Misplaced Pages

#54945

40-404: A 1/2 mile dirt oval operated at the fairgrounds from July 28, 1924 through around 1927 (this track had run motorcycles from 1910 through 1923). A 1/5 mile dirt oval was used for midgets on November 11, 1934. A 1/10 mile dirt oval operated from July 4, 1978 through 1984 (this was originally used for speedway motorcycles beginning in 1969.) The 1/5 mile oval opened in 1985. In the 1990s and into

80-419: A stock car division from 1956 to 1984. * The inaugural season featured two subtitles: Pacific Coast (won by Sam Hanks ) and Short Track ( Troy Ruttman ). From 1958 until 1962, USAC sanctioned a road racing championship. It was held for sports cars from 1958 to 1961, and adopted Formula Libre rules in 1962. TORC: The Off-Road Championship was founded in 2009 by motocross racer Rick Johnson and it

120-716: A "World Speedcar Championship" or "World Speedcar Derby". During this time Speedcars were arguably the most popular category in Australian speedway with crowds of up to 30,000 attending meetings at the Sydney Showground and over 10,000 in Adelaide and Brisbane. Speedcars continue to race across Australia, with the major events being the annual Australian Speedcar Championship , state championships (held in QLD, NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, WA, and ACT), and blue ribbon events including

160-584: A common points structure for a season-long championship. The 2012 season did not award a national champion, however the respective regional champions were honored at USAC Night of Champions. National Champions Regional Champions USAC started the Speedway Motors Lightning Sprint National Championship in 2017 for local tracks running Lightning Sprint cars. The points format counts the 12 best races at USAC sanctioned tracks. Pirelli World Challenge ,

200-433: A famous Formula Libre race, where Rodger Ward shocked the expensive and exotic sports cars by beating them on the road course in an Offenhauser powered midget car , usually used on oval tracks. Ward used an advantageous power-to-weight ratio and dirt-track cornering abilities to steal the win. United States Auto Club The United States Auto Club ( USAC ) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in

240-557: A race at the Trenton Speedway in New Jersey , eight USAC officials, plus the pilot, were killed when their 10-seat Piper Navajo Chieftain crashed during a thunderstorm 25 miles southeast of Indianapolis . Killed were: The incident closely followed the death of Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman. The plane crash came at a time when Indy car owners and drivers were demanding changes from USAC. Aside from

280-446: A variety of ways. The inaugural championship, 2005, was decided by a two-race series (one dirt, one pavement). Subsequent national champions were determined by a single "national championship race" held at various locations. This format was used until 2010. In 2011, a points system was instituted to determine the national champion. Counting only a drivers twelve best finishes, the system allowed drivers from multiple regions to compete under

320-596: Is USAC's Competition Director. When the American Automobile Association (AAA) withdrew from auto racing after the 1955 season, citing the Le Mans disaster and the death of Bill Vukovich at Indianapolis as contributing factors, both the SCCA and NASCAR were mentioned as its potential successor. Ultimately, USAC was formed by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman . It became

360-516: Is earned in USAC racing when a driver claims all three national championships (silver crown, sprint car, and midget car). Only two drivers, Tony Stewart (1995) and J. J. Yeley (2003), have achieved the triple crown in a single season. Six other drivers, Pancho Carter (1972–78), Dave Darland (1997–2001), Jerry Coons Jr. (2006–08), Tracy Hines (2000, 2002, 2015), Chris Windom (2016, 2017, 2020), and Logan Seavey (2023-2024) have claimed each of

400-880: The Australian Speedcar Grand Prix (first held in 1938), the $ 20k to win Australasian 50 Lap Speedcar Championship (first held in 1946)(SA), the Sydney 50 Lapper (NSW), Ultimate Speedcar Championship (QLD), the John Day Speedcar Classic (WA), the Beasley Family Memorial (VIC) and more. In December 2013, POWRi Midget Racing began a 16-event Lucas Oil POWRi Midget World Championship that ran until June 2014. Drivers competed in New Zealand and Australia at

