Terre Haute Action Track

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Terre Haute Action Track
TerreHauteActionTrackTurn.jpg
Turns 1 and 2 at the Action Track at the 2008 Hulman Classic
Location Honey Creek Township, Vigo County, near Terre Haute, Indiana, United States
Coordinates 39.4203, -87.4209
OwnerVigo County Fair Assoc
OperatorTrack Enterprises/Bob Sargent
Broke ground1949
Opened1952
Closed1988-1989, 2007
Former namesThe Action Track
Major events USAC National Midget Series: Hut Hundred (until 2009)
USAC National Sprint Car Championship: Tony Hulman Classic, Don Smith Classic
USAC Silver Crown Series: Sumar Classic
Surface Dirt
Length0.5 miles (0.8 km)
Turns4

Terre Haute Action Track (also The Action Track) is a half-mile dirt racetrack located at the Vigo County, Indiana, fairgrounds on U.S. Route 41 along the south side of Terre Haute, Indiana. The track hosts annual United States Automobile Club (USAC) midget car, sprint car and Silver Crown events. Notable drivers that have competed at the track include A. J. Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Parnelli Jones, and Tony Stewart. [1] The track has held events sanctioned by USAC, its predecessor American Automobile Association (AAA), and the World of Outlaws. [2]

Contents

History

The track opened on June 15, 1952. [3] It closed for a short period beginning in 1987 and reopened in 1990. [3] It closed again in May 2007 for the rest of the season after it lost its race card because it broke a local curfew. [4] The promoter had to stop the event early. [2] As of the start of the 2008 season, Rich Vogler's 13 feature wins is the most in track history. [5]

Promoters

The track was promoted by Don Smith in the 1960s. [4] By 2008, the track had been run by a series of promoters and attendance dwindled. [2] Most sanctioning bodies holding events at the track dropped it from their schedule and only a few events were held in recent years. [2] The track lost its United States Automobile Club (USAC) events in mid-2007. [4] In 2008, the DHK Promotions LLC group took over running the track. [4] DHK Promotions was named for its founders: then-retired Major League Baseball player Brian Dorsett, then-active (later retired) Indy Racing League driver Davey Hamilton and then-active (later retired) Indianapolis 500 radio announcer Mike King. [4]

In 2009 DHK Promotions added a new partner, changed its name to Action Promotions LLC and announced a schedule of six special events that took place at the historic half-mile clay oval starting Saturday, May 2. [ citation needed ]

Chris Novotney, a Wabash Valley native who grew up attending sprint car races at the famed track, spent 2008 overseeing the reconstruction of the track surface and the installation of a new track drainage system. Novotney joins Brian Dorsett, Davey Hamilton and Mike King in the group that is now known as Action Promotions, LLC.[ citation needed ]

Since 2012, the track is operated by Terre Haute Motorsports, a partnership between Bob Sargent and Reece O'Connor.[ citation needed ]

As of 2018, the track was still under the operation of Track Enterprises and company owner Bob Sargent. Adam Mackey, who is a co-promoter at the facility, announced a more extensive schedule for the 2018 season which features 10 events, significantly more than in recent years.[ citation needed ]

In 2023. Bill Rose of BR Promotions became the next Promoter to help keep the facility alive; otherwise no promoter would have been in charge for the 2023 race season.

Media

Track events are no longer broadcast as Crossroads Communications is no longer affiliated with the Track.[ citation needed ] In 2009 WTHI Hi-99 became the official track station, though the races were not broadcast.[ citation needed ]

Hut Hundred

The track held the major midget car racing event since 1954. [6] Event winners include AJ Foyt, Tony Bettenhausen, Don Branson, Tony Stewart, and 1990 winner Jeff Gordon. [6] Rich Vogler won the event eight times, including six in the seven years between 1983 and 1989. [6] Al Herman won the first event in 1954. [6] In 2009 the event was not held and in 2010, it moved to the Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Indiana. The Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis, Indiana hosted the race in 1987. The 1989 race was held at the Lawrenceburg Speedway. In 1988, 2000 and 2001, the Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, Indiana hosted the race.

