INDIANAPOLIS — As a California kid who moved to Indiana to pursue his racing dreams, Justin Grant is all too aware of what the Hoosier Hundred means to race fans within the state.
Grant will have an opportunity to win the Hoosier Hundred when the 65th edition of the historic USAC Silver Crown Series event takes the green flag on Sunday night.
The Ione, Calif., veteran is among those trekking to the Indiana State Fairgrounds dirt mile for the Hoosier Hundred, which was originally thought to have celebrated its final running when Tyler Courtney took the checkered flag last May.
The surface of the Indy Mile race track was planned to be converted into an all-weather surface for horse racing that would have ended auto racing at the facility, but those plans were postponed due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
That eventually led to a surprise return of the Hoosier Hundred, something Grant is eager for, much like his fellow USAC Silver Crown competitors.
“It was pretty upsetting that we had lost it there, you know?” said Grant. “At that point, there’s no more chances to add your name to that list of winners, which has so much history and so many guys that have gone on to great things in racing. So being able to get it back is huge, for all the fans and for the city of Indianapolis. It’s a really big deal, I think.
“Getting the chance to add your name to the list of winners (again) is awesome and something that I think can’t be understated,” he added. “It’s probably the biggest Silver Crown race that we have.”
While fans won’t have the opportunity to attend the 104th Indianapolis 500 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, Grant noted the atmosphere of the Hoosier Hundred is traditionally similar to that of the Greatest Spectacle in Racing.
“You see what the Indianapolis 500 is for the pavement, but I feel like it’s kind of the pinnacle of Indiana dirt-track races for the summer,” noted Grant of the Hoosier Hundred. “It’s always during Indy 500 week, everybody’s in town, everybody’s out … the infield is packed full of people tailgating and hanging out, watching the races. It’s just a really cool atmosphere.
“It’s a big, fast mile track and you’re right down the road from the speedway, so it connects all the heroes that have raced on the Indy dirt and won there and then gone on to race and win at IMS (too). Just all the history involved with it, it carries that air when you’re there (at the Hoosier Hundred). It’s just really special.”
Grant has one Silver Crown victory on a mile dirt track, capturing the Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill., but consistent success in the “marathon races” of the tour’s schedule has eluded him.
His career-best finish in the Hoosier Hundred was a fourth-place effort, earned last May.
“It’s definitely a little bit of a different game,” said Grant, referring to the mile-dirt events. “We won the Bettenhausen over at Springfield a few years ago, but it’s definitely a different deal for those races. Your car has got to be really balanced.
“On a half mile or a short track, you can kind of just put the thing over your shoulder and abuse it and make it do what you want, but on the miles if you do that, it’s not going to make it on (tire) tread,” Grant explained. “You’re going to use your stuff up; you won’t have brakes, you won’t have tires. You won’t have anything left for the end. So you’ve really got to really got to have a good balance on the car, pace yourself well and not burn your stuff up.
“Of course, I’ve said all of that, but you can’t afford to ride around either,” Grant continued. “You have to carry a really good pace because it takes tire to pass cars. So you don’t want to get out front too far, but you don’t want to be too far back. It’s kind of a give and take, of pushing hard, but not too hard. It’s a really delicate balance, I’d say.”
Knowing his history and having lived in Indiana for many years, what would a Hoosier Hundred victory mean to Grant if he could pull it off Sunday night?
“It’d be incredible,” Grant said. “That’s why I moved to Indiana. I wanted to come race USAC and I wanted to see where I stacked up against the best of the best. Any list that has names like Foyt, Andretti, and all of those guys on it, that I have the opportunity to add my name to, it means a lot. Just being in a position to go after those accomplishments is something that I really never thought I would have the chance to do.
“When I moved to Indiana from California. I bought a Pontiac Sunfire and I had like 300 or 400 bucks left over. That was it … and like five days’ worth of clothes,” Grant recalled. “But I’ve had so many opportunities put in front of me and chances to capitalize on things, and just to be in those conversations and be in a position to go after accomplishments like the Hoosier Hundred is amazing for me. When the wins do happen, it makes it feel like everything I’ve been through is all worth it.
“Hopefully, we can add our name to the list of Hoosier Hundred winners, and I can show my kids and they can show their kids, ‘Hey, there’s dad or there’s grandpa on the T-shirt with his heroes.’”
Tickets for Sunday’s Hoosier Hundred are available from usactickets.com. For more information, log on to www.trackenterprises.com.