THIS DATE IN USAC HISTORY: MAY 11

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Speedway, Indiana (May 11, 2020)………Bob Wente, the 1963 USAC National Midget champ who owns the third-most USAC National Midget victories of any driver at 78, stands above the rest on May 11 as a multi-time winner on the date with 11 years separating the two victories.

Wente, the Missourian, was victorious on the date first in 1968 at Ohio’s New Bremen Speedway then was back in victory lane again on May 11 of 1979 at Indiana’s Anderson Speedway.

Midgets ruled the roost for most of the earlier May 11 races in USAC’s history.  George Amick, he of 16 career series wins, captured a victory at New Bremen in 1958, while west coaster Sleepy Tripp knocked out a win at Ohio’s Columbus Motor Speedway during the first of his two championship seasons in 1975.

Two-time USAC National Midget champ (1982 & 87) Kevin Olson picked up a Midget win at Santa Fe Speedway in Hinsdale, Ill.

The first USAC Sprint race held on the date of May 11 came in 1985 during the USAC vs. CRA Challenge at Lawton Speedway in Oklahoma with CRA’s Mike Sweeney tallying his only career series win.

The Midgets and Sprints were separated on the night of May 11, 1991, but still resided within the confines of the Hoosier state while being won by drivers from bordering states.  Steve Knepper of Illinois was the king of Lawrenceburg Speedway in southeastern Indiana while Ohio's Gene Lee Gibson scored his fifth and final USAC Sprint win at central Indiana’s Indianapolis Raceway Park.

Kenneth Nichols was triumphant twice in early 1996 at IRP with the Midgets with the first coming on May 11, serving as a warmup to his Night Before the 500 win just a couple weeks later at the same place.  Andy Michner, meanwhile, kept the ball rolling by winning his second career USAC Sprint race at IRP that same night just weeks after winning his first at Phoenix.

Jon Stanbrough snagged the Tony Hulman Classic at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on May 11, 2002, while Kevin Thomas Jr. ran his USAC Sprint Car winning streak to three with a win on May 11, 2013 after winning at Lawrenceburg and Gas City during the previous weeks.

In 2018, Brady Bacon returned to his own Brady Bacon Racing No. 99 to USAC Sprint Car victory lane for the first time in seven years (2011) by winning the first night of #LetsRaceTwo at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

MAY 11 USAC NATIONAL WINS: (Through 2019)

(2) Bob Wente

(1) George Amick, Brady Bacon, Gene Lee Gibson, Steve Knepper, Andy Michner, Kenneth Nichols, Kevin Olson, Jon Stanbrough, Mike Sweeney, Kevin Thomas Jr.,

MAY 11 USAC NATIONAL WINNERS: (Through 2019)

1958: George Amick, USAC Midget at New Bremen Speedway, New Bremen, Ohio

1968: Bob Wente, USAC Midget at New Bremen Speedway, New Bremen, Ohio

1975: Sleepy Tripp, USAC Midget at Columbus Motor Speedway, Columbus, Ohio

1979: Bob Wente, USAC Midget at Anderson Speedway, Anderson, Ind.

1984: Kevin Olson, USAC Midget at Santa Fe Speedway, Hinsdale, Ill.

1985: Mike Sweeney, USAC Sprint at Lawton Speedway, Lawton, Okla.

1991: Steve Knepper, USAC Midget at Lawrenceburg Speedway, Lawrenceburg, Ind.

1991: Gene Lee Gibson, USAC Sprint at Indianapolis Raceway Park in Clermont, Ind.

1996: Kenneth Nichols, USAC Midget at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Clermont, Ind.

1996: Andy Michner, USAC Sprint at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Clermont, Ind.

2002: Jon Stanbrough, USAC Sprint at the Terre Haute Action Track, Terre Haute, Ind.

2013: Kevin Thomas Jr., USAC Sprint at Tri-State Speedway, Haubstadt, Ind.

2018: Brady Bacon, USAC Sprint at Eldora Speedway, Rossburg, Ohio