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Post by woosprints12 on May 22, 2018 18:28:07 GMT -8
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Post by woosprints12 on May 22, 2018 19:15:58 GMT -8
Veterans Schrader & Swindell Target Hoosier Hundred Eleven rookies on this year’s Hoosier Hundred entry list have the opportunity to learn from two legendary drivers who competed in the USAC Silver Crown Series long before many of them were even born. Two-time Hoosier Hundred race winner Jeff Swindell will be joined by former NASCAR star and 1982 Silver Crown champion Ken Schrader for the 2018 running of the Hoosier Hundred on May 24 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Swindell continues to hold the 60-mile track record set at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in May of 1987 when he drove from the back of the pack to win the Hulman 100. He went on to turn heads that year by setting a world record at Springfield and nearly winning at DuQuoin. His performance led to a full-time ride with Tim Delrose and Bob Galas in 1990, and in ’91 they captured the first of two Hoosier Hundred victories. Swindell was mostly absent from the series after the 1993 season, but returned in ’06 to run at Springfield and DuQuoin for Galas. Swindell came back to Indianapolis in 2010 and ’11, and again in ’16. In ’16 he was marching toward the front when caught up in an accident on lap 84. Later that year he led 55 miles at DuQuoin and finished second and nearly won at DuQuoin last year, showing that there is still gas left in the tank of the Tennessee native. Schrader made his series debut at Terre Haute, ironically driving for Delrose and Galas. The 1979 USAC Stock Car Rookie of the Year and the 1983 USAC Sprint Car champion would eventually go on to become a NASCAR Rookie of the Year and multi-time NASCAR Cup Series winner before scaling back to run dirt tracks and a part-time ARCA schedule. Schrader toyed with the idea of getting back into one of the dirt champ cars back in 2016. The idea became a reality when Springfield, Ill., car owner Dennis McQuinn offered him the seat of the familiar orange No. 14 and Schrader willingly accepted, running both Springfield and DuQuoin. Schrader first appeared on the Indy mile in the 1982 Hulman 100, starting second and finishing third while leading 37 miles. He finished ninth in the 1982 Hoosier Hundred, then won the pole in ’83 and led the first nine laps before blowing an engine in front of the grandstands on lap 33. His best finish in the event came in ’84 when he started seventh and finished there, his last appearance in a dirt car on the fairgrounds mile. He has since, however, won in ARCA stock cars and UMP modifieds at the fairgrounds. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/schrader-swindell-hoosier-hundred-entries/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 24, 2018 10:25:44 GMT -8
Tyler Courtney Tops Tony Hulman Classic Tyler Courtney led the final nine laps of Wednesday night’s 48th annual Tony Hulman Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track. Courtney, aboard the No. 7bc Clauson Marshall Newman Racing sprint car, led the first lap of the historic half-mile dirt track, but gave up the lead to Chase Stockon on lap two. Courtney chased Stockon until making the winning pass on lap 22 of the 30-lap event for the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Championship. Kevin Thomas Jr., who was the fast qualifier for the 23-car field, romped to a second-place finish, while Shane Cottle, Chris Windom and Chase Stockon completed the top five. USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, Terre Haute Action Track, Terre Haute, Ind., May 23, 2018 Feature (30 laps): 1. Tyler Courtney (2), 2. Kevin Thomas Jr. (6), 3. Shane Cottle (1), 4. Chris Windom (10), 5. Chase Stockon (3), 6. C.J. Leary (5), 7. Robert Ballou (11), 8. Justin Grant (14), 9. Brady Bacon (4), 10. Chad Boespflug (8), 11. Jerry Coons Jr. (13), 12. Nick Bilbee (16), 13. Dave Darland (9), 14. Kyle Cummins (7), 15. Isaac Chapple (19), 16. Bill Rose (17), 17. Aric Gentry (23), 18. Brandon Morin (21), 19. Nate McMillin (20), 20. Robert Bell (22), 21. Timmy Buckwalter (15), 22. Jadon Rogers (18), 23. Brandon Mattox (12) Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/tyler-courtney-tops-tony-hulman-classic/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 26, 2018 7:40:26 GMT -8
Three-Straight For Kody Swanson Kody Swanson kept rolling along Friday night at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis. The reigning USAC Silver Crown Series champion charged to his third consecutive victory in the series and his second in as many nights. Swanson, who won Thursday night’s Hoosier Hundred for the fourth consecutive year, drove the DePalma No. 63 to a convincing victory, taking the lead from Bobby Santos on the second lap and pacing the remaining 99 circuits of the .586-mile asphalt oval. Swanson held off his brother, Tanner, who started 22nd, and moved into second on lap 72. “My goodness, multiple times I was three-wide in lapped traffic for the lead,” said Kody Swanson. “Man, I sure hope people enjoyed that. I don’t know how it could get any more nail-biting. If I hadn’t have had both hands on the wheel, I think I would’ve been in the same boat. We survived that and were better after the caution. The longer it went, the tighter I got and, all the while, I have to withstand all these charges knowing Tanner’s still coming and that maybe we hadn’t seen anything yet. “If you even think about making a mistake, Tanner’s going by you,” Swanson noted. “I was fortunate that a couple of the spots played out in my favor and I was able to get clear. I had one spot where I knew he got to my outside. My only move left was to try and stay there on the bottom and do some sort of pick and roll and just hope that the lapped car occupied the space because I had been had.” Aaron Pierce finished third with Santos and Chris Windom rounding out the top five. Swanson holds a 102-point lead over Justin Grant after five races in the series. USAC Silver Crown Series Championship, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Clermont, Ind., May 25, 2018 Qualifications: 1. Tanner Swanson, 02, Bowman-21.010; 2. Kody Swanson, 63, DePalma-21.043; 3. Bobby Santos, 22, DJ Racing-21.083; 4. David Byrne, 40, Byrne-21.258; 5. Derek Bischak, 131, Bischak-21.438; 6. Chris Windom, 17, Nolen-21.451; 7. