Archive for USAC
SCHUERENBERG ESCAPES TO VICTORY LANE IN WINTER DIRT GAMES VIII FINALE
Posted by: | Comments
The United States Auto Club.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
SCHUERENBERG ESCAPES TO VICTORY LANE IN WINTER DIRT GAMES VIII FINALE
Ocala, Florida......... A seventh-place starting position and a 360 degree spin at the midway point was not enough to deter Hunter Schuerenberg on the path to a "Winter Dirt Games VIII" victory Saturday night at Bubba Raceway Park.
The 27-year-old Sikeston, Missouri native steadily moved his way toward the front of the field throughout the 30-lap event before surging into the lead with seven laps remaining to collect his first USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature victory in nearly three years since a 2014 victory in McCool Junction, Nebraska as well as his ninth career series triumph, joining Mario Andretti and Robbie Stanley for 47th on the all-time list.
At the drop of the green, though, outside front row starter Thomas Meseraull held the point, fending off a furious challenge from previous night's winner Justin Grant and defending USAC Silver Crown titlist Chris Windom for the first pair of laps.
Following a yellow brought about by a Kyle Cummins spin after contact with Isaac Chapple in a battle for the seventh position, Windom used a massive run on the restart to slide up in front of Meseraull and snare the lead away in turn one, instantly stretching out his lead by the tenth lap as Meseraull and Grant battled for second.
At the feature's midway point, Schuerenberg and Carson Short fought side-by-side for the fourth position. In turn four, the two made contact, vaulting Short's right rear over the nose of Schuerenberg's ride. Short landed on all fours before sliding front-bumper-first into an infield tire marker, stopping him in his tracks. Meanwhile, Schuerenberg was sent into a complete 360 spin, but kept his foot on the gas and continued down the front straightaway as the yellow flew for the stopped car of Short.
"The bottom started going away there," Schuerenberg recalls. "I whoaed up there too much trying to hit the bottom and I think Carson just had a head of steam. It was one of those racing deals. I don't think he really meant to do it partially because I slowed down quite a bit trying to hit my marks."
Hunter Schuerenberg
(AL STEINBERG PHOTO)
Schuerenberg restarted fourth with 15 to go, joining Grant and Meseraull in their pursuit of race leader Windom who began to pull away in the latter stages to a one second advantage with a mere 10 laps remaining, but a lap 21 caution bunched up the field at the front of the pack for the ensuing restart.
On this occasion, Windom was unable to break way as Grant challenged low and a surging Schuerenberg ripped the top-side to remain within the shadows of the orange No. 5 that paced the field. Suddenly, though, Windom's right rear tire appeared to be going flat, but the determination of Windom refused to deflate after both Grant and Schuerenberg completely surrounded him, both low and high, on lap 22.
Grant clawed his way along the bottom of turn three to briefly occupy the top spot, yet Windom was able to duck back under Grant to retain a lead of the narrowest of margins at the stripe. On the 23rd lap, Schuerenberg used the momentum on the cushion to ride his way to the front and, one lap later, Windom's quest for victory vanished as the tread on his right rear tire gave way, resulting in a yellow with just seven laps to go.
When racing resumed, it was all too clear Schuerenberg was the class of the field on this night as he constructed a lead that grew to nearly two seconds on the final lap to score the win in his Roof Bolt Racing/Eddie Gilstrap Motors - Roof Bolt Xpress/Eagle/Tranter over Grant, Meseraull, Chad Boespflug and Brady Bacon, who earned $700 in cash for the BC Badass Passing Award this weekend courtesy of the Hughes Family and the Indiana Mafia.
Saturday night marked the first USAC victory for the Roof Bolt Racing team and Schuerenberg's first career USAC victory at Ocala, a place in which he has scored six top-five finishes in his 11 most recent starts at the 3/8-mile D-shaped dirt track.
"We've got a different car this year and we've got some new partners involved," Schuerenburg explained. "Being away from non-wing racing for a while and doing the wing thing, there were things I took from that and applied to the non-wing car, which is quite a bit different than what I've typically done in the past. I've been rebuilding engines myself and learned quite a bit with making more power where I think I needed it. It's nice to take the perspective of driving the car and then learning more about engines, you can apply what you learned on them to what you feel with your foot."
Hunter Schuerenberg
(Rich Forman PHOTO)
"Justin has many of the same tendencies as me," Schuerenberg asserts. "If he gets the chance and he's racing somebody, he's probably going to be on the top. When Windom's tire was going down, I noticed that and I knew going into the first corner, Justin was probably going to the outside to try and get Windom. I thought if Windom got through that corner quick enough, I could follow him to get around Justin when he left the bottom open and, from there, I'd just have to worry about getting by Chris. I knew Windom would go to the bottom in (turns) three and four, so I went to the top to try to beat him in one. I've been racing with Chris and Justin for 10 years now. You kind of know those guys' habits, where they're going to go and what they're going to do. They know the same things about me too. It's nice because you don't have to worry about those guys running over you, but in that situation, it kind of helped me because I knew what I thought they were going to do. Sometimes it works out; sometimes it doesn't. I tried what I was thinking that time and it worked out, but it may not work out the next time. It was just a hold-your-breath type of race, but it was a fun one. If you're going to win one, I'd rather win it like that rather than just lead the whole thing."
Ione, California's Justin Grant followed up Friday night's winning performance with a solid second place run and takes ahold of the early season point lead in his Sam McGhee Motorsports/Mike McGhee & Associates - Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/Maxim/Foxco.
"Obviously, we wanted to win," Grant acknowledged. "Second place is a good night. It was good for points and we've set out to chase the points deal this year, so I took what I could get. I made a couple mistakes throughout the race, but I think those guys were just a little better than we were. Had I run a perfect race, we were good enough to beat them. But missing a step here and there, it just got away from us. Sam gave me a great car again and it seems like we're close every night. It's nice when it feels like we missed, yet we were still able to run second."
San Jose, California's Thomas Meseraull captured the victory in the 2016 "Winter Dirt Games" finale. Although the results from 2017's event did not include a victory celebration, Meseraull was extremely pleased with his third-place finish in his debut weekend performance aboard the Rick Pollock/Bates Commodities - Jonathon Pollock Engines/Maxim/Pollock.
"The car was great," Meseraull exclaimed. "It was a big difference from yesterday when it was my first time in the car and I was still getting a feel for it and getting on the same page as Rick. We did that tonight. We knew we had to qualify better, but we had a little bit of timing problems. We just worked it out. It just needed more timing and the difference was night and day. I'm really excited to run top-three. I thought we had a fourth or fifth-place car, but Windom blew a tire and that helped us out. I just got up on the wheel and was able to keep Chad (Boespflug) and Chase (Stockon) behind us. I'm just happy to get out of Florida in one piece."
Contingency award winners Saturday night at Bubba Raceway Park include Carson Short (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Max McGhee (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Landon Simon (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Chase Stockon (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Dave Darland (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner), Brady Bacon (KSE Racing Products/ProSource Hard Charger/BC Badass Passing Award) and Tyler Courtney (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).
----------------------------------
USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: February 25, 2017 - Ocala, Florida - Bubba Raceway Park - "Winter Dirt Games VIII"
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Carson Short, 21, RCM-13.955; 2. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-14.056; 3. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-14.072; 4. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-14.083; 5. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-14.138; 6. Thomas Meseraull, 21x, Pollock-14.178; 7. Justin Grant, 11, McGhee-14.239; 8. Hunter Schuerenberg, 2, Roof Bolt-14.264; 9. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-14.279; 10. Dave Darland, 71p, Phillips/Curb-Agajanian-14.325; 11. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-14.365; 12. Chad Boespflug, 69, Dynamics-14.374; 13. Max McGhee, 4J, 4J Motorsports-14.398; 14. Brady Bacon, 63, Dooling/Hayward-14.403; 15. Tyler Courtney, 23c, TOPP-14.425-14.425; 16. Jerry Coons, Jr., 20N, Nolen-14.477; 17. Landon Simon, 24, LSR-14.492; 18. Aaron Farney, 15F, DCT-14.511; 19. Shane Cottle, 44, Pace-14.704; 20. Jeff Bland, Jr., 17GP, Dutcher-14.716; 21. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-14.782; 22. Joe Liguori, 44D, Staab-14.964; 23. Rob Caho, Jr., 78, Caho-14.965; 24. Dallas Hewitt, 16, Kaser/Seeling-15.179; 25. Frank Carlsson, 20, Carlsson-16.468; 26. Robert Bell, 71, Bell-17.044.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. McGhee, 2. Grant, 3. Short, 4. Windom, 5. Coons, 6. Darland, 7. Cottle, 8. Liguori, 9. Carlsson. 1:55.37
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Simon, 2. Schuerenberg, 3. Andretti, 4. Bacon, 5. Cummins, 6. Bland, 7. Caho, 8. Bell, 9. Leary. 1:56.62
CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Stockon, 2. Courtney, 3. Boespflug, 4. Meseraull, 5. Chapple, 6. Hodges, 7. Farney, 8. Hewitt. 1:53.91
INDY RACE PARTS SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Darland, 2. Farney, 3. Cottle, 4. Hodges, 5. Bland, 6. Caho, 7. Hewitt, 8. Leary, 9. Bell, 10. Carlsson, 11. Liguori. 2:54.00
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Hunter Schuerenberg, 2. Justin Grant, 3. Thomas Meseraull, 4. Chad Boespflug, 5. Brady Bacon, 6. Chase Stockon, 7. Dave Darland, 8. Kyle Cummins, 9. Jarett Andretti, 10. Carson Short, 11. Shane Cottle, 12. Jerry Coons, Jr., 13. Tyler Courtney, 14. Isaac Chapple, 15. C.J. Leary, 16. Chris Windom, 17. Jeff Bland, Jr., 18. Josh Hodges, 19. Max McGhee, 20. Rob Caho, Jr., 21. Dallas Hewitt, 22. Landon Simon, 23. Aaron Farney. NT
----------------------------
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-2 Meseraull, Laps 3-23 Windom, Laps 24-30 Schuerenberg.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/PROSOURCE HARD CHARGER: Brady Bacon (13th to 5th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Tyler Courtney
NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Grant-155, 2-Schuerenberg-144, 3-Boespflug-141, 4-Stockon-139, 5-Bacon-128, 6-Meseraull-120, 7-Leary-99, 8-Andretti-99, 9-Windom-96, 10-Coons-96.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: April 1 - Lawrenceburg, Indiana - Lawrenceburg Speedway
OCALA USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT RESULTS: Feb. 24, 2017
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
GRANT THE TOP GUN ON NIGHT ONE OF WINTER DIRT GAMES VIII
Ocala, Florida.........Justin Grant's most recent visit to Bubba Raceway Park prior to Friday night's USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship 2017 season-opener ended in heartbreak.
