TWO TALES OF REDEMPTION: GRANT AND BALLOU TAKE TWO AT ELDORA
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Last weekend at Eldora Speedway, we were witnesses to two contrasting stories featuring a pair individuals who’ve had their share of ups and downs.
Justin Grant and Robert Ballou have both certainly had their fair share of good fortune throughout their careers. A large part of the two’s success is due to their sheer will and ability to bounce back when standing face-to-face with adversity.
Redemption is a word that comes to mind and these two have certainly answered the bell, whether it was a change in employer - as was the case with Grant - or overcoming serious injuries and a long rehabilitation to race again like Ballou.
After a tumultuous 2016 season, both Grant and Ballou were seeking new found glory. Grant appears to have already found it with two USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car wins and the series point lead to his name coming into Eldora.
On Thursday, Ballou was medically cleared. On Friday, he was back in a racecar at one of the most harrowing venues of them all.
The weekend was the stage to multiple comebacks. Comebacks that won’t soon be forgotten, especially ones that come at the “Big E”
One year ago, Justin Grant came into Eldora’s #LetsRaceTwo with a full-time ride. When he left the track that weekend, that was no longer the case.
Grant spent much of the summer of 2016 looking for a sprint car ride to showcase his craft. It took him a few months to find a new address and, since then, that address has become a home for the Ione, California native.
By September, he was back in victory lane at Eldora’s “4-Crown Nationals” with Sam McGhee Motorsports. Throughout the remainder of 2016 and into the first several races of 2017, Grant and McGhee haven’t finished outside the top-8. That ride continued Friday night when Grant began the 30-lap event from the fifth position as polesitter Kevin Thomas, Jr. sprinted to the lead at the drop of the green with Chris Windom, Chad Boespflug and Jarett Andretti in tow.
Windom began to apply pressure to Thomas for the top spot by lap seven, but soon, both Grant and 11th starting Shane Cottle gassed their way to the front. Grant took second after sweeping around the outside of Windom and now had eyes set on running down KTJ.
As Cottle made his move on Windom for third, Grant rocketed to the inside of Thomas on the back straightaway and used a patented Eldora slider to rip the lead away as Thomas countered underneath. In a drag race to the line, Grant held the advantage by a single wheel. Thomas charged right back, but Grant denied the anticipated Thomas’ slide job after switching to the low line to momentarily ward off the challenge.
Meanwhile, Cottle was a man on a mission using the middle to low line to gain considerable ground on Grant just after the midway point. The two went wheel-to-wheel through turns three and four with Grant able to hold onto a slight margin.
Cottle made his bid on Grant for the lead at the bottom of turn one. Grant slammed the door to fend off Cottle, but Cottle refused to fade away and came back at Grant with just 10 laps remaining, briefly nosing ahead as a swarm of drivers made a beeline at the leaders, including Thomas, Windom, Thomas Meseraull and Dallas Hewitt.
Grant, Cottle and Thomas ran nose-to-tail, one-two-three in a battle in which no inch was spared. Lap-after-lap, the contentious tug-of-war for position with the top-five participating in a scramble that appeared as if it were a restrictor plate race at Talladega.
Grant moved back to the top in the final stages as Dallas Hewitt found a little magic of his own, cruising around the outside of Meseraull for fourth before slicing through the middle past Cottle for third. With four laps remaining, Hewitt hauled the mail to second after sliding across the front bumper of Thomas.
It was now a two-man trophy-dash between Grant and Hewitt for the win. On laps 28 and 29, Hewitt made up ground off turn two to pull himself within the shadows of Grant. Yet, Grant played a little more defense as the sound of Hewitt’s engine was now within Grant’s earshot.
On the final lap, Hewitt made one final go of it as he kept Grant within reach. But, his torrid late-race charge to become the first member of the Hewitt family since his uncle Jack swept the “4-Crown” in 1998 would come up just short as Grant dodged each and every bullet fired at him to capture his third-career Eldora triumph and his third series victory of the season over Dallas Hewitt and Kevin Thomas, Jr.
