The 2022 USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series was the 51st season of Silver Crown racing under the USAC banner. The season began with the Sumar Classic at Terre Haute Action Track on May 1 and ended at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park on October 22. [1] The entire season was featured live and on-demand on FloRacing. [2] Kody Swanson won his seventh USAC Silver Crown title. [3]
The 2022 schedule featured eleven points paying races (with one special non points event and the 4-Crown Nationals night one being practice and qualifying only). Five of the points races were dirt races, while the other six races as well as the non points Thursday Night Thunder Homecoming were on paved ovals. The August 20 Tony Bettenhausen 100 was postponed to October 15th due to heavy rain on race morning, and the September 3rd Ted Horn 100 was postponed to September 5th, also due to rain.
No. | Date | Race title | Track | Winner | TV/stream |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | May 1 | Sumar Classic | Terre Haute Action Track | Justin Grant | FloRacing |
2 | May 27 | Carb Night Classic | Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | Bobby Santos III | |
3 | June 18 | Open Wheel Madness | Port Royal Speedway [4] | Logan Seavey | |
4 | June 24 | Bytec Dairyland 100 | Madison International Speedway | C.J. Leary | |
NC | June 30 | Thursday Night Thunder Homecoming | Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | Kody Swanson | |
5 | July 21 | Rich Vogler Classic presented by The Pallet Builder | Winchester Speedway | Kody Swanson | |
6 | August 6 | Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness Rollie Beale Classic 100 fueled by Marco's Pizza | Toledo Speedway | Kody Swanson | |
7 | August 19 | Gateway 100 | World Wide Technology Raceway | Kody Swanson | |
8 | September 5 | Ted Horn 100 | Du Quoin State Fairgrounds | Logan Seavey | |
9 | September 23-24 | 4 Crown Nationals | Eldora Speedway | Logan Seavey | |
10 | October 15 | Tony Bettenhausen 100 | Illinois State Fairgrounds | Shane Cockrum | |
11 | October 22 | Howard Companies Championship Saturday | Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | Tanner Swanson | |
Source: [5]
Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park is an auto racing facility in Brownsburg, Indiana, about 10 miles (16 km) northwest of downtown Indianapolis. It includes a 0.686 mi (1.104 km) oval track, a 2.500 mi (4.023 km) road course, and a 4,400-foot (1,300 m) drag strip which is among the premier drag racing venues in the world. The complex receives about 500,000 visitors annually.
The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of auto racing in the United States. From 1956 to 1979, USAC sanctioned the United States National Championship, and from 1956 to 1997 the organization sanctioned the Indianapolis 500. Today, USAC serves as the sanctioning body for a number of racing series, including the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Cars, National Midgets, Speed2 Midget Series, .25 Midget Series, Stadium Super Trucks, and Pirelli World Challenge. Seven-time USAC champion Levi Jones is USAC's Competition Director.
American open-wheel car racing, also known as Indy car racing, is a category of professional automobile racing in the United States. As of 2024, the top-level American open-wheel racing championship is sanctioned by INDYCAR. Competitive events for professional-level, open-wheel race cars have been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies, tracing its roots as far back as 1902. A season-long, points-based, National Championship of drivers has been officially recognized in 1905, 1916, and each year since 1920. As such, for many years, the category of racing was known as Championship Car racing. That name has been permanently retired, and the term Indy car racing has become the preferred moniker.
Salem Speedway is a .555-mile (0.893 km) long paved oval racetrack in Washington Township, Washington County, near Salem, Indiana, United States, approximately 100 miles (160 km) south of Indianapolis. The track has 33° degrees of banking in the corners. Major auto racing series that run at Salem are ARCA and USAC.
Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack is a one mile long clay oval motor racetrack on the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, the state capital. It is frequently nicknamed The Springfield Mile. Constructed in the late 19th century and reconstructed in 1927, the track has hosted competitive auto racing since 1910, making it one of the oldest speedways in the United States. The original mile track utilized the current frontstretch and the other side was behind the current grandstands and the straightaways were connected by tight turns. It is the oldest track to continually host national championship dirt track racing, holding its first national championship race in 1934 under the American Automobile Association banner. It is the home of five world records for automobile racing, making it one of the fastest dirt tracks in the world. Since 1993, the venue is managed by Bob Sargent's Track Enterprises.
The Dave Steele Carb Night Classic is a United States Auto Club dirt track car race held near Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, which takes place in late May before the Indianapolis 500 at the nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Over its history, the event has been held at several different short tracks in Indiana, but since 1980, it has permanently been hosted at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Indiana. The event has long been considered one of the Indianapolis 500 traditions, along with the Hoosier Hundred and Little 500, which are also held over the same weekend at different venues in Indiana. Over the course of its history, numerous Indy 500 drivers have competed in the Night Before the 500, some winning.
The 1971 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 12 races, beginning in Rafaela, Argentina on February 28 and concluding in Avondale, Arizona on October 23. The USAC National Champion was Joe Leonard and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Al Unser. For 1971 it was decided that there should be three separate points championships, for paved ovals, dirt ovals, and road courses.
The 1975 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 13 races, beginning in Ontario, California on March 2 and concluding in Avondale, Arizona on November 9. The USAC National Champion was A. J. Foyt and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Bobby Unser.
The 1976 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 13 races, beginning in Avondale, Arizona on March 14 and concluding at the same location on November 7. The USAC National Champion was Gordon Johncock and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Johnny Rutherford.
The 1978 USAC Championship Car season consisted of 18 races, beginning at Phoenix on March 18 and concluding at the same location on October 28. The USAC National Champion was Tom Sneva and the Indianapolis 500 winner was Al Unser. This was the last year before the first USAC/CART "Split". By winning the Indianapolis 500, Pocono 500, and California 500, Al Unser swept the Indy car "Triple Crown", the only driver in history to do so.
The USAC Stock Car division was the stock car racing class sanctioned by the United States Auto Club (USAC). The division raced nationally; drivers from USAC's open wheel classes like Indy cars, Silver Crown, sprints, and midgets frequently competed in races and won championships. Several NASCAR drivers raced in USAC Stock Cars at various points in their careers.
California State Fairgrounds Race Track has been the name of two dirt oval racing tracks located in Sacramento, California. The track was built in 1906 for horse racing on the site of the California Exposition. It was active for auto racing in 1907, 1912, and from 1946 until 1970. The Exposition moved to a new site north of Downtown Sacramento in 1968, and the old fairgrounds were closed and sold for development in 1970. The final day of the track was marred by tragedy when three drivers were killed in the 100-lap super-modified caged sprint car competition.
The Hoosier Hundred is a USAC Silver Crown Series race scheduled for Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park as of 2023. It is a revival of the original race held from 1953-2020 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Speedway, a one-mile dirt oval in Indianapolis, Indiana. The race was first held in 1953, and through 1970 was part of the National Championship.
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The 2014 USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Champ Car Series season was the 43rd season of the USAC Silver Crown Series. The series began with the Sumar Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track on April 6, and ended on October 11 at New York State Fairgrounds. Bobby East began the season as the defending champion, and Kody Swanson was the season champion.
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