Coming into the Indiana Sprint Week opener at Gas City I-69 Speedway, Logan Seavey and Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports debated putting together a new car.
Coming into the NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week opener at Gas City I-69 Speedway, Logan Seavey and Reinbold/Underwood Motorsports debated putting together a new car.
However, Seavey opted to stick with their current mount instead. Apparently, it was the right decision.
Seavey put the team on the front row alongside Chris Windom for the feature and took the lead at the drop of the green.
He swapped the lead with Windom in the early laps before “The Bear” bicycled and dropped to 10th, allowing third-place runner Kevin Thomas Jr. to take over the runner-up spot.
What ensued was an epic battle between Seavey and Thomas, resulting in numerous lead swaps before the two got together, resulting in Thomas coming to a stop and Seavey continuing on with a bent drag link, then holding off Chase Stockon for a green-white-checkered restart to take the win.
Justin Grant took third, with Kyle Cummins and Thomas Meseraull rounding out the top five. The next afternoon, 49 sprint cars towed into Kokomo Speedway for round two of Indiana Sprint Week.
After Tyler Courtney took over the point from Justin Grant on lap two, Courtney and C.J. Leary took turns trading the lead throughout the 30-lap feature, until a spin by Courtney with three laps to go gave Leary clear sailing to claim the win.
Brady Bacon followed Leary over the line, with Grant, Robert Ballou, and Chase Stockon rounding out the top five.
Leary carried the momentum into the next evening‘s event at Lawrenceburg Speedway, starting outside front row and pulling ahead of polesitter Logan Seavey at the drop of the green. Leary stayed in command out front from flag-to-flag to earn his second consecutive win.
INDIANA SPRINT WEEK CHAMPIONS
2019 – Chase Stockon
2018 – Chris Windom
2017 – Kevin Thomas Jr.
2016 – Brady Bacon
2015 – Robert Ballou
2014 – Bryan Clauson
2013 – Bryan Clauson
2012 – Levi Jones
2011 – Chris Windom
2010 – Jon Stanbrough
2009 – Levi Jones
2008 – Levi Jones
2007 – Dave Darland
2006 – Jon Stanbrough
2005 – Cory Kruseman
2004 – Levi Jones
2003 – J.J. Yeley
2002 – Cory Kruseman
2001 – Dave Darland
2000 – Jay Drake
1999 – Tony Elliott
1998 – Dave Darland
1997 – J.J. Yeley
1996 – Kevin Thomas
1995 – Kevin Thomas
1994 – Kelly Kinser
1993 – Kevin Thomas
1992 – Kevin Thomas
1991 – Bob Kinser
1990 – Chuck Amati & Gary Trammell
1989 – Chuck Amati
1988 – Randy Kinser
Chris Windom took the runner-up spot, Brady Bacon took third, Chase Stockon fourth and Carson Short crossed the line fifth.
Two nights off gave teams a chance to breathe before heading west to compete in the Dorsett Automotive Don Smith Classic at the big half-mile Terre Haute Action Track. Justin Grant led the season points heading into Terre Haute, and a feature win increased his point lead over Brady Bacon while also putting him temporarily atop the Sprint Week point board.
Chase Stockon led the night‘s feature early before Bacon took over the point. Justin Grant took advantage of a restart to take over the lead on lap 19, but Stockon grabbed the lead and seemed to be on his way to victory. However, as he entered turn three to complete the 30th lap and take the checkers, a spin by Nate McMillin brought out the caution flag.
Per USAC rules, caution periods that occur on the white flag lap will result in a two-lap, green-white-checkered finish.
The restart proved fateful for Stockon, as both Grant and Chris Windom snuck by to claim the two top spots, with Stockon relegated to third. C.J. Leary fourth, and Shane Cottle rounding out the top five.
Thursday rains cancelled the evening‘s stop at Putnamville‘s Lincoln Park Speedway. The schedule was adjusted, moving the Lincoln Park event to the next night, Friday, July 31, with Haubstadt‘s Tri-State Speedway set to take place the following evening as scheduled, and Bloomington Speedway moved to Sunday, August 2 to now serve as the Speed Week finale.
On Friday night, events got underway at Lincoln Park and qualifying, heat races, and the C-Main were completed before the B-Main was interrupted by rain with 12 laps on the board, suspending the remainder of the night‘s activities.
Rains continued hammering Indiana throughout Saturday, and once again the schedule was readjusted as racing for the night was canceled.
The heavy rains also left Bloomington Speedway with flooding and saturated grounds, with track promoters and USAC cancelling the event. As a result, teams headed to Tri-State Speedway on Sunday, August 2, to compete in what would now be the Speed Week finale.
INDIANA SPRINT
WEEK POINTS:
1 – Chase Stockon – 367
2 – Justin Grant – 345
3 – Chris Windom – 332
4 – Kyle Cummins – 326
5 – C.J. Leary – 322
6 – Brady Bacon – 322
7 – Logan Seavey – 312
8 – Shane Cottle – 298
9 – Carson Short – 286
10 – Robert Ballou – 266
Kyle Cummins, of Princeton, and Chase Stockon, of Fort Branch, both call Tri-State their home track, and both were the stories of the night.
While Cummins won the battle, taking the checkers to claim his fifth USAC feature win at the quarter-mile oval, a third-place finish by Stockon in his 310th consecutive USAC start secured the seat in the traditional Indiana Sprint Week rocking chair.
Just a month prior to Sprint Week, Stockon signed on full time to pilot the KO Motorsports/Hutson John Deere-Ravens Manufacturing-AMSOIL/Velocity/Fisher Chevy No. 5s.
While unable to score a win during the five nights of Sprint Week, he never finished outside the top five.
Cummins and Chris Windom led the field to the green for the Tri-State finale, with Windom taking the lead for the first lap. However, Cummins took over the top spot on lap two and stayed out front for the remainder of the 30-lapper.
Shane Cottle finished second, with Stockon third, and Garrett Aitken and Windom rounding out the top five.
Justin Grant finished the week 22 points behind Stockon in Sprint Week points, but left Haubstadt in the top spot in the USAC National Sprint Car Series season championship battle, leading Stockon by 77 points.
INDIANA SPRINT WEEK WINNERS:
July 24 – Gas City I-69 Speedway – Gas City, Indiana – Winner: Logan Seavey
July 25 – Kokomo Speedway – Kokomo, Indiana – Winner: C.J. Leary
July 26 – Lawrenceburg Speedway – Lawrenceburg, Indiana – Winner: C.J. Leary
July 29 – Terre Haute Action Track – Terre Haute, Indiana – Winner: Justin Grant
July 31 – Lincoln Park Speedway – Putnamville, Indianan – Winner: suspended
Aug. 2 – Tri-State Speedway – Haubstadt, Indiana – Winner: Kyle Cummins
