. Saban Bibent, 98, Wedgewood-12.168; 22. Colten Cottle, 57, Hazen-12.202; 23. Rylan Gray, 06, Gray-12.209; 24. Jackson Slone, 16, Borzio/Slone-12.236; 25. Sterling Cling, 34, SCR-12.250; 26. Brandon Mattox, 28, Mattox-12.288; 27. Thomas Meseraull, 23, NIKSTE-12.314; 28. Geoff Ensign, 3F, Ensign-12.360; 29. Chase Stockon, 5s, KO-12.481; 30. Matt Mitchell, 37, Mitchell-12.488; 31. Wes Pinkerton, 21, Hajduk-12.548; 32. Dustin Ingle, 2DI, Ingle-12.556.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Brady Bacon, 2. Emerson Axsom, 3. Harley Burns, 4. Mitchel Moles, 5. Jack Hoyer, 6. Matt Mitchell, 7. Saban Bibent, 8. Brandon Mattox. 2:06.47


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr., 2. Robert Ballou, 3. Matt Westfall, 4. C.J. Leary, 5. Logan Seavey, 6. Thomas Meseraull, 7. Colten Cottle, 8. Wes Pinkerton. NT


 

T.J. FORGED THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Justin Grant, 2. Jake Swanson, 3. Rylan Gray, 4. Shane Cottle, 5. Isaac Chapple, 6. Dustin Ingle, 7. Chance Crum, 8. Geoff Ensign. NT


 

CAR IQ FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Zack Pretorius, 2. Max Adams, 3. Carson Garrett, 4. Chase Stockon, 5. Jadon Rogers, 6. Sterling Cling, 7. Daison Pursley. NT


 

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Logan Seavey, 2. Daison Pursley, 3. Chance Crum, 4. Jadon Rogers, 5. Thomas Meseraull, 6. Isaac Chapple, 7. Dustin Ingle, 8. Jack Hoyer, 9. Brandon Mattox, 10. Geoff Ensign, 11. Saban Bibent, 12. Colten Cottle, 13. Matt Mitchell, 14. Wes Pinkerton. 2:44.36


 

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (7), 2. Emerson Axsom (1), 3. Matt Westfall (12), 4. Robert Ballou (3), 5. Brady Bacon (6), 6. Max Adams (4), 7. Kevin Thomas Jr. (8), 8. Logan Seavey (10), 9. Jadon Rogers (17), 10. C.J. Leary (15), 11. Mitchel Moles (14), 12. Carson Garrett (13), 13. Jake Swanson (5), 14. Harley Burns (18), 15. Daison Pursley (11), 16. Chance Crum (16), 17. Isaac Chapple (19), 18. Chase Stockon (22), 19. Zack Pretorius (9), 20. Rylan Gray (20), 21. Shane Cottle (2), 22. Thomas Meseraull (21). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Shane Cottle, Laps 2-7 Robert Ballou, Laps 8-30 Justin Grant.


 

**Jackson Slone flipped during qualifying. Sterling Cling & Daison Pursley flipped during the fourth heat.


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-2171, 2-Brady Bacon-2156, 3-Emerson Axsom-2035, 4-Jake Swanson-1974, 5-Kyle Cummins-1966, 6-C.J. Leary-1901, 7-Robert Ballou-1840, 8-Chase Stockon-1665, 9-Mitchel Moles-1640, 10-Logan Seavey-1602.


 

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-171, 2-Logan Seavey-124, 3-Emerson Axsom-108, 4-Shane Cottle-106, 5-Justin Grant-101, 6-Matt Westfall-101, 7-Robert Ballou-98, 8-Brady Bacon-92, 9-Chase Stockon-90, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-71.


 

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 23, 2023 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio – 1/2-Mile Dirt Track – 41st 4-Crown Nationals Presented By NKTELCO


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Fastest Hot Laps Driver: Jake Swanson (11.911)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Brady Bacon (11.712)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Brady Bacon


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Kevin Thomas Jr.


 

T.J. Forged Third Heat Winner: Justin Grant


 

Car IQ Fourth Heat Winner: Zack Pretorius


 

Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Logan Seavey


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Shane Cottle


 

Hard Charger: Matt Westfall (12th to 3rd)

 

 


 

 

Indy Racing Images

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Gas City, Indiana (September 21, 2023)………Back in June, Gas City I-69 Speedway served as the turning point of the 2023 USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship season for Logan Seavey.


 

On Thursday night during the fifth running of the James Dean Classic, the Sutter, Calif. native cemented the case that his quest for a second career season championship shows no signs of slowing down any time soon.


 

Seavey racked up his second straight series win at the Gas City, Ind. 1/4-mile dirt oval this season, doing so with even more late-race heroics in his Abacus Racing/Honest Abe Roofing – Indy Custom Stone – Laura Kopetsky Tri-Ax/Spike/Stanton SR-11x.


 

Three months earlier, Seavey took over the lead just two laps from the finish line en route to victory at Gas City during USAC Indiana Midget Week, but on Thursday, he got a bit of a head start on his pursuit, swiping the lead from Jacob Denney six laps from the checkered flag in the 30-lap affair.


 

In the end, Seavey bested Denney to the stripe by a 0.728 second margin to earn his fifth victory of the season and the 13th of his career with the series. That elevated him to 56th on the all-time list alongside Steve Knepper, Don Meacham, Ryan Newman and Stevie Reeves.


 

Entering the Gas City round in June, Seavey was mired an astonishing 110 points out of the championship lead and stood sixth overall in the standings. In the 12 races since, he’s reeled off 12 consecutive top-five results and now leads the series standings by a staggering 183 points.


 

Seavey started his feature run on Thursday from the eighth position and had already surged into the second spot by lap three. Up front, outside front row starter Justin Grant nipped pole sitter Hayden Reinbold by about a foot or two to lead lap one, but soon had to contend with a surging Seavey.


 

However, on lap six, defending James Dean Classic winner Buddy Kofoid found himself in an unsavory position when he cracked the turn one cushion with his right rear tire, causing him to helicopter several times before landing upside down. By that point, the 2021-22 USAC National Midget champ had already advanced from 12th to 5th. After his car spent time in the Indy Metal Finishing Work Area, Kofoid restarted at the tail and worked his way back up to a seventh place finish.


 

The night’s Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier, Cannon McIntosh, scooted to third by lap seven, but soon after, clipped an infield tire, which knocked his left front suspension a little wonky and askew, forcing him to a stop in between turns one and two on lap 12. He too returned to action after time in the work area, ultimately finishing 11th.


 

Nearing halfway, Grant worked high in turns one and two with Seavey operating the low line, but on lap 16, Seavey attempted to slide Grant in turn two, and instead, swung wide, thus matadoring Denney right by him into second.


 

Denney drove past Grant for the lead on the bottom of turn four on lap 18, and a half lap later, lightning struck Grant twice as he slid sideways in turn two, allowing Seavey to fly around the outside of him and slot into second.


 

Seavey stayed with the game as he chased down Denney, drawing nearer and nearer with each passing lap until, six laps later, he zipped past into the lead on lap 25. Seavey revealed that the seas sort of parted due to the pressure from Denney on Grant, which forced Grant to search around on the track’s surface.


 

“I knew the track was slowing down and I knew the bottom was just going to keep getting trickier,” Seavey explained. “I knew Grant would have to do something different for me to pass him. I was trying to show my nose on the bottom, and I got him to go down there once but I wasn’t close enough. It’s cat and mouse when you’re running against somebody that good.”


 

However, it was a chain of successive events that brought Seavey to the forefront, seemingly all occurring within a split second of each other amid high speed and high stakes.


 

“Denney was a lifesaver, really,” Seavey revealed. “He got Grant searching for me, which got Grant kind of messed up and I was finally able to go by him. I was just a hair too free to cut the bottom like that, and Grant knew that as long as he didn’t screw up, he was probably okay, then Denney came by.”


 

If this scenario sounds oddly familiar, perhaps you saw last Friday night’s USAC National Sprint Car feature when a much similar scenario played out during Seavey’s victorious last lap performance at Indiana’s Circle City Raceway.


 

“It felt a lot like Circle City when (Shane) Cottle pulled Kyle (Cummins) off my back bumper and I was able to get clean track again, make some good laps and run him back down,” Seavey documented. “Denney and I were wheel-to-wheel over in turns three and four for like five or six laps. I was on the chip for the whole straightaway, but the SR-11 ran great all day and Denney ran a great race too.”


 

Seavey had a few fisticuffs with traffic to avoid in order to navigate his way home during the final six voyages, but not a single misstep was detected as Seavey became just the second driver, along with Shane Cottle, to earn multiple USAC National Sprint Car and USAC National Midget feature victories in a career at Gas City.


 

Jacob Denney collected a second-place result with Bryant Wiedeman third, Daison Pursley fourth and Justin Grant fifth.


 

Denney (Galloway, Ohio) felt the bottom of the track going away quite abruptly late in the race and practically knew it was a matter of time before the sand in the hourglass would run out on the bottom in his Tom Malloy/Trench Shoring – Rodela Specialty Fabrication/King/Ed Pink Toyota. However, it was quite the homecoming for Denney who missed the last two series races due to a crash in an Xtreme Outlaw series event at Paragon (Ind.) Speedway that forced him to take some time off.  In his Gas City return, Denney raced all the way from 10th to finish second, earning hard charger honors for the evening.


 

After getting upside down in the James Dean Classic at Gas City a year ago this weekend, Bryant Wiedeman (Colby, Kan.) scored a third-place finish in his CB Industries/Nutrien Ag Solutions – PristineAuction.com – K & C Drywall/Spike/Speedway Toyota at Gas City. In USAC competition, it was Wiedeman’s first podium result since his July victory at the Mitchell County Fairgrounds in his home state of Kansas.


 


 

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


 


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 21, 2023 – Gas City I-69 Speedway – Gas City, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – James Dean Classic


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Cannon McIntosh, 08, Dave Mac Dalby-12.170; 2. Gavin Miller, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.211; 3. Daison Pursley, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-12.215; 4. Jacob Denney, 25, Malloy-12.216; 5. Ethan Mitchell, 19m, Bundy Built-12.242; 6. Bryant Wiedeman, 81, CBI-12.242; 7. Justin Grant, 2, RMS-12.269; 8. Hayden Reinbold, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-12.304; 9. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, RMS-12.331; 10. Buddy Kofoid, 67K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.345; 11. Briggs Danner, 98, Schneider-12.365; 12. Ryan Timms, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.370; 13. Daniel Whitley, 58, Abacus-12.371; 14. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-12.402; 15. Jade Avedisian, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.443; 16. Jake Andreotti, 25m, Malloy-12.486; 17. Kaylee Bryson, 89, CBI-12.513; 18. Holly Jones, 4, Bundy Built-12.537; 19. Weston Gorham, 18N, Gorham-12.611; 20. Taylor Reimer, 25K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.639; 21. Clinton Boyles, 98x, RMS-12.739; 22. Justin Dickerson, 21D, Dickerson-12.790; 23. Devon Dobie, 23DD, Dobie-12.902.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Justin Grant, 2. Buddy Kofoid, 3. Jake Andreotti, 4. Cannon McIntosh, 5. Daniel Whitley, 6. Jacob Denney, 7. Justin Dickerson, 8. Weston Gorham. 2:08.18


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Logan Seavey, 2. Briggs Danner, 3. Hayden Reinbold, 4. Ethan Mitchell, 5. Taylor Reimer, 6. Gavin Miller, 7. Kaylee Bryson, 8. Devon Dobie. 2:09.51


 

T.J. FORGED/CAR IQ THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Ryan Timms, 2. Thomas Meseraull, 3. Daison Pursley, 4. Jade Avedisian, 5. Bryant Wiedeman, 6. Holly Jones, 7. Clinton Boyles. 2:10.41


 

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Logan Seavey (8), 2. Jacob Denney (10), 3. Bryant Wiedeman (3), 4. Daison Pursley (5), 5. Justin Grant (2), 6. Thomas Meseraull (11), 7. Buddy Kofoid (12), 8. Ryan Timms (7), 9. Daniel Whitley (14), 10. Jake Andreotti (16), 11. Cannon McIntosh (6), 12. Kaylee Bryson (17), 13. Clinton Boyles (21), 14. Gavin Miller (9), 15. Hayden Reinbold (1), 16. Jade Avedisian (15), 17. Taylor Reimer (20), 18. Holly Jones (18), 19. Weston Gorham (19), 20. Justin Dickerson (22), 21. Ethan Mitchell (4), 22. Briggs Danner (13), 23. Devon Dobie (23). NT


 

**Buddy Kofoid flipped on lap 6 of the feature.


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-17 Justin Grant, Laps 18-24 Jacob Denney, Laps 25-30 Logan Seavey.


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-1156, 2-Justin Grant-973, 3-Bryant Wiedeman-947, 4-Ryan Timms-941, 5-Jade Avedisian-927, 6-Daison Pursley-920, 7-Cannon McIntosh-868, 8-Jacob Denney-862, 9-Gavin Miller-830, 10-Taylor Reimer-750.


 

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-171, 2-Logan Seavey-122, 3-Emerson Axsom-108, 4-Shane Cottle-106, 5-Robert Ballou-98, 6-Justin Grant-95, 7-Matt Westfall-92, 8-Brady Bacon-91, 9-Chase Stockon-86, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-70.


 

NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: September 22-23, 2023 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio – 1/2-Mile Dirt Track – 41st 4-Crown Nationals Presented By NKTELCO


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Hot Laps Fastest Driver: Bryant Wiedeman (12.327)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Cannon McIntosh (12.170)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Justin Grant


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Logan Seavey


 

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


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Justin Grant


 

Hard Charger: Jacob Denney (10th to 2nd)

 


$20 Grand Macho Man! Bacon Hurries to Haubstadt Hustler Win

David Nearpass

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Haubstadt, Indiana (September 16, 2023)………Tri-State Speedway has been very, very good to Brady Bacon in 2023.


 

In April, the Broken Arrow, Okla. native earned his first World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car win at the track, and on Saturday night, he raced to a first career Haubstadt Hustler victory in the richest event ever held at the Haubstadt, Indiana dirt oval worth $20,000.


 

The 16th running of the event, co-sanctioned by the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and the Midwest Sprint Car Series, came down to a duel between Bacon and four-time Haubstadt Hustler victor Kevin Thomas Jr. en route to Bacon’s 40-lap triumph at a track he’s admittedly struggled at in the past and hadn’t won a USAC race at since the spring of 2015.


 

Wheeling his Dynamics, Inc./4-Wide Salute Podcast – Tel-Star Technologies – DriveWFX.com/Triple X/Rider Chevy, Bacon’s victory was a major milestone, providing him with his 53rd career USAC National Sprint Car feature win and giving him sole possession of second place on the all-time list ahead of 1978 series champion Tom Bigelow. Now, Bacon trails only Dave Darland’s record of 62 series wins, which sits number one all-time.


 

Utilizing the MSCS format of group qualifying, a four-car heat race invert and a redraw for position to set the feature lineup, the USAC National Sprint Car points race was on hiatus for the evening with every licensed driver and entrant with the series receiving 50 appearance points across the board regardless of finishing position. For four-time USAC champion Bacon, it was a nice change of pace amidst the pressurized title race of which he trails Justin Grant by nine with only five events left to go.


 

“It was kind of nice,” Bacon admitted. “It’s been pretty stressful I’m sure for him and I both to get through each night, but tonight, I finally got to try something different, and obviously, it paid off. It’s the biggest race here and at a place where we have admittedly struggled in the past. It was good to me earlier this year with my first World of Outlaws win and this is a pretty special one tonight. It’s been a lot of years since I’ve last won here in a non-wing sprint car.”


 

Bacon started from the pole position and immediately engaged in a tumultuous opening lap scuffle with outside front row starter Robert Ballou. As Bacon worked the middle line and Ballou the outside, the two came together at the exit of turn four, smacking wheels together as they crossed the stripe to complete lap one. To begin lap two, chrome-to-chrome contact was on the docket between Ballou’s front bumper and Bacon’s rear bumper which sent Bacon sideways in turn one. However, Bacon mashed the gas and was able to escape unscathed after the early race attack from Ballou.


 

By lap 10, Bacon had entered lapped traffic with a full second lead over Ballou. However, on lap 13, Ballou’s car suddenly lost power, knocking him out of the race and relegating him to watching the rest of the race from the infield with an unsavory 22nd place result.


 

Dustin Beck was the beneficiary of Ballou’s misfortune with the former modified standout and Tri-State Speedway regular moving up to second in only his fourth career USAC feature start. He split through traffic and kept pace with Bacon for the lead, albeit about five car lengths back as the race neared the midway point.


 

Trouble hit fourth running Justin Grant on the 20th lap when he suddenly slowed with a broken tie-rod. He was able to make it back to the Indy Metal Finishing Work Area for repairs and returned to the tail of the field for the restart before going on to race his way back to an eighth-place result.


 

On the race’s resumption, ninth starting Kevin Thomas Jr. darted into the second position when Beck slid high in turn two on the 22nd lap. Now down a half-straightaway to Bacon for the lead, it was “game on” for the stalwarts of the sport who own a whopping 92 USAC National Sprint Car features between the two.


 

The gap was closed even further at the front of the field on lap 24 when the caution flag was displayed after Carson Short and Jadon Rogers found calamity in the corner amid a tussle for the seventh spot. The two drivers connected wheels in turn two with Short nearly getting upside before landing on all fours and stopping with extensive damage to his car, ending his fantastic charge from the 17th starting position. Three laps later, Rogers slowed to bring out the caution, prematurely ending the defending Haubstadt Hustler champion’s reign.


 

Down the stretch, the unflappable Bacon kept Thomas Jr. at arm’s length. For the most part. With five laps remaining, Bacon had his rhythm disrupted when he went low off turn four to overtake the lapped car of Andy Bradley. In doing so, Bacon’s car slipped completely sideways. Second running Thomas Jr. closed in and made slight contact with the rear of Bacon’s machine, but both managed to continue without harm or foul.


 

With three laps to go, third-running Beck was in the camera frame, running just a few car lengths from the tail tank of Thomas Jr. However, he soon skated up the track in turn two and caught the outside wall, resulting in the loss of a full-straightaway of ground.


 

Moments later, 16th running Kayla Roell walked away from a wild flip in turn one, ending her first Haubstadt Hustler run on lap 38.  For the feature, she was behind the wheel of KO Motorsports teammate Daison Pursley's backup car after earlier trouble in her primary ride.


 

At the front of the field, Bacon had a bit of anxiousness, but at this point in his career, he’d seen it all and was prepared for the final stretch run at a major payday.


 

“I was a little concerned because I was actually tight,” Bacon remembered. “Sitting under the red, I was worried that my tire was going to go down a little bit. I just drove it as hard as I could, and I knew if I could get a couple laps in, the bottom gets slower, and you can get your momentum going on the top.”


 

On Bacon’s rear bumper for the late-race restart was Kevin Thomas Jr., one of the best in the business and a driver who’s tied for the all-time lead in USAC National Sprint Car victories (6) at the venue known as The Class Track.


 

“On the green-white-checker, he’s one of the best here, and I just tried to not make any mistakes,” Bacon explained. “I was getting kind of sloppy there catching a lapped car and about spun out.  Once we could get rolling on the top, I felt really good. I’ve never been that good on the top here like that.  I was struggling a little bit in lapped traffic, which is usually where I’m good at on the bottom. I just had a lot of speed on the top.”


 

That’s where Bacon stayed for the remaining two laps, never straying from the high line. Thomas Jr. was able to pull even with Bacon for a fleeting moment in turn four on the final lap, but Bacon’s momentum propelled him ahead to the win by a 0.289 second margin.


 

Thomas Jr. ran second ahead of Dustin Beck in third with Mitchel Moles fourth and Kyle Cummins fifth, who earned hard charger honors after officially starting 15th, but dropped to as far back as 22nd after an opening lap skirmish into the infield sent him nearly all the way back to the tail.


 

Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) made his first USAC run in Kevin Newton’s No. 16 a successful one as he turned in his best finish of the USAC season to finish second, his sixth career top-two Haubstadt Hustler finish aboard the Honest Abe Roofing – Benic Enterprises/DRC/Claxton Chevy.


 

“I felt like we were pretty equal there,” Thomas Jr. said of he and Bacon’s late-race battle. “On the long runs, I could search around. He was leading, so it’s hard to move around. He was running the top there and it was a little lippy on the edge of wanting to push. The way you run this track is very inconsistent as a driver. But he’s one of the best at being consistent. I gave it everything I’ve got, but I think I maybe needed a little bit of lapped traffic and some more laps. I mean, they gave us 40, so how much more can you ask for?”


 

Dustin Beck (Petersburg, Ind.) recorded his best career USAC National Sprint Car result in a fine drive in the seat of his Hensen-Rupp/Royal Express Car Wash – Clark’s Commercial Services/Maxim/SPEC Chevy. The finish came on the heels of his best performance in a sprint car just two weeks earlier with a similar third place run in MSCS competition at Tri-State.


 

“I actually podiumed for the first time here two weeks ago and that really hasn’t sunk in yet either,” Beck revealed. “This is definitely a confidence builder. I think we can run with these guys, and we’ve hit on something lately that’s working, so I’m confident now running here.”

In Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying, Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.) posted his 10th career fast time in USAC National Sprint Car competition. That moved him to 50th place all-time alongside Sonny Ates, Jim Hurtubise, Thomas Meseraull and Jake Swanson.


 

Tenth place finishing driver C.J. Leary reached a milestone with his 400th career USAC National Sprint Car feature start, becoming just the ninth driver to reach the mark. Dave Darland holds the all-time record of 797 starts ahead of Tracy Hines (484), Brady Bacon (473), Robert Ballou (470), Chris Windom (470), Jon Stanbrough (448), Tom Bigelow (447) and Chase Stockon (440).


 


 

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


 


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 16, 2023 – Tri-State Speedway – Haubstadt, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – 16th Haubstadt Hustler – Co-Sanctioned by the Midwest Sprint Car Series


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Mitchel Moles, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-13.123; 2. Adyn Schmidt, 12s, Schmidt-13.201; 3. C.J. Leary, 15x, BGE Dougherty-13.209; 4. Daison Pursley, 5p, KO-13.250; 5. Kevin Thomas Jr., 16, Newton-13.288; 6. Carson Garrett, 15, BGE Dougherty-13.309; 7. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-13.320; 8. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-13.345; 9. Emerson Axsom, 47BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-13.353; 10. Dustin Beck, 75, Hensen/Rupp-13.360; 11. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-13.381; 12. Stephen Schnapf, 39, Hoosier Speed/Fortune-13.414; 13. Kendall Ruble, 17, Ruble-13.445; 14. J.J. Hughes, 76, Hughes-13.463; 15. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-13.478; 16. Andy Bradley, 86, Hoosier Speed/Fortune-13.539; 17. Kayla Roell, 5K, KO-13.581; 18. Logan Seavey, 2B, 2B Racing-13.658; 19. Brady Short, 61m, Edwards-13.688; 20. Jake Swanson, 21AZ, Team AZ-13.754; 21. Sam Scott, 7s, Scott-13.755; 22. Chase Stockon, 5s, KO-13.772; 23. Donny Brackett, 4B, Brackett-13.886; 24. Carson Short, 84, Beadles-13.900; 25. Jadon Rogers, 17GP, Dutcher-13.971; 26. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-13.985; 27. Michael Daugherty, 3.14, Daugherty-14.050; 28. Aric Gentry, 10, Gentry-14.077; 29. Jeff Pritchett, 2J, Nine-One-One-14.170; 30. Johnny Ivers, 55, Ivers/Thomas-14.198; 31. Allen Howard Jr., 4u, AJR-14.230; 32. Kevin Newton, 16TH, Newton-14.552; 33. Raymond Holden, 2R, Holden-14.934.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Kendall Ruble, 2. Mitchel Moles, 3. Kevin Thomas Jr., 4. Emerson Axsom, 5. Jadon Rogers, 6. Sam Scott, 7. Kayla Roell, 8. Jeff Pritchett, 9. Raymond Holden. NT


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Dustin Beck, 2. J.J. Hughes, 3. Carson Garrett, 4. Adyn Schmidt, 5. Chase Stockon, 6. Logan Seavey, 7. Matt Westfall, 8. Johnny Ivers. NT


 

T.J. FORGED THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Brady Bacon, 2. Justin Grant, 3. C.J. Leary, 4. Kyle Cummins, 5. Brady Short, 6. Michael Daugherty, 7. Allen Howard Jr., 8. Donny Brackett. NT


 

CAR IQ FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Robert Ballou, 2. Stephen Schnapf, 3. Daison Pursley, 4. Andy Bradley, 5. Carson Short, 6. Aric Gentry, 7. Jake Swanson, 8. Kevin Newton. NT


 

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Carson Short, 2. Jadon Rogers, 3. Brady Short, 4. Logan Seavey, 5. Chase Stockon, 6. Matt Westfall, 7. Jake Swanson, 8. Sam Scott, 9. Jeff Pritchett, 10. Allen Howard Jr., 11. Johnny Ivers, 12. Aric Gentry, 13. Raymond Holden, 14. Michael Daugherty. NT


 

FEATURE: (40 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Brady Bacon (1), 2. Kevin Thomas Jr. (9), 3. Dustin Beck (3), 4. Mitchel Moles (5), 5. Kyle Cummins (15), 6. J.J. Hughes (6), 7. Kendall Ruble (4), 8. Justin Grant (7), 9. Carson Garrett (10), 10. C.J. Leary (11), 11. Logan Seavey (20), 12. Chase Stockon (21), 13. Daison Pursley (12), 14. Emerson Axsom (13), 15. Brady Short (19), 16. Adyn Schmidt (14), 17. Kayla Roell (23-P), 18. Andy Bradley (16), 19. Jadon Rogers (18), 20. Carson Short (17), 21. Matt Westfall (22), 22. Robert Ballou (2), 23. Stephen Schnapf (8). NT


 

**(P) represents an MSCS provisional starter


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-40 Brady Bacon.


 

**Aric Gentry flipped during the semi. Kayla Roell flipped on lap 38 of the feature.


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-2093, 2-Brady Bacon-2084, 3-Kyle Cummins-1966, 4-Emerson Axsom-1961, 5-Jake Swanson-1926, 6-C.J. Leary-1853, 7-Robert Ballou-1771, 8-Chase Stockon-1633, 9-Mitchel Moles-1594, 10-Logan Seavey-1544.


 

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-170, 2-Logan Seavey-115, 3-Emerson Axsom-108, 4-Shane Cottle-106, 5-Robert Ballou-98, 6-Justin Grant-95, 7-Matt Westfall-92, 8-Brady Bacon-91, 9-Chase Stockon-86, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-70.


 

BUBBY JONES MASTER OF GOIN’ FASTER PRESENTED BY SPIRE SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT POINTS: 1-Emerson Axsom-574, 2-C.J. Leary-569, 3-Brady Bacon-560, 4-Mitchel Moles-541, 5-Jake Swanson-508, 6-Kyle Cummins-495, 7-Justin Grant-490, 8-Chase Stockon-485, 9-Daison Pursley-452, 10-Matt Westfall-398.


 

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 21, 2023 – Gas City I-69 Speedway – Gas City, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – James Dean Classic


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Fastest Hot Laps Driver: Mitchel Moles (13.123)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Mitchel Moles (13.123)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Kendall Ruble


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Dustin Beck


 

T.J. Forged Third Heat Winner: Robert Ballou


 

Car IQ Fourth Heat Winner: Brady Bacon


 

Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Carson Short


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Brady Bacon


 

Hard Charger: Kyle Cummins (15th to 5th)

 


 

 

 

Last Turn Hero: Seavey Scores Photo Finish USAC Sprint Win at Circle City

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Indianapolis, Indiana (September 15, 2023)………Throughout the first 31 races of the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship season, Logan Seavey had led just one single, solitary lap.


 

During Friday night’s feature at Indianapolis, Indiana’s Circle City Raceway, all the Sutter, Calif. native led was about 10 feet or so to pull off his first series victory of the year in his 2B Racing/Honest Abe Roofing – Benic Enterprises – Goodnight Racing/DRC/Claxton Chevy.


 

Shane Cottle, who had taken over the lead on lap 19 of the 30-lap main event, appeared to have the race in his grasp until roughly four laps to go. That’s when Seavey began to make some headway on Cottle who had pegged himself to the bottom groove.


 

Lap after lap, Seavey got a little bit closer, until he found himself trailing Cottle by a single car length at the line on the white flag lap. Seavey dug in, and at the exit of turn four on the 30th and final lap, finally emerged ahead of Cottle, just moments before the two crossed the finish line with Seavey out front.


 

Seavey’s one car length margin of victory was calculated at a 0.142 second interval over Cottle, the second closest finish of the series season behind only Mitchel Moles’ 0.093 second score over Carson Garrett in July at Macon (Ill.) Speedway.


 

Already a four-time NOS Energy Drink National Midget winner and twice a Silver Crown victor in 2023, Seavey’s National Sprint Car win made him the first driver this season to earn victories in all three of USAC’s national divisions.


 

Furthermore, Seavey provided his 2B Racing team with its first USAC National Sprint Car feature triumph since a May 18, 2012, win by driver Bobby East at Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway more than 11 years ago.


 

Overall, it was Seavey’s ninth career USAC National Sprint Car win, moving him to 57th on the all-time list and into a tie with Mario Andretti, Pat O'Connor, Hunter Schuerenberg and Robbie Stanley. But this one at Circle City was certainly among the most satisfying.


 

“I was just watching the laps click down with seven or eight to go and I really wasn’t gaining on him,” Seavey recalled. “I knew that the harder I ran, the slower I’d go. I just talked to myself a little bit and made sure I hit my marks rather than overdrive it. There were a few laps where I was turning down off four and it was okay, but I knew that in order to run him down earlier, I had to get up there and pound it.”


 

Prior to this night, Seavey’s best performance of the USAC National Sprint Car season came via a runner-up result in July at the very same place – Circle City Raceway. Although it had been his best run to this point in the year, Seavey felt he left one on the table. He was determined not to let that happen this time around.


 

“The last time I was here, I got myself a little bit out of balance in the middle of the race and I felt like I gave one away,” Seavey admitted. “This time, I wanted to make sure my car was going to stay good against the cushion so I could run it as hard as I could, but man, it was tough.”


 

To boot, Seavey’s car was one he had not driven before. The chassis is a nine-year-old DRC built in 2014 that has been driven occasionally by Scotty Weir on the local level at Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway. It was originally owned by Baldwin Brothers Racing but was later sold to Lou Gagliardi’s team and driven by Dustin Smith. When Gagliardi sold his equipment a couple years ago, 2B Racing team owner Scott Benic purchased the car. But that’s only where the story begins.


 

Benic had the car powder coated and sold it to Australian driver Travis Millar, who raced it during this summer’s USAC Indiana Sprint Week series. At the conclusion of ISW, Millar sold the car back to Benic and the 2B Racing team made the machine their backup car. After not running up to their expectations last weekend, the car with a long, winding history was upgraded to the primary ride for Seavey at Circle City. Thanks to the car affectionately nicknamed “Barney,” the old dinosaur put Seavey and 2B Racing back in victory lane.


 

Carson Garrett started first and ran first for the initial six laps of the feature until outside front row starting Seavey made a flourish into the lead with a full head of steam as he charged around the outside of Garrett to lead lap seven by a foot with Cummins, winner of the last two USAC Sprint Car races this season at Circle City, right on their heels back in third.


 

Seventh running Jadon Rogers spun to a stop in turn three on lap eight to bring out the yellow. Sixth starting Cottle had held steady in sixth until the caution, but the emperor soon found his new groove along the bottom of the 1/4-mile dirt oval as he marched his way up to fourth three laps later.


 

After clipping the turn four infield tire on lap 14, Cottle lost substantial ground in his quest. However, he soon received a reprieve due to the misfortune of those just in front of him. On lap 17, Garrett (2nd) and Cummins (3rd) headed for the same piece of real estate entering turn one. Cummins climbed Garrett's left side wheels, resulting in Garrett spinning to a stop as Cummins continued onward.


 

Seavey's 1.154 second lead was eradicated with the stoppage, and the beneficiary soon after was Cottle. In one fell swoop, Cottle drove under both Cummins and Seavey to advance from third to first on lap 19. With five to go, Cottle’s seemingly healthy lead stood at more than a full second until Seavey tracked him down to earn his first series win since June of 2022 at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway.


 

The confidence and swagger for Seavey and the 2B Racing team has rekindled of late after what has been a trying season that has had the team outside of the top-10 in the series point standings all year long. But the team stuck with it, and finally, good fortune was theirs in the end.


 

“These guys are doing everything they can to make this car good for us,” Seavey praised. “We’ve had some good runs and we’ve also struggled a lot too. Scott (Benic), Derek (Claxton), Matt (Meeks), Kevin Newton and everyone who works on this thing has put in the time and effort and has not given up. There have been a lot of nights where we were all just looking at each other not knowing what we were doing wrong. They brought in a new car this week and it drove really good all day. Hopefully we can keep this speed up for the rest of the year.”


 

For Shane Cottle (Kansas, Ill.), it was a frustrating end to what was a spectacular performance which saw him nearly win his first USAC feature of the season. But just like the end of his USAC Silver Crown run at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in August, his winning expedition was ripped away in the waning laps by Seavey. Nonetheless, Cottle earned Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifying honors to open the night, then drove his Epperson Racing/Epperson Painting – PPG Paints/DRC/Claxton Chevy to a season-best second place result.


 

“I don’t know what I could’ve done differently,” Cottle lamented. “I was good around the bottom, and I kept hearing him for about two or three laps. All I could do was just keep hitting my marks. He was just better than I was. It’s just one of them deals.”


 

Mired back in the 14th starting spot, Robert Ballou (Rocklin, Calif.) had a long road to hoe on his way to a third-place result in his Ballou Motorsports/The Boss Builder’s Outlet Super Store – Dragonfly Aviation/Twister-X/Ott Chevy. That effort of 11 positions gained earned Ballou hard charger honors for the evening.


 

“You’ve just got to go where they’re not, so I picked the middle land,” Ballou explained. “At the beginning, they were kind of dicing around the bottom. I went a lane above them and got by some guys that are normally really difficult to pass. I think I must’ve caught them by surprise. The seas kind of parted, so I moved to the middle, and we were okay until about 10 to go and I just kind of lost a little drive. These top-five to 10 guys are extremely tough and they’ve got really good crews and they’ve got really good engines and they’ve got their package together. I’ve been just a tick off all season and we’re finally starting to creep around to where I think we’re almost in a stride.”


 


 

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


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 15, 2023 – Circle City Raceway – Indianapolis, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Shane Cottle, 2E, Epperson-12.133; 2. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-12.159; 3. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-12.176; 4. C.J. Leary, 15x, BGE Dougherty-12.183; 5. Logan Seavey, 2B, 2B Racing-12.184; 6. Carson Garrett, 15, BGE Dougherty-12.234; 7. Jake Swanson, 21AZ, Team AZ-12.260; 8. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-12.321; 9. Daison Pursley, 5p, KO-12.367; 10. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-12.392; 11. Trey Osborne, 6T, Osborne-12.414; 12. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-12.465; 13. Mitchel Moles, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-12.470; 14. Brandon Mattox, 28, Mattox-12.481; 15. Jadon Rogers, 17GP, Dutcher-12.503; 16. Chase Stockon, 5s, KO-12.515; 17. Brent Beauchamp, 11, Beauchamp-12.616; 18. Kody Swanson, 77, Wedgewood-12.626; 19. Emerson Axsom, 47BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-12.659; 20. Frankie Guerrini, 63, F & F-12.752; 21. Thomas Meseraull, 23, NIKSTE-12.839; 22. Jack Hoyer, 5, Baldwin/Fox-12.849; 23. Hunter Maddox, 24m, Maddox-12.870; 24. John Sluss, 4R, RayPro-12.958; 25. Scott Hampton, 51, Slinkard-12.963; 26. Devan Myers, 75, Myers-12.987; 27. Chance Crum, 26, Rudeen-12.999; 28. Bryar Schroeter, 21s, Schroeter-13.156; 29. Gabriel Gilbert, 10G, Gilbert-13.293; 30. Wes Pinkerton, 21, Hajduk-13.545.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Matt Westfall, 2. Shane Cottle, 3. Jake Swanson, 4. C.J. Leary, 5. Emerson Axsom, 6. Mitchel Moles, 7. Bryar Schroeter, 8. Scott Hampton, 9. Jack Hoyer, 10. Chase Stockon. 2:10.14


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Brent Beauchamp, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Brady Bacon, 4. Logan Seavey, 5. Brandon Mattox, 6. Frankie Guerrini, 7. Gabriel Gilbert, 8. Hunter Maddox, 9. Trey Osborne, 10. Devan Myers. 2:11.70


 

T.J. FORGED / CAR IQ THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jadon Rogers, 2. Robert Ballou, 3. Kyle Cummins, 4. Carson Garrett, 5. Kody Swanson, 6. Thomas Meseraull, 7. Daison Pursley, 8. Chance Crum, 9. John Sluss. 2:11.46


 

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-7 transfer to the feature) 1. Mitchel Moles, 2.  Daison Pursley, 3. Thomas Meseraull, 4. Chase Stockon, 5. Trey Osborne, 6. Chance Crum, 7. Jack Hoyer, 8. Frankie Guerrini, 9. Hunter Maddox, 10. Bryar Schroeter, 11. John Sluss, 12. Gabriel Gilbert, 13. Devan Myers, 14. Scott Hampton. NT


 

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Logan Seavey (2), 2. Shane Cottle (6), 3. Robert Ballou (14), 4. Kyle Cummins (4), 5. Brady Bacon (11), 6. Matt Westfall (7), 7. Justin Grant (5), 8. Mitchel Moles (15), 9. Emerson Axsom (19), 10. C.J. Leary (3), 11. Thomas Meseraull (20), 12. Brent Beauchamp (9), 13. Chance Crum (22), 14. Jake Swanson (10), 15. Daison Pursley (12), 16. Chase Stockon (17), 17. Brandon Mattox (16), 18. Jack Hoyer (21), 19. Kody Swanson (18), 20. Trey Osborne (13), 21. Jadon Rogers (8), 22. Carson Garrett (1). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Carson Garrett, Laps 7-18 Logan Seavey, Laps 19-29 Shane Cottle, Lap 30 Logan Seavey.


