By Richie Murray
Speedway, Indiana (July 21, 2025)………Forty (40) drivers and cars will tackle The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this Thursday night, July 24, for the kickoff to the 38th annual edition of USAC NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week Presented by Honest Abe Roofing.
The event will feature an invitational field as determined by distinct categories. Those eligible to compete in the event at the 1/5-mile dirt oval inside of turn three at the world-famous IMS fit into one of the following categories:
1) Finished inside the top 30 of the 2024 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship point standings.
2) Finished inside the top 30 of the 2024 USAC Indiana Sprint Week point standings.
3) Ranked inside the top 30 of the 2025 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship standings as of July 7.
4) Ranked inside the top 10 of the 2025 Avanti Windows & Doors USAC CRA Sprint Car standings as of July 7.
5) Any currently active driver who has previously won an Indiana Sprint Week main event. Those drivers must have competed in at least one USAC national event in either the 2024 or 2025 season.
Overall, 64 drivers were invited to participate in the event. A number of drivers who were eligible and formally invited opted to decline participation in the event.
Since its announcement, the event has instantly generated great anticipation and excitement among drivers, teams, and fans alike, but with the confines of the event, parameters have been put into place to help ensure its success.
“We want to give this race the best opportunity to shine,” USAC series director Kirk Spridgeon said. “We have limited time, space and track to ensure the event can be efficient and of the highest quality. It is great that this event garners so much interest, and we wish we could open the gates and allow everyone to compete, but that isn’t feasible at this time.”
The $10,000-to-win at IMS will pay appearance points toward the season-long USAC National Sprint Car standings. However, no points will be offered toward the 2025 Indiana Sprint Week standings.
C.J. Leary captured the only previous visit by the USAC National Sprint Cars to The Dirt Track at IMS in September 2024, racing his way from seventh to first, making the winning pass with nine laps remaining to score a 20-lap, non-points exhibition race victory.
USAC Indiana Sprint Week, a cornerstone of sprint car racing in the Hoosier State since 1988, has captivated fans for decades with its thrilling action and rich legacy. Indiana Sprint Week’s 2025 schedule consists of eight events at eight different racetracks across a 10-night span between July 24-August 2.
The remaining seven events of Indiana Sprint Week following IMS will retain the traditional USAC format, with open entry to all and paying full points toward both the 2025 USAC National Sprint Car and Indiana Sprint Week standings.
Following the ISW kick off at The Dirt Track at IMS, the series continues at Putnamville’s Honest Abe Roofing Lincoln Park Speedway on Friday, July 25, followed by Kokomo Speedway on Saturday, July 26; Lawrenceburg Speedway on Sunday, July 27; Circle City Raceway on Wednesday, July 30; the Terre Haute Action Track on Thursday, July 31; Bloomington Speedway on Friday, August 1, and Haubstadt’s Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, August 2.
RACE DETAILS
On Thursday at IMS, the front gates open at 5pm Eastern with the drivers’ meeting also set for 5pm at the BMW Building in the infield at the north end of the track. Engine heat will take place at 6pm while hot laps / group qualifying is set for 6:30pm followed by heat races, a C-Main, a feature redraw, the semi-feature and the 35-lap feature main event.
Tickets for the event at IMS are on sale now at www.IMS.com/Sprintweek.
THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2025, IMS USAC SPRINT CAR ENTRY LIST: (40 DRIVERS & CARS)
0G KYLE SHIPLEY/Phoenix, AZ (Black Gold Racing)
1 J.J. YELEY (Petty Performance Racing)
2B KALE DRAKE/Collinsville, OK (2B Racing)
2E CARSON GARRETT/Littleton, CO (Epperson Racing)
3p KYLE CUMMINS/Princeton, IN (Petty Performance Racing)
3R KEVIN THOMAS JR./Cullman, AL (Rock Steady Racing)
4 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (TOPP Motorsports)
4x BRAYDON CROMWELL/Lone Jack, MO (Boyd Racing)
5G GUNNAR SETSER/Columbus, IN (KO Motorsports)
5T JAKE SWANSON/Anaheim, CA (Daming Swanson Motorsports)
6 LOGAN CALDERWOOD/Goodyear, AZ (Josh Ford Motorsports)
6R BILL ROSE/Plainfield, IN (Bill Rose Racing)
6T TREY OSBORNE/Columbus, OH (Trey Osborne Racing)
12 ROBERT BALLOU/Rocklin, CA (Ballou Motorsports)
16 HARLEY BURNS/Brazil, IN (Britt Aero Racing)
19 HAYDEN REINBOLD/Gilbert, AZ (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
19AZ MITCHEL MOLES/Raisin City, CA (Reinbold-Underwood Motorsports)
20 BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (Chris Dyson Racing)
21AZ C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Team AZ-Curb-Agajanian Racing)
21K KOBE SIMPSON/Bonham, TX (Kevin Simpson)
21m CARSON SHORT/Marion, IL (Randy Edwards)
24 THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, CA (Landon Simon Racing)
24m HUNTER MADDOX/Bedford, IN (Hunter Maddox Racing)
28 BRANDON MATTOX/Terre Haute, IN (Brandon Mattox Racing)
33p R.J. JOHNSON/Laveen, AZ (Petty Performance Racing)
34 SHANE COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Jeff Olson)
39 BRIGGS DANNER/Allentown, PA (Hogue Racing Enterprises)
41 RICKY LEWIS/Camarillo, CA (Ricky Lewis Motorsports)
44 WESLEY SMITH/Nixa, MO (Wesley Smith Racing)
47 CHARLES DAVIS JR./Buckeye, AZ (Charles Davis Jr.)
57 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Abacus Racing)
61m BRADY SHORT/Bedford, IN (Randy Edwards)
63 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ (Dooling Autosports-Curb-Agajanian)
66 JADON ROGERS/Worthington, IN (Amati Racing)
77 TODD HOBSON/Clyde, VIC (Wingo Brothers Racing)
83c CHANCE CRUM/Snohomish, WA (Crum Racing)
86 DAISON PURSLEY/Locust Grove, OK (CB Industries)
88J JOEY AMANTEA/Mt. Pocono, PA (JPA Racing)
92 CHASE STOCKON/Fort Branch, IN (Tom & Laurie Sertich)
96 RYLAN GRAY/Greenfield, IN (Ted Slinkard)