BILLY SHUMAN, 4-TIME USAC NATIONAL FEATURE WINNER, PASSES AWAY
Speedway, Indiana (January 3, 2019)………Billy Shuman, a four-time USAC National feature winner in Midgets and Sprint Cars, has passed away. He was 70 years old.
The Tempe, Arizona native won each of his four USAC races in a two-month span during the summer of 1973. He picked up the first of his three USAC National Midget victories that year at Henry’s Speedway (now Daugherty Speedway) in Boswell, Ind. aboard George Gamester’s No. 46.
Just weeks later, he earned his lone career USAC National Sprint Car victory on the one-mile Indiana State Fairgrounds dirt oval, a 50-lapper driving for USAC Hall of Fame car owner Willie Davis.
Subsequent midget victories came in the following weeks at Charleston Speedway in Illinois for Gamester and at Idaho’s Meridian Speedway wheeling the No. 134 for Richard Polnau.
Shuman finished fifth in the USAC National Midget standings for 1973 and 31st in the Sprint Car points. He also made four career Silver Crown starts, running all three of the one-mile dirt ovals of Springfield, Du Quoin and the Indiana State Fairgrounds for the Mataka Brothers in 1973 before returning 12 years later in 1985 for his final USAC National start, at Springfield, for the West Refrigerated Truck Line team. Billy was also a two-time winner in CRA Sprint Car competition.
Billy is the brother of National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Ron Shuman and uncle to Casey Shuman. USAC sends its condolences to the Billy Shuman’s family and friends.