 

**Scott Hampton flipped during the semi.


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-2043, 2-Brady Bacon-2034, 3-Kyle Cummins-1916, 4-Emerson Axsom-1911, 5-Jake Swanson-1876, 6-C.J. Leary-1803, 7-Robert Ballou-1721, 8-Chase Stockon-1583, 9-Mitchel Moles-1544, 10-Logan Seavey-1494.


 

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-170, 2-Emerson Axsom-108, 3-Logan Seavey-106, 4-Shane Cottle-106, 5-Robert Ballou-98, 6-Justin Grant-95, 7-Brady Bacon-91, 8-Matt Westfall-91, 9-Chase Stockon-77, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-63.


 

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 16, 2023 – Tri-State Speedway – Haubstadt, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – 16th Haubstadt Hustler – Co-Sanctioned by the Midwest Sprint Car Series


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Fastest Hot Laps Driver: Brady Bacon (12.351)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Shane Cottle (12.133)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Matt Westfall


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Brent Beauchamp


 

T.J. Forged / Car IQ Third Heat Winner: Jadon Rogers


 

Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Mitchel Moles


 

Kenny Baldwin Hard Work Award: Chance Crum


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Carson Garrett


 

Hard Charger: Robert Ballou (14th to 3rd)

 


 

 

17 Years in The Making! Westfall is a USAC Sprint Car Winner Again at Texarkana

Rich Forman

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 between his 2006 triumph at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway and Saturday night’s score at Arkansas’ Texarkana 67 Speedway was filled with countless hours of traveling the country chasing everything from sprint cars to midgets to Silver Crown cars to late models to modifieds to SpeedSTRs and nearly everything else in between.


 

However, the feeling of joy he experienced to finally put a cap on the gap between USAC win number one and two was both satisfying and gratifying for the 46-year-old Pleasant Hill, Ohio native who led all 30 laps in his Ray Marshall Motorsports/Buckeye Machine – Hempy Water/DRC/Gressman Chevy.


 

“It’s unbelievable,” Westfall exclaimed. “When I won my first one back in ‘06, I told my dad I could retire. We’ve been going up and down the road the last couple years with USAC and we got going really good at the end of last year. Then they came out with a new tire this year and I’ve struggled ever since. We went back to the main gameplan, and it worked out tonight.”


 

Not only did Westfall pocket a $10,000 Wingless Short Track Nationals payday, but it also came in the series debut at the 1/4-mile dirt oval as well as the first USAC race in The Natural State in a decade. Westfall also provided fellow Ohioan Ray Marshall, who has fielded cars in the series since 2010, his first USAC victory as a car owner.


 

In the process, Westfall also set a new USAC record for years between national feature victories. Westfall broke the USAC National Sprint record of 12 years, 11 months and 4 days between wins by Doug Wolfgang from 1978-1991. The previous longest interval between USAC National victories of any kind was a record owned by Arnie Knepper in the midgets, as he picked up wins 13 years, 2 months and 8 days apart from one another in a span lasting from 1970-1983.


 

Starting third, Westfall wasted no time leapfrogging the front row of Robert Ballou and Brody Roa on the initial lap. Both Ballou and Roa went topside while Westfall stuck his wheels as far on the bottom of the racing surface as humanly possible.


 

Westfall nailed it, driving by Roa immediately before surpassing pole sitter Ballou at the exit of turn four to beat him to the line by a car-length-and-a-half ahead at the end of lap one. By lap five, Westfall was a full two seconds ahead of the field with an equation of car, driver and track working in unison with perfect three-part harmony.


 

C.J. Leary slotted into second after driving underneath Ballou for the runner-up spot on lap three after starting fifth on the grid. A handful of laps later, Ballou had to contend with Brady Bacon for third, the same pair which went toe-to-toe for the win in the latter stages of the feature two nights earlier at Devil’s Bowl Speedway in Texas.


 

This time around, Bacon slid Ballou on the ninth go-around for third before Ballou returned to the spot a half-lap later in turn three with a similar maneuver of his own. On lap 10, Bacon stuck the landing when he went topside around Ballou on the back straight before hitting the bottom to take away Ballou’s line in turn three. As Bacon headed back to the outside off the turn four exit, so too did Ballou, clipping his right rear tire against Bacon’s left front. Two laps later, Bacon kept the topside momentum up and surpassed Ballou on the back stretch to take over the position on lap 13.


 

By then, Westfall's lead was beginning to become more and more insurmountable with each arriving moment. Westfall’s four second advantage put him a full straightaway ahead of Leary in the second position nearing the halfway point and up to five seconds with just eight laps remaining with no one in the proximity of his area code or even his zip code for that matter.


 

Suddenly, the dynamics changed on lap 23 when third running Bacon caught the cushion between turns one and two, popping his car up into the air before making a 90-degree right hand turn which nosed him into the outside wall before completing a 360 twirl and coming to a stop.


 

An attempt was made to push Bacon away to refire, but instead, veered him straight left into the infield due to a disconnected draglink. Bacon was escorted back to the Indy Metal Finishing Work Area for repairs, making it back on track just in time before, ultimately, finishing 15th. The unsightly finish for Bacon took him off the top line of the season long USAC National Sprint Car championship standings where he now sits second behind Justin Grant.


 

The erasure of Westfall’s big lead was only temporary, as once the race restarted, he picked up right where he left off, in trouncing mode, spurting away from Leary et al as he perused the bottom directly into victory lane by a 1.576 second margin over C.J. Leary, Chase Stockon, Justin Grant and Mitchel Moles.


 

Westfall knew right what he wanted to do from the get-go, going straight to the low side of the racetrack and never once abandoning it throughout the 30-lap distance. While Westfall is accustomed to taking this particular path, on this night, it’s an avenue he saw as early as his heat race, and then made that his home for the main event.


 

“In the heat race, we went down there on the bottom,” Westfall recalled. “You keep watching all these young kids who just blow through it, and they can’t stick the bottom. I was pretty happy with how the car was for us and I’ve got to thank Ray Marshall for everything he does for me. This is really cool.”


 

Following an early race issue which knocked him out of Thursday’s series race and relegated him to a last place finish, C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) returned to form at Texarkana, finishing second in his BGE Dougherty Motorsports/Altoz – Hornbeck Concrete - Highsmith Guns - Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts/DRC/1-Way Chevy.


 

Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, Ind.) began his quest from the 10th position. He steadily moved up through the pack, and by the end, he had netted himself a third-place result in his KO Motorsports/Banded Ag – Superior Tank & Trailer – Dewig Meats – AMSOIL/Triple X/Fisher Chevy. The finish equaled his best USAC performance of the season.


 

Emerson Axsom (Franklin, Ind.) finished sixth in the feature and retained his lead of the Bubby Jones Master of Goin’ Faster Presented By Spire Sports + Entertainment standings by 13 points over Leary with two races remaining in the 10-race miniseries.


 

Sixteenth starting Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.) advanced six positions in the feature to finish 10th, providing him a surge to the top of the ProSource Passing Master standings for the Texas/Arkansas swing weekend, which encompassed Thursday’s race at Devil’s Bowl Speedway and Saturday’s round at Texarkana 67 Speedway. Cummins passed a total of 19 cars throughout the entirety of the two programs.


 

Kyle Jones (Kennedale, Texas), making just his second career USAC National Sprint Car start, earned hard charger honors for the night by advancing from 21st to 13th. Meanwhile, fellow Texan, Justin Zimmerman (Athens, Texas), was the recipient of the ProSource Hard Work Award as the slowest qualifying driver to transfer into the feature.


 

Jake Swanson (Anaheim, Calif.) recorded the 10th Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifying time of his USAC National Sprint Car career, moving him into the top-50 all-time alongside Sonny Ates, Jim Hurtubise and Thomas Meseraull.


 


 

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


 


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 9, 2023 – Texarkana 67 Speedway – Texarkana, Arkansas – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – Wingless Short Track Nationals


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Jake Swanson, 21AZ, Team AZ-14.311 (New Track Record); 2. C.J. Leary, 15x, BGE Dougherty-14.397; 3. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-14.493; 4. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-14.708; 5. Jack Hoyer, 5, Baldwin/Fox-14.741; 6. Brody Roa, 17R, Dunkel/BR-14.744; 7. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-14.757; 8. Logan Seavey, 2B, 2B Racing-14.758; 9. Daison Pursley, 5p, KO-14.793; 10. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-14.809; 11. Cody Gardner, G6, Gaines-14.924; 12. Mitchel Moles, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-15.016; 13. Kevin Thomas Jr., 2J, Yeley-15.060; 14. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-15.076; 15. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-15.089; 16. Paul White, 1, Wade-15.124; 17. Jason Howell, 44, Sturgeon-15.165; 18. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-15.196; 19. Emerson Axsom, 47BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-15.213; 20. Jadon Rogers, 17GP, Dutcher-15.262; 21. Chase Stockon, 5s, KO-15.306; 22. Kyle Jones, 11, Melton-15.323; 23. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-15.334; 24. Chase Parson, 57, Parson-15.476; 25. Bryan Debrick, 10, Debrick-15.494; 26. Justin Zimmerman, #1, D-Up-15.495; 27. Brandon Mattox, 28, Mattox-15.515; 28. Dalton Stevens, 99x, Stevens-15.529; 29. Christian Moore, 6, Moore-15.707; 30. Chase Howard, 13, Howard-15.771; 31. Gary Floyd, 72, Sturgeon-15.814.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Chase Stockon, 2. Kevin Thomas Jr., 3. Jake Swanson, 4. Daison Pursley, 5. Jason Howell, 6. Jack Hoyer, 7. Bryan Debrick, 8. Christian Moore. NT


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Justin Grant, 2. C.J. Leary, 3. Brody Roa, 4. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 5. Justin Zimmerman, 6. Kyle Jones, 7. Chase Howard, 8. Charles Davis Jr. NT


 

T.J. FORGED THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Emerson Axsom, 2. Kyle Cummins, 3. Robert Ballou, 4. Brady Bacon, 5. Cody Gardner, 6. A.J. Bender, 7. Brandon Mattox, 8. Gary Floyd. 2:35.06 (New Track Record)


 

CAR IQ FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Mitchel Moles, 2. Matt Westfall, 3. Jadon Rogers, 4. Paul White, 5. Logan Seavey, 6. Chase Parson, 7. Dalton Stevens. 2:40.09


 

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Logan Seavey, 2. Jack Hoyer, 3. Cody Gardner, 4. Justin Zimmerman, 5. Jason Howell, 6. Kyle Jones, 7. A.J. Bender, 8. Brandon Mattox, 9. Chase Parson, 10. Christian Moore, 11. Gary Floyd, 12. Chase Howard, 13. Bryan Debrick, 14. Dalton Stevens. 3:08.44 (New Track Record)


 

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


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Matt Westfall.


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-1979, 2-Brady Bacon-1970, 3-Emerson Axsom-1861, 4-Kyle Cummins-1845, 5-Jake Swanson-1835, 6-C.J. Leary-1752, 7-Robert Ballou-1650, 8-Chase Stockon-1551, 9-Mitchel Moles-1491, 10-Daison Pursley-1455.


 

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-170, 2-Logan Seavey-105, 3-Shane Cottle-102, 4-Emerson Axsom-98, 5-Justin Grant-95, 6-Matt Westfall-90, 7-Robert Ballou-87, 8-Brady Bacon-85, 9-Chase Stockon-76, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-63.


 

BUBBY JONES MASTER OF GOIN’ FASTER PRESENTED BY SPIRE SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT POINTS: 1-Emerson Axsom-539, 2-C.J. Leary-526, 3-Jake Swanson-498, 4-Brady Bacon-490, 5-Mitchel Moles-480, 6-Chase Stockon-446, 7-Justin Grant-441, 8-Kyle Cummins-437, 9-Daison Pursley-415, 10-Matt Westfall-375.


 

FINAL TEXAS & ARKANSAS SWING PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Kyle Cummins-19, 2-Emerson Axsom-17, 3-Brody Roa-12, 4-Kevin Thomas Jr.-11, 5-C.J. Leary-10, 6-Justin Zimmerman-10, 7-Chase Stockon-9, 8-Kyle Jones-9, 9-Matt Westfall-8, 10-Justin Grant-8.


 

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 15, 2023 – Circle City Raceway – Indianapolis, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Fastest Hot Laps Driver: Robert Ballou (14.447)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Jake Swanson (14.311)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Chase Stockon


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Justin Grant


 

T.J. Forged Third Heat Winner: Emerson Axsom


 

Car IQ Fourth Heat Winner: Mitchel Moles


 

Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Logan Seavey


 

ProSource Hard Work Award: Justin Zimmerman


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Matt Westfall


 

Hard Charger: Kyle Jones (21st to 13th)

 


 

Lone Star Milestone! Bacon Moves to 2nd All-Time with USAC Sprint Win #52 at Devil’s Bowl

David Campbell

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Mesquite, Texas (September 7, 2023)………For Brady Bacon, Devil’s Bowl Speedway was sort of like a Kokomo of the south. Both are tracks he’d competed at extensively but had long come up empty handed in the win column after an extensive number of runner-up finishes.


 

Not anymore.


 

The Broken Arrow, Okla. driver led all 30 laps on Thursday night at the 4/10-mile in Mesquite, Texas, prevailing following a late-race duel with Robert Ballou to earn a milestone victory in the first USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship feature held in the Lone Star State since 1985 – 38 years ago.


 

The triumph was the 52nd of Bacon’s USAC National Sprint Car career, tying him for second all-time with 1978 series champion Tom Bigelow. Now only Dave Darland stands ahead of Bacon with 62 career victories.


 

With Bacon sharing the spot with Bigelow, it’s also interesting to note that both currently reside in the same city even though both originally hail from other states – Wisconsin for Bigelow and Oklahoma for Bacon.


 

“It means a lot; Tom’s a friend of mine and lives in Winchester (Indiana) as well,” Bacon noted after piloting his Dynamics, Inc./Smiley’s Racing Products – Hobson Family – Tel-Star Technologies/Triple X/Rider Chevy to a sixth USAC National Sprint Car win of the season.


 

A win at Devil’s Bowl’s famed fast dirt oval is especially special to Bacon as well. More than a decade ago, Bacon competed regularly with the American Sprint Car Series (ASCS) and the Sprint Bandits Tour ‘N Topless series, finishing second place on numerous occasions before his breakthrough all those years later.


 

“Winning at Devil’s Bowl is pretty big for me,” Bacon exclaimed. “This place was a little bit like Kokomo for me earlier in my career. I ran second a bunch to a lot of really good guys like Jason Johnson, Gary Wright, Shane Stewart and Brian Brown. We could never quite get the job done with the wing here, so I’m glad to finally get it done with the non-wing car. I actually ran second in a non-wing car here about 13 years ago too and I haven’t been back since. I’m glad to get it done.”


 

Bacon established the point early from his pole starting position, leading the opening lap before 18th starting Dalton Stevens slipped over the turn one banking and coasted to a stop on lap two to bring out the first yellow.


 

Once again establishing the lead on the restart using the bottom side of the racetrack, the race was halted again on lap four when eighth running Charles Davis Jr. flipped violently down the back straightaway in a wicked tumble after clipping a turn two infield tire. The veteran Arizonian was able to climb out and walk away.


 

Under yellow, sixth running C.J. Leary's car refused to refire for the lap four restart, making laps around the track connected to the front bumper of a push vehicle, but wasn’t able to power on its own, signaling an unexpected and disappointing conclusion to the race for the 2019 series champ.


 

On the restart, the major mover was Robert Ballou as he slid past Jake Swanson in turn one for the second position on lap five as Justin Grant also followed en route to third. Meanwhile, Bacon had opened up a 1.359 second gap over Ballou as the race leader before heat race winner and 12th running Justin Zimmerman experienced a flat left rear tire in the middle of the pack on lap 13 as the field scrambled high and low to successfully avoid contact.


 

The first driver to really make headway somewhere other than the bottom of the racetrack was USAC CRA Sprint Car point leader who took to the high side on the lap 13 restart and proceeded to drive all the way up to third. As Roa made a bid for second on the outside of Ballou between turns three and four on lap 17, Ballou caught wind of Roa’s notion and decided to move to the top as well.


 

The high side suited Ballou well over the next several laps as he seemingly slashed a tenth of a second from the bottom-rolling Bacon’s lead with each ensuing lap.  Closing in on the stripe with two laps to go, Ballou pulled even on the outside of Bacon in turns three and four. Out of the corner of his eye, Bacon saw Ballou’s nose, and in a split-second, said sayonara to the bottom and slid to the top of the front straightaway to steal Ballou’s line away.


 

Moments later, entering turn one nose-to-tail, Ballou spun off the edge of turn one, ending his run his run at a first USAC National Sprint Car victory of the season. Ballou restarted at the tail thereafter and drove from 18th to 14th in the final two laps.


 

Bacon had an inkling somebody behind him was going to make a run toward him up top, and just as soon he spotted it, he was prepared to make his move.


 

“I knew the bottom was going to be tough to beat in turns one and two,” Bacon explained. “It was getting pretty slow, but we were getting close to the end of the race, so I thought, ‘well, somebody’s going to have to beat me on the top.’ He poked his nose out there and I saw it and I knew it was time to move up. I got a good enough run to get in front of him and he kind of gave me a little tap getting down the front straightaway. I don’t know if he wasn’t expecting me to go to the top in front of him – probably not. I was ready for that move if I needed to do it.”


 

The final two laps were a bit less hectic for Bacon as he cruised to a 1.151 second victory. Meanwhile, a hardscrabble scramble for second on back was sorting itself out with Jake Swanson and Kyle Cummins making valiant late race runs to position themselves second and third at the line, respectively. Jadon Rogers equaled his best finish of the USAC season with a fourth while Justin Grant rounded out the top-five with a solid fifth, but also saw his three-race winning streak with the series come to an end.


 

On paper, Jake Swanson started second and finished second in his Team AZ Racing/Apache Transport – Stratis Construction – USW Cat Construction/DRC/1-Way Chevy. But it wasn't anywhere near that easy.  No sir. The Anaheim, Calif. native fell back to seventh as late as with only seven laps to go but managed to charge back up through the pack to score a second-place result.


 

For much of the feature, Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.) ran either just outside the top-10 or just inside the top-10. The last 10 laps were a different story, however, as he picked the field off one-by-one to break into the top-five late, then on the lap 28 restart, he went fifth to third to grab a podium finish in his Rock Steady Racing/Avanti Windows & Doors – Tim Mason ReMax/Mach-1/Stanton Chevy.


 

Mired back in the 21st starting spot, the only way to go was forward for Emerson Axsom (Franklin, Ind.), and he did that aplenty by advancing 13 spots to finish eighth and earn hard charger honors for the evening.


 

C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) was the best of the bunch in a tumultuous Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying session. His lap of 16.237 seconds broke the one-lap USAC track record at Devil’s Bowl of 16.626 held by Richard Summers since May of 1985. Qualifying, however, was marred by four separate ugly and violent incidents which sent drivers Anthony Nicholson, Kobe Simpson, Josh Hanna and J.J. Yeley flipping several times on their time trial runs. All four drivers’ nights were ended due to the crashes, but all four were able to walk away.


 

Thursday’s race at Devil’s Bowl was just the fifth USAC National Sprint Car event held in the state of Texas. A.J. Foyt (1959), Don Branson (1960) and Parnelli Jones (1960) all scored USAC Midwest Sprint Car victories at Meyer Speedway in Houston. Rick Hood (1985) captured a win at Devil’s Bowl. All four drivers are both USAC National Sprint Car champions and members of the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame, a club that Bacon is certainly on his way to belonging to as well.


 


 

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


 


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 7, 2023 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, Texas – 4/10-Mile Dirt Track – Co-Sanctioned by the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Sprint Car Series


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. C.J. Leary, 15x, BGE Dougherty-16.237; 2. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-16.289; 3. Logan Seavey, 2B, 2B Racing-16.305; 4. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-16.309; 5. Jake Swanson, 21AZ, Team AZ-16.314; 6. Mitchel Moles, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-16.319; 7. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-16.372; 8. Chase Stockon, 5s, KO-16.385; 9. J.J. Yeley, 2, Yeley-16.414; 10. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-16.420; 11. Brody Roa, 17R, Dunkel-16.468; 12. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-16.527; 13. Anthony Nicholson, 16, Nicholson-16.536; 14. Justin Zimmerman, #1, D-Up-16.549; 15. Kevin Thomas Jr., 2J, Yeley-16.565; 16. Daison Pursley, 5p, KO-16.588; 17. Jadon Rogers, 17GP, Dutcher-16.632; 18. Dalton Stevens, 99x, Stevens-16.659; 19. Charles Davis Jr., 47, Davis-16.686; 20. Kyle Jones, 11, Melton-16.752; 21. Brandon Mattox, 28, Mattox-16.853; 22. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-16.866; 23. Paul White, 1, Wade-16.920; 24. Jack Hoyer, 5, Baldwin/Fox-16.922; 25. Emerson Axsom, 47BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-16.931; 26. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-16.957; 27. Jason Howell, 44, Sturgeon-17.324; 28. Josh Hanna, 82, Hanna-17.686; 29. Bryan Debrick, 10, Debrick-17.717; 30. Kobe Simpson, 21K, Simpson-NT; 31. Chase Parson, 57, Parson-NT.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Charles Davis Jr., 2. Kyle Cummins, 3. C.J. Leary, 4. Jake Swanson, 5. Kevin Thomas Jr., 6. Paul White, 7. Jason Howell.


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Kyle Jones, 2. Brody Roa, 3. Jack Hoyer, 4. Justin Grant, 5. Mitchel Moles, 6. Daison Pursley, 7. Bryan Debrick. NT


 

T.J. FORGED THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Jadon Rogers, 2. Brady Bacon, 3. Emerson Axsom, 4. Logan Seavey, 5. Matt Westfall, 6. Brandon Mattox, 7. Chase Parson.


 

CAR IQ FOURTH HEAT: (8 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Justin Zimmerman, 2. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 3. Chase Stockon, 4. Robert Ballou, 5. A.J. Bender, 6. Dalton Stevens. NT


 

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Mitchel Moles, 2. Kevin Thomas Jr., 3. Matt Westfall, 4. Daison Pursley, 5. Dalton Stevens, 6. Brandon Mattox, 7. Jason Howell, 8. A.J. Bender, 9. Paul White, 10. Bryan Debrick, 11. Chase Parson. NT


 

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


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Brady Bacon.


 

**Anthony Nicholson flipped during qualifying. Kobe Simpson flipped during qualifying. Josh Hanna flipped during qualifying. J.J. Yeley flipped during qualifying. Charles Davis Jr. flipped on lap 4 of the feature.


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Brady Bacon-1928, 2-Justin Grant-1910, 3-Emerson Axsom-1798, 4-Kyle Cummins-1795, 5-Jake Swanson-1771, 6-C.J. Leary-1673, 7-Robert Ballou-1595, 8-Chase Stockon-1479, 9-Mitchel Moles-1425, 10-Daison Pursley-1411.


 

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-169, 2-Logan Seavey-105, 3-Shane Cottle-102, 4-Emerson Axsom-95, 5-Justin Grant-92, 6-Matt Westfall-88, 7-Robert Ballou-87, 8-Brady Bacon-85, 9-Chase Stockon-69, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-63.


 

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: September 8-9, 2023 – Texarkana 67 Speedway – Texarkana, Arkansas – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – Wingless Short Track Nationals


 


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Fastest Hot Laps Driver: Robert Ballou (16.285)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: C.J. Leary (16.237)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Charles Davis Jr.


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Kyle Jones


 

T.J. Forged Third Heat Winner: Jadon Rogers


 

Car IQ Fourth Heat Winner: Justin Zimmerman


 

Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Mitchel Moles


 

ProSource Hard Work Award: Eddie Tafoya Jr.


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Brady Bacon


 

Hard Charger: Emerson Axsom (21st to 8th)

 


Seavey Stays Hot, Extinguishes Firemen’s Nationals Field at Angell Park

Rich Forman

One night after his run of nine consecutive podium finishes came to an abrupt halt, Logan Seavey decided to begin a new kind of streak on Monday night at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin’s Angell Park Speedway.

The Sutter, Calif. native raced his way to the front after tirelessly working high and low to work his way by racelong leader Taylor Reimer. Seavey made the winning move just after the halfway point and proceeded to lead the final 14 laps en route to victory on night two of the 38th running of the Firemen’s Nationals.


 

With four series wins in the bank already this season and a whopper of a 171-point lead in the standings, Seavey’s fourth place result on Sunday night was practically a letdown to both the team and driver of the Abacus Racing/Honest Abe Roofing – Indy Custom Stone – Laura Kopetsky Tri-Ax/Spike/Stanton SR-11x.


 

Despite the rare “misstep,” relatively speaking, Seavey and Abacus’ winning streak now stands at one while their string of 11 consecutive top-five finishes remains unblemished since early June, a good three months ago.


 

“It feels good to redeem myself a little bit,” Seavey admitted. “I know we ran fourth yesterday, but I was disappointed that I didn’t run a good race. I feel like I should’ve been competing for the win yesterday, but I didn’t do that, so it’s cool to come back today and win.”


 

Seavey’s 12th career USAC National Midget feature triumph elevated him to 60th place on the all-time series win list, equaling the mark set by series champions Danny Caruthers, Russ Gamester and Jeff Gordon, plus Gene Force, Bobby Grim and Ron Shuman.


 

Additionally, it was Seavey’s second score during the Firemen’s Nationals following his first win in the event during the 2019 season. It’s an event that’s the third most tenured on the USAC National Midget schedule with 38 editions taking place, trailing only the Turkey Night Grand Prix (81 years) and 4-Crown Nationals (40 years) in terms of active longevity. For Seavey, it’s a special win at a special race at a special place.


 

“This is such a cool place to come to,” Seavey beamed. “The history of midget racing here in Sun Prairie is tough to beat. I just love this place and I’ve loved it since the first time I came here, and I always have a blast coming here.”


 

Seavey began his race from the second slot outside of the front row, yet it was pole sitter Taylor Reimer who set the tone at the outset, leading the first 16 laps as Seavey gave constant chase. Seavey sought the high line; he sought the low line; he sought the middle, but Reimer was unflappable through the first half as Seavey was only able to get to within a car length of her back bumper before regathering, resetting and trying again.


 

On lap 17, Seavey’s sticktoitiveness paid off at the exit of turn four as he raced around the outside of Reimer to take over the race lead. By the time the two hit the back straightaway, the yellow flag was displayed for the slowing car of Emerson Axsom (15th) who eventually stopped on the back straight. The leader, plus one, crossed the start/finish line, so with split scoring in play, the lap officially counted, and Seavey was scored as the race leader with 13 laps to go.


 

“I was just trying to be patient,” Seavey explained. “If I could pace there long enough, I knew that eventually I’d get my shot and the bottom would slow down a little bit and I’d be able to go by. I’m just that confident in my car.”


 

Approaching the halfway point of the 30-lap feature, Seavey decided he had to move soon, or it could be too late, which had been the case for him on occasion this season.


 

“I just kept looking at the board and watching the laps count down,” Seavey said. “I think I saw like 15 or 16 to go and there have been times this year when I waited a little too long and never got that shot. So, I went for it there, and luckily, we caught the yellow at the right time and we were able to get to the lead there.”


 

Seavey chopped through the middle of turn one on the ensuing restart, but soon after, Jade Avedisian arrived on the scene, splitting hairs between Zach Daum and Reimer to shoot from fourth to second in the blink of an eye in turn two before taking off after Seavey. Meanwhile, Reimer, who was strong early, suddenly fell to sixth as Daum, Cannon McIntosh and Bryant Wiedeman all freight trained on by.


 

Seavey had opened up his lead to a 1.306 second margin with five laps remaining when the final caution was signaled for the slowing car of fourth-running Cannon McIntosh who stopped in turn three on lap 26, putting him out of the race with a disheartening 17th place result following a fine run.


 

It was a late yellow that stifled Seavey’s charge through the field the night before, but the yellow didn’t rattle him off course on this night as he stepped away from Avedisian on the restart to the tune of a full second while the lap count ran slim.


 

In the end, Seavey was 1.209 second ahead of the competition as he crossed under the double checkered flags in front of Avedisian with Justin Grant sneaking around the outside of Daum to grab the third spot off the fourth and final turn. Daum collected fourth, while Reimer scored a fifth.


 

Jade Avedisian (Clovis, Calif.) made a late surge to finish second in her Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Mobil 1 – TRD – JBL Audio/Lynk/Speedway Toyota. The runner-up result equals her best career USAC National Midget finish, and once again, tied the best finish for a woman in USAC National competition alongside Sarah McCune at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway in 1999, Kaylee Bryson at Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway in 2022, and Avedisian twice in 2023 at the Belleville (Kan.) Short Track and Angell Park. Avedisian was also the only driver to finish on the podium during both nights at Angell Park this weekend following a third on Sunday night.


 

Approaching the final restart with five laps to go, Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) was running seventh. In those last five laps, he hustled up four more spots to score a third-place result and earned his second podium finish of the 2023 USAC National Midget season in his RMS Racing/NOS Energy Drink – EnviroFab – Response Management Services/Spike/Speedway Toyota. Grant’s’ advancement from his 10th starting spot to third in the running order also gave him hard charger bragging rights for the night.


 

During the evening’s Honest Abe Time Trial session, Avedisian posted her sixth career USAC National Midget fast qualifying time, tying her for 94th all-time with Chad Boat, Burt Foland, Brian Gerster, Mike Gregg, Kyle Hamilton, Buddy Kofoid, Lee Kunzman, Jerry McClung, Ron Shuman, Jimmy Sills, Don Vogler, Chris Windom and Billy Wood.


 

 
===============

 

 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 4, 2023 – Angell Park Speedway – Sun Prairie, Wisconsin – 1/3-Mile Dirt Track – Firemen’s Nationals


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Jade Avedisian, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.722; 2. Gavin Miller, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.726; 3. Chase McDermand, 19m, Bundy Built-14.792; 4. Zach Daum, 7u, Trifecta-14.796; 5. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-14.839; 6. Taylor Reimer, 25K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.905; 7. Justin Grant, 2, RMS-14.945; 8. Ryan Timms, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.949; 9. Cannon McIntosh, 08, Dave Mac Dalby-14.982; 10. Bryant Wiedeman, 81, CBI-14.988; 11. Daniel Whitley, 58, Abacus-15.004; 12. Daison Pursley, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-15.158; 13. Kyle Beilman, 31B, Beilman-15.199; 14. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, RMS-15.263; 15. Hayden Reinbold, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-15.293; 16. Emerson Axsom, 19A, Petry/Hayward-15.446; 17. Jake Andreotti, 25, Malloy-15.448; 18. Dekota Gay, 81A, Gay-15.499; 19. Parker Jones, 57A, RAB-15.563; 20. Cameron Weishoff, 55, Weishoff-15.736; 21. Bryan Stanfill, 75AU, Griffiths-15.775.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Bryant Wiedeman, 2. Zach Daum, 3. Jade Avedisian, 4. Justin Grant, 5. Emerson Axsom, 6. Kyle Beilman, 7. Parker Jones. 2:00.85


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Thomas Meseraull, 2. Logan Seavey, 3. Daniel Whitley, 4. Ryan Timms, 5. Gavin Miller, 6. Jake Andreotti, 7. Cameron Weishoff. 2:01.25


 

T.J. FORGED/CAR IQ THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Daison Pursley, 2. Hayden Reinbold, 3. Chase McDermand, 4. Taylor Reimer, 5. Cannon McIntosh, 6. Bryan Stanfill, 7. Dekota Gay. 1:59.64 (New Track Record)


 

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Logan Seavey (2), 2. Jade Avedisian (6), 3. Justin Grant (10), 4. Zach Daum (3), 5. Taylor Reimer (1), 6. Bryant Wiedeman (7), 7. Daison Pursley (8), 8. Chase McDermand (4), 9. Ryan Timms (11), 10. Gavin Miller (5), 11. Jake Andreotti (16), 12. Hayden Reinbold (18), 13. Thomas Meseraull (9), 14. Daniel Whitley (13), 15. Kyle Beilman (14), 16. Bryan Stanfill (19), 17. Cannon McIntosh (12), 18. Emerson Axsom (15), 19. Parker Jones (17), 20. Dekota Gay (20). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-16 Taylor Reimer, Laps 17-30 Logan Seavey.


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-1078, 2-Justin Grant-907, 3-Jade Avedisian-891, 4-Ryan Timms-884, 5-Bryant Wiedeman-878, 6-Daison Pursley-849, 7-Cannon McIntosh-816, 8-Jacob Denney-789, 9-Gavin Miller-787, 10-Taylor Reimer-717.


 

OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-167, 2-Logan Seavey-105, 3-Shane Cottle-102, 4-Justin Grant-92, 5-Robert Ballou-87, 6-Matt Westfall-86, 7-Brady Bacon-85, 8-Emerson Axsom-82, 9-Chase Stockon-69, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-54.


 

NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 21, 2023 – Gas City I-69 Speedway – Gas City, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – James Dean Classic


 

 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Hot Laps Fastest Driver: Jade Avedisian (14.653)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Jade Avedisian (14.722)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Bryant Wiedeman


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Thomas Meseraull


 

T.J. Forged / Car IQ Third Heat Winner: Daison Pursley


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Taylor Reimer


 

Hard Charger: Justin Grant (10th to 3rd)

 


 

On Fire! Timms Sweeps Night One of the Firemen’s Nationals at Angell Park

Rich Forman

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (September 3, 2023)………It’d been more than a year since a driver last performed a complete sweep from start to finish throughout a USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event.

Meanwhile, it had been just a tick under a year since the last time a team recorded a complete podium sweep of the top-three finishing positions during a USAC National Midget feature race.


 

In both cases, the team and car number leading the field across the finish line first was the very same – the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports No. 67.


 

On Sunday, during the opening night of the 38th running of the Firemen’s Nationals at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin’s Angell Park Speedway, the picture-perfect driver was Ryan Timms.


 

The Oklahoma City, Okla. native chased down teammate Gavin Miller, then waged a duel that consisted of slider after slider until Timms ultimately emerged ahead for good with eight laps remaining to earn his third series victory of the year in his Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/JBL Audio – TRD – Mobil 1/Lynk/Speedway Toyota.


 

For Timms, it was his fifth career USAC National Midget feature triumph, which moved him to 119th on the all-time list alongside Spencer Bayston, Mike Bliss, Lonnie Caruthers, Larry Dickson, Mike Fedorcak, Burt Foland, Mack McClellan, Danny McKnight, Cliff Spalding, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jerry Weeks.


 

Timms was superb from the start on Sunday night, earning his first career USAC Honest Abe Roofing fast qualifying time before capturing a heat race win from the sixth starting position, then again went sixth to first in the feature. His “sweep” of the event was the first such instance since Buddy Kofoid did the same in June of 2022 at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill.


 

Following Timms across the line at Angell Park’s 1/3-mile dirt oval were KKM teammates Gavin Miller and Jade Avedisian. The most recent occurrence in series history of the top-three finishers all hailing from the same team came in September of 2022 when KKM took the top-three spots at Gas City I-69 Speedway with Kofoid leading the field to victory with then teammates Kaylee Bryson and Brenham Crouch in tow.


 

Sunday night, it was Miller getting the initial jump on the field from the pole position, building an early full two second lead during the first 12 laps.  However, in that same timeframe, Timms had picked his way through the field from sixth to second in a hurry past a collection of talent including Logan Seavey, Jade Avedisian, Bryant Wiedeman and Justin Grant.


 

Timms immediately began to chop Miller’s wide margin of a lead from two seconds to a half second by lap 19 when Wiedeman, running seventh at the time, slowed to a stop between turns three and four. Under yellow, ninth running Chase McDermand, the three-time Badger Midget champ who was making his debut with Bundy Built Motorsports, pulled in with mechanical trouble.


 

The ensuing restart meant “go-time” for Timms as he immediately aimed for the bottom of turn one to execute a slide job for the lead on Miller, pulling it off successfully to lead lap 20. Nonetheless, Miller dug in and fought back, slide-jobbing Timms four consecutive times on both ends of the racetrack, coming up inches short of the lead on lap 21 before retaking over the lead briefly by inches at the stripe on lap 22.


 

As soon as Timms officially fell to second in the running order, he dropped the hammer, so to speak, and went back to the well, sliding across the nose of Miller in turn one on the 23rd circuit, then successfully fended off a return shot by Miller as he slid himself into turn three, thus preventing a slider from Miller and began to steadily break away from the field with seven laps to go.


 

“I was catching Gavin before that last restart,” Timms recalled. “I knew that if I could get a good enough restart, I could just bomb him going into one, and that’s what I did but it almost didn’t work out. He kept getting underneath me and I didn’t know whether to slide myself again and I didn’t really know what to do there. After about two or three crossovers, I just started sliding myself. Then I made a couple mistakes there at the end, but I chilled myself out and managed to bring it home.”


 

At the finish line, Timms was 0.932 sec. ahead of Miller who finished second. Jade Avedisian made a late move to grab third away from Logan Seavey who finished fourth.


 

Seavey came up about a car length short of extending his streak of top-three finishes to 10, which would’ve tied him for the all-time series record set by Mel Kenyon in 1967 and Tony Stewart in 1995. With that said, Seavey still maintains the championship lead by a hefty 161-point margin. Seavey’s Abacus Racing teammate Daniel Whitley, meanwhile, finished a career-best fifth.


 

Gavin Miller (Allentown, Pa.) has been on point of late. Tonight, the leading Rookie of the Year contender led a race-high 21 of 30 laps en route to a runner-up finish in his Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Eibach Springs – Mobil 1/Lynk/Speedway Toyota.  In his last three USAC National Midget starts, Miller has now finished 5th, 2nd and 2nd.


 

“On the restart, I didn’t know what he was going to do,” Miller recalled. “He just threw big slide job, then I had to cross him back over and slide him back. I think I had him if it wasn’t for the yellow, but that’s just racing.  We’ll be better next time.”


 

Jade Avedisian's first visit to Angell Park resulted in her best USAC National Midget finish in nearly three months in her Keith Kunz-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Mobil 1 – TRD – JBL Audio/Lynk/Speedway Toyota. The Clovis, Calif. racer finished third, her first top-three result since June at Lawrenceburg Speedway during Indiana Midget Week.


