From USAC
Indianpolis, IN — (December 10, 2015) — A pair of tracks from USAC Silver Crown racing’s rich past makes their return to a balanced eleven race USAC Silver Crown Series schedule for 2016 that features six races on the dirt and five races on the hard top.
On June 10, in the midst of an off-night for the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Cars’ “Eastern Storm” series, the champ cars take on the historic half-mile Williams Grove Speedway in Mechanicsburg, Penn. for the Horn-Schindler Memorial 100. It’s been 35 years since the Silver Crown cars last made the trek to the famous dirt oval when Eddie Leavitt picked up his only career series win in 1981. Sheldon Kinser won the only other appearance of the Silver Crown cars at “The Grove” in 1980. Williams Grove Speedway is no stranger to champ car racing, hosting AAA National Championship racing in 1946 and non-points paying champ car races annually from 1949 to 1955, with USAC being the sanctioning body from 1956 to 1959. The most recent USAC event hosted by Williams Grove was a National Sprint Car race won by Billy Pauch in 1996.
Among the six pavement events on the 2016 schedule include the series’ return to Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill. for the “St. Louis Silver Crown Showdown” on June 25 after a one-year absence. On Aug. 13, the Silver Crown cars return to Salem (Ind.) Speedway Fueled by The Hoosier Lottery for the first time since a 1988 race that was won by pavement ace Bob Frey. The much-anticipated return of USAC to the southern Indiana highbanks also reunites USAC and the prestigious Joe James-Pat O’Connor Memorial race under the same umbrella once again for the first time since 2010. Traditionally a sprint car race held since 1953, this is the first time the event will be a Silver Crown race.
The season begins on the dirt at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on April 3 with the 16th running of the “Sumar Classic.” Toledo (OH) Speedway hosts the first pavement race of the year on April 30 for the Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness “Rollie Beale Classic.” The Indiana State Fairgrounds hosts the first mile-dirt challenge of the year in the annual “Hoosier Hundred.” Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis serves as the only track to host two series races in 2016 with the “Hall of Fame Classic” coming to the .686 mile oval on the day before the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 and the “Rich Vogler Classic” on July 21.
The two iconic Illinois dirt miles in Springfield and DuQuoin start off the final three-race stretch of the season that could play a pivotal role in determining the 2016 series champion. The “Bettenhausen 100” at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield takes place on Aug. 20 while the “Ted Horn 100” at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds moves to Saturday night under the lights on Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3.
The “4-Crown Nationals” at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, OH will close the curtain on the Silver Crown Series season on Sept. 24. In addition to the Silver Crown 50-lapper, the event that traditionally features Silver Crown racing along with the USAC National Sprints and National Midgets will also include the All Star Circuit of Champions. If a driver is able to “sweep” all four feature events on Saturday night, he or she will take home a staggering $100,000 bonus. A $25,000 prize will go home with a driver who can win three of the four features.
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2016 USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES SCHEDULE
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| DATE | LOCATION | TRACK | EVENT |
| 4/3 | Terre Haute, IN | Terre Haute Action Track | Sumar Classic |
| 4/30 | Toledo, OH | Toledo Speedway | Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness Rollie Beale Classic |
| 5/26 | Indianapolis, IN | Indiana State Fairgrounds | Hoosier Hundred |
| 5/28 | **Brownsburg, IN | Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis | Hall of Fame Classic |
| 6/10 | Mechanicsburg, PA | Williams Grove Speedway | Horn-Schindler Memorial 100 |
| 6/25 | **Madison, IL | Gateway Motorsports Park | St. Louis Silver Crown Showdown |
| 7/21 | Brownsburg, IN | Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis | Rich Vogler Classic |
| 8/13 | Salem, IN | Salem Speedway Fueled by The Hoosier Lottery |
Joe James-Pat O’Connor Memorial |
| 8/20 | **Springfield, IL | Illinois State Fairgrounds | Bettenhausen 100 |
| 9/3 | DuQuoin, IL | DuQuoin State Fairgrounds | Ted Horn 100 |
| 9/24 | Rossburg, OH | Eldora Speedway | 4-Crown Nationals |
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Races marked with ** represent a daytime feature start.
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