One year later, despite late-race contact that nearly spelled disaster for the Ione, California native, the 26-year-old Grant swiftly exorcised those demons to capture night one of "Winter Dirt Games VIII."
Since joining forces last August, Grant and the Sam McGhee Motorsports team have been stellar in USAC competition. In a mere seven starts, the combo has already amassed five top-five finishes and their first two series victories together: last September's "4-Crown Nationals" at Eldora Speedway and now at the three-eighths-mile, D-shaped speedway in Ocala, Fla.
"I really felt like we came in here with a lot of momentum," Grant said. "With the same car, the same engine and the same whole program we ended with last year, it felt just like we left it. Last year down here was a heartbreaker. We were leading going into turn three on the last lap and blew a tire. I've been really close here several times, but something always happened. It feels really good to finish one off and get the first win of the season. I really like winning for these guys. They work their butts off and they've got a ton of passion for what we do. It makes it that much better to win with them."
A washout one night earlier provided a heavy racetrack for the 22 cars and drivers lined up for the 30-lap feature event, which saw pole sitter Dave Darland and outside front row starter C.J. Leary wage war in a side-by-side battle with Darland able to nip Leary at the line to take the point at the conclusion of lap one.
A two-man race quickly turned into a three-wide feast of speed on the second circuit with Boespflug sneaking along the bottom, Darland in the middle and Leary on the outside. Darland once again emerged from the fray where he escaped to the head of the pack where he would hold serve throughout much of the first third of the event.
Meanwhile, Grant quickly emerged as a contender, springing to the second spot by the end of lap two from his sixth starting position. Grant, who earlier in the evening established a new one-lap track record in ProSource Qualifying, then began his pursuit of race leader Darland.
By lap nine, Grant caught Darland and was able to scoot by as the two encountered the tail end of the field. Darland refused to go away quietly as he and Grant searched for an avenue to tiptoe their way around the lappers. The pair split around Isaac Chapple, allowing Darland to reclaim the top spot at the stripe on lap 10.
The see-saw battle for the lead hit its peak on the 11th lap as Grant returned the favor and took the spot back from Darland, but Darland was able to storm back on the bottom of turn three to briefly hold the lead as Grant dipped back underneath to rip the number one position away from Darland.
"I kind of got into Dave a little bit off turn four going for the lead," Grant recalls. "I didn't really want to get into him, but we were in lap traffic and when the track's fast and kind of one lane, you can't let an opportunity like that get away from you. We got in there together and I kind of leaned on him. I'm sure that didn't make him happy, but I've got a mortgage to pay and kids to feed."
By the midway point, Grant began to pull away from the rest of the field, holding nearly a half-straightaway lead before the stopped car of Jeff Bland, Jr. between turns three and four brought the action to a halt on lap 19 and bunched up the field for the ensuing restart.
Darland was able to poke a nose under Grant when action resumed, but was unable to make the bid stick as Grant maintained his advantage. One lap later, Boespflug wrestled the second spot away from Darland exiting turn two. On the 21st lap, Darland slipped out of the top-three as Carson Short grabbed the position with an outside pass exiting turn four.
Meanwhile, Grant was on cruise-control and seemingly had everything in check. However, lapped traffic would nearly play a pivotal role in determining the winner with five laps in this instance. As Grant approached the lapped car of 16th-running Tyler Courtney, the two made contact on the backstretch, putting both cars sideways as they both fought to maintain control. The two continued after the hair-raising fracas, though Grant would lose a bit of track position, thus allowing second-running Boespflug to close the gap.
"It was a close call," Grant acknowledges. "At the front, the sway bar tube is folded back around the car. He (Courtney) half-spun in front of us and I plowed him in the left rear which straightened him out and kept him going, I think. I about spun out and ended up in the infield. I was like 'oh no, here we go.' We made pretty hard contact, hard enough that it bent our frame."
Justin Grant
(AL STEINBERG PHOTO)
With just three laps to go and Boespflug continuing to clamp down on Grant, the caution flag flew as the machine of early leader and sixth-running Darland went up in a ball of flame that was quickly extinguished, but would sideline the series' winningest driver for the final run to the finish.
A three-lap shootout for the victory was in store between Grant and Boespflug on the lap 28 restart. Boespflug took to the bottom, attempting to slide up in front of Grant who was able to cling to the momentum up top. On lap 29, Boespflug threw it in even deeper, but was unable to secure the spot as Grant motored away to distance himself from Boespflug heading into the final lap, completing the 30-lap mission in grand fashion by 0.675 seconds over Boespflug, Chase Stockon, Brady Bacon and Leary. Carson Short originally took third, but was repositioned to the tail of the field due to missing the scales after the feature.
After seeing a pair of late-race leads slip through his fingers over the past few seasons, Grant finally captured that elusive first "Winter Dirt Games" victory Friday night for his fifth overall USAC National Sprint Car win, and his second for the Sam McGhee Motorsports team, in his Mike McGhee & Associates - Brown & Miller Racing Solutions/Maxim/Foxco.
"Chad (Boespflug) and I raced pretty hard during those final laps," Grant remembered. "On the restart, I knew if I could keep him behind us on the restart, we would be okay. But those restarts always concern you, especially when the track is rough and heavy. Chad got under me all the way in turns one and two one time and I put a pretty big chop on him and kept him behind us for a lap or so before I could get it opened up a little bit. Chad and I have been in that exact same scenario before and both of us ended up hanging from the fence, but he raced me really clean and gave me plenty of room. In turns three and four, he very easily could've leaned on me and knocked me up the racetrack and gotten by me that way. But he didn't and he left me plenty of room."
Hanford, California's Boespflug came home second after a hard-charge in the final laps of Friday night's feature, a solid debut as the full-time pilot of the Dynamics, Inc./Mean Green - PAC Springs/Maxim/Claxton.
"Before that yellow, we were definitely in some heavy lap traffic," Boespflug said. "I didn't know if I was happy to see that yellow come out or not. We got to the rear of Justin (Grant) and he was having a tough time with those lappers. I was happy to see it, but then again, I don't know. I gave it all I had on that restart. I got underneath him in turns one and two a couple of times. I feel if we could've just gotten in front of him, maybe we would've had something to hold him off. He was really good through the center of turns one and two and off of turn two. It was just a good overall night for us, for not necessarily a new team, but new sponsors and everything. I'm just happy to put the Hoffman No. 69 back up front where it finished last year and for ourselves as well."
Fort Branch, Indiana's Chase Stockon took third-place in his 32 TBI Racing/Superior Tank & Trailer - Crescent Electric Supply/DRC/Fisher, starting off the season on the right foot one year following a career-best runner-up finish in the series point standings.
Contingency award winners Friday night at Bubba Raceway Park include Justin Grant (ProSource Fast Qualifier), Carson Short (Simpson Race Products First Heat Winner), Chris Windom (Competition Suspension, Inc. Second Heat Winner), Chase Stockon (Chalk Stix Third Heat Winner), Max McGhee (Indy Race Parts Semi Winner), Brady Bacon (KSE Racing Products/ProSource Hard Charger) and Shane Cottle (Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Finisher).
