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Grant Wins Fastest Ever USAC Silver Crown Race At Belleville
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Belleville, Kansas (May 17, 2025) – One night after scoring his first career Belleville victory on the short track, Justin Grant took his show to the high banks to earn his first career win on the famed 1/2-mile in north central Kansas.
On Saturday night, the Ione, California native set a torrid pace to wire all 50 caution-free laps at the Belleville High Banks, completing the 25-mile distance in just 15 minutes, 36.45 seconds, lowering the previous track record by nearly six minutes!
Grant had previously come close to victory at Belleville’s daunting banks, finishing 3rd in 2015 and 4th in 2024, and in 2023, led 15 laps before flipping with four laps remaining in a classic duel with Brady Bacon.
But there was no duel on this day as Grant dominated the field by nearly a straightaway in convincing fashion.
“It feels great to win here, especially up on the high banks,” Grant exclaimed. “I could just really hammer one and two, but it felt not quite like Belleville while running the bottom of three and four. Our car was locked down on the bottom over there and I thought, ‘man, I’m running wide open, so there’s no sense in moving up.’”
Grant’s run of USAC Silver Crown success through three races on the 2025 schedule has seen him finish 2nd on the dirt at the Terre Haute Action Track, followed by a pair of victories on the pavement of Toledo Speedway and on the soil of the Belleville High Banks, all of which have provided the 2020 USAC Silver Crown champ a 33-point lead in the early going.
After becoming the fastest driver ever to win across all three USAC national divisions in a single season back in late April of this year, following his Belleville scores this weekend, he is now the first driver to win in every division twice with two apiece in Silver Crown, Sprints and Midgets.
Grant lined up on the outside of the front row for Belleville alongside pole sitter Mitchel Moles who continued his qualifying prowess with a time of 16.927 seconds in qualifying, the third of his Silver Crown career.
Quickly, Grant flexed his muscle to get out in front of the pack while third-starting Jake Swanson slotted into second and Moles freefell to fifth. By lap seven, Grant was already slicing his way through traffic and pretty much maintained a 1.5 to 2.0 second advantage over Swanson for most of the first 40 circuits.
Briggs Danner ran lockstep with Swanson for much of the first half in third and was primed to try and make his move when suddenly his engine went up in smoke on lap 28. Danner exited to the pits from his phenomenal third place run up against the guardrail to that point, ending his night prematurely, and moving C.J. Leary up into the third spot.
With 10 laps to go, Grant’s lead was cut in half as he sought to make a move to put Bryan Gossel a lap down. That allowed Swanson to chop the gap to seven tenths of a second. However, as soon as Grant cleared Gossel, he was gone from the viewfinder.
Swanson had a slightly breathtaking moment with three laps remaining as he attempted to slide past Gossel in between turns one and two. Swanson’s right rear tire nearly (or possibly did) grazed against Gossel’s left front Hoosier, sending Gossel squirrely up against the outer rail, which had most onlookers briefly gasping for air.
But nobody had anything for Grant down the stretch as he finished off his ninth career series victory, tying Belleville’s first USAC Silver Crown winner, Tracy Hines, for 15th place on the all-time list.
“We felt like we had a pretty strong package here from 2023,” Grant said of his Belleville notebook. “Last year, we fought some things, so went back to what he had in 2023 and made a few tweaks yesterday in practice, which got me really comfortable and really happy. I feel like our dirt program has been really strong on the miles and we’re really strong here. I felt like we did make some progress on our flat half-mile stuff at Terre Haute. I’m just feeling really good rolling into any track anywhere we go right now.”
Jake Swanson finished a career best second. C.J. Leary crossed the line in third wit Chase Stockon taking fourth after starting back in 10th. Logan Seavey, meanwhile, rounded out the top-five.
USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 17, 2025 – Belleville High Banks – Belleville, Kansas – 1/2-Mile Dirt Oval – Huncovsky Classic
QUALIFYING: 1. Mitchel Moles, 19, Reinbold/Underwood-16.927; 2. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-16.953; 3. Jake Swanson, 6, Klatt-16.993; 4. C.J. Leary, 21, Team AZ/Petty/Rossi-17.032; 5. Briggs Danner, 10, DMW-17.101; 6. Brady Bacon, 9, Dyson-17.107; 7. Bryan Gossel, 06, Gossel-17.185; 8. Logan Seavey, 22, Rice/Abacus-17.192; 9. Matt Westfall, 54, 4 Kings-17.238; 10. Chase Stockon, 69, Pink 69-17.305; 11. Kyle Steffens, 8, Steffens-17.408; 12. Kaylee Bryson, 26, Pierce-17.472; 13. Shane Cockrum, 97, Lein-17.633; 14. Gregg Cory, 32, Williams/Cory-18.536; 15. Dave Berkheimer, 31, Berkheimer-19.571.
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (2), 2. Jake Swanson (3), 3. C.J. Leary (4), 4. Chase Stockon (10), 5. Logan Seavey (8), 6. Bryan Gossel (7), 7. Matt Westfall (9), 8. Gregg Cory (14), 9. Dave Berkheimer (15), 10. Brady Bacon (6), 11. Kaylee Bryson (12), 12. Mitchel Moles (1), 13. Kyle Steffens (11), 14. Briggs Danner (5), 15. Shane Cockrum (13). 15:36.45 (New Track Record)
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-50 Justin Grant.
USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-213, 2-C.J. Leary-180, 3-Matt Westfall-143, 4-Kaylee Bryson-136, 5-Logan Seavey-128, 6-Dave Berkheimer-110, 7-Brady Bacon-107, 8-Gregg Cory-104, 9-Briggs Danner-96, 10-Kody Swanson-95.
NEXT USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: May 23, 2025 – Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park – Brownsburg, Indiana – .686-Mile Paved Oval – 68th Hoosier Hundred
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Mcintosh Masters Belleville USAC Midgets
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Belleville, Kansas (May 17, 2025) – Redemption was on the forefront of Cannon McIntosh’s mind during Saturday night’s USAC Midget National Championship portion of the Huncovsky Classic at Kansas’ Belleville Short Track.
An incident involving McIntosh and Justin Grant while the two were battling for the second spot on lap seven of Friday night’s feature sent McIntosh spinning to a stop, and out of contention for the victory. He recovered, however, and managed to climb back from his 22nd place restarting position to finish fifth.
That just showed a glimpse of what the Bixby, Oklahoma native had up his sleeve on the 1/4-mile dirt oval, and he proved as such on Saturday night as he picked his way through the field from the inside of row five, then emerged ahead on lap 31 of 40 following a duel with teammate Gavin Miller.
McIntosh led the remaining 10 laps from that point forward, crossing under the checkered flag in a 1-2-3-4 finish for the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports team with Kale Drake swiping second, Miller coming home third and Jacob Denney filling the fourth spot. It is believed to be the first instance of a single team occupying the top-four finishing positions of a feature in USAC National Midget history.
“I feel like we had the best piece last night as well,” McIntosh declared. “The cards just didn’t fall our way. We had to go the back early and fight our way back. To pass as many good cars as we did meant that we had a pretty good piece. Tonight, we didn’t start as far forward as we wanted to, but when you have a car that good, you can’t not win the race for your guys.”
While becoming the first multi-time USAC winner on the Belleville Short Track, McIntosh also surged past Grant to become the new series point leader, his 10th career USAC National Midget feature win moved him to 73rd place all-time alongside Allen Heath, Doug Kalitta, Brad Kuhn, Steve Lotshaw, Jerry McClung, Thomas Meseraull and Chuck Weyant.
The evening was, for all intents and purposes, a KKM rout. In addition to grabbing the first four positions in the main event, the team’s stable also won each of the three heat races with Kale Drake, Miller and McIntosh all succeeding along the way.
However, the one running away with the feature for the first half was outside front row starter Logan Seavey as he constructed a four second lead over the field by lap 19. On lap 20, it proved to be all for naught as the racelong leader’s car spun off the top of the turn three cushion and came to a rest, necessitating a caution.