 

“I feel like I had a really, really fast car and I feel like I could’ve been there if I had done my first 15 laps a lot different,” Avedisian admitted. “I wasted a lot of time down there off turn two on the bottom, and I just needed to move up and keep up my momentum. I got to racing with Ryan (Timms) and just slowed my pace down and I was racing him instead of the cars in front of me.”


 

Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) salvaged his night after an adventurous qualifying run, which involved biking majorly in turn one on both of his laps, which prevented him from recording an official time. Starting dead last in the feature from the 23rd spot, he advanced 14 positions to finish ninth, thus earning hard charger honors. Pursley maintains his yearlong advantage in the ProSource Passing Master standings with 166 positions advanced in features alone across USAC’s three national series, 62 more than his closest competition.


 

Timms’ time of 2:01.97 during his heat race victory on Sunday night broke the eight-lap track record that had stood for more than 16 years. Ryan Durst had held the USAC National Midget mark for the distance at Angell Park of 2:04.98 since August 26, 2007.


 

 
===============

 

 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 3, 2023 – Angell Park Speedway – Sun Prairie, Wisconsin – 1/3-Mile Dirt Track – Firemen’s Nationals


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Ryan Timms, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.366; 2. Daniel Whitley, 58, Abacus-14.480; 3. Logan Seavey, 57, Abacus-14.495; 4. Bryant Wiedeman, 81, CBI-14.522; 5. Justin Grant, 2, RMS-14.559; 6. Zach Daum, 7u, Trifecta-14.578; 7. Gavin Miller, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.601; 8. Jade Avedisian, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.657; 9. Taylor Reimer, 25K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-14.665; 10. Cannon McIntosh, 08, Dave Mac Dalby-14.727; 11. Thomas Meseraull, 7x, RMS-14.757; 12. Chase McDermand, 19m, Bundy Built-14.819; 13. Tyler Baran, 11T, Baran-14.829; 14. Kyle Beilman, 31B, Beilman-14.841; 15. Emerson Axsom, 19A, Petry/Hayward-14.857; 16. Jake Andreotti, 25, Malloy-14.861; 17. Daniel Robinson, 57A, RAB-14.993; 18. Hayden Reinbold, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-15.018; 19. Dekota Gay, 81A, Gay-15.292; 20. Bryan Stanfill, 75AU, Griffiths-15.338; 21. Nick Baran, 7E, Engstrom-15.630; 22. Zach Boden, 51, Boden-15.658; 23. Cameron Weishoff, 55, Weishoff-15.950; 24. Daison Pursley, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-NT.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Ryan Timms, 2. Jake Andreotti, 3. Gavin Miller, 4. Cannon McIntosh, 5. Bryant Wiedeman, 6. Tyler Baran, 7. Zach Boden, 8. Dekota Gay. 2:01.97 (New Track Record)


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Jade Avedisian, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Thomas Meseraull, 4. Daniel Whitley, 5. Kyle Beilman, 6. Daniel Robinson, 7. Bryan Stanfill, 8. Cameron Weishoff. 2:03.66


 

T.J. FORGED/CAR IQ THIRD HEAT: (8 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Chase McDermand, 2. Logan Seavey, 3. Hayden Reinbold, 4. Taylor Reimer, 5. Daison Pursley, 6. Zach Daum, 7. Emerson Axsom. NT


 

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Ryan Timms (6), 2. Gavin Miller (1), 3. Jade Avedisian (7), 4. Logan Seavey (4), 5. Daniel Whitley (5), 6. Justin Grant (2), 7. Taylor Reimer (10), 8. Cannon McIntosh (11), 9. Daison Pursley (23), 10. Zach Daum (9), 11. Thomas Meseraull (12), 12. Jake Andreotti (16), 13. Hayden Reinbold (18), 14. Emerson Axsom (15), 15. Bryant Wiedeman (3), 16. Daniel Robinson (17), 17. Dekota Gay (19), 18. Tyler Baran (13), 19. Kyle Beilman (14), 20. Zach Boden (21), 21. Cameron Weishoff (22), 22. Chase McDermand (8), 23. Bryan Stanfill (20). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-19 Gavin Miller, Laps 20-21 Ryan Timms, Lap 22 Gavin Miller, Laps 23-30 Ryan Timms.


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-999, 2-Justin Grant-838, 3-Ryan Timms-833, 4-Bryant Wiedeman-815, 5-Jade Avedisian-812, 6-Jacob Denney-789, 7-Daison Pursley-789, 8-Cannon McIntosh-783, 9-Gavin Miller-735, 10-Taylor Reimer-653.


 

OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-166, 2-Logan Seavey-104, 3-Shane Cottle-102, 4-Robert Ballou-87, 5-Matt Westfall-86, 6-Justin Grant-85, 7-Brady Bacon-85, 8-Emerson Axsom-82, 9-Chase Stockon-69, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-54.


 

NEXT USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 4, 2023 – Angell Park Speedway – Sun Prairie, Wisconsin – 1/3-Mile Dirt Track – Firemen’s Nationals


 

 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Hot Laps Fastest Driver: Daison Pursley (14.498)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Ryan Timms (14.366)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Ryan Timms


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Jade Avedisian


 

T.J. Forged / Car IQ Third Heat Winner: Chase McDermand


 

Hard Charger: Daison Pursley (23rd to 9th)

 


 

 

The Beat Goes On! Grant Defeats the Field at Du Quoin’s 100-Miler

Rich Forman

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Du Quoin, Illinois (September 2, 2023)………If you thought Justin Grant had any inkling of missing a beat after three-straight USAC National Sprint Car wins last weekend, well, you’d be mistaken.


 

Absolutely nothing broke the Ione, Calif. native’s stride on Saturday afternoon during the 69th running of the Ted Horn 100 Presented By Hunt Brothers Pizza at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in southern Illinois as he scored his first USAC Silver Crown National Championship win of the season at an event he’s longed to win throughout the past decade of trying.


 

The 2020 USAC Silver Crown driving champion had made seven previous Ted Horn 100 starts, finishing a best of second back in 2019. On this day, he was nearly perfect, leading all but the first lap in the 100-miler as he controlled the final 99 trips around the legendary Magic Mile in his Hemelgarn Racing/NOS Energy Drink – Super Fitness – Nick Bohanon LLC/DRC/Foxco Chevy.


 

Grant also broke his 18-race string without a USAC Silver Crown win – which dated back to the 2022 season opener at the Terre Haute Action track – with his fifth career series win, tying him with Mario Andretti, Donnie Beechler, Pancho Carter, Shane Cockrum, Jay Drake, Tony Elliott, Bud Kaeding, Sheldon Kinser and Larry Rice for 26th on the all-time list.


 

After winning his first career Ted Horn 100 pole position, Grant proceeded to become the first driver to win the race from the first starting spot since Shane Cottle did the deed in 2007.


 

But more than anything, Grant is currently on one of the hottest streaks of his racing career after a down-and-out rough patch during the summer months. Last week, he reeled off three consecutive USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victories in a three-night span at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway, and in his first race since, he notched a Silver Crown win at the Du Quoin Mile.


 

“I’m super fortunate here lately,” Grant stated. “Everything I get in is an absolute rocket ship and I’m just having a ton of fun. Things are awesome right now and I’m just super, super fortunate for everybody who’s behind me and the racecars that I get to sit in.”


 

Grant spent much of the first couple laps side-by-side with outside front row starter C.J. Leary, and it was Leary who got around Grant on the outside line to lead lap one by a car length at the line. Grant swiped the lead back away from Leary on lap two as he raced by on the inside to beat Leary to the bottom rail in in turn three, which was an imperative aspect for Grant to establish early in the going.


 

“It wasn’t easy to pass, I don’t think, just because the straightaways were so dirty and kind of narrow,” Grant said. “I felt like I pushed pretty hard the first couple of laps to get back around C.J. because I wanted to be on the point of this deal and make them try to get by me. It just didn’t lend itself to a lot of options and a guy was going to have to make a mistake, but when you’re racing with these guys, they’re so good, mistakes are pretty few and far between.”


 

Davey Ray was on the move early from his third starting position, moving to second on the entry to turn one on lap nine when he glanced his left front tire off the inside guardrail, which ricocheted him right into Leary. As the two bounced off each other while sliding up the track, Leary fought to regain control while Ray scooted off into the runner-up spot.


 

Ray made a bid for the lead on lap 32 but didn’t reap the rewards as he slid high in between turns two and three, opening the door for Leary to drive back under and reassume the second position. Kody Swanson tried a similar maneuver on lap 48 as he slid across the nose of Ray for third in turn three, but instead, drifted wide and opened up a gap for Shane Cockrum to zip by to take over fourth as Swanson fell back to fifth.


 

Ray ultimately got loose at the exit of turn four on lap 53 after sliding a bit too far sideways. In response, Cockrum capitalized on the situation by driving under Ray for third and brought Swanson in tow to fourth as Ray slipped back to fifth just past the halfway mark.


 

One of the positive comeback stories during the middle portion of the race was that of Casey Buckman who spun in turn two on the opening lap but restarted at the tail and drove from 29th spot up to ninth by lap 63 when he spun and collected the outside turn three wall, ending a valiant effort. Under the subsequent yellow, sixth running Ray pulled off as smoke began to surface from the Cornell Racing Stables No. 8.


 

In the following days after the Springfield round two weeks ago, Shane Cockrum didn’t know if he would even have a ride for Du Quoin after the engine blew on his BLS Motorsports No. 71. Stepping into Hans Lein’s No. 97 as a substitute wheelman for the recovering Mitchel Moles, Cockrum shot up to second as he flew around the outside of Leary on the front straight on lap 68 and steadily closed right to the rear bumper of race leader Grant.


 

Grant staved off the pressure from Cockrum for the time being until ninth running Chase Stockon slowed dramatically on lap 82 with a flat right rear tire to bring out the caution. Leary took advantage of the ensuing restart and slipped back to second under Cockrum in turn one while Swanson followed him to third.


 

On the other end, Grant nearly met an unkind fate as he slid high, kicking up a cloud of dust as he fought to regain control in between turns three and four. However, he calmly pointed the nose back to the bottom rail to get back in the groove without harm and without foul back in the lead ahead of Leary.


 

“There on the restarts, when you get running and the tires are hot, the track would get hot and cleaned up. You can kind of move around a little bit,” Grant explained. “On the restarts, if you weren’t right on the rail, it was really slick, and I went smoking down in there and I thought was okay. When I went through one and two, I felt pretty stuck, and I hustled down into three and four, and I was like, ‘oh, way too soon for that, sliding across there.’”


 

With three laps remaining, Leary was able to slightly cut into Grant's lead, knocking off a couple tenths from the margin down to 0.6 sec. Nevertheless, he was unable to get any closer than that as Grant remained steady and in complete control as he finished off his second win on a dirt mile in the state of Illinois, but his first on the Du Quoin Mile.


 

Grant’s margin of victory was 0.999 sec. over Leary with Swanson third, Cockrum fourth and Seavey fifth.


 

Like Grant, C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) was keen on winning his first one at the Du Quoin mile aboard his Klatt Enterprises/Wilwood Disc Brakes – Lucas Oil Center– Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/Beast/Ford. But for Leary, on the line was a first dirt mile victory of any kind. Leary estimated he had a couple shots, but in the end, had to settle for second which not only was his best run of the USAC Silver Crown season, but it was also his best career Ted Horn 100 finish, besting his fourth place performance in 2017.


 

“We’ve had some bad luck and we’ve had some things that were probably a little bit of our own fault,” Leary said of the team’s struggles this season. “Overall, we’ve had a really good car. I feel like we’ve been in contention to win a bunch of them, but just haven’t been able to win any of them.  It’s frustrating, but I knew we had a good car and Justin had a good car also and he might’ve been a little bit better than us. I had maybe one or two shots at him in three and four, but he just might’ve overdriven it a little bit. The last 15 to 20 laps are like qualifying runs and I was running for all we had, and I know Justin was too. I was pushing him and trying to force a mistake out of him but there was no mistake out of Justin. Hats off to him and his team.  I know they’ve been on a rough road like we have, but I’m super happy and it’s going to make for a good drive home.”


 

Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.) battled a vibration issue early on and started back in eighth before driving his Doran-Binks Racing/Mission Foods – Glenn Farms/Maxim/Lanci Ford up to a solid third place result at Du Quoin. With Logan Seavey's fifth place run, that put Swanson just one point out of the USAC Silver Crown point lead with only two races remaining on the season. But that’s not what he’s here for.


 

“I’m not here to race for points,” Swanson revealed. “We’re here to try and win races and these guys prepare to try and win them. I just didn’t get it done today, but as far as weighing risk vs. reward, it’s all reward and it’s all upside to go for it and try to win the race. I made a mistake when I got inside of Davey (Ray) and couldn’t stick the bottom. He got back by, and Shane got there with him. I felt like I was just one mistake behind. Luckily, we were able to race our way back through, but we were just not fast enough to chase down Justin and C.J. there. They did a great job, and you never want to be happy with third but I’m thankful for the effort and the run we had.”


 

Wayne Johnson (Tuttle, Okla.) posted the biggest charge of the USAC Silver Crown season in his first ever start at Du Quoin.  Following a broken rocker arm in practice, the Two C Racing team swapped out the engine and missed qualifying entirely, which put the Silver Crown “Rookie” near the tail of the field where he promptly and officially advanced 18 positions, starting 26th on the grid and finishing 8th.


 

 
===============

 

 

USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 2, 2023 – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin, Illinois – 1-Mile Dirt Oval – Ted Horn 100 Presented By Hunt Brothers Pizza


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING/SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SPORTS PRODUCTIONS QUALIFYING: 1. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-31.870; 2. C.J. Leary, 6, Klatt-32.437; 3. Davey Ray, 8, Cornell-32.446; 4. Jerry Coons Jr., 24, Haggenbottom-32.640; 5. Logan Seavey, 22, Rice/Abacus-32.641; 6. Chase Stockon, 69, Pink 69-32.802; 7. Shane Cottle, 9, Dyson-32.822; 8. Kody Swanson, 177, Doran/Binks-32.892; 9. Mario Clouser, 92, Kazmark-32.909; 10. Kyle Steffens, 08, Steffens-32.950; 11. Shane Cockrum, 97, Lein-33.001; 12. Emerson Axsom, 20, Nolen-33.035; 13. Chris Fetter, 15, Fetter-33.146; 14. Trey Burke, 11, Hamilton/SRG-33.162; 15. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-33.181; 16. Patrick Bruns, 95, Full Throttle-33.181; 17. Korey Weyant, 99, Weyant-33.476; 18. Casey Buckman, 25, C-Buck/Sachs-33.654; 19. Taylor Ferns, 555, Ferns-33.896; 20. Ryan Thomas, 118, Wingo-33.909; 21. Kaylee Bryson, 26, Pierce-33.994; 22. A.J. Fike, 53, FTM-34.039; 23. Patrick Lawson, 2, Lawson-34.206; 24. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-34.348; 25. Dave Berkheimer, 31, Berkheimer-35.277; 26. Danny Long, 44, Long-36.307; 27. John Tosti, 07, Tosti-37.418; 28. Tim Simmons, 3, Simmons-37.908; 29. Cary Oliver, 110, Oliver-NT; 30. Dave Peperak, 777, Peperak-NT; 31. Matt Westfall, 81, BCR-NT; 32. Wayne Johnson, 12, Two C-NT; 33. Tom Paterson, 111, Paterson-NT; 34. Trey Osborne, 88, Fetter-NT; 35. Jacob Wilson, 107, WBR-NT.


 

FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (1), 2. C.J. Leary (2), 3. Kody Swanson (8), 4. Shane Cockrum (11), 5. Logan Seavey (5), 6. Jerry Coons Jr. (4), 7. Emerson Axsom (12), 8. Wayne Johnson (26), 9. Taylor Ferns (18), 10. Kyle Steffens (10), 11. Chris Urish (15), 12. Korey Weyant (16), 13. Chris Fetter (13), 14. Chase Stockon (6), 15. Dave Berkheimer (23), 16. Trey Burke (14), 17. Davey Ray (3), 18. Mario Clouser (9), 19. Casey Buckman (17), 20. Russ Gamester (22), 21. Ryan Thomas (27), 22. Danny Long (24), 23. Kaylee Bryson (19), 24. Patrick Lawson (21), 25. Shane Cottle (7), 26. A.J. Fike (20), 27. Tom Paterson (29), 28. John Tosti (25), 29. Tim Simmons (28). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 C.J. Leary, Laps 2-100 Justin Grant.


 

USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-548, 2-Kody Swanson-547, 3-Justin Grant-439, 4-Mario Clouser-380, 5-Taylor Ferns-366, 6-Kaylee Bryson-364, 7-C.J. Leary-358, 8-Bobby Santos-315, 9-Matt Westfall-315, 10-Trey Burke-278.


 

OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-152, 2-Logan Seavey-104, 3-Shane Cottle-102, 4-Robert Ballou-87, 5-Matt Westfall-86, 6-Justin Grant-85, 7-Brady Bacon-85, 8-Emerson Axsom-81, 9-Chase Stockon-69, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-54.


 

NEXT USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 22-23, 2023 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio – 1/2-Mile Dirt Oval – 41st 4-Crown Nationals


 

 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Practice Fastest Driver: Shane Cottle (30.287)


 

Honest Abe Roofing / Southern Illinois Sports Productions Fast Qualifier: Justin Grant (31.870)


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: C.J. Leary


 

Hard Charger: Wayne Johnson (26th to 8th)

 


 

Gateway Gem: Hamilton & Legacy Score First USAC Silver Crown Win at WWT

Brad Plant

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Madison, Illinois (August 27, 2023)………Sunday’s running of the OutFront 100 at World Wide Technology Raceway presented a series of firsts from the driver to the team and even the car itself.


 

Davey Hamilton Jr. led the final 47 laps of Sunday’s matinee on the Madison, Ill. 1.25-mile paved oval while fending off late-race pressure from both Justin Grant and Bobby Santos to win his first career USAC Silver Crown race.


 

The Legacy Autosport team, which fielded Hamilton Jr. for the first time earlier this month, also captured its first series win in just the team’s sixth start. The Pittsboro, Ind. based team is owned by Louis Michael Meyer, the great grandson of Louis Meyer, the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and the first to celebrate an Indy win with a swig of milk in victory lane back in 1936.


 

On top of that, the team’s own in-house Legacy Chassis won its first ever race with the series, becoming the first chassis other than a Beast to win a pavement USAC Silver Crown race in 15 years. Chet Fillip’s own Tex-Mex creation had been the most recent non-Beast winner when he scored at Virginia’s Richmond International Raceway in 2008.


 

Furthermore, for the first time since 1993, an Idaho native is a USAC national feature winner as Hamilton (Boise, Idaho) became the first driver from “The Gem State” to earn a victory since Randy Tolsma was a midget winner at Indianapolis Raceway Park 30 years ago.


 

One year ago, Hamilton led his first career laps in Silver Crown competition at WWT before going on to a then career best result of second behind Kody Swanson. This time around, Hamilton took advantage when Swanson lost his brakes just before the midway point, and from there on out, Hamilton kept his Legacy Autosport/Metalloid – Penske Shocks/Legacy/Stanton Chevy up front despite a bit of smoke emanating from his car during the final laps.


 

“It’s a dream come true,” Hamilton stated. “They gave me a call right before Toledo and offered me the ride. They gave me a chance and it has been a solid piece everywhere we’ve gone.”


 

Even before the race, Hamilton Jr. was running short of breath. After providing pace car rides to the race day patrons, he ran about a mile to his Silver Crown car on pit lane, just making it in time to get strapped in and ready himself for 80 laps of competition.


 

While Hamilton started from the sixth position, Swanson captured the pole position for the 46th time in his Silver Crown career during Honest Abe Roofing with a time of 30.745 seconds, translating to a blistering 146.365 mph average speed.


 

At first, third-starting Mario Clouser slipped past the entire front row to lead three-quarters of the first lap.  However, outside front row starter Logan Seavey found traction up top to race around Clouser to lead the first two laps – his first on the pavement.


 

Using the vaunted draft, Swanson regathered himself and drag raced past Seavey on the back straight to claim the lead on lap three. However, Swanson’s time up front was short-lived as C.J. Leary dove to the bottom of turn one to take over the top spot on the fifth lap.


 

Not only did Leary’s lead become short-lived, but it was the same story for his day as he slowed while leading on the 11th lap with a broken fuel pump, necessitating a caution as he coasted to a stop on the back straight, prematurely ending his day.


 

Thereafter, Hamilton was on the move, taking second on the lap 15 restart as he powered underneath Clouser in turn two, then began to close in on Swanson for the lead, even showing his front bumper at the entry to turn three before backing out moments later.


 

Following a Taylor Ferns turn two spin on lap 24, Hamilton, as had been the case all day, showed his prowess on restarts. On the lap 28 edition, he edged ahead of Swanson coming to the green flag to officially lead the lap. Swanson wound it up and was able to wrestle the lead back away from Hamilton in turns one and two to reposition himself at the forefront of the pack.


 

Ironically, at essentially the same moment in the race Swanson took the lead from Hamilton in last year’s race, the reverse came to be true this time around on lap 34.  Hamilton drove to the inside of Swanson and stuck the pass in turns three and four, taking some of the knowledge he learned in the 2022 race and applying it to his Sunday drive.


 

“It seemed like my car was getting a really good draft behind Kody,” Hamilton revealed. “I had to pull out a couple times just to avoid hitting him. Last year, I learned that this place could hurt you on restarts. So, I did the best I could on getting a good jump. Having these guys behind you is not fun, I’ll tell you that.”


 

On lap 36, Swanson came right back at Hamilton on the outside of turn one. Just after moving ahead, Swanson dirt-tracked it through turns one and two, getting completely sideways while remaining on the gas in a spectacular save to avoid contact with the wall. Despite the lack of a meeting with the wall, the moment signaled the end of Swanson’s day as he dropped like a rock, falling all the way to 11th before making the first of several pit stops due to a lack of brakes. Swanson ultimately soldiered on but finished a distant 15th, seven laps behind the leader.


 

With Hamilton now up front, he broke away to a 1.429 second lead with 30 to go when Nathan Byrd’s car went up in smoke along the front straightaway after charging from his 22nd starting spot to fifth. Byrd qualified his normal No. 88, which experienced mechanical trouble in qualifying, but for the race, jumped into the No. 11 regularly piloted by Trey Burke. However, that car spun a spud of the fuel pump early on, forcing Burke into the No. 14, which was originally entered for Davey Hamilton Sr. to drive. It was a true game of race day musical chairs unlike any other in recent memory.


 

With 13 to go, it became a top-two breakaway up front with Hamilton holding the lead by a few car lengths over Justin Grant. Third running Bobby Santos, however, suddenly became a player with the benefit of the draft as he rapidly closed in on the top-two, shaving nearly 1.5 second off his deficit in a single lap before taking the spot away from Grant on lap 71.


 

Quickly, Santos was able to get right to Hamilton's back bumper with seven to go as the front runners began to discard lapped traffic, putting Travis Welpott a lap down. Moments later, it was Welpott (12th) spinning in turn two which caused a late yellow and stifled Santos’ momentous charge, thus creating a green-white-checkered scenario to finish the contest.


 

Under yellow, Hamilton’s car began to show a little bit of smoke. However, it seemed to be of no deterrence when the race resumed on lap 79. Santos got as close as a car length to Hamilton’s tail in turns one and two on the final lap, but Hamilton was able to peel away and finish off a $10,000 victory by a 0.169 second margin over Santos, Grant and Seavey while Derek Bischak rounded out the top-five with his fourth top-five finish in five starts this season.


 

Bobby Santos (Franklin, Mass.) remains the only two-time USAC Silver Crown race winner at WWT Raceway, but he sure did want to become the first three-time victor as well. In the end, Santos came home a close second on Sunday in his DJ Racing/Classic Corvettes – Brown & Miller Racing Solutions – Simpson/Beast/Speedway Chevy. In five USAC Silver Crown starts this season, Santos has now finished inside the top-two on four different occasions.


 

It’s been a whirlwind weekend for Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.). Roughly 16 hours after winning his third straight USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship feature in as many nights at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway, he was on the move again where a middle-of-the-night drive to WWT Raceway followed his $44,500 evening at Kokomo on Saturday. Grant capped his weekend as the biggest mover of the Silver Crown feature, charging from ninth to third in his Hemelgarn Racing/NOS Energy Drink – Super Fitness – Hemelgarn Enterprises/Beast/Speedway Ford.


 

Meanwhile, by virtue of his fourth-place result and Kody Swanson’s misfortune, Logan Seavey has reassumed his position at the top of the USAC Silver Crown National Championship standings by a seven-point margin with just three events remaining.


 

 
===============

 

 

USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 27, 2023 – World Wide Technology Raceway – Madison, Illinois – 1.25-Mile Paved Oval – OutFront 100


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Kody Swanson, 77, Doran/Binks-30.745; 2. Logan Seavey, 22, Rice/Abacus-30.843; 3. Bobby Santos, 98, DJ-30.865; 4. C.J. Leary, 6, Klatt-30.899; 5. Mario Clouser, 92, Kazmark-31.043; 6. Davey Hamilton Jr., 19, Legacy-31.072; 7. Derek Bischak, 131, Bischak-31.345; 8. Kyle O'Gara, 67, SFHR-31.381; 9. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-31.400; 10. Kaylee Bryson, 26, Pierce-31.595; 11. Trey Burke, 14, Hamilton/SRG-31.633; 12. Taylor Ferns, 555, Ferns-31.774; 13. Nathan Byrd, 88, Byrd-31.788; 14. Dakoda Armstrong, 5, C & A-31.921; 15. Kyle Steffens, 08, Steffens-32.026; 16. Matt Westfall, 81, BCR-32.044; 17. Aaron Pierce, 126, Pierce-32.098; 18. Mike McVetta, 94, RAM-32.504; 19. Bryan Gossel, 06, Gossel-33.379; 20. Travis Welpott, 18, Welpott-33.442; 21. Nathan Moore, 48, Thomas-34.620; 22. Tom Paterson, 111, Paterson-35.500; 23. Dave Berkheimer, 31, Berkheimer-39.044; 24. Patrick Lawson, 2, Lawson-39.645; 25. Trey Burke, 11, Hamilton/SRG-NT.


 

FEATURE: (80 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Davey Hamilton Jr. (6), 2. Bobby Santos (3), 3. Justin Grant (9), 4. Logan Seavey (2), 5. Derek Bischak (7), 6. Trey Burke (11), 7. Kaylee Bryson (10), 8. Kyle O'Gara (8), 9. Mario Clouser (5), 10. Dakoda Armstrong (13), 11. Taylor Ferns (12), 12. Bryan Gossel (17), 13. Nathan Moore (19), 14. Kody Swanson (1), 15. Travis Welpott (18), 16. Matt Westfall (14), 17. Nathan Byrd (#11) (22), 18. Mike McVetta (16), 19. C.J. Leary (4), 20. Tom Paterson (20), 21. Aaron Pierce (15), 22. Patrick Lawson (21).


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-2 Logan Seavey, Laps 3-4 Kody Swanson, Laps 5-10 C.J. Leary, Laps 11-27 Kody Swanson, Lap 28 Davey Hamilton Jr., Laps 29-33 Kody Swanson, Laps 34-80 Davey Hamilton Jr.


 

USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-490, 2-Kody Swanson-483, 3-Justin Grant-363, 4-Mario Clouser-353, 5-Kaylee Bryson-344, 6-Taylor Ferns-320, 7-Bobby Santos-315, 8-Matt Westfall-305, 9-C.J. Leary-291, 10-Derek Bischak-270.


 

OVERALL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-152, 2-Logan Seavey-104, 3-Shane Cottle-102, 4-Robert Ballou-87, 5-Matt Westfall-86, 6-Justin Grant-85, 7-Brady Bacon-85, 8-Emerson Axsom-76, 9-Chase Stockon-69, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-54.


 

NEXT USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 2, 2023 – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin, Illinois – 1-Mile Dirt Oval – Ted Horn 100


 

 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Dirt Draft Practice Fastest Driver: Kody Swanson (30.745)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Kody Swanson (30.745)


 

Hard Charger: Justin Grant (9th to 3rd)

 


 

Smackdown Sweep! Grant Grabs $44,500 Weekend Finale at Kokomo

Rich Forman

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Kokomo, Indiana (August 26, 2023)………”This weekend’s been a dream. I feel like I’m going to wake up tomorrow and it’s going to be Wednesday.”


 

The dream was most certainly a reality for Justin Grant during Saturday night’s Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Sprint Car Smackdown XII finale at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway.


 

But for every other driver who faced off against him during the past three nights at the quarter-mile dirt oval, the Ione, Calif. native was a nightmare.


 

Grant’s prowess over during the Thursday-Friday-Saturday stretch at Kokomo was no illusion as he reeled off three consecutive victories in as many nights to become the first driver in the 12-year history of Smackdown to sweep to three successive feature triumphs in a single weekend.


 

The take home pay for Grant after leading the final 29 laps on Saturday night totaled $44,500, pocketing the base pay of $30,000 while also adding a cool $500 per each lap led in his TOPP Motorsports/NOS Energy Drink – MPV Express – TOPP Industries/Maxim/Kistler Chevy.


 

When Grant migrated from his native California to take up residence in Indiana more than a decade ago, Kokomo Speedway became one of his adopted homes. Now, all these years later, he’s tied with the great Dave Darland as the winningest driver in USAC National Sprint Car competition at Kokomo with Saturday night’s run being the ninth of his career.


 

In total, seven of his nine career Kokomo USAC Sprint Car victories have come during Smackdown weekend, three of which have occurred on championship night in 2018, 2021 and 2023, making him just the third three-time Smackdown champion following Dave Darland (2013-14-15) and Tyler Courtney (2017-19-20). But few have been sweeter than his latest and none more lucrative.


 

“It feels amazing,” Grant exclaimed. “Kokomo Speedway is where I got my start and it’s where I cut my teeth. This event has always meant the world to me. The success I’ve been able to have here is just incredible and it feels incredible to be standing in victory lane here anytime.”


 

In the entire 68-year history of USAC National Sprint Car racing, few have captured three-straight USAC National Sprint Car features in a three-day-or-less span. In 1979, Steve Chassey won three in two days, all at Indiana’s Winchester Speedway. In 2002, Cory Kruseman reeled off three consecutive at Gas City, Lincoln Park and Tri-State Speedways during Indiana Sprint Week. Levi Jones had been the most recent to achieve the feat during Eastern Storm in 2010 Grandview, Lincoln and New Egypt Speedways.


 

Furthermore, Grant’s latest win was his 43rd in USAC National Sprint Car competition, moving him past 1974 and 1976 series champion Pancho Carter and into sole possession of seventh place on the all-time list.


 

After Thursday and Friday night’s back-to-back Kokomo triumphs, Grant was the odds-on favorite to do it again on Saturday night. He kicked things off right by gliding through the Bill & Sandy Wever & The Grandkids King of the Hill two-car, three-lap duels, which earned him the pole position for the 40-lap grand finale.


 

Despite that fact, it was outside front row starter C.J. Leary who broke out front and grasped the initial lead, beating Grant to the line by a wheel at the completion of lap one. In fact, throughout the first 10 circuits, Grant remained completely draped over Leary while applying consistent pressure. Grant stayed true to the top while Leary dabbled on the bottom in turns three and four for much of the first quarter of the main event.


 

But on lap 12, and with traffic looming ahead of him just a single lap away, Grant felt the time was now as he got his momentum wound up on the high side and dove to the bottom of turn one, taking Leary for the top spot.


 

Grant immediately worked traffic like he was on the autobahn and all others were in a school zone as he constructed his lead to one, then to two and then three full seconds by the time the race reached the halfway mark on lap 20. But without any spotters or rearview mirrors, in sprint car racing, the ambition is to remain pushing and to keep pushing until the lap counter runs out.


 

“I felt like I really hadn’t had any pressure,” Grant revealed. “I got caught up behind lapped cars and I never heard anybody or felt pressure. I knew we had a really good racecar and I felt like we had a good lead. I didn’t want to get lulled into contentment because we had been so good all weekend. I was still pushing pretty hard.”


 

Meanwhile, Bacon, who had finished second on each of the two preliminary nights, grabbed second when he raced past Leary in turn four for the runner-up spot on lap 23. Cummins tagged along and ripped third from Leary in the thick of lapped traffic on lap 30. By lap 32, Cummins had flashed into second as he drove topside around Bacon to slot into the “place” spot with just eight laps remaining.


 

Leary’s troubles mounted and he began to drop through the field, running fifth before slowing to a halt on lap 37 with just three laps remaining. By that point in time, Grant had lapped all but the first eight drivers in the 22-car field and held a staggering 8.415 second lead. Leary ultimately returned to finish the feature, restarting on the tail end of the lead lap and finishing eighth.


 

For Grant, the stoppage was a gamechanger. When all seemed locked up and the ink on the headlines was nearly completely dry, Cummins and the rest of the field received a reprieve and a new lease on life.  For Grant, however, it was much to his chagrin.


 

“I was bummed to see that yellow,” Grant said. “I was like, ‘dang, three to go, come on!’ I wasn’t too worried about it, but then I went in on the restart and just completely botched one and two, oh boy!”


 

Grant skittered straight up atop the cushion between turns one and two on the lap 38 restart, allowing Cummins to get himself within striking distance of Grant at the exit of turn two. Grant took an entry into three somewhat through the middle in order to avoid a slider attempt from Cummins. However, Cummins saw a possible opportunity and went after Grant, sliding side-by-side in turn four wheel-to-wheel without giving an inch, or a single lift, in the pursuit of Smackdown glory.


 

“I was driving down into three and four and Kyle was sliding across after I all but gave this race away in one and two, so I knew I had better get it back over here (in three and four),” Grant explained. “I snuck right around him, and I thought my left rear (tire) was going to get over his right rear there. There’s $30,000 on the line; it’s worth it to take a chance here and there.”


 

Just as that “was the meal” Kenny Bania had on an episode of Seinfeld, that “was the move” for both Grant and Cummins alike. Grant staved off the final effort from Cummins to score the biggest payday of his racing career by a 0.886 second margin over Cummins, Logan Seavey, Brady Bacon and Robert Ballou.


 

“I can’t say enough about my guys,” Grant praised. “This racecar is incredible. We spent some time on Dan Pace’s dyno last week getting ready to come here and make sure our motors were top notch. There are so many people who played a part in getting me here and allowing me to be successful.”


 

Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.) took his shot at the win on the final restart but came up just short of winning his second straight Smackdown aboard his Rock Steady Racing/Avanti Windows & Doors – Tim Mason ReMax/Mach-1/Stanton Chevy. In his past five Saturday night Smackdown starts since 2019, Cummins has now finished inside the top-two in four of them.


 

“It’s a lot of money to win, but I’m not going to take him out,” Cummins said of his late-race duel with Grant.  “He was there, and I was trying, trying, and I was like, ‘nope, he’s got it.’ I was hoping he was going to make a mistake and he kind of did, but I was just a little too far back. It was hard to make a move when he had enough momentum coming off both corners. I was good on momentum getting through, but I couldn’t get down the straightaways as quickly as he could. We were kind of mired back in fourth or fifth there just trying, but as the race went on, my car definitely got better. Before the yellow, I kept looking and trying to find him. I didn’t know where he was at, but I felt like if we got a yellow, we had a chance. I was clicking off some pretty good laps there.”


 

It was hands down the best Smackdown of Logan Seavey’s career as far as Saturday night finales go. That's the story for the Sutter, Calif. racer who finished third in the feature after starting eighth. That earned him his best career Smackdown Saturday night finish in what was his sixth start in the event behind the wheel of his 2B Racing/Honest Abe Roofing – Benic Enterprises – Goodnight Racing/DRC/Claxton Chevy.


 

“When you’re racing with guys like that, you’ve got to jump at the first opportunity you see to make passes,” Seavey explained. “I had to capitalize really quick there early when a few guys were kind of searching and I knew where I was going. I got to fourth or fifth there pretty quickly and was happy with my car. I made a few passes there toward the end to get to third, which is really good.  I felt like I could race with Kyle there a little bit, but Justin was in another league tonight.”


 

Briggs Danner (Allentown, Pa.) performed terrifically all weekend in his first career Smackdown appearance. The best run of them all for the reigning USAC East Coast Sprint Car champ and current point leader, however, came on Saturday night as he finished sixth. In doing so, he was named the 2023 Smackdown Rookie of the Year, which rewarded him with a $1,000 bonus.


 

Smackdown XII also served as the kickoff for the inaugural USAC NOS Energy Drink Hoosier Trifecta in which USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship competitors will be racing for major prizes across three marquee events in the state of Indiana in August, September and October.


 

Up next in the three-race series is the $20,000-to-win Haubstadt Hustler at Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, September 16. Another $20,000 winner’s share is posted for the Fall Nationals at Lawrenceburg Speedway, set to go on Saturday, October 7.


 

Winning all three Trifecta events in 2023 would net a driver a bonus of up to $30,000. The top driver finishing all three races in second place or better will receive a $20,000 payout. The top driver finishing all three races in third place or better will receive a $10,000 payout.


 

At the end of the three races during the USAC NOS Energy Drink Hoosier Trifecta, a driver could earn a potential $100,000-plus prize when all is said and done.


