CINCO DE MAYO USAC NATIONAL WINNERS
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (May 5, 2020)………In most years, Cinco de Mayo is a time for celebration, a time for a fiesta with food, drink and, occasionally, if the dates work out, USAC racing.
However, this year, all that is just a tad different, yet we can still celebrate those who won USAC National events on this particular day, May 5, throughout history.
May 5 has brought about 21 different USAC National events since 1963. Amazingly, there’s only been one repeat Cinco de Mayo winner in that time span, the 1989 USAC National Midget champion and still active Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind.
Gamester, the undisputed king of Cinco de Mayo, won on May 5 of 1990, a Midget race at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., then again in 2001 during a Silver Crown race at Pennsylvania’s Nazareth Speedway.
Indiana’s famed Terre Haute Action Track has hosted three such Cinco de Mayo USAC National events in 1973, 1979 and 1985. Iowa Speedway has hosted three on May 5 as well, but they did it all in one day with a rare USAC tripleheader in 2007.
Without further ado, here’s your list of USAC’s Cinco de Mayo USAC National feature winners!
USAC NATIONAL CINCO DE MAYO WINS:
(2) Russ Gamester
(1) Tom Bigelow, Dean Billings, Steve Cannon, Pancho Carter, Larry Dickson, Bobby East, Brian Gerster, Darren Hagen, Jac Haudenschild, Tracy Hines, Parnelli Jones, Johnny Parsons, Joe Saldana, Ron Shuman, Sammy Swindell, Kevin Thomas Jr., Sleepy Tripp, Tyler Walker & Billy Wease
USAC NATIONAL CINCO DE MAYO WINNERS:
1963: Parnelli Jones, USAC Sprint Car at Salem Speedway – Salem, Ind.
1968: Larry Dickson, USAC Sprint Car at Winchester Speedway – Winchester, Ind.
1973: Joe Saldana, USAC Sprint Car at the Terre Haute Action Track – Terre Haute, Ind.
1973: Steve Cannon, USAC Midget at Charleston Speedway – Charleston, Ill.
1974: Tom Bigelow, USAC Sprint Car at Tri-County Speedway – Cincinnati, Ohio
1978: Sleepy Tripp, USAC Midget at Tri-State Speedway – Haubstadt, Ind.
1979: Pancho Carter, USAC Sprint Car at the Terre Haute Action Track – Terre Haute, Ind.
1979: Johnny Parsons, USAC Midget at Lincoln Park Speedway – Putnamville, Ind.
1982: Jac Haudenschild, USAC Sprint Car at Millstream Motor Speedway – Findlay, Ohio
1985: Ron Shuman, USAC Sprint Car at the Terre Haute Action Track – Terre Haute, Ind.
1989: Dean Billings, USAC Midget at Santa Fe Speedway – Hinsdale, Ill.
1990: Russ Gamester, USAC Midget at Tri-City Speedway – Granite City, Ill.
1990: Sammy Swindell, USAC Sprint Car at Tri-City Speedway – Granite City, Ill.
1999: Brian Gerster, USAC Sprint Car at Louisville Motor Speedway – Louisville, Ky.
2001: Russ Gamester, USAC Silver Crown at Nazareth Speedway – Nazareth, Pa.
2006: Darren Hagen, USAC Sprint Car at Lernerville Speedway, Sarver, Pa.
2007: Billy Wease, USAC Midget at Iowa Speedway – Newton, Iowa
2007: Tyler Walker, USAC Sprint Car at Iowa Speedway – Newton, Iowa
2007: Bobby East, USAC Silver Crown at Iowa Speedway – Newton, Iowa
2012: Tracy Hines, USAC Midget at Dodge City Raceway Park – Dodge City, Kans.
2018: Kevin Thomas Jr., USAC Sprint Car at Plymouth Speedway – Plymouth, Ind.
