By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (December 6, 2023)………The addition of more high-paying events, an increased Florida slate, a number of debuts and return visits, plus a plethora of multi-race weekends are among the facets of the 2024 USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship schedule.
A total of 55 dates are on the board for the upcoming season between the months of February and October of 2024, making it among the busiest calendars in the series’ 69-year history dating back to 1956.
MONEY SHOWS
Several events in 2024 will showcase a winner’s payout of at least $10,000 or more on the series schedule. However, Sprint Car Smackdown XIII will be the most lucrative of them all in the new year, featuring a $30,000 top prize for the finale of the annual three-race weekend on August 22-23-24.
Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana will host the annual Haubstadt Hustler, paying $20,000-to-win on September 14 while an expanded two-night Fall Nationals will pay out $20,000 to the victor on the second night at Indiana’s Lawrenceburg Speedway on the weekend of October 11-12.
Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway has kicked the top prize up another notch from $10,000 to win in 2023 to $15,000-to-win in 2024 for all three of USAC’s national divisions: Sprint Cars, NOS Energy Drink National Midgets and Silver Crown.
EVEN MORE GOOD PAYDAYS
Shows paying $10,000-to-win are all over the map, starting with Florida’s expanded seven-race Winter Dirt Games schedule in February. Five dates have been announced at Ocala, Florida’s Bubba Raceway Park for February 9-10-15-16-17, with the final night of the bunch paying $10 Grand.
Barberville, Florida’s Volusia Speedway Park is in the same boat, hosting a pair of events for the USAC National Sprint Cars on February 12-13, the last night offering another $10,000 reward.
For the first time since 1998, USAC National Sprint Cars will make their return to Sumner, Illinois’ Red Hill Raceway for the $10,000-to-win Salute to Levi Jones, where the seven-time USAC national champion made his first career series start more than a quarter century ago.
#LetsRaceTwo brings the series into town for back-to-back nights of $10,000-to-win dates at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway on May 3-4. Another $10,000 check will be awaiting the winner of the longest annually running USAC Sprint Car event of all – the 54th running of the Tony Hulman Classic at Indiana’s Terre Haute Action Track on May 21.
May brings two nights of USAC Sprint Car racing to Circle City Raceway in Indianapolis, Ind. during the Week of Indy on May 22-23, the latter of which will again pay $10,000. What proved to be one of the most fascinating shows of last season returns to Macon (Ill.) Speedway for Top Gun Weekend on June 28-29 with a $10,000 prize awaiting the victor of night two.
An early July staple of the schedule has long been the Bill Gardner Sprintacular at Putnamville, Indiana’s Lincoln Park Speedway which once again provides two nights of USAC Sprint Car activity on July 5-6, and boasts another $10,000 jackpot to the winner on the back half of the weekend.
One year after debuting at Arkansas’ Texarkana 67 Speedway for the Wingless Short Track Nationals, the event is back in 2024 for a two-night tilt on September 6-7 with a $10,000 pot on the docket for the winner during the second leg of the weekend in The Natural State.
Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Raceway once again is scheduled to serve as host of the USAC National Sprint Car season finales in 2024 on October 25-26, with yet another $10,000 award that drivers will be vying for on the second of two nights.
EASTERN STORM A BREWIN’
Eastern Storm, a fixture on the USAC Sprint Car schedule since 2007, celebrates its 17th year of competition in 2024 with six dates in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, starting at Grandview Speedway on June 11, Bridgeport Motorsports Park on June 12, Big Diamond Speedway on June 13, Williams Grove Speedway on June 14, Port Royal Speedway on June 15 and Action Track USA to cap off the busy weekend on June 16.
A RESHUFFLED INDIANA SPRINT WEEK
The 37th annual edition of USAC Indiana Sprint Week takes on a bit of a new look across eight events in late July and early August. A rearranged schedule sees Lincoln Park Speedway hosting the opener of the series for the first time since 2001 on July 25. From there, the schedule travels to Gas City I-69 Speedway on July 26, Kokomo Speedway on July 27, Lawrenceburg Speedway on July 28, Circle City Raceway on July 31, the Terre Haute Action Track on August 1, Bloomington Speedway on August 2 and Tri-State Speedway on August 3.
STAPLES OF THE SCHEDULE & A NEW ONE
Additional familiar stops on the tour brings the series to Terre Haute on April 5 for the 23rd edition of the Jim Hurtubise Classic. Annual springtime visits take the series back to Lawrenceburg on April 13, Bloomington on May 10 and Tri-State on May 11.
The series hits the road en route to Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway on May 31 and June 1 for the Corn Belt Clash at the Sprint Car Capital of the World. The GPS says head north to Wisconsin for a pair of dates on June 22 at Wilmot Raceway and June 23 at Sun Prairie’s Angell Park Speedway.
