USAC MIDGET SEASON ALREADY ONE FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Wayne City, Illinois………It’s been a balanced season in the win column for the USAC P1 Insurance National Midgets. From one race to the next, it’s been unpredictable with nary a repeat winner as we travel into the depths of October and Sunday’s “Jason Leffler Memorial” at Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, Ill.
The eye test, plus a deep dig into the numbers, suggests this season is one for the record books as far as unpredictability goes. No single driver owns more than two wins at this point in the season, a mark possessed by four drivers – Logan Seavey, Tyler Courtney, Chad Boat and Kevin Thomas, Jr.
Fourteen events have been held thus far in 2018 with ten different drivers sharing the honors. Only 11 times has the USAC National Midget season gone this far into the year without having a three-time winner: 1958 (19), 1959 (24), 1963 (19), 1969 (18), 1970 (23), 1973 (20), 1977 (18), 1984 (16), 1986 (16), 1987 (18) and 2009 (16). It took until the 24th race in 1959 before Don Branson won his third of the year at Macon Speedway in Illinois.
Granted the schedule in those days was much heftier in terms of the number of events, but the latest in the year a season has gone on the calendar before a third-time winner emerged was August 16, 1986, when Rich Vogler captured the victory at Springfield (Ill.) Speedway. Here we are now in mid-October and a third-time winner has yet to be found. Boom goes the dynamite.
With repeat winners, it’s a similar story. The consecutive seasons of 1992 and 1993 are the highwater mark with zero repeat winners in each of those two seasons, a span of 54 races, that even carried 10 races into the following season before Tony Stewart scored twice-in-a-row at North Vernon, Indiana’s Twin Cities Raceway Park and Indianapolis Raceway Park in June of 1994.
As far as those years that have had a repeat winner, the latest on the calendar was November 9, 1986 when Rich Vogler scored his second-straight on a chilly afternoon in the Sammy Sessions Memorial at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway. With two west coast races in California at Bakersfield Speedway on Nov. 17 and at Ventura Raceway on Nov. 22, this record is in play depending on the Sunday’s results.
Following his September victory in the “4-Crown Nationals” at Eldora Speedway, Tyler Courtney has an opportunity to defy the continuation of these two streaks. He definitely has the ability, but if this season has proven anything, it’s that the only thing for certain is uncertainty. You can’t count anybody out.
The $10,000-to-win event this Sunday in Wayne City, Ill. will have the pits open at noon. The front gates open at 2pm with cars hitting the track at 4pm. Adult general admission tickets are $20 and kids age 12 and under are FREE! Pit passes are $35 apiece.
Live video will be on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/. You may also listen to the race via live audio on the USAC app. Furthermore, full coverage of the race will be available, on-demand at http://www.Loudpedal.TV/ the day following the race.
