By Richie Murray
Speedway, Indiana (December 8, 2022)………Substantial payout increases for marquee events, an extended stay in the Sunshine State, a deep dive down south and a return to the Sprint Car Capital of the World highlight the 2023 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship schedule.
To date, there is a slate of 48 events across the board for the 68th year of the series between the months of February and October in 2023. Thirteen of the events pay a winner’s share of $10,000 or more and a pair of races feature a $20,000 top prize while one has boosted it’s crown jewel to $30,000-to-win for a night’s work.
The $30,000-to-win Sprint Car Smackdown XII at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway has doubled the winner’s take-home pay from 2022. The final night of “Smackdown” will take place on August 26 and features a lead-in of a pair of $6,000-to-win shows on August 24-25.
Two late season staples of the USAC National Sprint Car schedule offer increased stakes in the upcoming year with both boasting $20,000 winner’s shares. Those dates include the Haubstadt Hustler at Indiana’s Tri-State Speedway on September 16 and the Fall Nationals at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway on October 7.
All USAC Indiana Sprint Week payouts have been bumped to $8,000-to-win for the 36th annual edition of the series in late July at Gas City I-69 Speedway on July 21, Kokomo Speedway on July 22, Lawrenceburg Speedway on July 23, Circle City Raceway on July 24, To Be Announced on July 26, Lincoln Park Speedway on July 27, Bloomington Speedway on July 28 and Tri-State Speedway on July 28.
FIVE NEW DEBUTS & MAJOR RETURNS
Five racetracks will make their debut on the USAC National Sprint Car schedule in 2023: Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park, Texas’s Rocket Raceway Park, Pennsylvania’s Action Track USA, Illinois’ Macon Speedway and Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Raceway.
The season kicks off with an expanded docket in the state of Florida during the month of February. USAC makes its debut at Barberton’s Volusia Speedway Park for two non-points special events on February 13-14, followed by the first three points-paying events of the year at Ocala, Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park during Winter Dirt Games. Both the Volusia and Ocala finales will pay $10,000 to the feature winner.
USAC National Sprint Cars make a major return to Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway for the first time in three seasons during the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame induction weekend on June 2-3.
The Sprint Cars of USAC most recently paid a visit to the Lone Star State of Texas in 1985. In 2023, the series will tackle three events in successive nights, starting off with the series debut at Rocket Raceway Park on April 27 followed by two consecutive runs at Devil’s Bowl Speedway on April 28-29 with the latter event paying $10,000 to conquer.
The 1/5-mile bullring of Illinois’ Macon Speedway welcomes USAC’s Thunder and Lightning division for the first time ever on July 7-8, with the latter of the two dates paying another $10 grand-to-win.
The new season closes out with a bit of a different look at Meeker, Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Raceway on October 27-28. The weekend double marks the USAC National Sprint Cars’ first foray to the aptly named 1/4-mile in the Sooner State with a $10,000 payday awaiting the second night winner.
Eastern Storm, a fixture on the USAC Sprint Car schedule since 2007, celebrates its 16th year of competition in 2023 with seven dates in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, starting at Grandview Speedway on June 13, Bridgeport Motorsports Park on June 14, Big Diamond Speedway on June 15, Williams Grove Speedway on June 16, Port Royal Speedway on June 17 and the series makes its first ever appearance at Action Track USA with an appearance points only event to cap off the busy weekend on June 18.
THE STAPLES OF THE SCHEDULE
No tracks has hosted more USAC National Sprint Car events than Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway, which hosts the series three times in 2023 with each visit paying $10,000-to-win. The first of which brings the series to the half-mile dirt oval on May 5-6 for #LetsRaceTwo and once more for the 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals on September 23.
The Bill Gardner Sprintacular at Putnamville, Indiana’s Lincoln Park Speedway has quickly become one of the most coveted races for a driver to capture. The race annually boasts the largest car counts of the year and is primed for two nights of action on consecutive evenings on June 30 and July 1 with the finale paying $10,000 to the winner.
The destination is Wisconsin for the official start of summer on June 24-25 with two dates in the Badger State at the newly renovated Wilmot Raceway on the 24th and at the legendary Angell Park Speedway on the 25th.
A slew of additional tradition-rich venues make up the bulk of the USAC National Sprint Car schedule in 2023, such as Lawrenceburg, which hosts the Midwest opener once more on April 1. Southern Indiana stalwart venues Bloomington and Tri-State welcome the series for a two-race two-step on April 14 and 15, respectively.
USAC Sprints hit Circle City Raceway in Indianapolis, Ind. for a $10,000-to win show during the Week of Indy on May 25 and once more -late in the year on September 15, and less than a week later, it’s onto Gas City for the sixth installment of the James Dean Classic on September 21.