440-640: The Chili Bowl held in early January at the Tulsa Expo Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma . There are midget races in dirt track racing and in asphalt (paved tracks). There are three-quarter (TQ) midgets which developed from "midget midget" cars of the late 1940s. Quarter midgets are one-quarter the size of a full midget car. The first organized Midget car race happened on June 4, 1933. The sports' first regular weekly program began on August 10, 1933 at

SECTION 10

#1732783101055

480-735: The Speedway World Championship in 1994. A 1/5 mile dirt figure 8 was added in 2000. The track has also operated as Seaside Park Speedway. In 2010. Jim was inducted into the Ventura County Sports Hall of Fame for being the oldest and only successful professional sports franchise in Ventura County history. Since 2016, it has served as the home of the Turkey Night Grand Prix , which draws professional drivers from around

520-909: The United States in the 1930s and are raced on most continents. There is a worldwide tour and national midget tours in the United States, Australia, Argentina and New Zealand . Typically, these four-cylinder-engine cars have 300 horsepower (220 kW) to 400 horsepower (300 kW) and weigh 900 pounds (410 kg). The high power and small size of the cars combine to make midget racing quite dangerous; for this reason, modern midget cars are fully equipped with roll cages and other safety features. Some early major midget car manufacturers include Kurtis Kraft (1930s to 1950s) and Solar (1944–46). Midgets are intended to be driven for races of relatively short distances, usually 2.5 to 25 miles (4 to 40 km). Some events are staged inside arenas, like

560-753: The Western States Midgets in 1982 utilizing the same cars & engines that race in the USAC National Midgets. The series solely races on dirt ovals across California and Arizona but in past raced on pavement ovals as well. The series does run co-sanctioned races with USAC's National Midget Series (including the historic Turkey Night Grand Prix race) and the Bay Cities Racing Association Midgets. Champions Source: USAC sanctions several regional 360 c.i.d. non-wing sprint car series across

600-459: The 2000s motocross racing was held at Ventura Raceway on motocross tracks built on the infield of the oval track. These races were attend by local racers, as well as professionals such as off-road champion Jim Holley, Kyle Lewis, Randy Moody, and World Champion Bobby Moore . The stadium was a significant venue for motorcycle speedway and hosted important events, including the American final of

640-620: The CRL if they wanted to keep officiating the Indy 500. After USAC's attempt at a 500-mile race at Pocono Raceway  – which was boycotted by the CART teams, forcing USAC to fill the field with silver crown cars – USAC and CART eventually settled into a relatively peaceful co-existence, with USAC continuing to sanction the Indianapolis 500 and no other Championship car races, and CART including

680-894: The IRL itself, which was renamed the IndyCar Series in 2003. Since 2022, the United States Auto Club has sanctioned the USF Juniors , USF2000 Championship , and USF Pro 2000 Championship series, which serve as a ladder series to Indy NXT, along with the Radical Sportscars North American Championships, Skip Barber Racing School , as well as continued sanctioning of the GT World Challenge America and Porsche Sprint Challenge North America under

720-417: The Indianapolis 500, USAC events were not well attended, and the owners felt that USAC poorly negotiated television rights. The owners also wanted increases in payouts, especially at Indy. Though some think the plane crash was used as an opportunistic way to force change in the sport, it was merely an unfortunate coincidence. The seed of dissent had been growing for several years before the accident, and claims

760-563: The Indy 500. After 1983, however, the Gold Crown schedule would consist of only one event per season (Indy 500), and the Gold Crown title would be regarded largely as ceremonial. The winner of the Indianapolis 500 would be the de facto Gold Crown champion, as it was the lone points-paying event. The title and the "series" were retired after the 1994–1995 season with the advent of the Indy Racing League . USAC featured

800-638: The Loyola High School Stadium in Los Angeles under the control of the first official governing body, the Midget Auto Racing Association (MARA). After spreading across the country, the sport traveled around the world; first to Australia in 1934 at Melbourne's Olympic Park on December 15, and to New Zealand in 1937. Early midget races were held on board tracks previously used for bicycle racing . When

