LEARY AND COURTNEY REPRESENTING HOME STATE PRIDE IN USAC SPRINT POINTS

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

San Tan Valley, Arizona (November 14, 2019)……..While the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car title race enters this weekend’s 52nd annual Western World Championships presented by San Tan Ford at Arizona Speedway with a separation of just 44 points between C.J. Leary and Tyler Courtney, there’s one aspect between them that is a fair amount more rare than one would’ve thunk.

As it stands now, the top two spots in the standings are inhabited by Indiana-born drivers, something that’s only finished that way three times in the 64-year history of USAC and not since two decades ago.

Leary (Greenfield, Indiana) and Courtney (Indianapolis, Indiana) were each born and raised in the Hoosier state.  If they wind up finishing top two in the final standings, they will have followed in the footsteps of those in the past who’ve represented their state with pride by taking a stranglehold of the first two slots on the USAC National Sprint Car standings.

Pancho Carter, more known for being a resident of Indiana and California throughout his career, was actually born in Racine, Wisc. while his parents were en route to the AAA National Championship race at the Milwaukee Mile in June of 1950.  He and Whitewater, Wisconsin’s Tom Bigelow shared the first two spots in the points in both 1974 and 1976 with Pancho getting the edge each time.

Ohioans Larry Dickson and Rollie Beale ran one-two sandwiched between those two years in 1975.  More than a decade-and-a-half later, in 1991, Robbie Stanley and Eric Gordon became the very first Indiana duo to accomplish the feat.  Stanley’s third consecutive series championship in 1993 came with fellow Hoosier Tray House finishing in the runner-up spot.

Brian Tyler and Doug Kalitta represented the state of Michigan well in 1996 with first and second-place finishes in the final tally.  Dave Darland and Tracy Hines became the third and most recent Indiana pairing to finish in the top-two to close out the decade of the 1990s in 1999.

In the 2000s, Californians Jay Drake and Bud Kaeding became the first from west of the Mississippi River to lock down first and second in the standings while Levi Jones and Chris Windom waved the Illinois banner proudly with first and second in 2011.

Both this Friday and Saturday night, pits open at 2pm Mountain, grandstands at 3pm, drivers meeting at 4:30pm, and cars on track at 5:30pm.  Adult tickets are $30-$35, seniors are $30-$35, kids 11 and under are $15, adult pit passes are $40, kids 7-12 pit passes are $20, kids 6 and under pit passes are $10.

A practice night begins the festivities on Thursday, November 14.  Adult pit passes are $30, kids 7-12 pit passes are $10 and kids 6 and under pit passes are free.

If you are unable to make it to the track, all the action can be watched live on FloRacing, listened to live on the USAC app with live timing and scoring available on both the USAC and Race-Monitor apps.

TOP-TWO IN USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR POINTS

(Born in Same State)

1974: Duane "Pancho" Carter & Tom Bigelow (Wisconsin)

1975: Larry Dickson & Rollie Beale (Ohio)

1976: Duane "Pancho" Carter & Tom Bigelow (Wisconsin)

1991: Robbie Stanley & Eric Gordon (Indiana)

1993: Robbie Stanley & Tray House (Indiana)

1996: Brian Tyler & Doug Kalitta (Michigan)

1999: Dave Darland & Tracy Hines (Indiana)

2004: Jay Drake & Bud Kaeding (California)

2011: Levi Jones & Chris Windom (Illinois)