RAZOR THIN MARGINS: USAC’S CLOSEST FINISHES OF 2023
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (November 28, 2023)………Justin Grant’s last lap pass of Robert Ballou during the Indiana Sprint Week opener at Gas City I-69 Speedway in July proved to be the closest finish of the USAC national season in 2023.
The 0.005 sec. margin recorded by Grant (Ione, Calif.) that night at Gas City was the closest finish in USAC competition since, incidentally enough, the Gas City round of Indiana Sprint Week four years earlier in 2019 featuring Kansas, Illinois driver Shane Cottle’s narrow triumph over C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.).
This year’s USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Champion, Grant, was the only driver to earn multiple victories in 2023 that ranked among the top-10 closest of the year with a 0.169 second score over Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) in April at Indiana’s Tri-State Speedway also ranking fourth overall among the 75 events contested this season.
USAC Sprint Car races ranked one-two-three in the category of closest finishes this year. The closest Silver Crown showdown of the 2023 slate was also the highest ranking pavement race on the docket at number five in the countdown of close calls featuring Boise, Idaho racer Davey Hamilton Jr.’s triumph over Bobby Santos (Franklin, Mass.) by 0.169 sec.
The top ranked tightest USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship showing of 2023 was also the season finale where Kyle Larson beat Corey Day to the stripe by a 0.224 second interval, sixth best of the year.
On the flipside, Tanner Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.) earned the most lopsided victorious performance on USAC’s 2023 calendar, finishing 9.799 seconds ahead of Bobby Santos during October’s Silver Crown season finale at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.
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CLOSEST FINISHES OF THE 2023 USAC NATIONAL SEASON:
RANK | MARGIN | DATE | SERIES | TRACK | WINNER | RUNNER-UP
#1 | 0.005 | 7/21/2023 | National Sprint | Gas City I-69 Speedway | Justin Grant over Robert Ballou
#2 | 0.093 | 7/7/2023 | National Sprint | Macon Speedway | Mitchel Moles over Carson Garrett
#3 | 0.142 | 9/15/2023 | National Sprint | Circle City Raceway | Logan Seavey over Shane Cottle
#4 | 0.169 | 4/15/2023 | National Sprint | Tri-State Speedway | Justin Grant over Kevin Thomas Jr.
#5 | 0.169 | 8/27/2023 | Silver Crown | World Wide Technology Raceway | Davey Hamilton Jr. over Bobby Santos
#6 | 0.224 | 11/25/2023 | National Midget | Ventura Raceway | Kyle Larson over Corey Day
#7 | 0.238 | 6/16/2023 | National Sprint | Williams Grove Speedway | Emerson Axsom over Daison Pursley
#8 | 0.277 | 7/12/2023 | National Midget | Mitchell County Fairgrounds | Bryant Wiedeman over Emerson Axsom
#9 | 0.289 | 9/16/2023 | National Sprint | Tri-State Speedway | Brady Bacon over Kevin Thomas Jr.
#10 | 0.344 | 7/27/2023 | National Sprint | Lincoln Park Speedway | Jake Swanson over Robert Ballou
#11 | 0.372 | 6/9/2023 | National Midget | Bloomington Speedway | Gavin Miller over Justin Grant
#12 | 0.427 | 6/7/2023 | National Midget | Gas City I-69 Speedway | Logan Seavey over Emerson Axsom
#13 | 0.486 | 7/23/2023 | National Sprint | Lawrenceburg Speedway | Justin Grant over Jake Swanson
#14 | 0.492 | 7/14/2023 | National Midget | Jefferson County Speedway | Logan Seavey over Ryan Timms
#15 | 0.529 | 9/28/2023 | National Midget | The Dirt Track at IMS | Thomas Meseraull over Taylor Reimer
#16 | 0.688 | 2/18/2023 | National Sprint | Bubba Raceway Park | Kyle Cummins over Brady Bacon
#17 | 0.728 | 9/21/2023 | National Midget | Gas City I-69 Speedway | Logan Seavey over Jacob Denney
#18 | 0.743 | 6/13/2023 | National Sprint | Grandview Speedway | Jake Swanson over Emerson Axsom
#19 | 0.790 | 6/4/2023 | National Midget | Tri-State Speedway | Jacob Denney over Buddy Kofoid
#20 | 0.797 | 11/22/2023 | National Midget | Merced Speedway | Logan Seavey over Justin Grant
#21 | 0.841 | 6/17/2023 | National Sprint | Port Royal Speedway | Justin Grant over Emerson Axsom
#22 | 0.842 | 6/8/2023 | National Midget | Lincoln Park Speedway | Buddy Kofoid over Emerson Axsom
#23 | 0.881 | 11/19/2023 | National Midget | Placerville Speedway | Kyle Larson over Logan Seavey
#24 | 0.886 | 8/26/2023 | National Sprint | Kokomo Speedway | Justin Grant over Kyle Cummins
#25 | 0.893 | 11/21/2023 | National Midget | Merced Speedway | Spencer Bayston over Buddy Kofoid
#26 | 0.932 | 9/3/2023 | National Midget | Angell Park Speedway | Ryan Timms over Gavin Miller
#27 | 0.999 | 9/2/2023 | Silver Crown | Du Quoin State Fairgrounds | Justin Grant over C.J. Leary
