GRANT SHOOTS FOR A TREY SUNDAY AT TRI-STATE
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Haubstadt, Indiana (June 12, 2020)………It’s been more than three years since any driver in the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car division has won three features in a row. Justin Grant has a chance to end that streak with a streak of his very own this Sunday night, June 14, at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
Chris Windom (Canton, Ill.) was the last to win three consecutive with the division in late 2016 when he scored USAC Sprint victories at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track, then swept both nights of the Western World Championships in back-to-back fashion at Arizona Speedway in San Tan Valley.
Several drivers since then have won two-straight with the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars, including two different drivers already this season. Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) won a pair over a two-night stretch in February at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla.
Following a 112-day sabbatical brought on by COVID-19, the series returned with a pair of races last weekend at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55. Justin Grant won both of them, and had actually already been on a mini-hot stretch of his own after winning a pair of midget races in recent weeks, including a USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget score at Port City Raceway in Tulsa, Okla. on May 22,
This Sunday will mark a true “heat check” situation for Grant, of Ione, Calif. He hasn’t found victory lane with USAC at Tri-State Speedway yet, but has been good of late, recording the fastest qualifying time twice last year, both in July and September. He won his heat and finished 3rd in the July 2019 feature. He even ran 5th in last October’s TSS USAC Midget race after starting 16th, earning hard charger honors.
Interesting, throughout its 43-race history with the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars dating to 1983, Tri-State Speedway has played a role in several three-race winning streak successes and denials.
In 2000, Jay Drake was denied a fourth-straight Indiana Sprint Week win, finishing 6th while Cory Kruseman won.
In 2002, it was Kruseman again in victory lane, but this time it was he who scored a third consecutive Indiana Sprint Week feature win.
During the 2006 round of ISW at Tri-State, Jon Stanbrough began his three-race winning streak with the series.
In 2008 at ISW, Jerry Coons Jr. was attempting to go for his third win in as many ISW races, falling short and finishing 8th while Hunter Schuerenberg captured his first career USAC win.
In the Spring of 2013, Kevin Thomas Jr. was on a roll coming into Tri-State, and when he left there, he had picked up his third-straight USAC Sprint win of the season.
Dave Darland rolled into Tri-State in late 2014 after winning consecutive races at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway. His bid to continue his hot run and win his first USAC race at Tri-State was halted with an 11th place finish as Daron Clayton became the winningest USAC driver at the track with his fifth triumph. Darland ultimately became a TSS USAC winner during 2018 ISW.
Grant still has quite awhile to catch the all-time USAC National Sprint Car win streak of 6, set by Larry Dickson in 1968, on his quest in which he earned his first series championship, which he’d win again in 1970 and 1975.
Although though the number four certainly resides in the distance – he’s got to get to three first – and a four-race USAC Sprint Car win streak hasn’t been achieved since 1985, all but one of the six drivers to reach four wins in a row or more has gone on to win the championship that season: Don Branson (1959), Parnelli Jones (1961), Dickson (1968), Pancho Carter (1976) and Rick Hood (1985).
Only Steve Chassey in that group won four in a row but came short of winning the title back in 1979.
But that’s another number for another time. First things first, it’s onward to Tri-State this Sunday night for a “Showdown,” between Grant and all other challengers, many of whom spent much of the last weekend chasing him.
Pits open Sunday at Tri-State Speedway at 3pm Central, grandstands at 4pm and hot laps at 6pm. Adult general admission tickets are $25 with children 12 and under free. Tickets can be purchased exclusively at www.usactickets.com.
This race, and all other USAC National events will be streamed live on FloRacing.
ALL-TIME USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WIN STREAKS:
6 IN A ROW
Larry Dickson – 1968: Heidelberg (Pa.) Raceway on Apr. 19, Reading (Pa.) Fairgrounds Speedway on Apr. 20, New Bremen (Ohio) Speedway on Apr. 28, Winchester (Ind.) Speedway on May 5, Dayton (Ohio) Speedway on Jun. 2 and Cincinnati, Ohio’s Tri-County Speedway on Jun. 14.
5 IN A ROW
Don Branson – 1959: Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Jun. 21, New Bremen (Ohio) Speedway on Jun. 28, Salem (Ind.) Speedway on July 5, Nashville, Tenn.’s Fairgrounds Speedway on Jul. 12 and Salem (Ind.) Speedway on Aug. 9.
Parnelli Jones - 1961: New Bremen (Ohio) Speedway on Jun. 25, Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park on Jul. 2, Salem (Ind.) Speedway on Jul. 4, Dayton (Ohio) Speedway on Jul. 23 and Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park on Jul. 30.
4 IN A ROW
Pancho Carter – 1976: Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway on Oct. 10 & Oct. 10 and Winchester (Ind.) Speedway on Oct. 17 and Oct. 17.
Steve Chassey – 1979: Winchester (Ind.) Speedway on Sep. 2, Sep. 3 & Sep. 3 and Dayton (Ohio) Speedway on Sep. 16.
