By Richie Murray
Speedway, Indiana (September 24, 2025)………This weekend, it’s a rare Indiana/Michigan double for the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship.
First, it’s off to Indiana’s Paragon Speedway on Friday, September 26, followed by a date the next night at Quincy, Michigan’s Butler Motor Speedway on Saturday, September 27.
In fact, it’s the first time Indiana and Michigan USAC National Sprint Car events have been featured on back to back days in a quarter century. In 2000, Jay Drake won at Michigan’s Hartford Speedway Park followed by Eric Gordon’s score one night later at Indiana’s Salem Speedway.
This weekend, the current day’s driver lineup plans to play in the dirt at Butler and Paragon, two classic venues that haven’t witnessed USAC National Sprint Car racing in a long while.
KTJ’S CATCH 22
Kevin Thomas Jr. captured the most recent USAC National Sprint Car victory at Paragon in 2021 after a fantastic duel with Logan Seavey.
Since then, Paragon has been absent from the USAC Sprint schedule, while KTJ has continued to rack up wins. Furthermore, he’s run his streak of top-10 results with the series to 22 after finishing on the podium both nights last weekend at Eldora.
The Cullman, Alabama driver will look to tack on to his tally of four series wins in 2025. He does own the 30-lap Paragon USAC Sprint Car track record of 8:28.95, set in 2021.
CUMMINS HOLDING STRONG
Kyle Cummins has already won twice at Paragon this season outside of USAC competition, first in the No Way Out 40 back in March, then again in August with the Midwest Thunder Sprint Cars.
Cummins (Princeton, Indiana) continues his stranglehold on the USAC National Sprint Car championship standings with a whopping 293-point lead, nearly a full four-race lead over second place Mitchel Moles.
Despite having seven wins on the USAC Sprint Car season, Cummins hasn’t won in nearly three months. You have to go all the way back to a victory at Ohio’s Millstream Speedway on the final weekend of June. Crazy enough, in his last nine series starts, he’s finished second six times!
BOUNCING BACK
While running second and third last Saturday at Eldora, Briggs Danner’s right rear tire let loose, resulting in contact with the wall, then contact by Justin Grant, which knocked both out of the race.
Outside of that incident, they’ve been two of the hottest drivers of late with Danner winning two of the last four and Grant winning just a little over a week ago. For Danner, it’ll be his first trip to Paragon. As for Grant, he finished as the runner-up this past spring during USAC Indiana Midget Week at Paragon.
Interestingly, they’re both separated by just 28 points in the tug-of-war for the fifth spot in points, with Grant leading Danner for the moment.
SETSER LEAPFROGRS REINBOLD
Once again, the USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year battle just keeps getting better and better.
This past weekend at Eldora, Gunnar Setser leapfrogged Hayden Reinbold to reassume the lead at the top of the series’ MPI Rookie standings by a 16-point margin.
With just nine races to go on the season, this is the duel to watch as the two first-year drivers duke it out down the stretch.
35 YEARS SINCE THE BUTLER DID IT
As far as Butler Motor Speedway, it’s been a long time coming. In fact, it’s been 35 years since the USAC National Sprint Cars have made the trek to Butler’s 3/8-mile dirt oval, and 12 years since the series has even crossed over into Michigan.
USAC National Sprint Cars’ most recent appearance at any track in Michigan came at Lake Odessa’s I-96 Speedway in 2013, won by Brady Bacon. USAC’s one and only previous visit to Butler Motor Speedway was won by Hank Lower in 1990, in what was his one and only career USAC feature start. That came during USAC’s brief wing era between 1987-1991.
MICHIGAN J. BONUS
Brian Ruhlman, Keith Sheffer II, Steve Irwin and Josh Turner are among the top Michiganders expected to compete in Saturday’s USAC event at Butler.
Sheffer, Irwin and Turner are all past sprint car winners at Butler over the years, and this weekend, they’ll all be vying for bonus money. Kevin Miller, President/CEO of the United States Auto Club and a Michigan native, is putting up the bonus in honor of USAC’s return to his home track.
Saturday’s 30-lap feature event will pay $6,000-to-win. The winner’s share would double to $12,000 if a Michigan driver can win the main event. Furthermore, the top-three Michigan drivers in the feature will receive $250, $150 and $100.
PURE MICHIGAN USAC HISTORY
Along with the aforementioned Hank Lower, several Michigan natives have made a significant impact on USAC racing over the decades. There’s two-time USAC National Sprint Car champion Brian Tyler who has won at Butler in his career as has his brother, Bill Tyler, a one-time USAC National Sprint Car winner.
