USAC MIDGET 4-CROWN RACE PREVIEW
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Rossburg, Ohio (September 23, 2019)………Tyler Courtney has been a dominant force at Eldora Speedway over the past two years entering Saturday’s USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget portion of the 38th running of the 4-Crown Nationals presented by NKT.TV.
Since the Silver Crown race in September of 2017, Courtney has won five of the eight USAC National events held at the famed Rossburg, Ohio half-mile, including two-for-two in a sprint car this year and three of the four 4-Crown races in three different classes he’s run in since that point.
Courtney (Indianapolis, Ind.) won the Silver Crown night cap in 2017, then was victorious in the midget and sprint portions of the 2018 running of the event. The current USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget point leader was particularly dominant in the midget in 2018, sweeping the evening’s card by collecting fast time, a heat win and leading the final 16 laps of the night’s 25-lap feature to score the victory.
Rico Abreu returns to the seat of a USAC Midget for the 4-Crown where he’s a two-time winner with the series, in 2013 and 2016. The 2014 USAC National Midget titlist from St. Helena, Calif. heads a six-driver Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian lineup along with defending series champ Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) who charged from 13th to a 3rd place finish in his Eldora Midget debut a year ago. Sweet Springs, Mo. winner Tanner Carrick (Lincoln, Calif.) was 5th at Eldora last year while Tucker Klaasmeyer (Paola, Kans.) won his heat race last year and took 7th in the feature. Meanwhile, KKM teammates Jesse Colwell (Red Bluff, Calif.) and Holley Hollan (Broken Arrow, Okla.) will make their first appearances at Eldora.
No driver has won more USAC National Midget feature events at Eldora than has Dave Darland, who’s tied with Rich Vogler at five apiece. A pair of those five midget wins have come during the 4-Crown Nationals, in 1999 and 2004. He will drive the Petry Motorsports No. 15 as a teammate to Jerry Coons, Jr., the two-time USAC National Midget champ who possesses a 4-Crown midget win at Eldora in 2010. Coons (Tucson, Ariz.) has also won three times at Eldora in USAC Sprint Car and holds the one-lap track record in a USAC sprinter at The Big E, set in 2006.
Kevin Thomas, Jr. is tops among all Petry drivers in series points in 5th and has scored a victory with the series this year, a spectacular last lap, last corner victory at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway in April. The Cullman, Ala. driver was 4th last year in the midget portion of the 4-Crown.
Justin Grant will be pulling triple-duty in the three USAC classes at the 4-Crown, including in the RAMS Racing No. 4A midget. He finished 2nd last year after leading the opening nine laps of the midget feature. He’s already been in victory lane once with the midget this year in USAC competition, in June at Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway.
Chris Windom, second in the USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship standings, is three times a 4-Crown winner, twice in a Silver Crown car in 2013 and 2016 and in a sprint car in 2013, but not yet in a midget. The four-time overall Eldora USAC winner (2 Silver Crown, 2 Sprint) from Canton, Ill. earned his first two career wins in a USAC Midget this year, at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway and Pennsylvania’s Grandview Speedway.
Fresh off his BC39 victory, and one of the hottest drivers in the series of late as a winner of three of the last five, Zeb Wise (Angola, Ind.) won his heat a year ago at Eldora and is joined by Clauson Marshall Racing teammate and leading series Rookie Andrew Layser (Collegeville, Pa.) who will make his second 4-Crown appearance.
Chad Boat (Phoenix, Ariz.) was a recent series winner during Pennsylvania Midget Week at Path Valley Raceway Park. He’s had success at Eldora, leading a lap and finishing 4th in 2016 as his best. Jason McDougal (Broken Arrow, Okla.) was 9th last year in his first midget visit to the high banks of Eldora.
The 4-Crown Nationals kicks off with Silver Crown practice and qualifying on Friday night, September 27, along with a complete show for the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars. Pits open at 1:30pm Eastern, front gates at 2pm, drivers meeting at 5:30pm and cars on track at 6pm. General admission tickets are $29 for ages 13 & up and free for ages 12 & under. Reserved tickets are $34 for ages 13 & up and $9 for ages 12 & under.
The following day, on Saturday, September 28, the Silver Crown teams will again have a practice session the following day, leading into their 50-lap finale as part of the event which will feature complete events for the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets, USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars and the Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions.
pits open at 11am Eastern, spectator gates open at noon, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 6pm. General admission tickets are $34 for ages 13 & up and free for ages 12 & under. Reserved tickets are $39 for ages 13 & up and $9 for ages 12 & under.
The USAC portion of the 4-Crown can be watched LIVE and on-demand on FloRacing, listened to via live audio on the USAC app as well as live timing and scoring on both the USAC app and the Race-Monitor app.
NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Tyler Courtney-1,517, 2-Chris Windom-1,403, 3-Logan Seavey-1,350, 4-Zeb Wise-1,286, 5-Kevin Thomas, Jr.-1,284, 6-Chad Boat-1,208, 7-Jerry Coons, Jr.-1,147, 8-Tanner Carrick-1,129, 9-Jason McDougal-1,069, 10-Tucker Klaasmeyer-1,034.