 

 
=====================

 

 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 26, 2023 – Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Sprint Car Smackdown XII


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-2 transfer to the feature) 1. Carson Garrett (#15 BGE Dougherty), 2. Max Adams (#5x Adams), 3. Emerson Axsom (#47BC Clauson Marshall Newman), 4. Trey Osborne (#6T Osborne), 5. Colten Cottle (#57 Hazen), 6. Dustin Ingle (#2DI Ingle), 7. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (#51T Tafoya), 8. Tyler Miller (#67 Miller). 2:13.96


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-2 transfer to the feature) 1. Jadon Rogers (#17GP Dutcher), 2. Matt Westfall (#33m Marshall), 3. Stevie Sussex (#77s Sturgeon), 4. Cole Bodine (#57B Bodine), 5. Dave Darland (#36D Darland/Curb-Agajanian), 6. Kobe Simpson (#21K Simpson), 7. Nate Schank (#1 Schank), 8. Larry Kingseed Jr. (#21 Kingseed). 2:12.67


 

T.J. FORGED THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-2 transfer to the feature) 1. Ricky Lewis (#41 Brown), 2. Chase Stockon (#5s KO), 3. Sterling Cling (#34 SCR), 4. Korbyn Hayslett (#1H Hayslett), 5. Geoff Ensign (#17 On The Gass), 6. Devan Myers (#75 Myers), 7. Bryar Schroeter (#21s Schroeter), 8. Jack Hoyer (#5 Baldwin-Fox). 2:13.65


 

CAR IQ FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-2 transfer to the feature) 1. Jake Swanson (#21AZ Team AZ), 2. Joey Amantea (#88J JPA), 3. Daison Pursley (#5p KO), 4. Rylan Gray (#81G Gray), 5. Riley Kreisel (#2J Yeley), 6. Brayden Clark (#42G Jackson-Clark), 7. Brandon Mattox (#28 Mattox), 8. Jack James (#99 James). NT


 

FIRST BILL & SANDY WEVER & THE GRANDKIDS KING OF THE HILL QUARTERFINAL: (3 laps) #1 Justin Grant (#4 TOPP) defeats #8 Logan Seavey (#2B 2B Racing)


 

SECOND BILL & SANDY WEVER & THE GRANDKIDS KING OF THE HILL QUARTERFINAL: (3 laps) #5 Kyle Cummins (#3R Rock Steady) defeats #4 Robert Ballou (#12 Ballou)


 

THIRD BILL & SANDY WEVER & THE GRANDKIDS KING OF THE HILL QUARTERFINAL: (3 laps) #3 C.J. Leary defeats #6 Shane Cottle (#2E Epperson)


 

FOURTH BILL & SANDY WEVER & THE GRANDKIDS KING OF THE HILL QUARTERFINAL: (3 laps) #7 Briggs Danner (#39 Hogue) defeats #2 Brady Bacon (#69 Dynamics)


 

FIRST BILL & SANDY WEVER & THE GRANDKIDS KING OF THE HILL SEMIFINAL: (3 laps) #1 Justin Grant defeats #5 Kyle Cummins


 

SECOND BILL & SANDY WEVER & THE GRANDKIDS KING OF THE HILL SEMIFINAL: (3 laps) #3 C.J. Leary defeats #7 Briggs Danner


 

BILL & SANDY WEVER & THE GRANDKIDS KING OF THE HILL FINAL: (3 laps) #1 Justin Grant defeats #3 C.J. Leary


 

LUGS LAWN CARE SERVICE C-MAIN: (8 laps, top-2 transfer to the semi) 1. Brandon Mattox, 2. Nate Schank, 3. Larry Kingseed Jr., 4. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 5. Bryar Schroeter, 6. Jack James, 7. Tyler Miller. 1:52.15


 

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Emerson Axsom, 2. Trey Osborne, 3. Stevie Sussex, 4. Daison Pursley, 5. Cole Bodine, 6. Geoff Ensign, 7. Korbyn Hayslett, 8. Colten Cottle, 9. Rylan Gray, 10. Dave Darland, 11. Brayden Clark, 12. Dustin Ingle, 13. Brandon Mattox, 14. Devan Myers, 15. Nate Schank, 16. Sterling Cling, 17. Kobe Simpson. NT


 

FEATURE: (40 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (1), 2. Kyle Cummins (3), 3. Logan Seavey (8), 4. Brady Bacon (5), 5. Robert Ballou (6), 6. Briggs Danner (4), 7. Jadon Rogers (10), 8. C.J. Leary (2), 9. Shane Cottle (7), 10. Jake Swanson (12), 11. Ricky Lewis (11), 12. Emerson Axsom (17), 13. Daison Pursley (20), 14. Carson Garrett (9), 15. Joey Amantea (16), 16. Geoff Ensign (22), 17. Matt Westfall (14), 18. Trey Osborne (18), 19. Cole Bodine (21), 20. Stevie Sussex (19), 21. Max Adams (13), 22. Chase Stockon (15). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-11 C.J. Leary, Laps 12-40 Justin Grant.


 

**Kobe Simpson flipped during the semi.


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Brady Bacon-1851, 2-Justin Grant-1842, 3-Emerson Axsom-1743, 4-Kyle Cummins-1724, 5-Jake Swanson-1697, 6-C.J. Leary-1638, 7-Robert Ballou-1552, 8-Chase Stockon-1434, 9-Daison Pursley-1377, 10-Mitchel Moles-1374.


 

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-152, 2-Logan Seavey-104, 3-Shane Cottle-102, 4-Robert Ballou-87, 5-Matt Westfall-86, 6-Brady Bacon-85, 7-Justin Grant-79, 8-Emerson Axsom-76, 9-Chase Stockon-69, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-54.


 

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 7, 2023 – Devil’s Bowl Speedway – Mesquite, Texas – 1/2-Mile Dirt Track – Co-Sanctioned by the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Sprints


 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Clinton Boyles/Carbon Safety Technologies Most Wheel Pack Laps: Colten Cottle (38)


 

Dirt Draft Fastest Hot Laps Driver: Brady Bacon (12.807)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Carson Garrett


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Jadon Rogers


 

T.J. Forged Third Heat Winner: Ricky Lewis


 

Car IQ Fourth Heat Winner: Jake Swanson


 

Bill & Sandy Wever & The Grandkids King of the Hill Champion: Justin Grant


 

Lugs Lawn Care Service C-Main Winner: Brandon Mattox


 

Hoosier Tire First C-Main Non-Transfer: Larry Kingseed Jr.


 

Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Emerson Axsom


 

Hoosier Tire First Semi Non-Transfer: Korbyn Hayslett


 

ProSource Hard Work Award: Geoff Ensign


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: C.J. Leary


 

J & J Trucking Hard Charger: Daison Pursley (20th to 13th)


 

Clinton Boyles Top Local Driver: Ricky Lewis (11th)


 

Collin Grissom Smackdown Rookie Move of the Night: Briggs Danner


 

Smackdown ProSource Passing Master: Shane Cottle


 

Smackdown Rookie of the Year: Briggs Danner

 


Smackdown on Repeat: Grant Goes Back-To-Back at Kokomo

Ryan Sellers

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Kokomo, Indiana (August 25, 2023)………Justin Grant. Justin Grant.


 

No, you’re not seeing double. In fact, what you’re actually seeing is a repeat.


 

The recurring theme thus far throughout Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Smackdown XII has been the success of the Ione, Calif. native who captured his second USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship feature victory in as many nights on Friday at Indiana’s Kokomo Speedway.


 

Grant advanced from his fourth starting position to take over the lead from racelong leader Jadon Rogers just before the midway point following an exchange of slide jobs at each end of the 1/4-mile dirt oval between the pair. Grant then led the final 17 circuits to pick up yet another monumental triumph behind the wheel of his TOPP Motorsports/NOS Energy Drink – MPV Express – TOPP Industries/Maxim/Kistler Chevy.


 

The sixth career Smackdown win (prelims & final nights combined) of Grant’s career made him the winningest driver in the event’s 12-year history. Additionally, the win was Grant’s eighth overall in USAC National Sprint Car competition at Kokomo, tying him for second all-time with Tony Elliott and now trails only Dave Darland (9) for the most ever.


 

In becoming only the second driver to score wins on the opening two nights of Smackdown (Kyle Cummins in 2020), Grant also set a new career high in terms of single-season USAC National Sprint Car victories with eight, surpassing his former highwater mark of seven in 2021.


 

Grant’s 42nd career USAC National Sprint Car main event win moved him up another notch on the all-time series win list to seventh all-time. In doing so, he moved past Bryan Clauson (41) and into a tie with 1974 and 1976 series champion Pancho Carter. Grant now stands just three victories behind 1968-70-75 series titlist Larry Dickson’s mark of 45, which currently ranks sixth all-time.


 

Since teaming up with car chief Jeff Walker in early July, Grant has won five of 11 USAC National Sprint Car starts this season. Confidence in himself and with his ride is at an all-time high for Grant who feels as if he can go anywhere at any time in any place on the track in order to complete the task despite the physical nature of the 30-lap journey.


 

“This car has been a rocket,” Grant exclaimed. “No matter where I go, it’s just really, really good. Jeff Walker and I are working really well together. But I’m going to have to get some AC and maybe some more food tomorrow if we’re going to do 40 laps. I’m in pretty good shape, but I was starting to fall out of the seat at the end there. It was pretty physical tonight, and it was hot.”


 

With a much better view from the front on this night in comparison to Thursday’s program, Jadon Rogers took off from the pole position to assume the point in the early going. Twenty-four hours earlier, Rogers made a spectacular high side charge in the feature from 23rd to 5th.


 

The first and only yellow flag of the feature was displayed on lap five when Smackdown Rookie Trey Osborne slowed to a stop on the front straightaway. Earlier in the evening, Osborne scored his first career heat race victory in USAC competition. However, after starting eighth in the feature, he’d have to settle for a 23rd place result.


 

When action resumed, Rogers’ race lead was under attack from Briggs Danner and C.J. Leary who took the battle three-wide through turn four. Rogers thwarted the challenge by maintaining his high side momentum. However, doing much the same behind the trio was another driver doing much the same – Justin Grant.


 

Using the opposite approach, Brady Bacon had the bottom line working to his liking, and on lap 12, he took two-for-one as he slipped under both Leary and Danner in turn one to slot into third.

Just before the halfway point, the race for the lead officially became a free-for-all. Grant took his initial stab on the 13th lap when he slid by Rogers in turn three. However, Rogers countered off the turn four banking to lead the lap, but immediately, Grant reloaded by sliding Rogers into turn one.


 

Rogers mashed stood on the pedal and slid across the nose of Grant at the entry to turn three only to have Grant cross over to beat Rogers to the line by a car length on lap 14. Rogers fired one more shot from the musket, briefly retaking the lead in turn one, but by the back straight, Grant had re-cleared and re-taken the top spot, and for good, in a scenario and moment when both himself and his car shine on like crazy diamonds.


 

“Typically, when a racetrack has a really fast cushion, I’m not necessarily that great at it,” Grant admitted. “I’m okay at it, but as it starts to slow up, and it gets technical and tricky and gets some spots where you’ve got to start picking and choosing, that’s when I feel like I can shine, and I’ve got a racecar that shines when it’s like that. I wait for it to get technical, then I go to work.”


 

Bottom feeding Bacon ultimately corralled second from Rogers on lap 17 and set forth toward Grant. At the same time, Shane Cottle was putting on a passing clinic of epic proportions as the 21st place starting driver got by Rogers for third on lap 18 – the 18th driver he’d passed in a mere 18 laps.


 

Cottle ascended as far as second place with eight laps remaining but soon became stifled by a continuous row of lapped cars which aligned themselves on the bottom. Bacon moved up to the middle groove and reclaimed second a lap later, which also forced Cottle to leave the comfort zone of the bottom as well.


 

The race to the top of the pylon was in total control under the reign of Grant who finished off the night with a 2.197 second margin of victory over Brady Bacon, Shane Cottle, Jadon Rogers and Kyle Cummins.


 

Grant is a showman by nature; therefore, he wholeheartedly confesses to enjoying the thrill of being both fast and spectacular, a cocktail that he fully endorses.


 

“I’m a racecar driver and I like to think that I’m the guy to beat every time, no matter what,” Grant stated. “But I certainly have an extra boost of confidence when it’s like that and I love doing it. I love doing it for all the fans. Watching a guy lead a race is really cool when he might crash for no reason. So, I think it’s cool when it’s like that. I love putting on a show and doing what I can.”


 

Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) collected a runner-up finish for the second night in a row in his Dynamics, Inc./Alumitech Products – Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts/Triple X/Rider Chevy. For the 10th time in his USAC National Sprint Car career at Kokomo Speedway, Bacon finished as the runner-up, and to this day, remains on the hunt for his own first USAC Sprint Car win at the track as well as the Dynamics/Hoffman Auto Racing team as well.


 

“We were definitely faster on the bottom,” Bacon noted. “But when we got to lapped traffic, they were all on the bottom. So, I pretty much had to get in line at the top, follow them around and try not to crash up there. It was pretty gnarly in turn three and the cushion got so big and so low, you couldn’t really get a good approach to it getting into turn one. We got tight a couple times but kept a decent speed up there.”


 

Some individuals equate running the bottom to having a job. Not so for Shane Cottle (Kansas, Ill.) who makes it a way of life. Cottle advanced from his 21st starting spot to finish third, earning J & J Trucking Hard Charger honors and a $300 bonus in his Epperson Racing/Epperson Painting – PPG Paints/DRC/Claxton Chevy. Amazingly, for Cottle, it’s his sixth hard charger award in the past nine series races.


 

“They went out and worked the bottom, which fit right into my wheelhouse,” Cottle said of the quick track prep work session prior to the feature. “The Epperson crew did an awesome job tonight. Tony Jarrett and Logan, they put up the money for this, and like I said during Indiana Sprint Week, I like that Jarrett money.”


 

Eight drivers locked themselves into Saturday night’s $30,000-to-win Smackdown feature as well as the King of the Hill duels at Kokomo by virtue of accumulating the most combined points during Thursday and Friday’s programs: Justin Grant, Brady Bacon, C.J. Leary, Robert Ballou, Kyle Cummins, Shane Cottle, Briggs Danner and Logan Seavey.


 

 
=====================

 

 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 25, 2023 – Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Sprint Car Smackdown XII


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Ricky Lewis, 41, Brown-12.774; 2. Jake Swanson, 21AZ, Team AZ-12.800; 3. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-12.889; 4. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-12.935; 5. Logan Seavey, 2B, 2B Racing-12.953; 6. Briggs Danner, 39, Hogue-12.978; 7. Sterling Cling, 34, SCR-12.996; 8. Chase Stockon, 5s, KO-13.007; 9. Jadon Rogers, 17GP, Dutcher-13.035; 10. C.J. Leary, 15x, BGE Dougherty-13.052; 11. Dave Darland, 36D, Darland/Curb-Agajanian-13.092; 12. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-13.094; 13. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-13.106; 14. Daison Pursley, 5p, KO-13.131; 15. Jack Hoyer, 5, Baldwin/Fox-13.174; 16. Riley Kreisel, 2, Yeley-13.181; 17. Max Adams, 5x, Adams-13.200; 18. Trey Osborne, 6T, Osborne-13.204; 19. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-13.219; 20. Kevin Thomas Jr., 42, Cheney-13.247; 21. Korbyn Hayslett, 1H, Hayslett-13.250; 22. Emerson Axsom, 47BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-13.278; 23. Cole Bodine, 57B, Bodine-13.290; 24. Shane Cottle, 2E, Epperson-13.295; 25. Carson Garrett, 15, BGE Dougherty-13.317; 26. Stevie Sussex, 77s, Sturgeon-13.345; 27. Zack Pretorius, 9z, Pretorius-13.345; 28. Rylan Gray, 81G, Gray-13.364; 29. Chance Crum, 26, Rudeen-13.420; 30. Geoff Ensign, 17, On The Gass-13.425; 31. Colten Cottle, 57, Hazen-13.438; 32. Kobe Simpson, 21K, Simpson-13.460; 33. Wyatt Burks, 11w, WBR-13.533; 34. Nate Schank, 1, Schank-13.660; 35. Brandon Mattox, 28, Mattox-13.669; 36. Dustin Ingle, 2DI, Ingle-13.690; 37. Larry Kingseed Jr., 21, Kingseed-13.704; 38. Kayla Roell, 5K, KO-13.712; 39. Joey Amantea, 88J, Amantea-13.733; 40. Devan Myers, 75, Myers-13.854; 41. Brayden Clark, 42G, Jackson/Clark-13.890; 42. Troy Carey, 45N, Carey-13.986; 43. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-14.109; 44. Jack James, 99, James-14.205; 45. Bryar Schroeter, 21s, Schroeter-14.267.


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Brady Bacon, 2. Ricky Lewis, 3. Jadon Rogers, 4. Korbyn Hayslett, 5. Max Adams, 6. Logan Seavey, 7. Chance Crum, 8. Wyatt Burks, 9. Brayden Clark, 10. Larry Kingseed Jr., 11. Bryar Schroeter, 12. Carson Garrett. NT


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Trey Osborne, 2. Emerson Axsom, 3. C.J. Leary, 4. Briggs Danner, 5. Jake Swanson, 6. Daison Pursley, 7. Stevie Sussex, 8. Geoff Ensign, 9. Nate Schank, 10. Kayla Roell, 11. Troy Carey. 2:15.04


 

T.J. FORGED THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Kyle Cummins, 2. Matt Westfall, 3. Dave Darland, 4. Cole Bodine, 5. Joey Amantea, 6. Sterling Cling, 7. Jack Hoyer, 8. Colten Cottle, 9. Brandon Mattox, 10. Zack Pretorius, 11. Eddie Tafoya Jr. 2:16.58


 

CAR IQ FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Justin Grant, 2. Shane Cottle, 3. Robert Ballou, 4. Kevin Thomas Jr., 5. Chase Stockon, 6. Dustin Ingle, 7. Rylan Gray, 8. Devan Myers, 9. Riley Kreisel, 10. Jack James, 11. Kobe Simpson. NT


 

THE FROLIC BAR & GRILL C-MAIN: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the semi) 1. Colten Cottle, 2. Wyatt Burks, 3. Brandon Mattox, 4. Joey Amantea, 5. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 6. Kayla Roell, 7. Kobe Simpson, 8. Dustin Ingle, 9. Brayden Clark, 10. Jack James, 11. Bryar Schroeter, 12. Devan Myers, 13. Troy Carey, 14. Nate Schank, 15. Larry Kingseed Jr. NT


 

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Jake Swanson, 2. Logan Seavey, 3. Daison Pursley, 4. Stevie Sussex, 5. Sterling Cling, 6. Chase Stockon, 7. Jack Hoyer, 8. Geoff Ensign, 9. Carson Garrett, 10. Joey Amantea, 11. Brandon Mattox, 12. Riley Kreisel, 13. Wyatt Burks, 14. Colten Cottle, 15. Zack Pretorius, 16. Rylan Gray, 17. Max Adams, 18. Chance Crum. NT


 

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (4), 2. Brady Bacon (7), 3. Shane Cottle (21), 4. Jadon Rogers (2), 5. Kyle Cummins (5), 6. Logan Seavey (10), 7. C.J. Leary (1), 8. Jake Swanson (9), 9. Briggs Danner (3), 10. Ricky Lewis (6), 11. Robert Ballou (14), 12. Chase Stockon (12), 13. Matt Westfall (16), 14. Emerson Axsom (19), 15. Daison Pursley (15), 16. Sterling Cling (11), 17. Cole Bodine (20), 18. Dave Darland (13), 19. Carson Garrett (23-P), 20. Stevie Sussex (22), 21. Kevin Thomas Jr. (17), 22. Korbyn Hayslett (18), 23. Trey Osborne (8). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-13 Jadon Rogers, Laps 14-30 Justin Grant.


 

**Troy Carey flipped during the C-Main. Chance Crum flipped during the semi.


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Brady Bacon-1790, 2-Justin Grant-1772, 3-Emerson Axsom-1704, 4-Kyle Cummins-1657, 5-Jake Swanson-1654, 6-C.J. Leary-1589, 7-Robert Ballou-1494, 8-Chase Stockon-1411, 9-Mitchel Moles-1374, 10-Daison Pursley-1340.


 

SPRINT CAR SMACKDOWN XII PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Kevin Thomas Jr.-22, 2-Shane Cottle-19, 3-Joey Amantea-17, 4-Carson Garrett-14, 5-Brady Bacon-11, 6-Justin Grant-10, 7-Briggs Danner-10, 8-Robert Ballou-8, 9-Emerson Axsom-8, 10-Cole Bodine-8.


 

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-145, 2-Shane Cottle-102, 3-Logan Seavey-99, 4-Robert Ballou-86, 5-Matt Westfall-86, 6-Brady Bacon-84, 7-Justin Grant-79, 8-Emerson Axsom-71, 9-Chase Stockon-69, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-54.


 

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: August 26, 2023 – Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Sprint Car Smackdown XII


 

 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Clinton Boyles/Carbon Safety Technologies Most Wheel Pack Laps: Chase Stockon


 

Dirt Draft Fastest Hot Laps Driver: Logan Seavey (12.817)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Ricky Lewis (12.774)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Brady Bacon


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Trey Osborne


 

T.J. Forged Third Heat Winner: Kyle Cummins


 

Car IQ Fourth Heat Winner: Justin Grant


 

The Frolic Bar & Grill C-Main Winner: Colten Cottle


 

Hoosier Tire First C-Main Non-Transfer: Eddie Tafoya Jr.


 

Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Jake Swanson


 

Hoosier Tire First Semi Non-Transfer: Jack Hoyer


 

ProSource Hard Work Award: Stevie Sussex


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Jadon Rogers


 

J & J Trucking Hard Charger: Shane Cottle (21st to 3rd)


 

Clinton Boyles Top Local Driver: Ricky Lewis (10th)


 

Collin Grissom Smackdown Rookie Move of the Night: Trey Osborne

 


Grant Opening! JG Wins 3rd Straight Smackdown Opener at Kokomo

Jack Reitz

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Kokomo, Indiana (August 24, 2023)………When Smackdown begins, Justin Grant wins.


 

Over the past three seasons, that just seems to be the order of business on the opening night of the three-night event annually held during the month of August at Indiana’s Kokomo Speedway.


 

After notching back-to-back Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Sprint Car Smackdown opening night victories in 2021 and 2022, the Ione, Calif. driver once again found victory lane on Thursday night, becoming the first driver win three-straight Smackdown openers.


 

This time around, Grant was the force from start to finish in his TOPP Motorsports/NOS Energy Drink – MVP Express – TOPP Industries/Maxim/Kistler Chevy, leading all 30 laps to earn his season-leading seventh USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship feature win of the year.


 

Grant’s fifth overall Smackdown victory (prelims & final nights combined) places him in a three-way tie for the most all-time alongside Dave Darland and Tyler Courtney. Furthermore, the win was Grant’s seventh in USAC National Sprint Car competition at Kokomo, which now trails only the two undisputed Kokomo Speedway kings – Dave Darland (9) and Tony Elliott (8).


 

Additionally, Grant’s victory at Kokomo was the 41st of his USAC National Sprint Car career, which moved him past 1969 and 1971 series championship Gary Bettenhausen on the all-time list. Grant now stands tied with 2012-13 series champ Bryan Clauson for eighth all-time and just one behind Pancho Carter, the 1974 and 1976 titlist, for seventh on the list.


 

Grant started on the pole for the main event alongside Kyle Cummins. It was a row of Smackdown mastery as, between the two, the pair had won each of the past two Smackdown finales and the past three Smackdown openers. As a matter of fact, a year ago, the opening night Smackdown feature came down to the wire between the same two individuals.


 

Things quickly came to a halt on lap one as a stack-up occurred in turn two, entangling Logan Seavey, Matt Westfall, Trey Osborne, Dave Darland and Colten Cottle, all of whom stopped. Osborne and Cottle incurred the most misfortune as both did not return.


 

When the race finally did resume with a complete restart, Grant was like a Concorde among hang gliders as he shot ahead to lead the opening lap several car lengths ahead of Cummins while Brady Bacon slid into third ahead of C.J. Leary on the bottom of turn one on lap two.


 

Halfway through, Grant reached the tail end of the field while carrying a solid 0.766 second lead. At that point, Bacon was hovering over Cummins’ shoulder for second. Grant played offense in traffic as he took to the top of turn four to fly by Korbyn Hayslett, Westfall and Rylan Gray in one fell swoop as he escaped the approaching duo of Cummins and Bacon to reconstruct his lead from a few car lengths to a half-straightaway with only 10 laps to go.


 

With the competition running high, middle and low out in front of him, Grant had to be on high alert, looking left, right and down the middle as if playing a game of Whack-a-Mole. Making decisions quickly and pouncing rapidly is the name of the game, and fortunately for Grant, his car was hooked up and he was able to make all the right moves at all the right times in all the right places.


 

“I had to run a bunch of different lanes but (car chief) Jeff Walker and I had this car so good,” Grant stated. “I could run above the cushion; I could run through the slick; I could run the bottom; I could run the top; I could just do anything. The only concern I had was how high the car was going to wheelie on the straightaways.”


 

When everything’s clicking, as it did in the case for Grant, it opens up options instead of leaving a driver with a one-track mind when making split-second decisions at a place in which laps are clicked off at a rate of every 13 seconds.


 

“With traffic being the way it was and with the track being the way it was, it allowed me to have so many options where it looked like a lot of guys maybe didn’t have those options,” Grant explained. “We were able to cut through those lapped cars at a really good pace. I didn’t feel like I had to be super aggressive, but I had a car that was good to enough to allow me to jump into every hole I needed to and clear guys when I needed to. It was a whole lot of fun.”


 

With seven to go on lap 24, Bacon scooched on the bottom of turn three, dead even with Cummins before taking the second position. However, with just a handful of trips around the 1/4-mile remaining, Bacon found himself still a full two seconds behind the leader.


 

Grant never relented down the stretch, lapping all but the first nine finishers at closing time as he crossed under the checkered flag 2.007 seconds ahead of Brady Bacon, who finished as the runner-up. Robert Ballou grabbed third with Carson Garrett fourth and Jadon Rogers rounded out the top-five with a miraculous high-side run from 23rd to 5th after taking a provisional starting position.


 

Cummins had been running third with just two laps remaining when he began to slow dramatically, dropping through the field before finishing 10th in the final rundown, the victim of a nozzle line that came off.


 

Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) made a late race move to grab a second-place result in his Dynamics, Inc./Alumitech Products – Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts/Triple X/Rider Chevy. In doing so, he padded his overall USAC National Sprint Car point lead while earning his ninth career second place finish with the series at Kokomo, where he came one spot away from winning his and his team’s first at the track.


 

“I thought we had a good car in open track,” Bacon said. “While I was racing Kyle, he got past a gaggle of lapped cars, and that kind of held us up after that.  So, he got a little breathing room. We could move around on the top or the bottom and wherever we needed to go. It just wasn’t meant to be once again."


 

Robert Ballou (Rocklin, Calif.) endured a night in which he kicked off as the fastest qualifier, then got caught up in a heat race accident only to recover by driving from the tail to a transfer spot.  Then, he was forced to change the engine just before the feature, yet still managed to persevere and finish on the podium in his Ballou Motorsports/Suburban Subaru – Berks Western Telecom/Triple X/Ott Chevy.


 

“We were in the back changing motors,” Ballou revealed. “We had a motor that dropped oil pressure pretty severely, but it was still running well. It was quick time and ran through that heat race, so it did what it needed to do. (Engine builder) Don Ott recommended we change it, so we put another motor in. This is actually the Farney’s motor we used just to get us through. I was a knucklehead as we just had one delivered today but I didn’t bring it. So, we put this thing in and obviously it got us to where we needed to be. I wasn’t sure where to go on gear because we haven’t run that thing in so long and we missed it a little bit.”


 

It was a successful Smackdown debut for reigning USAC East Coast Sprint Car champ and current point leader Briggs Danner (Allentown, Pa.) as his first career start in the event netted a $300 bonus as the feature's J & J Trucking Hard Charger after advancing from 16th to 8th. To clarify, although Jadon Rogers passed 18 cars in his move from 23rd to 5th, he was ineligible for official hard charger honors due to taking a provisional.


 

 
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 24, 2023 – Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Sprint Car Smackdown XII


 

HONEST ABE ROOFING QUALIFYING: 1. Robert Ballou, 12, Ballou-12.900; 2. Brady Bacon, 69, Dynamics-12.918; 3. Logan Seavey, 2B, 2B Racing-12.942; 4. Chase Stockon, 5s, KO-12.944; 5. Emerson Axsom, 47BC, Clauson Marshall Newman-12.960; 6. C.J. Leary, 15x, BGE Dougherty-12.963; 7. Matt Westfall, 33m, Marshall-12.969; 8. Max Adams, 5x, Adams-12.976; 9. Justin Grant, 4, TOPP-12.987; 10. Jake Swanson, 21AZ, Team AZ-12.996; 11. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-13.013; 12. Carson Garrett, 15, BGE Dougherty-13.031; 13. Daison Pursley, 5p, KO-13.036; 14. Briggs Danner, 39, Hogue-13.038; 15. Trey Osborne, 6T, Osborne-13.071; 16. Chance Crum, 26, Rudeen-13.102; 17. Kayla Roell, 5K, KO-13.102; 18. Korbyn Hayslett, 1H, Hayslett-13.145; 19. Ricky Lewis, 41, Brown-13.163; 20. Colten Cottle, 57, Hazen-13.178; 21. Joey Amantea, 88J, Amantea-13.179; 22. Shane Cottle, 2E, Epperson-13.179; 23. Rylan Gray, 81G, Gray-13.185; 24. Mitchel Moles, 19AZ, Reinbold/Underwood-13.198; 25. Cole Bodine, 57B, Bodine-13.218; 26. Brandon Mattox, 28, Mattox-13.272; 27. Nate Schank, 1, Schank-13.282; 28. Zack Pretorius, 9z, Pretorius-13.301; 29. Geoff Ensign, 17, On The Gass-13.316; 30. Jadon Rogers, 17GP, Dutcher-13.326; 31. Sterling Cling, 34, SCR-13.348; 32. Dave Darland, 36D, Darland/Curb-Agajanian-13.362; 33. Wyatt Burks, 11w, WBR-13.407; 34. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 51T, Tafoya-13.456; 35. Riley Kreisel, 2, Yeley-13.478; 36. Stevie Sussex, 77s, Sturgeon-13.531; 37. Larry Kingseed Jr., 21, Kingseed-13.593; 38. Kobe Simpson, 21K, Simpson-13.620; 39. Brayden Clark, 42G, Jackson/Clark-13.705; 40. Dustin Ingle, 2DI, Ingle-13.722; 41. Devan Myers, 75, Myers-13.785; 42. Troy Carey, 45N, Carey-13.987; 43. Jack James, 99, James-13.995; 44. Bryar Schroeter, 21s, Schroeter-14.509; 45. Jack Hoyer, 5, Baldwin/Fox-18.748; 46. Kevin Thomas Jr., 42, Cheney-NT (Time of 12.909 disallowed after his car weighed light at the scales).


 

SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Shane Cottle, 2. Daison Pursley, 3. Justin Grant, 4. Robert Ballou, 5. Kayla Roell, 6. Wyatt Burks, 7. Geoff Ensign, 8. Devan Myers, 9. Jack Hoyer, 10. Cole Bodine, 11. Larry Kingseed Jr., 12. Emerson Axsom. NT


 

ROD END SUPPLY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Joey Amantea, 2. Korbyn Hayslett, 3. C.J. Leary, 4. Brady Bacon, 5. Briggs Danner, 6. Jake Swanson, 7. Kevin Thomas Jr., 8. Brandon Mattox, 9. Jadon Rogers, 10. Kobe Simpson, 11. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 12. Troy Carey. NT


 

T.J. FORGED THIRD HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Rylan Gray, 2. Trey Osborne, 3. Ricky Lewis, 4. Kyle Cummins, 5. Logan Seavey, 6. Matt Westfall, 7. Sterling Cling, 8. Nate Schank, 9. Brayden Clark, 10. Jack James, 11. Riley Kreisel. NT


 

CAR IQ FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature) 1. Carson Garrett, 2. Colten Cottle, 3. Max Adams, 4. Dave Darland, 5. Chance Crum, 6. Zack Pretorius, 7. Dustin Ingle, 8. Bryar Schroeter, 9. Stevie Sussex, 10. Mitchel Moles, 11. Chase Stockon. NT


 

THE FROLIC BAR & GRILL C-MAIN: (10 laps, top-4 transfer to the semi) 1. Jadon Rogers, 2. Sterling Cling, 3. Kevin Thomas Jr., 4. Wyatt Burks, 5. Riley Kreisel, 6. Eddie Tafoya Jr., 7. Stevie Sussex, 8. Kobe Simpson, 9. Devan Myers, 10. Troy Carey, 11. Jack Hoyer, 12. Dustin Ingle, 13. Brayden Clark, 14. Jack James, 15. Bryar Schroeter, 16. Larry Kingseed Jr. NT


 

ELLIOTT’S CUSTOM TRAILERS & CARTS SEMI: (12 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Chase Stockon, 2. Logan Seavey, 3. Jake Swanson, 4. Briggs Danner, 5. Matt Westfall, 6. Cole Bodine, 7. Jadon Rogers, 8. Brandon Mattox, 9. Kayla Roell, 10. Sterling Cling, 11. Kevin Thomas Jr., 12. Nate Schank, 13. Chance Crum, 14. Emerson Axsom, 15. Geoff Ensign, 16. Wyatt Burks, 17. Zack Pretorius, 18. Mitchel Moles. NT


 

FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (2), 2. Brady Bacon (4), 3. Robert Ballou (5), 4. Carson Garrett (6), 5. Jadon Rogers (23-P), 6. C.J. Leary (3), 7. Shane Cottle (8), 8. Briggs Danner (16), 9. Joey Amantea (9), 10. Kyle Cummins (1), 11. Emerson Axsom (24-P), 12. Chase Stockon (12), 13. Logan Seavey (11), 14. Jake Swanson (14) 15. Ricky Lewis (18), 16. Max Adams (7), 17. Cole Bodine (20), 18. Matt Westfall (13), 19. Rylan Gray (10), 20. Korbyn Hayslett (22), 21. Dave Darland (21), 22. Daison Pursley (15), 23. Trey Osborne (17), 24. Colten Cottle (19). NT


 

FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Justin Grant.


 

**Emerson Axsom flipped during the first heat. Mitchel Moles flipped during the fourth heat.


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Brady Bacon-1715, 2-Justin Grant-1691, 3-Emerson Axsom-1662, 4-Jake Swanson-1596, 5-Kyle Cummins-1587, 6-C.J. Leary-1531, 7-Robert Ballou-1447, 8-Mitchel Moles-1374, 9-Chase Stockon-1371, 10-Daison Pursley-1305.


 

SPRINT CAR SMACKDOWN XII PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Kevin Thomas Jr.-22, 2-Briggs Danner-9, 3-Jack Hoyer-7, 4-Jadon Rogers-6, 5-Carson Garrett-5, 6-Cole Bodine-5, 7-Sterling Cling-5, 8-Devan Myers-5, 9-Brady Bacon-4, 10-Robert Ballou-4.


 

OVERALL USAC NATIONAL PROSOURCE PASSING MASTER POINTS: 1-Daison Pursley-145, 2-Logan Seavey-95, 3-Shane Cottle-84, 4-Robert Ballou-83, 5-Matt Westfall-83, 6-Brady Bacon-79, 7-Justin Grant-76, 8-Chase Stockon-69, 9-Emerson Axsom-66, 10-Kevin Thomas Jr.-54.


 

NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACES: August 25-26, 2023 – Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, Indiana – 1/4-Mile Dirt Track – Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Sprint Car Smackdown XII


 

 

CONTINGENCY AWARD WINNERS:


 

Clinton Boyles/Carbon Safety Technologies Most Wheel Pack Laps: Chase Stockon


 

Dirt Draft Fastest Hot Laps Driver: Justin Grant (12.942)


 

Honest Abe Roofing Fast Qualifier: Robert Ballou (12.900)


 

Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner: Shane Cottle


 

Rod End Supply Second Heat Winner: Joey Amantea


 

T.J. Forged Third Heat Winner: Rylan Gray


 

Car IQ Fourth Heat Winner: Carson Garrett


 

The Frolic Bar & Grill C-Main Winner: Jadon Rogers


 

Hoosier Tire First C-Main Non-Transfer: Riley Kreisel


 

Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Semi Winner: Chase Stockon


 

Hoosier Tire First Semi Non-Transfer: Jadon Rogers


 

ProSource Hard Work Award: Dave Darland


 

Green APU Green Flag Challenge First Lap Leader: Justin Grant


 

J & J Trucking Hard Charger: Briggs Danner (16th to 8th)


 

Clinton Boyles Top Local Driver: Ricky Lewis (15th)


 

Collin Grissom Smackdown Rookie Move of the Night: Joey Amantea

 

 


 

BC39 Format Revealed for Sept. 27-30 Event at The Dirt Track at IMS

Frank Smith

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Speedway, Indiana (September 20, 2023)………A new format expanded across four nights at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway will welcome competitors to an fifth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 featuring the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship on September 27-28-29-30.


 

The competition to make the field for the event has proven to be intense with only 24 starting positions available for the final night’s $20,039-to-win main event on Saturday, September 30 at the action-packed quarter-mile dirt oval inside turn three of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


 

The 39-lap feature race honors late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson. In addition, it increases awareness of the Indiana Donor Network and its Driven2SaveLives campaign.


 

Let’s take a look at the format.


 


 

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27


 

**Wednesday's program will feature all cars on the track for practice.


 

**The Stoops Pursuit race on Wednesday night is a 25-lap race split into five-lap segments. The field consists of a total of 24 starters. The top-10 drivers in USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship points are locked into the event as are the 10 fastest during Wednesday night’s practice who are not already locked in. Up to four promoters options will be available to start the event.


 

**The Stoops Pursuit starting lineup is inverted by fastest hot lap time, with promoter’s options starting at the rear. Any car involved in a caution is eliminated.  Every five laps, a competition yellow flag will be displayed, and cars with a net loss in position will be called to exit the track.


 

**A checkered flag ends the final segment, with the winner earning $1,500 plus $100 for each position gained. All race participants will receive a free right rear tire courtesy of Hoosier.


 


 

THURSDAY & FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 28-29


 

**The field will be split for Thursday and Friday’s racing program with half the field competing on Thursday and the other half of the field competing on Friday.


 

**Thursday and Friday night will both feature a full program of racing consisting of 8-lap heat races and 10-lap qualifying races, followed by a 10-lap C-main (if needed), a 12-lap semi-feature and a 30-lap feature race paying $5,000-to-win.


 

**Points for the heats will be accumulated by finishing position and total number of positions advanced. Cars will be positioned into qualifying races based on the passing points accumulated in the heats.


 

**Total points from the heat races and qualifying races will be added to set the starting lineups for the prelim main events on Thursday and Friday. The top-16 overall in accumulated points will start straight-up in the first eight rows of Thursday and Friday’s A-Main feature.


 

**The top-3 feature finishers on each night’s prelim will be locked into Saturday’s feature. Prelim night finishers 4-17 will be slated for one of two semi-features on Saturday night. Prelim night feature finishers 18-22, plus finishers 7-15 in the semi-feature, will start in Saturday’s C-Main.  Prelim night semi-feature finishers 16th on back will start in Saturday’s D-Main.