Just two days prior, Ballou’s status was still uncertain as he awaited medical clearance from Dr. David Schwartz to give him the go-ahead to climb back behind the wheel of a racecar. Thursday night, he received official word and a day later, he was back on the track.
Eldora was a fitting stage for Ballou’s return, but it was just happenstance that the first leg of his road back to the racetrack took place at a venue that has served him so well over the past decade. It’s the same place where he earned the first three of his 27 career series victories as well as the first #LetsRaceTwo feature in 2015.
From his starting position outside of the second row, Ballou immediately became a factor. By the end of lap one, Ballou dove to the bottom of turn one to take first from Chris Windom. However, Windom came right back at Ballou, returning the favor by mimicking the same move that had just been put on him on the opposite end to snatch the lead back in turn three.
Ripping the top lap-after-lap with their right rear tires breezing the concrete, Windom and Ballou entered lapped traffic with much of the back end of the field cooperating by running the bottom, providing them an unobstructed lane up top.
With 13 laps remaining, the leaders encountered 15th-running Josh Hodges running the high groove. Windom left the trusty high line to slide Hodges in the third turn. As he slid through the middle of the racing surface, Ballou stayed the course up top and jetted around the outside of Windom exiting turn four to take the position.
A lap 26 Landon Simon tumble led put a halt to Ballou’s surefire run to the checkered, but only briefly. When racing resumed, Ballou picked up right where he left off, checking out in the final five-lap sprint for his first win in nearly a year over Chris Windom and Brady Bacon.
Thursday, he was medically cleared. Friday, he was back in a racecar. Saturday, he was back in victory lane for the fifth-time at Eldora – a remarkable feat for the 2015 series champ from California who had been out of action for the previous eight months.
Grant remains at the top of the standings, increasing his lead to 66 over Chad Boespflug, Chris Windom, Chase Stockon and Tyler Courtney.
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UPCOMING USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT
DATE: Friday, May 19, 2017
SERIES: USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship & USAC Midget National Championship
TRACK: Tri-City Speedway (Granite City, Illinois) - ⅜-mile dirt oval
EVENT: “River Town Showdown”
STARTING TIMES: Pit Gate Open at 3pm. Gates Open at 4pm. Drivers Meeting at 5pm. Cars on Track at 6pm.
TICKETS: Adult General Admission: $25. Youth Ages 13-18: $15. Kids 12 and under: FREE! Anyone with an armband from the .25 race at Tri-City: $10. Pit Passes: USAC Members - $30, Non-Members: $35.
Advance tickets available at: https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2017-river-town-showdown-may-19--20
TRACK ADDRESS: 5100 Nameoki Rd, Granite City, IL 62040
TRACK PHONE: (618) 931-7836
TRACK WEBSITE: http://www.tricityspeedway.net/
MEDIA COVERAGE: Watch the race LIVE on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/. Watch the race one day later on-demand at http://www.Loudpedal.TV/. Live updates on https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/ and https://twitter.com/USACNation/, plus available on the Race Monitor app on your phone.
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UPCOMING USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT
DATE: Saturday, May 20, 2017
SERIES: USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship
TRACK: Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 (Pevely, MO) – 1/4-Mile Dirt Oval
EVENT: “Rivertown Showdown” featuring the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship
STARTING TIMES: Pit Gate Open at 3pm. Gates Open at 4pm. Drivers Meeting at 5pm. Cars on Track at 6pm.
TICKETS: Adult General Admission: $25. Youth Ages 13-18: $15. Kids 12 and under: FREE! Pit Passes: USAC Members - $30, Non-Members: $35.
Advance tickets available at: https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2017-river-town-showdown-may-19--20
TRACK ADDRESS: 1540 Herky Horine Rd, Pevely, MO 63070
TRACK PHONE: (636) 479-3219
TRACK WEBSITE: https://federatedautopartsraceway.com/
MEDIA COVERAGE: Watch the race LIVE on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/. Watch the race one day later on-demand at http://www.Loudpedal.TV/. Live updates on https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/ and https://twitter.com/USACNation/, plus available on the Race Monitor app on your phone.
