John Mahoney
Tony Elliott (Left) and Sheldon Kinser (Right) John Mahoney Photos
Two of USAC’s most celebrated champions will be honored during the upcoming Indiana Sprint Week, featuring the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship. The “Tony Elliott Classic” is scheduled this Saturday night at Kokomo Speedway while the “Sheldon Kinser Memorial” unfolds at Bloomington Speedway the following Friday, July 15.
Elliott earned 11 USAC feature victories at Kokomo (eight Sprint, one National Midget and two Regional Midget). USAC’s 1998 and 2000 National Sprint Car Champion scored 26 USAC Sprint Car feature victories during his career. His five USAC Silver Crown wins included the Hoosier Hundred in Indianapolis in 2000 and 2001. The 1999 Indiana Sprint Week champion scored three of his five ISW victories at the Kokomo oval. Elliott perished October 2, 2015 in a plane crash in South Carolina.
Kinser is a three-time USAC National Sprint Car Champion (1977, 1981 and 1982). Among his five career USAC Silver Crown victories was the 1985 Hoosier Hundred. He also started a half-dozen Indianapolis 500s, finishing sixth in his final start in 1981. He was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1992. Last year, Kinser was also inducted into the USAC Hall of Fame. Sheldon’s lone USAC Sprint car victory at Bloomington came in 1984. Kinser, a native of Bloomington, died August 1, 1988 after a bout with cancer.
Though Bloomington’s “Sheldon Kinser Memorial” will be the 28th running of the event, this year’s edition will mark the first under USAC sanction.
The 29th annual Indiana Sprint Week opens this Friday at Gas City I-69 Speedway and continues at Kokomo Saturday and at Lawrenceburg Speedway Sunday. The series concludes with races Wednesday (July 13) at the Terre Haute Action Track, Thursday (July 14) at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Friday (July 15) at Bloomington and Saturday (July 16) at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt.
Dave Darland is the winningest driver in Indiana Sprint Week history with 18 career wins. Jon Stanbrough is second with 16. Levi Jones and Kevin Thomas each earned four ISW championships and Darland is next at three.