INDIANA SPRINT WEEK AT LINCOLN PARK SPEEDWAY

USAC PARTNERS WITH OPENFENDER, THE WORLD’S FIRST SPONSORSHIP MARKETPLACE FOR MOTORSPORTS

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Putnamville, Indiana (July 28, 2021)………It’s been two years since we’ve been a witness to a USAC NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week by AMSOIL feature at Putnamville, Indiana’s Lincoln Park Speedway, with rain washing away last year’s activities following the heat races.

It’s “back on the saddle” time for the series at Lincoln Park this Thursday night, July 29, at the 5/16-mile dirt oval for round #5 of Indiana Sprint Week, which has been hosted by LPS 22 previous times since the inaugural year of the series in 1988.

Despite the two-year feeling of emptiness from the absence of an Indiana Sprint Week main event at Lincoln Park, the series’ drivers and teams have competed four times since with C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) and Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) winning on consecutive nights there just less than four weeks ago. For both drivers, it was their first career Lincoln Park Speedway USAC National Sprintcar feature victory.

Both remain on the quest for a first Indiana Sprint Week triumph at LPS, an achievement that has been recorded by four drivers expected to compete in Thursday night’s event. For each, at the time, it was their first USAC win at Lincoln Park.

Robert Ballou (Rocklin, Calif.) and Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) both won during Lincoln Park’s Indiana Sprint Week round, then went on to win the whole shebang – the Indiana Sprint Week championship – the following year. Ballou won at LPS in 2014 and took the ISW crown in 2015. Bacon did, likewise, notching the LPS 30-lapper in 2015, then the ISW title in 2016.  Ballou repeated an ISW win at LPS in 2017.

Brady Short (Bedford, Ind.) snagged the LPS ISW win in 2016 while Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.) was lights out in 2019 and is the most recent winner of the event two years ago.

Bacon won twice more at Lincoln Park in 2020 during the Bill Gardner Sprintacular and took the backend of a doubleheader later in the year. He’s tied with Ballou for the most ISW scores at LPS among drivers set to race for their fourth on Thursday night, as they both pursue number four. Dave Darland leads all drivers with six ISW LPS victories but will not compete after suffering a stroke back in April of this year.

Shane Cottle (Kansas, Ill.) and Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, Ind.) can also count themselves as USAC National Sprintcar feature winners at LPS, both doing so recently in 2020. Cottle has also twice won in USAC Midwest Regional Midget competition at Lincoln Park this year.

Winning experience at Lincoln Park is prevalent throughout Thursday’s field with AJ Hopkins, Jason McDougal, Logan Seavey, Jake Swanson, Cannon McIntosh and Tye Mihocko all recording victories on the local level. Hopkins (Brownsburg, Ind.) has won five times already this year at LPS while Swanson (Anaheim, Calif.) has collected a pair on his own.

Meanwhile, McDougal (Broken Arrow, Okla.), McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.), Mihocko (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) have all won once apiece at Lincoln Park in 2021. Brent Beauchamp (Fairland, Ind.) captured the track championship twice in 2012 and did so again in 2017. Current Lincoln Park Speedway championship point leader Brayden Fox (Avon, Ind.) set quick time in the abbreviated Indiana Sprint Week opener at Gas City I-69 Speedway last Friday.

Tanner Thorson and Chris Windom have connected on USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget successes at Lincoln Park and aim to translate that to their bigger brethren, the sprintcars, on Thursday. Thorson (Minden, Nev.) has won on three occasions in 2016, 2019 and again in June of 2021. Windom (Canton, Ill.) was the victor at LPS during Indiana Midget Week in 2020.

Thursday’s NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week by AMSOIL features the USAC AMSOIL Sprintcar National Championship competing for a $6,000 top prize. Super Stocks are also on the event card.

Pits open at 4:30pm EDT with grandstands opening at 4:30pm, drivers meeting at 6pm and hot laps at 6:30pm followed by qualifying & racing.

======================

2021 USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK INDIANA SPRINT WEEK SCHEDULE:

Saturday, July 24: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN

Sunday, July 25: Lawrenceburg Speedway | Lawrenceburg, IN

Monday, July 26: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Gas City, IN

Wednesday, July 28: Terre Haute Action Track | Terre Haute, IN

Thursday, July 29: Lincoln Park Speedway | Putnamville, IN

Friday, July 30: Bloomington Speedway | Bloomington, IN

Saturday, July 31: Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN

TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL SPRINTCARS AT LINCOLN PARK SPEEDWAY:

1 Lap – 7/26/2018 – Brady Bacon – 12.276 – 91.642 mph

6 Laps – 8/23/1997 – Bill Rose – 1:22.90 – 81.423 mph

8 Laps – 7/29/2001 – Bryon Walters – 1:46.75 – 84.309 mph

10 Laps – 7/16/2017 – Chris Windom – 2:10.33 – 86.319 mph

12 Laps – 7/14/2014 – Jon Stanbrough – 2:40.15 – 84.296 mph

INDIANA SPRINT WEEK WINS AT LINCOLN PARK SPEEDWAY:

6-Dave Darland

2-Robert Ballou, Jay Drake, Jack Hewitt & Cory Kruseman

1-Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Kyle Cummins, Dickie Gaines, Tim Gee, Brady Short, Danny Smith, Jon Stanbrough & Kevin Thomas

