SALEM, Ind. — For the first time in five seasons, USAC Silver Crown racing returns to the high banks of southern Indiana’s Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery this Saturday, August 9.
The seventh appearance of the series at the .555-mile paved oval dating back to 1988 presents the first 100-lap USAC event at the track in 57 years.
The field will be gunning for a $10,000 prize at one of America’s most storied racetracks with USAC’s origins at the speedway dating back to 1956.
SIX STRAIGHT?
The conversation of Saturday’s race begins with Kody Swanson who is a perfect 5-for-5 in USAC Silver Crown competition at Salem Speedway with successive victories in 2016-2017-2018-2019-2020.
In those five races, the Kingsburg, California, driver has won the pole position in each and every one of his appearances. He even added an ARCA CRA Super Late Model race win at Salem back in 2021.
His five-straight Salem wins are the second most consecutive by a driver at a track in Silver Crown history. The leader in that particular category is, you guessed it, Kody Swanson who won six straight at Toledo Speedway, but had his streak snapped back in April of this year.
Will the trend of Salem wins continue for Swanson, or will another driver meet the challenge?
KICKING ASPHALT
C.J. Leary enters Saturday’s event as the most recent USAC Silver Crown winner, overall and on pavement.
The Greenfield, Indiana, native scored a superb victory on July 23 at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, leading the final 51 laps to earn his first series victory since 2022, which also came on pavement.
Leary now ranks just 68 points behind Justin Grant in the series standings as Leary pursues his first career series title. Saturday will mark Leary’s first visit to compete at Salem.
GRANT RETURNS
Speaking of Justin Grant, it’s been a tumultuous time for the 2020 USAC Silver Crown champion of late.
During a USAC Indiana Sprint Week event on July 27 at Lawrenceburg Speedway, Grant flipped during the feature, and as a result, suffered a broken left foot.
Although he showed up two nights later at Kokomo in order to gain points, he opted to sit out the remaining four events to rest and heal.
Salem will essentially be his first race back in the cockpit, just 13 days after the incident. But with a 68-point lead he intends to sustain in the hunt for the USAC Silver Crown championship, Grant is preparing to take on the long distance 100-lap challenge on a demanding race track.
SALEM STAR
Salem Speedway has been special to Taylor Ferns in recent times. Back in late 2024, she raced to a 500 Sprint Car Tour victory on the high banks, fending off Kody Swanson in the process to get the job done.
She’s yet to make a USAC Silver Crown start in her career at Salem, so this Saturday will present a new challenge for the Shelby Township, Michigan, racer.
Her best finish of the season came on the similarly shaped Winchester Speedway in June where she finished sixth. Furthermore, she equaled her career best Silver Crown finish with a 3rd at Winchester in 2022. On Saturday, she’ll vie for her first Silver Crown victory.
STRONG ARM
Dakoda Armstrong possesses winning experience in his career at Salem. Back in 2010, he captured an ARCA Stock Car win at the track. That particular race was 200 laps, 88 of which Armstrong led that day.
The New Castle, Indiana, native ran a sprint car at Salem with the 500 Sprint Car Tour in September 2024, finishing seventh.
He’s finished on the podium in three of his four Silver Crowns starts this year but is aiming to return to winner’s circle for the first time in 2025 this weekend after scoring a pair of victories with the series in 2024.
57 YEARS LATER
The last 100-lap USAC event to take place at Salem Speedway was a sprint car event held 57 years ago on October 13, 1968.
National Sprint Car and USAC Hall of Famer Rollie Beale took the lead on the first lap and led the entire distance in Ray and Cissy Smith’s sprinter, completing his run in a then record 32 minutes and 30.25 seconds. Greg Weld finished second with Cy Fairchild taking third.
Six previous USAC Silver Crown races have taken place at Salem, but none have exceeded more than 75 laps. The initial 1988 race was 50 laps in length while each subsequent event between 2016-2020 was a 75-lap distance.