That opened the door for Miller to become the new race leader after emerging ahead of Jerry Coons Jr. just a few laps before the midway point. At that moment, McIntosh was beginning to make hay in his venture up the leaderboard. He slashed his way to second with an outside pass of Grant on the front straight on lap 22 yet remained a half second behind Miller with 16 to go.
On a lap 29 restart, McIntosh picked the pocket of Miller along the bottom of turns one and two to assume the lead. Miller refused to relent and came back to the forefront with a slide job past McIntosh in turn three on lap 30. McIntosh then reloaded and hustled along the bottom of turns one and two to slot back into the number one spot on the 31st circuit.
“I did everything I could there, and once we got to the lead, I felt like everything was flowing well,” McIntosh recalled. “I felt like I was flowing and things were just going smooth. Even with that late yellow, I wasn’t sweating it too much. I felt like I had such a good car that I just needed to execute the restart and we could get away, and that’s what happened.”
British Rookie Brandon Carr (15th) ground to a stop atop the turn three cushion on lap 39 to set up a two-lap dash to the finish line. With that said, McIntosh had his grip firmly on the wheel and would soon have the same grip on the trophy in victory lane.
McIntosh crossed the line roughly six car lengths ahead of runner-up Kale Drake who snuck by Miller along the bottom on the final restart. Miller hung on for third while Jacob Denney grabbed fourth and Jerry Coons Jr. rounded out the top-five with a solid night.
“(Crew chief) Beau (Binder) tried to make the car good everywhere we went,” McIntosh praised. “I felt like I could run top and bottom. Once I figured out each corner and how I wanted to run it, I feel like we were lights out. Last time, we were scratching our heads and figuring out what to do. We were so far off. With Beau getting me comfortable, it’s gotten me back to where I need to be, and I think he has his confidence back too. I think we’re all where we need to be.”
Earlier in the evening, Justin Grant recorded his 11th career USAC National Midget fast qualifying time, which tied him with fellow USAC national champions Brady Bacon, Danny Caruthers, Ryan Newman, Ken Schrader and Sleepy Tripp, just to name a few, for 52nd all-time.
Steven Snyder Jr. picked up multiple accolades with his sixth place finish. The leading series Rookie netted the honors for his 16th to 6th run.
USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 17, 2025 – Belleville Short Track – Belleville, Kansas – 1/4-Mile Dirt Oval – Huncovsky Classic
FEATURE: (40 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Cannon McIntosh (9), 2. Kale Drake (7), 3. Gavin Miller (8), 4. Jacob Denney (13), 5. Jerry Coons Jr. (1), 6. Steven Snyder Jr. (16), 7. Logan Seavey (2), 8. Justin Grant (6), 9. Drake Edwards (3), 10. Cale Coons (17), 11. Kevin Thomas Jr. (5), 12. Mack Leopard (4), 13. Gunnar Setser (10), 14. Garrett Benson (11), 15. Hayden Reinbold (12), 16. Kyle Jones (14), 17. Brandon Carr (15), 18. Zack Merritt (18), 19. Dusty Young (20), 20. Lance Bennett (19), 21. Blake Spicer (21). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-19 Logan Seavey, Laps 20-28 Gavin Miller, Lap 29 Cannon McIntosh, Lap 30 Gavin Miller, Laps 31-40 Cannon McIntosh.
USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Cannon McIntosh-291, 2-Justin Grant-289, 3-Steven Snyder Jr.-257, 4-Jacob Denney-255, 5-Kale Drake-245, 6-Logan Seavey-242, 7-Gavin Miller-228, 8-Kevin Thomas Jr.-218, 9-Drake Edwards-214, 10-Gunnar Setser-182.
NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: May 18, 2025 – Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex – Sweet Springs, Missouri – 1/6-Mile Dirt Oval
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Grant Wins Belleville’s USAC Midget Run
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Belleville, Kansas (May 16, 2025) – In each of the past two years, Justin Grant’s biggest reward on the opening night of the Huncovsky Classic was setting fast qualifying time on the Belleville Short Track in both 2023 and 2024.