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TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY USAC SPRINT CAR WINNERS:
1967: Greg Weld & Ralph Liguori
1968: Greg Weld
1984: Rick Hood
1985: Randy Standridge
1988: Kelly Kinser
1989: Steve Butler
1990: Sammy Swindell & Jack Hewitt
1991: Danny Smith, Danny Smith, Doug Wolfgang, Doug Wolfgang & Jack Hewitt
1995: Tony Stewart
2000: Jay Drake
2003: Troy Rutherford (SE)
2005: Jay Drake
2006: Josh Wise
TRI-CITY SPEEDWAY USAC SPRINT CAR WINNERS:
2017 is the first event.
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2017 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS:
Feb 23: Ocala, FL - Bubba Raceway Park
WINNER: Rained Out
Feb 24: Ocala, FL - Bubba Raceway Park
WINNER: Justin Grant (McGhee #11)
Feb 25: Ocala, FL - Bubba Raceway Park
WINNER: Hunter Schuerenberg (Motsinger #2)
Apr 1: Lawrenceburg, IN - Lawrenceburg Speedway
WINNER: Chris Windom (Baldwin #5)
Apr 14: Bloomington, IN - Bloomington Speedway
WINNER: Chad Boespflug (Dynamics #69)
Apr 15: Haubstadt, IN - Tri-State Speedway
WINNER: Chris Windom (Baldwin #5)
Apr 21: Plymouth, IN – Plymouth Speedway
WINNER: Justin Grant (McGhee #11)
Apr 22: Montpelier, IN - Montpelier Motor Speedway
WINNER: Rained Out
May 12: Rossburg, OH - Eldora Speedway
WINNER: Justin Grant (McGhee #11)
May 13: Rossburg, OH - Eldora Speedway
WINNER: Robert Ballou (Ballou #12)
May 19: Granite City, IL – Tri-City Speedway
May 20: Pevely, MO – Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55
May 24: Terre Haute, IN - Terre Haute Action Track
Jun 2: Greenwood, NE – I-80 Speedway
Jun 3: Knoxville, IA – Knoxville Raceway
Jun 13: %%% Bechtelsville, PA - Grandview Speedway
Jun 14: %%% Abbottstown, PA - Lincoln Speedway
Jun 15: %%% Mechanicsburg, PA – Williams Grove Speedway
Jun 17: %%% Port Royal, PA – Port Royal Speedway
Jun 18: %%% York Haven, PA - Susquehanna Speedway
Jun 30: Putnamville, IN - Lincoln Park Speedway
Jul 7: *** Gas City, IN - Gas City I-69 Speedway
Jul 8: *** Kokomo, IN - Kokomo Speedway
Jul 9: *** Lawrenceburg, IN - Lawrenceburg Speedway
Jul 12: *** Terre Haute, IN - Terre Haute Action Track
Jul 13: *** Putnamville, IN - Lincoln Park Speedway
Jul 14: *** Bloomington, IN - Bloomington Speedway
Jul 15: *** Haubstadt, IN - Tri-State Speedway
Jul 28: TBA - TBA
Jul 29: Kansas City, KS – Lakeside Speedway
Jul 30: Moberly, MO – Randolph County Raceway
Aug 23: (SE) Kokomo, IN - Kokomo Speedway
Aug 24: Kokomo, IN - Kokomo Speedway
Aug 25: Kokomo, IN - Kokomo Speedway
Aug 26: Kokomo, IN - Kokomo Speedway
Sep 15: Terre Haute, IN - Terre Haute Action Track
Sep 16: Haubstadt, IN - Tri-State Speedway
Sep 23: Rossburg, OH - Eldora Speedway
Sep 30: Lawrenceburg, IN - Lawrenceburg Speedway
Oct 6: TBA – TBA
Oct 7: TBA – TBA
Nov 3: ### Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Nov 4: ### Queen Creek, AZ - Arizona Speedway
Nov 9: ### Perris, CA - Perris Auto Speedway
Nov 10: ### Perris, CA - Perris Auto Speedway
Nov 11: ### Perris, CA - Perris Auto Speedway
Races noted with (SE) represent a non-points-paying "Special Event"
Races noted with %%% represent Eastern Storm
Races noted with @@@ represent California Sprint Week.
