By Richie Murray
Lawrenceburg, Indiana (July 23, 2020)………For Justin Grant, Lawrenceburg Speedway is akin to a second home of sorts.
For it was the track where Grant earned his first career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car and Indiana Sprint Week win on the same night eight years prior in 2012.
It’s the place in which he also won with USAC in 2014 and again in the fall of 2018. And it’s where he and his TOPP Motorsports team earned a triumph in the latest Indiana Sprint Week round at the 3/8-mile dirt oval in July of 2019.
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I’ve had a lot of special wins here at Lawrenceburg,” Grant said after his 2019 score. “I really like it. I raced down here a ton back when I was driving the 40 car for Mark Hery. It was our Saturday night venue. We raced 10-15 Saturday nights a year here for a few years. It’s just a place I’ve always loved coming to.”
Coming into that event, Grant had led just two laps in his entire ISW career, both of which came at the conclusion of that 2012 ISW race at Lawrenceburg.
Ione, California’s Grant enters this Sunday’s third round of 2020 NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week as the series point leader with hopes and dreams of also claiming his first career ISW crown. In addition to his two victories during ISW at Lawrenceburg, he was the fastest qualifier in his first event appearance in 2010, and was also 3rd in 2015, 4th in 2011, 6th in 2016 and 7th in 2013.
Five additional ISW Burg winners are expected to compete Sunday, including the all-time winningest driver at the track in USAC Sprint Car competition, seven-time winner Dave Darland. The Lincoln, Ind. native has finished inside the top-five in the event a remarkable 12 times with victories in 1998, 2001, 2009 & 2010, plus fast qualifying times in 2007-08-17. His two ISW Burg runner-ups came in 2007 and 2013, with a 3rd place run in 1999, 4ths in 2002-15-17 and 5ths twice on back-to-back nights in 2008.
Half the time Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.) finishes in the top-ten during ISW at Lawrenceburg, it’s also a top-five for the 2016 ISW champ. He won the round in 2015, finished 2nd in 2017, and was 3rd in 2007-13-18 along with a 6th in 2019, 7th in 2007 & 16 and 8th twice in 2008.
Robert Ballou (Rocklin, Calif.) was victorious in the 2011 ISW stop at Lawrenceburg. The 2015 ISW titlist took the runner-up spot there that same year in propelling him to the title. He scored a 5th in 2017 as one of his seven top-fives in the event along with a 6th in 2012, a 7th in 2018, a fast qualifying time and 9th in 2013 as well as another 9th in 2016.
Cullman, Alabama’s Kevin Thomas Jr. is the most recent driver to win three Indiana Sprint Week races in a row in 2013. Among those three was a victory at Lawrenceburg, right smack dab in the middle of that streak. Thomas, who won at The Burg last Fall in the most recent series race there, took a 2nd in the 2018 ISW round there along with a 3rd in 2017 and a 4th in 2019 among his six top-tens there.
Defending Indiana Sprint Week champion C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) is one of four past Lawrenceburg Speedway Sprint Car track champions entered for Sunday’s race thus far. Leary claimed the 2013 title there and was the victor of the 2017 ISW round there. He’s finished in the top-five of the event in each of the last four years and is the only driver to do so. He was also the fastest qualifier and 3rd in 2019, 4th in 2016 and 5th in 2018.
Jarett Andretti bagged the 2016 Lawrenceburg track championship. The Mooresville, N.C. native has a pair of top-ten runs in the ISW event there, including a 7th in 2015 and a 10th in 2017.
Shawn Westerfeld (Guilford, Ind.) was the 2014 Burg track champ, and surprised the field back in 2015 with a fast qualifying run during the ISW round. Logan Hupp, of Columbus, Ind., captured the 2012 track title and is seeking his first USAC feature start since the 2015 season.
Kansas, Ill. veteran Shane Cottle, a 2020 USAC Sprint winner in Putnamville, Ind. in early July, finished a best of 2nd at Lawrenceburg’s ISW race in 2005, was 3rd and 4th on consecutive nights in 2008, was 4th again in 2013 and 5th in 2007. He was 9th in 2011 and 10th in 2017 for five top-fives and a total of seven top-tens on his ISW resume at Lawrenceburg. His Hodges Motorsports No. 74x was a winner at Lawrenceburg in the fall of 2016 with driver Josh Hodges.
