SMACKDOWN UPS WINNER’S PRIZE TO $15,000 FOR 2021; TICKETS GO ON SALE FEB. 8
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Kokomo, Indiana (January 12, 2021)………Entering its 10th year, Sprint Car Smackdown will be bigger and better than ever with an increased share of $15,000 for the winner of the finale along with increased payouts throughout the field for the three-night event on August 26-27-28, 2021 at Indiana’s Kokomo Speedway.
“Smackdown” has been a premier event on the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship calendar since its inception in 2012. Going into its 10th running, Kokomo Speedway promoter Reece O’Connor felt the time was right to elevate the event to an even higher level.
“This, being the 10th year, we felt we needed to step it up a bit and try to make it an even more special event,” O’Connor said. “Not only is it 15,000 to win, but we’re bumping second place up as well and also making it $1,500 to start on the final night.”
“Smackdown” preliminary events on Thursday, Aug. 26 and Friday, Aug. 27 will feature complete programs for the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, culminating in 30-lap feature races each night. Both nights will feature sprint cars only without a support class.
On the third and final night, Saturday, Aug. 28, the $15,000 to win 40-lap feature will close out the spectacular weekend in grand fashion, which will be preceded by heat races, the popular “King of the Hill” two-car races, and the final chance for drivers to lock themselves into a coveted spot for the A-Main.
In a change from recent years, USAC Regional Midgets will now serve as the support class to the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship to form an enticing USAC doubleheader.
Ticket renewals for “Smackdown” will take place between February 8-12 from 9am-5pm EST. On February 15, tickets will open up to all fans. The three-day pass is $85 and will include a pit pass if purchased by March 31, saving you $10 at the gate. To purchase tickets, call (815) 468-8690. Single-day tickets will be sold at the main ticket window on race days. Reserved camping will be sold at a later, to-be-announced date.
Chock full of highly competitive and unpredictable racing action, the annual late-summer weekend at the quarter-mile dirt oval, which is located about an hour north of Indianapolis, has been a fan favorite since its debut a decade ago.
The event is one of the hottest tickets in all of racing and is one of the most highly anticipated racing weekends of the year. O’Connor loves treating the fans to great racing, great fun and a great time in his role that has allowed him to witness the event firsthand from its creation and its evolution from day one.
“Even year one was kind of crazy,” O’Connor remembered. “The fans were really fired up and behind it, and they still are to this day. We get the fans thanking us and appreciating us and it’s really about them more than anything. Without them, there is no Smackdown.”
Former winners of the final night of Sprint Car Smackdown include Bryan Clauson (2012), Dave Darland (2013-14-15), Kevin Thomas Jr. (2016), Tyler Courtney (2017-19-20) and Justin Grant (2018).
