ON THE BORDER: A BRIEF HISTORY OF USAC’S BORDER WARS

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Speedway, Indiana (April 30, 2024)………Two half-miles racetracks.  One dirt, one pavement.  Just a little bit over 30 miles of separation between the two.  Both straddling the Ohio/Indiana state line.

Of course, we’re speaking of Ohio’s Eldora Speedway and Indiana’s Winchester Speedway.  They’re two of the most daunting tracks on the USAC schedule, and it’s routinely been proven that if you can win at one of these places, you’re a special breed.  If you can win at both of these places, you reside in a stratosphere reserved for the bravest of the brave.

That’s the case this weekend with two nights of USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship racing taking place at Eldora on Friday-Saturday night, May 3-4.  Then after Saturday night’s show is complete, there’s just enough time to get a wink of slip before heading back west for a Sunday morning/afternoon of USAC Silver Crown racing at Winchester.

Eldora and Winchester have long been linked, but between the 1995-2012, a miniseries entitled Border Wars was one of the focal point weekends of the season featuring USAC National Sprint Cars on back-to-back nights at two legendary places.  Let’s review.

1995 BORDER WARS

The debut of the Border Wars series launched during the first week of April when Stoops Freightliner added $5,000 to the weekend chest of prize money which was reserved for the top-five drivers (determined by points) who competed in both events.  Kevin Doty (Eldora) and Kenny Irwin Jr. (Winchester) won the battles, but Tony Stewart won the war in his Glen Niebel V-6 by virtue of his eighth and second place finishes, respectively, in the two races and was crowned the first Border Wars champion.  Doty caught Dave Darland on the 25th lap at Eldora and led the final six laps in his Steve Chrisman owned machine.  Irwin, meanwhile, passed Greg Staab on the sixth lap of the Winchester 30-lapper and led the rest of the way in his Hoffman Auto Racing No. 69.

1996 BORDER WARS

Rain pushed Border Wars II off its late March date and into early August.  Frankie Kerr won the ESPN televised Don Branson/Jud Larson Classic at Eldora Speedway to open Border Wars.  Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. won the finale at Winchester, but the two-race championship went to Brian Tyler with a pair of fifth place finishes for car owner Larry Contos.  Kerr led the final five laps at Eldora in his Shoff Motorsports Special after Jack Hewitt's engine failed while he was leading on lap 26.  Steele, on the other hand, led the last five laps at Winchester in his Jack Nowling entry after Kenny Irwin Jr. was involved in a tangle and spin on the back stretch while leading.

1997 BORDER WARS

Chet Fillip captured what turned out to be the opening event of the Pro Long Super Lubricants Border Wars III series in May at Winchester Speedway.  Fillip trailed Brian Tyler for the first eight laps then led the final 22 of the 30-lapper in his self-created chassis.  The Eldora race, pushed to June due to rain, served as the finale, and was won by Kevin Huntley in a twilight show.  Brian Tyler emerged with his second consecutive Border Wars title, beating Mark Cassella by 12 points, marking the third consecutive year that the Border Wars titlist went on to capture the USAC National Sprint Car title later that same season.

1998 BORDER WARS

Kevin Doty of Milan, Ill. and Brad Armstrong of New Palestine, Ind. captured Border Wars victories in early May but defending series champion Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. emerged with his third consecutive Border Wars championship.  Tyler finished 11th and second in the races at Eldora and Winchester, respectively, in his Booe Brothers No. 21.  Doty led all 30 laps of the Don Branson-Jud Larson Classic at Eldora on May 2 at the wheel of Steve Chrisman’s No. 25.  Armstrong recorded his initial USAC triumph by leading all 30 laps of the Border Wars IV finale at Winchester on May 3 in his own No. 99.

1999 BORDER WARS

Derek Davidson won the Border Wars V opener at Eldora on May 1 with a wire-to-wire 30-lap victory at the 1/2-mile dirt oval aboard the BWB Racing Special.  Dave Steele scored his fourth consecutive Winchester triumph in the following day’s 30-lapper on May 2, leading the final 26 laps in his Johnny Vance machine after passing Ryan Newman on lap five.  Tracy Hines, with a second and a sixth behind the wheel of Pete Willoughby’s No. 97 on dirt and Boyce Holt’s No. 51 on pavement, emerged with the title, beating Davidson by five points.