Races noted with *** represent Indiana Sprint Week
Races noted with ### represent a race with the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series.
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2017 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (594) Justin Grant (Ione, CA)
2. (528) Chad Boespflug (Hanford, CA)
3. (508) Chris Windom (Canton, IL)
4. (497) Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, IN)
5. (399) Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, IN)
6. (338) Jarett Andretti (Mooresville, NC)
7. (332) Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Cullman, AL)
8. (331) C.J. Leary (Greenfield, IN)
9. (317) Dave Darland (Lincoln, IN)
10. (292) Shane Cottle (Kokomo, IN)
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2017 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OWNER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (594) Sam McGhee Motorsports #11
2. (528) Dynamics, Inc. #69
3. (508) Baldwin Brothers Racing #5
4. (497) 32 TBI Racing #32
5. (415) Pace Racing #44
6. (399) TOPP Motorsports #23c
7. (338) Andretti Autosport Short Track #18
8. (331) Leary Racing #30
9. (317) Phillips/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports #71p
10. (289) Hodges Racing #74x
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2017 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ROOKIE DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (189) Stevie Sussex (Tempe, AZ)
2. (59) Shawn Westerfeld (Guilford, IN)
3. (53) Clinton Boyles (Greenwood, MO)
4. (42) Joe Liguori (Tampa, FL)
5. (40) Mario Clouser (Auburn, IL) & Aric Gentry (Robards, KY)
7. (34) Rob Caho, Jr. (Wyoming, MN)
8. (20) Robert Bell (Colfax, IA) & Cooper Clouse (Ohio City, OH)
10. (10) Kent Schmidt (Owensville, IN)
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2017 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP STATISTICS:
FEATURE WINS:
1. (3) Justin Grant (Feb. 24 at Bubba Raceway Park, Apr. 21 at Plymouth Speedway & May 12 at Eldora Speedway)
2. (2) Chris Windom (Apr. 1 at Lawrenceburg Speedway & Apr. 15 at Tri-State Speedway)
3. (1) Robert Ballou (May 13 at Eldora Speedway)
(1) Chad Boespflug (Apr. 14 at Bloomington Speedway)
(1) Hunter Schuerenberg (Feb. 25 at Bubba Raceway Park)
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FEATURE LAPS LED:
1. (102) Chris Windom
2. (72) Justin Grant
3. (26) Chad Boespflug
4. (13) Robert Ballou
5. (9) Dave Darland & Kevin Thomas, Jr.
7. (7) Hunter Schuerenberg
8. (2) Thomas Meseraull
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TOP-FIVE FEATURE FINISHES:
1. (8) Justin Grant
2. (6) Chad Boespflug
3. (4) Chris Windom
4. (3) Brady Bacon, Thomas Meseraull & Chase Stockon
7. (2) Tyler Courtney & Kevin Thomas, Jr.
9. (1) Robert Ballou, Dallas Hewitt, C.J. Leary, Hunter Schuerenberg, Brady Short, Carson Short, Landon Simon, Jon Stanbrough & Stevie Sussex
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TOP-TEN FEATURE FINISHES:
1. (8) Justin Grant
2. (7) Chris Windom
3. (6) Chad Boespflug & Chase Stockon
5. (5) Kevin Thomas, Jr.