A new venue for USAC takes precedence on September 5 when the series debuts at RPM Speedway in Crandall, Texas. Late season activity brings action to Circle City on September 13 and to Gas City on September 19 for the next installment of the James Dean Classic, featuring a doubleheader with the USAC National Midgets.
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2024 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Feb 9: Bubba Raceway Park | Ocala, FL | Winter Dirt Games | $6,000
Feb 10: Bubba Raceway Park | Ocala, FL | Winter Dirt Games | $7,500
Feb 12: Volusia Speedway Park | Barberville, FL | Winter Dirt Games | $6,000
Feb 13: Volusia Speedway Park | Barberville, FL | Winter Dirt Games | $10,000
Feb 15: Bubba Raceway Park | Ocala, FL | Winter Dirt Games | $6,000
Feb 16: Bubba Raceway Park | Ocala, FL | Winter Dirt Games | $6,000
Feb 17: Bubba Raceway Park | Ocala, FL | Winter Dirt Games | $10,000
Apr 5: Terre Haute Action Track | Terre Haute, IN | Jim Hurtubise Classic | $6,000
Apr 6: Red Hill Raceway Sumner, IL | Salute to Levi Jones | $10,000
Apr 12: TBA
Apr 13: Lawrenceburg Speedway | Lawrenceburg, IN | $6,000
May 3: Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | #LetsRaceTwo | $10,000
May 4: Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | #LetsRaceTwo | $10,000
May 10: Bloomington Speedway | Bloomington, IN | Larry Rice Classic | $5,000
May 11: Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN | Spring Showdown | $5,000
May 21: Terre Haute Action Track | Terre Haute, IN | Tony Hulman Classic | $10,000
May 22: Circle City Raceway | Indianapolis, IN | Circle City Salute | $5,000
May 23: Circle City Raceway | Indianapolis, IN | Circle City Salute | $10,000
May 31: Knoxville Raceway | Knoxville, IA | Corn Belt Clash | TBA
Jun 1: Knoxville Raceway | Knoxville, IA | Corn Belt Clash | TBA
June 11: Grandview Speedway | Terre Haute, IN | Eastern Storm | $6,000
June 12: Bridgeport Motorsports Park | Swedesboro, NJ | Eastern Storm | $6,000
Jun 13: Big Diamond Speedway | Pottsville, PA | Eastern Storm | $6,000
Jun 14: Williams Grove Speedway | Mechanicsburg, PA | Eastern Storm | $6,000
Jun 15: Port Royal Speedway | Port Royal, PA | Eastern Storm | $6,000
Jun 16: Action Track USA | Kutztown, PA | Eastern Storm | $6,000
Jun 22: Wilmot Raceway | Wilmot, WI | $6,000
Jun 23: Angell Park Speedway | Sun Prairie, WI | $6,000
Jun 28: Macon Speedway | Macon, IL | Top Gun Weekend | $6,000
Jun 29: Macon Speedway | Macon, IL | Top Gun Weekend | $10,000
Jul 5: Lincoln Park Speedway | Putnamville, IN | Bill Gardner Sprintacular | $5,000
Jul 6: Lincoln Park Speedway | Putnamville, IN | Bill Gardner Sprintacular | $10,000
Jul 17: TBA
Jul 25: Lincoln Park Speedway | Putnamville, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000
Jul 26: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Gas City, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000
Jul 27: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000
Jul 28: Lawrenceburg Speedway | Lawrenceburg, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000
Jul 31: Circle City Raceway | Indianapolis, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000
Aug 1: Terre Haute Action Track | Terre Haute, IN | Indiana Sprint Week / Don Smith Classic | $8,000
Aug 2: Bloomington Speedway | Bloomington, IN | Indiana Sprint Week / Sheldon Kinser Memorial | $8,000
Aug 3: Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN | Indiana Sprint Week | $8,000
Aug 22: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Sprint Car Smackdown | $6,000
Aug 23: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Sprint Car Smackdown | $6,000
Aug 24: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Sprint Car Smackdown | $30,000
Sep 5: (E) RPM Speedway | Crandall, TX | $6,000
Sep 6: (E) Texarkana 67 Speedway | Texarkana, AR | Wingless Short Track Nationals | $6,000
Sep 7: (E) Texarkana 67 Speedway | Texarkana, AR | Wingless Short Track Nationals | $10,000
Sep 13: Circle City Raceway | Indianapolis, IN | $5,000
Sep 14: Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN | Haubstadt Hustler | $20,000
Sep 19: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Gas City, IN | James Dean Classic | $5,000
Sep 21: Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | 4-Crown Nationals | $15,000
Oct 11: Lawrenceburg Speedway | Lawrenceburg, IN | Fall Nationals | $6,000
Oct 12: Lawrenceburg Speedway | Lawrenceburg, IN | Fall Nationals | $20,000
Oct 25: (E) Red Dirt Raceway | Meeker, OK | $6,000
Oct 26: (E) Red Dirt Raceway | Meeker, OK | $10,000
(E) represents an event co-sanctioned by ASCS Elite Non-Wing