On Friday night, the Ione, California native embiggened his role at the forefront of the field by capturing his first career victory at the Belleville, Kansas 1/4-mile dirt oval for what was his second consecutive victory on the 2025 USAC Midget National Championship season.
With a 5th, 1st and 1st over his first three starts of the USAC National Midget season, Grant is the first driver to win at least two of the first three main events to begin a series season since he himself achieved the feat in 2022 after capturing three-in-a-row to kick off the campaign that year.
This time around, Grant started third on the grid and found his way to the front by lap 13 after working his way past pole sitter and racelong leader Logan Seavey during a mid-race restart. From there, Grant wheeled to victory lane in the 30-lap main.
Grant’s 19th career USAC National Midget triumph moved him into 36th place on the series’ all-time win list alongside Jerry Coons Jr., Tyler Courtney, Stan Fox and Jason Leffler. Concurrently, Grant’s active point lead grew from six to 16 by virtue of his Belleville score.
In the beginning, Seavey outpaced McIntosh to the stripe by a mere inch or two to lead the opening lap of the feature. Seavey subsequently maintained control throughout much of the first half. Meanwhile, the tussle for position behind Seavey was mounting between Grant, McIntosh and the surging Denney who had already recorded fast qualifying time and a heat race win in pursuit of a rare nightly sweep.
However, Denney was the first to find misfortune after advancing his way up into the lead pack by lap three. That’s when Denney nearly locked it up over between turns three and four. Miraculously, he managed to avoid contact from the rest of the field all while fighting to save his race from those bearing down on him. Thus, he kept on keepin’ on despite nosediving all the way back to ninth in the running order.
Soon after, McIntosh suffered his very own heartbreaking fate. While running second on lap seven, he spun to a stop after rear-end contact resulting from a collision with Grant. That promptly forced McIntosh to restart at the tail end of the field (22nd) with 24 laps to go.
From Grant’s perspective, he postulated that McIntosh was midstream in the process of changing direction from entry to exit, thus initiating the subsequent checkup which resulted in McIntosh getting the short end of the stick.
“I think he was maybe trying to diamond three and four there,” Grant pondered. “We were all kind of smoking in there wide open. He stopped to go the other direction and it was pretty glass slick coming to it. So there wasn’t a whole lot there I could do. I don’t want to get into him like that. He kind of took it out of my hands there when he stopped there getting into three.”
On a lap 13 restart following a turn two spin and stop by Hayden Reinbold, Grant found his footing and surged out in front, sliding from the bottom of turn one to the top of two to get by Seavey for the lead with nearly half the race in the books.
The feature’s lone red flag was displayed on lap 19 when 19th running Blake Spicer toppled over the turn four cushion. He was able to walk away.
On the subsequent lap 19 restart, Denney was on the move once again as he hustled from fourth to second around the outside of Seavey and new second place runner Kale Drake. The fifth starting Drake was in a prime position to net his finest run of the USAC season thus far, but ran out of space and slid over the cushion in turns three and four with five laps remaining. He’d restart at the tail but managed only to get back to 16th.
Drake’s teammate, Denney, befell a similar fate just following the restart with four laps to go. Denney fell over the turn two edge, dropping him from second to 10th in the blink of an eye as Thomas Meseraull and Kevin Thomas Jr. capitalized on the shuffling to slot themselves into second and third with less than a handful of laps to go.
It was easy living for Grant from that point forward as he stayed the course to cross the line 0.746 seconds ahead for his fifth USAC national feature score in 2025, tops among all drivers: Sprint (2), Midget (2) and Silver Crown (1). Across the three divisions, Grant now stands first in both the Midget and Silver Crown points and second in the Sprint Car standings as he pursues a $500,000 Triple Crown champion reward if he can win all three titles in 2025.
“That’s the goal, by starting out this year to go win all three championships,” Grant acknowledged. “I’m doing what I can to do my job in the seat and it’s been working out really well.”
Thomas Meseraull collected a second place result after starting back in the eighth position.
Third place finisher Kevin Thomas Jr. was superb on Friday, opening the night by winning his heat in spectacular fashion with a fourth to first move in turns one and two on the initial lap. In the feature, he charged from seventh to third for his best finish of the USAC National Midget season thus far.