Chris Windom has won in both a USAC Sprint Car and Midget at Lawrenceburg. His ISW resume at Lawrenceburg is impressive but is missing that elusive win, a resume that includes five top-fives and nine top-tens. The two-time ISW champ in 2011 & 2018 from Canton, Ill. was the runner-up at The Burg in both 2011 and 2019, was 3rd in 2016 and 4th in both 2007 and 2018.
Tucson, Arizona’s Jerry Coons Jr. scored a single points paying USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victory at Lawrenceburg in 2010. In his what serves to be his first USAC Sprint appearance since ISW 2018, he’s running the entirety of 2020 ISW for Baldwin Brothers Racing, who scored last week’s regular show victory at Lawrenceburg with driver Anton Hernandez behind the wheel. Baldwin won with Windom as the pilot in the Spring of 2017. Meanwhile, during ISW at Lawrenceburg, Coons has been 3rd in both 2005 on the former ¼-mile bullring and in 2011 on the now currently configurated 3/8-mile high banks in 2011. He owns a pair of 4th place runs in both 2000 and 2008 and a 7th in 2007.
Marion, Indiana’s Scotty Weir has been solid in ISW at Lawrenceburg with a 4th in 2007, an 8th in 2018 and a 10th in 2008. Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, Ind.) earned his first career USAC victory there in the Fall of 2012 but has just two top-tens in his ISW runs, an 8th in 2019 and a 9th in 2012. Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.) was a multi-time ISW winner in 2019 at Putnamville and Haubstadt. His Burg ISW record shows an 8th in 2016 and a 9th in 2019.
ISW top-ten finishers over the years at Lawrenceburg also include Russiaville, Indiana’s Dustin Smith (6th in 2002), Buckeye, Arizona’s Charles Davis Jr. (6th in 2004), Pleasant Hill, Ohio’s Matt Westfall (8th in 2004), San Jose, California’s Thomas Meseraull (7th in 2017) and Carson Short (5th in 2019).
Just two spots remain left to fill the field for the capper of the opening weekend of the 33rd annual NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week series this Sunday, July 26, at Lawrenceburg Speedway.Forty-six drivers have pre-entered for the event at press time with just a couple more left to complete the 48-car field that is the standard all throughout Indiana Sprint Week in 2020. Competitor entry can be found at www.usactickets.com.
Tickets for all Indiana Sprint Week events are available while supplies last, exclusively at www.usactickets.com. Adult general admission tickets for Lawrenceburg are $25 while kids age 7-12 are $7 and children age 6 and under are free. Pit passes are $30 apiece (all ages).
Pits open at 3pm ET. All online ticket purchasers will be allowed an early 3pm (local time) entry into the grandstand. Front gate entry is open to all customers at 4pm. Hot laps begin at 6pm with racing to immediately follow.