----------------------------------
USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: February 24, 2017 - Ocala, Florida - Bubba Raceway Park - "Winter Dirt Games VIII"
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Justin Grant, 11, McGhee-13.683 (New Track Record); 2. Hunter Schuerenberg, 2, Motsinger-13.731; 3. Kyle Cummins, 3R, Rock Steady-13.839; 4. Max McGhee, 4J, 4J Motorsports-13.913; 5. Chad Boespflug, 69, Dynamics-13.958; 6. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-13.981; 7. Dave Darland, 71p, Phillips/Curb-Agajanian-13.992; 8. Chris Windom, 5, Baldwin-14.045; 9. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-14.053; 10. Carson Short, 21, RCM-14.060; 11. Jarett Andretti, 18, Andretti-14.097; 12. Shane Cottle, 44, Pace-14.171; 13. Thomas Meseraull, 21x, Pollock-14.211; 14. Tyler Courtney, 23c, TOPP-14.318; 15. Jerry Coons, Jr., 20N, Nolen-14.355; 16. Brady Bacon, 63, Dooling/Hayward-14.366; 17. Josh Hodges, 74x, Hodges-14.393; 18. Aaron Farney, 15F, DCT-14.433; 19. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR/Chapple-14.580; 20. Dallas Hewitt, 16, Kaser/Seeling-14.612; 21. Landon Simon, 24, LSR-14.709; 22. Jeff Bland, Jr., 17GP, Dutcher-14.751; 23. Cooper Clouse, 14, Clouse-14.848; 24. Rob Caho, Jr., 78, Caho-15.056; 25. Joe Liguori, 44D, Staab-15.142; 26. Robert Bell, 71, Bell-16.204; 27. Frank Carlsson, 20, Carlsson-16.371.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS FIRST HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Short, 2. Meseraull, 3. Darland, 4. Grant, 5. Bacon, 6. McGhee, 7. Chapple, 8. Liguori, 9. Bland. 1:56.78
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI) SECOND HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Windom, 2. Schuerenberg, 3. Andretti, 4. Boespflug, 5. Hodges, 6. Courtney, 7. Hewitt, 8. Bell, 9. Clouse. NT
CHALK STIX THIRD HEAT: (8 laps) 1. Stockon, 2. Coons, 3. Cummins, 4. Leary, 5. Farney, 6. Cottle, 7. Simon, 8. Caho, 9. Carlsson. 1:55.60
INDY RACE PARTS SEMI: (12 laps) 1. McGhee, 2. Courtney, 3. Chapple, 4. Cottle, 5. Simon, 6. Liguori, 7. Bland, 8. Hewitt, 9. Caho, 10. Carlsson, 11. Bell. NT
FEATURE: (30 laps) 1. Justin Grant, 2. Chad Boespflug, 3. Chase Stockon, 4. Brady Bacon, 5. C.J. Leary, 6. Hunter Schuerenberg, 7. Josh Hodges, 8. Chris Windom, 9. Jerry Coons, Jr., 10. Thomas Meseraull, 11. Jarett Andretti, 12. Shane Cottle, 13. Tyler Courtney, 14. Aaron Farney, 15. Landon Simon, 16. Joe Liguori, 17. Max McGhee, 18. Dave Darland, 19. Kyle Cummins, 20. Isaac Chapple, 21. Jeff Bland, Jr., 22. Carson Short. (Short originally finished third, but was repositioned to the tail of the field after missing the scales). NT
----------------------------
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-8 Darland, Lap 9 Grant, Lap 10 Darland, Laps 11-30 Grant.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/PROSOURCE HARD CHARGER: Brady Bacon (16th to 4th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Shane Cottle
NEW USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Grant-81, 2-Boespflug-74, 3-Stockon-72, 4-Schuerenberg-67, 5-Bacon-65, 6-Leary-64, 7-Windom-57, 8-Hodges-56, 9-Coons-53; 10-Meseraull-50.
NEXT USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: February 25 - Ocala, Florida - Bubba Raceway Park - "Winter Dirt Games VIII"
USAC UNVEILS LIGHTNING SPRINT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINNING IN 2017 SEASON
Posted by: | Comments
USAC_Lightning_Sprints
USAC UNVEILS LIGHTNING SPRINT NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BEGINNING IN 2017 SEASON
USAC, the largest and most diversified professional sanctioning body in the country, announced a new National Championship Series beginning in 2017. The Speedway Motors Lightning Sprint National Championship will be added to a historic lineup of prestigious titles for 2017.
"With the many clubs across the country to be unified in rules and procedures, it's a pleasure to create a program that enables many to pursue a championship with USAC," USAC National Series Director Levi Jones said.
Lightning Sprints are an open wheel car with a motorcycle based power plant and wings. A winged division will be unique within USAC as a majority of the existing classes are wingless. These cars are capable of producing 200 horsepower and utilize much of the same construction and components that USAC Midgets do. Drivers will compete on many of the same sized tracks across the country as well.
The organization and management of the division is also unique. Satellite Lightning Sprint groups exist across the United States and Canada. These groups are managed by individual club leaders or boards. The groups will continue to operate as before with the option of hosting a set number of USAC-sanctioned events. These events will be noted on their 2017 schedule and will count toward the National Championship points structure. A 10-race minimum will be scheduled with a best of 12 race points tabulation. The points system is weighted by the number of cars competing and allows an individual to win a national title from their home track. The top-10 positions in National Championship points will be paid cash and contingency awards at season's end. The inaugural champion will receive national accolades in addition to a $3,000 reward.
The uniformity in rules has attracted many sponsors to this new series. Hoosier Tire is one of the many who have already pledged support through a multiyear relationship. Cars will be required to use Hoosier tires on all four corners during USAC-sanctioned Lightning Sprint events. Speedway Motors - America's oldest speed shop - is the title sponsor with a myriad of others eager to launch this series. Sponsoring companies include AFCO, CSI, PRO Shocks, My Race Pass, Saldana Race Products, Aeromotive, Weld, Rod End Supply, Hoosier Speed, Outlaw Wings, Racing Optics and Emi.
Registration for this series will begin Jan. 1, 2017, online. All drivers competing for national points must hold a valid USAC license for this series and must adhere to general guidelines set forth in the registration process. Eligible drivers must be 13 years of age on the day of the sanctioned event. Scheduled tracks must carry a minimum level of liability insurance, which group leaders will verify.
USAC is the most diversified racing organization in the country. With youth engagement and a broadened reach across multiple racing platforms, USAC is excited to highlight Lightning Sprint racing in 2017 and to carry on its more than 60 years of sanctioned events.
Joining the likes of National Sprint cars, Sliver Crown, and Midgets, Lightning Sprint competitors will share the stage with the country's elite open wheel racers during USAC's Night of Champions in December 2017.
"With a national sanction, a uniform series rule book, corporate sponsorship, and the support of many organized groups, the Lightning Sprint division begins a new era in racing history," said Mike Long, Director of Operations at EMi and an aid to the series. Lightning Sprint racing offers the pure excitement and challenge of any other open wheel division at an affordable cost. The effort of many over the last year has built a foundation for these cars to compete on a national level."
USAC PARTNERS WITH ARDC FOR 19-RACE EASTERN REGIONAL MIDGET SLATE IN 2017
Posted by: | Comments
USAC-ARDC Midget Series
USAC PARTNERS WITH ARDC FOR 19-RACE EASTERN REGIONAL MIDGET SLATE IN 2017
The United States Auto Club and the American Racing Drivers Club have announced a partnership that begins in 2017 with a 19-race slate scheduled at a bevy of traditional stops for midget racing in the east.
The USAC Eastern Regional Midget Series presented by ARDC will ensure that midget racing remains a stronghold in the east. The clubs are two of the most storied in the history of midget auto racing with ARDC's roots dating back to 1940 and USAC's to 1956.
The USAC Midgets' renewed presence in the east over the last couple of seasons has created new opportunities for the famed series to add on to its long-standing Western States Midget Championship with the Midwest Midget Championship, which debuted last year, and its new partnership with ARDC in the east.
"I am thrilled that we are partnering with an organization with the legacy of ARDC," USAC National Series Director Levi Jones said. "By partnering with ARDC, it solidifies the presence of USAC Midget racing across the United States' landscape from the West Coast to the Midwest to the East Coast, in addition to the USAC Midget National Championship. I am really looking forward to working with (ARDC President) Wayne Lesher, the drivers and teams of ARDC for the 2017 season and beyond."
"Everyone involved with the ARDC is very excited of our partnership with USAC," Lesher stated. "USAC gives the ARDC a national platform and ARDC gives USAC a regional presence on the east coast. Both organizations have a common goal of promoting midget racing, so it wasn't a hard decision for either side to make."
ARDC's 75th year of competition is highlighted by high-profile events including six that share the stage with USAC's national series. In fact, the series will share the event card with all three of the national divisions in 2017.
On June 15 and 16, the USAC/ARDC Midgets will race on back-to-back nights at the historic Williams Grove Speedway half-mile in Mechanicsburg, PA. The first of the two events, which are both part of the 11th annual Eastern Storm, takes place on Thursday, June 15 with the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship. The following night, Friday, June 16, the midgets compete on a docket that also features the USAC Silver Crown Championship's "Horn-Schindler Memorial" 100-lapper.
Amid the month of August, the third edition of Pennsylvania Midget Week comes to the Keystone State for four races at four different tracks in a span of five nights in a battle for territorial supremacy with the USAC Midget National Championship.
York Haven's Susquehanna Speedway kicks the week off on Sunday, Aug. 13 with races at Spring Run's Path Valley Speedway Park (Aug. 14) and Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway in Newmanstown on the two following nights. A one-day break for rest or a possible rain date (if needed) is slated for Aug. 16 with the week concluding at a yet-to-be-determined venue in Pennsylvania on Aug. 17.
