ROSSBURG, OH (July 25) – Statistics do not bode well for the top five point chasers in USAC’s (United States Auto Club) National Sprint Car Series by NAPA Auto Parts as they invade Eldora Speedway Saturday night in pursuit of the minimum $10,000 pay check on the line. In a unique promotion for the 50-lap chase that carries USAC Special Event status, that figure will swell by $500 for each row that the winning driver advances from start to finish.
Eldora’s flare for race formats and line-ups, utilizing popular aspects of the fan favored Kings Royal and World 100, will be in place and stray from the standard USAC program.
The tripleheader event, celebrating the 50th anniversary of USAC racing at Eldora, will also feature the NRA (National Racing Alliance) Sprint Invaders and Stock Cars.
In that 50-year span there have been 182 Sprint Car A-Features, with 70 different winners gracing victory lane. However, only three of the top five drivers in the current point race, with a collective total of six wins, are among that group.
Ironically, it goes right down the numerical line. First place runner Jon Stanbrough has one USAC Sprint Car win at Eldora, while second place driver, and reigning five-time champion, Levi Jones has two. Sitting in third place, Dave Darland has three previous triumphs, but it stops there. Neither fourth place Bryan Clauson nor fifth place Damion Gardner has moved into victory lane in USAC Sprint Car competition at Eldora to date.
Of that trio, Jones is the most recent USAC Sprint Car victor; with his 2010 Four Crown checkered flag complementing a similar fete in 2005. Darland’s three wins came in a three-year span from 1998 to 2000, while Stanbrough’s lone success was in 2003.
Statistics are favorable for Tracy Hines, who, with his April 21 victory, moved into third on the all-time win list. That checkered flag marked his 8th Eldora conquest, only one shy of second-place Larry Dickson’s mark of 9. Local legend Jack Hewitt, who like Dickson, has retired from driving, sits atop that list with 13 wins. A look at the numbers report shows that Hewitt’s 13 wins came over an 18-year span, while Hines has accumulated his current record within 14 years.
The Eldora/USAC association dates back to April of 1962, when Stan Bowman laid claim to the first USAC Sprint Car checkered flag on Eldora’s .500 mile clay oval.
Tickets for the Summer Sprint Car Shootout presented by NAPA Auto Parts may be purchased online at www.EldoraSpeedway.com 24-hours a day or by calling the Eldora ticket office (937) 338-3815 during normal business hours. You can follow all of the Eldora happenings on the website, Facebook or Twitter.