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USAC: Three Drivers Make History with Victories

2 April 1999

Are USAC drivers becoming more versatile? Not only do former USAC champions seem to be doing well in other sanctioning body major events recently, but last year also produced another USAC record in terms of versatility. In 1998, for the first time in three decades, three different drivers scored feature wins in all three of USAC's front-engined National racing series. Never before had more than one driver accomplished the feat in a single season!

Tony Elliott, USAC's Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car Champion, scored seven victories between the three series, while Dave Steele scored four times and Jack Hewitt three. Hewitt's victories were historically significant, all coming on the same day in the "4-Crown Nationals" at Rossburg, Ohio September 26.

Elliott won USAC's historic 200th Silver Crown race at the Terre Haute (Ind;.) Action Track and added five Sprint Car wins and a Midget Car win at Putnamville, Ind. He also won a USAC Western Sprint Car race at Las Vegas, Nev. for good measure! Steele's Memphis, Tenn. Silver Crown win was joined by a pair of Sprint Car wins at Winchester, Ind. and the "Night Before the 500" Midget Classic at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

In all, 19 different drivers started feature events in all three series and only two of those failed to score a victory!

Below is a listing of those drivers who have scored victories in Silver Crown, Sprint and Midget Car competition in a single USAC racing season:

1972 Tom Bigelow
1 Silver Crown
3 Sprint
7 Midget Car

1977 Pancho Carter
1 Silver Crown
10 Sprint
3 Midget

1978 Pancho Carter
2 Silver Crown
3 Sprint
2 Midget Car

1980 Rich Vogler
1 Silver Crown
6 Sprint
5 Midget Car

1981 Rich Vogler
2 Silver Crown
4 Sprint
6 Midget Car

1982 Ron Shuman
1 Silver Crown
1 Sprint
2 Midget Car

1983 Ken Schrader
1 Silver Crown
2 Sprint
5 Midget

1984 Rick Hood
1 Silver Crown
6 Sprint
1 Midget Car

1989 Rich Vogler
1 Silver Crown
5 Sprint
5 Midget Car

1991 Jack Hewitt
1 Silver Crown
3 Sprint
3 Midget Car

1993 Mike Bliss
2 Silver Crown
1 Sprint
1 Midget Car

1995 Kenny Irwin, Jr
1 Silver Crown
4 Sprint
1 Midget Car

1996 Kenny Irwin, Jr.
1 Silver Crown
1 Sprint
2 Midget Car

1997 Dave Darland
2 Silver Crown
1 Sprint
1 Midget Car

1998 Jack Hewitt
1 Silver Crown
1 Sprint
1 Midget Car

1998 Dave Steele
1 Silver Crown
2 Sprint
1 Midget Car

1998 Tony Elliott
1 Silver Crown
5 Sprint
1 Midget Car

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