NATURAL STATE: A HISTORY OF USAC RACING IN ARKANSAS
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (April 19, 2023)………The state of Arkansas possesses its fair share of claims to fame from its residents to its athletic success and in the business/shopping world.
The Natural State is the place in which Walmart was founded. The University of Arkansas Razorbacks have claimed national championships in both football and basketball. The state is even home to the fabled racer known as Luke Warmwater, a native of Hot Springs, who mostly goes by his given name, Jimmy Sills.
What the state of Arkansas is not particularly known for is USAC racing, but that’s what’s on the horizon for Wednesday night, April 26, as the AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship makes its debut at Texarkana 67 Speedway, the launching pad to a four-race week for the series which continues into Texas at Rocket Raceway Park on April 27 and two-straight nights at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on April 28-29.
In fact, in 68 years of USAC racing since 1956, just 10 events have taken place within the borders of Arkansas. Furthermore, just a handful of drivers and teams have Arkansas roots, namely 1961 Indianapolis 500 veteran A.J. Shepherd, plus relatively recent sprint, midget and Silver Crown series competitors, Jake Simmons (Bryant), Ricky Logan (Little Rock) and Derek Hagar (Marion).
Texarkana, which opens the upcoming four-race swing through Arkansas and Texas for the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, is also the birthplace of one of the G.O.A.T.s of American auto racing, Parnelli Jones.
The Jones family migrated from Arkansas to Torrance, Calif. when Parnelli was a young child, then proceeded to become a three-time USAC Sprint Car champ in 1960-61-62 and an Indianapolis 500 winning driver in 1963 before gracing victory lane at Indianapolis with Al Unser in the seat of the Johnny Lightning Special in 1970-71, and also gained back-to-back USAC National championships with driver Joe Leonard in 1971-72, then posted two USAC Silver Crown dirt championship titles with Al Unser (1973) and Mario Andretti (1974).
As far as the races go, USAC made its Arkansas debut in 1985 at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis with the National Sprint Cars. Mike Ward, a standout on the local scene, capitalized late in the game when multi-time series champions Sheldon Kinser and Rick Hood tangled while battling for the lead. Ward slipped through to score the first of his two career USAC victories, and the only one without a wing.
The short-lived USAC Late Model series made its way to Pocola, Arkansas’ Tri-State Speedway in 1986. That’s where future National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee, Texan Gary Wright, dream-weaved his ride to victory over fendered superstars Billy Moyer and Jeff Purvis.
Twenty-three years later marked the next visit to Arkansas by a USAC-sanctioned series, this time being the SMRS midgets at North Central Arkansas Speedway in Yellville. Matt Sherrell (Owasso, Okla.) dominated the field by leading all 20 laps en route to the score.
Following a 27-year hiatus, USAC National Sprint Car racing returned to Arkansas in September of 2012 at Riverside. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.), who was just on the cusp of becoming one of USAC’s major stars, hit paydirt to snag a 40-lap victory after swiping the lead from Hunter Schuerenberg 18 laps from the finish line.
The wait wasn’t long for USAC National Sprint Car racing to come back to Arkansas as the series made its debut on this night occasions at Little Rock’s I-30 Speedway. The following year, in 2013, Bryan Clauson (Noblesville, Ind.) earned top honors over an eclectic field of USAC regulars versus superb local talent. Kevin Thomas Jr., Brady Bacon and Kyle Cummins finished second, third and fourth, respectively, and will all be making their Arkansas returns on April 26. Arkansas’ own Tim Crawley, the new promoter of Texarkana 67 Speedway, notched a fifth place finish in a car owned by Mike Ward, the first USAC Sprint Car winning driver in Arkansas 28 years earlier.
The very next night at Riverside, Arkansas in 2013 witnessed the winningest USAC Sprint Car driver, Dave Darland (Lincoln, Ind.), add a major milestone win to his hall of fame resume, tying Jack Hewitt for second all-time in series feature victories with his 47th that night. It came in slightly unorthodox fashion for Darland who assumed the lead from Bryan Clauson when Clauson’s right rear tire was punctured, causing him to spin out of the lead with just seven laps remaining.
The Freedom Tour swept through Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas in August of 2017 with the USAC Southwest Sprint Cars taking on I-30 Speedway. Buckeye, Arizona’s Charles Davis Jr. took over the lead when race leader R.J. Johnson looped it in turn four with the white flag in sight. Davis then survived a green-white-checkered challenge from hometown hot shoe Tim Crawley on the path to victory after leading only the last two circuits.
August of 2020 featured a rare out-of-state appearance for USAC’s Wingless Sprints Oklahoma series at Van Buren, Arkansas’ Crawford County Speedway. Ty Hulsey (Owasso, Okla.) went practically undenied during the evening and throughout the entire season as he bagged the victory on his path to the series championship later that same year.
The most recent Arkansas battle for a USAC series came in April of 2021 at Riverside with a two-night double for Midwest Regional Midgets. The pair of non-points special events were a part of the Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Hometown Challenge, and featured victories by two individuals who’ve broken out on the National scene in recent years: Daison Pursley (night one) and Cannon McIntosh (night two).
UPCOMING 2023 USAC SPRINT CAR ARKANSAS/TEXAS TOUR:
Apr 26: Texarkana 67 Speedway | Texarkana, Arkansas
Apr 27: Rocket Raceway Park | Petty, Texas
Apr 28: Devil’s Bowl Speedway | Mesquite, Texas
Apr 29: Devil’s Bowl Speedway | Mesquite, Texas
(Co-Sanctioned by the ASCS Elite Non-Wing Sprint Cars)
USAC EVENTS HELD IN ARKANSAS:
7/6/1985: Riverside Speedway – West Memphis, AR – National Sprint
Winner: Mike Ward - Mike Ward #88 - 40 Laps
5/9/1986: Tri-State Speedway – Pocola, AR – Late Model
Winner: Gary Wright – Charles Dupree #85D – 40 Laps
4/24/2009: North Central Arkansas Speedway - Yellville, AR - SMRS Midget
Winner: Matt Sherrell - Matt Sherrell #35 - 20 Laps
9/8/2012: Riverside International Speedway - West Memphis, AR - National Sprint
Winner: Brady Bacon - Dynamics, Inc. #69 - 40 Laps
9/6/2013: I-30 Speedway - Little Rock, AR - National Sprint
Winner: Bryan Clauson - Tony Stewart Racing/Curb-Agajanian #20 - 30 Laps
9/7/2013: Riverside International Speedway - West Memphis, AR - National Sprint
Winner: Dave Darland - Phillips Motorsports #71p - 40 Laps
8/16/2017: I-30 Speedway - Little Rock, AR - Southwest Sprint (SE)
Winner: Charles Davis Jr. - Massey Motorsports #50 - 30 Laps
8/1/2020: Crawford County Speedway - Van Buren, AR – Wingless Sprints Oklahoma
Winner: Ty Hulsey – Ty Hulsey #24H – 30 Laps
4/2/2021: Riverside International Speedway - West Memphis, AR - Midwest Regional Midget (SE)
Winner: Daison Pursley – Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian #71K – 25 Laps
4/3/2021: Riverside International Speedway - West Memphis, AR - Midwest Regional Midget (SE)
Winner: Cannon McIntosh – Dave Mac Motorsports #08 – 30 Laps
