THIS DATE IN USAC HISTORY: MAY 13

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Speedway, Indiana (May 13, 2020)………Elliott tames Tri-State, Ballou makes a historic comeback and Amick wins outdoors, all of which happened on this day, May 13, in USAC's National Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown history.

George Amick captured the victory in the first ever USAC National Midget race held outdoors in Indiana during USAC’s inaugural year of 1956, a grueling 50-lap feature on the high banks of Salem Speedway aboard Johnny Pawl’s No. 18.

Bob Wente was the victor in USAC’s only midget race held at Glen Este Speedway, located near Cincinnati, Ohio, during the 1962 season.

On May 13, 1972 at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Tom Bigelow won the second of his 52 career USAC National Sprint Car feature wins, a record that stood for more than three decades until broken by Dave Darland in 2014, but still stands as the second-best of all-time.

Eric Gordon won on this date in 1990 at IRP, his second career USAC Sprint Car win and his first of three he’d go on to win with the series at the .686-mile paved oval.  Dan Drinan (Midget) and Tony Stewart (Sprint), meanwhile, took each end of a USAC Midget/Sprint doubleheader at IRP in 1995.

Tony Elliott tamed The Class Track at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind. on May 13, 2001.  Robert Ballou returned from serious neck and back injuries suffered the prior September in a Sprint Car crash at California’s Calistoga Speedway to win in his second start back at Eldora Speedway on this date in 2017, in one of the more miraculous comebacks in series history.

MAY 13 USAC NATIONAL WINNERS: (Through 2019)

1956: George Amick, USAC Midget at Salem Speedway – Salem, Ind.

1962: Bob Wente, USAC Midget at Glen Este Speedway – Glen Este, Ohio

1972: Tom Bigelow, USAC Sprint at Indianapolis Raceway Park – Clermont, Ind.

1990: Eric Gordon, USAC Sprint at Indianapolis Raceway Park – Clermont, Ind.

1995: Dan Drinan, USAC Midget at Indianapolis Raceway Park – Clermont, Ind.

1995: Tony Stewart, USAC Sprint at Indianapolis Raceway Park – Clermont, Ind.

2001: Tony Elliott, USAC Sprint at Tri-State Speedway – Haubstadt, Ind.

2017: Robert Ballou, USAC Sprint at Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio