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Tracks: Indiana Five Crown series pairs Midgets and Sprint cars

17 August 1999

BLOOMINGTON, IN - Bloomington Speedway approaches the end of the 1999 racing season with a renovation of one of the track's most popular events. The Indiana Five Crown series pairs the NAMARS midgets with open competition sprint cars at five Indiana ovals during the week. This is a continuing evolution of one of Bloomington Speedway's most popular events.

The whole thing began on October 2, 1994 with the first "Racin' With DO & the King Racin' Fest", which paid Frankie Kerr $10,000 for a win over Dave Darland and Jack Hewitt. The program that Sunday afternoon featured sprint cars, modifieds and street stocks. For '95, Bloomington added the NAMARS midgets to the Racin' Fest menu, matched with the sprinters. The event grew in the succeeding years to include other tracks, and spawned copycat events. But for 1999, the sprint car and midget doubleheaders have been consolidated into a week of thrilling racing action.

The Five Crown format again pairs an open competition sprint car program and the NAMARS series cars, and both features will pay $2,000-to-win. There will be a number of hot shoes racing doing double-duty in both midgets and sprint cars, and if any of them can win both features in a night, he'll pick up an additional $1,000 bonus. And if a driver can win all five midget or all five sprint car features, he'll score a big $20,000 bonus.

The Five Crown excitement begins at North Vernon Speedway on Tuesday, August 17. The racing picks up again at Gas City Speedway on Thursday, August 19. Bloomington will host the action on Friday, August 20. The Five Crown concludes with events at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville on Saturday, and Kokomo on Sunday.

The general admission gates at Bloomington will open at 5:30, with hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7:45. There will not be qualifications for either class. General admission is only $15, with youths 12 and under admitted free with an adult. The pit gate opens at 4:30 and pit admission is $25.

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot photos and racing art, please visit The Racing Image Galleries and The Visions of Speed Art Gallery

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