2000 BORDER WARS

Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. escaped the unpredictability of the Border Wars feature events to become a four-time champion of the event, finishing fourth at Eldora and third at Winchester.  Meanwhile, Dave Darland and Tracy Hines emerged with improbable wins in the races at Eldora on April 29 and Winchester on April 30.  Darland won the 30-lap race at Eldora Speedway when leader Jay Drake had to pit four laps from the finish to change a flat right front tire.  Hines won the 30-lap race at Winchester when Ryan Newman lost an engine after leading the first 29 laps.  Newman was able to coast home for second.

2001 BORDER WARS

J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Ariz. claimed the Stoops Freightliner Border Wars VII championship with a victory and a second-place finish in races at Attica Raceway Park and Eldora on April 27-28.  Yeley took advantage of Jay Drake's slip over the upper bank on the 28th lap to win the 30-lapper at Attica in his GT Racing Twister, leading only the final three laps.  Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind. led all 30 laps of the Don Branson-Jud Larson Classic at Eldora in his BWB Racing J & J.  Yeley ended up with an 11-point cushion over Darland in the final Border Wars standings.  From there, Yeley carried onward to his first USAC National Sprint Car championship.

2002 BORDER WARS

Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. captured the 30-lap Winchester Oldtimers Weekend feature event at Winchester on April 28 in his Bob Gratton-owned ride.  Steele caught Tracy Hines on the 27th lap of the Border Wars VIII opener and held on to the checkered flag.  The scheduled April 28 Don Branson-Jud Larson Classic/Border Wars finale at Eldora was postponed to May 26 due to rain.  J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Ariz. was spectacular in winning the 30-lapper after passing Tony Elliott on the 24th lap and leading the rest of the way for the GT Racing team.  Yeley capped the Eldora victory by climbing the fence ala Helio Castroneves who had won his second straight Indianapolis 500 earlier that same day.  Tracy Hines emerged from the Eldora race as the Border Wars VIII champion.

2003 BORDER WARS

Boston Reid of Kokomo, Ind. and Michael Lewis of Noblesville, Ind. both became brand-new first-time USAC National Sprint Car feature winners with their victories in the May 3-4 Border Wars IX events.  Reid won the May 3 Don Branson-Jud Larson Memorial  at Eldora while Lewis grabbed the May 4 Rich Vogler Classic at Winchester.  Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind., the runner-up finisher in both races, emerged with his third Border Wars title.  Reid, piloting his Davis Racing ride, led all 30 laps of the Eldora opener despite a determined late race bid by Hines.  Lewis came from the 11th starting spot to pass Eric Gordon on lap 26 and led the final five laps at Winchester in his Jeff Walker Racing No. 11.  Hines, by virtue of scoring the most points in the two events, won his third Border Wars title, having previously won the 1999 and 2002 crowns.

2004 BORDER WARS

With the sudden closure of Winchester, Border Wars became an all-dirt affair in 2004.  Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind. led all 30 laps of the opening event at Indiana’s Gas City I-69 Speedway on April 30, opening defense of his miniseries title, but he had to wait until June 19 to put on the lid.  Rain washed out the Eldora race twice before Jay Drake's victory in the Don Branson/Jud Larson Classic also earned him the title of Border Wars X champion.  Once again, the Border Wars champ carried the momentum toward a USAC National Sprint Car title, providing Tony Stewart Racing a Border Wars championship as a car owner after earning his first as a driver back in 1995.

2005 BORDER WARS

Jay Drake's victory in the Border Wars opener at Eldora gave car owner Tony Stewart a victory in the first USAC race at his recently purchased track.  Levi Jones led the first 27 laps of the race but flipped in turn one just as the yellow flew for a pair of spins on the backstretch.  From that point onward, Drake went unimpeded on the path to victory.  Drake ran his Border Wars winning streak to three in the finale at Gas City, which had been postponed from April to June.  Drake was dominant there too, leading all 30 laps and cruising to his second consecutive Border Wars championship as he became the first and only driver to sweep to wins on both nights of the event.

2006 BORDER WARS

Shane Cottle of Kansas, Ill. and Rob Chaney of Wooster, Ohio scored USAC Sprint Car victories in the 2006 edition of Border Wars XII at Gas City and Eldora, respectively.  Cottle led the final 17 laps at Gas City in his Monte Edison machine after passing Bart Grider on lap 14.  Chaney won the Eldora’s 30-lapper in the seat of his SC Racing entry, passing early leader Josh Wise on lap 24.  With a third at Gas City and a fourth at Eldora, Jerry Coons Jr. claimed the Border Wars championship.