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-21.503; 8. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-21.518; 9. Jerry Coons Jr., 20, Nolen-21.529; 10. Jim Anderson, 92, Kazmark-21.602; 11. Eric Gordon, 21, Armstrong-21.621; 12. Austin Blair, 96, Blair-21.903; 1 3. Kyle Robbins, 7, KR-21.974; 14. Matt Goodnight, 39, Goodnight-22.073; 15. Dave Darland, 32, Williams/Wright-22.084; 16. Cody Gerhardt, 60, Gerhardt-22.211; 17. Toni Breidinger, 80, Breidinger-22.262; 18. Patrick Lawson, 2, Lawson-22.366; 19. Kyle Hamilton, 6, Klatt-22.385; 20. Travis Welpott, 18, Welpott-22.461; 21. Bill Rose, 66, Rose-22.481; 22. Austin Nemire, 16, Nemire/Lesko-NT; 23. Mike Haggenbottom, 124, Haggenbottom-NT. Feature (100 laps): 1. Kody Swanson (1), 2. Tanner Swanson (22), 3. Aaron Pierce (6), 4. Bobby Santos (2), 5. Chris Windom (4), 6. Justin Grant (5), 7. David Byrne (3), 8. Jim Anderson (8), 9. Eric Gordon (9), 10. Kyle Hamilton (21), 11. Travis Welpott (17), 12. Patrick Lawson (16), 13. Cody Gerhardt (14), 14. Dave Darland (13), 15. Kyle Robbins (11), 16. Toni Breidinger (15), 17. Matt Goodnight (12), 18. Bill Rose (18), 19. Jerry Coons Jr. (7), 20. Derek Bischak (20), 21. Austin Blair (10), 22. Mike Haggenbottom (19). Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/three-straight-kody-swanson/
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Post by woosprints12 on May 31, 2018 17:46:26 GMT -8
It’s All Larson In Midget Week Opener Kyle Larson pulled off the equivalent of a perfect game in Tuesday night’s opening round of Indiana Midget Week at Montpelier Motor Speedway. Larson came in and conquered his mission, tumbling each obstacle along the way by setting fast time, winning his heat and emerging victorious in the night’s 30-lap feature. And he did so by setting new one-lap and 10-lap track records along the way “It kind of all starts with your pill draw,” Larson explained. “The whole night has to be good. (Car owner) Keith (Kunz) drew early for me, which was nice. I got quick time, and in the heat race, I was hoping just to get to the top-four because the field was pretty tough. Our car was really, really good and we were able to get to the lead by the white flag lap. Any time you can get a perfect night or a clean sleep, it’s pretty special.” Larson won the Montpelier round of IMW back in 2016 and set fast time and a one-lap track record in qualifying in 2017. After a flawless preliminary performance, Larson made quick work at the start of the feature from his sixth-place starting position, charging to third by lap three and to second for good by lap nine. During a side-by-side battle with Kevin Thomas Jr., Thomas threw a slider at Larson in turn one. Larson performed a high-wire rope act to perfection, squeaking around the outside of Thomas with space so precious between the pair’s wheels that you couldn’t even slide a dime between the two. “The beginning was a lot of fun,” Larson exclaimed. “(Kevin Thomas, Jr.) and Justin Grant were throwing big bombs at each other and I was able to get by them. KT started sliding me and I was able to get clear of him before the caution came out just prior to getting the lead. I didn’t expect to get to the front that fast, but I’m thankful that I did.” Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian teammate Tucker Klaasmeyer dominated the opening nine circuits from the pole, holding a near-full straightaway lead before the yellow fell for a spin by tenth-running Justin Grant. For the lap-10 restart, some might have expected to see a patented slide job delivered by the second-place driver in turn one. But, Larson had his own plan that paid off. “The restart went perfect,” Larson recalled. “What I was hoping to do was to get a good run down the front straight and be on his bumper into (turn) one when he peeled off to the bottom and I could have some momentum to get up top. I had a lot of speed around the top, nailed the corner pretty good and was able to clear him down the back straight. I tried not to make too many mistakes. I do a good job of getting overly excited and making mistakes, so I tried to stay calm throughout it.” Tyler Courtney was able to hang with Larson close by initially, but over the long haul, Larson gradually extended the lead, extinguishing all possible challengers by race’s end to earn his fifth Indiana Midget Week victory (tied for second with Christopher Bell and four behind all-time leader Bryan Clauson). His 15th career USAC National Midget win ties him with Don Branson and Larry Rice for 45th on the all-time USAC National Midget win list. Following 2.178 seconds behind Larson at the finish were KSE Racing Products Hard Charger Courtney (from 14th), point leader Logan Seavey, Jerry Coons Jr. and Kevin Thomas, Jr. Thomas won the companion non-winged sprint car feature. Feature (30 laps): 1. Kyle Larson (6), 2. Tyler Courtney (14), 3. Logan Seavey (7), 4. Jerry Coons, Jr. (13), 5. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (4), 6. Tanner Thorson (15), 7. Spencer Bayston (9), 8. Zeb Wise (18), 9. Rico Abreu (5), 10. Ryan Robinson (20), 11. Tyler Thomas (17), 12. Brady Bacon (3), 13. Chad Boat (8), 14. Alex Bright (19), 15 Jason McDougal (16), 16. Tanner Carrick (10), 17. Justin Grant (2), 18. Holly Shelton (23), 19. Tucker Klaasmeyer (1), 20. Chase Jones (22), 21. Kyle Craker (11), 22. Brayton Lynch (21), 23. Jake Neuman (12). Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/larson-midget-week-opener/