The remainder of the 2017 schedule will be showcased at a variety of familiar stops, including four dates at Linda's Speedway in Jonestown, PA on Mar. 31, May 5, June 30 and Sept. 29; three races on tap at Lanco on Apr. 1, Jul. 1, Aug. 15; four at Susquehanna on Apr. 29, May 20, Jul. 29 and Aug. 13; and a pair at Big Diamond Speedway in Pottsville, PA on May 19 and Jul. 21. Additionally, two TBA dates are slated for Sep. 8-9.
ARDC is the longest, continuously-operating midget racing series in the United States, crowning its first champion, Bill Schindler, after the 1940 season. In 2016, Alex Bright of Collegeville, PA, a veteran of both ARDC and USAC for several seasons as well as the winner of a Chili Bowl Midget Nationals preliminary feature win, earned the title.
The lineage of ARDC champions includes some of the most legendary and successful names in midget auto racing history including Henry Banks, Dutch Schaefer, Mike Nazaruk, Jiggs Peters, Len Duncan and Ray Bull. Plus, Nick Fornoro Jr. and Sr., Johnny and Joey Coy, Bob and Lou Cicconi, Jr., Steve and Tim Buckwalter as well as Bryan and Trevor Kobylarz.
---------------------------------------------
USAC EASTERN REGIONAL MIDGETS PRESENTED BY ARDC 2017 SCHEDULE
Mar 31: Linda's Speedway (Jonestown, PA)
Apr 1: Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway (Newmanstown, PA)
Apr 29: Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, PA)
May 5: Linda's Speedway (Jonestown, PA)
May 19: Big Diamond Speedway (Pottsville, PA)
May 20: Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, PA)
Jun 15: Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, PA)
Jul 16: Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, PA)
Jun 30: Linda's Speedway (Jonestown PA)
Jul 1: Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway (Newmanstown, PA)
Jul 21: Big Diamond Speedway (Pottsville, PA)
Jul 29: Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, PA)
Aug 13: (N) Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, PA)
Aug 14: (N) Path Valley Speedway (Spring Run, PA)
Aug 15: (N) Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway (Newmanstown, PA)
Aug 17: (N) TBA
Sep 8: TBA
Sep 9: TBA
Sep 29: Linda's Speedway (Jonestown, PA)
--------------------------------------
(N) represents a race with the USAC Midget National Championship during Pennsylvania Midget Week
United States Auto Club, 4910 West 16th Street, Speedway, IN 46224
2017 USAC NATIONAL SCHEDULES RELEASED
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RIDES INTO THE DESERT AT PHOENIX IN 2017
Phoenix International Raceway, a venue synonymous with USAC Silver Crown racing for more than two decades, returns to the 2017 schedule after an eight-year absence.
The highly-anticipated return of the big cars to the mile in Arizona's Valley of the Sun arrives on Saturday, April 29 on the same bill as the IndyCar Series race later that night.
The roar of champ car engines fell silent at PIR after Cole Whitt's victory in 2009 on the racy, triangular-shaped paved track, but the series is back this season as it embarks on its 47th season of competition with a schedule as balanced as it's ever been. Six dirt and five pavement events are on tap for the 11-race docket for 2017.
The series opens on the dirt at Indiana's Terre Haute Action Track on Apr. 2 for the "Sumar Classic." On May 25, the 63rd running of the "Hoosier Hundred" makes it traditional stop at the Indiana State Fairgrounds mile. In June, amidst the "Eastern Storm" series for the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars, the Silver Crown cars take on Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania's Williams Grove Speedway on June 16.
The series closes out the 2017 calendar with three-straight races on the dirt, beginning with a pair of events on the two legendary mile tracks in Illinois. The "Bettenhausen 100" at Springfield's Illinois State Fairgrounds on Aug. 19 is the longest-running of all Silver Crown events with roots dating back to 1934.
The Du Quoin State Fairgrounds, host of the Sept. 3 "Ted Horn 100," is one of just three racetracks on the series' 2017 schedule to have been on the schedule in every single year of USAC's existence since 1956 (Indiana and Illinois State Fairgrounds).
The season closes with the Sept. 23 "4-Crown Nationals" at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio - the only event in which one can witness all three of USAC's National Divisions (Silver Crown, National Sprint and National Midget) at the same track on a single night.
The pavement portion of the schedule is an array of flat and high-banked surfaces ranging in size from a half-mile to a full-mile. Phoenix serves as the pavement season opener as well as the series' sole visit to the west on Apr. 29.
Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana is the lone track scheduled to host multiple Silver Crown events this season with the "Carb Night Classic: The Race Before the 500" on the Friday of Memorial Day weekend on May 26 and the "Rich Vogler/Hall of Fame Classic" on July 20.
The final two races hit the high banks of two of the Midwest's most history-rich racetracks in Ohio's Toledo Speedway and Indiana's Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery. Toledo's July 28event honors the city's greatest racing hero and 1973 USAC National Sprint Car champ with the Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness "Rollie Beale Classic."
The Silver Crown cars return to Salem for the final round of pavement for the season one year after making their first stop at the .555-mile, high-banked oval since 1988. As it has since 1958, the event honors the lives of National Sprint Car Hall of Famers and Indianapolis 500 veterans Joe James and Pat O'Connor.
2017 USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Apr 2: (D) Terre Haute Action Track (Terre Haute, IN)
Apr 29: (P#) Phoenix International Raceway (Phoenix, AZ)
May 25: (D) Indiana State Fairgrounds (Indianapolis, IN)
May 26: (P) Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (Brownsburg, IN)
Jun 16: (D) Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, PA)
Jul 20: (P) Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (Brownsburg, IN)
Jul 28: (P) Toledo Speedway (Toledo, OH)
Aug 12: (P) Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery (Salem, IN)
Aug 19: (D#) Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield, IL)
Sep 3: (D) Du Quoin State Fairgrounds (Du Quoin, IL)
Sep 23: (D) Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH)
------------------------------------------
(D) represents a dirt event
(P) represents a pavement event
# represents a daytime event
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
KNOXVILLE AND WILLIAMS GROVE RETURN TO THE FOLD FOR 2017 USAC SPRINT SEASON
Two of the most storied dirt tracks in the United States return to the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car calendar in 2017.
On June 3, the series invades the legendary half-mile Knoxville Raceway for the first time since 2011. The Saturday night event coincides with National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction weekend at the Iowa dirt oval.
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania's Williams Grove Speedway, the only venue on this year's 47-race slate that was on the Sprint Car schedule in USAC's inaugural year of 1956, will host its first series race since 1996 as part of the 11th edition of "Eastern Storm" on June 15.
In addition, the USAC Sprints call Tri-City Speedway home once again, where the series hasn't visited since 2006. The May 19 date at the Granite City, Ill. track will also feature the USAC Midget National Championship. July 30 marks a return visit to Randolph County Raceway in Moberly, Missouri. USAC's lone appearance there came in 1989 when the late Rich Vogler won a rare winged race for Hoffman Auto Racing.
Furthermore, the series will make initial appearances at Indiana's Plymouth Speedway on Apr. 21, Pevely, Missouri's Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 on May 20 and Greenwood, Nebraska's I-80 Speedway on June 2.
Traditional USAC stops on the 2017 horizon include the season-opening "Winter Dirt Games" for three-straight nights at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Florida. Eldora Speedway's docket features multiple showcase events with back-to-back nights of #LetsRaceTwo on May 12-13 alongside the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars. Fast forward to Sept. 23 when the Rossburg, Ohio half-mile is the showplace for the 36th running of the "4-Crown Nationals" that also features USAC's Silver Crown and National Midget divisions as well as the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions.
Western Indiana's Terre Haute Action Track pays homage to a pair of USAC racing heroes from year's past. The 47th running of the "Tony Hulman Classic" hits the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds half-mile on May 24 while the "Jim Hurtubise Classic" is earmarked for September 15.
The "Eastern Storm" and "Indiana Sprint Week" series have become institutions in their respective regions of the country, annually playing to large crowds and some of the most intense racing seen all year long. It will be no different in the five-race Eastern Storm series that runs from June 13-18 in the "Keystone State." The first two nights will be held at a pair of tracks to be announced at a later date. Williams Grove serves up a feast of racing action on June 15, then a one-day break from action before closing out the mini-series at Port Royal Speedway on the 17th and Susquehanna Speedway on the 18th.
The 30th annual "Indiana Sprint Week" series consistently produces as one of the country's premier events. Its schedule of events remains just as consistent. Once again, ISW launches at Gas City I-69 Speedway on July 7 with Kokomo Speedway and Lawrenceburg Speedway rounding out the first weekend of racing July 8-9, respectively. A two-day sabbatical gives way as the action roars back to life for the final four-race stretch of ISW at Terre Haute, Putnamville's Lincoln Park Speedway, Bloomington Speedway and Haubstadt's Tri-State Speedway on July 12-13-14-15.
The sole non-points, special event of the USAC Sprint season occurs on Aug. 23 as a prelude to three more consecutive nights at Kokomo and "Sprint Car Smackdown VI" on Aug. 24-25-26.