 

**All USAC National Midget licensed drivers and entrants will receive 50 appearance points during each night of their participation on Thursday and Friday.


 


 

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30


 

**Hot laps and main events only will take place on Saturday night.


 

**E-Main (if needed): 10 laps, top-4 transfer (2 to each D-Main).


 

**2 D-Mains: 10 laps, top-4 transfer to the C-Main.


 

**2 C-Mains: 12 laps, top-4 transfer to the semi-feature.


 

**2 Semi-Features: 12 laps, top-4 transfer to the feature.


 

**Last Chance Race: 15 laps, top-8 transfer to the feature.


 

**The 39-lap feature will have 22 starters, plus two USAC provisional starters (if applicable) and two IMS options.


 

**All USAC National Midget licensed drivers and entrants will receive feature points only on Saturday based on their finishing position. All non-transfers will receive 10 points.


 


 

THE DETAILS


 

Driver registration is now officially open for the fifth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39. Teams can file their entry for the event at https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2023-bc39, where they may also purchase grandstand tickets, pit and parking passes for the event.


 

The final cutoff for all BC39 entries is Monday, September 25.


 

There are three options for viewing the racing action and also having pit pass access. You can purchase a competitor pit pass only where no seat is included with limited viewing of the track.


 

Secondly, you can purchase a competitor pit pass with reserved seating included, which are available in the lower level of the main grandstands.


 

You may also purchase a grandstand seat from the IMS ticketing site with a pit pass upgrade. Competitors must enter IMS via the 16th Street tunnel.


 

Each entry filed will come with two VIP parking passes for inside parking at IMS, intended for driver and entrant. All others must either purchase inside parking or park outside of turns three and four of 2.5-mile paved oval track.


 

Spectator tickets are also available www.TheBC39.com. Spectators are to enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway via 30th Street.


 

The event on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside turn three at IMS will continue to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increase awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives.


 

Brady Bacon (2018), Zeb Wise (2019), Kyle Larson (2021) and Buddy Kofoid (2022) have captured victories in the first four editions of the BC39.


 

The BC39 officially gets underway on Tuesday, September 26 with team parking at 3pm Eastern followed by a BC39 Welcome Party at 6pm at USAC Headquarters.


 

On track action begins Wednesday, September 27, beginning with the drivers meeting in the IMS Media Room at 3pm Eastern. Public gates open at 4pm with cars hitting the track for practice at 7pm, followed by the incredibly exciting Stoops Pursuit feature race which will conclude the night’s racing action at 9pm. In this event, 25 cars will start and compete in five, five-lap segments. If a driver gets passed in any segment, they are eliminated.


 

For Thursday and Friday, September 28-29, the field will be split into two with one half of the field competing on night one and the other half competing on night two. On both nights, public gates open at 4pm Eastern with hot laps at 6pm, followed by qualifying, opening ceremonies, heat races, the C-Main, the Semi-Feature and the Feature event.


 

The finale, on Saturday, September 30, will have the public gates opening at 4pm and cars on track for practice at 6pm, followed by opening ceremonies at 7pm and the main events, starting with the D-Main, multiple C-Mains, Semi-Feature and the 39-lap Feature event paying $20,039-to-win.


 


 

DRIVER REGISTRATION IS OPEN


 

Driver registration is now officially open for the fifth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39. Teams can file their entry for the event at https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2023-bc39, where they may also purchase grandstand tickets, pit and parking passes for the event.


 

The final cutoff for all BC39 entries is Monday, September 25.


 

There are three options for viewing the racing action and also having pit pass access. You can purchase a competitor pit pass only where no seat is included with limited viewing of the track.


 

Secondly, you can purchase a competitor pit pass with reserved seating included, which are available in the lower level of the main grandstands.


 

You may also purchase a grandstand seat from the IMS ticketing site with a pit pass upgrade. Competitors must enter IMS via the 16th Street tunnel.


 

Each entry filed will come with two VIP parking passes for inside parking at IMS, intended for driver and entrant. All others must either purchase inside parking or park outside of turns three and four of 2.5-mile paved oval track.


 

Spectator tickets are also available www.TheBC39.com. Spectators are to enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway via 30th Street.


 

The event on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside turn three at IMS will continue to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increase awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives.


 

Brady Bacon (2018), Zeb Wise (2019), Kyle Larson (2021) and Buddy Kofoid (2022) have captured victories in the first four editions of the BC39.


 

The BC39 officially gets underway on Tuesday, September 26 with team parking at 3pm Eastern followed by a BC39 Welcome Party at 6pm at USAC Headquarters.


 

On track action begins Wednesday, September 27, beginning with the drivers meeting in the IMS Media Room at 3pm Eastern. Public gates open at 4pm with cars hitting the track for practice at 7pm, followed by the incredibly exciting Stoops Pursuit feature race which will conclude the night’s racing action at 9pm. In this event, 25 cars will start and compete in five, five-lap segments. If a driver gets passed in any segment, they are eliminated.


 

For Thursday and Friday, September 28-29, the field will be split into two with one half of the field competing on night one and the other half competing on night two. On both nights, public gates open at 4pm Eastern with hot laps at 6pm, followed by qualifying, opening ceremonies, heat races, the C-Main, the Semi-Feature and the $5,000-to-win Feature event.


 

The finale, on Saturday, September 30, will have the public gates opening at 4pm and cars on track for practice at 6pm, followed by opening ceremonies at 7pm and the main events, starting with the D-Main, multiple C-Mains, Semi-Feature and the 39-lap Feature event paying $20,039-to-win.


 

USAC Sprints, Midgets & Silver Crown, Oh My! Eldora’s 41st 4-Crown Arrives This Weekend

Jack Reitz

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Rossburg, Ohio (September 20, 2023)………There’s only one time per year where you can catch all three USAC National divisions on one track on one weekend at one time.


 

USAC Silver Crown, USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars and USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets.  Oh my!


 

This is that time.


 

The 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals presented by NKTELCO arrives at Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway this Friday-Saturday night, September 22-23.


 

There’s so much to see and so much to watch play out. From tight championship races between Logan Seavey and Kody Swanson in the Silver Crown series to Justin Grant and Brady Bacon’s duel for the Sprint Car title and to the wildest Midget events of the year on the series’ only half-mile dirt oval.


 

All three USAC series will be racing for a winner’s share of $10,000 on Saturday night. Similarly, there’s 10,000 reasons to attend the 4-Crown this weekend. Here are some of the top storylines that headline this year’s edition of USAC’s homecoming event, a tried-and-true tradition since 1981.


 


 

THE SILVER CROWN HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT


 

The final dirt race of the 2023 USAC Silver Crown season happens this weekend at Eldora with a field of 36 entries, the most in 22 years, which will make the race just to get into the 26-car field a challenging ordeal in itself.


 

Two of those entries find themselves in the throes of a heated championship battle once again for the third consecutive season – Logan Seavey and Kody Swanson.


 

Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) enters the event just one point ahead of Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.). To put how close this modern-day Gary & Larry Show has been in recent years, consider this. After the Eldora round in 2021, Swanson led Seavey by one. After Eldora in 2022, Swanson and Seavey were tied. However, on both occasions, Swanson wound up with the ultimate championship glory.


 

But Eldora has been a personal ATM for Seavey of late, having won the last two 4-Crown Silver Crown races in 2021-22 while leading 91 of the 100 total laps. Swanson finished a best of 2nd in 2015 and won the pole in 2017, and also notched a 4th in 2019, 5th in 2016, 5th in 2018 and another 5th in 2021.


 


 


 

THE TOP OF THE HEAP IN THE SPRINT TITLE RACE


 

Likewise, Justin Grant and Brady Bacon find themselves intertwined in the USAC National Sprint Car title race for the second year in a row.


 

Grant (Ione, Calif.) finished ahead of runner-up Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) in 2022, and at press time, they remain in the same order with just nine points of separation between the two.


 

Grant has won five times in his USAC National Sprint Car career at Eldora, including this past May during #LetsRaceTwo. Two of those five victories came during the 4-Crown in 2016 and just last year in 2022.


 

Similarly, Bacon owns a 4-Crown USAC Sprint Car win in 2014, and added a #LetsRaceTwo triumph in the spring of 2018, his most recent series victory at The Big E.


 

Grant and Bacon are among the five past 4-Crown USAC Sprint Car winners in this weekend’s field at Eldora along with Robert Ballou (2007), Thomas Meseraull (2015) and C.J. Leary (2017).


 


 

DOUBLE DOSE OF MIDGET RACING


 

One USAC National Midget show is wild at Eldora. But on 4-Crown weekend, everybody gets a double-dose of the biggest edge-of-your-seat race of the season.


 

A stout field of around 20 cars and drivers are expected to be on hand for the pair of 25-lappers on Friday and Saturday night.


 

Two past 4-Crown midget stars will be in this weekend’s field as they make their season debuts in USAC National Midget competition – Rico Abreu and Chris Windom.


 

Windom enters Eldora as the two-time and defending 4-Crown Midget champion, having won each of the last two rounds in 2021 and 2022. The 2020 series champ will wheel a car owned by CB Industries who has won the past three USAC Midget races at Eldora, including Mitchel Moles in the BeFour the Crowns program in 2022. Windom is pursuing a quest to become the first driver to win three consecutive 4-Crown Midget features.


 

Meanwhile, Rico Abreu (St. Helena, Calif.) returns to USAC National Midget racing for the first time since 2020, and for the first time at the 4-Crown since a fourth-place run in 2019.


 

Abreu, the 2014 USAC National Midget champ, has captured 4-Crown Midget wins twice in his career in 2013 and 2016. This time around, he’ll be behind the wheel of a car owned by 2016 USAC National Midget champion Tanner Thorson.


 

Moles (Raisin City, Calif.) scored in his first ever race on the banks of Eldora in 2022 and returns for a rare midget start during the 2023 season aboard the Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports No. 19T.


 


 

4-CROWN TRIPLE THREATS


 

Jack Hewitt’s sweep of all four divisions at the 1998 4-Crown Nationals and Kyle Larson’s USAC sweep of the 2011 event are monumental moments in the 40-year history of the event. A quarter of a century after his miraculous feat, Hewitt will serve as this weekend’s grand marshal.


 

Three drivers this weekend will take their shot at going three-for-three with rides in all three USAC divisions during this weekend’s event.


 

Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) has won each of the past two Silver Crown races at Eldora in 2021-22, and has come close to solidifying the deal in all three, finishing second in both the USAC Sprint and USAC Midget portion in 2021. He’ll pilot his yearlong rides in the Abacus Racing midget, the 2B Racing sprint car and the Rice Motorsports/Abacus Racing Silver Crown car.


 

Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) owns a somewhat similar 4-Crown resume as Seavey. Grant has won twice with the USAC Sprint Cars during the 2016 and 2022 event. In 2016, he took second in the USAC Silver Crown finale, and in 2018, came home as the runner-up in the midget.  Grant will wheel familiar rides in the RMS Racing midget, the TOPP Motorsports sprint car and the Hemelgarn Racing Silver Crown machine.


 

Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.) is somewhat new to the 4-Crown experience but has already picked off a win in the midget at Eldora in 2022. He ran 7th in the ensuing USAC Sprint Car race that same weekend. But this weekend will mark his first Silver Crown try at Eldora. He’ll be in the seat of the Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports midget and sprint car, plus the Hans Lein Silver Crown car.


 


 

SEPTEMBER SHAKEUPS


 

One of the entertaining extracurricular aspects of the 4-Crown Nationals is drivers jumping in unfamiliar rides and giving it a go – a tradition that back to the inaugural edition in 1981 when Steve Kinser hopped into Johnny Vance’s Silver Crown car and sprint car in a last-minute deal, and promptly put both in victory lane.


 

This weekend’s 4-Crown Nationals field will have its share of new names in new seats. First, in Silver Crown, 2018 4-Crown Silver Crown runner-up Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) will be in the seat of the John Haggenbottom No. 24. Matt Westfall (Pleasant Hill, Ohio) will return to his own No. 54 for the first time since 2021 when he finished second at the 4-Crown.


 

Westfall had competed all year long in the BCR Group No. 81 before the two recently parted ways. Now occupying the seat of the 81 is upstart Trey Osborne (Columbus, Ohio). Additionally, winged sprint car competitor Zach Hampton (Mooresville, Ind.) will make his series debut in the Armstrong Racing No. 99.


 

In the midgets, Holly Jones (formerly Holly Shelton) will make her return to the series after finishing 5th, 6th and 6th in the Gold River, California native’s only three Eldora starts between 2016-18. Moles, as previously mentioned, will make his debut in a third Reinbold-Underwood midget.


 

Two-time winner Rico Abreu returns to the fray with Tanner Thorson Racing after winning the 2013 and 2016 4-Crown events. Furthermore, 2022 USAC East Coast Sprint Car champ and current series point leader Briggs Danner will make his USAC National Midget debut in the E. Schneider & Sons No. 98.


 


 

RACE DETAILS


 

On Friday, September 22, at Eldora, the BeFour the Crowns program will feature the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, USAC Silver Crown Qualifying & Qualifying Race and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars. Spectator gates open at 2pm Eastern with the drivers meeting taking place at 5:30pm and cars on track at 6pm. General admission tickets are $35 for adults and free for ages 12 and under. Reserved tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.


 

On Saturday, September 23, at Eldora, the 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals presented by NKTELCO features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, All Star Circuit of Champions and the USAC Silver Crown National Championship. Spectator gates open at Noon Eastern with a driver autograph session taking place from 3-4pm in the Fan Zone. The drivers meeting will take place at 4:30pm and cars on track at 6pm. General admission tickets are $40 for adults and free for ages 12 and under. Reserved tickets are $45 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.


 


 

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


 


 

ALL-TIME 4-CROWN NATIONALS FEATURE WINNERS (1981-2022)


 

1981: Ken Schrader (USAC Midgets), Steve Kinser (USAC Sprints), Steve Kinser (USAC Silver Crown), Joe Wallace (USAC Stocks)


 

1982: Rich Vogler (USAC Midgets), Steve Kinser (USAC Sprints), Ron Shuman (USAC Silver Crown), Dean Roper (USAC Stocks)


 

1983: Johnny Parsons (USAC Midgets), Jack Hewitt (USAC Sprints), Ken Schrader (USAC Silver Crown), Bobby Jacks (USAC Stocks)


 

1984: Rained Out


 

1985: Rich Vogler (USAC Midgets), Larry Rice (USAC Sprints), Larry Rice (USAC Silver Crown), C.J. Rayburn (USAC Late Models)


 

1986: Rich Vogler (USAC Midgets), Rich Vogler (USAC Sprints), Jack Hewitt (USAC Silver Crown), Billy Moyer (USAC Late Models)


 

1987: Jack Hewitt (USAC Midgets), Tony Elliott (USAC Sprints),     Larry Rice (USAC Silver Crown), John Lawhorn (USAC Late Models)


 

1988: Rich Vogler (USAC Midgets), Steve Butler (USAC Sprints), Jack Hewitt (USAC Silver Crown), Doug Ault (USAC Late Models)


 

1989: Robby Flock (USAC Midgets), Steve Butler (USAC Sprints), Jack Hewitt (USAC Silver Crown), Randy Boggs (USAC Late Models)


 

1990: Stan Fox (USAC Midgets), Jack Hewitt (USAC Sprints), Steve Butler (USAC Silver Crown), Donnie Moran (USAC Late Models)


 

1991: Jeff Gordon (USAC Midgets), Jack Hewitt (USAC Sprints),   Jack Hewitt (USAC Silver Crown), Billy Moyer (USAC Late Models)


 

1992: Johnny Parsons (USAC Midgets), Danny Smith (USAC Sprints), Steve Butler (USAC Silver Crown), Donnie Moran (USAC Late Models)


 

1993: Jack Hewitt (USAC Midgets), Tony Elliott (USAC Sprints), Ron Shuman (USAC Silver Crown), Freddy Smith (USAC Late Models)


 

1994: Steve Knepper (USAC Midgets),    Kevin Doty (USAC Sprints), Jack Hewitt (USAC Silver Crown), Freddy Smith (USAC Late Models)


 

1995: Tony Stewart (USAC Midgets), Tony Stewart (USAC Sprints), Jack Hewitt (USAC Silver Crown), Jack Boggs (USAC Late Models)                                   


 

1996: Tracy Hines (USAC Midgets), Jimmy Sills (USAC Sprints), Jack Hewitt (USAC Silver Crown), Jack Hewitt (UMP Modifieds)


 

1997: Jay Drake (USAC Midgets), Jack Hewitt (USAC Sprints), Kevin Huntley (USAC Silver Crown), Jack Hewitt (UMP Modifieds)


 

1998: Jack Hewitt (USAC Midgets), Jack Hewitt (USAC Sprints), Jack Hewitt (USAC Silver Crown), Jack Hewitt (UMP Modifieds)


 

1999: Dave Darland (USAC Midgets), Dave Darland (USAC Sprints), Jimmy Sills (USAC Silver Crown), Mike Brecht (UMP Modifieds)


 

2000: Kasey Kahne (USAC Midgets), Tracy Hines (USAC Sprints), J.J. Yeley (USAC Silver Crown), Jim Shereck (UMP Modifieds)


 

2001: J.J. Yeley (USAC Midgets), Bud Kaeding (USAC Sprints), J.J. Yeley (USAC Silver Crown), Joey Kramer (UMP Modifieds)


 

2002: Jay Drake (USAC Midgets), Bud Kaeding (USAC Sprints), Brian Tyler (USAC Silver Crown), Brian Ruhlman (UMP Modifieds)


 

2003: Not Held


 

2004: Dave Darland (USAC Midgets), Dickie Gaines (USAC Sprints), Dave Darland (USAC Silver Crown), Brian Ruhlman (UMP Modifieds)


 

2005: Danny Stratton (USAC Midgets), Levi Jones (USAC Sprints), Dave Darland (USAC Silver Crown), Brian Ruhlman (UMP Modifieds)


 

2006: Tracy Hines (USAC Midgets), Tracy Hines (USAC Sprints),    Mat Neely (USAC Silver Crown), Jerry Bowersock (UMP Modifieds)


 

2007: Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (USAC Midgets), Robert Ballou (USAC Sprints), Jerry Coons Jr. (USAC Silver Crown), Chad Ruhlman (UMP Modifieds)


 

2008: J.J. Yeley (USAC Midgets), Brad Sweet (USAC Sprints), Dave Darland (USAC Silver Crown), Joey Saldana (World of Outlaws Sprints)


 

2009: Brad Sweet (USAC Midgets), Jerry Coons Jr. (USAC Sprints), Dave Darland (USAC Silver Crown), Jason Sides (World of Outlaws Sprints)


 

2010: Jerry Coons Jr. (USAC Midgets), Levi Jones (USAC Sprints), Bryan Clauson (USAC Silver Crown), Jac Haudenschild (World of Outlaws Sprints)


 

2011: Kyle Larson (USAC Midgets), Kyle Larson (USAC Sprints), Kyle Larson (USAC Silver Crown), Joey Saldana (World of Outlaws Sprints)


 

2012: Kyle Larson (USAC Midgets), Tracy Hines (USAC Sprints), Bryan Clauson (USAC Silver Crown), Rained Out (World of Outlaws Sprints)


 

2013: Rico Abreu (USAC Midgets), Chris Windom (USAC Sprints), Chris Windom (USAC Silver Crown), Rained Out (World of Outlaws Sprints)


 

2014: Bryan Clauson (USAC Midgets), Brady Bacon (USAC Sprints), Jerry Coons Jr. (USAC Silver Crown), Joey Saldana (World of Outlaws Sprints)


 

2015: Christopher Bell (USAC Midgets), Thomas Meseraull (USAC Sprints), Christopher Bell (USAC Silver Crown), Greg Wilson (World of Outlaws Sprints)


 

2016: Rico Abreu (USAC Midgets), Justin Grant (USAC Sprints),    Chris Windom (USAC Silver Crown), Ian Madsen (All Star Sprints)


 

2017: Spencer Bayston (USAC Midgets), C.J. Leary (USAC Sprints), Tyler Courtney (USAC Silver Crown), Brady Bacon (All Star Sprints)


 

2018: Tyler Courtney (USAC Midgets), Tyler Courtney (USAC Sprints), C.J. Leary (USAC Silver Crown), Aaron Reutzel (All Star Sprints)


 

2019: Tyler Courtney (USAC Midgets), Tyler Courtney (USAC Sprints), Brady Bacon (USAC Silver Crown), Aaron Reutzel (All Star Sprints)


 

2020: Not Held


 

2021: Chris Windom (USAC Midgets),     Tyler Courtney (USAC Sprints), Logan Seavey (USAC Silver Crown), Rico Abreu (All Star Sprints)


 

2022: Chris Windom (USAC Midgets),     Justin Grant (USAC Sprints), Logan Seavey (USAC Silver Crown), Tyler Courtney (All Star Sprints)


 


 

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


 


 

ALL-TIME 4-CROWN NATIONALS FEATURE WINS (1981-2022)


 

19 WINS

Jack Hewitt | 8 Silver Crown, 5 Sprint, 3 Midget, 3 Modified


 

7 WINS

Tyler Courtney | 1 Silver Crown, 3 Sprint, 2 Midget, 1 All Star Sprint

Dave Darland | 2 Midget, 1 Sprint, 4 Silver Crown


 

5 WINS

Tracy Hines | 2 Midget, 3 Sprint

Rich Vogler | 4 Midget, 1 Sprint

Chris Windom |2 Silver Crown, 1 Sprint & 2 Midget


 

4 WINS

Steve Butler | 2 Sprint, 2 Silver Crown

Jerry Coons Jr. | 2 Silver Crown, 1 Midget, 1 Sprint

Kyle Larson | 2 Midget, 1 Sprint, 1 Silver Crown

J.J. Yeley | 2 Midget, 2 Silver Crown


 

3 WINS

Rico Abreu | 2 Midget, 1 All Star

Brady Bacon | 1 Silver Crown, 1 Sprint, 1 All Star

Bryan Clauson | 2 Silver Crown, 1 Midget

Steve Kinser | 2 Sprint, 1 Silver Crown

Larry Rice | 2 Silver Crown, 1 Sprint

Brian Ruhlman | 3 Modified

Joey Saldana | 3 WoO


 

2 WINS

Christopher Bell | 1 Silver Crown, 1 Midget

Jay Drake | 2 Midget

Tony Elliott | 2 Sprint

Justin Grant | 2 Sprint

Levi Jones | 2 Sprint

Bud Kaeding | 2 Sprint

C.J. Leary | 1 Silver Crown, 1 Sprint

Donnie Moran | 2 Late Model

Billy Moyer | 2 Late Model

Johnny Parsons | 2 Midget

Aaron Reutzel | 2 All Star

Ken Schrader | 1 Silver Crown, 1 Midget

Logan Seavey | 2 Silver Crown

Ron Shuman | 2 Silver Crown

Jimmy Sills | 1 Silver Crown, 1 Sprint

Freddy Smith | 2 Late Model

Tony Stewart | 1 Sprint, 1 Midget

Brad Sweet | 1 Sprint, 1 Midget


 

1 WIN

Doug Ault | 1 Late Model

Robert Ballou | 1 Sprint

Spencer Bayston | 1 Midget

Jack Boggs | 1 Late Model

Randy Boggs | 1 Late Model

Jerry Bowersock | 1 Modified

Mike Brecht | 1 Modified

Kevin Doty | 1 Sprint

Robby Flock | 1 Midget

Stan Fox | 1 Midget

Dickie Gaines | 1 Sprint

Jeff Gordon | 1 Midget

Jac Haudenschild | 1 WoO

Kevin Huntley | 1 Silver Crown

Bobby Jacks | 1 Stock

Kasey Kahne | 1 Midget

Steve Knepper | 1 Midget

Joey Kramer | 1 Modified

John Lawhorn | 1 Late Model

Ian Madsen | 1 All Star

Thomas Meseraull | 1 Sprint

Mat Neely | 1 Silver Crown

C.J. Rayburn | 1 Late Model

Dean Roper | 1 Stock

Chad Ruhlman | 1 Modified

Jim Shereck | 1 Modified

Jason Sides | 1 WoO

Danny Smith | 1 Sprint

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 1 Midget

Danny Stratton | 1 Midget

Brian Tyler | 1 Silver Crown

Joe Wallace | 1 Stock

Greg Wilson | 1 WoO


BC39 Prelim Night USAC Midget Rosters Revealed

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Speedway, Indiana (September 21, 2023)………The preliminary night driver rosters for the Driven2SaveLives BC39 have been revealed for the September 27-28-29-30 USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship event at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


 

With the new split field format in place for the fifth running of the event, the 71 cars entered thus far have been separated into two nights of competition on Thursday, September 28, and Friday, September 29.


 

Each car can only compete one night or the other with 36 assigned to Thursday’s event and 35 assigned to Friday’s event at press time with a possibility of a handful more entries set to be filed in the coming days.


 

Both preliminary night events on Thursday and Friday will present full racing programs consisting of practice, heat races and qualifying races, the points of which will seed the lineups for that night’s C-Main (if needed), semi-feature and 30-lap feature event.


 

All USAC National Midget licensed drivers and entrants will receive 50 appearance points during each preliminary night of their participation on Thursday and Friday.


 

The top-three feature finishers from each preliminary night will be locked into the 39-lap, $20,039-to-win main event on Saturday night, September 30. All other finishers will seed the E, D, C and B-Main lineups for Saturday night’s program based on their prelim night finishing position.


 

All USAC National Midget licensed drivers and entrants will receive feature points only on Saturday based on their finishing position. All non-transfers will receive 10 points.


 

Wednesday night's, September 27, program will feature all cars on the track for practice. The Stoops Pursuit race on Wednesday night is a 25-lap race split into five-lap segments. The field consists of a total of 24 starters. The top-10 drivers in USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship points are locked into the event as are the 10 fastest during Wednesday night’s practice who are not already locked in. Up to four promoters’ options will be available to start the event.


 

Without further ado, here are the driver rosters for each prelim night of the BC39 on Thursday and Friday.


 


 

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


 


 

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2023, FIELD

08 Cannon McIntosh (Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports)

1 Kevin Thomas Jr. (Crouch Motorsports)

4 Chelby Hinton (Klatt Enterprises)

5J Josh Hodge (Josh Hodge Racing)

7c Josh Bilicki (RAMCO Speed Group)

7m Kyle Jones (RAMCO Speed Group)

7x Thomas Meseraull (RMS Racing)

8 Randi Pankratz (Wally Pankratz)

9p Kevin Cook (Kevin Cook)

10A Tommy Colburn (MWR Technology)

14 C.J. Leary (Legacy Autosport)

18N Weston Gorham (Kelly Gorham)

19AZ Hayden Reinbold (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)

21D Justin Dickerson (Mike Dickerson)

21J Kameron Key (TKH Motorsports)

22 John Heydenreich (John Heydenreich)

22p Taylor Courtney (RAMCO Speed Group)

23 Preston Lattomus (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

25 Jacob Denney (Tom Malloy)

25K Taylor Reimer (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

27 Keith Rauch (Bourke Motorsports)

32 Gary Taylor (Brian Dunlap)

40 Chase McDermand (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

40B Blake Brannon (Blake Brannon)

44 Adam Andretti (Jeff Johnson)

54 Matt Westfall (Steve Bordner)

58 Daniel Whitley (Abacus Racing)

67K Buddy Kofoid (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

71 Jade Avedisian (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

71E Mariah Ede (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

71T Kyler Johnson (Todd Henry)

81 Bryant Wiedeman (CB Industries)

85 Jerry Coons Jr. (Central Motorsports)

89 Kaylee Bryson (CB Industries)

99K Robert Carson (LOK/Carson-Segur Racing)

136 Chris Baue (Bill Baue)


 


 

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2023, FIELD

1D Landon Brooks (RAMCO Speed Group)

1G Connor Wolf (RAMCO Speed Group)

1z Justin Zimmerman (Justin Zimmerman)

2 Justin Grant (RMS Racing)

3G Kyle Cummins (Glenn Styres Racing)

5s Scott Orr (Josh Hodge Racing)

6 Isaac Chapple (Doug Hall)

7p Zach Daum (RAMCO Speed Group)

8x Jeff Schindler (Jeff Schindler)

9 Wes Pinkerton (Wes Pinkerton)

10c Mark McMahill (MWR Technology)

11 Clinton Boyles (Scott Beierle)

11L Aaron Leffel (Team Taylor Racing)

17B Austin Barnhill (Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports)

19 Daison Pursley (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)

19m Ethan Mitchell (Bundy Built Motorsports)

19T Mitchel Moles (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)

19x TBA (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

21H Brady Bacon (TKH Motorsports)

21K Karter Sarff (Jayme Sarff)

25m Jake Andreotti (Tom Malloy)

27B Jake Bubak (Bourke Motorsports)

36 Ian Creager (Tod Creager)

40x Zach Wigal (Chase McDermand)

41 Oliver Akard (Team OMR)

46 Kenney Johnson (Jeff Johnson)

56 Mitchell Davis (Pat O’Dell)

57 Logan Seavey (Abacus Racing)

57A Daniel Robinson (RAB Racing)

67 Ryan Timms (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

68 Emerson Axsom (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

86 Brent Crews (CB Industries)

97 Gavin Miller (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

99 Don O’Keefe Jr. (LOK/Carson-Segur Racing)

118 Scott Evans (Scott Evans)


 

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


 


 

DRIVER REGISTRATION IS OPEN


 

Driver registration is now officially open for the fifth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39. Teams can file their entry for the event at https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2023-bc39, where they may also purchase grandstand tickets, pit and parking passes for the event.


 

The final cutoff for all BC39 entries is Monday, September 25.


 

There are three options for viewing the racing action and also having pit pass access. You can purchase a competitor pit pass only where no seat is included with limited viewing of the track.


 

Secondly, you can purchase a competitor pit pass with reserved seating included, which are available in the lower level of the main grandstands.


 

You may also purchase a grandstand seat from the IMS ticketing site with a pit pass upgrade. Competitors must enter IMS via the 16th Street tunnel.


 

Each entry filed will come with two VIP parking passes for inside parking at IMS, intended for driver and entrant. All others must either purchase inside parking or park outside of turns three and four of 2.5-mile paved oval track.


 

Spectator tickets are also available www.TheBC39.com. Spectators are to enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway via 30th Street.


 

The event on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside turn three at IMS will continue to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increase awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives.


 

Brady Bacon (2018), Zeb Wise (2019), Kyle Larson (2021) and Buddy Kofoid (2022) have captured victories in the first four editions of the BC39.


 

The BC39 officially gets underway on Tuesday, September 26 with team parking at 3pm Eastern followed by a BC39 Welcome Party at 6pm at USAC Headquarters.


 

On track action begins Wednesday, September 27, beginning with the drivers meeting in the IMS Media Room at 3pm Eastern. Public gates open at 4pm with cars hitting the track for practice at 7pm, followed by the incredibly exciting Stoops Pursuit feature race which will conclude the night’s racing action at 9pm. In this event, 25 cars will start and compete in five, five-lap segments. If a driver gets passed in any segment, they are eliminated.


 

For Thursday and Friday, September 28-29, the field will be split into two with one half of the field competing on night one and the other half competing on night two. On both nights, public gates open at 4pm Eastern with hot laps at 6pm, followed by qualifying, opening ceremonies, heat races, the C-Main, the Semi-Feature and the Feature event.


 

The finale, on Saturday, September 30, will have the public gates opening at 4pm and cars on track for practice at 6pm, followed by opening ceremonies at 7pm and the main events, starting with the D-Main, multiple C-Mains, Semi-Feature and the 39-lap Feature event paying $20,039-to-win.

 


 

Rock On! James Dean Classic Storylines for Thursday’s USAC Double at Gas City

Indy Racing Images

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Gas City, Indiana (September 19, 2023)………Double the series. Double the action. Double the fun!


 

That’s how the agenda rolls each year in late September at Indiana’s Gas City I-69 Speedway when the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National join together for a rare doubleheader.


 

The best of both worlds is presented this Thursday night, September 21, at the Hoosier state 1/4-mile dirt oval during the fifth edition of the James Dean Classic.


 

Gas City has hosted two of the best finishes of the entire USAC National season with Logan Seavey’s late-race heroics with the midgets in June and Justin Grant’s last turn photo finish triumph in July with the sprint cars.


 

Gas City never disappoints. Gas City always delivers. And we’ve got the goods two times over this Thursday night.


 

Here’s six storylines fit for the silver screen. Six storylines in honor of Jimmy Dean. James Dean. Rock on!


 


 

SEAVEY’S GAS CITY TURNING POINT


 

Logan Seavey’s streak of 11 consecutive top-five finishes with the USAC National Midgets started right at Gas City in June during Indiana Midget Week.


 

Entering the Gas City round three months ago, Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) was mired an astonishing 110 points out of the championship lead and stood sixth overall in the standings.


 

After leading the final two laps of a 30-lap racelong duel with Emerson Axsom, Seavey scored his and Abacus Racing’ first ever USAC victory. Since that point, the team has been nearly unstoppable, winning four, finishing second on three occasions, taking third another three times and once finishing fourth.


 

All of it has boosted Seavey to a whopping 171-point lead entering his return to Gas City this Thursday.


 


 

SEE SAW STORY: GRANT & BACON SPRINT CAR TITLE FIGHT CONTINUES


 

Between Justin Grant and Brady Bacon, the pair have captured each of the last three USAC National Sprint Car driving titles with Grant attempting to defend his 2022 championship while Bacon aims to reach the top for a fifth time after previous crowns in 2014-16-20-21.


 

It’s readily apparent that the same two vets will be duking it out to the finish line once again in 2023 with Grant holding on to a nine-point edge over Bacon with five races remaining starting Thursday at Gas City.


 

Grant (Ione, Calif.) owns the bragging rights at Gas City this year, already having won the Indiana Sprint Week round in July. Furthermore, Grant is a past James Dean Classic victor in 2020. Bacon owns winning experience at Gas City too, collecting the USAC Sprint Cars’ springtime appearance in 2015.


 

Grant and Bacon also are the two winningest drivers in USAC National Sprint Car competition this season with Grant taking nine and Bacon seven of his own. Either is clearly capable of hitting double-digits in the win column, something that hasn’t been done with the series since Tyler Courtney in 2018.


 

 

DOUBLE DOUBLE, IN-N-OUT OF TWO DIFFERENT RIDES


 

The fun part of a USAC doubleheader on the fan side is getting to watch drivers tackle multiple disciplines of racing on one track on one night.


 

For drivers, it gets busy with double the workload, but also presents a chance for a rare opportunity to not only race a sprint car and midget on the same night, but also the chance to win in both on one night.


 

At least four drivers are set to compete in both ends of Gas City’s doubleheader: Logan Seavey, Justin Grant, Thomas Meseraull and Daison Pursley.


 

Seavey and Grant have both been victorious in USAC National Sprint Car and USAC National Midget racing at Gas City in their careers. In fact, Seavey has already experienced the joy of winning two USAC National features in one day this past August when he scored a Silver Crown win at the Illinois State Fairgrounds during the day and with the National Midgets during the night at Macon (Ill.) Speedway.


 

Meseraull (San Jose, Calif. has twice been a track champion at Gas City and has won with the USAC Regional Midgets there as well. Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) has found himself in victory lane behind the wheel of sprints and midgets in his young career but is eying a first points victory of the season this Thursday.


 

 

BUDDY ON THE GAS ONCE AGAIN


 

No driver has won three career USAC National Midget features at Gas City I-69 Speedway, but Buddy Kofoid will be taking his shot at that record this Thursday night in a fifth Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports machine.


 

Fresh off a pair of World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car wins over the past couple weekends in his home state of California, Kofoid (Penngrove, Calif.) has made four USAC Midget starts in 2023, winning twice during USAC Indiana Midget Week at Lincoln Park Speedway and at Circle City Raceway while also finishing second and fourth in his other two appearances.


 

Kofoid’s two victories in USAC National Midget competition are tied for the most all-time alongside Shane Cottle, Darren Hagen and Kyle Larson.


 

 

KAYLEE, JADE, TAYLOR & HOLLY


 

Four of the most successful women ever to compete in the USAC National Midget ranks will be on hand to race with the series at Gas City this Thursday night, aiming to make some history of their own.


 

Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, Okla.) equaled the best ever finish by a woman in a USAC National Midget event during the 2022 James Dean Classic at Gas City when she led a race-high 18 laps and finished as the runner-up. This Thursday, she’ll make her season debut with the series in the CB Industries No. 89.


 

Jade Avedisian (Clovis, Calif.) is among the group, and has finished as the runner-up multiple times in her career with the series, both this season. She scored a second in her Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports ride at the Belleville (Kan.) Short Track in May and notched another second during the most recent round at Wisconsin’s Angell Park Speedway in early September.


 

Taylor Reimer (Bixby, Okla.) finished eighth in her lone visit to Gas City this season. Reimer’s most recent outing with the USAC National Midgets resulted in her leading a race-high 16 laps en route to a fifth-place finish at Angell Park.


 

Holly Jones (nee Shelton), a veteran of 53 career USAC National Midget feature starts, returns to the series after a five-year absence to drive for Bundy Built Motorsports, and owns a best career series finish of third.


 


 

MOLES BACK UP TO SPEED


 

It wasn’t long ago that Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.) found himself on the sidelines, dejected after a string of major crashes through the months of July and August.


 

In the four races since that point when he missed the entirety of the three-night Sprint Car Smackdown XII due to a concussion suffered during a major incident on the opening night of event, few drivers have been more productive than the second year USAC Sprint Car driver.


 

Down south at Texas’ Devil’s Bowl Speedway, he raked in a ninth, followed by a fifth at Arkansas’ Texarkana 67 Speedway. Moles swung into Indiana last weekend and recorded an eighth at Circle City Raceway and a fourth at Tri-State Speedway.


 

Only Moles, Justin Grant and Kyle Cummins have finished inside the top-10 in each of their past four USAC National Sprint Car feature starts entering Gas City.


 


 

RACE DETAILS


 

The fifth running of the James Dean Classic features the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship.


 

Pit gates open at 2pm Eastern with the grandstands opening at 4pm, drivers meeting at 5:45pm and cars on track at 6:15pm with qualifying and racing immediately following.


 

General admission tickets are $30. Kids 12 & under are free. Pit passes are $30 for members and $35 for non-members.


 

The full event can be watched LIVE on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/40w7aPg.


