WINDOM SUBS FOR PIERCE THURSDAY AT WINCHESTER

Winchester, Indiana (July 19, 2022)………USAC Triple Crown Champion Chris Windom will drive the No. 26 AP Driver Development / SamPierceChevrolet.com / LSI Racing Chevy Silver Crown car in this Thursday night's Rich Vogler Classic Presented The Pallet Builder on July 21 at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway.

Windom will be substituting in place for driver Aaron Pierce who had originally planned to compete in the event.  Pierce advised team leadership this morning that he just “didn’t feel well” after dining out on Monday afternoon while relaxing at his home in Florida prior to this week’s race at Winchester.  As of Tuesday afternoon, Pierce feels fine and has been cleared by doctors to compete but feels that handing the reins over to Windom is in the best interest for the SPR team.

“This team is really on it’s a-game now, winning and leading races lately (leading the Little 500, winning at IRP with Tanner Swanson in June and Pierce dominating in Trans Am at Road America earlier in July),” Pierce stated.  “We’ve got (crew chief) Chris (Santucci) coming in to call the race with Dave (Newman) and Rusty (Callahan).  Kaylee (Bryson) is coming to observe – everybody else (SPR staff) has worked so hard to get us fast, and I just don’t want to screw this up for them by not being 100 percent.”

One USAC’s seven Triple Crown champions, Windom (Canton, Ill.) captured the 2016 Silver Crown title, the 2017 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and the 2020 NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship.  He’s also a two-time Indiana Sprint Week titlist (2011 & 2018), an Eastern Storm king (2017 & 2018) and is a two-time winner of the Little 500 (2011 & 2015).

Windom has already visited the SPR shop in Indy and has been fitted to the car and is excited to race at Winchester.  Windom has twice finished inside the top-five in USAC National Sprint Car competition at Winchester, taking a 3rd in 2011 and a 4th in 2008.

Possessing 77 career USAC Silver Crown starts, Windom has won eight times with the series and scored two pole awards while also being named the 2013 Rookie of the Year.

EVENT DETAILS:

Thursday night's Rich Vogler Classic race occurs on the 32nd anniversary of Vogler’s passing in a 1990 USAC National Sprint Car event at Salem (Ind.) Speedway.  Vogler captured nine USAC driving championship in his career: 1978-80-83-86-88 National Midget, 1980 & 89 National Sprint Car and 1984-85 Speedrome Regional Midget.

Vogler’s 171 USAC feature wins rank number one all-time: 96 National Midget, 35 National Sprint, 4 Silver Crown, 17 Regional Midget, 9 Western  States Midget (2 were also National), 5 Arizona Midget (4 were also Western and 1 was also National), 8 Speedrome Midget and 4 Midget Special Event.

Constructed in 1914, these 37 degree banks have hosted the most courageous and lionhearted drivers throughout the past century.  This Thursday, July 22, the bravest of the brave put their mental and physical focus to the test for 100 laps, a distance a USAC event at Winchester hasn’t traveled in a half-century.

The Rich Vogler Classic presented by The Pallet Builder featuring the USAC Silver Crown National Championship takes place on Thursday night, July 21.

USAC Silver Crown rig unloading and parking takes place from 9am-3pm Eastern.  Vintage car parking will be in the display area from 11am-2pm.  Pits open at 2pm with a sweep at 3:40pm.  Spectator gates open at 4pm.  Vintage cars will be on track from 4:10-4:45pm.

Silver Crown practice begins at 5pm.  Vintage cars and the Thunder Roadster heat race will hit the speedway from 6-6:40pm.  Silver Crown qualifying commences at 7pm followed by the Thunder Roadster feature from 7:40-7:50pm.  USAC Silver Crown cars will be gridded on track at 8pm with an autograph session on the front stretch from 8:10-8:25pm, followed by pre-race ceremonies at 8:30pm and the 100-lap Silver Crown main event at 8:45pm.

General admission tickets are $28 for ages 13 & up.  General admission tickets are free for ages 12 and under.  Pit passes are $35 for members and $40 for non-members.  There is no reserved seating.  All tickets will be available at the gate on race day.

The event can be watched live and on-demand at FloRacing | https://flosports.link/3AMU46z.

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RICH VOGLER CLASSIC USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRY LIST:

1 Kody Swanson/Kingsburg, CA (Doran-Dyson Racing)

6 C.J. Leary/Greenfield, IN (Klatt Enterprises)

7 Kyle Robbins/New Castle, IN (KR Racing)

11 (R) Nathan Byrd/Goodyear, AZ (Hamilton-Byrd Racing)

18 Travis Welpott/Pendleton, IN (Welpott Racing)

22 Bobby Santos/Franklin, MA (DJ Racing)

26 Chris Windom/Canton, IL (Sam Pierce)

31 Dave Berkheimer/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)

32 (R) Gregg Cory/Shelbyville, IN (Williams Racing)

39 Matt Goodnight/Winchester, IN (Goodnight Racing)

42 (R) Jake Day/Abilene, Texas (Jake Day)

55 Taylor Ferns/Shelby Township, MI (Taylor Ferns Racing)

67 Kyle O'Gara/Beech Grove, IN (SFHR Development)

81 Brian Tyler/Parma, MI (BCR Group)

91 Justin Grant/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)

92 (R) Mario Clouser/Auburn, IL (Kazmark Motorsports)

94 (R) Mike McVetta/Grafton OH (Dick & Deborah Myers)

99 Eric Gordon/Fortville, IN (Brad & Tara Armstrong)

111 (R) Tom Paterson/Argos, IN (Tom Paterson)

131 Derek Bischak/Angola, IN (Derek Bischak)

222 Logan Seavey/Sutter, CA (Rice Motorsports)

(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year contender