Winners

Results References: [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12]

Hulman Classic

One of USAC non-wing sprint car racing's biggest races had its inaugural running at the Terre Haute Action Track in 1971. Named the Hulman Classic in honor of Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman (who was still alive at the time), the race falls during the week of the Indianapolis 500. In its inaugural year, the race paid a total purse of $28,538 ($214,700 today) and was televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports, becoming the first televised sprint car race in history. [13] In its early years, it was not uncommon for drivers to race both the Hulman Classic and the Indianapolis 500 in the same week. [14] As of May 2017, the Hulman Classic was USAC's longest annually-contested event, and had been held at the Terre Haute Action Track every year except for a brief interruption from 1988 to 1991, when the event was held at Indianapolis Raceway Park. [15]

Winners
YearDriverCar #Team
1971 George Snider 29Louis Seymour
1972Bruce Walkup29
1973 Joe Saldana 25
1974 Gary Bettenhausen 24
1975 Pancho Carter 4
1976 Jan Opperman 64Bill Smith
1977 Jim McElreath 8
1978 Dick Tobias 17
1979Pancho Carter44
1980Eddie Leavitt7
1981 Sheldon Kinser 6Ben Leyba
1982Chet Johnson
1983 Jack Hewitt 51
1984Rick Hood
1985 Ron Shuman
1986 Rich Vogler
1987 Steve Butler 1
1988Steve Butler
1989Rich Vogler69Hoffman
1990Jeff Bloom
1991 Eric Gordon
1992Cary Faas
1993 Dave Darland
1994Cary FaasSteve Chrisman
1995Jack Hewitt63Bob Hampshire
1996 Doug Kalitta
1997 J. J. Yeley
1998Cary Faas
1999Terry Pletch
2000 Jay Drake
2001 Tracy Hines
2002Jon Stanbrough57HPaul Hazen
2003J. J. Yeley
2004 Cory Kruseman 21 Tony Stewart
2005 Levi Jones 2BScott Benic
2006Daron Clayton92Clayton
2007Jon Stanbrough53Fox
2008Levi Jones20Tony Stewart
2009Levi Jones20Tony Stewart
2010 Jerry Coons Jr. 69Hoffman
2011 Chris Windom 5xBaldwin
2012Bud Kaeding29kBK
2013 Jerry Coons Jr. 10EMonte Edison
2014Dave Darland71pSteve Phillips
2015Robert Ballou12Ballou
2016Robert Ballou1Ballou
2017Kevin Thomas Jr.9KKT Motorsports
2018Tyler Courtney
2019Chase Stockon32
2020Chris Windom19
2021Chris Windom
2022Robert Ballou
2023Brady Bacon69Hoffman

Sumar Classic

The USAC Silver Crown Series first visited Terre Haute in 1980. The series returned in 1995, with the race named Sumar Classic 100, after the local-based 1950s USAC racing team Sumar Racing. Trademark Sumar Classic Owned by BR Promotions.

Winners

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References

  1. ↑ Taylor, Dave (2008-04-09). "Action Track sponsorship means opportunities for motorsports students". Indiana State University . Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  2. 1 2 3 4 O'Leary, Mike. "New Group Is Breathing Life Back Into Terre Haute". National Speed Sport News . Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  3. 1 2 "Terre Haute Action Track". NA-Motorsports.com. 2007-05-04. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Pearson, Craig (2008-03-01). "Promoters rev up Action Track schedule". Tribune-Star. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  5. ↑ "The History of the Terre Haute Action Track". Official website. Archived from the original on 2008-06-16. Retrieved 2008-06-21.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Terre Haute Hut Hundred preview". Motorsports.com. 2006-09-04. Archived from the original on 2006-12-27. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
  7. ↑ "Browse by track: Terre Haute Action Track". UltimateRacingHistory.com. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  8. ↑ "Terre Haute: Hut Hundred results". motorsport.com. 2003-09-26. Archived from the original on 2006-12-27. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  9. ↑ "USAC: MCI WorldCom National Midget Car Series Race Results, Hut Hundred". The Auto Channel . 1999-09-03. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  10. ↑ Boyer, Marty (2006-09-08). "54th Clabber Girl "Hut Hundred"". MidgetMadness.com. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  11. ↑ "Terre Haute USAC Results". SpringSpeedway.com. 2006-09-10. Archived from the original on 2008-12-05.
  12. ↑ True Speed: My Racing Life by Tony Stewart, Bones Bourcier, Mark Bourcier; Publisher: New York : HarperEntertainment, ©2003.; ISBN   0-06-103166-6, ISBN   978-0-06-103166-3; Retrieved July 22, 2008
  13. ↑ Ealy, Kyle (2010-05-28). "The Tony Hulman Classic; The first 10 years". Midwest Racing Archives. Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  14. ↑ Hughes, David (2016-05-29). "'500' drivers often raced at T.H. Action Track". Tribune-Star . Retrieved 2020-03-03.
  15. ↑ Murray, Richie (2017-05-22). "Ballou Goes For Unprecedented 3-in-a-Row Wednesday in 47th Hulman Classic". USAC Media . Retrieved 2020-03-03.

39°25′13″N87°25′15″W / 39.420315°N 87.420884°W / 39.420315; -87.420884

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