 


 

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

 


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-2093, 2-Brady Bacon-2084, 3-Kyle Cummins-1966, 4-Emerson Axsom-1961, 5-Jake Swanson-1926, 6-C.J. Leary-1853, 7-Robert Ballou-1771, 8-Chase Stockon-1633, 9-Mitchel Moles-1594, 10-Logan Seavey-1544.


 


 

TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CARS AT GAS CITY I-69 SPEEDWAY:

1 Lap - 4/26/2013 - Thomas Meseraull - 11.441 - 78.665 mph

6 Laps - 7/18/2003 - Bud Kaeding - 1:18.03 - 69.204 mph

8 Laps - 7/11/2008 - A.J. Anderson - 1:41.67 - 71.266 mph

10 Laps - 7/10/2015 - Brady Bacon - 2:01.65 - 73.983 mph

12 Laps - 9/26/2019 - Chad Boespflug - 2:28.28 - 72.835 mph

30 Laps - 7/8/2011 - Dave Darland - 6:25.08 - 70.115 mph


 


 

JAMES DEAN CLASSIC USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINS AT GAS CITY I-69 SPEEDWAY:

2-Kevin Thomas Jr.

1-Justin Grant & Chris Windom


 

JAMES DEAN CLASSIC USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINNERS AT GAS CITY I-69 SPEEDWAY:

2018: Kevin Thomas Jr. (9/28)

2019: Chris Windom (9/26)                                          

2020: Justin Grant (9/25)

2022: Kevin Thomas Jr. (9/22)


 

USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINS AT GAS CITY I-69 SPEEDWAY:

6-Jon Stanbrough

4-Shane Cottle

3-Tracy Hines & Kevin Thomas Jr.

2-Cory Kruseman, Dave Darland, Justin Grant, Hunter Schuerenberg, Logan Seavey & J.J. Yeley

1-Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Tyler Courtney, Daron Clayton, Jay Drake, Levi Jones, C.J. Leary, Chase Stockon, Scotty Weir, Cole Whitt & Chris Windom


 

USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINNERS AT GAS CITY I-69 SPEEDWAY:

2002: Cory Kruseman (7/19)

2003: J.J. Yeley (5/30) & J.J. Yeley (7/18)

2004: Tracy Hines (4/30)

2005: Jay Drake (6/3) & Cory Kruseman (7/20)

2006: Shane Cottle & Jon Stanbrough (7/19)

2007: Jon Stanbrough (6/14), Daron Clayton (7/13) & Jon Stanbrough (7/14)

2008: Shane Cottle (4/18) & Cole Whitt (7/11)

2009: Dave Darland (4/17) & Levi Jones (7/11)

2010: Tracy Hines (4/16) & Jon Stanbrough (7/10)

2011: Hunter Schuerenberg (4/29) & Dave Darland (7/8)

2012: Hunter Schuerenberg (4/27) & Bryan Clauson (7/13)

2013: Kevin Thomas, Jr. (4/26) & Jon Stanbrough (7/12)

2014: Tracy Hines (4/25) & Jon Stanbrough (7/11)

2015: Brady Bacon (5/15) & Chase Stockon (7/10)

2016: Scotty Weir (5/20) & Tyler Courtney (7/8)

2017: C.J. Leary (7/10)

2018: Kevin Thomas, Jr. (9/28)

2019: Shane Cottle (7/18) & Chris Windom (9/26)

2020: Logan Seavey (7/24) & Justin Grant (9/25)

2021: Logan Seavey (7/26)

2022: Shane Cottle (7/22) & Kevin Thomas Jr. (9/22)

2023: Justin Grant (7/22)

 

PAST JAMES DEAN CLASSIC USAC SPRINT CAR RESULTS:

2018 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr. (4), 2. C.J. Leary (5), 3. Isaac Chapple (2), 4. Chris Windom (6), 5. Chase Stockon (3), 6. Dave Darland (12), 7. Kyle Cummins (18), 8. Justin Grant (7), 9. Tyler Thomas (8), 10. Clinton Boyles (20), 11. Shane Cottle (9), 12. Matt Westfall (13), 13. Brady Bacon (14), 14. Carson Short (16), 15. Tyler Hewitt (22), 16. Tony DiMattia (15), 17. Tyler Courtney (17), 18. Jason McDougal (1), 19. Josh Hodges (11), 20. Dallas Hewitt (21), 21. Dustin Ingle (19), 22. Thomas Meseraull (10). NT


 

2019 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Chris Windom (1), 2. Tyler Courtney (7), 3. Justin Grant (3), 4. Kevin Thomas Jr. (2), 5. Chase Stockon (8), 6. C.J. Leary (6), 7. Brady Bacon (4), 8. Jason McDougal (17), 9. Isaac Chapple (9), 10. Max Adams (15), 11. Scotty Weir (14), 12. Matt Westfall (20), 13. Tye Mihocko (18), 14. Matt Goodnight (10), 15. Harley Burns (12), 16. Cody White (16), 17. Cole Ketcham (13), 18. Dustin Ingle (19), 19. Dave Darland (21), 20. Chad Boespflug (11), 21. Thomas Meseraull (5), 22. Dustin Clark (23), 23. Shane Cottle (22). NT


 

2020 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (8), 2. Brady Bacon (5), 3. Chase Stockon (3), 4. Chris Windom (22), 5. Shane Cottle (15), 6. Dave Darland (2), 7. Jadon Rogers (4), 8. Robert Ballou (18), 9. Mario Clouser (23*), 10. Carson Short (17), 11. Brandon Mattox (10), 12. Kevin Thomas Jr. (12), 13. Chase Johnson (16), 14. Scotty Weir (19), 15. Kyle Cummins (7), 16. Brandon Long (11), 17. Clinton Boyles (9), 18. Ricky Lewis (14), 19. Evan Mosley (21), 20. Kendall Ruble (20), 21. Logan Seavey (6), 22. Anton Hernandez (13). (Feature winner C.J. Leary (1) was disqualified for a tire violation.) NT


 

2021: RAINED OUT


 

2022 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr. (1), 2. Logan Seavey (2), 3. Kyle Cummins (6), 4. Robert Ballou (11), 5. Justin Grant (14), 6. Mitchel Moles (4), 7. C.J. Leary (5), 8. Emerson Axsom (13), 9. Brent Beauchamp (8), 10. Brady Bacon (3), 11. Jake Swanson (10), 12. Thomas Meseraull (16), 13. Jason McDougal (9), 14. Geoff Ensign (18), 15. Shane Cottle (15), 16. Jadon Rogers (20), 17. Colten Cottle (12), 18. Max Adams (17), 19. Chase Stockon (7), 20. Scotty Weir (19), 21. Matt Westfall (22), 22. Harley Burns (21). 7:04.41


 


 

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

 


 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-1078, 2-Justin Grant-907, 3-Jade Avedisian-891, 4-Ryan Timms-884, 5-Bryant Wiedeman-878, 6-Daison Pursley-849, 7-Cannon McIntosh-816, 8-Jacob Denney-789, 9-Gavin Miller-787, 10-Taylor Reimer-717.


 

TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL MIDGETS AT GAS CITY I-69 SPEEDWAY:

1 Lap - 6/1/2016 - Rico Abreu - 12.048 - 74.701 mph

8 Laps - 6/10/2011 - Matt Smith - 1:39.76 - 72.173 mph

10 Laps - 6/5/2019 - Tyler Courtney - 2:05.54 - 71.690 mph

12 Laps - 6/17/2020 - Rico Abreu - 2:43.872 - 65.905 mph

 

JAMES DEAN CLASSIC USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINS AT GAS CITY I-69 SPEEDWAY:

1-Buddy Kofoid & Cannon McIntosh


 

JAMES DEAN CLASSIC USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINNERS AT GAS CITY I-69 SPEEDWAY:

2020: Cannon McIntosh (9/25)

2022: Buddy Kofoid (9/22)


 

USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINS AT GAS CITY I-69 SPEEDWAY:

2-Shane Cottle, Darren Hagen, Buddy Kofoid & Kyle Larson

1-Spencer Bayston, Steve Buckwalter, Jerry Coons Jr., Justin Grant, Brad Kuhn, Cannon McIntosh, Michael Pickens, Davey Ray, Logan Seavey & Tanner Thorson


 

USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINNERS AT GAS CITY I-69 SPEEDWAY:

2005: Davey Ray (8/19)

2006: Shane Cottle (8/18)

2007: Shane Cottle (8/10)

2008: Brad Kuhn (8/6)

2009: Jerry Coons Jr. (6/10)

2010: Steve Buckwalter (6/16)

2011: Darren Hagen (6/8)

2012: Darren Hagen (6/13)

2013: Kyle Larson (6/12)

2015: Tanner Thorson (6/10)

2016: Spencer Bayston (6/1)

2017: Michael Pickens (6/7)

2019: Justin Grant (6/5)

2020: Kyle Larson (6/17) & Cannon McIntosh (9/25)

2021: Buddy Kofoid (6/11)

2022: Buddy Kofoid (9/22)

2023: Logan Seavey (6/7)


 

PAST JAMES DEAN CLASSIC USAC NATIONAL MIDGET RESULTS:


 

2020 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Cannon McIntosh (4), 2. Tyler Courtney (6), 3. Kyle Cummins (11), 4. Tanner Thorson (17), 5. Emerson Axsom (5), 6. Justin Grant (8), 7. Buddy Kofoid (18), 8. Daison Pursley (1), 9. Chris Windom (15), 10. Tanner Carrick (13), 11. Brady Bacon (22), 12. Andrew Layser (9), 13. Logan Seavey (14), 14. Clinton Boyles (19), 15. Thomas Meseraull (7), 16. Chase Johnson (2), 17. Cole Bodine (10), 18. Robert Dalby (21), 19. Kaylee Bryson (20), 20. Chase Randall (16), 21. Tyler Nelson (12), 22. Hayden Reinbold (23*), 23. Ethan Mitchell (3). NT


 

2021 FEATURE: RAINED OUT


 

2022 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Buddy Kofoid (8), 2. Kaylee Bryson (2), 3. Brenham Crouch (1), 4. Chance Crum (3), 5. Jacob Denney (4), 6. Ethan Mitchell (5), 7. Cannon McIntosh (23), 8. Thomas Meseraull (9), 9. Tanner Carrick (10), 10. Justin Grant (11), 11. Dominic Gorden (19), 12. Mitchel Moles (14), 13. Alex Bright (15), 14. Kyle Cummins (16), 15. Taylor Reimer (7), 16. Maria Cofer (6), 17. Michael Magic (21), 18. Hayden Reinbold (13), 19. Adam Taylor (17), 20. Blake Brannon (18), 21. Bryan Stanfill (20), 22. Bryant Wiedeman (12), 23. Jakeb Boxell (22). NT

 


 

Biggest Field Ever for USAC Silver Crown at Eldora This Weekend

Josh James

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Rossburg, Ohio (September 19, 2023)………A record-high field of 37 USAC Silver Crown drivers and cars are entered for the 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway this Friday-Saturday, September 22-23.


 

That’s the most ever for a USAC Silver Crown event at the Rossburg, Ohio half-mile dirt oval dating back to the first running in 1981.


 

The previous highest car count of 36 champ cars at Eldora occurred in both the 1996 and 2001 runnings of the 4-Crown Nationals Presented By NKTELCO.


 

This weekend’s field includes four past Eldora 4-Crown Nationals USAC Silver Crown winners, including Jerry Coons Jr. (2007 & 2014), C.J. Leary (2018), Brady Bacon (2019) and Logan Seavey (2021-22).


 

Seavey leads the USAC Silver Crown National Championship point standings by a single point entering the Eldora round this weekend.


 

The USAC Silver Crown portion of the program encompasses two nights at Eldora this weekend. On Friday, USAC Silver Crown practice will be held, followed by two-at-a-time USAC Silver Crown qualifying in which the top-20 fastest on time will be locked into Saturday’s feature.


 

Also on Friday night, a 12-lap qualifying race will be held for all those who are not locked into the feature. From that field, the top-six finishers will transfer into the Saturday’s 50-lap feature.


 


 

RACE DETAILS


 

On Friday, September 22, at Eldora, the BeFour the Crowns program will feature the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, USAC Silver Crown Qualifying & Qualifying Race and the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars. Spectator gates open at 2pm Eastern with the drivers meeting taking place at 5:30pm and cars on track at 6pm. General admission tickets are $35 for adults and free for ages 12 and under. Reserved tickets are $40 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.


 

On Saturday, September 23, at Eldora, the 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals presented by NKTELCO features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship, USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, All Star Circuit of Champions and the USAC Silver Crown National Championship. Spectator gates open at Noon Eastern with a driver autograph session taking place from 3-4pm in the Fan Zone. The drivers meeting will take place at 4:30pm and cars on track at 6pm.  General admission tickets are $40 for adults and free for ages 12 and under. Reserved tickets are $45 for adults and $10 for ages 12 and under.


 


 

ELDORA USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRY LIST: (37 CARS & DRIVERS)

07 (R) JOHN TOSTI/High Ridge, MO (John Tosti)

08 KYLE STEFFENS/St. Charles, MO (Gordon Steffens)

3 (R) TIM SIMMONS/Cabot, AR (Tim Simmons)

4 (R) MARK BITNER/Columbus, NJ (Henry Yeska)

5 (R) MATT MITCHELL/Yorba Linda, CA (DMW Motorsports)

6 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Klatt Enterprises)

7 KYLE ROBBINS/New Castle, IN (KR Racing)

9 BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (Chris Dyson Racing)

10 JAKE SWANSON/Anaheim, CA (DMW Motorsports)

11 (R) TREY BURKE/Alvin, TX (Davey Hamilton Racing/SRG)

12 (R) WAYNE JOHNSON/Oklahoma City, OK (Two C Racing)

18 TRAVIS WELPOTT/Pendleton, IN (Welpott Racing)

20 (R) EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Nolen Racing)

22 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Rice Motorsports)

24 SHANE COCKRUM/Benton, IL (John Haggenbottom)

26 (R) KAYLEE BRYSON/Muskogee, OK (Sam Pierce)

31 DAVE BERKHEIMER/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)

32 GREGG CORY/Shelbyville, IN (Williams Racing)

34 (R) GARY DUNKLE/Lincoln, NE (Gary Dunkle)

44 DANNY LONG/Bonne Terre, MO (Danny Long)

49 BRIAN RUHLMAN/Clarklake, MI (Brian Ruhlman)

51 RUSS GAMESTER/Peru, IN (Gamester Racing)

52 CARMEN PERIGO/Stoystown, PA (John Stehman)

53 SHANE COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Five Three Motorsports)

54 MATT WESTFALL/Pleasant Hill, OH (Westfall Motorsports)

55 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ (Patty Bateman)

57 DALLAS HEWITT/Troy, OH (Dallas Hewitt)

69 CHASE STOCKON/Fort Branch, IN (Pink 69 Racing)

77 KODY SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA (Doran-Binks Racing)

81 (R) TREY OSBORNE/Columbus, OH (BCR Group)

86 (R) CHASE DIETZ/York, PA (Bruce Lee)

91 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)

92 MARIO CLOUSER/Auburn, IL (Kazmark Motorsports)

97 (R) MITCHEL MOLES/Raisin City, CA (Hans Lein)

99 (R) ZACH HAMPTON/Mooresville, IN (Armstrong Racing)

111 TOM PATERSON/Argos, IN (Tom Paterson)

555 TAYLOR FERNS/Shelby Township, MI (Taylor Ferns Racing)

(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year contender


Major Bounty Posted for USAC “Non-Full-Timers” at Lawrenceburg’s Fall National

David Campbell

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Lawrenceburg, Indiana (September 19, 2023)………USAC regulars have gone undefeated all season in AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship competition with full-time series drivers and teams winning every event run thus far in 2023.


 

Now, NOS Energy Drink and USAC are posting a $10,000 bounty to any driver who can beat the USAC regulars during the Saturday night, October 7, Fall Nationals at Indiana’s Lawrenceburg Speedway.


 

Any driver outside the top-12 in the USAC National Sprint Car standings will be eligible for the opportunity to cash in an extra $10,000 bonus by winning that night’s feature event.


 

With the Fall Nationals already paying $20,000 to the feature winner, it is possible that a driver could walk out of the southeastern Indiana 3/8-mile dirt oval that night with a total of $30,000 in earnings.


 

The Fall Nationals at Lawrenceburg Speedway began in 2007, and this year, enters its 16th edition under the promotion of Dave and Kim Rudisell. Robert Ballou captured the inaugural running of the Fall Nationals in 2007.


 

Furthermore, the Fall Nationals presents the finale of the 10-race Bubby Jones Master of Going Faster Series presented by Spire Sports + Entertainment. Emerson Axsom (Franklin, Ind.) leads the miniseries’ point standings by five points over C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.). Defending “Bubby Jones” champ Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) sits third, 14 points out of the lead.


 

The Bubby Jones Master of Goin’ Faster driving champion will earn a $10,000 bonus while the champion crew chief will receive a $2,500 reward.

 

 


 

BC39 Entry List Hits 70! Cannon, Axsom & KTJ Join In On The IMS Dirt

Rich Forman

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Speedway, Indiana (September 14, 2023)………Seventy (70) USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets are now entered for the fifth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 on September 27-30 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


 

The latest additions to the lineup include driver Cannon McIntosh and the Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports team. The Bixby, Okla. native finished as the runner-up in the 2022 BC39 and led a race-high 20 of the 39 laps at the 1/4-mile dirt track.


 

Additionally, Emerson Axsom (Franklin, Ind.) has officially been added as the seventh driver for the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports stable. The 2021 fifth place finishing BC39 driver will pilot car No. 68 for the reigning BC39 winning team.


 

Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) led the first ever laps in BC39 history during the inaugural 2018 event in which he finished third. KTJ will be behind the wheel of the Crouch Motorsports No. 1 for the 2023 edition of the race.


 

Also filing BC39 entries today were Louisiana driver Chelby Hinton who’ll wheel a car owned by Klatt Enterprises and wrenched by USAC Hall of Famer Bob East. North Carolina’s Austin Barnhill will drive for Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports. Kevin Cook (Winchester, Ind.) will be in the seat of his own No. 9p.


 

** The final cutoff for all BC39 entries is Monday, September 25, at www.TheBC39.com. **


 

Previously filing their entries to compete in this year’s BC39 were Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.), the 2018 BC39 winner, plus 2022 BC39 winner, Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, Calif.), who will be participating during Wednesday and Thursday’s preliminary rounds.


 

Current USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget point leader and 2018 series champion Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) is entered as well as two-time USAC National champion Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) and 2019 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National champion C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.).


 

The always exciting Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, Calif.) is entered after contending for the win in each of the past two editions of the BC39 in 2021-22 as is top USAC Silver Crown Rookie Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, Okla.) who owns the best finish by a woman in BC39 history with a 7th in 2022.


 

USAC Triple Crown champion Jerry Coons (Tucson, Ariz.) is entered for the four-night event as is three-time USAC National Midget winner Jacob Denney (Galloway, Ohio), 2023 series winner Zach Daum (Pocahontas, Ill.) and USAC national feature winner Matt Westfall (Pleasant Hill, Ohio).


 

Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports, the winning team of the 2022 running of the BC39, has entered seven cars for the event, including entries for series for 2023 USAC National Midget winners Ryan Timms (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and Gavin Miller (Allentown, Pa.), plus Jade Avedisian (Clovis, Calif.), Taylor Reimer (Bixby, Okla.) and Mariah Ede (Fresno, Calif.).


 

The 2022 USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year, Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.), will make his second BC39 appearance this year after leading the initial 12 laps of last year’s BC39. Two-time USAC National Midget feature winner Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) will also return to the BC39 as well as first-time 2023 USAC National Midget feature winner Bryant Wiedeman (Colby, Kan.) and recent series winner Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.).


 


 

DRIVER REGISTRATION IS OPEN


 

Driver registration is now officially open for the fifth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39. Teams can file their entry for the event at https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2023-bc39, where they may also purchase grandstand tickets, pit and parking passes for the event.


 

The final cutoff for all BC39 entries is Monday, September 25.


 

There are three options for viewing the racing action and also having pit pass access. You can purchase a competitor pit pass only where no seat is included with limited viewing of the track.


 

Secondly, you can purchase a competitor pit pass with reserved seating included, which are available in the lower level of the main grandstands.


 

You may also purchase a grandstand seat from the IMS ticketing site with a pit pass upgrade. Competitors must enter IMS via the 16th Street tunnel.


 

Each entry filed will come with two VIP parking passes for inside parking at IMS, intended for driver and entrant. All others must either purchase inside parking or park outside of turns three and four of 2.5-mile paved oval track.


 

Spectator tickets are also available www.TheBC39.com. Spectators are to enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway via 30th Street.


 

The event on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside turn three at IMS will continue to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increase awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives.


 

Brady Bacon (2018), Zeb Wise (2019), Kyle Larson (2021) and Buddy Kofoid (2022) have captured victories in the first four editions of the BC39.


 

The BC39 officially gets underway on Tuesday, September 26 with team parking at 3pm Eastern followed by a BC39 Welcome Party at 6pm at USAC Headquarters.


 

On track action begins Wednesday, September 27, beginning with the drivers meeting in the IMS Media Room at 3pm Eastern. Public gates open at 4pm with cars hitting the track for practice at 7pm, followed by the incredibly exciting Stoops Pursuit feature race which will conclude the night’s racing action at 9pm. In this event, 25 cars will start and compete in five, five-lap segments. If a driver gets passed in any segment, they are eliminated.


 

For Thursday and Friday, September 28-29, the field will be split into two with one half of the field competing on night one and the other half competing on night two. On both nights, public gates open at 4pm Eastern with hot laps at 6pm, followed by qualifying, opening ceremonies, heat races, the C-Main, the Semi-Feature and the Feature event.


 

The finale, on Saturday, September 30, will have the public gates opening at 4pm and cars on track for practice at 6pm, followed by opening ceremonies at 7pm and the main events, starting with the D-Main, multiple C-Mains, Semi-Feature and the 39-lap Feature event paying $20,039-to-win.


 


 

2023 DRIVEN2SAVELIVES BC39 ENTRIES

(70 cars as of September 14, 2023)

08 Cannon McIntosh (Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports)

1 Kevin Thomas Jr. (Crouch Motorsports)

1D Landon Brooks (RAMCO Speed Group)

1G Connor Wolf (RAMCO Speed Group)

1z Justin Zimmerman (Justin Zimmerman)

2 Justin Grant (RMS Racing)

3G Kyle Cummins (Glenn Styres Racing)

4 Chelby Hinton (Klatt Enterprises)

5J Josh Hodge (Josh Hodge Racing)

5s Scott Orr (Josh Hodge Racing)

6 Isaac Chapple (Doug Hall)

7c Josh Bilicki (RAMCO Speed Group)

7m Kyle Jones (RAMCO Speed Group)

7p Zach Daum (RAMCO Speed Group)

7x Thomas Meseraull (RMS Racing)

8 Randi Pankratz (Wally Pankratz)

8x Jeff Schindler (Jeff Schindler)

9 Wes Pinkerton (Wes Pinkerton)

9p Kevin Cook (Kevin Cook)

10A Tommy Colburn (MWR Technology)

10c Mark McMahill (MWR Technology)

11 Clinton Boyles (Scott Beierle)

11L Aaron Leffel (Team Taylor Racing)

14 C.J. Leary (Legacy Autosport)

17B Austin Barnhill (Dave Mac-Dalby Motorsports)

18N Weston Gorham (Kelly Gorham)

19 Daison Pursley (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)

19AZ Hayden Reinbold (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)

19m Ethan Mitchell (Bundy Built Motorsports)

19T Mitchel Moles (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)

19x TBA (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

21D Justin Dickerson (Mike Dickerson)

21H Brady Bacon (TKH Motorsports)

21J Kameron Key (TKH Motorsports)

21K Karter Sarff (Jayme Sarff)

22 John Heydenreich (John Heydenreich)

22p Taylor Courtney (RAMCO Speed Group)

23 Preston Lattomus (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

25 Jacob Denney (Tom Malloy)

25K Taylor Reimer (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

25m Jake Andreotti (Tom Malloy)

27 Keith Rauch (Bourke Motorsports)

27B Jake Bubak (Bourke Motorsports)

32 Gary Taylor (Brian Dunlap)

36 Ian Creager (Tod Creager)

40 Chase McDermand (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

40B Blake Brannon (Blake Brannon)

40x Zach Wigal (Chase McDermand)

41 Oliver Akard (Team OMR)

44 Adam Andretti (Jeff Johnson)

46 Kenney Johnson (Jeff Johnson)

54 Matt Westfall (Steve Bordner)

56 Mitchell Davis (Pat O’Dell)

57 Logan Seavey (Abacus Racing)

57A Daniel Robinson (RAB Racing)

58 Daniel Whitley (Abacus Racing)

67 Ryan Timms (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

67K Buddy Kofoid (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

68 Emerson Axsom (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

71 Jade Avedisian (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

71E Mariah Ede (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

71T Kyler Johnson (Todd Henry)

81 Bryant Wiedeman (CB Industries)

85 Jerry Coons Jr. (Central Motorsports)

86 Brent Crews (CB Industries)

89 Kaylee Bryson (CB Industries)

97 Gavin Miller (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

99 TBA (Carson-Segur Racing)

99K Robert Carson (Carson-Segur Racing)

118 Scott Evans (Scott Evans)

 


 

Hustlin’ for $20,000: USAC & MSCS Sprints Face Off Saturday at Tri-State

Jack Reitz

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Haubstadt, Indiana (September 13, 2023)………The richest Haubstadt Hustler to date is on tap for the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and Midwest Sprint Car Series this Saturday night, September 16, at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana.


 

Forty laps will lead to a $20,000 payday for one driver and one team to experience this weekend at The Class Track’s 1/4-mile dirt oval during the 16th running of the Haubstadt Hustler.


 

A long(er) distance, a big payout, the prospect of Jadon Rogers repeating, Kyle Cummins setting a new all-time record and the possibility of an emerging first-time USAC National Sprint Car points-paying race winner such as Daison Pursley, Carson Garrett and others are more than enough to whet the appetite.


 

But that only scratches the surface with the Haubstadt Hustler presenting round two of the USAC NOS Energy Drink Hoosier Trifecta and the penultimate round of the Bubby Jones Master of Goin’ Faster Presented By Spire Sports + Entertainment series.


 

All hotly contested races and all at the forefront of the storylines that we have our eyes peeled to this coming Saturday in southern Indiana.


 


 

RODGERS RUNNIN' IT BACK


 

Countless individuals have clutched onto the dream of winning their first career USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship feature race. Some are able to realize that dream but, for most, it remains but a fleeting notion that is never fully seized.


 

It was “carpe diem” for Jadon Rogers (Worthington, Ind.) during the 2022 Haubstadt Hustler as he led the final five laps to score his first career USAC feature victory.


 

It had been a long time coming for the 2020 USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year, the same season in which he raced from his 14th starting position to finish 2nd during his first Haubstadt Hustler start.


 

He’s also the most recent winner at Tri-State, scoring the Midwest Sprint Car Series show on Labor Day weekend, September 3. He ran fourth with USAC there in the spring of this year, equaling his best performance of the season with the series.


 

Furthermore, he seems to have found a home with Michael Dutcher Motorsports, finishing 5th, 4th, 7th and 4th in four of his past five starts with the team as he angles to return to victory lane for the first time in a calendar year with USAC and also provide Dutcher his first USAC win since 2015. A Dutcher-owned car won the Haubstadt Hustler in 2013 with Kevin Thomas Jr. at the wheel.


 


 

CUMMINS ONE AWAY


 

Two-time Haubstadt Hustler winner Kyle Cummins has been the barometer that many others have measured themselves against when it comes to racing at Tri-State Speedway.


 

Cummins (Princeton, Ind.) is tied atop the list for all-time USAC National Sprint Car victories at the track, having won six times, including the Haubstadt Hustler on two occasions in 2016 and 2019. With one more victory, he’d officially become the king of USAC Sprint Car racing at Tri-State in terms of total wins.


 

However, he’s been shut out of victory lane in each of his last five outings with USAC at TSS dating back to the spring of 2021, the longest such stretch of his career.


 

Cummins, who swept to victory in all eight of his sprint car starts at Tri-State in 2019, has already won twice this year at TSS with MSCS, during May’s Memorial Weekend Classic and August’s Hoosier Sprint Nationals.


 


 

DAISON & CARSON, FIRST ONE?


 

Daron Clayton (2006), Hunter Schuerenberg (2008), Blake Fitzpatrick (2010), Carson Short (2016), Stephen Schnapf (2020) and Jadon Rogers (2022) all know the feeling well.


 

They’ve all experienced a first career USAC National Sprint Car feature win at Tri-State Speedway.


 

Daison Pursley and Carson Garrett are two individuals looking to experience the same feeling this Saturday night during the Haubstadt Hustler, both of whom have ties to the southern Indiana dirt oval.


 

Mind you, yes, Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) did win a non-point paying USAC Sprint Car feature down in Florida at Volusia Speedway Park to kick off the season, but another on Saturday would actually be his first points-paying victory with the series. The top-Rookie in the 2023 USAC National Sprint Car standings finished 8th in his Haubstadt Hustler debut in 2021, which also marked his first career USAC Sprint Car start with the KO Motorsports team, a team that is a regular fixture at Tri-State.


 

Meanwhile, Garrett (Littleton, Colo.) has already won twice with MSCS this season, once in May and again in June. He ran seventh in the spring with USAC at Tri-State but has grown by leaps and bounds ever since. With USAC, he finished with a career best second place result (by inches) at Illinois’ Macon Speedway and has also run inside the top-five multiple times since. Now he’s primed to be USAC’s first “first-time” Sprint Car winner of 2023.


 


 

TRIFECTA ROUND TWO


 

And then there were three!


 

Justin Grant, Kyle Cummins and Logan Seavey are gunning for their share of the USAC NOS Energy Drink Hoosier Trifecta, round two of which arrives during this Saturday’s Haubstadt Hustler.


 

Two Trifecta events remain with a pair of $20,000-to-win showdowns on Saturday at Tri-State and on Saturday, October 7, during Lawrenceburg Speedway’s Fall Nationals.


 

Grant took round one of the Trifecta in August at Kokomo’s Smackdown ahead of Cummins and Seavey. Now Grant is chasing a clean sweep worth more than $100,000 in total prize money if he can win at both Tri-State and Lawrenceburg.


 

The driver with the highest average Trifecta finishing position and also finishes inside the top-three in the trio of events will earn the prize – over 100,000 dollars in total to win all three, a $20,000 bonus to finish second or better in all three and $10,000 to score a top-three result in all three races.


 


 

BUBBY JONES PENULTIMATE ROUND


 

Emerson Axsom leads a hotly contested title race in the Bubby Jones Master of Goin’ Faster Presented By Spire Sports + Entertainment standings.


 

The 10-race miniseries for the USAC National Sprint Cars takes on round nine on Saturday at Tri-State, a series in which Axsom (Franklin, Ind.) possesses a 13-point lead over C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.).


 

Jake Swanson (Anaheim, Calif.) remains 41 points out of the lead with defending “Bubby” champ Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) 49 markers back and Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.) 59 tallies behind the leader.


 

The driver accumulating the most total points throughout the 2023 Bubby Jones Racing Master of Goin’ Faster series will be rewarded with a $10,000 prize. Furthermore, the championship winning crew chief will collect a $2,500 bonus.


 

Winners of the Bubby Jones races thus far in 2023 include C.J. Leary (May 6 at Eldora), Brady Bacon (May 23 at Terre Haute), Jake Swanson (June 3 at Knoxville), Emerson Axsom (June 16 at Williams Grove), Justin Grant (June 17 at Port Royal), C.J. Leary (July 22 at Kokomo), Emerson Axsom (July 28 at Bloomington) and Matt Westfall (September 9 at Texarkana 67).


 

Two Bubby Jones events remain in 2023 starting at Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, September 16, and ending on Saturday, October 7, at Lawrenceburg Speedway.


 


 

DIFFERENT FORMAT & “POINT”ING IT OUT


 

At this time of the season, much of the talk surrounds the season-long championship points races.  While Saturday’s Haubstadt Hustler, co-sanctioned by the Midwest Sprint Car Series, will pay points toward the USAC National Sprint Car title race, the points will only be distributed in the form of appearance points.


 

All participating USAC National Sprint Car licensed drivers and entrants will receive 50 points across the board for their participation in the event regardless of finishing position this Saturday night.


 

The MSCS format of group qualifying to set heat race lineups and a draw to determine the feature inversion will be utilized for the Haubstadt Hustler, as has traditionally been the case in this event. April’s Spring Showdown at Tri-State, also co-sanctioned by USAC and MSCS, routinely uses the USAC format.


 

That takes points out of the equation for the night, meaning teams and drivers might play it a bit less conservatively when it comes to taking chances, and perhaps, on the set-up. But knowing this group, there’s not much “conserving” when $20,000 and bragging rights are on the line.


 


 

RACE DETAILS


 

Saturday’s program at Tri-State Speedway features the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship (co-sanctioned by the Midwest Sprint Car Series) as well as the Midwest Mini Sprint Association.


 

Pits open at 2pm Central with grandstands opening at 3:30pm, the drivers meeting at 5:30pm and cars on track at 6pm followed by qualifying and racing.


 

Adult general admission tickets are $30, students (ages 13-18) are $20 and children 12 and under free.  Pit passes are $30 for members and $35 for non-members.


 


 

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


 


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-1979, 2-Brady Bacon-1970, 3-Emerson Axsom-1861, 4-Kyle Cummins-1845, 5-Jake Swanson-1835, 6-C.J. Leary-1752, 7-Robert Ballou-1650, 8-Chase Stockon-1551, 9-Mitchel Moles-1491, 10-Daison Pursley-1455.

 


 

TRACK RECORD FOR USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CARS AT TRI-STATE SPEEDWAY:


 

1 Lap - 7/30/2000 - Levi Jones - 12.644 - 71.180 mph


 

6 Laps - 7/07/2005 - Hud Cone - 1:20.59 - 67.006 mph


 

8 Laps - 7/15/2006 - Shane Hollingsworth - 1:49.65 - 65.664 mph


 

10 Laps - 9/2/2006 - Dave Darland - 2:09.02 - 69.757 mph


 

12 Laps - 9/14/2013 - Chase Stockon - 2:42.02 - 66.658 mph


 

30 Laps - 7/18/2015 - Brady Short - 7:31.50 - 59.801 mph


 


 

HAUBSTADT HUSTLER WINNERS:


 

2008: Jeff Bland Jr.


 

2009: Bryan Clauson


 

2010: Jon Stanbrough


 

2011: Casey Riggs


 

2012: Daron Clayton


 

2013: Kevin Thomas Jr.


 

2014: Daron Clayton


 

2015: Brady Short


 

2016: Kyle Cummins


 

2017: Kevin Thomas Jr.


 

2018: Kevin Thomas Jr.


 

2019: Kyle Cummins


 

2020: Chase Stockon


 

2021: Kevin Thomas Jr.


 

2022: Jadon Rogers


 


 

TRI-STATE SPEEDWAY USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINS


 

6-Kyle Cummins & Kevin Thomas Jr.


 

5-Daron Clayton


 

4-Cory Kruseman


 

3-Rick Hood


 

2-Robert Ballou, Justin Grant, Hunter Schuerenberg, Brady Short, Jon Stanbrough & Chase Stockon


 

1-Brady Bacon, Steve Butler, Dave Darland, Jay Drake, Tony Elliott, Blake Fitzpatrick, Damion Gardner, Tracy Hines, Kenny Jacobs, Levi Jones, Casey Riggs, Jadon Rogers, Stephen Schnapf, Carson Short, Chris Windom & J.J. Yeley


 

 

TRI-STATE SPEEDWAY USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINNERS


 

1983: Rick Hood (9/4)


 

1984: Steve Butler (5/28) & Rick Hood (9/2)


 

1988: Kenny Jacobs (8/7)


 

1989: Rick Hood (6/3)


 

2000: Cory Kruseman (7/30)


 

2001: Tony Elliott (5/13) & Jay Drake (7/22)


 

2002: Tracy Hines (5/19) & Cory Kruseman (7/21)


 

2003: J.J. Yeley (7/20)


 

2004: Cory Kruseman (7/18)


 

2005: Cory Kruseman (7/17)


 

2006: Jon Stanbrough (7/15) & Daron Clayton (9/2)


 

2007: Daron Clayton (7/21)


 

2008: Hunter Schuerenberg (7/19)


 

2009: Levi Jones (7/18)


 

2010: Blake Fitzpatrick (7/17)


 

2011: Damion Gardner (7/16) & Casey Riggs (9/17)


 

2012: Hunter Schuerenberg (5/12), Jon Stanbrough (7/21) & Daron Clayton (9/15)


 

2013: Kevin Thomas, Jr. (5/11) & Kevin Thomas, Jr. (9/14)


 

2014: Daron Clayton (4/26), Robert Ballou (7/19) & Daron Clayton (9/13)


 

2015: Brady Bacon (4/18), Brady Short (7/18) & Brady Short (9/19)


 

2016: Chase Stockon (4/16), Carson Short (7/16) & Kyle Cummins (9/17)


 

2017: Chris Windom (4/15), Kyle Cummins (7/15) & Kevin Thomas, Jr., (9/16)


 

2018: Kevin Thomas, Jr. (4/28), Dave Darland (7/28) & Kevin Thomas, Jr. (9/15)


 

2019: Kyle Cummins (7/27) & Kyle Cummins (9/14)


 

2020: Stephen Schnapf (6/14), Kyle Cummins (8/2) & Chase Stockon (9/19)


 

2021: Kyle Cummins (4/17), Justin Grant (7/31) & Kevin Thomas Jr. (9/18)


 

2022: Robert Ballou (7/30) & Jadon Rogers (9/17)


 

2023: Justin Grant (4/15)


 

 

PAST HAUBSTADT HUSTLER RESULTS:


 

2008 FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Jeff Bland Jr., 2. Brady Short, 3. Thomas Meseraull, 4. Levi Jones, 5. Hunter Schuerenberg, 6. Darren Hagen, 7. Chad Boat, 8. Jon Stanbrough, 9. Kyle Cummins, 10. Hud Cone, 11. A.J. Anderson, 12. Robert Ballou, 13. Blake Fitzpatrick, 14. Daron Clayton, 15. Chris Windom, 16. Shawn Krockenberger, 17. John Memmer, 18. Shane Cottle, 19. J.J. Yeley, 20. Alex Shanks, 21. Ricky Williams.


