KOKOMO, Ind. — The spotlight, the prestige, the glory, the atmosphere and the intensity hit a fevered pitch during Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Sprint Car Smackdown XIII at Kokomo Speedway Aug. 22-24.
Since Smackdown’s inaugural edition in 2012, those traits have been ingrained in the event, and this year is no exception with record payouts, numerous bonuses and a talented field of USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship drivers and cars set for three consecutive nights on the quarter-mile dirt oval.
Smackdown Winners
Past final night Smackdown winners in this weekend’s field include Kevin Thomas Jr. (2016), Justin Grant (2018, ’21, ’23) and Kyle Cummins (2022), all of whom are also past Kokomo Speedway track champions as well: Thomas Jr. (2016), Grant (2017, ’19, ’21) and Cummins (2022).
Each of the three have also won their share of Smackdown prelim night features throughout the years: Thomas Jr. (three), Cummins (two) and Justin Grant (four).
Grant is tied with Dave Darland and Tyler Courtney as the winningest final night driver in Smackdown history with three wins apiece. Grant already owns the record for most overall Smackdown wins with seven combined between prelims and the final night.
Four other drivers in this year’s Smackdown field have won a prelim or two but are still vying for their first Smackdown final night triumph: Robert Ballou (2015), Chase Stockon (2015), C.J. Leary (2016-17) and USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car point leader Logan Seavey (2019).
The Riches
Justin Grant’s take home pay for leading the final 29 laps en route to victory on the final night of Smackdown 2023 totaled $44,500. His base pay of $30,000 for winning the feature was supplemented by adding a cool $500 per each lap led throughout the course of the feature.
This Saturday’s finale will continue with Smackdown Saturday night not only being the richest USAC Sprint Car race of the year, but also the richest ever in the state of Indiana.
A pair of $6,000-to-win preliminaries set the stage on Thursday and Friday night followed by the $30 Grand finale on Saturday night. That being said, leading all 40 laps and winning on Saturday would net a driver a $50,000 payday.
Just four years ago, the final night of Smackdown paid $10,000-to-win. By 2021, it hit $15,000. In 2022, the $15,000 winner’s share was boosted even further by an extra $20,000 in lap money, which Kyle Cummins collected all for himself.
Additionally, Smackdown XIII Saturday night this year will pay $1,500 to start, which is the largest payout for start money on the USAC National Sprint Car calendar during the 2024 season.
Record Car Count
The largest car count in the history of Sprint Car Smackdown stands at 46, which was set one year ago during the opening night of the event in 2023.
Thus far, there are nearly 50 confirmed entries for the event, consisting of drivers from 11 different United States and two countries. Indiana leads the way with 18 entries, while representation in the event also hails from California (11), Ohio (4), Arizona (3), Oklahoma (3), Texas (3), Pennsylvania (2), Alabama (1), Colorado (1), Illinois (1) and Missouri (1).
International representation in the field is brought to us courtesy of Australia’s Todd Hobson from Clyde, Victoria.
Rookie Breakdown
One of the finest Smackdown rookie classes will be on hand to take in their first appearances in the event with a list of no less than 14 drivers at press time.
Among the first timers are Hunter Maddox, 2023 Bloomington Speedway champ Harley Burns, first-time USAC Sprint Car competitor Hayden Reinbold and Kale Drake.
There’s also an influx of west coast talent making their foray to Smackdown, including 2024 USAC CRA winners Cody Williams and David Gasper, plus USAC Western States Midget winner Frankie Guerrini and Saban Bibent, a winner at Lawrenceburg (Ind.) Speedway.
Todd Hobson brings representation from his native Australia while Luke Hall, Weston Gorham, Colin Grissom, Michael Daugherty and Aaron Davis all will take in their first Smackdown experience.
Trifecta
Smackdown XIII is also the kickoff for the second edition of the USAC NOS Energy Drink Hoosier Trifecta in which USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship competitors will be racing for major prizes across three marquee events in the state of Indiana in August, September and October.
The Elliott’s Custom Trailers & Carts Sprint Car Smackdown is up first followed by the $20,000-to-win Haubstadt Hustler at Tri-State Speedway on Saturday, Sept. 14. Another $20,000 winner’s share is posted for the Fall Nationals at Lawrenceburg Speedway, set to go on Saturday, Oct. 12.
Winning all three Trifecta events would net a driver a bonus of up to $30,000. The top driver finishing all three races in second place or better will receive a $20,000 payout. The top driver finishing all three races in third place or better will receive a $10,000 payout.
At the end of the three races during the USAC NOS Energy Drink Hoosier Trifecta, a driver could earn a potential $100,000 prize when all is said and done.
King Of The Hill
Smackdown preliminary events on Aug. 22-23 will be comprised of complete programs for the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship, culminating in 30-lap features each night. At the conclusion of Friday night’s program, the top eight in overall Smackdown points will be locked into Saturday night’s main event.
On the third and final night, Saturday, Aug. 24, a 40-lap feature will close out the spectacular weekend in grand fashion, which will be preceded by heat races for all drivers not locked in and will be lined up in order of each driver’s best points night.
The unique “King of the Hill” bracket-style tournament of two-car duels for locked-in drivers takes place afterward and determines the first four rows of the feature. The semi-feature will provide the final chance for drivers to lock themselves into a coveted spot for the A-Main.
Past winners of the King of the Hill include Tracy Hines (2012), Chase Stockon (2013), Brady Bacon (2014-15-20), Tyler Courtney (2016-19), Kevin Thomas Jr. (2017), Justin Grant (2018 & 2023), Tanner Thorson (2021) and C.J. Leary (2022).