2020 NOS ENERGY DRINK INDIANA SPRINT WEEK SCHEDULE:
Fri., July 24: Gas City I-69 Speedway – Gas City, Indiana
Advance Ticket Entry: 3pm ET, Walk-Up Sales: 4pm, Hot Laps: 6:30pm
Sat., July 25: Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, Indiana
Advance Ticket Entry: 3pm ET, Walk-Up Sales: 4pm, Hot Laps: 6:30pm
Sun., July 26: Lawrenceburg Speedway – Lawrenceburg, Indiana
Advance Ticket Entry: 3pm ET, Walk-Up Sales: 4pm, Hot Laps: 6pm
Wed., July 29: Terre Haute Action Track – Terre Haute, Indiana
Advance Ticket Entry: 3pm ET, Walk-Up Sales: 4pm, Hot Laps: 6:30pm
Thu., July 30: Lincoln Park Speedway – Putnamville, Indiana
Advance Ticket Entry: 3:30pm ET, Walk-Up Sales: 4:30pm, Hot Laps: 6:30pm
Fri., July 31: Bloomington Speedway – Bloomington, Indiana
Advance Ticket Entry: 3:30pm ET, Walk-Up Sales: 4:30pm, Hot Laps: 6:30pm
Sat., August 1: Tri-State Speedway – Haubstadt, Indiana
Advance Ticket Entry: 3pm CT, Walk-Up Sales: 4pm, Hot Laps: 6pm
**All events live on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/2Zs7zFP.
LAWRENCEBURG SPEEDWAY INDIANA SPRINT WEEK HISTORY
23 RACES, 2 RAINOUTS (1997-2019)
FEATURE WINNERS: 1997 – Brian Tyler (Contos 4c), 1998 – Dave Darland (Dynamics 69), 1999 – Jack Hewitt (Newkirk 17), 2000 – Kevin Briscoe (Briscoe 5), 2001 – Dave Darland (DeSalle 3ac), 2002 – Kevin Briscoe (Briscoe 5), 2003 – Jon Stanbrough (Hazen 57), 2004 – Jon Stanbrough (Dynamics 69), 2005 – Dickie Gaines (Roberts 21x), 2006 – Rained Out, 2007 (1) – Jon Stanbrough (Fox 53), 2007 (2) – Dave Darland (Pace 44), 2008 (1) – Jeff Bland, Jr. (Bland 21s), 2008 (2) – Brady Short (Short 36), 2009 – Dave Darland (RWB 2b), 2010 – Dave Darland (Goodnight 39), 2011 – Robert Ballou (MPHG 81), 2012 – Justin Grant (Hery 40), 2013 – Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Dutcher/RW/Tri-Star 17rw), 2014 – Rained Out, 2015 – Brady Bacon (Dynamics 69), 2016 – Bryan Clauson (Dooling/Hayward 63), 2017 – C.J. Leary (Leary 30), 2018 – Tyler Courtney (Clauson/Marshall/Newman 7BC), 2019 – Justin Grant (TOPP 4)
MOST ISW FEATURE WINS AT LAWRENCEBURG SPEEDWAY: 5 – Dave Darland
LAWRENCEBURG ISW WINNERS WHO’VE GONE ON TO WIN THE ISW TITLE THAT YEAR: 3 – Dave Darland (1998, 2001 & 2007)
INDIANA SPRINT WEEK CHAMPIONS
1988: Randy Kinser/Bloomington, Ind.
1989: Chuck Amati/Freeman Spur, Ill.
1990: Chuck Amati/Freeman Spur, Ill. & Gary Trammell/Bloomington, Ind.
1991: Bob Kinser/Bloomington, Ind.
1992: Kevin Thomas/Danville, Ind.
1993: Kevin Thomas/Danville, Ind.
1994: Kelly Kinser/Bloomington, Ind.
1995: Kevin Thomas/Danville, Ind.
1996: Kevin Thomas/Danville, Ind.
1997: J.J. Yeley/Phoenix, Ariz.
1998: Dave Darland/Lincoln, Ind.
1999: Tony Elliott/Kokomo, Ind.
2000: Jay Drake/Val Verde, Calif.
2001: Dave Darland/Lincoln, Ind.
2002: Cory Kruseman/Ventura, Calif.
2003: J.J. Yeley/Phoenix, Ariz.
2004: Levi Jones/Olney, Ill.
2005: Cory Kruseman/Ventura, Calif.
2006: Jon Stanbrough/Avon, Ind.
2007: Dave Darland/Lincoln, Ind.
2008: Levi Jones/Olney, Ill.
2009: Levi Jones/Olney, Ill.
2010: Jon Stanbrough/Avon, Ind.
2011: Chris Windom/Canton, Ill.
2012: Levi Jones/Olney, Ill.
2013: Bryan Clauson/Noblesville, Ind.
2014: Bryan Clauson/Noblesville, Ind.
2015: Robert Ballou/Rocklin, Calif.
2016: Brady Bacon/Broken Arrow, Okla.
2017: Kevin Thomas, Jr./Cullman, Ala.
2018: Chris Windom/Canton, Ill.
2019: C.J. Leary/Greenfield, Ind.
ALL-TIME INDIANA SPRINT WEEK WINS: (1988-2019)
1. (20) Dave Darland
2. (16) Jon Stanbrough
3. (12) Cory Kruseman
4. (9) J.J. Yeley
5. (7) Bryan Clauson
6. (6) Jay Drake, Danny Smith & Kevin Thomas, Jr.