 

2009 FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Bryan Clauson, 2. Josh Wise, 3. Brady Short, 4. Jon Stanbrough, 5. Damion Gardner, 6. Levi Jones, 7. Scotty Weir, 8. Casey Shuman, 9. Dave Darland, 10. Blake Fitzpatrick, 11. Chris Windom, 12. Hunter Schuerenberg, 13. Jeff Bland Jr., 14. Hud Cone, 15. Kevin Thomas Jr., 16. Kyle Cummins, 17. Mark Perry III, 18. Thomas Meseraull, 19. Nic Faas, 20. Robert Ballou, 21. Danny Holtsclaw.


 

2010 FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Jon Stanbrough, 2. Blake Fitzpatrick, 3. Kyle Cummins, 4. Scotty Weir, 5. Hunter Schuerenberg, 6. Levi Jones, 7. Critter Malone, 8. Chase Stockon, 9. Jonathan Hendrick, 10. Thomas Meseraull, 11. Damion Gardner, 12. Kurt Gross, 13. Jeff Bland Jr., 14. Adam Nigg, 15. Jared Harris, 16. Chase Briscoe, 17. Justin Grant, 18. Jonathan Vennard, 19. Kevin Thomas Jr., 20. Brady Short, 21. Daron Clayton.


 

2011 FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Casey Riggs, 2. Bryan Clauson, 3. Damion Gardner, 4. Levi Jones, 5. Brady Bacon, 6. Jerry Coons Jr., 7. Hunter Schuerenberg, 8. Tracy Hines, 9. Keith Bloom, 10. Critter Malone, 11. Jonathan Hendrick, 12. Kyle Cummins, 13. Jon Stanbrough, 14. Wes McIntyre, 15. Dave Darland, 16. Daron Clayton, 17. Blake Fitzpatrick, 18. Braylon Fitzpatrick, 19. Robert Ballou, 20. Hud Cone, 21. Brady Short, 22. Chris Windom, 23. Chase Stockon, 24. Chase Briscoe, 25. Shane Cottle. NT


 

2012 FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Daron Clayton, 2. Kyle Larson, 3. Robert Ballou, 4. Dave Darland, 5. Chris Windom, 6. Damion Gardner, 7. Kevin Thomas Jr., 8. Jon Stanbrough, 9. Chase Briscoe, 10. Chase Stockon, 11. Thomas Meseraull, 12. Shane Cottle, 13. Dakota Jackson, 14. Hunter Schuerenberg, 15. Bobby East, 16. Jerry Coons Jr., 17. Tracy Hines, 18. Brady Short, 19. Seth Parker, 20. Brandon Mattox, 21. Wes McIntyre, 22. Kyle Cummins, 23. Bryan Clauson (re-positioned due to missing scales). NT


 

2013 FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr., 2. Brady Short, 3. Brady Bacon, 4. Jon Stanbrough, 5. Kyle Cummins, 6. Chase Stockon, 7. Daron Clayton, 8. Tracy Hines, 9. Bryan Clauson, 10. Shane Cottle, 11. Robert Ballou, 12. Blake Fitzpatrick, 13. Jeff Bland Jr., 14. Bradley Sterrett, 15. Nick Drake, 16. Carson Short, 17. Chase Briscoe, 18. A.J. Hopkins, 19. Kurt Gross, 20. Tyler Courtney, 21. Dave Darland, 22. Wes McIntyre, 23. Seth Parker. NT


 

2014 FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Daron Clayton, 2. Robert Ballou, 3. Kyle Cummins, 4. Jerry Coons Jr., 5. Chase Stockon, 6. Jon Stanbrough, 7. Bryan Clauson, 8. Brady Bacon, 9. Tracy Hines, 10. Brian Karraker, 11. Dave Darland, 12. Aaron Farney, 13. C.J. Leary, 14. Brady Short, 15. Kevin Thomas Jr., 16. Shane Cockrum, 17. Chris Windom, 18. Donny Brackett, 19. Nick Hale, 20. Carson Short, 21. Brandon Mattox, 22. Hud Cone, 23. Mitch Wissmiller, 24. Jeff Bland Jr. NT


 

2015 FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Brady Short, 2. Kevin Thomas Jr., 3. Dakota Jackson, 4. Brady Bacon, 5. Chase Stockon, 6. Dave Darland, 7. Robert Ballou, 8. Chris Windom, 9. C.J. Leary, 10. Thomas Meseraull, 11. Shane Cottle, 12. Aaron Farney, 13. Brandon Mattox, 14. Kent Schmidt, 15. Jon Stanbrough, 16. James Lyerla, 17. Kyle Cummins, 18. Donny Brackett, 19. Chad Boespflug, 20. Tracy Hines, 21. Justin Grant, 22. Hunter Schuerenberg, 23. Mike Terry Jr., 24. Daron Clayton. NT


 

2016 FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Kyle Cummins, 2. Tyler Courtney, 3. Shane Cottle, 4. Kevin Thomas Jr., 5. Chase Stockon, 6. Chris Windom, 7. Carson Short, 8. Justin Grant, 9. Brady Bacon, 10. Jon Stanbrough, 11. C.J. Leary, 12. Dave Darland, 13. Brian Karraker, 14. Tyler Hewitt, 15. Brandon Mattox, 16. Tyler Thomas, 17. Daron Clayton, 18. Dakota Jackson, 19. Brady Short, 20. Chad Boespflug, 21. Thomas Meseraull, 22. Donny Brackett, 23. Aaron Farney. NT


 

2017 FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr., 2. Kyle Cummins, 3. Thomas Meseraull, 4. Chet Williams, 5. Tyler Courtney, 6. Chris Windom, 7. Brady Short, 8. Robert Ballou, 9. C.J. Leary, 10. Justin Grant, 11. Chad Boespflug, 12. Carson Short, 13. Dave Darland, 14. Donny Brackett, 15. Chase Stockon, 16. Isaac Chapple, 17. Josh Hodges, 18. Brady Bacon, 19. Dakota Jackson, 20. Aric Gentry, 21. Brandon Mattox, 22. Jon Stanbrough, 23. Shane Cottle, 24. Kendall Ruble. NT


 

2018 FEATURE: (40 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr. (3), 2. C.J. Leary (2), 3. Jason McDougal (8), 4. Dave Darland (7), 5. Carson Short (15), 6. Tyler Courtney (16), 7. Robert Ballou (10), 8. Chase Stockon (11), 9. Kyle Cummins (9), 10. Donny Brackett (13), 11. Stephen Schnapf (5), 12. Isaac Chapple (14), 13. Chet Williams (19), 14. Brady Bacon (6), 15. Critter Malone (21), 16. Kendall Ruble (20), 17. Chris Windom (4), 18. Daron Clayton (17), 19. Justin Grant (12), 20. Tony DiMattia (22), 21. Brandon Mattox (23), 22. Kent Schmidt (1), 23. Aric Gentry (18). NT


 

2019 FEATURE: (40 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Kyle Cummins (3), 2. Tyler Courtney (4), 3. C.J. Leary (1), 4. Kendall Ruble (5), 5. Chris Windom (10), 6. Critter Malone (11), 7. Chase Stockon (9), 8. Brady Bacon (19), 9. Brady Short (18), 10. Josh Hodges (6), 11. Stephen Schnapf (23), 12. Max Adams (14), 13. Carson Short (22), 14. Kevin Thomas Jr. (17), 15. Donny Brackett (16), 16. Kent Schmidt (15), 17. Dustin Christie (2), 18. Jason McDougal (21), 19. Brian Karraker (8), 20. Chayse Hayhurst (12), 21. Dakota Jackson (20), 22. Justin Grant (13), 23. Isaac Chapple (24), 24. Collin Ambrose (25), 25. Shane Cottle (7). NT


 

2020 FEATURE: (40 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chase Stockon (2), 2. Jadon Rogers (14), 3. Robert Ballou (18), 4. Critter Malone (19), 5. Chris Windom (8), 6. Justin Grant (7), 7. Brady Bacon (12), 8. C.J. Leary (10), 9. Kyle Cummins (1), 10. Brandon Mattox (13), 11. Kent Schmidt (6), 12. Dave Darland (5), 13. Anton Hernandez (16), 14. Dakota Jackson (17), 15. Kevin Thomas Jr. (3), 16. Carson Short (15), 17. Eddie Tafoya Jr. (22), 18. Chayse Hayhurst (24), 19. Aric Gentry (20), 20. Clinton Boyles (9), 21. Shane Cottle (21), 22. Jonathan Vennard (23), 23. Stephen Schnapf (11), DQ. Kendall Ruble.


 

2021 FEATURE: (40 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr. (4), 2. Justin Grant (3), 3. Brady Bacon (8), 4. Tanner Thorson (7), 5. Chase Stockon (2), 6. Robert Ballou (15), 7. Brady Short (1), 8. Daison Pursley (12), 9. Jason McDougal (11), 10. Jake Swanson (14), 11. Kyle Cummins (5), 12. Koby Barksdale (20), 13. Jadon Rogers (13), 14. Kent Schmidt (16), 15. C.J. Leary (19), 16. Chris Windom (10), 17. Emerson Axsom (17), 18. Stephen Schnapf (9), 19. Collin Ambrose (23-P), 20. Kendall Ruble (6), 21. Carson Garrett (18), 22. Cindy Chambers (24-P), 23. Max Adams (21), 24. Aric Gentry (22). NT


 

2022 FEATURE: (40 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jadon Rogers (1), 2. Kyle Cummins (7), 3. Jason McDougal (3), 4. Chase Stockon (8), 5. Brady Bacon (10), 6. C.J. Leary (2), 7. Justin Grant (15), 8. Emerson Axsom (6), 9. Mitchel Moles (12), 10. Robert Ballou (11), 11. Carson Garrett (13), 12. Daison Pursley (17), 13. Matt Westfall (16), 14. Kendall Ruble (5), 15. Collin Ambrose (9), 16. Dustin Beck (20), 17. Brady Short (14), 18. Kevin Thomas Jr. (4), 19. Stan Beadles (19), 20. Carson Short (21), 21. Adyn Schmidt (22), 22. Brandon Mattox (23-U), 23. Aric Gentry (18), 24. Brandon Smith (24-M). NT

 


 

STORYLINES! USAC SPRINTS GET AFTER ITIN THE  Circle City This Friday

David Campbell

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Indianapolis, Indiana (September 12, 2023)………Circle City Raceway presents a smorgasbord of opportunities this Friday night, September 15, in Indianapolis, Ind.


 

For fans, it’s the final central Indiana race of the year for the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, and that key word “Championship” is more prevalent than ever this time of the year for drivers and teams with a tight points race on the board with a mere seven events remaining.


 

It’s time to make a final push before the curtain falls on 2023, from the top of the title race to those wanting to make a final splash to close up the season on a sweet note and to make a lasting impression going into the fall and winter months.


 

It’s also time to run through the storylines we’re all going to be tuned into for this Friday’s showdown in the Circle City.


 


 

BATTLE ROYALE BETWEEN GRANT & BACON


 

First and foremost, as we enter the latter stages of the season, the race for the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship becomes top of mind.


 

The point lead has switched hands 13 times this season among six different drivers. In comparison, in the three-year span between 2020-22, the series point lead changed only 11 times between six drivers. Needless to say, this has already become one of the fiercest title fights in series history, and we’re still a full seven events from the finish line.


 

Reigning champ Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) took over the lead after last week’s series venture to Texas and Arkansas, and now leads four-time titlist Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) by a mere nine-point margin.


 

Neither driver has won before at Circle City in USAC National Sprint Car competition. Both drivers have come close, however, with each collecting best results of second place along the way. Grant did so in July of 2022 and Bacon followed suit in September of 2022. Grant has recorded a pair of fast qualifying times at Circle City this season alone while Bacon won the first ever sprint car race run at Circle City in 2021, sanctioned by MSCS.


 


 

CUMMINS IS ROCK STEADY AT CIRCLE CITY


 

No driver of late has been as consistently successful at Circle City as Kyle Cummins has, especially this year. In three starts at the 1/4-mile dirt oval this season, the Princeton, Ind. driver has yet to finish outside the top-two.


 

In May, he finished as the runner-up to Jake Swanson before reeling off two-straight triumphs in May and again in July. He could become the second driver this season to pull off the rare feat of winning three-straight at a single track.


 

Tom Bigelow is the only driver to win three consecutive USAC National Sprint Car features at a dirt track in Indianapolis, doing so in succession at the Indiana State Fairgrounds during the 1977 campaign.


 


 

WESTFALL ON THE CLIMB


 

Matt Westfall pulled off one of the most popular victories in recent USAC National Sprint Car history last weekend in the series debut at Arkansas’ Texarkana 67 Speedway.


 

There, the veteran racer burst from third to first on the opening lap, then carried onward to a dominant victory, his first with the series in more than 17 seasons!


 

The Pleasant Hill, Ohio driver hopes his next victory takes a little less time to achieve than the last. After all, his previous best finish of the season with the series before last Saturday came right at Circle City Raceway when he advanced from his ninth starting spot to finish fifth.


 


 

SWANSON & MORE LURKING AGAIN


 

Four drivers have finished inside the top-10 in all three of their USAC National Sprint Car starts this season at Circle City.


 

The aforementioned Cummins has finished inside the top-two in all three while C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) has earned a 7th, 9th and 9th in three appearances along with a fast qualifying time in July and is wheeling a car for the same BGE Dougherty Motorsports team which won the Fall Circle City event a year ago in 2022.


 

Top series Rookie Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) has excelled at Circle City this year, pocketing a 9th, 6th and a 10th in three tries with his KO Motorsports team.


 

However, only one other driver besides Cummins has raced to multiple top-two results at Circle City in 2023, that being Jake Swanson. The Anaheim, Calif. racer won the first night in May, then finished as the runner-up to Cummins the following night. In July, he returned to finish 8th and looks to add on to his tally which already features four wins in what has been a career-best year on the national tour.


 


 

FULL CIRCLE IN THE CITY


 

Not many times does one get a chance to compete at a track on four different occasions in one calendar year. But that’s what is on the docket this Friday for USAC National Sprint Car drivers at Circle City.


 

Many drivers have shown flashes of brilliance at the southeast side Indy oval this year and look to position themselves as a winner come this weekend.


 

Shane Cottle (Kansas, Ill.) charged from 12th to 3rd at Circle City back in July. Emerson Axsom (Franklin, Ind.) possesses a pair of 4th place finishes in each of his past two tries there this season. Bacon finished 3rd on back-to-back nights in May. Robert Ballou (Rocklin, Calif.) led both May races for a total of 14 laps and finished 5th and 7th there this year.


 

Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) posted his best USAC National Sprint Car result of the season with a runner-up finish in July. Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, Ind.) put up an 8th and a 7th, both in May while Grant took fourth back in May.


 


 

RACE DETAILS


 

On Friday night, September 15, at Circle City Raceway, the program card features the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship in addition to the USAC Midwest Thunder SpeeD2 Midgets and DIRTcar UMP Modifieds.


 

Pits open at 2pm Eastern with the front gates opening at 5pm and cars on track at 6:30pm followed by qualifying and racing.


 

General admission tickets will be available at the ticket booth the day of the event. Advance tickets are now on sale at www.circlecityraceway.com. General admission tickets for ages 13-64 are $30. General admission tickets for ages 12 and under are free. General admission tickets for Seniors 65+, Veterans, Military, First Responders and Teacher are $20. Pit passes for ages 11 and older are $45. Pit passes for ages 12 and under are $20.


 

Both nights of racing at Circle City Raceway can be watched LIVE on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/40w7aPg.


 


 

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


 


 

USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-1979, 2-Brady Bacon-1970, 3-Emerson Axsom-1861, 4-Kyle Cummins-1845, 5-Jake Swanson-1835, 6-C.J. Leary-1752, 7-Robert Ballou-1650, 8-Chase Stockon-1551, 9-Mitchel Moles-1491, 10-Daison Pursley-1455.


 


 

USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINS AT CIRCLE CITY RACEWAY:


 

2-Kyle Cummins


 

1-C.J. Leary, Jake Swanson, Kevin Thomas Jr. & Tanner Thorson


 


 

USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINNERS AT CIRCLE CITY RACEWAY:


 

2021: Tanner Thorson (9/17)


 

2022: C.J. Leary (7/25) & Kevin Thomas Jr. (9/16)


 

2023: Jake Swanson (5/24), Kyle Cummins (5/25) & Kyle Cummins (7/24)


 

 

TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CARS AT CIRCLE CITY RACEWAY:


 

1 Lap - 9/16/2022 - Mitchel Moles - 11.819


 

10 Laps - 9/16/2022 - Jadon Rogers - 2:04.23


 

12 Laps - 9/16/2022 - Jake Swanson - 2:39.26


 


 

PAST USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR RESULTS AT CIRCLE CITY RACEWAY:


 

SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tanner Thorson (2), 2. Chris Windom (1), 3. Jake Swanson (10), 4. Brady Bacon (6), 5. C.J. Leary (3), 6. Shane Cottle (5), 7. Emerson Axsom (9), 8. Kevin Thomas Jr. (4), 9. Justin Grant (11), 10. Chase Stockon (12), 11. Jason McDougal (13), 12. Robert Ballou (20), 13. Koby Barksdale (14), 14. Matt Westfall (16), 15. Jadon Rogers (22), 16. Max Adams (7), 17. Brent Beauchamp (17), 18. Thomas Meseraull (8), 19. Brandon Mattox (21), 20. J.J. Hughes (15), 21. Ricky Lewis (18), 22. Travis Berryhill (19). NT


 

JULY 25, 2022 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. C.J. Leary (8), 2. Justin Grant (12), 3. Brady Bacon (4), 4. Chase Stockon (7), 5. Jason McDougal (3), 6. Matt Westfall (16), 7. Shane Cottle (22), 8. Jake Swanson (5), 9. Robert Ballou (10), 10. Ryan Timms (6), 11. Dave Darland (18), 12. Matt McDonald (20), 13. Brandon Mattox (P-23), 14. Briggs Danner (2), 15. Kevin Thomas Jr. (1), 16. Emerson Axsom (9), 17. Brent Beauchamp (14), 18. Logan Seavey (19), 19. Brody Roa (21), 20. Dalton Stevens (17), 21. Mitchel Moles (11), 22. Kyle Cummins (13), 23. Scotty Weir (15). NT


 

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas Jr. (2), 2. Brady Bacon (4), 3. Thomas Meseraull (8), 4. C.J. Leary (3), 5. Matt Westfall (1), 6. Robert Ballou (15), 7. Mitchel Moles (6), 8. Emerson Axsom (5), 9. Jadon Rogers (9), 10. Jason McDougal (14), 11. Jake Swanson (13), 12. Logan Seavey (10), 13. Daison Pursley (19), 14. Koby Barksdale (16), 15. Max Adams (12), 16. Chase Stockon (21), 17. Anton Hernandez (7), 18. Kyle Shipley (17), 19. Brandon Mattox (23-P), 20. Matt McDonald (22), 21. J.J. Hughes (18), 22. Geoff Ensign (20), 23. Justin Grant (11). NT


 

MAY 24, 2023 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jake Swanson (4), 2. Kyle Cummins (3), 3. Brady Bacon (5), 4. Justin Grant (6), 5. Robert Ballou (1), 6. Mitchel Moles (8), 7. C.J. Leary (12), 8. Chase Stockon (10), 9. Daison Pursley (16), 10. Carson Garrett (7), 11. Emerson Axsom (17), 12. Rylan Gray (2), 13. Logan Seavey (9), 14. Charles Davis Jr. (14), 15. Scotty Weir (18), 16. Thomas Meseraull (19), 17. Jadon Rogers (15), 18. Matt Westfall (11), 19. Kevin Thomas Jr. (13), 20. Tye Mihocko (20), 21. Tyler Hewitt (22), 22. Ricky Lewis (21). NT


 

MAY 25, 2023 FEATURE: (40 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kyle Cummins (2), 2. Jake Swanson (3), 3. Brady Bacon (8), 4. Emerson Axsom (7), 5. Matt Westfall (9), 6. Daison Pursley (14), 7. Chase Stockon (18), 8. Thomas Meseraull (5), 9. C.J. Leary (17), 10. Mitchel Moles (15), 11. Logan Seavey (19), 12. Tye Mihocko (12), 13. Justin Grant (6), 14. Robert Ballou (1), 15. Rylan Gray (13), 16. Kevin Thomas Jr. (11), 17. Jadon Rogers (21), 18. Dave Darland (20), 19. Carson Garrett (4), 20. Charles Davis Jr. (10), 21. Jake Scott (16), 22. Sterling Cling (22). NT


 

JULY 24, 2023 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kyle Cummins (4), 2. Logan Seavey (3), 3. Shane Cottle (12), 4. Emerson Axsom (8), 5. Xavier Doney (1), 6. Carson Garrett (2), 7. Robert Ballou (10), 8. Jake Swanson (5), 9. C.J. Leary (9), 10. Daison Pursley (16), 11. Justin Grant (11), 12. Chase Stockon (13), 13. Joey Amantea (21), 14. Matt Westfall (22), 15. Brent Beauchamp (17), 16. Brady Bacon (6), 17. Brandon Mattox (15), 18. Braxton Cummings (19), 19. Kevin Thomas Jr. (20), 20. Sterling Cling (18), 21. Charles Davis Jr. (14), 22. Mitchel Moles (7). NT

 


Up to 65! BC39 Field Rises Again as Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Enters 7 Cars

Indy Racing Images

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Speedway, Indiana (September 11, 2023)………The reigning Driven2SaveLives BC39 winning team and driver have filed their entries to compete in the fifth running of the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship events on September 27-30 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


 

** The price for a team filing an entry for the BC39 increases from $75 to $150 on Monday, September 11. The final cutoff for all BC39 entries is Monday, September 25. **


 

Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports, winner of the 2022 running of the BC39, has entered seven cars for the event for drivers Ryan Timms (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Jade Avedisian (Clovis, Calif.), Gavin Miller (Allentown, Pa.), Taylor Reimer (Bixby, Okla.), Mariah Ede (Fresno, Calif.) and a yet-to-be announced entry are part of the team’s lineup.


 

The 2022 BC39 winner, Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, Calif.), is among the seven entries for KKM, and will be participating during Wednesday and Thursday of this year’s edition in car number 67K. Kofoid, the 2021-22 USAC National Midget driving champion, captured the 2022 BC39 in a riveting duel with Cannon McIntosh for the victory.


 

Also among the latest BC39 entries are 2022 main event starters Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.) and Ethan Mitchell (Mooresville, N.C.).


 

Previously filing their entries to compete in this year’s BC39 were Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.), the 2018 BC39 winner, plus current USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget point leader and 2018 series champion Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) as well as two-time USAC National champion Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) and 2019 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National champion C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.).


 

The always exciting Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, Calif.) is entered after contending for the win in each of the past two editions of the BC39 in 2021-22. Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.), who led the first laps in BC39 history during the 2018 event, is also entered as is top USAC Silver Crown Rookie Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, Okla.) who owns the best finish by a woman in BC39 history with a 7th in 2022.


 

USAC Triple Crown champion Jerry Coons (Tucson, Ariz.) is entered for the four-night event as is three-time USAC National Midget winner Jacob Denney (Galloway, Ohio), 2023 series winner Zach Daum (Pocahontas, Ill.) and USAC National Sprint Car feature winner Matt Westfall (Pleasant Hill, Ohio).


 

The 2022 USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.) will make his second BC39 appearance this year along with two-time USAC National Midget feature winner Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) and first-time 2023 USAC National Midget feature winner Bryant Wiedeman (Colby, Kan.).


 


 

DRIVER REGISTRATION IS OPEN


 

Driver registration is now officially open for the fifth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39. Teams can file their entry for the event at https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2023-bc39, where they may also purchase grandstand tickets, pit and parking passes for the event.


 

The price for a team filing an entry for the BC39 increases from $75 to $150 after Monday, September 11. The final cutoff for all BC39 entries is Monday, September 25.


 

There are three options for viewing the racing action and also having pit pass access. You can purchase a competitor pit pass only where no seat is included with limited viewing of the track.


 

Secondly, you can purchase a competitor pit pass with reserved seating included, which are available in the lower level of the main grandstands.


 

You may also purchase a grandstand seat from the IMS ticketing site with a pit pass upgrade. Competitors must enter IMS via the 16th Street tunnel.


 

Each entry filed will come with two VIP parking passes for inside parking at IMS, intended for driver and entrant. All others must either purchase inside parking or park outside of turns three and four of 2.5-mile paved oval track.


 

Spectator tickets are also available www.TheBC39.com. Spectators are to enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway via 30th Street.


 

The event on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside turn three at IMS will continue to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increase awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives.


 

Brady Bacon (2018), Zeb Wise (2019), Kyle Larson (2021) and Buddy Kofoid (2022) have captured victories in the first four editions of the BC39.


 

The BC39 officially gets underway on Tuesday, September 26 with team parking at 3pm Eastern followed by a BC39 Welcome Party at 6pm at USAC Headquarters.


 

On track action begins Wednesday, September 27, beginning with the drivers meeting in the IMS Media Room at 3pm Eastern. Public gates open at 4pm with cars hitting the track for practice at 7pm, followed by the incredibly exciting Stoops Pursuit feature race which will conclude the night’s racing action at 9pm. In this event, 25 cars will start and compete in five, five-lap segments. If a driver gets passed in any segment, they are eliminated.


 

For Thursday and Friday, September 28-29, the field will be split into two with one half of the field competing on night one and the other half competing on night two. On both nights, public gates open at 4pm Eastern with hot laps at 6pm, followed by qualifying, opening ceremonies, heat races, the C-Main, the Semi-Feature and the Feature event.


 

The finale, on Saturday, September 30, will have the public gates opening at 4pm and cars on track for practice at 6pm, followed by opening ceremonies at 7pm and the main events, starting with the D-Main, multiple C-Mains, Semi-Feature and the 39-lap Feature event paying $20,039-to-win.


 


 

2023 DRIVEN2SAVELIVES BC39 ENTRIES

(65 cars as of September 11, 2023)

1 Justin Zimmerman (Justin Zimmerman)

1D Landon Brooks (RAMCO Speed Group)

1G Connor Wolf (RAMCO Speed Group)

2 Justin Grant (RMS Racing)

3G Kyle Cummins (Glenn Styres Racing)

5J Josh Hodge (Josh Hodge Racing)

5s Scott Orr (Josh Hodge Racing)

6 Isaac Chapple (Doug Hall)

7c Josh Bilicki (RAMCO Speed Group)

7m Kyle Jones (RAMCO Speed Group)

7p Zach Daum (RAMCO Speed Group)

7x Thomas Meseraull (RMS Racing)

8 Randi Pankratz (Wally Pankratz)

8x Jeff Schindler (Jeff Schindler)

9p Wes Pinkerton (Wes Pinkerton)

10A Tommy Colburn (MWR Technology)

10c Mark McMahill (MWR Technology)

11 Clinton Boyles (Scott Beierle)

11L Aaron Leffel (Team Taylor Racing)

14 C.J. Leary (Legacy Autosport)

18N Weston Gorham (Kelly Gorham)

19 Daison Pursley (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)

19AZ Hayden Reinbold (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)

19m Ethan Mitchell (Bundy Built Motorsports)

19T Mitchel Moles (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)

19x TBA (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

21D Justin Dickerson (Mike Dickerson)

21H Brady Bacon (TKH Motorsports)

21J Kameron Key (TKH Motorsports)

21K Karter Sarff (Jayme Sarff)

22 John Heydenreich (John Heydenreich)

22p Taylor Courtney (RAMCO Speed Group)

23 Preston Lattomus (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

25 Jacob Denney (Tom Malloy)

25K Taylor Reimer (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

25m Jake Andreotti (Tom Malloy)

27 Keith Rauch (Bourke Motorsports)

27B Jake Bubak (Bourke Motorsports)

32 Gary Taylor (Brian Dunlap)

36 Ian Creager (Tod Creager)

40 Chase McDermand (Mounce-Stout Motorsports)

40B Blake Brannon (Blake Brannon)

40x Zach Wigal (Chase McDermand)

41 Oliver Akard (Team OMR)

44 Adam Andretti (Jeff Johnson)

46 Kenney Johnson (Jeff Johnson)

54 Matt Westfall (Steve Bordner)

56 Mitchell Davis (Pat O’Dell)

57 Logan Seavey (Abacus Racing)

57A Daniel Robinson (RAB Racing)

58 Daniel Whitley (Abacus Racing)

67 Ryan Timms (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

67K Buddy Kofoid (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

68 TBA (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

71 Jade Avedisian (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

71E Mariah Ede (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

71T Kyler Johnson (Todd Henry)

81 Bryant Wiedeman (CB Industries)

85 Jerry Coons Jr. (Central Motorsports)

86 Brent Crews (CB Industries)

89 Kaylee Bryson (CB Industries)

97 Gavin Miller (Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports)

99 TBA (Carson-Segur Racing)

99K Robert Carson (Carson-Segur Racing)

118 Scott Evans (Scott Evans)

 


 

 

National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame Class Revealed

John Mahoney

Sun Prairie, Wis., Sept 6, 2023---Chuck Gurney, Jim Hettinger, Larry Howard, Gene Pastor, Stevie Reeves and Roy Richter have been announced today as the latest inductees into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.


 

The announcement was made during the USAC National Midget Series event at Angell Park Speedway, the home of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.


 

Gurney was a two-time winner of the Copper World Classic Midget race at Phoenix International Raceway in 1992 and 1994 as well as a two-time winner of the Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ascot Park in 1988-89 and a one-time victor of the Belleville Nationals in 1989.


 

Hettinger won championships with the Wide World of Auto Racing (WWAR) in 1984, the National Alliance of Midget Auto Racing (NAMAR) in 1984 and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) in 1990. His career spanned a little over four decades, winning over 126 features.


 

Howard was one of the premier car owners between the late 1970s and early 1990s. His cars won six times in the Turkey Night Grand Prix between 1979-89 with Ron Shuman taking four-straight in 1979-80-81-82 and Chuck Gurney winning two in 1988-89. Howard also won the Bellville Nationals in 1989 with Gurney at the wheel.


 

After Pastor retired from driving in 1979, he became a well-respected official with the Rocky Mountain Midget Racing Association (RMMRA) and the American Independent Midget Series (AIMS), serving as flagman, Director of Competition and was a member of their Board of Directors. He also worked with the Southwest Independent Midget Series (SWIMS) tour and the Belleville Nationals.


 

Reeves captured back-to-back USAC National Midget driving championships in 1992 and 1993. He won in his first ever USAC National Midget start in 1987 at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway, and in 1991, he scored three major wins at Phoenix International Raceway’s Copper World Classic, Angell Park Speedway’s Pepsi Firemen’s Nationals and the Terre Haute Action Track’s Hut 100.


 

Richter was the founder of Bell Helmets, which was the first safety-certified head protection in midget racing.  He was an excellent fabricator, building and designing midgets driven by Sam Hanks and Freddie Agabashian to many victories.  Richter was also a founding member of SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association).


 

The 39th annual luncheon and induction ceremony for the six inductees will be held on Friday, January 12, 2024. 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.

 


 

Bacon, C.J. & KTJ Push BC39 Entries Past 40!

Ray Hague

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Speedway, Indiana (September 5, 2023)………Inaugural race winner Brady Bacon, C.J. Leary and Kevin Thomas Jr. are the latest additions to the Driven2SaveLives BC39 entry list, which now stands at 40 and growing for the fifth running of the event on September 27-30 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.


 

The BC39 regularly presents the highest USAC car counts of the year. The 2022 event produced 85 entries, fifth most in the 68-year history of USAC National Midget racing. The newest look at the 2023 entry list is at the bottom of this release.


 

** The price for a team filing an entry for the BC39 increases to $150 on Friday, September 8. The final cutoff for all BC39 entries is Monday, September 25. **


 

Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.), the 2018 BC39 winner, will drive one of two cars out of the TKH Motorsports stable during this year’s event alongside newcomer Kameron Key (Warrensburg, Mo.).


 

C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.), the 2019 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Champion, will make his return to the BC39 in an entry fielded by Legacy Autosport.


 

Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.), who led the first laps in BC39 history during the 2018 event, is entered in a Mounce-Stout Motorsports entry alongside teammates Chase McDermand (Springfield, Ill.) and Preston Lattomus (Lewes, Del.).


 

Previously entered for this year’s BC39 are current USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget point leader and 2018 series champion Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) and top USAC Silver Crown Rookie Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, Okla.).


 

USAC Triple Crown champion Jerry Coons (Tucson, Ariz.) is entered for the four-night event as is three-time USAC National Midget winner Jacob Denney (Galloway, Ohio), 2023 series winner Zach Daum (Pocahontas, Ill.), USAC national feature winner Matt Westfall (Pleasant Hill, Ohio), 2022 series Rookie of the Year Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.), plus two-time USAC National Midget feature winner Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.).


 

CBI has also filed entries for 2023 USAC National Midget feature winner Bryant Wiedeman (Colby, Kan.), who finished 11th in the 2022 BC39. Brent Crews (Oklahoma City, Okla.), a recent ARCA Stock Car winner at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, will make his BC39 debut with CBI.


 

 

DRIVER REGISTRATION IS OPEN


 

Driver registration is now officially open for the fifth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39. Teams can file their entry for the event at https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2023-bc39, where they may also purchase grandstand tickets, pit and parking passes for the event.


 

The price for a team filing an entry for the BC39 increases to $150 on Friday, September 8. The final cutoff for all BC39 entries is Monday, September 25.


 

There are three options for viewing the racing action and also having pit pass access. You can purchase a competitor pit pass only where no seat is included with limited viewing of the track.


 

Secondly, you can purchase a competitor pit pass with reserved seating included, which are available in the lower level of the main grandstands.


 

You may also purchase a grandstand seat from the IMS ticketing site with a pit pass upgrade. Competitors must enter IMS via the 16th Street tunnel.


 

Each entry filed will come with two VIP parking passes for inside parking at IMS, intended for driver and entrant. All others must either purchase inside parking or park outside of turns three and four of 2.5-mile paved oval track.


 

Spectator tickets are also available www.TheBC39.com. Spectators are to enter the Indianapolis Motor Speedway via 30th Street.


 

The event on the quarter-mile dirt oval inside turn three at IMS will continue to honor late USAC champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 starter Bryan Clauson and increase awareness of and participation in the Indiana Donor Network and Driven2SaveLives.


 

Brady Bacon (2018), Zeb Wise (2019), Kyle Larson (2021) and Buddy Kofoid (2022) have captured victories in the first four editions of the BC39.


 

The BC39 officially gets underway on Tuesday, September 26 with team parking at 3pm Eastern followed by a BC39 Welcome Party at 6pm at USAC Headquarters.


 

On track action begins Wednesday, September 27, beginning with the drivers meeting in the IMS Media Room at 3pm Eastern. Public gates open at 4pm with cars hitting the track for practice at 7pm, followed by the incredibly exciting Stoops Pursuit feature race which will conclude the night’s racing action at 9pm. In this event, 25 cars will start and compete in five, five-lap segments. If a driver gets passed in any segment, they are eliminated.


 

For Thursday and Friday, September 28-29, the field will be split into two with one half of the field competing on night one and the other half competing on night two. On both nights, public gates open at 4pm Eastern with hot laps at 6pm, followed by qualifying, opening ceremonies, heat races, the C-Main, the Semi-Feature and the Feature event.


 

The finale, on Saturday, September 30, will have the public gates opening at 4pm and cars on track for practice at 6pm, followed by opening ceremonies at 7pm and the main events, starting with the D-Main, multiple C-Mains, Semi-Feature and the 39-lap Feature event paying $20,039-to-win.


 

 

2023 DRIVEN2SAVELIVES BC39 ENTRIES

(40 cars as of September 5, 2023)

1 Justin Zimmerman

1D Landon Brooks

1G Connor Wolf

7c Josh Bilicki

7m Kyle Jones

7p Zach Daum

8 Randi Pankratz

11 Clinton Boyles

11L Aaron Leffel

14 C.J. Leary

18N Weston Gorham

19 Daison Pursley

19AZ Hayden Reinbold

19K Kevin Thomas Jr.

19T Mitchel Moles

21D Justin Dickerson

21H Brady Bacon

21J Kameron Key

21K Karter Sarff

22 John Heydenreich

22p Taylor Courtney

23 Preston Lattomus

25 Jacob Denney

25m Jake Andreotti

27 Keith Rauch

27B Jake Bubak

36 Ian Creager

40 Chase McDermand

40B Blake Brannon

40x Zach Wigal

41 Oliver Akard

44 Adam Andretti

46 Kenney Johnson

54 Matt Westfall

57 Logan Seavey

81 Bryant Wiedeman

85 Jerry Coons Jr.

86 Brent Crews

89 Kaylee Bryson

118 Scott Evans

 


 

Home Sweet Du Quoin: Magic Mile Means the World to Cockrum

David Nearpass

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Du Quoin, Illinois (August 31, 2023)………Following the expiration of his engine two weeks ago during practice at the Springfield Mile, Shane Cockrum felt his chances at even competing in this Saturday’s, September 2, USAC Silver Crown Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds were slim to nil.


 

But by happenstance due to the misfortune of Mitchel Moles, the Hans Lein ride became available for Cockrum, of nearby Benton, Ill., to drive the car in this Saturday’s 100-mile event at The Magic Mile as he chases a third career Ted Horn 100 victory.


 

Moles’ recent accident during a sprint car event at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway opened the door for Cockrum to substitute while Moles recovers. Cockrum went from down and out to being dejected to not sure what direction to go to feeling like he now has an opportunity to win that is just as good than it’s been with a team of people and a fast racecar that has been a victor with the series before on a one-mile dirt oval.


 

“It’s a great opportunity that kind of fell in place at the last minute,” Cockrum acknowledged. “I think the Hans Lein team did a good thing, and I’m glad they care that much about their driver. It’s the right thing for (Moles) to get healthy and it’s cool that his sprint car and Silver Crown owners care enough about him to make sure he’s getting a little bit of rest.”


 

For Cockrum, missing out on racing at Du Quoin would’ve been just as much, if not more painful, than any loss he’s suffered in a race. After all, the 41-year-old racer was born, raised and still resides about 15 minutes down the road from Du Quoin.


