Here it is, kids/USAC/SC/2006 Schedule

[DannyB]

Thanks, Blake. Anyone wanna take any bets on car counts?


New Venues Dot 2006 Silver Crown Schedule
By Blake Johnson
USACLive.com

The United States Auto Club announced several firsts today when they released their 2006 schedule. For the first time in history, the USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series will visit four speedways over one mile in length. The series will run alongside the NASCAR Busch Series four times at Kentucky, Indianapolis, Chicagoland and Kansas. Two of those events, Chicagoland and Kansas will also be with the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. The Silver Crown Series will also run on the same weekends as the Indy Racing League at three venues, Homestead-Miami, Richmond and Milwaukee. The Silver Crown™ cars will travel to five new tracks in 2006, Homestead-Miami, Kentucky, Chicagoland, Iowa Speedway and Kansas.

“We are enthused about our 2006 schedule,” said Rollie Helmling, President of USAC. “We are going into new major league markets at major racing venues.”

The 2006 season will begin in Phoenix, Arizona at the Copper World Classic on January 21-22nd and end at the Nextel Chase for the Cup Weekend at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas on September 30th. The 2006 Silver Crown schedule features nine pavement events utilizing the next generation Silver Crown car and five returning dirt events using the same dirt chassis as in prior years. All fourteen Silver Crown events will be televised on the Outdoor Channel.

The series also announced an increase in pavement purse structures for 2006. The USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series will boast a $150,000 at three of the four 1.5 mile ovals based on a 36-car field. First place at those three events would pay $25,000 and all starters would receive a minimum of $2,200. All of the other pavement venues have also increased their purses by a minimum of $10,000.


2006 USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series Schedule

Date City/ Venue Running With Track Length
1/21-22 Phoenix, AZ, Phoenix International Raceway --- 1 P
*3/25-26 Homestead, FL, Homestead-Miami Speedway IRL 1.5 P
5/26 Indianapolis, IN, Indiana State Fairgrounds --- 1 D
*6/16 Sparta, KY, Kentucky Speedway Busch 1.5 P
6/23-24 Richmond, VA, Richmond International Raceway IRL ¾ P
*7/9 Joliet, IL, Chicagoland Speedway Cup 1.5 P
7/22-23 Milwaukee, WI, Milwaukee Mile IRL 1 P
8/3 Indianapolis, IN, Indianapolis Raceway Park Busch .686 P
8/19 Springfield, IL, Illinois State Fairgrounds ARCA 1 D
9/3 DuQuoin, IL, DuQuoin State Fairgrounds ARCA 1 D
*9/16 Newton, IA, Iowa Speedway USAR 7/8 P
9/22 Rossburg, OH, Eldora Speedway --- ½ D
*9/30 Kansas City, KS, Kansas Speedway Cup 1.5 P

TBA Terre Haute, IN, Terre Haute Action Track --- ½ D

* New Venue

[dwcremax]

Danny, honestly I see a field of about 12 - 15 cars at Phoenix. Up to the low twenties for Homestead. By the Kentucky race in June you might see 25 to 30 cars. There are five pavement races in a seven week stretch beginning with Kentucky. That might prompt many of the owners sitting on the fence to have a car by then. JMO

[gofastturnleft]

Dwight, if they can pull those kind of numbers by mid-season I think they will be thrilled. The limiting factor in Phoenix I think is going to be actual rolling stock more so than customers.

[ghost]

I agree, if I'm watching 25+ at Chicago at July and then around 40 under the lights on the dirt at DuQuoin, then I am one happy fan.

25 cars on the pavement tracks by mid late summer... That's an A

25 cars with competitive racing...that an A+

[DannyB]

And a guy like Keith Kunz is busy these days out west; also I'm guessing he will have a car or two at the Chili Bowl. Time will not let him do a whole lot of work on the SC car for now.

25? That would be great; it would be more than the IRL has now.

I'm dealing with it. It's an ugly car, I'm not fond of NASCAR's involvement, but it's gonna happen no matter what we say. So enjoy, whether you wanna call it an open wheel car or not.

So Dan, God willing, I'll see you at Richmond.

[tb]

Go to the USAC website, in the release on their sight it says that payouts are based on 36 car fields. Does anyone think that their will be 36 cars anywhere this year.

[Richie Racer]

Great! Actually, I am happy with this despite the spread of "ugly cars become cool" that has spread from passenger cars to race cars. This means that I see both car versions race, at Homestead in March, and for annual trek from Central Florida to Indy when I include the Hoosier 100 in my race weekend.

[Indy500fanatic]

Basing payoff on a 36 car field...guess they wont be paying off the biiiig money for awhile..
Less than 36 cars means your either taking off the bottom payout positions until you hit the amount of cars at that race....
But, most organizations will take 36th and 1st..then 35th and 2nd 34th and 3rd, etc 'till you get to the car count and thats your payoff.
How does USAC handle this??? Off the bottom or top and bottom??
IMO, they'll be lucky to get 18-20 cars for all 2006.....

[dwcremax]

Go to the USAC website, in the release on their sight it says that payouts are based on 36 car fields. Does anyone think that their will be 36 cars anywhere this year.

I think that if they get 36 cars for either Iowa or Kansas (the last two pavement shows) it will be a major coup. I do think, as I said in my previous post, that after the first two shows (Phoenix in Jan. & Homestead in March) the fields should increase to a more respectable level. I have to feel though that USAC has, in a sense, greased the skids for the dirt cars since they will be racing for the same purses as in the recent past. This whole thing will take a couple of seasons to play out. At the end USAC/NASCAR will have the prime time show but there will be playing fields for both the older pavement cars (NCS) and the dirt cars(?). JMO.

[step33T]

The ProSeries takes the unpaid bottom $$$'s and puts that into the point fund.

That would be the "fair" way for USAC, and it would reward and encourage the guys who show up early in the season.