Fellow USAC National Sprint Car feature victor Gary Fedewa has been victorious at Butler as has 1975 USAC National Sprint Car Rookie of the Year Marvin Carman and his brother, 1979 USAC National Sprint Car top Rookie Jerry Carman. Same as Brett Mann, who notched a single USAC National Sprint Car triumph in his career.
Michigan’s Gordon Johncock captured Indianapolis 500 victories in 1973 and 1982 as well as the 1976 USAC National Championship (IndyCar). Sammy Sessions, the 1972 USAC National Sprint Car champ, hailed from Michigan as did 1961-1962 USAC Stock Car titlist Paul Goldsmith, 1994 USAC National Sprint Car champion Doug Kalitta and 2020 and 2025 USAC Silver Crown entrant champion Ron Hemelgarn.
Henry Banks, who was born in England but raised in Michigan, was USAC’s Competition Director during its formative years. Taylor Ferns, meanwhile, captured the 2011 USAC D1 Midget championship. The list of USAC national winners who made Michigan their home also includes the likes of Jeff Bloom, Jack Calabrase, Ronnie Duman, Cy Fairchild, Jim Hettinger, Jimmy McCune, Johnny Roberts, Don Schilling, Andy Michner and Johnny White.
RACE DETAILS
On Friday, September 26, Indiana’s Paragon Speedway presents the Fall Brawl featuring the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, plus UMP Super Stocks. The pit gate opens at 4pm ET with the front gate opening at 5:30pm, the drivers meeting at 6pm and hot laps at 6:30pm. Grandstand tickets are $30 for ages 13 and up. Free for kids 12 and under. Pit passes are $40 for ages 13 and up. $10 for kids 12 and under.
On Saturday, September 27, Quincy, Michigan’s Butler Motor Speedway features the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, plus Topless Modifieds and Super Stocks. Pits open at 3pm Eastern with the front gates opening at 4pm, the drivers meeting at 5:30pm and cars on track at 6pm. General admission tickets are $30 for adults, $27 for seniors, $10 for kids 6-12 and free for kids 5 & under. Pit passes are $40. Advance tickets can be purchased at https://butlermotorspeedway.ticketspice.com/usac-amsoil-national-sprint-cars.
FloRacing will also have live flag-to-flag coverage of both events at https://www.flosports.link/usac.
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USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Kyle Cummins-2715, 2-Mitchel Moles-2422, 3-Logan Seavey-2387, 4-Kevin Thomas Jr.-2323, 5-Justin Grant-2268, 6-Briggs Danner-2240, 7-C.J. Leary-2113, 8-Jake Swanson-2088, 9-Kale Drake-1811, 10-Chase Stockon-1766.
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PARAGON SPEEDWAY USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINS:
3-Steve Butler
2-Jack Hewitt & Jon Stanbrough
1-Chuck Amati, Kevin Briscoe, Derek Davidson, Brad Doty, Joe Gaerte, Rick Hood, Kelly Kinser, Sheldon Kinser, Bill Rose, Ken Schrader, Kevin Thomas, Kevin Thomas Jr. & Rich Vogler
PARAGON SPEEDWAY USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINNERS:
1981: Rick Hood (9/9)
1982: Chuck Amati (5/15) & Rich Vogler (7/28)
1983: Ken Schrader (4/17), Jack Hewitt (7/27) & Kelly Kinser (9/15)
1984: Steve Butler (7/19) & Steve Butler (8/15)
1985: Sheldon Kinser (7/3)
1987: Steve Butler (8/29)
1988: Brad Doty (5/7) & Joe Gaerte (9/9)
1994: Kevin Thomas (6/4)
1995: Jack Hewitt (7/8)
1996: Jon Stanbrough (7/6) & Jon Stanbrough (7/27)
1997: Kevin Briscoe (7/5) & Bill Rose (7/26)
1998: Derek Davidson (7/25)
2021: Kevin Thomas Jr. (8/22)
TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CARS AT PARAGON SPEEDWAY:
1 Lap – 7/27/1996 – Mark Cassella – 14.886 – 90.689 mph
6 Laps – 8/15/1984 – Leon Thickstun – 1:36.130 – 84.261 mph
8 Laps – 7/19/1984 – Sheldon Kinser – 2:06.560 – 85.335 mph
10 Laps – 7/27/1983 – Bill Tyler – 2:44.670 – 81.982 mph
12 Laps – 7/6/1996 – Kevin Thomas – 3:30.760 – 76.865 mph
30 Laps – 8/22/2021 – Kevin Thomas Jr. – 8:28.95 – 79.576 mph
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USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINS AT BUTLER MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
1-Hank Lower
USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR WINNERS AT BUTLER MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
1990: Hank Lower (8/25)
TRACK RECORDS FOR USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CARS AT BUTLER MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
None