Rookie Steven Snyder Jr. took fourth while Cannon McIntosh rounded out the top-five with a valiant run from the tail. For the final 24 laps, McIntosh picked his way from 22nd place to crack the top-five for the third time in row to start the season.
Jacob Denney's fast time during qualifying was the third of his USAC National Midget career. It's the third consecutive year he's earned at least one USAC National Midget fast qualifying time.
Jerry Coons Jr. and his son, Cale Coons both made their way into the feature lineup. Together, they became the 14th father/child duo to compete in the same USAC National Midget feature, joining Ted & Gene Hartley, Danny & George Kladis, Don & Rich Vogler, Bob & Bobby Wente, Bob & Terry Wente, Buddie & Trevor Boys, Jim & Ted Hines, Norm & Travis Young, Leon & Brady Bacon, Ryan & Randy Oerter, Ryan & Ashley Oerter and Joe & Clinton Boyles. As fate would have it, both generations of Coons started the feature side-by-side in row eight. When all was said and done, Jerry took 13th and Cale 15th at the checkered.
USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 16, 2025 – Belleville Short Track – Belleville, Kansas – 1/4-Mile Dirt Oval – Huncovsky Classic
FEATURE: (30 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Justin Grant (3), 2. Thomas Meseraull (8), 3. Kevin Thomas Jr. (7), 4. Steven Snyder Jr. (9), 5. Cannon McIntosh (4), 6. Logan Seavey (1), 7. Kyle Jones (13), 8. Gunnar Setser (12), 9. Jacob Denney (6), 10. Gavin Miller (11), 11. Drake Edwards (10), 12. Garrett Benson (14), 13. Jerry Coons Jr. (15), 14. Mack Leopard (18), 15. Cale Coons (16), 16. Kale Drake (5), 17. Brandon Carr (17), 18. Hayden Reinbold (2), 19. Zack Merritt (21), 20. Lance Bennett (20), 21. Blake Spicer (22), 22. John Webster (24), 23. Ashley Oerter (23), 24. Chelby Hinton (19). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-12 Logan Seavey, Laps 13-30 Justin Grant.
**Lance Bennett flipped during hot laps. Blake Spicer flipped on lap 19 of the feature.
USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-229, 2-Cannon McIntosh-213, 3-Steven Snyder Jr.-195, 4-Jacob Denney-188, 5-Logan Seavey-181, 6-Kale Drake-170, 7-Kevin Thomas Jr.-167, 8-Drake Edwards-162, 9-Gavin Miller-156, 10-Gunnar Setser-141.
NEXT USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: May 17, 2025 – Belleville Short Track – Belleville, Kansas – 1/4-Mile Dirt Oval – Huncovsky Classic
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Stars, Keys & Hutch!
7 Storylines For Usac Silver Crown’s Salt City 100
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Hutchinson, Kansas (July 17, 2024) – When’s the last time you did something for the first time?
That’s what USAC Silver Crown competitors face this weekend during the inaugural Murphy Tractor & Equipment Salt City 100 at Hutchinson, Kansas’ Salt City Speedway on Friday-Saturday night, July 19-20.
As one of the most historic racetracks in the United States of America, the half-mile dirt oval first contested automobile races in 1910 when Glenn M. Breed wheeled his Buick Model 16 to victory, and it’s been active ever since except for its shutdown during World War II.
Now, a field of 24 USAC Silver Crown drivers are vying to become the first USAC winner in Hutchinson. A practice night for USAC Silver Crown division will begin the festivities on Friday. Practice, qualifying and racing will commence on Saturday, culminating in a 100-lap main event.
It’s a racetrack with a beacon of stories paired with a series oozing its own share of racing history. This weekend’s inaugural meeting between the two is certain to be a historic occasion. Now let’s make some history after we read these seven storylines!
ONE-TWO-THREE GREEN LIGHT!
With the season reaching midsummer, it’s a fine time to look at the USAC Silver Crown championship standings. Entering Salt City, the top-three in the USAC Silver Crown standings is separated by a mere 34 points.