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Post by Buck on May 31, 2018 18:00:36 GMT -8
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Post by woosprints12 on Jun 3, 2018 6:55:33 GMT -8
Bayston Breaks Through With Win At Lawrenceburg Defending USAC P1 Insurance National Midget Series champion Spencer Bayston finally picked up his first win of the season during Saturday night’s Indiana Midget Week stop at Lawrenceburg Speedway. Bayston started sixth but methodically worked his way through the front-runners, passing polesitter and race-long leader Tyler Courtney with nine laps to go and then holding off the field on a late restart to capture the victory. The win was the third Toyota victory in three completed Indiana Midget Week races. Toyota drivers have won all but two of the 20 national midget car features contested this season across all sanctions. “Any win for this team is a big win, but Indiana Midget Week – besides Chili Bowl – is one of the most hyped up weeks of the year,” noted Bayston. “It’s a big week and everyone comes head-hunting for that top spot at the end. “In order to get that Indiana Midget Week championship, you have to be consistent, but you have to win too. We did that tonight,” Bayston added. “We’re a little behind in points, but it’s a big week and we have a big night tomorrow. We’re going to go back, get washed, get some sleep and head to Kokomo.” Courtney charged to the point from the pole and maintained the lead early on, while battles waged throughout the top five in the first half of the race. After 10 of 30 laps, it was Courtney out in front ahead of Justin Grant, Tanner Carrick, Bayston and Thursday night winner Chad Boat. Bayston quickly made a daring move diving into turn one to pass Grant and Carrick on lap 11, only to have Grant cross back under him for second. Behind them, Boat was able to successfully roll the bottom of the track past Carrick and into the battle for second with Grant and Bayston, as they all began to close on Courtney. As the field passed the midway point, Grant, Bayston and Boat went three-wide for second and Bayston was able to claim the position as he continued to rip the topside of the track. From there, he quickly closed on Courtney, who stayed down low as Bayston went high. The two ran side-by-side on lap 22 before Bayston inched ahead coming to the start/finish line, leading the lap by .054 seconds as Boat moved into third. Just after Bayston claimed the top spot, a caution waved, setting up a restart with eight laps remaining. At that point, the 19-year-old Lebanon, Ind., native took control, pulling away from his pursuers before a final caution period on lap 26. Once again on the restart, Bayston got the jump to take a commanding lead as he pounded the top around the track. Bayston then held off a late charge by Tanner Thorson to become the 10th different Toyota driver to win a national feature event in 2018. “I got to the lead there with eight (laps) to go and the red came out and I got to conveniently sit and talk with Al (Scroggins) and Pete (Willoughby) a little bit about what we needed to be doing and they just told me to focus and run the top,” Bayston explained of the advice he was given in the closing laps. “I was seeing noses and different colors downstairs … and I wasn’t sure who it was, but I just tried to keep tunnel vision and focused on what I was doing so I didn’t beat myself at the end of that race. “We got it done, I feel really good and I’m just so happy for this team,” continued Bayston. “They work so hard and we really haven’t had the greatest week. Hopefully this is a turning point and we can turn it around from here.” Boat finished third ahead of Courtney and Carrick. Brady Bacon, Rico Abreu, Tyler Thomas, Logan Seavey and Kevin Thomas Jr. completed the top 10 at the finish. The finish:Spencer Bayston, Tanner Thorson, Chad Boat, Tyler Courtney, Tanner Carrick, Brady Bacon, Rico Abreu, Tyler Thomas, Logan Seavey, Kevin Thomas Jr., Zeb Wise, Jason McDougal, Ryan Robinson, Tucker Klaasmeyer, Andrew Layser, Ethan Mitchell, Sam Johnson, Matt Moore, Zane Hendricks, Justin Grant, Alex Bright, Brayton Lynch, Jerry Coons Jr., Holly Shelton. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/bayston-scores-first-win-lawrenceburg/
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Post by woosprints12 on Jun 7, 2018 12:18:32 GMT -8
USAC Adds Gas City Date To Sprint Car Schedule USAC has added an event at Gas City I-69 Speedway to the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car schedule on Friday night, Sept. 7. The event is part of a big weekend of USAC racing, which also includes the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series Rich Vogler Classic one night later on Sept 8 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Ind. The events are part of the lead up to the annual running of the Big Machine Vodka 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sept. 9. “Being included as part of USAC’s event schedule during Brickyard 400 week is a great opportunity,” said Gas City Promoter Jerry Gappens. “We look forward to welcoming race fans from around the country and establishing this as one of the biggest, one-night, USAC sprint car races in the country. I want to thank Kevin Miller, Levi Jones and the entire USAC team for working with us in creating this new event.” The quarter-mile dirt oval has been the host of 30 USAC National Sprint Car events since making its debut on the schedule in 2002. Current USAC stars such as Shane Cottle, Dave Darland, Kevin Thomas, Jr., Brady Bacon, Chase Stockon, Tyler Courtney and C.J. Leary have won at the Grant County track over the years. The September date is the latest in the year USAC will have ever visited Gas City, putting championship implications on the line as the season comes down to the wire. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/usac-adds-gas-city-date-to-sprint-car-schedule/