6. (4) Brady Bacon & Thomas Meseraull
8. (3) Jarett Andretti, Shane Cottle & Tyler Courtney
11. (2) Robert Ballou, Kyle Cummins, Dave Darland, Aaron Farney, Josh Hodges, C.J. Leary, Hunter Schuerenberg, Brady Short, Carson Short, Jon Stanbrough & Stevie Sussex
22. (1) Brent Beauchamp, Nick Bilbee, Jeff Bland, Jr., Jerry Coons, Jr., Dallas Hewitt, Max McGhee, Landon Simon, Scotty Weir & Shawn Westerfeld
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PROSOURCE FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
1. (2) Brady Bacon & Justin Grant
2. (1) Jarett Andretti, C.J. Leary, Carson Short & Chase Stockon
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HEAT RACE WINS (Presented by Simpson Race Products, Competition Suspension (CSI), Chalk Stix & Indy Race Parts):
1. (6) Chase Stockon
2. (2) Chad Boespflug, Tyler Courtney, Kevin Thomas, Jr., Scotty Weir & Chris Windom
7. (1) Brent Beauchamp, Nick Bilbee, Jeff Bland, Jr., Shane Cottle, Dave Darland, Aaron Farney, Josh Hodges, C.J. Leary, Max McGhee, Landon Simon, Carson Short & Tyler Thomas
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SEMI WINS:
1. (1) Tyler Courtney, Kyle Cummins, Dave Darland, C.J. Leary, Max McGhee, Chase Stockon & Stevie Sussex
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FEATURE STARTS:
1. (8) Chad Boespflug, Isaac Chapple, Tyler Courtney, Dave Darland, Justin Grant, Landon Simon, Chase Stockon & Chris Windom
9. (7) Jarett Andretti, Josh Hodges & C.J. Leary
12. (6) Shane Cottle, Aaron Farney & Kevin Thomas, Jr.
15. (5) Max McGhee & Hunter Schuerenberg
17. (4) Brady Bacon, Jeff Bland, Jr., Kyle Cummins, Thomas Meseraull & Carson Short
22. (3) Nick Bilbee, Jerry Coons, Jr., Dallas Hewitt, Brady Short, Corey Smith, Jon Stanbrough & Stevie Sussex
29. (2) Robert Ballou, Clinton Boyles, Tyler Hewitt, Tyler Thomas & Scotty Weir
34. (1) Toby Alfrey, Brent Beauchamp, Donny Brackett, Rob Caho, Jr., Mario Clouser, Colten Cottle, Aric Gentry, Matt Goodnight, Dakota Jackson, Joe Liguori, Brandon Morin, Aaron Pierce, Kyle Robbins, Kyle Simon, Dustin Smith, Josh Spencer, Kody Swanson, Shawn Westerfeld, Chet Williams & Chad Wilson
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KSE RACING PRODUCTS “HARD CHARGER” OF THE RACE:
2/24: Bubba Raceway Park – Brady Bacon (16th to 4th)
2/25: Bubba Raceway Park – Brady Bacon (13th to 5th)
4/1: Lawrenceburg Speedway – Shane Cottle (21st to 10th)
4/14: Bloomington Speedway – Kevin Thomas, Jr. (20th to 5th)
4/15: Tri-State Speedway – Brady Short (20th to 4th)
4/21: Plymouth Speedway – Tyler Courtney (18th to 2nd)
5/12: Eldora Speedway – Chase Stockon (21st to 4th)
5/13: Eldora Speedway – Justin Grant (11th to 4th)
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WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHERS:
2/24: Bubba Raceway Park – Tyler Courtney
2/25: Bubba Raceway Park – Tyler Courtney
4/1: Lawrenceburg Speedway – Tyler Thomas
4/14: Bloomington Speedway – C.J. Leary
4/15: Tri-State Speedway – Tyler Courtney
4/21: Plymouth Speedway – Landon Simon
5/12: Eldora Speedway – C.J. Leary
5/13: Eldora Speedway – Kevin Thomas, Jr.