Seven-time series champ Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.) leads Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) by 10 while C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) remains 34 points out of the lead.
All three drivers have previously captured USAC Silver Crown victories on half-mile dirt track, the same distance as Salt City Speedway. Swanson has won three, Grant two and Leary two too. All have been strong on the 1/2-mile dirt ovals in 2024 as well with Leary finishing as the runner-up at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks, Grant second at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway and Swanson fifth at Port Royal.
1/2 FAST
However, none have been more masterful on the dirt 1/2-miles in Silver Crown action of late than defending champion Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.). Overall, he’s won six 1/2-mile dirt Silver Crown races in his career, second only to Jack Hewitt’s nine.
Seavey’s results thus far this year have not been indicative of that fact, though, with finishes of 16th at Belleville and 10th at Port Royal. At Belleville, he suffered mechanical issues, then at Port Royal, he was running third when he pulled off due to a fuel leak.
However, in his 11 half-mile dirt track Silver Crown starts between 2020-2023, Seavey earned six wins, eight top-fives and 10 top-tens. He’s fourth in the standings, 59 points out of the lead and a win would go a long way toward putting him back into the championship discussion.
THE KANSAS SEVEN
In the seven USAC Silver Crown races ever held in the state of Kansas, there have been seven different winners: Brady Bacon, Kaylee Bryson, Tracy Hines, Aaron Pierce, Kody Swanson, Chris Windom and J.J. Yeley.
Interestingly, both the first and the most recent of those events involve a current team. In 2006, with the so-called “new generation” Silver Crown cars, Aaron Pierce won on the 1.5-mile paved oval of Kansas Speedway. Back in May of this year, Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, Okla.) made history as the first woman ever to win a USAC national event, and she achieved the feat in an AP (Aaron Pierce) Driver Development car.
Bryson eyes history once again as she now eyes another “first” in becoming the first two-time USAC Silver Crown winner in Kansas.
SHUFFLED DECK
Due to various reasons, there has been a bit of ride shuffling this week among a handful of the top rides in the sport.
Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) will return to the seat of the Chris Dyson Racing No. 9, a car with which he made four Silver Crown starts between 2019-20, including a second-place result at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway. The team’s regular driver, Brady Bacon, is taking in the sprint car festivities this weekend at Eldora.
Mario Clouser (Auburn, Ill.) will make his first appearance aboard the Team AZ Racing #21, which is the same ride that captured the victory in the most recent dirt USAC Silver Crown race at Port Royal with Daison Pursley. Like Bacon, Pursley also is partaking in Eldora duties this weekend.
Furthermore, Shane Cockrum (Benton, Ill.) will pilot John Haggenbottom’s No. 24 at Salt City. Jerry Coons Jr. and Alex Bright have both driven the car to top-10 results this year with the series. Cockrum, a five-time series winner, has scored twice on dirt 1/2-miles in his Silver Crown career at Terre Haute and Williams Grove.
THREE-IN-A-ROW FOR A FIRST-TIMER?
Each of the first two USAC Silver Crown races on dirt in 2024 has featured a first-time series winner: Kaylee Bryson at Belleville and Daison Pursley at Port Royal.
It’s been 14 years since three consecutive first-time dirt USAC Silver Crown winners have emerged. In 2010, Levi Jones (USA Raceway), Shane Hmiel (Indiana State Fairgrounds) and Kody Swanson (Du Quoin) each grabbed their firsts in the initial three dirt races to be held that season.
Overall, each of the past two USAC Silver Crown races in 2024 have been captured by first-time winners: Pursley at Port Royal and Dakoda Armstrong on the pavement at Madison. The most recent such instance of three-time winners of any sort with the series also came in 2010 when Tanner Swanson (Berlin), Kody Swanson (Du Quoin) and Bryan Clauson (Eldora) reeled off first-time series wins in succession.
The question of who could be next involves many names from top to bottom, including the aforementioned Kevin Thomas Jr. and Mario Clouser, plus you can mix in Robert Ballou (Rocklin, Calif.), Matt Westfall (Pleasant Hill, Ohio), Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, Ind.) and Briggs Danner (Allentown, Pa.), all of whom have previously achieved their share of victories in USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car competition, just to name a few.