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2023 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Feb 13: Volusia Speedway Park (SE) | Barberville, FL | $5,000-To-Win
Feb 14: Volusia Speedway Park (SE) | Barberville, FL | $10,000-To-Win
Feb 16: Bubba Raceway Park | Ocala, FL | Winter Dirt Games | $5,000-To-Win
Feb 17: Bubba Raceway Park | Ocala, FL | Winter Dirt Games | $5,000-To-Win
Feb 18: Bubba Raceway Park (F) | Ocala, FL | Winter Dirt Games | $10,000-To-Win
Apr 1: Lawrenceburg Speedway | Lawrenceburg, IN | $5,000-To-Win
Apr 14: Bloomington Speedway | Bloomington, IN | $5,000-To-Win
Apr 15: Tri-State Speedway (M) | Haubstadt, IN | Spring Showdown | $5,000-To-Win
Apr 27: Rocket Raceway Park (E) | Petty, TX | $6,000-To-Win
Apr 28: Devil’s Bowl Speedway (E) | Mesquite, TX | $6,000-To-Win
Apr 29: Devil’s Bowl Speedway (E) | Mesquite, TX | $10,000-To-Win
May 5: Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | #LetsRaceTwo | $10,000-To-Win
May 6: Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | #LetsRaceTwo | $10,000-To-Win
May 24: TBA
May 25: Circle City Raceway | Indianapolis, IN | Week of Indy | $10,000-To-Win
Jun 2: Knoxville Raceway | Knoxville, IA | Corn Belt Clash | $6,000-To-Win
Jun 3: Knoxville Raceway | Knoxville, IA | Corn Belt Clash | $8,000-To-Win
Jun 13: Grandview Speedway | Bechtelsville, PA | Eastern Storm | $6,000-To-Win
Jun 14: Bridgeport Motorsports Park | Swedesboro, NJ | Eastern Storm | $6,000-To-Win
Jun 15: Big Diamond Speedway | Pottsville, PA | Eastern Storm | $6,000-To-Win
Jun 16: Williams Grove Speedway | Mechanicsburg, PA | Eastern Storm | $6,000-To-Win
Jun 17: Port Royal Speedway | Port Royal, PA | Eastern Storm | $6,000-To-Win
Jun 18: Action Track USA (A) | Kutztown, PA | $6,000-To-Win
Jun 24: Wilmot Raceway | Wilmot, WI | $6,000-To-Win
Jun 25: Angell Park Speedway | Sun Prairie, WI | $6,000-To-Win
Jun 30: Lincoln Park Speedway (A) (M) | Putnamville, IN | Bill Gardner Sprintacular | $5,000-To-Win
Jul 1: Lincoln Park Speedway (M) | Putnamville, IN | Bill Gardner Sprintacular | $10,000-To-Win
Jul 7: Macon Speedway (A) | Macon, IL | $5,000-To-Win
Jul 8: Macon Speedway (A) | Macon, IL | $10,000-To-Win
Jul 21: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Gas City, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000-To-Win
Jul 22: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000-To-Win
Jul 23: Lawrenceburg Speedway | Lawrenceburg, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000-To-Win
Jul 24: Circle City Raceway | Indianapolis, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000-To-Win
Jul 26: TBA
Jul 27: Lincoln Park Speedway | Putnamville, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000-To-Win
Jul 28: Bloomington Speedway | Bloomington, IN | Indiana Sprint Week / Sheldon Kinser Memorial | $8,000-To-Win
Jul 29: Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000-To-Win
Aug 24: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Sprint Car Smackdown | $6,000-To-Win
Aug 25: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Sprint Car Smackdown | $6,000-To-Win
Aug 26: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Sprint Car Smackdown | $30,000-To-Win
Sep 15: Circle City Raceway | Indianapolis, IN | $5,000-To-Win
Sep 16: Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN | Haubstadt Hustler | $20,000-To-Win
Sep 21: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Gas City, IN | James Dean Classic | $5,000-To-Win
Sep 23: Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | 4-Crown Nationals | $10,000-To-Win
Oct 6: TBA
Oct 7: Lawrenceburg Speedway | Lawrenceburg, IN | Fall Nationals | $20,000-To-Win
Oct 27: Red Dirt Raceway | Meeker, OK | $6,000-To-Win
Oct 28: Red Dirt Raceway | Meeker, OK | $10,000-To-Win
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(SE) represents a non-points special event
(F) represents an event paying feature points only
(A) represents an event paying appearance points only
(M) represents an event co-sanctioned by the Midwest Sprint Car Series
(E) represents an event co-sanctioned by ASCS Elite Non-Wing
Race dates & payouts subject to change