Kody Swanson’s eighth USAC Silver Crown Series championship was one for the ages.
Swanson wrapped up the title with a victory (his fifth of the season) in the season finale at Lucas Oil Raceway Park.
Driving the Doran Binks Racing No. 77, Swanson set a record in terms of total championships earned by any one driver in a USAC national series. He had previously been tied with A.J. Foyt’s seven Indy Car crowns under the USAC banner as well as Mel Kenyon’s seven USAC National Midget championships.
The 14 USAC Silver Crown events held in 2024 were the most since the 2006 season, and the second most all-time behind only the 1999 schedule which contested 15 races. For Swanson, it was a grueling task to master, but seemingly no matter how short or long the season is, Swanson is always there at the end with this being his 11th consecutive top-two finish in the series standings.
“This was a 14-race Silver Crown schedule and this was the first time we’ve completed that many races in my career,” Swanson noted. “It was a grueling year, and there were a lot of really strong contenders. I think of C.J. (Leary) having four podiums in a row at the beginning before trouble befell him, and Logan (Seavey) and Justin (Grant) doing the same. Each of those guys had great runs and were a part of the title fight.
“We had some unfortunate things on our end too, but it seemed like we were never out of it. I’m so thankful that certain things fell our way, and on other ones, we were able to overcome and just keep digging. With three races to go, running heads up and being in a really close title fight, coming out second on the two dirt miles was great except for Justin sweeping them both.”
Outside of Swanson, the 2024 season will be remembered for the emergence of five first-time USAC Silver Crown winners, the most in a single year with the series since 2010.
Unquestionably, one of the most major of all milestones occurred in mid-May at the Belleville High Banks in Kansas when Kaylee Bryson became the first woman to win a USAC nationally sanctioned event in the 69-year history of the organization.
Daison Pursley, Dakoda Armstrong, Kevin Thomas Jr. and Mitchel Moles also earned their first-career Silver Crown triumphs.
Justin Grant won both races on the dirt miles and finished 21 points behind Swanson in second spot.
Seavey, who won the title in 2023, won once and finished third in the standings.
C.J. Leary and Kyle Steffens completed the top five.
Trey Osborne was named Rookie of the Year.
The Points
Kody Swanson 858
Justin Grant 837
Logan Seavey 788
C.J. Leary 690
Kyle Steffens 528
Trey Osborne 468
Kaylee Bryson 454
Gregg Cory 452
Bobby Santos 433
Nathan Moore 396
Winners
Kody Swanson 5
Justin Grant 2
Dakoda Armstrong 2
Kaylee Bryson 1
Daison Pursley 1
Kevin Thomas Jr. 1
Mitchel Moles 1
Logan Seavey 1