By Richie Murray
Speedway, Indiana (January 27, 2026)………The Mike Curb USAC National Drivers Championship returns for 2026 with an increased $20,000 reward going to the driver who accrues the most combined points throughout the USAC national season.
The honor encompasses attaining points throughout each and every points-paying USAC Silver Crown, AMSOIL National Sprint Car and NOS Energy Drink National Midget series event during the 2026 campaign. USAC’s 2026 national schedule encompasses 95 events from coast-to-coast.
Over the past five seasons since 2021, the Mike Curb USAC National Drivers Championship top prize has quadrupled from $5,000 to $20,000.
Justin Grant (Ione, California) earned a total of 4,982 points across USAC’s three national divisions in 2025. In doing so, he became the first five-time titlist of the Mike Curb USAC National Drivers Championship (2017-2021-2022-2023-2025).
This year marks the 28th year of the Mike Curb USAC National Drivers Championship. Curb has offered the reward annually since the 1999 USAC season to honor USAC’s top overall points champion. Once known as the USAC Super License, the title was rechristened as the National Drivers Championship in recent years to more properly represent the accomplishment of achieving the feat, which so few have done.
Previous champions include many of the greatest names in USAC’s illustrious history, including four drivers who’ve won the award on at least three different occasions. Among them are Justin Grant (5), Tracy Hines (4), Bryan Clauson (3) and J.J. Yeley (3). Two-time champions include Tyler Courtney, Dave Darland and Josh Wise. The one-time winners list consists of Brady Bacon, Jerry Coons Jr., Jay Drake, Logan Seavey, Cole Whitt and Chris Windom.
The new Mike Curb USAC National Drivers Champion will be honored at USAC’s Night of Champions in December of 2026.
The 2026 USAC national season begins with six AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship events in Florida during Winter Dirt Games XVII Presented by Yokohama Tire. A practice day kicks it off at Ocala Speedway on Sunday, February 8. Race days arrive at Volusia Speedway Park as part of the DIRTcar Nationals on February 9-10. The action then moves back west to Ocala for four-straight nights of racing on February 11-12-13-14.
MIKE CURB USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONS:
1999: Dave Darland, Lincoln, Indiana
2000: Tracy Hines, New Castle, Indiana
2001: J.J. Yeley, Phoenix, Arizona
2002: J.J. Yeley, Phoenix, Arizona
2003: J.J. Yeley, Phoenix, Arizona
2004: Jay Drake, Val Verde, California
2005: Josh Wise, Riverside, California
2006: Josh Wise, Riverside, California
2007: Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson, Arizona
2008: Tracy Hines, New Castle, Indiana
2009: Cole Whitt, Alpine, California
2010: Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, Indiana
2011: Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, Indiana
2012: Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, Indiana
2013: Tracy Hines, New Castle, Indiana
2014: Tracy Hines, New Castle, Indiana
2015: Dave Darland, Lincoln, Indiana
2016: Brady Bacon, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
2017: Justin Grant, Ione, California
2018: Tyler Courtney, Indianapolis, Indiana
2019: Tyler Courtney, Indianapolis, Indiana
2020: Chris Windom, Canton, Illinois
2021: Justin Grant, Ione, California
2022: Justin Grant, Ione, California
2023: Justin Grant, Ione, California
2024: Logan Seavey, Sutter, California
2025: Justin Grant, Ione, California
MIKE CURB USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIPS:
5-Justin Grant
4-Tracy Hines
3-Bryan Clauson & J.J. Yeley
2-Tyler Courtney, Dave Darland & Josh Wise
1-Brady Bacon, Jerry Coons Jr., Jay Drake, Logan Seavey, Cole Whitt & Chris Windom