9. (5) Kevin Briscoe, Tyler Courtney, Tony Elliott, Brady Short & Kevin Thomas
14. (4) Robert Ballou, Kyle Cummins, Jack Hewitt, Levi Jones & Kelly Kinser
19. (3) Brady Bacon, Daron Clayton, Jerry Coons, Jr., Tracy Hines, C.J. Leary & Hunter Schuerenberg
25. (2) Chuck Amati, Kevin Doty, Tim Gee, Justin Grant, Rick Hood, Bud Kaeding, Thomas Meseraull, Chase Stockon & Chris Windom
34. (1) A.J. Anderson, Brent Beauchamp, Jeff Bland, Jr., Chad Boat, Shane Cottle, Derek Davidson, Cary Faas, Aaron Farney, Blake Fitzpatrick, Brad Fox, Dickie Gaines, Damion Gardner, Tray House, Bob Kinser, Mike Mann, Brad Marvel, Mat Neely, Terry Pletch, Casey Riggs, Bill Rose, Carson Short, Mickey Smith, Brad Sweet, Brian Tyler & Cole Whitt
LAWRENCEBURG INDIANA SPRINT WEEK ENTRY LIST: (46 cars as of July 23)
01 ANTHONY D’ALESSIO/Apollo Beach, FL (D’Alessio Motorsports)
1x KURT GROSS/Washington, IN (Kurt Gross)
2E THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, CA (Epperson Racing)
3R KYLE CUMMINS/Princeton, IN (Rock Steady Racing)
4 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (TOPP Motorsports)
5 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ (Baldwin Brothers Racing)
5m MAX ADAMS/Loomis, CA (Scott Adams)
5s CHASE STOCKON/Fort Branch, IN (KO Motorsports)
5T TYE MIHOCKO/Phoenix, AZ (Tye Mihocko)
6p CHRIS PHILLIPS/Plainfield, IN (Chris Phillips)
9K KEVIN THOMAS JR./Cullman, AL (KT Motorsports)
11AG CHASE JONES/Greenfield, IN (Gray Racing)
11w WYATT BURKS/Topeka, KS (Burks Racing)
12 ROBERT BALLOU/Rocklin, CA (Ballou Motorsports)
13 DENNIS GILE/Phoenix, AZ (Gene Gile Racing)
17 DAKOTA JACKSON/Elizabethtown, IN (On The Gass Racing)
17GP TYLER THOMAS/Collinsville, OK (Michael Dutcher Motorsports)
18 JARETT ANDRETTI/Mooresville, NC (Andretti Autosport Short Track)
18x DALLAS HEWITT/Troy, OH (Todd Keen)
19 CHRIS WINDOM/Canton, IL (Hayward Motorsports)
19AZ LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
21B RYAN BARR/Piqua, OH (Chad & Rhonda Barr)
22 SCOTTY WEIR/Marion, IN (Goodnight Racing)
27 STEVE THOMAS/Ludlow, IL (Steve Thomas)
28 BRANDON MATTOX/Terre Haute, IN (Brandon Mattox Racing)
30 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Leary Racing)
33m MATT WESTFALL/Pleasant Hill, OH (Ray Marshall Motorsports)
34 STERLING CLING/Tempe, AZ (Sterling Cling Racing)
36d DAVE DARLAND/Lincoln, IN (EZR/Curb-Agajanian Racing)
39 MATT GOODNIGHT/Winchester, IN (Goodnight Racing)
43 SABAN BIBENT/Cincinnati, OH (Barry Tibbits)
47 CHARLES DAVIS JR./Buckeye, AZ (Davis Race Team)
51T EDDIE TAFOYA JR./Chino Hills, CA (Eddie Tafoya)
56 MITCHELL DAVIS/Auburn, IL (Mitchell Davis)
61m JADON ROGERS/Worthington, IN (Randy Edwards)
68 CHASE JOHNSON/Penngrove, CA (Shawn & Cyndi Thomas)
69 BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (Dynamics, Inc.)
69JM LOGAN HUPP/Columbus, IN (Evan Gindling)
71 ROBERT BELL/Colfax, IA (Robert Bell)
71p CARSON SHORT/Marion, IL (Daigh-Phillips Motorsports)
74x SHANE COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Hodges Motorsports)
75 DUSTIN CLARK/Washington, IN (Dustin Clark Racing)
76 J.J. HUGHES/Columbus, IN (Kim Hughes)
77 DUSTIN SMITH/Russiaville, IN (LG Motorsports)
79BT MAX GUILFORD/Auckland, NZ (Goodnight Racing)
89 SHAWN WESTERFELD/Guilford, IN (Bill Westerfeld)