First And Only-Time USAC Sprint Visits
First And Only-Time USAC Sprint Visits
Our list of a series of tracks that hosted one, and only one, USAC National Sprint Car event.
Some tracks are frequent staples of the schedule and some others only occasionally greet the USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car series. Some are now shuttered and long forgotten to time while others are in parts of the country that have been infrequently visited by the series over the years. Even fewer are those racetracks that have hosted one and only one series event in the history of the club as seen below in this list of some of the racetracks you may not have known hosted a USAC Sprint Car race before.
Allegheny County Speedway – Cumberland, Maryland (1966)
Over the years, trips to Maryland for the USAC Sprint Cars have been few and far between with only three taking place in the 64-year history of the club. The very first event in the Old Line State came in 1966 when an up-and-coming driver named Mario Andretti scored his third career series win in the one and only visit to Allegheny County Speedway in Cumberland, Md. During the 1966 season.
AMSOIL Speedway – Superior, Wisconsin (2015)
Dave Darland owns just about every milestone in the USAC National Sprint Car history books. In the first and only trip to AMSOIL Speedway, “The People’s Champ” made history again for his 100th career win across all three National divisions of the United States Auto Club. He became the fourth driver to reach the milestone, joining A.J. Foyt, Rich Vogler, and Mel Kenyon.
Cedar Lake Speedway – New Richmond, Wisconsin (2015)
Literally 24 hours after the event at AMSOIL Speedway, the series moved down the road for its first and only visit to Cedar Lake Speedway. The beautiful, racy facility saw Brady Bacon became the first Hoffman Auto Racing driver to ever reach six wins in a single USAC National Sprint Car season. An amazing feat considering the team is the winningest in series history. Bacon tracked down and passed race-long leader Robert Ballou to snatch the victory with just six to go.
Deer Creek Speedway – Spring Valley, Minnesota (2014)
Wisconsin’s neighbor to the west, Minnesota, has been an infrequent host of USAC Sprint Car racing as well with only two events in the past three decades. In the first and only at Deer Creek Speedway in 2014, Jon Stanbrough finally broke the ice for his first win of the year, a milestone victory that moved him into the top-ten on the all-time USAC Sprint Car win list.
Hales Corners Speedway – Hales Corners, Wisconsin (1996)
Another Wisconsin track hits the list with the long-lost Hales Corners Speedway where the USAC Sprints played in the dirt in the first, and forever will be, the final visit to the track. In a tight battle up front which saw three different leaders in a three-lap span, Kevin Thomas emerged past Billy Puterbaugh Jr. and Dave Darland to lead the final 20 laps.
I-30 Speedway – Little Rock, Arkansas (2013)
Bryan Clauson came out on top in the first and only feature for the AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series at I-30 Speedway, but it wasn’t quite the first visit. After setting fast time before being rained out in 2012 at I-30, Clauson worked his way around early leader Kyle Cummins to take a hard-fought win in the 40-lapper in the, at the time, third-ever series event in the state, and still the only one held outside of West Memphis.
Junction Motor Speedway – McCool Junction, Nebraska (2014)
Hunter Schuerenberg made a return to USAC Sprint Car victory lane at Junction Motor Speedway, his first after nearly two years without a win. The Sikeston, Missouri driver was one of the winningest drivers on the tour for two seasons before a rough stretch in 2013 led to him starting his own team for 2014.
Lawton Speedway – Lawton, Oklahoma (1985)
During the era of the USAC vs. CRA Challenge that pit the best of the National trail against the stars of the Californian tour at tracks all across the nation, one stop toward the middle of the country came at Oklahoma’s Lawton Speedway. There, CRA’s Mike Sweeney dominated the event from start to finish in Joe Kasparoff’s No. 5c, the first and only career victory for the Carson, Calif. native.
South Boston Speedway – South Boston, Virginia (2001)
The lone pavement race comes to you in the form of South Boston Speedway, the stock car staple of the south that has produced the likes of Jeff Burton, Ward Burton, Elliott Sadler, Wendell Scott and the Bodine brothers (Todd, Geoff and Brett), just to name a few. But on this night, the USAC Sprint Cars took the stage for the first and only time at the 4/10-mile track, a race that was dominated by Robbie Rice for 46 of the 50 laps until heartbreak set in trouble befell him late just four laps from the finish. USAC Triple Crown champ Tracy Hines took over the lead and led the final four to earn the victory.