#28 | 1.079 | 6/3/2023 | National Sprint | Knoxville Raceway | Jake Swanson over Brady Bacon
#29 | 1.094 | 8/19/2023 | Silver Crown | Illinois State Fairgrounds | Logan Seavey over Shane Cottle
#30 | 1.110 | 8/19/2023 | National Midget | Macon Speedway | Logan Seavey over Gavin Miller
#31 | 1.131 | 9/23/2023 | National Sprint | Eldora Speedway | Logan Seavey over Justin Grant
#32 | 1.141 | 7/15/2023 | National Midget | Jefferson County Speedway | Tanner Thorson over Logan Seavey
#33 | 1.151 | 9/7/2023 | National Sprint | Devil's Bowl Speedway | Brady Bacon over Jake Swanson
#34 | 1.158 | 8/5/2023 | Silver Crown | Toledo Speedway | Kody Swanson over C.J. Leary
#35 | 1.165 | 6/10/2023 | National Midget | Lawrenceburg Speedway | Ryan Timms over Logan Seavey
#36 | 1.194 | 2/16/2023 | National Sprint | Bubba Raceway Park | Brady Bacon over Emerson Axsom
#37 | 1.209 | 9/4/2023 | National Midget | Angell Park Speedway | Logan Seavey over Jade Avedisian
#38 | 1.215 | 9/23/2023 | National Midget | Eldora Speedway | Logan Seavey over Bryant Wiedeman
#39 | 1.242 | 6/17/2023 | Silver Crown | Port Royal Speedway | Logan Seavey over Chase Dietz
#40 | 1.303 | 5/21/2023 | National Midget | Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex | Jacob Denney over Daison Pursley
#41 | 1.408 | 9/21/2023 | National Sprint | Gas City I-69 Speedway | Justin Grant over Emerson Axsom
#42 | 1.413 | 7/22/2023 | National Sprint | Kokomo Speedway | C.J. Leary over Brady Bacon
#43 | 1.458 | 6/24/2023 | National Sprint | Wilmot Raceway | Brady Bacon over Emerson Axsom
#44 | 1.477 | 4/14/2023 | National Sprint | Bloomington Speedway | C.J. Leary over Jake Swanson
#45 | 1.481 | 5/20/2023 | National Midget | Belleville Short Track | Zach Daum over Jade Avedisian
#46 | 1.516 | 7/8/2023 | National Sprint | Macon Speedway | Brady Bacon over C.J. Leary
#47 | 1.576 | 9/9/2023 | National Sprint | Texarkana 67 Speedway | Matt Westfall over C.J. Leary
#48 | 1.705 | 11/14/2023 | National Midget | Bakersfield Speedway | Logan Seavey over Emerson Axsom
#49 | 1.734 | 5/25/2023 | National Sprint | Circle City Raceway | Kyle Cummins over Jake Swanson
#50 | 1.777 | 7/3/2023 | National Sprint | Lincoln Park Speedway | Brady Bacon over Justin Grant
#51 | 2.007 | 8/24/2023 | National Sprint | Kokomo Speedway | Justin Grant over Brady Bacon
#52 | 2.094 | 9/30/2023 | National Midget | The Dirt Track at IMS | Justin Grant over Emerson Axsom
#53 | 2.107 | 6/15/2023 | National Sprint | Big Diamond Speedway | Emerson Axsom over Thomas Meseraull
#54 | 2.114 | 5/24/2023 | National Sprint | Circle City Raceway | Jake Swanson over Kyle Cummins
#55 | 2.149 | 9/22/2023 | National Midget | Eldora Speedway | Chris Windom over Jade Avedisian
#56 | 2.169 | 9/23/2023 | Silver Crown | Eldora Speedway | Logan Seavey over Matt Westfall
#57 | 2.197 | 8/25/2023 | National Sprint | Kokomo Speedway | Justin Grant over Brady Bacon
#58 | 2.253 | 5/19/2023 | National Midget | Belleville Short Track | Ryan Timms over Jake Andreotti
#59 | 2.347 | 5/5/2023 | National Sprint | Eldora Speedway | Justin Grant over Brady Bacon
#60 | 2.392 | 6/23/2023 | Silver Crown | Madison International Speedway | Kody Swanson over Bobby Santos
#61 | 2.453 | 7/24/2023 | National Sprint | Circle City Raceway | Kyle Cummins over Logan Seavey
#62 | 2.564 | 11/17/2023 | National Midget | Placerville Speedway | Kyle Larson over Logan Seavey
#63 | 2.575 | 6/5/2023 | National Midget | Circle City Raceway | Buddy Kofoid over Jacob Denney
#64 | 2.858 | 7/20/2023 | Silver Crown | Winchester Speedway | Kody Swanson over Bobby Santos
#65 | 2.931 | 8/18/2023 | National Midget | Wayne County Speedway | Tanner Thorson over Logan Seavey
#66 | 2.947 | 9/29/2023 | National Midget | The Dirt Track at IMS | Justin Grant over Cannon McIntosh
#67 | 3.030 | 6/18/2023 | National Sprint | Action Track USA | Kyle Cummins over C.J. Leary
#68 | 3.250 | 5/20/2023 | Silver Crown | Belleville High Banks | Brady Bacon over Kody Swanson
#69 | 3.380 | 5/6/2023 | National Sprint | Eldora Speedway | C.J. Leary over Jake Swanson
#70 | 3.753 | 7/28/2023 | National Sprint | Bloomington Speedway | Emerson Axsom over Briggs Danner
#71 | 4.271 | 5/26/2023 | Silver Crown | Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | Bobby Santos over Logan Seavey
#72 | 4.898 | 7/26/2023 | National Sprint | Terre Haute Action Track | Justin Grant over Kevin Thomas Jr.
#73 | 5.971 | 5/23/2023 | National Sprint | Terre Haute Action Track | Brady Bacon over Kyle Cummins
#74 | 6.756 | 10/7/2023 | National Sprint | Lawrenceburg Speedway | Justin Grant over Robert Ballou
#75 | 9.799 | 10/15/2023 | Silver Crown | Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | Tanner Swanson over Bobby Santos