SILVER CROWN RETURNS TO MEMPHIS AND THE GROVE ON 12-RACE 2019 SCHEDULE
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Indianapolis, Indiana (December 6, 2018)………Memphis International Raceway and Williams Grove Speedway return to the USAC Silver Crown schedule for the 2019 season on what is the largest slate of events since 2007.
The Memphis race on March 23 will serve as the opener for the 49th year of the Silver Crown series, which hasn’t visited the ¾-mile paved oval since 2004. It’s one of six races on the blacktop in 2019, creating a balanced mix with the six dirt races on the docket.
The return to Williams Grove Speedway marks the series’ comeback to the famed half-mile dirt oval on June 14, following a one-year hiatus. The race is nestled in the midst of Eastern Storm, which includes five USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car races in the East to create a can’t-miss week of racing action.
Silver Crown racing’s history is full of legendary drivers competing on legendary tracks. The dirt side is a venerable Hall of Fame of dirt venues in the United States. On April 14, the series heads to Indiana’s lone half-mile dirt venue, the Terre Haute Action Track, for the “Sumar Classic.”
The dirt miles have been a staple on the Champ Car racing circuit nearly since the invention of the automobile. The tradition continues with three dates on the historic Fairground tracks. On May 23, the Indiana State Fairgrounds lead off the trio of miles with the “Hoosier Hundred.” From there, it’s onto the two Illinois miles of Springfield on August 17 for the “Bettenhausen 100” and Du Quoin on September 1 for the “Ted Horn 100.”
The season concludes on the dirt at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio for the 38th edition of the “4-Crown Nationals,” marking the only opportunity all season to witness all three of USAC’s national divisions (Silver Crown, AMSOIL National Sprint Car & National Midget) on the same event card on the same night.
On the pavement side of the equation, following Memphis, the series takes on the familiar haunts of Ohio’s Toledo Speedway for the “Rollie Beale Classic” on April 27, the first of two stops at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Ind. on May 24 for the “Dave Steele Carb Night Classic.” The series debut at Oregon, Wisconsin’s Madison International Speedway last year was a rousing success. The Silver Crown cars return there for round No. 2 of the “Dairyland 100” on June 28.
Salem Speedway has hosted USAC racing since the club’s inception in 1956. One of the most tenured races on the calendar is the “Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial,” which brings the series to the high banks on Aug. 10. The final pavement race of the year hits Lucas Oil Raceway for a second time on September 7 with the “Rich Vogler Classic.”
2019 USAC SILVER CROWN SCHEDULE
Mar 22-23: (P#) Memphis International Raceway (Millington, TN)
Apr 14: (D) Terre Haute Action Track (Terre Haute, IN)
Apr 27: (P) Toledo Speedway (Toledo, OH)
May 23: (D) Indiana State Fairgrounds (Indianapolis, IN)
May 24: (P) Lucas Oil Raceway (Brownsburg, IN)
Jun 14: (D) Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, PA)
Jun 28: (P) Madison International Speedway (Oregon, WI)
Aug 10: (P) Salem Speedway (Salem, IN)
Aug 17: (D#) Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield, IL)
Sep 1: (D) Du Quoin State Fairgrounds (Du Quoin, IL)
Sep 7: (P) Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (Brownsburg, IN)
Sep 27-28: (D) Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, OH)
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(P) = Pavement Race
(D) = Dirt Race
# = Daytime Race