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Post by woosprints12 on Jun 9, 2018 15:50:33 GMT -8
Thomas Gets 99th Win For No. 69 Kevin Thomas Jr. turned in a dominant performance Friday night at I-80 Speedway, winning his third USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series feature of the season and giving the Hoffman family its 99th victory in the series. Thomas set the tone from the earliest stages of the night, notching fast time and a track record in qualifying — the first of four track records set by the field on the night with nary a caution in sight in each of the night’s preliminaries and main event. It was a flawless night overall set forth by a flawless performance from the Cullman, Ala., driver and his Dynamics, Inc./Mean Green – Jonathan Byrd/DRC/Speedway Chevy in the 30-lap feature. “The car just went wherever I needed it to go,” Thomas praised. “The guys are just so in tune with the car right now, with watching the racetrack and keeping up with everything. Just the simplest things that could go wrong, they’re making sure they don’t happen and it’s showing. We’re having good finishes, good qualifying efforts and, we’re even getting lucky drawing the pill to begin the night. Things are going our way. Eventually that stuff ends, but right now, it’s going our way and I’m not going to fight it.” It only took six laps for Thomas to reach the head of the class as Chase Stockon and Brady Bacon battled it out at the front, swapping the lead on numerous occasions until Thomas lurched forward. Thomas first followed Stockon as the two ripped past Bacon on the inside off turn four on the fourth lap. For much of the next two laps, like a vulture circling its prey, Thomas hovered around Stockon, anticipating his next move, searching for the line that would carry him to the forefront. “I’d been watching all the other races throughout the night,” Thomas recalled. “Starting at the beginning of the night, I saw the bottom had a lot of moisture. As hot as it was, it was bound to come in and get pretty good. If the temperatures would’ve been cooler, maybe we wouldn’t have been able to run down there. The sun just baked the top of the track and made it to where it fell off a little bit, but to where there wasn’t much to lean on as what you would’ve thought.” Near the end of lap six, Thomas found the trail, hitched his wagon to it and not once thought about leaving the well-groomed open highway. “I searched around, ran the top one or two times and started to make some gains there on the bottom and never left,” Thomas said. “The car was working perfect down there. I could run in the middle, diamond off three and four and make some good speed down the front straight. It was really slick and icy and there wasn’t much grip to make some speed there, so I had to do something a little different. In three and four, around lap 10, we pulled the front wheels up all the way down the back straight. That just shows how good the car was at that point.” Thomas immediately stretched the lead out to more than four seconds. Tyler Courtney was the lone wolf who appeared to have a chance at mounting a challenge, charging from 12th to second by midway. However, in a race that went green to checkered without a single stoppage, making up ground was impossible. Thomas was never challenged and won by more than five seconds over Courtney, Stockon, Bacon and Dave Darland. Thomas moved into a tie with 1967 USAC National Sprint Car champ Greg Weld for 25th on the all-time series win list with 21 victories. Feature (30 laps – starting positions in parentheses): 1. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (6), 2. Tyler Courtney (12), 3. Chase Stockon (1), 4. Brady Bacon (2), 5. Dave Darland (8), 6. Robert Ballou (10), 7. Nick Bilbee (9), 8. Justin Grant (5), 9. Chad Boespflug (3), 10. Chris Windom (7), 11. Don Droud, Jr. (16), 12. Jarett Andretti (14), 13. Isaac Chapple (13), 14. Brody Roa (11), 15. Tom Harris (15), 16. C.J. Leary (4), 17. Cody Ledger (19), 18. T.J. Artz (22), 19. Ryan Kitchen (17), 20. Terry Richards (21), 21. Wyatt Burks (18), 22. Brandon Stevenson (20) Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/thomas-gets-99th-win-no-69/
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Post by woosprints12 on Jun 17, 2018 5:45:00 GMT -8
Windom Doubles Down In Pennsylvania Chris Windom earned his second consecutive USAC Eastern Storm victory Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway.
Windom, who won Friday night at Williams Grove Speedway, also triumphed for the second straight year at Port Royal, taking the $6,000 victory after exchanging the lead four times with Brady Bacon.
The 30-lap USAC feature saw Windom and Bacon share the front row for the start with Bacon taking the lead over Windom during the early going before the red flag unfurled on just the third lap for a vicious front stretch crash by Trevor Kobylarz.
Kobylarz made contact with the outside wall and flipped in front of the grandstand but escaped injury.