 

Cockrum’s earliest memories of Du Quoin involved watching Ricky Nix’s No. 43 champ car with the likes of Dave Feese, Bill Rose and Cary Faas behind the wheel. Shane’s father, Cliff, annually presented the trophy to the Ted Horn 100 winner each year in victory lane, and when Johnny Parsons won at Du Quoin in 1992, a 10-year-old Cockrum was standing in the victory lane photos with a big grin on his face.


 

In fact, the foundation of the Cockrum family and its Du Quoin root dates back way further than that. Cliff Cockrum, a sprint car driving master in his own right, competed with the division on the Du Quoin Mile several times throughout the early 1970s. In fact, as a kid, Cliff and his friend, Ricky Nix, couldn’t afford a ticket to watch the champ car races. So, they did the next best thing. They climbed a tree up in turn four where they stayed for hours and watched the events unfold. Decades later with Shane, the apple didn’t fall far from that turn four tree.


 

“I’ve been going to Du Quoin since I was just a baby,” Shane noted. “Those were my fondest memories as a child with my parents. There was never even a thought that I’d even have a chance at ever racing at Du Quoin, let alone competing at a high level with the best of USAC there, and certainly not winning.”


 

Those hard-to-fathom aspirations came true for young Shane when, as a 14-year-old, he began racing UMP Modifieds, and took his first shot at the Du Quoin Mile that same year.


 

Ultimately, a USAC Silver Crown car was purchased by Hardy Boys Motorsports, and Shane made his Du Quoin Mile debut in a champ car in 2011. He took to it like a duck to water for the most part, and soon after, he was accomplishing something beyond any realm of possibility he could’ve imagined in 2014 by not only winning his first career Silver Crown race, but also winning in front of his home crowd at Du Quoin. The endless celebration was punctuated by an impromptu jump into the infield lake by him and his crew, which as it turned out, was a little bit more than they had bargained for.


 

“When I jumped in, I fully expected to have to swim,” Shane remembered. “What I didn’t realize was that I was going to come to a stop at about knee deep immediately due to it being that shallow. I also didn’t take into account the sludge and everything else. We all sunk into the mud up to our waist. Then it became, ‘oh crap, are we going to be able to get out of this?’ It suctioned us in there, and I can’t say there wasn’t a moment that I panicked and thought, ‘oh, this was a bad idea.’”


 

Even more, Cockrum repeated the feat in 2015, and to date, is the most recent driver to win the Ted Horn 100 in back-to-back years. Owning an incredible run of consistency, Cockrum has finished inside the top-five in all eight of his Du Quoin Silver Crown starts since 2013 with wins in 2014-15, a 2nd in 2017 & 2022, a 3rd in 2018, a 4th in 2013 and a 5th in 2016 and 2021.


 

His 2022 Du Quoin run included his first career Silver Crown pole award, and ended in heartbreaking manner, running out of fuel while leading on lap 86. After fueling up, he recovered to finish as the runner-up.


 

With the 2022 ordeal behind him, Cockrum is poised to join the ranks of drivers to win in a champ car at Du Quoin at least three times: six-time winner A.J. Foyt, five-time winner Gary Bettenhausen and three-time victors Mario Andretti, Tony Bettenhausen, Tom Bigelow, Chuck Gurney and Jack Hewitt. For Cockrum, he feels there’s just a bit of magic when it comes to him and Du Quoin.


 

“I’ve watched drivers go places with a certain something that they had in them that is beyond just the norm,” Cockrum explained. “It’s where they bring something extra to the table that essentially wills them to the front. And that’s how I feel about Du Quoin. My greatest heroes have accomplished great things there, and certainly, I want to be in that same category. When I roll into those gates, I feel like there’s an extra push and I feel pretty unstoppable. I usually cross my fingers, knowing that I’ll do my job. It’s just a matter of a lot of luck and a good racecar to bring it all together.”


 

The connection between Shane Cockrum and the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds runs deep – deeper than the connection between practically any racer and any particular track. To paraphrase Al Unser Jr.’s quote after winning the Indianapolis 500 in 1992, you just might hear Shane Cockrum utter similar words this Saturday, “You just don’t know what Du Quoin means.”


 

“For me, to have that track be the one that’s 15 minutes from home and be one of the most prestigious tracks in America, it’s a story book and I don’t know that I could ask for anymore,” Cockrum beamed. “I’m pretty sure there’ll be one day when the Du Quoin racetrack will have something to do with my ashes being spread or something of that nature because it’s meant that much to me and my life.”


 

 

RACE DETAILS:


 

The 69th running of the Ted Horn 100 features the USAC Silver Crown National Championship along with the 29th Annual Bill Oldani Memorial Prelims for DIRTcar Modifieds.


 

Registration and pit gates open at 7am Central. Grandstands and ticket office open at 9am. USAC Silver Crown practice is slated to run from 10-11:10am. USAC Silver Crown qualifying is scheduled for 11:30am followed by DIRTcar Modified hot laps and qualifying at 12:15pm and the USAC Silver Crown qualifying race at 12:30pm. DIRTcar Modified heats are on tap at 1pm followed by the USAC Ted Horn 100 feature at 2pm.


 

Tickets will be available on race day or by calling the Du Quoin Fair office at 618-542-1535. Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200. Advance tickets are $25 for ages 12 and up and $10 for children age 11 and under. Race day tickets at the gate are $30 for ages 12 and up and $10 for children 11 and under. Pit passes are $35 for members and $40 for non-members ages 12 and up. Pit passes for children age 11 and under are $20.


 

 
===============

 

 

2023 TED HORN 100 ENTRY LIST:

07 ®JOHN TOSTI/High Ridge, MO (John Tosti)

08 KYLE STEFFENS/St. Charles, MO (Gordon Steffens)

2 PATRICK LAWSON/Edwardsville, IL (Patrick Lawson)

3 ®TIM SIMMONS/Cabot, AR (Tim Simmons)

6 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Klatt Enterprises)

8 DAVEY RAY/Davenport, IA (Cornell Racing Stables)

9 SHANE COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Chris Dyson Racing)

11 ®TREY BURKE/Alvin, TX (Davey Hamilton Racing-SRG)

12 ®WAYNE JOHNSON/Tuttle, OK (Two C Racing)

15 CHRIS FETTER/Troy, MO (Chris Fetter)

18 TRAVIS WELPOTT/Pendleton, IN (Welpott Racing)

20 ®EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Nolen Racing)

22 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Rice Motorsports-Abacus Racing)

24 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ (John Haggenbottom)

25 CASEY BUCKMAN/Chandler, AZ (C-Buck Motorsports-Eddie Sachs Jr.)

26 ®KAYLEE BRYSON/Muskogee, OK (Sam Pierce)

31 DAVE BERKHEIMER/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)

44 DANNY LONG/Bonne Terre, MO (Danny Long)

51 RUSS GAMESTER/Peru, IN (Gamester Racing)

53 A.J. FIKE/Galesburg, IL (Five Three Motorsports)

69 CHASE STOCKON/Fort Branch, IN (Pink 69 Racing)

77 CHRIS URISH/Elkhart, IL (Chris Urish)

81 MATT WESTFALL/Pleasant Hill, OH (BCR Group)

88 ®TREY OSBORNE/Columbus, OH (Sammy & Mouren Fetter)

91 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)

92 MARIO CLOUSER/Auburn, IL (Kazmark Motorsports)

95 PATRICK BRUNS/Champaign, IL (Full Throttle Racing)

97 SHANE COCKRUM/Benton, IL (Hans Lein)

99 KOREY WEYANT/Springfield, IL (Scott Weyant)

107 JACOB WILSON/Crawfordsville, IN (Wilson Brothers Racing)

110 ®CARY OLIVER/Buncombe, IL (Cary Oliver)

111 TOM PATERSON/Argos, IN (Tom Paterson)

118 ®RYAN THOMAS/Indianapolis, IN (Wingo Brothers Racing)

177 KODY SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA (Doran-Binks Racing)

555 TAYLOR FERNS/Shelby Township, MI (Taylor Ferns Racing)

777 ®DAVE PEPERAK/Clinton, IN (Dave Peperak Motorsports)

(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year contender


USAC at Angell Park: 6 Storylines for the Firemen’s Nationals Sept. 3-4

Dave Olson

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (August 31, 2023)………The Firemen’s Nationals at Sun Prairie, Wisconsin’s Angell Park Speedway can boast a list of past winners that includes seven inductees of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.


 

On that same list, you’ll find 11 USAC National champions, and all those individuals happily rank a Firemen’s Nationals victory right near the top of their list of achievements.


 

A win at the Firemen’s Nationals is also something that this weekend’s winners will certainly put at the top of their list as well when all is said and done on Sunday-Monday, September 3-4.


 

It’s a Labor Day weekend midget racing tradition dating back to 1982. It’s a legendary race. It’s a legendary place, and now we get to take you through six of the biggest storylines heading into the national holiday weekend.


 

 

SEAVEY CHASING AN ALL-TIME USAC RECORD


 

When has Logan Seavey not been one to watch? The Sutter, Calif. native enters Angell Park on a run of nine consecutive podium (top-three) finishes in USAC National Midget competition.


 

You’re currently witnessing something that occurs just about once every generation as only two drivers have previously earned 10 straight top-three finishes with the series. The first to do it was Mel Kenyon in 1967. Twenty-eight years later in 1995, Tony Stewart accomplished the same. Now, 28 years later once again, Seavey has an opportunity to tie and surpass the record this weekend at Angell Park.


 

Since a victory on June 7 at Gas City, Seavey has been remarkably consistent with successive finishes of 1st, 3rd, 3rd, 2nd, 3rd, 1st, 2nd, 2nd and 1st, which have pushed him into the point lead by a healthy 136-point margin entering September.


 

Seavey’s podium streak and following in the footsteps of Kenyon and Stewart in general would certainly pay dividends.  After all, both Kenyon and Stewart went on to capture their second career championship in those respective seasons. Seavey, the 2018 titlist, looks to do exactly the same.


 

 

RINGIN’ THE ALARM ONCE MORE AT THE FIREMEN’S NATIONALS


 

Seavey is also among the two past Firemen’s Nationals winners attempting to repeat their past successes at Angell Park this weekend. Seavey scored the 2019 edition of the event under POWRi sanction as he charged from his fifth starting position to win it.


 

Zach Daum (Pocahontas, Ill.) is among the select few multi-time winners of the Firemen’s Nationals, having scored in both 2013 and 2017. He remains one of only six drivers to win the event at least two times: Kevin Olson (1983-86-87-97-98), Dan Boorse (1984 & 1999), Kevin Doty (1988-89-90-94-95), Tracy Hines (2001-02-10) and Scott Hatton (2004-05).


 

With another victory this weekend at Angell Park, Daum would become only the fourth driver with three Firemen’s Nationals wins to his credit alongside Olson, Doty and Hines.


 

 

THE RETURN OF HOLLY


 

After a nearly five-year absence, Holly Jones will return to USAC National Midget racing this weekend at Angell Park.


 

Jones, whom you might remember by her maiden name of Holly Shelton, will pilot the Bundy Built Motorsports No. 4 with a Spike Chassis and a Bundy Built Honda engine under the hood.


 

In Shelton’s three full-time seasons (2016-17-18) of midget racing, she drove for Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports, finishing a best of third during the USAC Indiana Midget Week round at Lawrenceburg Speedway in 2017 and finished a best of seventh in the point standings for 2016.


 

In recent years, on occasion, she has wheeled a winged 360 sprint car, a micro sprint and an outlaw kart, but her most recent USAC National Midget start came during a top-10 performance at California’s Bakersfield Speedway in 2018.


 

 

DOUBLE-DIPPING AT THE PRAIRIE


 

The last two times the USAC National Midgets have raced on back-to-back evenings at Angell Park Speedway, the same driver won the feature both nights. Bryan Clauson achieved the feat in 2010 as did Christopher Bell in 2014.


 

Only one driver in this weekend’s Angell Park field has captured consecutive USAC National Midget victories at the same track on two-straight nights. That’s Justin Grant who swept to victories at Ocala, Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park in February of 2022.


 

In fact, throughout the 68-year history of USAC National Midget racing, a driver has accomplished it 23 previous times: Johnny Parsons (Winchester 1977), Mel Kenyon (IRP 1979), Rich Vogler (Colorado National 1979) and Jason Leffler (Belleville 1997).


 

In the 21st century it’s been Kasey Kahne (Belleville 2000), Bobby East (Belleville 2004), Josh Wise (Belleville 2006), Jerry Coons Jr. (Belleville 2007), Brad Sweet (Knoxville 2008), Bryan Clauson (Angell Park 2010), Darren Hagen (Tri-City 2010), Bryan Clauson (Dodge City 2011), Rico Abreu (Kokomo 2014), Christopher Bell (Angell Park 2014), Tanner Thorson (Tri-City 2015), Chad Boat (Belleville 2016), Tanner Thorson (Tri-City 2016), Brady Bacon (2017 Kokomo), Tyler Courtney (Ocala 2019), Chris Windom (Huset’s 2021), Justin Grant (Ocala 2022), Buddy Kofoid (Huset’s 2022) and Buddy Kofoid (Placerville 2022).


 

 

LONGING FOR A “W”


 

The list of drivers who’ve yet to win a USAC National Midget feature this year is particularly staggering. However, there’s still plenty of racing left to do and plenty of time to catch up in the win column.


 

Among them are past series feature winners Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.), Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.), Cannon McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.) and Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, Calif.), who between them, own 31 USAC National Midget victories. All drivers have also either won, set fast time or led laps at one point in their career at Angell Park.


 

On the list of contenders seeking a first USAC National Midget victory not only this year, but in his career, is three-time Badger Midget champion Chase McDermand (Springfield, Ill.) who is also a two-time Angell Park winner with BMARA.


 

Jade Avedisian (Clovis, Calif.) and Taylor Reimer (Bixby, Okla.) are in the group of drivers aiming for a first career USAC National triumph this weekend as is Jake Andreotti (Castro Valley, Calif.), all of whom have earned top-five finishes with USAC this season. Both Avedisian and Andreotti have led laps and finished as the runner-up in a feature in 2023.


 

 

FIREMEN’S HISTORY


 

Few events have the cache of the Firemen’s Nationals with it being one of the longest-running and famed midget racing events still going strong today in the USA.


 

With the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame literally in the backyard of Angell Park’s 1/3-mile oval, winning the Firemen’s Nationals is one in which drivers will immediately put near the top of their resume in the section of accomplishments.


 

In terms of longevity, the Firemen’s Nationals 38th running in 2023 trails only the Turkey Night Grand Prix (81 years) and the 4-Crown Nationals (40 years).


 

The Firemen’s Nationals can boast a list of past winners that includes seven inductees of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame: Billy Engelhart, Kevin Olson, Dan Boorse, Rich Vogler, Kevin Doty, Page Jones and Jay Drake.


 

In addition, there’s 11 past USAC National champions who’ve won the race, including Olson, Vogler, Stevie Reeves, Tracy Hines, Jerry Coons Jr., Brady Bacon, Josh Wise, Christopher Bell, Rico Abreu, Logan Seavey and Tanner Thorson, just to name a few.


 

 

EVENT DETAILS:


 

This Sunday and Monday night’s 38th running of the Firemen’s Nationals features the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship with both nights paying $5,000-to-win. The Badger Midget Racing Association is also on the card both nights.


 

Pits open at 1:30pm Central, stands open at 4pm and cars on track at 5pm followed by qualifying and racing.


 

Advance tickets are on sale now at www.angelpark.racing. Advance ticket prices are $22 for adults, $18 for seniors, $12 for students age 12-17, $5 for kids age 6-11 & free for children age 5 and under. Race day ticket prices are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors, $12 for students age 12-17, $5 for kids age 6-11 & free for children age 5 and under. Pit passes are $25 for members & $30 for non-members.


 

 
==================

 

 

USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-927, 2-Jacob Denney-789, 3-Bryant Wiedeman-775, 4-Justin Grant-774, 5-Ryan Timms-749, 6-Jade Avedisian-740, 7-Daison Pursley-739, 8-Cannon McIntosh-729, 9-Gavin Miller-662, 10-Chase McDermand-607.

 


 

PAST FIREMEN’S NATIONALS WINNERS:


 

1982: Billy Engelhart


 

1983: Kevin Olson


 

1984: Dan Boorse


 

1985: Rich Vogler


 

1986: Kevin Olson


 

1987: Kevin Olson


 

1988: Kevin Doty


 

1989: Kevin Doty


 

1990: Kevin Doty


 

1991: Stevie Reeves


 

1992: Marty Davis


 

1993: Page Jones


 

1994: Kevin Doty


 

1995: Kevin Doty


 

1996: Randy Koch


 

1997: Kevin Olson


 

1998: Kevin Olson


 

1999: Dan Boorse


 

2000: Jay Drake


 

2001: Tracy Hines


 

2002: Tracy Hines


 

2003: Davey Ray


 

2004: Scott Hatton


 

2005: Scott Hatton


 

2006: Rained Out


 

2007: Jerry Coons Jr.


 

2008: Brady Bacon


 

2009: Josh Wise


 

2010: Tracy Hines


 

2011: Rained Out


 

2012: Caleb Armstrong


 

2013: Zach Daum


 

2014: Christopher Bell


 

2015: Rico Abreu


 

2016: Carson Macedo


 

2017: Zach Daum


 

2018: Tanner Carrick


 

2019: Logan Seavey


 

2020: Not Held


 

2021: Tanner Thorson


 

 

USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINS AT ANGELL PARK SPEEDWAY:


 

6-Bryan Clauson


 

5-Kevin Olson


 

3-Christopher Bell, Kevin Doty & Brad Kuhn


 

2-Rico Abreu, Billy Engelhart & Larry Rice


 

1-Tommy Astone, Tom Bigelow, Dan Boorse, Steve Cannon, Pancho Carter, Danny Caruthers, Jerry Coons Jr., Ryan Durst, Jeff Gordon, Scott Hatton, Tracy Hines, Levi Jones, Lee Kunzman, Bobby Olivero, Michael Pickens, Stevie Reeves, Brad Sweet, Tanner Thorson, Rich Vogler, Roger West & Josh Wise


 

 

USAC NATIONAL MIDGET WINNERS AT ANGELL PARK SPEEDWAY:


 

1970: Larry Rice (8/30)


 

1971: Lee Kunzman (6/27), Billy Engelhart (8/29) & Danny Caruthers (9/5)


 

1972: Roger West (6/4), Pancho Carter (7/9), Tom Bigelow (7/16) & Rich Vogler (8/13)


 

1973: Billy Engelhart (6/21), Bobby Olivero (7/8) & Steve Cannon (8/12)


 

1974: Larry Rice (6/13) & Tommy Astone (7/7)


 

1986: Kevin Olson (8/31)


 

1987: Dan Boorse (5/24), Kevin Doty (7/18) & Kevin Olson (9/6)


 

1988: Kevin Olson (5/29), Kevin Olson (6/18), Kevin Olson (7/17) & Kevin Doty (9/4)


 

1990: Jeff Gordon (7/14) & Kevin Doty (9/2)


 

1991: Stevie Reeves (9/1)


 

2005: Scott Hatton (8/27)


 

2006: Ryan Durst (8/26)


 

2007: Jerry Coons Jr. (8/25) & Michael Pickens (8/26)


 

2008: Brad Kuhn (8/23) & Levi Jones (8/24)


 

2009: Bryan Clauson (8/30) & Josh Wise (9/5)


 

2010: Brad Kuhn (7/3), Brad Sweet (7/4), Bryan Clauson (8/28), Bryan Clauson (8/29) & Tracy Hines (9/4)


 

2011: Bryan Clauson (8/21)


 

2012: Bryan Clauson (7/8) & Brad Kuhn (8/19)


 

2013: Rico Abreu (6/23) & Bryan Clauson (8/18)


 

2014: Christopher Bell (7/5), Christopher Bell (7/6) & Christopher Bell (8/17)


 

2015: Rico Abreu (7/5)


 

2021: Tanner Thorson (9/5)


 

 

TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL MIDGETS AT ANGELL PARK SPEEDWAY:


 

1 Lap - 7/5/2015 - Bryan Clauson - 14.316


 

6 Laps - 8/26/2007 - Chris Windom - 1:34.07


 

8 Laps - 8/26/2007 - Ryan Durst - 2:04.98


 

10 Laps - 8/19/2012 - Rico Abreu - 2:26.60


 

12 Laps - 7/6/2014 - Rico Abreu - 3:00.28


 

30 Laps - 8/30/1970 - Larry Rice - 9:11.56


 

 

RECENT FIREMEN’S NATIONALS RESULTS:


 

2009 FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Josh Wise, 2. Brad Sweet, 3. Darren Hagen, 4. Brad Kuhn, 5. Cole Whitt, 6. Bobby East, 7. Brad Loyet, 8. Brandon Waelti, 9. Dave Darland, 10. Jerry Coons Jr., 11. Matt Smith, 12. Davey Ray, 13. Kevin Olson, 14. Dakoda Armstrong, 15. Aaron FIscus, 16. Scott Hatton, 17. Mike Hess, 18. Travis Berryhill, 19. Andrew Felker, 20. Bryan Clauson, 21. Jake Slotten, 22. Chad Boat, 23. Zach Daum, 24. Henry Clarke, 25. Caleb Armstrong. NT


 

2010 FEATURE: (50 laps) 1. Tracy Hines, 2. Jerry Coons Jr., 3. Brad Loyet, 4. Davey Ray, 5. Dave Darland, 6. Cody Weisensel, 7. Kurt Mayhew, 8. Brad Kuhn, 9. Darren Hagen, 10. Robbie Ray, 11. Bryan Clauson, 12. Jason Dull, 13. David Budres, 14. Henry Clarke, 15. Brady Bacon, 16. Mario Clouser. NT


 

2011: RAINED OUT


 

2012 FEATURE: 1. Caleb Armstrong; 2. Thomas Meseraull; 3. Jerry Coons Jr.; 4. Bubba Altig; 5. Davey Ray; 6. Scott Hatton; 7. Danny Stratton; 8. Robbie Ray; 9. Mike Hess; 10. Travis Berryhill; 11. Cody Weisensel; 12. Taylor Ferns; 13. Riley Emmel; 14. Kurt Mayhew; 15. Kevin Olson; 16. Chad Bogar; 17. Rick Kelsey; 18. Brandon Waelti; 19. Bryon Walters; 20. Dalton Armstrong; 21. Bob Schreffler; 22. Darren Hagen; 23. Jason Treault.


 

2013 FEATURE (50 laps): 1. Zach Daum, 2. Brad Kuhn, 3. Billy Balog, 4. Jake Blackhurst, 5. Andrew Felker, 6. Danny Stratton, 7. Parker Price-Miller, 8. Davey Ray, 9. Seth Motsinger, 10. Brandon Waelti, 11. Kurt Mayhew, 12, Cody Weisensel, 13. Bryon Walters, 14. Tyler Thomas, 15. Darren Hagen, 16. Caleb Armstrong, 17. Dalton Armstrong,18. Garrett Aitken, 19. Daniel Robinson.


 

2014 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Christopher Bell, 2. Tanner Thorson, 3. Rico Abreu, 4. Chris Windom, 5. Zach Daum, 6. Brady Bacon, 7. Tracy Hines, 8. Michael Pickens, 9. Jake Blackhurst, 10. Bill Balog, 11. Jerry Coons, Jr., 12. Tyler Courtney, 13. Bryan Clauson, 14. Tyler Thomas, 15. Andrew Felker, 16. Austin Brown, 17. Garrett Aitken, 18. Parker Price-Miller, 19. Seth Motsinger, 20. Terry Babb, 21. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 22. Spencer Bayston. NT


 

2015 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Rico Abreu, 2. Tanner Thorson, 3. Kevin Thomas Jr., 4. Bryan Clauson, 5. Darren Hagen, 6. Andrew Felker, 7. Spencer Bayston, 8. Ryan Robinson, 9. Tyler Thomas, 10. Kyle Schuett, 11. Isaac Chapple, 12. Kurt Mayhew, 13. Austin Brown, 14. Tracy Hines, 15. Katlynn Leer, 16. Eric Johnson, 17. Jimi Quinn, 18. Bill Balog, 19. David Budres, 20. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 21. Cody Weisensel NT


 

2016 FEATURE: 1. 71K-Carson Macedo; 2. 67-Tanner Thorson; 3. 5D-Zach Daum; 4. 3-Andrew Felker; 5. 67K-Holly Shelton; 6. 71-Ryan Robinson; 7. 3N-Jake Neuman; 8. 1-Scott Hatton; 9. 53-Aaron Schuck; 10. 41-Austin Prock; 11. 7-Austin Brown; 12. 77-Katlynn Leer; 13. 1K-Brayton Lynch; 14. 5x-Justin Peck; 15. 97-Spencer Bayston; 16. 57-Chad Boespflug; 17. 32-Garrett Aitken; 18. 31-David Budres; 19. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer; 20. 9K-Kyle Schuett; 21. 20-Cody Weisensel; 22. 0-Andy Baugh


 

2017 FEATURE: 1. 5D-Zach Daum (1), 2. 71-Ryan Robinson (10), 3. 67-Tanner Thorson (4), 4. 97-Spencer Bayston (9), 5. 37-Andrew Felker (3), 6. 4A-Logan Seavey (5), 7. 67K-Holly Shelton (14), 8. 9K-Kyle Schuett (6), 9. 7-Austin Brown (11), 10. 3N-Jake Neuman (20), 11. 57-Gage Walker (12), 12. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer (18), 13. 37x-Terry Babb (13), 14. 6A-Aidan Roosevans (19), 15. 53-Aaron Schuck (16), 16. 57x-Casey Shuman (8), 17. 3-Robbie Ray (7), 18. 2B-Zach Boden (23), 19. 1-Scott Hatton (2), 20. 20-Cody Weisensel (24), 21. 53z-Jeff Zelinski (22), 22. 05-Brad Loyet (17), 23. 3B-Shelby Bosie (15), 24. 71K-Tanner Carrick (21). NT


 

2018 FEATURE: 1. 71K-Tanner Carrick (6), 2. 67-Logan Seavey (5), 3. 5D-Zach Daum (3), 4. 3N-Jake Neuman (23), 5. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer (7), 6. 67K-Holly Shelton (8), 7. 21KS-Karter Sarff (9), 8. 9K-Kyle Schuett (4), 9. 3-Bill Balog (11), 10. 82-Mike Hess (17), 11. 72-Sam Johnson (16), 12. 71-Ryan Robinson (2), 13. 31-Ray Seach (1), 14. 57-Andrew Felker (21), 15. 7-Austin Brown (12), 16. 2-Zach Boden (18), 17. 9KL-Kevin Olson (19), 18. 11-Tyler Baran (15), 19. 14JR-Holley Hollan (14), 20. 99-Ryan Probst (22), 21. 21-Kurt Mayhew (13), 22. 20-Cody Weisensel (20), 23. 51-Joe B. Miller (10). NT


 

2019 FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. 67-Logan Seavey (5), 2. 08-Cannon McIntosh (1), 3. 27-Tucker Klaasmeyer (2), 4. 71K-Tanner Carrick (7), 5. 57-Chase Jones (14), 6. 5D-Zach Daum (4), 7. 71-Jesse Colwell (6), 8. 98-Tanner Thorson (10), 9. 3-Davey Ray (15), 10. 9-Daison Pursley (16), 11. 28-Ace McCarthy (8), 12. 97K-Jesse Love (18), 13. 3N-Jake Neuman (13), 14. 67K-Holley Hollan (3), 15. 31-David Budres (21), 16. 21KS-Tracy Hines (9), 17. 3w-Brandon Waelti (17), 18. 11-Tyler Baran (22), 19. 82-Mike Hess (20), 20. 7x-Thomas Meseraull (11), 21. 3B-Shelby Bosie (12), 22. 20-Cody Weisensel (19). NT


 

2020: NOT HELD


 

2021 FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tanner Thorson (4), 2. Thomas Meseraull (2), 3. Justin Grant (1), 4. Chris Windom (3), 5. Logan Seavey (11), 6. Kevin Thomas Jr. (7), 7. Emerson Axsom (5), 8. Daison Pursley (6), 9. Buddy Kofoid (13), 10. Chase Randall (9), 11. Brandon Waelti (22), 12. Hayden Reinbold (18), 13. Jack Routson (17), 14. Chase McDermand (12), 15. Jeff Zelinski (20), 16. Matt Rechek (21), 17. Glenn Waterland (19), 18. Ethan Mitchell (14), 19. Cannon McIntosh (8), 20

 


Field of 36 Set for Saturday’s USAC Ted Horn 100 at Du Quoin

Chris Pedersen

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media


 

Du Quoin, Illinois (August 30, 2023)………Seven past Ted Horn 100 winners are represented in this Saturday’s 69th running of the Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in southern Illinois on September 2.


 

Defending Ted Horn 100 winner Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) leads the cast of 36 USAC Silver Crown entries this weekend at the one-mile dirt oval. Seavey, who won just two weeks ago at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, leads the series point standings entering the event as he pursues his first series title.


 

Seavey’s main nemesis in the championship fight is Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.), a two-time winner of the event in 2010 and 2017, the first of which was his first career USAC Silver Crown victory. Swanson, a seven-time Silver Crown champion, trails Seavey by a mere seven points in the 2023 title race.


 

Two-time Ted Horn 100 winner Shane Cockrum (Benton, Ill.) grew up and resides just down the road from the Magic Mile where he won back-to-back in 2014-15. Further Ted Horn 100 winners in Saturday’s lineup include Peru, Indiana’s Russ Gamester (1997); Kansas, Illinois’ Shane Cottle (2007); Elkhart, Illinois’ Chris Urish (2013) and Crawfordsville, Indiana’s Jacob Wilson (2019).


 

Cockrum won the pole for last year’s Du Quoin event at a time of 30.417 seconds, translating to 118.355 mph. Swanson captured the pole position in 2015-16-21 while Cottle earned the top qualifying spot in 2007-08. Wilson scored top qualifying honors in 2018 while Jerry Coons Jr. (Tucson, Ariz.) aims for his first win in the event after winning the pole four previous times in his career at Du Quoin in 2001-10-13-17.


 

USAC national champions Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) and C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) will be seeking their first Du Quoin victories this Saturday as will USAC national winners Davey Ray (Davenport, Iowa), A.J. Fike (Galesburg, Ill.), Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, Ind.) and Matt Westfall (Pleasant Hill, Ohio).


 

Two women will be in Saturday’s USAC lineup with Taylor Ferns (Shelby Township, Mich.) making her return to Du Quoin for the first time in a decade when she finished 5th in 2013. Meanwhile, Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, Okla.) will make her Du Quoin debut.


 

Bryson is one of 10 USAC Silver Crown Rookies in the field along with USAC National Sprint Car and Midget star Emerson Axsom (Franklin, Ind.), 360 Sprint Car legend Wayne Johnson (Tuttle, Okla.) plus longtime sprint car veteran and USAC winner Dave Peperak (Clinton, Ind.).


 

Trey Osborne (Columbus, Ohio) takes his first try at a Silver Crown car this weekend, and he’s joined by series newcomers John Tosti (High Ridge, Mo.), Tim Simmons (Cabot, Ark.), Trey Burke (Alvin, Texas), Ryan Thomas (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Cary Oliver (Buncombe, Ill.) who made his first Du Quoin start in 2022.


 

USAC Silver Crown vets all across the field, including Mario Clouser (Auburn, Ill.), Du Quoin modified winner Kyle Steffens (St. Charles, Mo.), Patrick Lawson (Edwardsville, Ill.), Chris Fetter (Troy, Mo.), Travis Welpott (Pendleton, Ind.), Casey Buckman (Chandler, Ariz.), Dave Berkheimer (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), Danny Long (Bonne Terre, Mo.), Patrick Bruns (Champaign, Ill.), Korey Weyant (Springfield, Ill.) and Tom Paterson (Argos, Ind.).


 

 

RACE DETAILS:


 

The 69th running of the Ted Horn 100 features the USAC Silver Crown National Championship along with the 29th Annual Bill Oldani Memorial Prelims for DIRTcar Modifieds.


 

Registration and pit gates open at 7am Central. Grandstands and ticket office open at 9am. USAC Silver Crown practice is slated to run from 10-11:10am. USAC Silver Crown qualifying is scheduled for 11:30am followed by DIRTcar Modified hot laps and qualifying at 12:15pm and the USAC Silver Crown qualifying race at 12:30pm. DIRTcar Modified heats are on tap at 1pm followed by the USAC Ted Horn 100 feature at 2pm.


 

Tickets will be available on race day or by calling the Du Quoin Fair office at 618-542-1535. Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200. Advance tickets are $25 for ages 12 and up and $10 for children age 11 and under. Race day tickets at the gate are $30 for ages 12 and up and $10 for children 11 and under. Pit passes are $35 for members and $40 for non-members ages 12 and up. Pit passes for children age 11 and under are $20.


 

 
===============

 

 

2023 TED HORN 100 ENTRY LIST:


 

07 ®JOHN TOSTI/High Ridge, MO (John Tosti)


 

08 KYLE STEFFENS/St. Charles, MO (Gordon Steffens)


 

2 PATRICK LAWSON/Edwardsville, IL (Patrick Lawson)


 

3 ®TIM SIMMONS/Cabot, AR (Tim Simmons)


 

6 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Klatt Enterprises)


 

8 DAVEY RAY/Davenport, IA (Cornell Racing Stables)


 

9 SHANE COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Chris Dyson Racing)


 

11 ®TREY BURKE/Alvin, TX (Davey Hamilton Racing-SRG)


 

12 ®WAYNE JOHNSON/Tuttle, OK (Two C Racing)


 

15 CHRIS FETTER/Troy, MO (Chris Fetter)


 

18 TRAVIS WELPOTT/Pendleton, IN (Welpott Racing)


 

20 ®EMERSON AXSOM/Franklin, IN (Nolen Racing)


 

22 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Rice Motorsports-Abacus Racing)


 

24 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ (John Haggenbottom)


 

25 CASEY BUCKMAN/Chandler, AZ (C-Buck Motorsports-Eddie Sachs Jr.)


 

26 ®KAYLEE BRYSON/Muskogee, OK (Sam Pierce)


 

31 DAVE BERKHEIMER/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)


 

44 DANNY LONG/Bonne Terre, MO (Danny Long)


 

51 RUSS GAMESTER/Peru, IN (Gamester Racing)


 

53 A.J. FIKE/Galesburg, IL (Five Three Motorsports)


 

69 CHASE STOCKON/Fort Branch, IN (Pink 69 Racing)


 

77 CHRIS URISH/Elkhart, IL (Chris Urish)


 

81 MATT WESTFALL/Pleasant Hill, OH (BCR Group)


 

88 ®TREY OSBORNE/Columbus, OH (Sammy & Mouren Fetter)


 

91 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)


 

92 MARIO CLOUSER/Auburn, IL (Kazmark Motorsports)


 

95 PATRICK BRUNS/Champaign, IL (Full Throttle Racing)


 

97 SHANE COCKRUM/Benton, IL (Hans Lein)


 

99 KOREY WEYANT/Springfield, IL (Scott Weyant)


 

107 JACOB WILSON/Crawfordsville, IN (Wilson Brothers Racing)


 

110 ®CARY OLIVER/Buncombe, IL (Cary Oliver)


 

111 TOM PATERSON/Argos, IN (Tom Paterson)


 

118 ®RYAN THOMAS/Indianapolis, IN (Wingo Brothers Racing)


 

177 KODY SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA (Doran-Binks Racing)


 

555 TAYLOR FERNS/Shelby Township, MI (Taylor Ferns Racing)


 

777 ®DAVE PEPERAK/Clinton, IN (Dave Peperak Motorsports)


 

(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year contender


 

 
===============

 

 

USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Logan Seavey-490, 2-Kody Swanson-483, 3-Justin Grant-363, 4-Mario Clouser-353, 5-Kaylee Bryson-344, 6-Taylor Ferns-320, 7-Bobby Santos-315, 8-Matt Westfall-305, 9-C.J. Leary-291, 10-Derek Bischak-270.


 

 
===============

 

 

TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC SILVER CROWN AT Du QUOIN:


 

1 Lap - 9/5/2004 - Tyler Walker - 29.138 - 123.550 mph


 

10 Laps - 9/10/1994 - George Snider - 5:14.78 - 114.366 mph


 

12 Laps - 9/4/1989 - Tom Bigelow - 6:29.73 - 110.846 mph


 

15 Laps - 9/1/2002 - Brian Tyler - 7:53.24 - 114.107 mph


 

100 Laps - 9/7/1992 - Johnny Parsons - 56:03.00 - 107.047 mph


 

 
===============

 

 

AAA/USAC CHAMP CAR WINNERS AT Du QUOIN:


 

1948: Lee Wallard & Johnnie Parsons


 

1949: Tony Bettenhausen


 

1951: Tony Bettenhausen & Tony Bettenhausen


 

1952: Chuck Stevenson


 

1953: Sam Hanks


 

1954: Sam Hanks


 

1955: Jimmy Bryan


 

1956: Jimmy Bryan


 

1957: Jud Larson


 

1958: Johnny Thomson


 

1959: Rodger Ward


 

1960: A.J. Foyt                                                 


 

1961: A.J. Foyt


 

1963: A.J. Foyt


 

1964: A.J. Foyt


 

1965: Don Branson


 

1966: Bud Tingelstad


 

1967: A.J. Foyt


 

1968: Mario Andretti


 

1969: Al Unser


 

1970: Al Unser


 

1971: George Snider


 

1972: Tom Bigelow & A.J. Foyt


 

1973: Mario Andretti


 

1974: Mario Andretti


 

1975: Tom Bigelow


 

1976: Bubby Jones


 

1977: Tom Bigelow


 

1978: Pancho Carter


 

1979: Billy Vukovich


 

1980: Gary Bettenhausen & Gary Bettenhausen


 

1981: Rich Vogler


 

1982: Gary Bettenhausen


 

1983: Gary Bettenhausen


 

1984: Joe Saldana


 

1985: Rick Hood


 

1986: Jack Hewitt


 

1987: Jack Hewitt


 

1988: Gary Bettenhausen


 

1989: Chuck Gurney


 

1990: Jeff Swindell


 

1991: Stevie Reeves


 

1992: Johnny Parsons


 

1993: Jack Hewitt


 

1994: Chuck Gurney


 

1995: Johnny Parsons


 

1996: Chuck Gurney


 

1997: Russ Gamester