By Dick Jordan
Twenty-one-year-old Hunter Schuerenberg of Sikeston, Mo. will seek his second USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory in Thursday‘s first of three nights of racing at Ocala Speedway.
Schuerenberg comes to Ocala with something none of the other drivers have, a 2011 Sprint Car victory under his belt! He won last Saturday night’s Southern Crown non-USAC-sanctioned non-wing feature at Hendry County Motorsports Park in Clewiston, Fla.
Hunter recorded his only USAC victory in the final race of the 2008 Indiana Sprint Weeks series and has had some measure of success in the past 31 months. Since his win at Haubstadt, Ind., he’s posted nine “top-10s” in 27 USAC starts, including a second, third, fourth and three fifths.
He’s slated to drive the Hank Byram Fatheadz Eyewear/R & B Truckers Spike/Foxco at Ocala’s 3/8-mile dirt oval, which hosts USAC’s AMSOIL National Sprint cars Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, opening the 2011 USAC campaign.
Schuerenberg has plenty of competition this week, with USAC Champions and former champions in abundance. Expected drivers include Dave Darland and Jerry Coons Jr. (both USAC Triple Crown Champs), Tracy Hines and Levi Jones (both Silver Crown and Sprint Champs), 3-time Silver Crown titlist Bud Kaeding, Bobby East and Bryan Clauson (both Midget Champs), Damion Gardner (CRA Sprints), Chris Windom (Kenyon Midgets) and current Indiana Sprint Week Champ Jon Stanbrough and former Indiana Midget Week king Shane Cottle.
Fans won’t want to miss a single night of the heart-pounding action in USAC’s first trip to Ocala Speedway, with the rock band Society Red spicing up Saturday night’s activities.