From Indianapolis Speedrome®
USAC sanctioned races had been held at the Indianapolis Speedrome for nearly four decades when its track owner came up with a new and unique idea, a regional Midget series with races at just one venue. He and the United States Auto Club officials put together a package of rules that would bring a standard, lower cost format to the class giving local teams an opportunity to challenge the top level talent on a weekly basis. What would spawn out of this over the next seven seasons (1981-1987) was pure magic. The fans would witness some of the best established drivers and rising stars battle for glory in a series that would closely rival and sometimes surpass the National tour.
1981 – Young and unheralded Tommy Thomas became the inaugural 50-lap feature winner in the “experimental” Midget series launched by promoter John Stiles on May 7. Only 12 cars raced in the first feature that brought a new format to racing. Special rules included inverted lineups, no qualifications, plenty of races each night, and a mandatory right rear tire rule. Thomas was one of 11 different winners. Veteran Mack McClellan won the title on the final race as his closest challenger Mel Kenyon finished fourth in a borrowed Midget. During the year, Wayne Arnold and Lonnie Caruthers squared off in some entertaining Late Model vs. Midget match races. The series attracted 51 drivers, paid out $56,330 in prize money in 15 dates and was sponsored by Fleenor Auto Parts.
1982 – Veteran Tom Bigelow went into the final feature ranked third in points, but emerged as the series champion by winning the final main over Mel Kenyon and Warren Mockler. Champion car owners were Carl and Carol Sandy. Bigelow also revived a trend by racing in the Indianapolis 500 and at the Speedrome that same night. Bigelow was one of seven different feature winners, including Ken Schrader, who later became NASCAR Sprint Cup rookie-of-the-year in 1985. Kevin Potter earned the first M.A. Todd Memorial rookie-of-the-year award, named in honor of the late USAC registrar. Devoted Midget car fans Mr. and Mrs. George Wood posted a special award for second (Kenyon) and third place (Mockler) drivers in the series.
1983 – Rookie John Andretti, son of Aldo Andretti and nephew of Mario Andretti, continued the family’s racing heritage by winning the third annual title. Andretti won the final two mains and the rookie and championship crowns in the Armstrong Racing Midget. East coast veteran Bob Cicconi, who launched a three race winning string in Andretti’s Midget, was among nine different feature winners. Mel Kenyon experimented with a Suzuki V-8 Midget. 58 drivers earned points and $68,889 was paid in prize money. Mario Andretti was an interested observer during May and said, “The series is really good racing. You see one race and you wonder how it can be better, and the next one is even more exciting.”
1984 – Rich Vogler stormed through the fourth annual series and set records for winning $9,190 in prize money, nine features, and five consecutive features to open up the season. Vogler romped to the title by a record margin over runner-up Sherman Armstrong Jr. Vogler clinched his first title long before the last feature in the Bob Lowe owned #74 “Black Beauty” Midget which the owner described as “the best Midget car ever built.” No driver had ever dominated the series like Vogler. Features were also won by Tom Bigelow, John Andretti, Armstrong, Mel Kenyon, Jim Mahoney (who became the lone first-time career feature winner of the season), and Steve Lotshaw. In a father-son duel, Jim Hines nosed out son Ted Hines for the number 5 ranking. Kenyon was third in points and veteran Sam Isenhower was fourth. The 16-date series paid out $61,027 in prize money shared by a record 70 drivers. Jolly Rancher Candies provided a post-season point fund of $3,000. Duane Sandy was ranked 15th to earn the M.A. Todd Memorial rookie-of-the-year award.
1985 – Rich Vogler became the first two-time champion in the series by winning eight features and setting a prize money mark of $9,461. It was the first title for car owner Jonathan Byrd. Vogler tied his mark of five straight wins in a string that was halted by four-time track Late Model champion Wayne Arnold. The season produced a record-tying five first-time career feature winners: Blake Hollingsworth, “Smokey” Mooney, Barry Reed, Arnold, and Rick Bailey. Dale Bell earned the M.A. Todd Memorial rookie-of-the-year award. There were eight different winners. A record 84 drivers earned points. The car count jumped dramatically from an average 26 cars per night to 36.
1986 – A record 48 opening night entries launched the most exciting of all seasons in the Midget series. Mack McClellan stormed from behind to win his second championship on the last turn of the last lap of the last feature. The “Mack Attack” won four features, including the final 100-lapper to win the driving title by a mere 419 points over Rich Vogler, who won the second car owner’s title for Jonathan Byrd. Bev Griffis became the first woman in racing history to win a USAC sanctioned feature and on a nationally televised ESPN broadcast. Figure 8 veteran Jack Dossey Jr was the second first-time winner and nailed down top rookie honors. A record $73,194 in prize money was paid out to 86 drivers.
1987 – A record $104,169 was shared among a record 124 drivers, including a record 15 different winners in 19 features. A record 11 first-time winners emerged along with a record string of nine different feature winners. Mack McClellan became the only driver to capture three championships, edging Rich Vogler by a mere 130 points. Jonathan Byrd became the only three-time champion car owner. The single event car count hit a record 59 cars September 18. The USAC Regional Midget series went into hiatus in 1988 and 1989 as the Speedrome scaled back its overall season schedule. The division would return in 1990. Look for more history to follow over the coming weeks.
The USAC Regional Midgets, Ford Focus Midgets, Ford Focus Young Guns, and Mopar .25 Midgets are back at the Indianapolis Speedrome®. The dates, all Wednesday nights, for this heralded racing return are May 26th, June 2nd, June 9th, June 23rd, June 30th, and July 7th. Each event will see test drives and a driver school in the afternoon before preliminary heats begin at 7:15pm. The feature lineup is 40-laps for Ford Focus Midgets, main events for the Mopar .25 Midgets, a traditional 50-lapper for the Regional series, and the capper 20-laps for the new Ford Focus Young Gun cars. For more information, you can visit www.usacracing.com or www.speedrome.com.