Lawrenceburg hosts a duo of events - one in the spring and one in the fall - as does Tri-State. The three-eighths mile Lawrenceburg oval brings the series to town for both the Midwest opener on Apr. 1 as well as the Midwest closer on Sept. 30. Bloomington Speedway's red clay will fly when USAC makes a visit on Apr. 14 which kicks off a double-header weekend that moves to Tri-State the following night at the "Spring Showdown" on Apr. 15 for the first of two shows at the quarter-mile paperclip co-sanctioned by MSCS. The series makes the trek back to Tri-State for the "Haubstadt Hustler" on Sep. 16.
Additional dates include trips to Indiana's Montpelier Motor Speedway and Lincoln Park Speedway on Apr. 22 and June 30, respectively, as well as a date at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kans. on July 29.
The series closes out its campaign with a multitude of events in conjunction with the USAC/CRA AMSOIL Sprint Car Championship for a pair of annual events headquartered in the western U.S. First up is the 50th annual "Western World Championships." The golden anniversary of the famed event that has been a staple of the southwest since 1968 takes place at Queen Creek's Arizona Speedway on Nov. 3-4.
The season closes out with the three-night spectacular known as the Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction on Nov. 9-10-11. The 22nd running at southern California's Perris Auto Speedway pits the best from the National and CRA scenes against each other for bragging rights in what is annually the highest-paying purse of the year.
2017 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Feb 23: Bubba Raceway Park (Ocala, FL)
Feb 24: Bubba Raceway Park (Ocala, FL)
Feb 25: Bubba Raceway Park (Ocala, FL)
Apr 1: Lawrenceburg Speedway (Lawrenceburg, IN)
Apr 14: Bloomington Speedway (Bloomington, IN)
Apr 15: (M) Tri-State Speedway (Haubstadt, IN)
Apr 21: Plymouth Speedway (Plymouth, IN)
Apr 22: Montpelier Motor Speedway (Montpelier, IN)
May 6: TBA
May 12: Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH)
May 13: Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH)
May 19: Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, IL)
May 20: Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 (Pevely, MO)
May 24: Terre Haute Action Track (Terre Haute, IN)
Jun 2: I-80 Speedway (Greenwood, NE)
Jun 3: Knoxville Raceway (Knoxville, IA)
Jun 13: (E) TBA
Jun 14: (E) TBA
Jun 15: (E) Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, PA)
Jun 17: (E) Port Royal Speedway (Port Royal, PA)
Jun 18: (E) Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, PA)
Jun 30: Lincoln Park Speedway (Putnamville, IN)
Jul 7: (I) Gas City I-69 Speedway (Gas City, IN)
Jul 8 (I) Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN)
Jul 9: (I) Lawrenceburg Speedway (Lawrenceburg, IN)
Jul 12: (I) Terre Haute Action Track (Terre Haute, IN)
Jul 13: (I) Lincoln Park Speedway (Putnamville, IN)
Jul 14: (I) Bloomington Speedway (Bloomington, IN)
Jul 15: (I) Tri-State Speedway (Haubstadt, IN)
Jul 28: TBA
Jul 29: Lakeside Speedway (Kansas City, KS)
Jul 30: Randolph County Raceway (Moberly, MO)
Aug 23: (SE) Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN)
Aug 24: Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN)
Aug 25: Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN)
Aug 26: Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN)
Sep 15: Terre Haute Action Track (Terre Haute, IN)
Sep 16: (M) Tri-State Speedway (Haubstadt, IN)
Sep 23: Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH)
Sep 30: Lawrenceburg Speedway (Lawrenceburg, IN)
Oct. 6: TBA
Oct. 7: TBA
Nov. 3: (C) Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, AZ)
Nov. 4: (C) Arizona Speedway (Queen Creek, AZ)
Nov. 9 (C) Perris Auto Speedway (Perris, CA)
Nov. 10 (C) Perris Auto Speedway (Perris, CA)
Nov. 11 (C) Perris Auto Speedway (Perris, CA)
------------------------------------------
(M) represents an event co-sanctioned by MSCS
(E) represents an Eastern Storm event
(I) represents an Indiana Sprint Week event
(C) represents an event with the USAC/CRA AMSOIL Sprint Cars
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET TOUR TRAVELS COAST-TO-COAST IN 2017 CAMPAIGN
Twenty-seven dates in seven states serve as the ingredients for the 2017 USAC Midget National Championship schedule.
Among the events are four distinct tours that make up the bulk of the schedule such as June's "Indiana Midget Week," July's weekend trip to Illinois as well as an August tour of the Heartland of America and "Pennsylvania Midget Week," which offers a total of eight races in a busy Summer stretch.
The 13th annual "Indiana Midget Week" kicks off with the first of six straight nights of racing action on June 6 at Montpelier Motor Speedway, followed by Gas City, Lincoln Park, Bloomington, Lawrenceburg and Kokomo to round out the series that continues to grow in popularity each year since its debut in 2005.
The series resumes with a weekend getaway to the Land of Lincoln on July 1-2-3. First up is Macon Speedway whose roots with USAC date back to Don Branson's victory at the one-fifth mile bullring in 1959. However, the series will make its comeback to the track after a decade absence on the first of July. A date is scheduled for July 2at a track yet to be determined, which will be followed up by the USAC National Midgets' first venture to the one-sixth mile Illinois State Fairgrounds Multi-Purpose Arena - an outdoor venue in the capital city of Springfield located on the grounds nearby the one-mile dirt oval that the USAC Silver Crown Championship competes on each August.
The USAC National Midgets' tour of the Heartland kick starts the month of August on the first with "Tuesday Night Thunder" at Nebraska's Jefferson County Speedway followed one night later by the "Chad McDaniel Memorial" at Solomon Valley Raceway in Beloit, Kans. on Aug. 2. After a single day off, drivers and teams get back at it on the Belleville High Banks in Kansas for the 40th annual "Belleville Midget Nationals" on Aug. 4-5.
Susquehanna Speedway opens "Pennsylvania Midget Week" on Aug. 13 with dates at Path Valley Speedway Park and Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway set for the following two nights on Aug. 14-15. Aug. 16 is a day of rest before the mini-series' final event hits the track at a yet-to-be-determined venue on Aug. 17.
Traditional dates dot the remainder of the series calendar for 2017 with the season set to begin indoors on March 18 at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin. The "Kokomo Grand Prix" in Indiana provides the first multi-event weekend for competitors on Apr. 7-8.
Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Illinois moves to an earlier slot on the schedule - May 19 - for a twin-bill with the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship.
The ever-popular "4-Crown Nationals" goes into its 36th year at Rossburg, Ohio's Eldora Speedway as the largest showcase for all three of USAC's national divisions on one card in a single night. The famed event includes the National Midgets, Silver Crown, National Sprint Cars and the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions.
The fifth-annual "Jason Leffler Memorial" at Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, Illinois provides the largest winner's payday of the year on Oct. 20.
For the second consecutive year, the National Midgets pair with the Western States Midgets to conclude the 2017 USAC outdoor racing season with the 77th running of the prestigious "Turkey Night Grand Prix" oceanside at California's Ventura Raceway.
2017 USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Mar 18: (N) Southern Illinois Center (Du Quoin, IL)
Apr 7: Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN)
Apr 8: Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN)
May 19: Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, IL)
Jun 6: (I) Montpelier Motor Speedway (Montpelier, IN)
Jun 7: (I) Gas City I-69 Speedway (Gas City, IN)
Jun 8: (I) Lincoln Park Speedway (Putnamville, IN)
Jun 9: (I) Bloomington Speedway (Bloomington, IN)
Jun 10: (I) Lawrenceburg Speedway (Lawrenceburg, IN)
Jun 11: (I) Kokomo Speedway (Kokomo, IN)
Jul 1: Macon Speedway (Macon, IL)
Jul 2: TBA
Jul 3: Illinois State Fairgrounds Multi-Purpose Arena (Springfield, IL)
Jul 22: TBA
Aug 1: Jefferson County Speedway (Fairbury, NE)
Aug 2: Solomon Valley Raceway (Beloit, KS)
Aug 4: Belleville High Banks (Belleville, KS)
Aug 5: Belleville High Banks (Belleville, KS)
Aug 13: (A) Susquehanna Speedway (York Haven, PA)
Aug 14: (A) Path Valley Speedway Park (Spring Run, PA)
Aug 15: (A) Lanco's Clyde Martin Memorial Speedway (Newmanstown, PA)
Aug 17: (A) TBA
Sep 23: Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH)
Oct 6: TBA
Oct 7: TBA
Oct 20: (P) Wayne County Speedway (Wayne City, IL)
Nov 23: (W) Ventura Raceway (Ventura, CA)
------------------------------------------
(N) represents an indoor event
(I) represents an Indiana Midget Week event
(A) represents an event with the USAC/ARDC Midgets
(P) represents an event co-sanctioned by POWRi
(W) represents an event with the USAC Western States Midgets
LARSON CARVES UP TURKEY NIGHT WIN #2; THORSON TASTES FIRST USAC NATIONAL MIDGET TITLE
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
LARSON CARVES UP TURKEY NIGHT WIN #2; THORSON TASTES FIRST USAC NATIONAL MIDGET TITLE
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Ventura, California November 24, 2016 - On the rare occasion that Kyle Larson gets the chance to take the wheel of a midget these days, he certainly makes each opportunity count.