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ALL-TIME USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR DRIVER FEATURE WINS:
1. [59 wins] Dave Darland
2. [52 wins] Tom Bigelow
3. [47 wins] Tracy Hines
4. [46 wins] Jack Hewitt
5. [45 wins] Larry Dickson
6. [42 wins] Pancho Carter
7. [41 wins] Bryan Clauson
8. [40 wins] Gary Bettenhausen
9. [37 wins] Sheldon Kinser
10. [35 wins] Jon Stanbrough & Rich Vogler
12. [32 wins] Rollie Beale
13. [28 wins] Levi Jones & J.J. Yeley
15. [27 wins] Robert Ballou
16. [26 wins] Tony Elliott & Dave Steele
18. [25 wins] Steve Butler & Jay Drake
20. [23 wins] A.J. Foyt & Roger McCluskey
22. [22 wins] Rick Hood, Bubby Jones & Sam Sessions
25. [21 wins] Greg Weld
26. [17 wins] Brady Bacon, Jerry Coons, Jr., Parnelli Jones & Bud Kaeding
30. [16 wins] Damion Gardner & Chris Windom
32. [15 wins] Bobby East, Cory Kruseman, Jud Larson & Brian Tyler
36. [14 wins] Billy Cassella, Jim Hurtubise, Lee Kunzman & Bruce Walkup
40. [13 wins] Don Branson & Steve Chassey
42. [12 wins] Eric Gordon & Kevin Thomas Jr.
44. [11 wins] Daron Clayton & Greg Leffler
46. [10 wins] Tony Stewart
47. [9 wins] Mario Andretti, Hunter Schuerenberg & Robbie Stanley
50. [8 wins] Mike Bliss, Chet Fillip, Johnny Rutherford, Joe Saldana, & Chase Stockon
55. [7 wins] Kevin Doty, Justin Grant, Darren Hagen, Kenny Irwin, Jr., Doug Kalitta, Jim Keeker, Bobby Santos, Brady Short, Kevin Thomas, Bobby Unser & Josh Wise
66. [6 wins] Chad Boespflug, Kevin Briscoe, Jac Haudenschild, Jason McCord, Jan Opperman, Tom Sneva, George Snider & Dick Tobias
74. [5 wins] Larry Cannon, Dana Carter, Derek Davidson, Gene Lee Gibson, Jeff Gordon, Chuck Gurney, Shane Hmiel, Kevin Huntley, Frankie Kerr, Kelly Kinser, Eddie Leavitt, Jim Mahoney, Andy Michner, Johnny Parsons, Bill Puterbaugh & Cole Whitt
90. [4 wins] Rob Chaney, Cary Faas, Jesse Hockett, Steve Kinser, Michael Lewis, Thomas Meseraull, Don Nordhorn, Lee Osborne, Red Riegel, Ken Schrader, Al Smith & Danny Smith
102. [3 wins] Chuck Amati, Sonny Ates, Jeff Bloom, Mark Cassella, Shane Cottle, Jerry Daniels, Bob East, Bob Frey, Dickie Gaines, Wayne Hammond, Tray House, Kenny Jacobs, Tony Jones, Kyle Larson, Ralph Liguori, Charlie Masters, Mike Mosley, Larry Rice, Ron Shuman, Mitch Smith & Doug Wolfgang
123. [2 wins] Chad Boat, Marvin Carman, Ed Carpenter, Kyle Cummins, Brad Doty, Nic Faas, Cy Fairchild, Brad Fox, Arnie Knepper, Danny Lasoski, Mack McClellan, James McElreath, Lealand McSpadden, Danny Milburn, Mat Neely, Ryan Newman, Jerry Poland, Casey Riggs, Bill Rose, Mickey Shaw, Terry Shepherd, Dean Shirley, Brad Sweet, Kevin Swindell, Sammy Swindell, Mike Spencer, Bud Tingelstad, Billy Vukovich, Mike Ward & Carl Williams