Four more laps were recorded before a yellow flag bunched the field with Bacon still in control over Windom but it wasn’t until lap 12 that the front duo began battling fiercely for control.
Windom blasted under Bacon in the first turn on the 12th lap to slide up and snag the lead but just that quick Bacon dropped off of the cushion and rallied to Windom’s inside racing down the backstretch to regain control by bolting inside in the third turn and driving up to get the lead back.
The next time into turn one, Windom again pulled the same move for control and likewise Bacon again did the same thing as he had done the lap prior and he again dropped off of the cushion, drove a lane lower under Windom on the backstretch and blasted back into control entering the third turn.
After that Bacon stayed just far enough out of Windom’s reach to begin looking like he had a shot at the win only to suddenly slow with 13 laps to go, relinquishing control to Windom just as Jarrett Andretti hit the wall in the second turn.
Sixth starter Kevin Thomas Jr., the night’s fast timer in qualifications, tussled with Windom on the restart, but gradually the smooth-running Windom started to get away on the cushion.
Windom rode the cushion to the victory in the end by .698 seconds over Thomas with Tyler Courtney ending up third.
Feature (30 laps – starting positions in parentheses): 1. Chris Windom (1), 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (6), 3. Tyler Courtney (4), 4. Robert Ballou (5), 5. Dave Darland (10), 6. Chase Stockon (7), 7. Justin Grant (12), 8. Chad Boespflug (9), 9. Timmy Buckwalter (16), 10. C.J. Leary (17), 11. Jerry Coons, Jr. (11), 12. Brady Bacon (2), 13. Isaac Chapple (18), 14. Matt Westfall (15), 15. Jarett Andretti (8), 16. Tony DiMattia (14), 17. Joey Biasi (21), 18. Carmen Perigo (20), 19. Kyle Moody (22), 20. Thomas Meseraull (3), 21. Robert Bell (23), 22. Zach Daum (13), 23. Trevor Kobylarz (19).
Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/windom-doubles-pennsylvania/2/
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Post by Buck on Jul 26, 2018 19:15:24 GMT -8
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Post by woosprints12 on Aug 19, 2018 7:49:40 GMT -8
Windom Charges Late For Bettenhausen 100 Victory Chris Windom won Saturday’s Bettenhausen 100 USAC Sillver Crown Championship race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Windom made the winning move on the backstretch, passing Kevin Thomas Jr. on lap 92. He led the rest of the way and posted a 10-length advantage for the victory. Thomas finished second after leading 42 laps, while defending race winner Justin Grant took third ahead of Jacob Wilson and pole starter Jerry Coons Jr. FEATURE (100 laps): Windom, Thomas, Grant, Wilson, Coons, Robbins, Liguori, Nemire, Moughan, Byrne, Bacon, Haggenbottom, Dyson, Urish, Gamester, Burch, Welpott, Bland, Goodnight, Courtney, Swindell, Leary, Cockrum, Shepherd, Darland, Swanson, Petrozelle, Rose, Lawson, Tyler, Babb. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/windom-charges-late-bettenhausen-100-victory/
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Post by woosprints12 on Sept 1, 2018 8:41:05 GMT -8
Courtney Gets No. 9 With Tri-City Romp Tyler Courtney romped to his ninth USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series victory of the season in Friday night’s River Town Showdown at Tri-City Speedway. Courtney led the final 21 laps and warded off an all-out assault from Brady Bacon and Kevin Thomas Jr. during the final laps to score his 15th career series win aboard the Clauson Marshall Newman Racing/Priority Aviation – Competition Suspension, Inc./Spike/Rider Chevy. Courtney rolled off from the fourth-starting position, while C.J. Leary rocketed around the outside of pole sitter Chase Stockon to occupy the top spot off turn two on the opening lap, where he would remain for the first nine circuits. On the 10th lap, Courtney seized the opportunity, diving to the bottom of turn one and sliding up in front of Leary to capture the lead. Leary surged back toward Courtney and the two made contact off the exit of turn two, sending Courtney sideways down the back straightaway. Courtney recovered as Leary made an attempt to reclaim his once-owned land up front to no avail. Following a yellow for Kyle Stearns losing a wheel on his machine with 10 laps complete, Courtney was dominant up front with a clear track ahead of him after the lap-11 restart, breaking away to a 1.5-second advantage in the ensuing laps. Meanwhile, a jostling of position took place just behind with Bacon slipping by Leary for second off turn two on the 14th lap and, moments later, Thomas getting around Leary for third. With less than 10 to go, Courtney began to find himself mired in a minefield of traffic. As the heart rate began to race and the interval began to shrink, the plot thickened. One false step and the race could be handed over to the surging Bacon. Courtney took every action and reaction he could to stay afloat, splitting between the lapped cars of Daron Clayton and Mario Clouser entering turn one with six laps remaining to create some sorely-needed separation and buy a little bit of time. “The lapped cars didn’t want to go a lap down,” Courtney recalled. “They’re racing and doing their job. It’s part of it. You have to get around them and just hope that you get around them at the right time and hope the guy behind you is going to struggle as well. Tonight, that wasn’t the case. Once I got around him, he seemed to be right on my butt.” With four laps to go, Courtney drifted into turn one to split between lappers Isaac Chapple and Jadon Rogers. As Courtney swung wide, Bacon was glued to the bottom and found the drive to surge ahead to the lead briefly. Moments later, at the exit of two, Courtney looked like a rock in a slingshot, finding the grip to blast back past Bacon around the outside of the back straight to retake the lead. Courtney felt like somebody, namely Bacon, was watching him and his every move, so he figured he’d better take action sooner rather than later. “I knew someone had to be close because I wasn’t getting through (turns) one and two very well, but I didn’t know what else to do,” Courtney replayed. “He showed me a nose there and I thought he was running all the way at the bottom. So, I went down to the bottom and he drove around me on the outside. I was kind of like, ‘man, I don’t know what to do here.’ Luckily, we had a yellow there where I could regroup and look at the track a little better. I knew I was going to have to protect and I knew the (Thomas) was going to race (Bacon) really hard, which, obviously, played in our favor.” One lap later, the two switched roles entering turn one. Courtney stuck to the bottom and Bacon swept out wide from the bottom of one to the top of two. Bacon found the traction on the topside of the exit of turn two to pull ahead entering the third turn, but Courtney slid up in front of Bacon to maintain the top spot just as the yellow flew for an incident involving fifth-place running Justin Grant and Clouser between turns one and two, setting up one final restart. “Three laps are a lot with the guys we got in the series right now,” Courtney admitted. “I knew they were going to have to be three perfect ones.” Courtney got a good jump on the field, but it was Thomas who was the one to watch down the stretch as he put himself right into contention for the victory, shooting past Bacon off turn four with two laps to go, then running down and applying some serious pressure to Courtney. Courtney admits those final laps following the restart weren’t exactly perfect, but they got the job done, holding off one final attempt by Thomas into turn three on the final go-around to win his ninth race of the year over Thomas, Bacon, Robert Ballou and Dave Darland. Courtney became only the second driver in the last 15 seasons to have nine USAC National Sprint Car wins before the end of August and the first since Ballou’s nine at this same juncture in 2015. Courtney became the newest series point leader by a single marker over Windom. Just six points behind the leader in the third position is Thomas in one of the closest point races in the history of the sport. Paul Nienhiser won the companion MOWA sprint car feature. Feature (30 laps – starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tyler Courtney (4), 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (6), 3. Brady Bacon (5), 4. Robert Ballou (9), 5. Dave Darland (11), 6. Chris Windom (3), 7. Zach Daum (12), 8. Justin Grant (7), 9. Chase Stockon (1), 10. Joe B. Miller (16), 11. Isaac Chapple (13), 12. Daron Clayton (22), 13. Chet Williams (18), 14. Mario Clouser (17), 15. Kent Schmidt (15), 16. Jadon Rogers (14), 17. Steve Thomas (19), 18. Jason McDougal (8), 19. Wade Seiler (20), 20. C.J. Leary (2), 21. Mitch Wissmiller (10), 22. Kyle Stearns (21). Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/courtney-gets-no-9-with-tri-city-romp/
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Post by woosprints12 on Sept 2, 2018 7:18:43 GMT -8
Jason McDougal Is Surprise USAC Winner Jason McDougal put his Daigh-Phillips Motorsports DRC-Foxco Chevy on the rail and outdueled Kevin Thomas Jr. on the final restart with five laps remaining to pick up his first USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory Saturday night at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55. In May, McDougal moved from Oklahoma to Indiana and became roomates with Thomas and his wife, Whitney. Ironically, it was Thomas he held off to win on night two of the Brandt River Town Showdown. “It was actually his idea for me to be here,” McDougal explained. “He gave me this opportunity, honestly, to be doing this right now. Without him, I wouldn’t be here. I know he’s down on himself right now for losing, but I know, deep down, he’s proud.” McDougal held the point on the opening lap by mere inches as he tussled to and fro with Chase Stockon for the first three laps, with Stockon emerging at the forefront as an incident in turn three shook up the look at the front when Thomas and Robert Ballou made contact battling for third. Thomas took a hop, skip and a jump before landing on all fours and motoring on. Meanwhile, Ballou took the worst of it, sliding sideways to a stop in the middle of turn three. He restarted from the tail and made a miraculous charge back through the field to a third-place finish by race’s end. By lap 12, the leaders had hit traffic. It took precision for Thomas to thread the eye of the needle between Stockon and the lapped car of Chuck Walker in turn three on lap 13 to grab the lead. Stockon went down swinging, racing back to the bottom, wheel-to-wheel with Thomas until Thomas secured the position. McDougal steadily worked his way back toward the front, to fourth by lap 18 and to third by the 19th lap behind Thomas and now Courtney, who threw multiple figurative punches at Thomas with a slider in turn one on the 21st lap to take the lead before Thomas returned the favor in turn four to reclaim the spot later that same lap. On the 25th lap, one of the most frightening incidents of the season occurred as Walker climbed the front straightaway wall and got into the catch fencing in turn one, tearing down several posts and links as he helicoptered across the track upside down with pieces and parts of his yellow race car strewn about the property. Walker climbed out of the wreckage and walked away under his own power with a severely damaged machine. The carnage resulted in a nearly one-hour red flag. McDougal and the team decided not to make a single mechanical change during the open red, but there was a benefit to it all for McDougal that wasn’t associated with bringing out any tools or tool accessories. “Honestly, having that long red kind of helped,” McDougal said. “I was getting a little tired on that long green run. I knew I had to concentrate, hit my marks and not worry about what everyone else was going to do. We had it rolling pretty good early and we were trying the top. After the first couple of laps, it seemed like it went right around the bottom and I fell back, then the top picked back up. We were pretty consistent all night around the top.” While Thomas stayed tried and true to the bottom of the track, McDougal simply threw caution to the wind and ripped the top with relentless abandon, surging past Thomas with four laps to go. McDougal was flawless with the laps dwindling and wouldn’t be denied on this particular night, bringing home his first checkered flag with USAC. New series point leader, by one, Thomas, finished second ahead of Ballou, Courtney and Justin Grant. It was only McDougal’s fourth USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car race in the No. 71p for Steve and Carla Phillips. Feature (30 laps – starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jason McDougal (2), 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (4), 3. Robert Ballou (3), 4. Tyler Courtney (6), 5. Justin Grant (11), 6. C.J. Leary (8), 7. Dave Darland (7), 8. Chris Windom (10), 9. Chase Stockon (1), 10. Korey Weyant (18), 11. Isaac Chapple (9), 12. Mario Clouser (14), 13. Jadon Rogers (13), 14. Chet Williams (17), 15. Scottie Gretzmacher (16), 16. Patrick Budde (21), 17. Adam Parmeley (22), 18. Wade Seiler (19), 19. Chuck Walker (20), 20. Brady Bacon (5), 21. Joe B. Miller (12), 22. Mitch Wissmiller (15). Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/jason-mcdougal-surprise-usac-winner/
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Post by woosprints12 on Sept 23, 2018 7:57:53 GMT -8
Courtney Gets No. 10 In 4-Crown Sprint Tyler Courtney became only the 10thdriver in history to win 10 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series features in a single season when he topped the sprint car portion of Saturday’s 37thannual 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway. However, the ride to get there on this night was a tad turbulent early on as the team ran into mechanical issues that forced them to swap out the engine for another bullet following qualifying. It did the trick as Courtney walloped the competition in his heat race, then proceeded to decimate the field for much of the 30-lapper in his Clauson Marshall Newman Racing/Priority Aviation – Competition Suspension, Inc./Spike/Rider Chevy until having to hold off a late surge from C.J. Leary. Courtney started from the pole, but it was 2007 4-Crown USAC sprint car winner Robert Ballou who eked into the lead from his outside front row starting spot to lead the opening lap with Leary and Courtney in tow. Leary and Courtney were battling for second when Courtney rolled around the outside of Leary. Leary clipped the turn-two wall and spun. He restarted from the tail. Following the restart, Courtney slid past Ballou entering the third turn. Ballou countered with an uppercut to the chin and clung to his grip of the lead as the pair crossed the line. Courtney reloaded and fired his next shot, sliding to the lead past Ballou entering turn one. By lap 10, Courtney’s advantage was a full straightaway. Ballou’s bid to get back into the game hit a literal snag on the 14th lap when he clipped the turn two outside wall and spun around to a stop, ending his evening earlier than anticipated. That moved Justin Grant into second where he and the hard-charging Leary took a full head a steam at running down Courtney. Grant found the demise of his night in the same spot that took caught Leary and Ballou earlier in turn two. Grant’s car churned against the concrete along the back straight before grinding to a halt with four laps remaining. Leary was in second behind Courtney for the lap-27 restart, but a challenge to Courtney’s throne was discarded almost immediately as Courtney blitzed to a good jump when action resumed. The only race for position was behind Courtney as Leary, Kevin Thomas Jr. and Isaac Chapple roamed three wide at times for the runner-up position. It was all to Courtney’s advantage, however, as he drove away to his 10th series win of the year and joined Jack Hewitt, Kyle Larson, Jerry Coons, Jr. and Dave Darland as the fifth driver to win in a midget, sprint car and Silver Crown car during his 4-Crown career. Leary finished second ahead of Chapple, who scored a career-best third-place result. Point leader Thomas was fourth ahead of Chris Windom. Tom Bigelow (14 wins), J.J. Yeley & Robert Ballou (13), Larry Dickson (12), Pancho Carter (12), Bubby Jones (11), Dickson, Carter and Jay Drake (10) all won 10 or more races in a season. Feature (30 laps – starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tyler Courtney (1), 2. C.J. Leary (4), 3. Isaac Chapple (10), 4. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (5), 5. Chris Windom (3), 6. Chase Stockon (7), 7. Dave Darland (14), 8. Nick Bilbee (19), 9. Dickie Gaines (16), 10. Brady Bacon (9), 11. Carmen Perigo (15), 12. Shane Cottle (21), 13. Dakota Jackson (11), 14. Matt Westfall (18), 15. Dustin Ingle (17), 16. Ty Tilton (20), 17. Justin Grant (6), 18. Jason McDougal (12), 19. Robert Ballou (2), 20. Aric Gentry (22), 21. Timmy Buckwalter (13), 22. Jacob Wilson (8). Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/courtney-gets-no-10-4-crown-sprint/
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Post by woosprints12 on Sept 23, 2018 8:00:58 GMT -8
