ENTRY LIST: WINCHESTER’S USAC SILVER CROWN RICH VOGLER CLASSIC
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Winchester, Indiana (July 20, 2021)………Three past Rich Vogler Classic winners will take it to the banks this Thursday night, July 22, for the debut of USAC Silver Crown racing at the fabled eastern Indiana half-mile paved oval, Winchester Speedway.
Those three Rich Vogler Classic winners, however, all accomplished their feats when the race was held at central Indiana’s Lucas Oil Raceway.
Winchester is a bit of a different animal with 37-degree banking that stands three stories high with a sign leading to the front straightaway stating, “Through these gates, pass the bravest drivers in the world.” Truer words have never been spoken.
Franklin Massachusetts’ Bobby Santos (2012 & 2017), Shullsburg, Wisconsin’s David Byrne (2014) and Kingsburg, California’s Kody Swanson (2016 & 2019) represent a true coast-to-coast lineup of wheelman. They also represent the Vogler Classic winners in this Thursday’s field.
USAC Silver Crown race winners vying for a first Vogler Classic win include Aaron Pierce (Muncie, Ind.), series point leader Shane Cottle (Kansas, Ill.), reigning Silver Crown champion Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) and Eric Gordon (Fortville, Ind.), twice a USAC National Sprint Car winner at Winchester in 1991 and 1995.
Series Rookies Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.), Nathan Byrd (Goodyear, Ariz.) and Winchester supermodified track record holder Mike McVetta (Grafton, Ohio) are in the field. For McVetta, Thursday will mark his first ever USAC Silver Crown appearance after making his first test in the car one month ago at Ohio’s Sandusky Speedway.
The past three USAC Silver Crown Rookies of the Year are in the lineup. Among them are Fort Collins, Colorado’s Bryan Gossel (2020), Angola, Indiana’s Derek Bischak (2019) and New Castle, Indiana’s Kyle Robbins (2018).
They’ll be joined by series veterans Kyle O’Gara (Beech Grove, Ind.), Patrick Lawson (Edwardsville, Ill.), Austin Nemire (Sylvania, Ohio), Travis Welpott (Pendleton, Ind.), Mike Haggenbottom (Levittown, Pa.), Dave Berkheimer (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) and Matt Goodnight of Winchester, Ind., a born and raised native of the city who grew up as a regular attendee at the Speedway.
On race day, the pits open at Noon ET with the drivers meeting set for 3pm on the front stretch, practice at 4pm, Fatheadz Qualifying at 6pm, a driver’s autograph session at 6:30pm in the midway, driver introductions at 7:45pm, opening ceremonies at 8pm and the 100-lap main event at 8:15pm.
Reserved seats are $30 apiece, while general admission tickets are $20, and just $10 for children aged 6 to 12. Tickets are available in advance at www.winchesterspeedway.com/tickets.
The race will be shown LIVE on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/3frPoW6.
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USAC SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Shane Cottle-162, 2-Kody Swanson-134, 3-Chris Windom-131, 4-Justin Grant-127, 5-Logan Seavey-124, 6-David Byrne-120, 7-Brady Bacon-119, 8-Kyle Robbins-113, 9-Shane Cockrum-112, 10-Mike Haggenbottom-101.
WINCHESTER USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRY LIST:
06 Bryan Gossel/Fort Collins, CO (Bryan Gossel)
1 Kyle O’Gara/Beech Grove, IN (SFHR Development)
2 Patrick Lawson/Edwardsville, IL (Patrick Lawson)
7 Kyle Robbins/New Castle, IN (KR Racing)
11 Nathan Byrd/Goodyear, AZ (Hamilton-Byrd Racing)
16 Austin Nemire/Sylvania, OH (Nemire-Lesko Racing)
18 Travis Welpott/Pendleton, IN (Welpott Racing)
22 Bobby Santos/Franklin, MA (DJ Racing)
24 Mike Haggenbottom/Levittown, PA (John Haggenbottom)
26 Aaron Pierce/Muncie, IN (Sam Pierce)
31 Dave Berkheimer/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)
39 Matt Goodnight/Winchester, IN (Goodnight Racing)
40 David Byrne/Shullsburg, WI (Byrne Racing)
77 Kody Swanson/Kingsburg, CA (Doran Enterprises)
81 Shane Cottle/Kansas, IL (BCR Group)
91 Justin Grant/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)
94 Mike McVetta/Grafton OH (Dick & Deborah Myers)
99 Eric Gordon/Fortville, IN (Brad & Tara Armstrong)
131 Derek Bischak/Angola, IN (Derek Bischak)
222 Logan Seavey/Sutter, CA (Rice Motorsports)
RICH VOGLER CLASSIC WINNERS:
(Winchester Speedway)
1991: Robbie Stanley (Sprint) & Don Schilling (Midget)
1992: Jim Mahoney (Sprint) & Kenny Irwin, Jr. (Midget)
1993: Robbie Stanley (Sprint) & Stevie Reeves (Midget)
1994: Robbie Stanley (Sprint) & Mike Bliss (Midget)
1995: Kenny Irwin, Jr. (Sprint) & Mike Bliss (Midget)
1996: Andy Michner (Sprint) & Tracy Hines (Midget)
1997: Andy Michner (Sprint) & Tracy Hines (Midget)
1998: Chet Fillip (Sprint) & Ricky Shelton (Midget)
1999: Dave Steele (Sprint)
2000: Ryan Newman (Sprint) & Ryan Newman (Midget)
2001: Dane Carter (Midget)
2002: Dave Steele (Sprint)
2003: Michael Lewis (Sprint)
(Indianapolis Speedrome)
2004: Teddy Beach (Midget) & Bryan Clauson (Kenyon Midget)
(Winchester Speedway)
2005: Dave Darland (Sprint)
2006: Bryan Clauson (Sprint)
2007: Marc Jessup (Sprint)
2008: Darren Hagen (Sprint)
2009: Tracy Hines (Sprint)
2010: Shane Hmiel (Sprint)
2011: Tracy Hines (Sprint)
(Indianapolis Raceway Park)
2012: Bobby Santos (Silver Crown) & Tracy Hines (Midget)
2013: Tanner Swanson (Silver Crown) & Tracy Hines (Midget)
2014: David Byrne (Silver Crown)
2015: Tanner Swanson (Silver Crown)
2016: Kody Swanson (Silver Crown)
2017: Bobby Santos (Silver Crown)
2019: Kody Swanson (Silver Crown)
2020: Not Held