840-619: The Midwest and the East. * As of the end of the 2020 season The USAC/CRA AMSOIL Sprint Car Series debuted in 2004 utilizing the same cars and 410ci engines that race in USAC's AMSOIL National Sprint Car Championship at dirt oval tracks across California and Arizona. The series also features combination races with the AMSOIL USAC Sprint Car National Championship. Champions Source: USAC started

SECTION 20

#1732783101055

880-570: The United States on both dirt & pavement oval tracks. With exception to the engine, the cars used are the same as National & Western States Midget cars. The powerplants currently used are 4-cylinder production-based engines with stock internal dimensions to save costs for competitors. The series started out as a spec engine class, originally with Ford supplying their Zetec engine from 2002 to 2012, and then HPD supplying their K24 engine starting in 2013. National Championship The Speed2 Midget Series National Champion has been determined in

920-668: The United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship , and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500 . USAC serves as the sanctioning body for a number of racing series, including the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Cars, National Midgets, Speed2 Midget Series, .25 Midget Series, Stadium Super Trucks , and Pirelli World Challenge . Seven-time USAC champion Levi Jones

960-448: The arbiter of rules, car design, and other matters for what it termed championship auto racing , the highest level of USAC racing. For a while there was a separate series of specifications for championship cars designed to be run on dirt, rather than paved, tracks. Today, USAC sanction open-wheel racing series such as the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Car Series , National Midget Series , and Quarter Midgets . The "triple crown"

1000-831: The beginning of the 2013–14 season and ended in the United States. Midget car racing also grew in popularity in the Northeast of the United States, in part due to racers like Bill Schindler and events at tracks like that at Hinchcliffe Stadium . Many IndyCar and NASCAR drivers use midget car racing as an intermediate stepping stone on their way to more high-profile divisions, including Tony Stewart , Sarah Fisher , Rodger Ward , A. J. Foyt , Mario Andretti , Johnnie Parsons , Ryan Newman , Kyle Larson , Jeff Gordon , Christopher Bell , Bill Vukovich , and others. Events are sometimes held on weeknights so that popular and famous drivers from other, higher-profiled types of motor racing (who race in those higher-profiled types of racing on

1040-489: The championship and the 2010 winner received $ 40,000. Points are accumulated in the three national series: sprints, midgets, and silver crown. Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Indiana claimed the inaugural championship, topping runner-up Levi Jones by 14 points. As of 2013 it has been known as the Mike Curb "Super License" National Championship Award. USAC national drivers champions On April 23, 1978, returning from

1080-655: The country's "golden era" of the 1950s and 1960s. Australian promoters such as Adelaide 's Kym Bonython who ran the Rowley Park Speedway , and Empire Speedways who ran the Brisbane Exhibition Ground and the famous Sydney Showground Speedway , often imported drivers from the US, such as the popular Jimmy Davies . Promoters in Australia during this period often staged races billed as either

1120-706: The country, facing opposition from independent drivers and racetracks. After the AAA withdrew from sanctioning races in 1955, the United States Auto Club took over as the major sanctioning body of midget car racing in the United States. NASCAR had a midget division from 1952 to 1968. Soon after in Australia , Speedcar racing became popular with the first Australian Speedcar Championship being contested in Melbourne in 1935, its popularity running through

1160-850: The country. USAC's West Coast Sprint Car Series was launched in 2009 by Santa Maria Speedway promoter Chris Kearns, and joined forces with USAC in 2010. The West Coast series primarily races at tracks across California while also having special event races in Nevada. USAC's Southwest Sprint Car Series was launched in 1991 as the Arizona Sprint Car Racing Association. The series joined forces with USAC in 2012. The Southwest series primarily races at tracks in Arizona, Nevada and New Mexico while also having special event races in Arkansas, Kansas & Oklahoma. The Southwest series

1200-460: The crash was an immediate cause for the 1979 CART/USAC "split" are considered for the most part unfounded. Also unpopular were the attempts of USAC to keep the aging Offenhauser engine competitive with the newer, and much more expensive, Cosworth DFX engine using boost-limiting "pop off valves" and limiting the amount of fuel that could be used. Finally, most car owners banded together to form Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) in 1978, with

1240-605: The first race to be run in 1979 . USAC tried unsuccessfully to ban all CART owners from the 1979 Indianapolis 500 , finally losing in court before the race began. Both the USAC and CART ran multi-race schedules in 1979. Indianapolis Motor Speedway president John Cooper was instrumental in forming a joint body of CART and USAC with the creation of the Championship Racing League in March 1980. However, in mid-1980, Cooper forced USAC to renounce their agreement with

Ventura Raceway - Misplaced Pages Continue

1280-488: The newly formed Road Racing Division under the direction of Randy Hembrey . Beginning in 1971, all dirt races were split from the National Championship. From 1971 to 1980, the series was named "National Dirt Car Championship", then renamed "Silver Crown Series" in 1981. * As of the end of the 2022 season From 1956 to 1960, USAC's National Sprint Car Championship was divided into two regional divisions in

1320-463: The purpose-built speedway at Gilmore Stadium was completed, racing ended at the school stadium, and hundreds of tracks began to spring up across the United States. Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (near Madison ) is another major track in the United States operating since the first half of the twentieth century. The AAA Contest Board soon started sanctioning midget races across

1360-444: The race in its schedule between other CART-sanctioned races. USAC continued to sanction the Indy 500 until 1997, when the Indy Racing League (itself product of the second American open-wheel split in 1996) terminated the sanctioning agreement following two consecutive officiating controversies that year; subsequent Indy 500s (and IRL races, as USAC was also involved in IRL's racing-related matters up to that point) were sanctioned by

1400-657: The series. The USAC also sanctions the American Rally Association , Nitro Rallycross , King of the Hammers and Great American Shortcourse . Starting in 1981, USAC scaled back their participation in Indy car racing outside of the Indianapolis 500. The preeminent national championship season was instead being sanctioned by CART . USAC developed a split-calendar season, beginning in June, and ending in May with

1440-431: The three championships at least once in their careers. In 2012 Mike Curb and Cary Agajanian became the only car owners to win the triple crown by winning all three championships in the same year. USAC had awarded a national championship until A. J. Foyt won his seventh title in 1979. It has announced that it will begin awarding a national championship starting in 2010. A driver's best 25 finishes are counted toward

1480-567: The weekends) will be available to compete, and so that it does not conflict with drivers' home tracks. Australia 's Triple Formula One World Drivers' Champion Sir Jack Brabham got his motor racing start in Speedcars on the dirt track ovals in his home town of Sydney . Before going on to become the 1959 , 1960 and 1966 World Champion, Brabham was a multiple Australian national and state title winner from 1948 until he turned full time to road racing in 1953. In 1959, Lime Rock Park held

1520-419: The world to compete in this prestigious event. Past winners for the event include Billy Boat (1997), Kyle Larson (2016 & 2019), Christopher Bell (2017 & 2018), and Logan Seavey (2021).. Midget car Midget cars , also Speedcars in Australia , is a class of racing cars. The cars are very small with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four cylinder engines . They originated in

1560-702: Was put on hold after the 2019 season and has not made its way back into the sport since then. USAC and URC Sprint Car Series promoter Curt Michael joined forces to create the USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series, with the first season beginning in 2018. Champions USAC formed the Speed2 Midget Series (formerly known as the Ford Focus Midget Series, Ignite Midget Series and HPD Midget Series) in 2002 with several regional divisions running across

1600-489: Was started in 1990 and switched to USAC sanctioning in 2017. The championship currently races on road and street courses across the United States and Canada with seven different classes for GT cars & Touring cars. Founded by WC Vision, the series is presently owned by SRO Group . The Stadium Super Trucks series was founded in 2013 by former NASCAR driver Robby Gordon . It is sanctioned by USAC, though Gordon and sponsorship marketing company The Elevation Group co-own

#54945