By Dick Jordan
Champions of USAC’s 2011 racing season will be honored on Friday night, December 9, at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in downtown Indianapolis, Ind. as the 56th “Night of Champions” coincides this year with the 3rd Annual International Motorsports Industry Show (IMIS), being held at the nearby Indiana Convention Center.
USAC “Rookies of the Year” for 2012 include Kyle Larson (Traxxas Silver Crown and Mopar National Midget) and Coleman Gulick (AMSOIL National Sprint Car), while “Most Improved Drivers” for 2012 are Zach Daum and Casey Riggs. Larson, of Elk Grove, Calif., finished third in both the Silver Crown and Midget standings and Gulick, of Binghamton, N.Y., was 14th in the final Sprint standings. Larson won the “4-Crown Nationals” Silver Crown race and posted four Midget wins during the season. Gulick’s best finishes included a runner-up finish to Jon Stanbrough at Sarver, Pa. Daum, of Pocahontas, Ill. and Riggs, of Shelbyville, Ind., both USAC feature winners during 2012, were deemed to have exhibited the most improvement over previous USAC seasons. Daum won the prestigious “Hut Hundred” Midget race and Riggs scored a $10,000-to-win Sprint victory at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Inc.
In addition to the various series championship awards, numerous other performance awards are part of the ceremonies as well as special recognition awards.
USAC’s Traxxas Off-Road Truck Championships (TORC) will also be featured at the banquet, which gets under way with a cocktail hour at 6 pm and dinner to follow at 7.
USAC National Racing Champions to be honored include Bryan Clauson, the repeat winner of USAC’s National Drivers Championship and Mopar National Midget title. The National Drivers Championship again carries a $40,000 cash prize and a yet-to-be-announced 2012 scholarship from INDYCAR. Other National Champions are Levi Jones (Silver Crown and AMSOIL Sprint) and Nick Drake (Ford Focus) and Cole Custer (Focus Young Guns). Traxxas TORC Champions include Ricky Johnson (Pro 4×4), Bryce Menzies (Pro 2WD) and Andrew Caddell (Pro Light 2WD).
The Indiana Roof Ballroom is located at 140 W. Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis.