By Richie Murray
Terre Haute, Indiana (October 1, 2024)………Twenty-eight USAC Silver Crown entries are set for this Sunday’s 20th running of the 100-lap Sumar Classic on October 6 at western Indiana’s Terre Haute Action Track.
The event at the 1/2-mile dirt oval features three past winners: series point leader Kody Swanson (2014), C.J. Leary (2016) and two-time victor Justin Grant (2018 & 2022).
They’re among the 13 Sumar Classic veterans in the field along with first-time winning hopefuls and past runner-up Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Arizona (2nd in 2008-12-22). Fellow top-five Sumar Classic finishers in this weekend’s lineup include Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon (3rd in 2022), Sutter, California’s Logan Seavey (4th in 2022) and Pleasant Hill, Ohio’s Matt Westfall (5th in 2002-03).
Like Coons, Bacon and Seavey before, Fort Branch, Indiana’s Chase Stockon (11th in 2015) is among the group of Terre Haute USAC National Sprint Car winners vying for a first career Terre Haute USAC Silver Crown tri
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Meanwhile, Stoystown, Pennsylvania’s Carmen Perigo (8th in 2022), Sunbury, Pennsylvania’s Mark Smith (19th in 2017) and Winchester, Indiana’s Matt Goodnight (22nd in 2018) return to the Sumar Classic field.
Meanwhile, two drivers who’ve spent a large portion of their careers with fenders in late models and modifieds are making their return to the Sumar Classic in open wheel machinery: St. Charles, Missouri’s Kyle Steffens (18th in 2002) and Clarklake, Michigan’s Brian Ruhlman (12th in 2022).
However, the majority of this weekend’s field belongs to Sumar Classic first-timers. Three of them own USAC national feature wins on their resume: Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.), plus Briggs Danner (Allentown, Pa.) and Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.). Pursley (Port Royal) and Moles (Eldora) have each won their first career USAC Silver Crown races in 2024 on dirt half-miles. Danner is coming off a 3rd place finish at Eldora.
Leading 2024 USAC Silver Crown Rookie Trey Osborne (Columbus, Ohio) looks to make his first Sumar Classic main event start along with fellow Silver Crown Rookies Nathan Moore (Kaufman, Texas), Chase Dietz (York, Pa.), Aric Gentry (Robards, Ky.) and Dave Peperak (Clinton, Ind.), a former USAC National Sprint Car track record holder at Terre Haute.
Veterans of the Silver Crown ranks making their first visit to the Sumar Classic include Mario Clouser (Auburn, Ill.), Chris Fetter (Troy, Mo.), Dave Berkheimer (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), Gregg Cory (Shelbyville, Ind.), Kenny Gentry (Henderson, Ky.), Jimmy Light (West Springfield, Pa.) and Kevin Newton (Farmersburg, Ind.), whose one and only career USAC Silver Crown start came during the 2003 Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, 21 years ago.
RACE DETAILS:
The 20th running of the Sumar Classic features the USAC Silver Crown National Championship this Sunday night, October 6, at the Terre Haute Action Track’s 1/2-mile dirt track in Terre Haute, Indiana.
Pits open at 2pm Eastern, grandstands open at 4pm and practice is set to begin at 5:30pm followed immediately by qualifications and racing.
Advance general admission tickets are on sale now at www.usactickets.com. Advance grandstand tickets are $20 for ages 13 and up while kids age 12 and under are free. Infield tickets are just $10 for ages 13 & up while kids age 12 and under are free.
Sunday’s Sumar Classic can be watched LIVE on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/usac.
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SUMAR CLASSIC ENTRY LIST: (28 DRIVERS & CARS)
01 MARK SMITH/Sunbury, PA (L & M Motorsports)
6 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Klatt Enterprises)
9 BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (Chris Dyson Racing)
10 (R) BRIGGS DANNER/Allentown, PA (DMW Motorsports)
15 CHRIS FETTER/Troy, MO (Chris Fetter)
18 KENNY GENTRY/Henderson, KY (Kenny Gentry)
21 (R) DAISON PURSLEY/Locust Grove, OK (Team AZ Racing/Curb-Agajanian)
22 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Rice Motorsports-Abacus Racing)
24 MATT GOODNIGHT/Winchester, IN (John Haggenbottom)
31 DAVE BERKHEIMER/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)
32 GREGG CORY/Shelbyville, IN (Williams-Cory Racing)
48 (R) NATHAN MOORE/Kaufman, TX (Chip Thomas-Joe Moore)
49 BRIAN RUHLMAN/Clarklake, MI (Brian Ruhlman)
52 CARMEN PERIGO/Stoystown, PA (John Stehman)
54 MATT WESTFALL/Pleasant Hill, OH (Westfall Racing)
55 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ (Bateman Racing)
60 MARIO CLOUSER/Auburn, IL (Legacy Autosport-Robert Wilson Racing)
69 CHASE STOCKON/Fort Branch, IN (Pink 69 Racing)
77 KODY SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA (Doran-Binks Racing)
81 (R) TREY OSBORNE/Columbus, OH (BCR Group)
86 (R) CHASE DIETZ/York, PA (Bruce Lee)
91 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)
99 (R) KEVIN NEWTON/Farmersburg, IN (Armstrong Racing)
118 JIMMY LIGHT/West Springfield, PA (Wingo Brothers Racing)
119 (R) MITCHEL MOLES/Raisin City, CA (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
777 (R) DAVE PEPERAK/Clinton, IN (Dave Peperak Motorsports)
(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year contender