RICH VOGLER CLASSIC BRINGS USAC BACK TO WINCHESTER ON MAY 9

WINCHESTER, Ind. – The Rich Vogler Classic on Sunday, May 9th marks the much-anticipated return of USAC to Winchester Speedway after a near decade hiatus from the legendary facility.  The event will also mark the debut of USAC’s prestigious and historic Silver Crown Series at Winchester Speedway.

The 2021 version of the Rich Vogler Classic will celebrate open wheel racing’s rich history at the “World’s Fastest Half Mile” while paying homage to the legendary life and career of one of motorsport’s greatest talents, the late Rich Vogler.  The afternoon 100 lap main event will showcase the beauty and blazing speed of the renowned Silver Crown machines while testing the bravery and skill of some of the world’s best drivers upon the fabled high banks of Winchester.

Tickets for the Rich Vogler Classic are available online now at www.winchesterspeedway.com/tickets.

The event is a co-promotion between Winchester Speedway and Elite Racing Promotions, which was formed in 2019 by Brady and Xia Xianna Bacon.

“I am extremely excited about the Rich Vogler Classic. Winchester Speedway is a special place to my family and we are honored to play a role in bringing USAC racing back to the high banks,” said 3-time USAC National Sprint Car Champion Brady Bacon, who coincidently lives in Winchester, IN.

“When Charlie Shaw(track owner) first spoke to me about helping Winchester Speedway I said we need to bring USAC back to the Fastest Half Mile,” said Bob Dillner, Promoter of Winchester Speedway.  “I had spoken to Levi (Jones - USAC) earlier in 2020 and then Brady called in the fall of last year.  We are honored to be working with the Bacon family on this venture because they bring a wealth of knowledge and excitement to this event to honor the legacy of a legendary racer like Rich Vogler.”

The Rich Vogler Classic on Sunday, May 9 will serve at the season opener for the USAC Silver Crown Series.

Winchester’s USAC story began in the inaugural year of the club’s existence, in 1956, when Elmer George scored a 30-lap victory that May aboard Mari George’s HOW Racing No. 21.The event was the start of long storied relationship between the track and series which has resulted in 143 USAC National Sprint Car races held at the track.  That late large number of events still ranks Winchester Speedway as the third most all-time with the series.  The Fastest Half Mile has also hosted51 USAC National Midget events held between 1958 & 2000.

USAC’s most recent visit to Winchester Speedway came during the 2011 season when USAC Triple Crown champion Tracy Hines notched the 30-lapper in his own No. 4.  It was just two years prior to that, in 2009, when Hines set a new one-lap track record for a USAC Sprint Car around, not only Winchester, but all half-mile racetracks with a blistering lap of 13.964 sec., just a tick under an astounding clip of129 mph.

Joining the USAC Silver Crown Series at Winchester Speedway on Sunday, May 9 will be the Midwest Old Timers Vintage Racing Club which will feature many open-wheel cars.  Fans will be able to witness the progression of the open-wheel machines through the decades when they hit the high banks of the speedway.

For more information regarding the event, please visit the track’s website at winchesterspeedway.com.  You can follow @FastestHalfMile on Twitter and Instagram and be sure to like the Winchester Speedway Facebook page.  For additional info on the USAC Silver Crown Series, go to www.usacracing.com.