VERSATILITY EQUALS SUCCESS AT TERRE HAUTE AND TRI-STATE
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (September 12, 2019)………The Terre Haute Action Track is a large, sweeping half-mile while Tri-State Speedway is a quarter-mile paperclip. One takes roughly 20 seconds to get around and one, is, say, about seven or eight seconds shorter.
There aren’t many similarities you can point to at each Hoosier state track that gives one driver an advantage over another entering this weekend’s races – the Jim Hurtubise Classic at Terre Haute on Friday, September 13, and the Haubstadt Hustler at Tri-State on Saturday, September 14.
However, these two distinctive speedways both require drivers to be on the gas and up on the wheel at all times, true of any track that the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship competes on.
No less than 16 drivers have found victory lane at both Terre Haute and Tri-State with the USAC National Sprint Cars over the years, namely Brady Bacon, Robert Ballou, Steve Butler, Daron Clayton, Dave Darland, Jay Drake, Tony Elliott, Tracy Hines, Rick Hood, Levi Jones, Cory Kruseman, Jon Stanbrough, Chase Stockon, Kevin Thomas, Jr., Chris Windom and J.J. Yeley.
What do these individuals have in common? Well, for starters, let's take a look at the collection of USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car championships this group has racked up. Bacon has two (2014-16), Ballou has one (2015), Butler has four (1986-87-88-90), Darland has one (1999), Drake has one (2004), Elliott has two (1998-2000), Hines has one (2002), Hood has two (1984-85), Jones has five (2005-07-09-10-11), Windom has one (2017) and Yeley has two (2001-03).
Those drivers who've won at both Terre Haute and Tri-State account for nine of the 13 most recent USAC National Sprint Car champions over the past two decades.
The ones who weren't champions with the series are some of the most accomplished drivers of their eras. Clayton has run a partial schedule for the better part of a decade and has never chased a title with USAC. Kruseman is an SCRA champ, USAC/CRA champ, Western States Midget champ and two-time Indiana Sprint Week titlist. Stanbrough ranks ninth on the all-time win list alongside Rich Vogler, but never chased a championship during his illustrious career. Stockon is one of the most consistent drivers of the past decade, finishing in the top-five of the standings in six consecutive years. Thomas, meanwhile, finished runner-up in last year’s title race.
Meanwhile, three-time Terre Haute winner and defending series champ Tyler Courtney has yet to win at Tri-State, nor have the likes of three-time Tri-State winner Kyle Cummins or one-time Tri-State victor Carson Short won at Terre Haute to complete the double-dip. USAC point leader C.J. Leary won three MSCS-sanctioned feature events at Tri-State in 2018, but none yet with the USAC Sprints at either Terre Haute or Tri-State. He’s also with USAC at Terre Haute, but in a Silver Crown car. Justin Grant and Jason McDougal have yet to win at either venue but are consistently strong runners at both. But don't you dare count them out.
Friday’s “Jim Hurtubise Classic” will also have the DIRTcar Modifieds on hand. Pits open at 3pm Eastern, grandstands at 4pm and cars on track at 6:30pm. Adult grandstand tickets are $25 while adult infield tickets are $15. Kids 11 and under are free. Pit passes are $35 apiece.
Saturday’s $10,000-to win “Haubstadt Hustler” will have the UMP Modifieds in action as well. Pits open at 3pm Central, grandstands at 4pm and cars on track at 6pm.Adult general admission tickets are $25, students (ages 13-18) are $20 and 12 and under are free. Pit passes are $35 apiece.
Both of this weekend’s races from Terre Haute and Tri-State will have live, flag-to-flag coverage on FloRacing. You can listen to live audio of the broadcast for free on the USAC app or follow along with live updates on https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/ and https://twitter.com/USACNation/ with live timing and scoring available on both the USAC and Race-Monitor apps.