INDIANA SPRINT WEEK WINNERS AT LINCOLN PARK SPEEDWAY:

1988: Tim Gee (8/6)

1989: Danny Smith (7/26)

1990: Dave Darland (7/28)

1991: Jack Hewitt (7/25)

1992: Kevin Thomas (8/1)

1997: Jack Hewitt (7/27)

1998: Dave Darland (7/26)

1999: Dave Darland (7/24)

2000: Jay Drake (7/29)

2001: Jon Stanbrough (7/21)

2002: Cory Kruseman (7/20)

2003: Jay Drake (7/19)

2004: Cory Kruseman (7/17)

2005: Dave Darland (7/19)

2012: Dave Darland (7/22)

2013: Bryan Clauson (7/18)

2014: Robert Ballou (7/17)

2015: Brady Bacon (7/16)

2016: Brady Short (7/14)

2017: Robert Ballou (7/16)

2018: Dave Darland (7/26)

2019: Kyle Cummins (7/25)

ALL-TIME LINCOLN PARK SPEEDWAY USAC SPRINTCAR FEATURE WINS

6-Dave Darland

5-Sheldon Kinser

3-Brady Bacon & Robert Ballou

2-Steve Butler, Jerry Coons Jr., Jay Drake, Cory Kruseman & Jon Stanbrough

1-Chuck Amati, Chad Boespflug, Bryan Clauson, Shane Cottle, Tyler Courtney, Kyle Cummins, Brad Fox, Dickie Gaines, Jack Hewitt, Kelly Kinser, C.J. Leary, Brady Short, Chase Stockon & Kevin Thomas Jr.

ALL-TIME LINCOLN PARK SPEEDWAY USAC SPRINTCAR FEATURE WINNERS

1981: Sheldon Kinser (9/16)

1983: Kelly Kinser (5/25) & Sheldon Kinser (8/24)

1984: Chuck Amati (5/23) & Sheldon Kinser (7/18)

1985: Sheldon Kinser (5/4) & Steve Butler (9/7)

1986: Steve Butler (5/17) & Sheldon Kinser (8/23)

1997: Jack Hewitt (7/27) & Dave Darland (8/23)

1998: Dave Darland (7/26) & Brad Fox (8/15)

1999: Dave Darland (7/24)

2000: Jay Drake (7/29)

2001: Jon Stanbrough (7/21)

2002: Cory Kruseman (7/20)

2003: Jay Drake (7/19)

2004: Cory Kruseman (7/17)

2005: Dave Darland (7/19)

2010: Dickie Gaines (7/24) & Jon Stanbrough (9/10)

2012: Dave Darland (7/22)

2013: Chad Boespflug (7/4) & Bryan Clauson (7/18)

2014: Jerry Coons Jr. (7/4) & Robert Ballou (7/17)

2015: Jerry Coons Jr. (7/4) & Brady Bacon (7/16)

2016: Robert Ballou (7/1) & Brady Short (7/14)

2017: Robert Ballou (7/16)

2018: Tyler Courtney (7/6) & Dave Darland (7/26)

2019: Kyle Cummins (7/25)

2020: Shane Cottle (7/3), Brady Bacon (7/4), Chase Stockon (9/12) & Brady Bacon (9/12)

2021: C.J. Leary (7/2) & Kevin Thomas Jr. (7/3)

INDIANA SPRINT WEEK CHAMPIONS

1988: Randy Kinser/Bloomington, Ind.

1989: Chuck Amati/Freeman Spur, Ill.

1990: Chuck Amati/Freeman Spur, Ill. & Gary Trammell/Bloomington, Ind.

1991: Bob Kinser/Bloomington, Ind.

1992: Kevin Thomas/Danville, Ind.

1993: Kevin Thomas/Danville, Ind.

1994: Kelly Kinser/Bloomington, Ind.

1995: Kevin Thomas/Danville, Ind.

1996: Kevin Thomas/Danville, Ind.

1997: J.J. Yeley/Phoenix, Ariz.

1998: Dave Darland/Lincoln, Ind.

1999: Tony Elliott/Kokomo, Ind.

2000: Jay Drake/Val Verde, Calif.

2001: Dave Darland/Lincoln, Ind.

2002: Cory Kruseman/Ventura, Calif.

2003: J.J. Yeley/Phoenix, Ariz.

2004: Levi Jones/Olney, Ill.

2005: Cory Kruseman/Ventura, Calif.

2006: Jon Stanbrough/Avon, Ind.

2007: Dave Darland/Lincoln, Ind.

2008: Levi Jones/Olney, Ill.

2009: Levi Jones/Olney, Ill.

2010: Jon Stanbrough/Avon, Ind.

2011: Chris Windom/Canton, Ill.

2012: Levi Jones/Olney, Ill.

2013: Bryan Clauson/Noblesville, Ind.

2014: Bryan Clauson/Noblesville, Ind.

2015: Robert Ballou/Rocklin, Calif.

2016: Brady Bacon/Broken Arrow, Okla.

2017: Kevin Thomas Jr./Cullman, Ala.

2018: Chris Windom/Canton, Ill.

2019: C.J. Leary/Greenfield, Ind.

2020: Chase Stockon/Fort Branch, Ind.