On Thursday night in the centerpiece of the USAC National and Western States Midget calendar, Larson cooked up one of his patented performances, holding off a furious late-race rally from early leader Brady Bacon to win his second career "Turkey Night Grand Prix" in the 76th running of the prestigious event at California's Ventura Raceway.
Larson, of Elk Grove, Calif., started from the outside of the front row in his Keith Kunz - Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Bullet/Speedway Toyota alongside Bacon. Larson fought his way to the lead on lap 21 with a turn two outside pass of Bacon. Larson then navigated through numerous bouts with lapped traffic as Bacon rapidly closed to mount a serious challenge on Larson for the victory in the final laps. Larson weathered the storm and sped off to grab the 0.303 second victory over Bacon, Carson Macedo, Rico Abreu and Damion Gardner.
Larson became the 18th driver to win "Turkey Night" twice during his career and also joins Mel Kenyon, Ron Shuman, Stan Fox, Billy Boat and Dave Darland as one of six drivers to claim a "Turkey Night" victory at two different tracks after also winning in 2012 at Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway.
"I had a good qualifying run and started second," Larson explains. "I was able to get by Brady (Bacon) fairly early and got through traffic. I tried the bottom early on, but it still felt like the top was better, so I went back to the top. I could see he was closing in on me a little bit more on the bottom and I knew I just had to get around that one lapper. I was running the top and could see Brady running to my inside. I knew eventually I'd have to get down to the bottom and I knew if I could clear him, I could run a better pace around the bottom. As soon as I cleared the lapper, I got down just in time to hold onto the lead. Once I cleared him, I ran the bottom even though I still went to the top a couple times in (turns) three and four and Brady was still right there. The white flag was not too far after that. A 98-lap race is a long time, but it felt pretty short for me."
A successful NASCAR Cup season that saw Larson score his first career series victory at Michigan in August concluded with the 14th win of his USAC National Midget career on a playground that he doesn't get to visit as much any longer, but cherishes every opportunity he gets.
"I enjoy running on the dirt every chance I get since I don't get to do it a whole lot anymore," Larson admits. Anytime I can do it, run up front and get wins, it's a lot of fun. I can't wait for the rest of the offseason, so I can run some more stuff on the dirt and get some more wins."
A melting pot of 52 midget drivers from coast-to-coast filled the pit area at Ventura in the event's largest car count since Larson's first victory in 2012.
The event was whittled to 29 for the 98-lapper at the one-fifth-mile dirt oval by the beach, but the action was quickly halted with Gage Walker's flip on the first corner of the first lap. He walked away unscathed.
Following the complete restart, Bacon and the FMR Racing/Beast/Toyota backed up the speed shown by recording the fastest laps in two of the three sessions in Wednesday night's practice and Thursday's ProSource/Woodland Auto Display fastest qualifier, proving to be the strongest combination early on after rocketing away to a half-straightaway lead.
By the 13th lap, Bacon was steadfast on the bottom as Larson made waves up on the cush. After slipstreaming through Bacon's wake, Larson charges right to the tail of the leader. On lap 21, Larson ripped around the outside of Bacon in turn two for the race lead. As the pair entered turn three, Larson slanted down from the top, cutting in front of the nose of Bacon just before the apex of the turn to take the bottom line, and the race lead, away just prior to meeting the tail-end of lapped traffic.
Meanwhile, the table was set for a heated battle for the USAC National Midget title. Separated by a mere nine markers coming into "Turkey Night," point leader Tanner Thorson ran eighth and teammate Spencer Bayston 11th just prior to the midway point.
On lap 42, Bayston and Frankie Guerrini were involved in a turn four tangle. The move was disastrous for Bayston as he lost pivotal track position that relegated him to the 23rd position for the restart.
Larson appeared to establish himself in a class of his own as he built his very own half-straightaway lead. However, multiple yellow flag periods would evaporate those leads. With 26 laps to go, Larson and Bacon, running one-two, were separated by the lapped car of Holly Shelton on the restart. It would take a couple of laps before Bacon would manage to slip by Shelton, using a turn one slide job on lap 74 to put Larson back within a clear view of out of the Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's helmet visor.
Larson went topside while Bacon remained on the chalk-lined bottom berm as the two entered the green room of lapped traffic. Bacon steadily reeled in Larson, but swiftly as Larson went high, low, anywhere he could go to find daylight.
With seven laps remaining, Bacon edged ahead of Larson on the bottom for the lead, briefly, off turn two. Yet, Larson found an avenue back to the front moments later by sneaking back down to the bottom in front of the lapped car of Nick Chivello to create separation between he and second-running Bacon.
With three laps remaining, Larson and Bacon swapped lines with Larson now down low and Bacon up top. Bacon appeared to have found the top to his liking soon after, but was unable to get off the corners as strongly as Larson who commandeered the point as Bacon lost precious ground.
Larson withstood a heady drive by Bacon, the two-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champ, to seal the deal in the final laps for his second USAC National Midget win of the year in just his third start.
Minden, Nevada's Thorson would leave the "Turkey Night Grand Prix" a happy man for the second straight Thanksgiving night after winning last season's diamond jubilee. By virtue of his sixth-place finish in his Keith Kunz - Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/TRD - JBL Audio/Bullet/Speedway Toyota in Thursday night's feature, the 20-year-old Thorson was crowned as 2016 USAC National Midget champion.
"I went into this race set on winning," Thorson assured. "I didn't think about points all year until this race, so I wasn't trying to make it a big deal to myself because it can get you worked up and it doesn't allow you to perform your best. I just went out there to win the race."
Thorson's teammate and fellow championship combatant Bayston recovered from a spin just before halfway to finish ninth after restarting from the tail. It was an impressive feat in its own right to respond to adversity, but it would not warrant enough points for Bayston to surpass Thorson who became the first Nevada native to claim the series title.
"I saw Spencer get tangled up and it was really unfortunate," Thorson recalls. "You never want to see a teammate go out like that. It was unfortunate for him, but it worked in our favor. This whole team and our sponsors are what make this deal what it is. We have two of the best in the business in Keith (Kunz) and Big Al (Scroggins) who always put awesome cars underneath us."
"I came really close to getting the job done last year, but we came up a little bit short," Thorson adds. "This year, we were able to get it done even though we didn't start the season the way we wanted. I remember we were leading the first race during 'Indiana Midget Week' at Montpelier and popped a right rear tire. A few races later, we had an issue at 'The Ditch' (West Memphis, Ark.) and all that led to a not-so-great stretch. I didn't think that we were going to be able to get the job done after those issues. Suddenly, though, we just started clicking. Every time I went out onto the track, I had an awesome car which allowed me to win a lot of races this year. That's really the only thing that saved me this year. We got wins and stayed consistent after 'Midget Week' and it allowed us to get the job done. It's pretty incredible to be the champion. I'm speechless!"
Thirteenth-place finisher Ronnie Gardner would be the first to tell you that his 'Turkey Night' didn't go as well as he had hoped, but despite that one aberration, it was yet another banner season for the Corona, California native who became the first driver in the history of the USAC Western States Midget series to win four consecutive series championships in his Six8 Motorsports/Baldozier Racing - Esslinger Engineering/Stewart/Esslinger.
"My mom and Sleepy Tripp's wife are really good friends," Gardner explains. "I grew up idolizing Sleepy with what he accomplished on the west coast and across the United States in a midget. It's a pretty big deal to actually beat one of his records."
"I was a little disappointed," Gardner laments about Thursday night's race. "I thought we'd stack up a little better, but we kind of went outside the box tonight just trying to be better than we were, but we missed a little bit. I messed up qualifying and that put us mid-pack at the start and that hurt us in the race. Starting from the middle of the field against this competition makes it hard to get up to the front."
Award winners Thursday night at Ventura Raceway included Brady Bacon (ProSource/Woodland Auto Display/Jason Leffler Memorial Fast Qualifier), Jake Swanson (KSE Racing Products/Keizer Wheels/Rod End Supply Hard Charger), Kyle Larson (Light Up the World Beverages Feature Winner) and Carson Macedo (Don Basile Rookie of the Race).
