USAC SPRINT STARS WHO’VE RACKED UP 200-PLUS STARTS

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

Speedway, Indiana (January 28, 2020)………The accumulation of feature starts were at the forefront of discussion in the USAC AMOSIL Sprint Car National Championship one year ago with Chase Stockon’s ironman streak reaching unprecedented levels late in the year.

Stockon’s overall start record with the series has climbed to 315, and by the end of 2020, he could very well could be on brink of reaching the top-ten all-time.

Entering this season, Dave Darland has accrued 756 career starts with the series since 1986, far and away ahead of his closest competitor, fellow USAC Triple Crown champ Tracy Hines at 484.  Jon Stanbrough, who ranks 9^th in all-time series wins ranks third with 448 starts, one more than Tom Bigelow in fourth with 447.

Darland leads all active drivers, but in the final event of the 2019 season at Arizona Speedway, 2017 series champion Chris Windom reached the top-five all-time with his 400^th career USAC National Sprint Car feature start.

Thirty-nine drivers have reached the 200 start mark with the series, including 14 of whom made at least one series start a season ago: Darland, Windom, Robert Ballou, Brady Bacon, Stockon, Kevin Thomas, Jr., Bill Rose, Damion Gardner, C.J. Leary, Justin Grant, Shane Cottle, Bud Kaeding, Hunter Schuerenberg and Chad Boespflug.

Of drivers who made a start in last year’s series, three remain within earshot a crossing over the “200” border: Brady Short (178), Tyler Courtney (177) and Thomas Meseraull (169).

The 2020 season openers for the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship and the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship begin in February at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla.  Midgets hit the track for practice on Feb. 6 with two full nights of racing to follow on Feb. 7-8.  The sprints take their turn the following week with practice on Feb. 12 and three-straight nights of full racing programs on Feb. 13-14-15.

ALL-TIME USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR FEATURE STARTS: (200 or more)

(1961-Present)

1. (756) Dave Darland

2. (484) Tracy Hines

3. (448) Jon Stanbrough

4. (447) Tom Bigelow

5. (400) Chris Windom

6. (391) Levi Jones

7. (365) Jerry Coons Jr.

8. (362) Tony Elliott

9. (341) Robert Ballou

10. (333) Sheldon Kinser

11. (331) Brady Bacon

12. (319) Rollie Beale

13. (315) Chase Stockon

14. (308) Bruce Walkup

15. (300) Eric Gordon

16. (299) Larry Dickson

17. (281) Kevin Thomas, Jr.

18. (278) Joe Saldana

19. (273) Bill Rose

20. (266) Billy Cassella

21. (262) Damion Gardner

22. (261) Bryan Clauson

23. (258) C.J. Leary

24. (258) Gary Bettenhausen

25. (258) Sammy Sessions

26. (255) Justin Grant

27. (254) Jack Hewitt

28. (251) Shane Cottle

29. (246) Johnny Parsons

30. (245) Rich Vogler

31. (239) Bud Kaeding

32. (236) Brian Tyler

33. (236) Larry Rice

34. (229) Pancho Carter

35. (213) Jay Drake

36. (211) Hunter Schuerenberg

37. (209) Karl Busson

38. (205) Greg Leffler

39. (200) Chad Boespflug

**Drivers listed in bold made at least one USAC National Sprint Car start in 2019.