2018 4-CROWN NATIONALS USAC MIDGET FEATURE RESULTS:
1. Tyler Courtney (6), 2. Justin Grant (2), 3. Logan Seavey (13), 4. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (8), 5. Tanner Carrick (12), 6. Holly Shelton (1), 7. Tucker Klaasmeyer (15), 8. Ryan Robinson (11), 9. Jason McDougal (14), 10. Brady Bacon (4), 11. Hank Davis (19), 12. Sam Johnson (16), 13. Chad Boat (3), 14. Zane Hendricks (9), 15. Chase Jones (20), 16. Alex Bright (18), 17. Andrew Layser (21), 18. Jerry Coons, Jr. (10), 19. Chris Windom (17), 20. Spencer Bayston (7), 21. Zeb Wise (5). NT
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET FEATURE WINS AT ELDORA SPEEDWAY:
1. (5) Dave Darland & Rich Vogler
3. (3) J.J. Yeley, Jack Hewitt & Jay Drake
6. (2) Johnny Parsons, Ken Schrader, Kyle Larson, Rico Abreu & Tracy Hines
11. (1) Bob Wente, Bobby East, Bobby Marshman, Brad Sweet, Bryan Clauson, Bubby Jones, Christopher Bell, Dana Carter, Danny Stratton, Jeff Gordon, Jerry Coons, Jr., Joe Saldana, Kasey Kahne, Mel Kenyon, Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Robby Flock, Spencer Bayston, Stan Fox, Steve Knepper, Tony Stewart & Tyler Courtney
4-CROWN USAC NATIONAL MIDGET FEATURE WINNERS:
1981: Ken Schrader (10/11)
1982: Rich Vogler (10/3)
1983: Johnny Parsons (9/25)
1985: Rich Vogler (10/6)
1986: Rich Vogler (9/28)
1987: Jack Hewitt (9/27)
1988: Rich Vogler (9/25)
1989: Robby Flock (9/24)
1990: Stan Fox (9/30)
1991: Jeff Gordon (9/22)
1992: Johnny Parsons (10/4)
1993: Jack Hewitt (10/3)
1994: Steve Knepper (9/25)
1995: Tony Stewart (9/23)
1996: Tracy Hines (9/28)
1997: Jay Drake (9/20)
1998: Jack Hewitt (9/26)
1999: Dave Darland (9/25)
2000: Kasey Kahne (9/30)
2001: J.J. Yeley (9/22)
2002: Jay Drake (9/21)
2004: Dave Darland (9/25)
2005: Danny Stratton (9/24)
2006: Tracy Hines (9/23)
2007: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (9/22)
2008: J.J. Yeley (9/20)
2009: Brad Sweet (9/26)
2010: Jerry Coons, Jr. (9/25)
2011: Kyle Larson (9/24)
2012: Kyle Larson (9/22)
2013: Rico Abreu (9/21)
2014: Bryan Clauson (9/21)
2015: Christopher Bell (9/26)
2016: Rico Abreu (9/24)
2017: Spencer Bayston (9/23)
2018: Tyler Courtney (9/22)
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET FEATURE WINNERS AT ELDORA SPEEDWAY:
1964: Bob Wente (6/13) & Bobby Marshman (8/29)
1969: Mel Kenyon (8/24)
1976: Dana Carter (6/20)
1977: Bubby Jones (6/19)
1979: Rich Vogler (4/29) & Joe Saldana (8/25)
1981: Ken Schrader (10/11)
1982: Rich Vogler (10/3)
1983: Ken Schrader (6/4) & Johnny Parsons (9/25)
1985: Rich Vogler (10/6)
1986: Rich Vogler (9/28)
1987: Jack Hewitt (9/27)
1988: Rich Vogler (9/25)
1989: Robby Flock (9/24)
1990: Stan Fox (9/30)
1991: Jeff Gordon (9/22)
1992: Johnny Parsons (10/4)
1993: Jack Hewitt (10/3)
1994: Steve Knepper (9/25)
1995: Tony Stewart (9/23)
1996: Tracy Hines (9/28)
1997: Jay Drake (9/20)
1998: Jack Hewitt (9/26)
1999: Dave Darland (9/25)
2000: Kasey Kahne (9/30)
2001: Jay Drake (6/22), Dave Darland (6/23) & J.J. Yeley (9/22)
2002: J.J. Yeley (6/22) & Jay Drake (9/21)
2003: Dave Darland (6/21)
2004: Bobby East (6/19) & Dave Darland (9/25)
2005: Dave Darland (6/18) & Danny Stratton (9/24)
2006: Tracy Hines (9/23)
2007: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (9/22)
2008: J.J. Yeley (9/20)
2009: Brad Sweet (9/26)
2010: Jerry Coons, Jr. (9/25)
2011: Kyle Larson (9/24)
2012: Kyle Larson (9/22)
2013: Rico Abreu (9/21)
2014: Bryan Clauson (9/21)
2015: Christopher Bell (9/26)
2016: Rico Abreu (9/24)
2017: Spencer Bayston (9/23)
2018: Tyler Courtney (9/22)