153. [1 win] Donnie Adams, A.J. Anderson, Brad Armstrong, Tony Armstrong, Tommy Astone, Dick Atkins, Brent Beauchamp, Jeff Bland Jr., Stan Bowman, Alan Brown, Karl Busson, Johnny Capels, David Cardey, Bob Cicconi, Henry Clarke, Troy Cline, Duke Cook, Mel Cornett, Tyler Courtney, Allen Crowe, Bill Engelhart, Cotton Farmer, Aaron Farney, Gary Fedewa, Blake Fitzpatrick, Joe Gaerte, Russ Gamester, Rickie Gaunt, Elmer George, Brian Gerster, Todd Gibson, Ron Gregory, Richard Griffin, Garrett Hansen, Jerry Hansen, Jim Hemmings, Josh Hodges, Bob Hogle, Jackie Howerton, Chuck Hulse, Logan Jarrett, Marc Jessup, Gordon Johncock, Chet Johnson, Page Jones, Bob Kinser, Mike Kirby, C.J. Leary, Fred Linder, Steve Long, Hank Lower, Brett Mann, Bobby Marshman, Larry Martin, Mike Martin, Brad Marvel, Justin Marvel, Rusty McClure, Bob McCoy, Jim McElreath, Bobby Olivero, Gary Patterson, Billy Pauch, Dave Peperak, Jiggs Peters, Aaron Pierce, Paul Pitzer, Terry Pletch, Billy Puterbaugh Jr., Bud Randall, Byron Reed, Boston Reid, Rodney Ritter, Jr., David Roahrig, Carson Short, Billy Shuman, Jimmy Sills, Smokey Snellbaker, Wib Spalding, Greg Staab, Randy Standridge, Ron Standridge, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Kody Swanson, Tanner Swanson, Mike Sweeney, Jeff Swindell, Clark Templeman, Bill Tyler, Rick Ungar, Lennie Waldo, Tyler Walker, Scotty Weir, Kenny Weld, Bob Wente, Matt Westfall, Johnny White, Rip Williams, Jacob Wilson & Eddie Wirth
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ALL-TIME USAC SPRINT CAR DRIVER CHAMPIONS:
1956: Pat O'Connor (Midwest) & Tommy Hinnershitz (Eastern); 1957: Elmer George (Midwest) & Bill Randall (Eastern); 1958: Eddie Sachs (Midwest) & Johnny Thomson (Eastern); 1959: Don Branson (Midwest) & Tommy Hinnershitz (Eastern); 1960: Parnelli Jones (Midwest) & A.J. Foyt (Eastern); 1961: Parnelli Jones; 1962: Parnelli Jones; 1963: Roger McCluskey; 1964: Don Branson; 1965: Johnny Rutherford; 1966: Roger McCluskey; 1967: Greg Weld; 1968: Larry Dickson; 1969: Gary Bettenhausen; 1970: Larry Dickson; 1971: Gary Bettenhausen; 1972: Sam Sessions; 1973: Rollie Beale; 1974: Pancho Carter; 1975: Larry Dickson; 1976: Pancho Carter; 1977: Sheldon Kinser; 1978: Tom Bigelow; 1979: Greg Leffler; 1980: Rich Vogler; 1981: Sheldon Kinser; 1982: Sheldon Kinser; 1983: Ken Schrader; 1984: Rick Hood; 1985: Rick Hood; 1986: Steve Butler; 1987: Steve Butler; 1988: Steve Butler; 1989: Rich Vogler; 1990: Steve Butler; 1991: Robbie Stanley; 1992: Robbie Stanley; 1993: Robbie Stanley; 1994: Doug Kalitta; 1995: Tony Stewart; 1996: Brian Tyler; 1997: Brian Tyler; 1998: Tony Elliott; 1999: Dave Darland; 2000: Tony Elliott; 2001: J.J. Yeley; 2002: Tracy Hines; 2003: J.J. Yeley; 2004: Jay Drake; 2005: Levi Jones; 2006: Josh Wise; 2007: Levi Jones; 2008: Jerry Coons, Jr.; 2009: Levi Jones; 2010: Levi Jones (Dirt) & Shane Hmiel (Pavement); 2011: Levi Jones (Dirt) & Bobby Santos (Pavement); 2012: Bryan Clauson; 2013: Bryan Clauson; 2014: Brady Bacon; 2015: Robert Ballou; 2016: Brady Bacon