USAC is Back...at the Speedrome

[DannyB]

USAC IS BACK - AT INDIANAPOLIS SPEEDROME - IN
2004!

The United States Auto Club returns to the
historic and newly-repaved
Indianapolis Speedrome in 2004, with regular
Wednesday night
"tripleheaders," featuring three different types
of Midget Car competition
on what is being billed as "Open Wheel
Wednesday."
Race organizer Joel Cohen will debut the unique
USAC "tripleheaders" at his
1/5-mile paved oval on May 5 and USAC racing will
extend through August 18
and include "regional" Midget, Ford Focus Midget
and Kenyon Midget
competition. The 2004 USAC Indianapolis Speedrome
schedule is also expected
to contain "National" involvement, with
information regarding those dates
yet to be finalized for release.
"USAC is back," pronounced Cohen, the track
owner and race organizer. "We
look forward to USAC's return and to an
open-wheel Wednesday we feel
restores the rich tradition of history already
established here." The track
records will most certainly be in jeopardy in
2004, with a new track
crack-free surface replacing the old one, work
slated to begin in November.
USAC Midget racing at the Speedrome dates back
to 1958 and in the ensuing
45 years USAC has conducted 376 total events at
the track, including 337
featuring the Midgets. Gene Hartley won the
initial USAC race there, a
50-lap Midget feature on August 3, 1958. From
1981 through 1999 (except for
1988 and 1989) a "regional" series was conducted
at the storied track.
Special USAC events there included 500-lap Midget
races in 1981, 1982 and
1983. The track has also hosted USAC events in
late models and modifieds.
"USAC is pleased to return to the Indianapolis
Speedrome and particularly
pleased at the avenue this new program opens for
aspiring drivers with three
basic levels of competition," added USAC
President/CEO Rollie Helmling. "A
great tradition of excellent racing already
exists between USAC and the
Speedrome and we are excited that we are able to
expand that rich heritage
in a new and exciting format."
Involvement with the Kenyon Midget Cars is not
new, with the Kenyon Cars as
a conjunctive event with the USAC "regional"
Midgets in the late-1990s, but
USAC sanctioning will be new for that series.
"I'm really excited about the
prospects for the future," said Don Kenyon, whose
innovative ideas have been
instrumental in creating this new form of Midget
racing. "USAC's progressive
ladder is now complete and I'm proud to be a
bigger part of it." Don and
brother Mel, a 7-time USAC National Midget
Champion, have long been USAC
participants and between them own 11 National car
owner championships.
Eric Bunn, National Director of the USAC Ford
Focus Midget Car Series,
adds: "Ford's involvement in this Wednesday night
program is a natural and
our participants are extremely excited about a
regular weekly program of
competition. We expect this to augment our
newly-expanded Midwest Series and
anticipate continued growth of this new and
exciting form of motorsports."
Numerous drivers have progressed from Speedrome
competition to the
Indianapolis 500, including Gene Hartley, Eddie
Johnson, Jimmy Davies, Mel
Kenyon, Chuck Rodee, Rich Vogler, Bob Wente,
Larry Rice, Tom Bigelow, John
Andretti, Tony Stewart and Rick Treadway.
"Racing USAC Midgets at the Indianapolis
Speedrome was a great opportunity
to prepare myself for racing in USAC, Indy Cars
and NASCAR," stated John
Andretti. "The competition really helped me to
hone my skills as a driver
and learn how to race safe, fast and clean. I
can't think of a better place
for a young driver to get a start or for an
experienced driver to enjoy the
fun and excitement of the best open-wheel oval
track racing."
Dates on the USAC calendar for 2004 at the
Indianapolis Speedrome are May
5, 12 and 19, June 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30, July 7,
14, 21 and 28 and August 4,
11 and 18.

--USAC-

[Liz]

This should be fun (but I hope they don't try 33 midgets @ one time again!)

[richie]

I'll be there for those USAC national events. I only live five minutes away from the track but haven't been there at all in the last few years.

[DannyB]

Hate to ask this, but must. Is this the final nail in the NAMARS coffin?

[richie]

Originally posted by DannyB
Hate to ask this, but must. Is this the final nail in the NAMARS coffin?

I'm afraid it is Danny. With USAC forming the Ford Focus Series, that kind of took away from all the newcomers starting out in NAMARS. The only events of their's that I really enjoyed was the Indiana 5-Crown. Most of the races, though, consisted of lower budget teams. But it was where the Fikes, Westfall, etc. all got their start.