By Richie Murray
Indianapolis, Indiana (December 9, 2021)………Coming off the busiest USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship season in more than three decades, the series’ drivers and teams will settle into a similar groove in 2022 with the release of the upcoming year’s schedule, featuring 38 events from coast-to-coast.
The docket is highlighted by a bevy of heavyweight events such as the $20,000-to-win Huset’s Speedway USAC Nationals in South Dakota on July 8-9-10. A figure of $20,000 is also up for grabs to the winner of the Hangtown 100 at California’s Placerville Speedway on Nov. 17-18-19.
$10,000 showdowns are the name of the game on the second of two nights during the July 15-16 Midwest Midget Championship at Fairbury, Nebraska’s Jefferson County Speedway.
Ten grand will also go into the pocket of the winner on the backend of back-to-back races during the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio on Sept. 23-24.
The season will conclude once again Saturday night on the beach and under the lights of California’s Ventura Raceway with $10,000 earmarked for the winner of the 81st running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix on Nov. 26.
The lucrative crown jewel, the BC39 at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, does not have a confirmed date as of press time. Stay tuned to www.usacracing.com and USAC’s various social media channels when the info becomes available.
Launching the USAC National Midget season for the fourth consecutive season is Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla. for two nights of Winter Dirt Games XIII on Feb. 11-12.
The sixth running of the Shamrock Classic indoors at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin will now be a non-points special event for the series on March 11-12.
April doubles are the standard in 2022 with Indiana’s Kokomo Speedway welcoming the series for two complete events for the Kokomo Grand Prix on April 8-9. The case is the same on April 22-23 as the series makes the voyage to Tulsa, Okla. for the T-Town Midget Showdown at Port City Raceway.
June gets busy with a Thursday night jaunt over to Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill. for the first time in three seasons on June 2. The very next night, drivers, teams and fans will cross the border into the Hoosier state for the 18th annual USAC Indiana Midget Week series, starting June 3 at Bloomington, followed by Lawrenceburg on June 4, Tri-State on June 5, Circle City on June 8, Lincoln Park on June 9, Gas City on June 10 and Kokomo on June 11.
Mid-America Midget Week begins with a return trip to the state of Oklahoma on July 12 at Red Dirt Raceway, then heading back north the following night on July 13 for the series’ lone visit of the season to the state of Kansas for the Chad McDaniel Memorial at Beloit’s Solomon Valley Raceway with the aforementioned Jefferson County dates pinpointed on July 15-16.
The Firemen’s Nationals made a reemergence on the USAC National Midget calendar a season ago, and now the 38th running of the race takes shape in 2022 on Labor Day weekend, September 4.
Two evenings at the racy Missouri’s Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex are on tap for Sept. 9-10 with the running of the John Hinck Championship.
The James Dean Classic brings both the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and the USAC National Midgets together in a doubleheader spectacular at Gas City on Sept. 22.
On October 7, the Jason Leffler Memorial returns to its roots at Wayne County Speedway in Wayne City, Ill. while Harvest Cup serves as the Midwest finale for the series on Oct. 8 at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind.
A busy November tour of California makes seven stops at four different tracks across 12 nights, which will ultimately decide the series champion. Starting things off is Bakersfield Speedway’s November Classic on Nov. 15, followed by Placerville’s Hangtown 100 on Nov. 17-18-19, two nights at Merced Speedway on Nov. 22-23 and the season-capping Turkey Night Grand Prix at Ventura Raceway on Nov. 26.
2022 USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE:
Feb 11: Bubba Raceway Park | Ocala, FL | Winter Dirt Games
Feb 12: Bubba Raceway Park | Ocala, FL | Winter Dirt Games
Mar 11-12: Southern Illinois Center | Du Quoin, IL | Shamrock Classic | Non-Points Special Event
Apr 8: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Kokomo Grand Prix
Apr 9: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Kokomo Grand Prix
Apr 22: Port City Raceway | Tulsa, OK | T-Town Midget Showdown
Apr 23: Port City Raceway | Tulsa, OK | T-Town Midget Showdown
Jun 2: Tri-City Speedway | Granite City, IL
Jun 3: Bloomington Speedway | Bloomington, IN | Indiana Midget Week
Jun 4: Lawrenceburg Speedway | Lawrenceburg, IN | Indiana Midget Week
Jun 5: Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN | Indiana Midget Week
Jun 8: Circle City Raceway | Indianapolis, IN | Indiana Midget Week
Jun 9: Lincoln Park Speedway | Putnamville, IN | Indiana Midget Week
Jun 10: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Gas City, IN | Indiana Midget Week
Jun 11: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Indiana Midget Week
Jul 8: Huset’s Speedway | Brandon, SD | Huset’s Speedway USAC Nationals
Jul 9: Huset’s Speedway | Brandon, SD | Huset’s Speedway USAC Nationals
Jul 10: Huset’s Speedway | Brandon, SD | Huset’s Speedway USAC Nationals
Jul 12: Red Dirt Raceway | Meeker, OK | Tuesday Night Thunder
Jul 13: Solomon Valley Raceway | Beloit, KS | Chad McDaniel Memorial
Jul 15: Jefferson County Speedway | Fairbury, NE | Midwest Midget Championship
Jul 16: Jefferson County Speedway | Fairbury, NE | Midwest Midget Championship
Sep 4: Angell Park Speedway | Sun Prairie, WI | Firemen’s Nationals
Sep 9: Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex | Sweet Springs, MO | John Hinck Championship
Sep 10: Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex | Sweet Springs, MO | John Hinck Championship
Sep 22: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Gas City, IN | James Dean Classic
Sep 23: Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | BeFour The Crowns
Sep 24: Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | 4-Crown Nationals
Oct 7: Wayne County Speedway | Wayne City, IL | Jason Leffler Memorial
Oct 8: Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN | Harvest Cup
Nov 15: Bakersfield Speedway | Bakersfield, CA | November Classic
Nov 17: Placerville Speedway | Placerville, CA | Hangtown 100
Nov 18: Placerville Speedway | Placerville, CA | Hangtown 100
Nov 19: Placerville Speedway | Placerville, CA | Hangtown 100
Nov 22: Merced Speedway | Merced, CA | Midget Madness
Nov 23: Merced Speedway | Merced, CA | Midget Madness
Nov 26: Ventura Raceway | Ventura, CA | Turkey Night Grand Prix
TBA: The Dirt Track at IMS | Speedway, IN | BC39