Rick Hood – 1985: Oklahoma City, Okla.’s State Fair Speedway on May 12, Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on Jun. 8, Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Jun. 9 and Bloomington (Ind.) Speedway on Jun. 28.
3 IN A ROW
Parnelli Jones – 1960: Salem (Ind.) Speedway on Jul. 31, New Bremen (Ohio) Speedway on Aug. 7 and Dayton (Ohio) Speedway on Aug. 14.
Jim Hurtubise – 1961: Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Aug. 13 and Langhorne (Pa.) Speedway on Aug. 27 and Aug. 27.
Roger McCluskey – 1963: Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Jun. 16, Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park on Jun. 30 and Mechanicsburg, Pa.’s Williams Grove Speedway on Jul. 7.
Johnny Rutherford – 1965: Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Aug. 15 and St. Paul’s Minnesota State Fair Speedway on Aug. 28 & Aug. 29.
Bobby Unser – 1965: Fort Wayne, Indiana’s Baer Field Raceway on Sep. 19, Reading (Pa.) Fairgrounds Speedway on Sep. 25 and Salem (Ind.) Speedway on Oct. 3.
Greg Weld – 1967: Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Jun. 11, Reading (Pa.) Fairgrounds Speedway on Jun. 17 anad Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill. on Jun. 24.
Gary Bettenhausen – 1969: Hamburg, N.Y.’s Erie County Fairgrounds on Aug. 23, Cincinnati, Ohio’s Tri-County Speedway on Aug. 31 and Winchester (Ind.) Speedway on Sep. 14.
Rollie Beale – 1972: Toledo (Ohio) Speedway on Aug. 12, Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Aug. 19 and Springfield (Ill.) Speedway on Aug. 27.
Lee Kunzman – 1972: New Bremen (Ohio) Speedway on Jul. 9, Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway on Jul. 22 and Winchester (Ind.) Speedway Jul. 30.
Tom Sneva – 1973: Hartford, Ohio’s Sharon Speedway on Jul. 13, Toledo (Ohio) Speedway on Jul. 14 and New Bremen (Ohio) Speedway on Jul. 22.
Lee Kunzman – 1973: Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway on Aug. 11, New Bremen (Ohio) Speedway on Aug. 12 and Toledo (Ohio) Speedway on Aug. 18.
Rollie Beale – 1975: Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway on Jun. 21, Winchester (Ind.) Speedway on Jun. 22 and Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park on Jun. 28.
Tom Bigelow – 1977: Findlay, Ohio’s Millstream Motor Speedway on May 22 and the Indiana State Fairgrounds on May 27 & May 27.
Rich Vogler – 1980: Toledo (Ohio) Speedway on Jul. 12, Winchester (Ind.) Speedway on Jul. 20 & Santa Fe Speedway in Hinsdale, Ill. on Jul. 25.
Jack Hewitt – 1990: Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Jul. 8, Richmond (Ky.) Raceway on July 14 and Glasgow, Ky.’s Comtrax on Jul. 15.
Jay Drake – 2000: Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway on Jul. 23, Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Jul. 28 & Putnamville, Ind.’s Lincoln Park Speedway on Jul. 29.
Tracy Hines – 2000: Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park on Sep. 16, Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway on Sep. 30 and Winchester (Ind.) Speedway on Oct. 22.
Cory Kruseman – 2002: Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway on Jul. 19, Putnamville, Ind.’s Lincoln Park Speedway on Jul. 20 & Haubstadt, Ind.’s Tri-State Speedway on Jul. 21.
J.J. Yeley – 2003: Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway on May 25, Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway on May 30 and Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on May 31.
J.J. Yeley – 2003: Indianapolis (Ind.) Raceway Park on Jul. 12, North Vernon, Ind.’s Twin Cities Raceway Park on Jul. 17 and Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway on Jul. 18.
Levi Jones – 2005: Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway on Sep. 24 and Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Sep. 30 & Oct. 1.
Jon Stanbrough – 2006: Haubstadt, Ind.’s Tri-State Speedway on Jul. 15, Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway on Jul. 16 and Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway on Jul. 19.
Levi Jones – 2010: Bechtelsville, Pa.’s Grandview Speedway on Jun. 1, Abbottstown, Pa.’s Lincoln Speedway on Jun. 2 & New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway on Jun. 3.
Kevin Thomas Jr. – 2013: Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on Apr. 6, Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway on Apr. 26 & Haubstadt, Ind.’s Tri-State Speedway on May 11.
Dave Darland – 2013: Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway on Aug. 23 & Aug. 24 and West Burlington, Iowa’s 34 Raceway on Aug. 30.
Robert Ballou – 2015: New Egypt (N.J.) Speedway on Jun. 4, Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway on Jun. 6 & York Haven, Pa.’s Susquehanna Speedway on Jun. 7.
Chris Windom – 2016: Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on Oct. 15 and San Tan Valley’s Arizona Speedway on Nov. 4 & Nov. 5.