4 Crown Nationals Highlights.
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bluegrass
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Post by bluegrass on Nov 23, 2018 16:39:09 GMT -8
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Post by Buck on Nov 26, 2018 12:38:39 GMT -8
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Post by woosprints12 on Feb 5, 2019 16:40:57 GMT -8
TMC To Support Elledge During USAC Midget Campaign TMC Transportation will serve as the primary sponsor for Karsyn Elledge during multiple USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series events this year. TMC Transportation is familiar to dirt racing die-hards. Harrold Annett, the chairman and CEO of TMC, fielded teams adorned in TMC’s black and chrome across various divisions of short track racing, including a decorated sprint car team from the 1970s through the late 1990s for drivers such as Mike Brooks and Sammy Swindell. From 1988 through 1993, Swindell piloted the TMC entry to 145 feature wins, including the Short Track Nationals in 1990, the Syracuse Dirt Nationals in 1990 and ’91, the Kings Royal at Eldora Speedway, the inaugural Asphalt Nationals at Kansas City’s Lakeside Speedway and 89 World of Outlaws victories. That same livery will adorn Elledge’s No. 1 Tucker-Boat Motorsports entry in select events. “Karsyn is a terrific up-and-coming driver from a great racing family who we believe will be a tremendous representative for TMC Transportation,” said Annett. “We’re happy to have the opportunity to return to dirt racing and look forward to cheering on Karsyn.” Also pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice at IUPUI, Elledge joins the USAC ranks with two Box Stock Class championships, the 2015 Open Class Rookie of the Year award and over 40 feature wins in Outlaw Karts on her record. After competing in select POWRi midget races and the 2019 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, she now embarks on her first full midget racing season. “The history that TMC carries in dirt racing is so incredible and something I have always admired,” said Elledge, the granddaughter of NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt. “To be able to represent their company is a dream come true for me. I’m grateful for Chad Boat, Billy Boat, TMC and everyone that is making this season possible for me. I’m excited to get on track.” “We are thrilled to have Karsyn and an iconic brand like TMC join Tucker-Boat Motorsports for the 2019 season,” said Chad Boat, co-owner of Tucker-Boat Motorsports. “TMC is well known in the racing industry and it will be an honor to have them on board our No. 1 Spike/Toyota-powered midget. The entire team looks forward to seeing Karsyn develop as a driver throughout the year.” Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/tmc-support-elledge-usac-midget-campaign/
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Post by woosprints12 on Apr 3, 2019 13:34:23 GMT -8
No More Racing At Indiana State Fairgrounds Dirt Mile
The tradition of racing at the Indiana State Fairgrounds one-mile dirt track is coming to an end. The Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center has announced that the Indiana State Fairgrounds one-mile dirt track will be converted from a dirt surface to an all-weather track made of crushed limestone to be utilized for year-round harness training and parking for the Indiana State Fair. As a result, auto racing events will no longer be held on the famed one-mile track following the 2019 Hoosier Hundred. The 64th running of the 100-mile, 100-lap race, scheduled for Thursday, May 23, will be the last running of the event at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. “USAC, Track Enterprises, Bob Sargent and I have been in meetings with the Fairgrounds staff and in discussion for the last two years about any way to keep auto racing at the historic one-mile oval,” USAC Series Coordinator Levi Jones explained. “To no avail, the economics of the horse industry and their desire to use the one-mile track year-round instead of the half-mile currently in the infield won out in the end.” USAC and Track Enterprises are currently exploring possible venues that could host the Hoosier Hundred for the 2020 season and beyond. The history of Indiana State Fairgrounds dirt mile dates back more than a century. On June 20, 1903, Barney Oldfield drove a Henry Ford-designed “999” to the first sub-one-minute lap ever on a one-mile racetrack at 59.6 seconds. In 1917, Oldfield, the 1905 AAA National Champion, prevailed in a match race versus 1915 Indianapolis 500 winner Ralph DePalma. In 1946, under the AAA National Championship banner, the one and only Indianapolis 100 was held, with Rex Mays taking the victory. Seven years later, in 1953, a new, long-lasting tradition began with the inaugural running of the “Hoosier Hundred” won by Bob Sweikert. The Hoosier Hundred has been held annually since 1953, with only a handful of interruptions due to inclement weather. It remains one of the oldest, most tradition-rich racing events on the planet. Many of its winners have gone to achieve legendary status in auto racing with a list that includes A.J. Foyt and Mario Andretti who are among the seven drivers to have won both the Hoosier Hundred and the Indianapolis 500 in their careers along with Bob Sweikert, Jimmy Bryan, Rodger Ward, Parnelli Jones and Al Unser. This year, Kody Swanson has an opportunity to make even more history as he aims for an unprecedented fifth-straight Hoosier Hundred victory. The four-time USAC Silver Crown titlist has won the previous four events to tie Unser’s streak of four-straight “Hoosier Hundred” wins between 1970-73. Over the years, the Indy Mile has been home to a myriad of USAC racing events, including Sprint Car, Midget and Stock Car races. In the early-1980s, the Hulman Hundred for Silver Crown cars was created, which was added to the schedule as a second annual race for the series at the track each year from 1981-1995. The Hulman Hundred was annually held in May while the Hoosier Hundred was scheduled for September in that era, until 1996 when the Hulman Hundred was discontinued. The Hoosier Hundred then moved to May where it remains today, except for a couple rainouts in the early 2000s that were rescheduled for later that same year. Source: speedsport.com/sprints-midgets/usac/indiana-state-fairgrounds-dirt-mile-close/
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