---------------------------------
USAC NATIONAL/WESTERN STATES MIDGET SERIES RACE RESULTS: November 24, 2016 - Ventura Raceway - Ventura, California - 76th "Turkey Night Grand Prix"
PROSOURCE/WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: 1. Brady Bacon, 76m, FMR-12.277; 2. Kyle Larson, 71w, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.356; 3. Carson Macedo, 71K, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.378; 4. Shane Golobic, 17w, Wood-12.387; 5. Michael Faccinto, 35F, MF-12.425; 6. Damion Gardner, 4k, Klatt-12.458; 7. Gage Walker, 7, Walker-12.460; 8. Rico Abreu, 97k, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.476; 9. Cory Elliott, 11E, Elliott-12.543; 10. Tanner Thorson, 67, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.575; 11. Kevin Thomas Jr., 73T, Ford-12.592; 12. Spencer Bayston, 97, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.595; 13. Ryan Bernal, 73, Ford-12.602; 14. Ronnie Gardner, 68, Six8-12.608; 15. Jake Swanson, 17, Swanson-12,614; 16. Colton Hardy, 4H, Lesher-12.624; 17. Michael Pickens, 25p, Rodela-12.639; 18. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 27, Klaasmeyer-12.654; 19. Tyler Nelson, 47, Mason-12.662; 20. Chad Boat, 84, Tucker/Boat-12.682; 21. Courtney Crone, 25, Rodela-12.712; 22. Jake Hagopian, 14, Hagopian-12.715; 23. Cory Kruseman, 21k, Kruseman-12.721; 24. David Prickett, 122Q, Nichols/Neverlift-12.733; 25. Ryan Greth, 4, Lesher-12.746; 26. Danny Ebberts, 5, Van Dyne-12.754; 27. Holly Shelton, 67k, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.764; 28. Terry Nichols, 1P, Nichols-12.786; 29. Katlynn Leer, 77K, Leer-12.819; 30. Randi Pankratz, 8, Pankratz-12.827; 31, Nick Chivello, 17k, Morris-12.833; 32. Robert Dalby, 4D, Dalby-12.836; 33. Robby Josett, 2, Josett-12.851; 34. Ryan Robinson, 71, Kunz/Curb-Agajanian-12.852; 35. R.J. Johnson, 51, Martin-12.879; 36. Austin Brown, 7B, Brown-12.887; 37. Shon Deskins, 20, Deskins-12.960; 38. Maria Cofer, 57, Cofer-12.984; 39. Austen Figueroa, 49jr, Bach-13.024; 40. Tyler Seavey, 88, Arata-13.059; 41. Chris Ennis, 288, Ennis-13.061; 42. Kyle Smith, 55, Smith-13.071; 43. Zac Taylor, 12k, Kruseman-13.082; 44. Frankie Guerrini, 63, Guerrini-13.082; 45. Nate Wait, 35w, MF-13.097; 46. Tyler Dolacki, 18, Dolacki-13.110; 47. Dylan Ito, 73F. Ford-13.199; 48. Tim Barber, 3T, Finkenbinder-13.233; 49. Tony Everhart, 5T, Everhart-13.319; 50. Kirk Kubik, 32, Kubik-14.223; 51. Bryan Drollinger, 71D, Drollinger-NT; 52. Troy Rutherford, 73x, Ford-NT.
FIRST QUALIFIER: (12 laps) 1. Bernal. 2. Pickens, 3. J.Swanson, 4. Crone, 5. Kruseman, 6. Greth, 7. Chivello, 8. Josett, 9. Shelton, 10. Johnson, 11. Nelson, 12. Deskins, 13. Leer, 14. Taylor, 15. Ito, 16. Figueroa, 17. Ennis, 18. Everhart, 19. Wait. NT
SECOND QUALIFIER: (12 laps) 1. Boat, 2. R.Gardner, 3. Robinson, 4. Klaasmeyer, 5. Dalby, 6. Prickett, 7. Hardy, 8. Dolacki, 9. Guerrini, 10. Barber, 11. Smith, 12. Ebberts, 13. Pankratz, 14. Nichols, 15. Brown, 16. Seavey, 17. Hagopian. 18. Cofer. NT
LAST CHANCE QUALIFIER: (15 laps) 1. Josett, 2. Kruseman, 3. Guerrini, 4. Chivello, 5. Dalby, 6. Dolacki, 7. Nelson, 8. Smith, 9. Ebberts, 10. Deskins, 11. Barber, 12. Johnson, 13. Hardy, 14. Prickett, 15. Shelton, 16. Greth. NT
LIGHT UP THE WORLD BEVERAGES FEATURE: (98 laps) 1. Kyle Larson, 2. Brady Bacon, 3. Carson Macedo, 4. Rico Abreu, 5. Damion Gardner, 6. Tanner Thorson, 7. Shane Golobic, 8. Jake Swanson, 9. Spencer Bayston, 10. Cory Elliott, 11. Kevin Thomas Jr., 12. Ryan Bernal, 13. Ronnie Gardner, 14. Holly Shelton, 15. Chad Boat, 16. Ryan Robinson, 17. Tucker Klaasmeyer, 18. Robert Dalby, 19. Maria Cofer, 20. Robby Josett, 21. Tyler Dolacki, 22. Courtney Crone, 23. Nick Chivello, 24. Frankie Guerrini, 25. Michael Faccinto, 26. Michael Pickens, 27. Randi Pankratz, 28. Cory Kruseman, 29. Gage Walker. NT
----------------------------
**Ennis flipped during the first qualifier. Greth flipped during the second qualifier. Hardy flipped during the second qualifier. Walker flipped on lap 1 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-20 Bacon, Laps 21-98 Larson.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/KEIZER WHEELS/ROD END SUPPLY HARD CHARGER: Jake Swanson (17th to 8th)
DON BASILE "ROOKIE OF THE RACE:" Carson Macedo (3rd)
FINAL USAC NATIONAL MIDGET POINTS: 1-Thorson-1,249, 2-Bayston-1,231, 3-Bacon-1,202, 4-Boat-1,162, 5-Macedo-1,126, 6-Robinson-1,003, 7-Shelton-847, 8-Bryan Clauson-720, 9-Tyler Thomas-714, 10-Greth-582.
FINAL USAC WESTERN STATES MIDGET POINTS: 1-R. Gardner-1,042, 2-Faccinto-873, 3-Elliott-835, 4-Guerrini-772, 5-Crone-713, 6-Cofer-610, 7-Dalby-609, 8-Pankratz-596, 9-Cody Swanson-564, 10-Dolacki-498.
GARDNER GRABS $25 GRAND; TAKES “OVAL NATIONALS” WIN #3 AT THE PAS
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
GARDNER GRABS $25 GRAND;TAKES "OVAL NATIONALS" WIN #3 AT THE PAS
Perris, California November 12, 2016 - On a night in which he had been awarded the hardware of a hard-earned USAC/CRA AMSOIL Sprint Car season title, Damion Gardner collected the biggest single-night reward of his championship season - a $25,000 check and the addition of his name to the list of the only three-time winners in the 21-year history of the Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction at Perris Auto Speedway.
Gardner, of Concord, California, trailed for all of one half-straightaway Saturday night before retaking the lead from Richard Vander Weerd on the back straightaway with 13 laps remaining and cruising to a one-second victory in his Mark Alexander/Scott Sales Company - Weld Racing/Spike/J & D.
Gardner, who also won in 2009 and 2011, joined Bud Kaeding and Dave Darland as the only drivers to capture an "Oval Nationals" crown for a third-time in the richest dirt-track race in the state of California. Furthermore, Gardner kept the Eagle trophy in the hands of a USAC/CRA regular for the first time since Mike Spencer in 2012.
"We worked together really well tonight," Gardner said. "We made some big decisions tonight and did some different things and, ultimately, that's what won us the race. I looked at the track and knew it was going to be middle/bottom. I just didn't know if the top would come late. I knew it would slow down enough on the bottom that the top would come late, but I just wasn't sure when. It's tough being out front for 40 laps because you just don't know where to go. On the same hand, running second or third is tough when you have one of these guys running out front. Getting to them and getting around them is a tough task. I knew I was pretty fast and I knew it was slowing down, but I was getting really good runs off the corner. They gave me a good car and, everywhere it went, it worked. Mark and Steve (Alexander) always talk about having bad luck at the 'Oval Nationals' and I wanted to be the one to turn it around for them. That meant a lot to me."
Bad luck plagued Gardner throughout the early portion of the USAC/CRA schedule. It wasn't until late August when Gardner finally broke through for his first triumph of the season. Prior to this year's campaign, the latest Gardner has gone through a season as a full-time USAC/CRA competitor before scoring his first win was mid-April of 2013, but despite the setback, Gardner and the Alexanders persevered to win five races in the final two-and-a-half months of the season to take their fourth consecutive series title together as a team.
"Mark and Steve and everybody on the team have stuck together and kept digging," a prideful Gardner said. "It's been a tough season, not because we haven't been fast, but because we've had to go to the back I don't know how many times and it wasn't because of our doings. Maybe a couple of them, but we always managed to fight back and have a decent finish. We missed the first race, but we battled back and those guys stuck with me. I knew we could do it, but to win the championship and the 'Oval Nationals' in one year is huge."
In a battle of supremacy between USAC's CRA and National Sprint Car divisions in the season finales for both series, two west coast regulars - Brody Roa and Gardner - occupied the front row for the highest-paying National event on the USAC calendar.
Gardner got the best of Roa on the opening lap as he used the inside line on the back straight to surge ahead before sliding up in front of Roa at the exit of four to take the top spot.
On the second lap, Roa slapped the concrete with the right-side tires on the back straightaway, scrubbing off enough speed to allow Vander Weerd to get by for second.
Following a lap eight yellow flag for Josh Hodges' contact with the wall between turns one and two, the front of the field settled into a groove in the middle of the racetrack, but Vander Weerd peeked at the topside of turns one and two, nearly making it work to his advantage. Gardner hammered the throttle, pointed his front wheels to the sky and shot out in front of Vander Weerd to retain the lead.
Near the midway point, Gardner and the rest of the front runners met the tail-end of lapped traffic. Second-running Vander Weerd and third-place Roa managed to catch Gardner as he became hung up in the gridlock. But, on lap 28, Vander Weerd slipped under Gardner between the first and second turn to spurt to the lead. Gardner instantly countered to the inside of Vander Weerd off turn two to blast back to the front of the pack.