2007 BORDER WARS

In one of the wildest races anyone’s ever seen, an extremely rough surface greeted competitors to Eldora for the Border Wars XIII lid-lifter in April.  After several incidents and roughed-up equipment, Robert Ballou was the last man standing after he took the lead on lap 6 from Levi Jones and led the remainder of the 30-lap adventure.  On the other hand, it was smooth sailing for Jon Stanbrough in another rain-delayed Gas City affair, which had been shuffled from April to June.  Stanbrough was the top dog for all 30 laps.  Coupled with his fourth at Eldora, Stanbrough claimed the Border Wars crown in his Fox Brothers No. 53.

2008 BORDER WARS

For the first time in five seasons, once more, Border Wars returned to a pavement/dirt slate with Winchester’s addition.  In the opener, Darren Hagen hustled around the high banks in a hurry, swiping the lead from Cole Whitt just seven laps from the finish line to win his second in a row at the half-mile.  A planned Border Wars event at Ohio’s Shady Bowl Speedway the following evening was rained out, setting the stage for the closer at Eldora one night later.  There, Tracy Hines went unstopped for 30 laps to score his record fifth Border Wars feature win.  With a second at Winchester and an eighth at Eldora, Cole Whitt was crowned as the Border Wars champion.  At age 16, he was the youngest champion of the event.

2012 BORDER WARS

Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind. passed Dave Darland on the final lap of the 30-lap Border Wars race at Eldora.  Darland led the first 29 laps before Hines made the winning move in his own No. 4.  Hunter Schuerenberg of Sikeston, Mo. picked up his first USAC win of the year after leading every official circuit in the 30-lap main event at Gas City.  Schuerenberg led the opening lap from the pole before falling to third at the completion of lap two, but a caution behind him gave Schuerenberg another chance at the front of the field, and he took advantage in his Rock Steady Racing No. 35.  With a second and a third in his two starts, Darland recorded his lone Border Wars title.

================

BORDER WARS CHAMPIONS

1995: Tony Stewart

1996: Brian Tyler

1997: Brian Tyler

1998: Brian Tyler

1999: Tracy Hines

2000: Brian Tyler

2001: J.J. Yeley

2002: Tracy Hines

2003: Tracy Hines

2004: Jay Drake

2005: Jay Drake

2006: Jerry Coons Jr.

2007: Jon Stanbrough

2008: Cole Whitt

2009: Not Held

2010: Not Held

2011: Not Held

2012: Dave Darland

USAC BORDER WARS WINNERS

4/1/1995: Eldora Speedway | Kevin Doty

4/2/1995: Winchester Speedway | Kenny Irwin Jr.

8/7/1996: Eldora Speedway | Frankie Kerr

8/8/1996: Winchester Speedway | Dave Steele

5/4/1997: Winchester Speedway | Chet Fillip

6/22/1997: Eldora Speedway | Kevin Huntley

5/2/1998: Eldora Speedway | Kevin Doty

5/3/1998: Winchester Speedway | Brad Armstrong

5/1/1999: Eldora Speedway | Derek Davidson

5/2/1999: Winchester Speedway | Dave Steele

4/29/2000: Eldora Speedway | Dave Darland

4/30/2000: Winchester Speedway | Tracy Hines

4/27/2001: Attica Raceway Park | J.J. Yeley

4/28/2001: Eldora Speedway | Tracy Hines

4/28/2002: Winchester Speedway | Dave Steele

5/26/2002: Eldora Speedway | J.J. Yeley

5/3/2003: Eldora Speedway | Boston Reid

5/4/2003: Winchester Speedway | Michael Lewis

4/30/2004: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Tracy Hines

6/19/2004: Eldora Speedway | Jay Drake

4/30/2005: Eldora Speedway | Jay Drake

6/3/2005: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Jay Drake

4/28/2006: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Shane Cottle

4/29/2006: Eldora Speedway | Rob Chaney

4/28/2007: Eldora Speedway | Robert Ballou

6/14/2007: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Jon Stanbrough

6/12/2008: Winchester Speedway | Darren Hagen

6/14/2008: Eldora Speedway | Tracy Hines

4/21/2012: Eldora Speedway | Tracy Hines

4/27/2012: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Hunter Schuerenberg