VETERAN ROOKIES!
Three more drivers will be making their USAC Silver Crown debuts this weekend. However, all of them are longtime veterans of the sport: Steve Gennetten, Kip Hughes and Danny Jennings.
Gennetten (Gravois Mills, Mo.) made his most recent USAC national start with the midgets 33 years ago all the way back in 1991! He scored a USAC National Midget feature win at Missouri’s Moberly Motorsports Complex in 1989. Hughes (North Enid, Okla.), meanwhile, owns over 100 wins in Modifieds, Late Models, Super Stocks, Sport Mods and Midgets.
Jennings (Norman, Okla.) is a six-time Hutchinson Grand Nationals sprint car winner in 1996-2010-2017-2018-2019-2020. Danny's Grandfather Earnest, Father Rickey, Uncle Bruce and Great Uncle Darrell have all made previous USAC Silver Crown appearances, all between 1983-1986 at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds.
99TH DIRT 1/2-MILE, BUT THE HUTCH AIN’T BEEN ONE
Saturday’s race marks the 99th 1/2-mile dirt track race held in USAC Silver Crown history, which dates back to 1971. While this occasion marks the debut of USAC at Hutchinson, it is not the first foray for champ cars at the 1/2-mile.
Longtime fans will remember that, from 1982-1987, several 100-inch NCRA Champ Car races were held at the Hutchinson oval, won by the likes of Herb Copeland, Jerry Stone, Harold Leep, Bob Ewell, Garry Lee Maier, Shane Carson, Tony Armstrong and Mike Peters.
The NCRA machines were quite similar to their Silver Crown counterparts, but featured a tad bit more horsepower, had a slightly longer wheelbase at 100 inches, a differing engine setback rule and the cars also sported wings!
If needed, the rain date for the event is Sunday, July 21.
USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Kody Swanson-365, 2-Justin Grant-355, 3-C.J. Leary-331, 4-Logan Seavey-306, 5-Bobby Santos-250, 6-Taylor Ferns-235, 7-Kaylee Bryson-205, 8-Trey Osborne-197, 9-Trey Burke-197, 10-Kyle Steffens-193.
ENTRY LIST: SALT CITY 100 (24)
03 (R) STEVE GENNETTEN/Gravois Mills, MO (Steve Gennetten)
08 KYLE STEFFENS/St. Charles, MO (Steffens Motorsports)
6 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Klatt Enterprises)
9 KEVIN THOMAS JR./Cullman, AL (Chris Dyson)
10 (R) BRIGGS DANNER/Allentown, PA (DMW Motorsports)
15 CHRIS FETTER/Troy, MO (Chris Fetter)
21 MARIO CLOUSER/Auburn, IL (Team AZ Racing)
22 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Rice Motorsports-Abacus Racing)
24 SHANE COCKRUM/Benton, IL (John Haggenbottom)
26 KAYLEE BRYSON/Muskogee, OK (Sam Pierce)
31 DAVE BERKHEIMER/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)
32 GREGG CORY/Shelbyville, IN (Williams-Cory Racing)
44 DANNY LONG/Bonne Terre, MO (Danny Long)
48 (R) NATHAN MOORE/Kaufman, TX (Chip Thomas-Joe Moore)
54 MATT WESTFALL/Pleasant Hill, OH (Westfall Racing)
60 TREY BURKE/Alvin, TX (Legacy Autosport-Robert Wilson Racing)
61 (R) DANNY JENNINGS/Norman, OK (David Grace Motorsports)
69 CHASE STOCKON/Fort Branch, IN (Pink 69 Racing)
77 KODY SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA (Doran-Binks Racing)
81 (R) TREY OSBORNE/Columbus, OH (BCR Group)
91 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)
97 ROBERT BALLOU/Rocklin, CA (Hans Lein)
160 (R) KIP HUGHES/North Enid, OK (Kip Hughes)
777 (R) DAVE PEPERAK/Clinton, IN (Dave Peperak Motorsports)
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