Lappers continued to be a bear, but a lap 33 caution for the slowing car of Chris Gansen gave the front of the field a clear sight ahead for the eight-lap shootout to the finish. However, Gardner could not be contained in the final laps as he distanced himself from second-running Vander Weerd. Although, the surging Chris Windom made a late charge on the cushion to spring from fourth to second past Roa and Vander Weerd on the final lap to grab second.
Meanwhile, up ahead, Gardner took the checkered flag for his first USAC National win since 2012 as well as his record-extending 70th career USAC/CRA victory by 1.040 seconds over Windom, Vander Weerd, Roa and 2016 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champion Brady Bacon.
Chris Windom, of Canton, Illinois, took the runner-up spot in his Baldwin Brothers Racing/Fox Paving - AMSOIL/DRC/Claxton Mopar, finishing off a historic run of results that never saw him finish outside the top-six in any USAC National points-paying race through the last four months of the season.
"I found that line late," Windom admits. "I wish I would've found it a few laps sooner; I think we might've had a shot at it at the end. But Derek Claxton is the best crew chief in the country. He works his butt off every night and so does Billy (Grace). We've been rolling the last half of the year really well. It's unfortunate the season's over; I'd like to keep it going. We'll start back up strong going into Florida next year."
Visalia, California's Richard Vander Weerd led briefly coming out of turn two on lap 28, but in the end, settled for a solid third-place run to follow up Friday night's runner-up finish in his Ron Vander Weerd/Vander Weerd Construction - Stone Gate Development/Maxim/Shark.
"I knew we were in a tough position and I knew it was going to be a hard track to pass on," Vander Weerd explained. "We were able to get to second right at the start. Brody (Roa) pushed a little bit on the first corner and we got around him and then Brady (Bacon) and that got us into second. We just followed Damion (Gardner) for most of the first 30 laps, then I got underneath him and he crossed me back over coming off the top of the corner. He had a little more speed down the back straightaway and he got back underneath me, but I knew lapped traffic would come into play and I knew that was the only way we were going to get back by him. We stayed right with him, but those yellows hurt us. We just got so tight toward the end and, on the last lap, I could hear somebody coming behind me. I thought Chris (Windom) was coming on the inside, but I guess he was running the top. He got me right there at the line. But a third-place finish in the 'Oval Nationals' is awesome!"
Contingency award winners Saturday night at Perris Auto Speedway included Bud Kaeding (ProSource/Woodland Auto Display Fast Qualifier), Chase Stockon (Simpson Race Products/Extreme Mufflers First Heat Winner), Chad Boespflug (Competition Suspension, Inc. (CSI)/DJ Safety Second Heat Winner), Joe Stornetta (Benic Enterprises/Circle Track Performance Third Heat Winner and Wilwood Brakes 13th Place Feature Finisher), Jon Stanbrough (Indy Race Parts/Stand 21 Racer Goes Safer Foundation Fourth Heat Winner), Brody Roa (Keizer Aluminum Wheels Super Six Dash Winner), Kevin Thomas, Jr. and Jake Swanson (Brown & Miler Racing Solutions Semi Winners) and Austin Williams (KSE Racing Products/BR Motorsports/King Racing Products Hard Charger).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL & CRA SPRINT CAR RACE RESULTS: November 12, 2016 - Perris, California - Perris Auto Speedway - 21st Budweiser "Oval Nationals" presented by All Coast Construction
PROSOURCE/WOODLAND AUTO DISPLAY QUALIFYING: (Top 6 in points excluded - No Points) 1. Bud Kaeding, 16, Martin-16.587; 2. Austin Williams, 2, Jory-16.634; 3. Josh Hodges, 17, McGhee-16.645; 4. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-16.665; 5. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 1, Ballou-16.754; 6. Mike Spencer, 4s, Gansen-16.768; 7. Hunter Schuerenberg, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-16.810; 8. Jake Swanson, 92, Sertich-16.851; 9. Chase Stockon, 32, 32 TBI-16.881; 10. Chad Boespflug, 98E, NineEight/EZR-16.903; 11. Joe Stornetta, 3T, Finkenbinder-16.921; 12. Danny Faria, Jr., 17v, Faria-16.956; 13. Isaac Chapple, 52, LNR-16.960; 14. R.J. Johnson, 51, Martin-16.967; 15. Colton Slack, 3F, Finkenbinder-16.979; 16. Jon Stanbrough, 81, Stanbrough-16.994; 17. Ryan Bernal, 56, Phulps-17.093; 18. Logan Williams, 5w, Jory-17.141; 19. A.J. Bender, 21, Bender-17.171; 20. Austin Liggett, 83, Liggett-17.191; 21. Tommy Malcolm, 5x, Napier-17.260; 22. Thomas Meseraull, 42x, Bates-17.270; 23. Troy Rutherford, 4D, Gansen-17.273; 24. Cody Williams, 44, Jory-17.318; 25. Carson Macedo, 42, Cheney-17.345; 26. Aaron Farney, 17GP, Dutcher-17.364; 27. Chris Gansen, 4G, Gansen-17.370; 28. Kyle Edwards, 39E, Edwards-17.476; 29. Max Adams, 5m, Adams-17.546; 30. Parker Colston, 64, Gore-17.548; 31. Jeremy Ellertson, 98, Ellertson-17.730; 32. Cody Majors, 81x, Watt-17.763; 33. Verne Sweeney, 98v, Tracy-17.787; 34. Anthony Lopiccolo, 36, Springstead-17.817; 35. Randy Waitman, Y69, Waitman-17.881; 36. Eddie Tafoya, 51T, Tafoya-17.965; 37. Matt McCarthy, 55, McCarthy-18.227.
SIMPSON RACE PRODUCTS/EXTREME MUFFLERS FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Stockon, 2. Kaeding, 3. Chapple, 4. Bernal, 5. Thomas, 6. Macedo, 7. Adams, 8. Malcolm. NT
COMPETITION SUSPENSION (CSI)/DJ SAFETY SECOND HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Boespflug, 2. Johnson, 3. A. Williams, 4. Spencer, 5. L. Williams, 6. Farney, 7. Colston, 8. Meseraull. NT
BENIC ENTERPRISES/CIRCLE TRACK PERFORMANCE/KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS THIRD HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Stornetta, 2. Schuerenberg, 3. Hodges, 4. Rutherford, 5. Gansen, 6. Bender, 7. Slack, 8. Ellertson. NT
INDY RACE PARTS/STAND 21 RACER GOES SAFER FOUNDATION FOURTH HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Stanbrough, 2. Leary, 3. Faria, 4. Swanson, 5. Liggett, 6. Majors, 7. Edwards, 8. C. Williams. 2:54.53
KEIZER ALUMINUM WHEELS SUPER SIX DASH: (6 laps) 1. Roa, 2. Gardner, 3. Bacon, 4. Vander Weerd, 5. Windom, 6. Darland. NT
BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS FIRST SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Thomas, 2. Hodges, 3. Bernal, 4. Liggett, 5. Chapple, 6. Farney, 7. L. Williams, 8. Majors, 9. Sweeney, 10. Ellertson, 11. McCarthy, 12. Lopiccolo, 13. Tafoya. NT
BROWN & MILLER RACING SOLUTIONS SECOND SEMI: (12 laps) 1. Swanson, 2. Meseraull, 3. A. Williams, 4. Spencer, 5. Gansen, 6. Malcolm, 7. C. Williams, 8. Slack, 9. Edwards, 10. Rutherford, 11. Waitman, 12. Faria. NT
FEATURE: (40 laps) 1. Damion Gardner, 2. Chris Windom, 3. Richard Vander Weerd, 4. Brody Roa, 5. Brady Bacon, 6. Bud Kaeding, 7. Chad Boespflug, 8. Dave Darland, 9. Chase Stockon, 10. R.J. Johnson, 11. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 12. Austin Williams, 13. Joe Stornetta, 14. Jon Stanbrough, 15. Mike Spencer, 16. Austin Liggett, 17. Jake Swanson, 18. Hunter Schuerenberg, 19. Isaac Chapple, 20. Chris Gansen, 21. Aaron Farney, 22. C.J. Leary, 23. Thomas Meseraull, 24. Logan Williams, 25. Max Adams, 26. Josh Hodges, 27. Ryan Bernal. NT
----------------------------
**Macedo and Adams flipped during the first heat. Slack flipped during the third heat. Tafoya flipped during the first semi. Faria flipped during the second semi. Bernal flipped on lap 5 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-40 Gardner.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/BR MOTORSPORTS/KING RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER: Austin Williams (20th to 12th)
FINAL USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Bacon-2676, 2-Stockon-2362, 3-Darland-2251, 4-Windom-2226, 5-Meseraull-2166, 6-Boespflug-2158, 7-Leary-2038, 8-Robert Ballou-1919, 9-Thomas-1419, 10-Farney-1383.
FINAL USAC/CRA AMSOIL SPRINT CAR CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-D. Gardner-1645, 2-Vander Weerd-1473, 3-Roa-1342, 4-Swanson-1320, 5-A. Williams-1254, 6-Spencer-1061, 7-Adams-938, 8-L. Williams-824, 9-C. Williams-759, 10-Gansen-721.
