Series News Release - USAC Media
Rossburg, Ohio (May 2, 2024) - There are few things in life that stir up the senses like Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway.
From the pure adrenaline rush of witnessing a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car on the hammer at speed up against the outside wall to the history of the place that was carved out of a western Ohio field some seven decades ago, there is simply nothing else like it.
And when you get the chance to double up that feeling across one weekend, you don’t hesitate to make this stop priority number one.
$10,000 are on the line each night for the victor of the Friday-Saturday, May 3-4, #LetsRaceTwo USAC events featuring a one-of-a-kind two-night doubleheader alongside the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars.
Here’s some of the storylines we’re watching at The Big E!
SEAVEY WATCH CONTINUES
As has seemingly become a tradition on the list of the weekly storylines is the thought of keeping an eye on Logan Seavey.
When it comes to Eldora, in each of the last three features he’s started there, he’s won all of them.  Last September, he swept the USAC portion of the 4-Crown Nationals with successive victories in the Silver Crown, Sprint and Midget divisions all within a single night.
Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) and Abacus Racing ran their streak to seven consecutive top-three podium finishes with the USAC National Sprint Cars in 2024, which is already an all-time record to start a season.  Something’s got to give this weekend as Seavey’s #LetsRaceTwo record to date stands at three starts and finishes of 10th, 18th and 17th dating back to 2021.
Seavey and 2006 Eldora USAC Sprint Car winner Matt Westfall (Pleasant Hill, Ohio) are the lone drivers in this weekend’s field to own previous series wins at Eldora, but none so far during #LetsRaceTwo.
No other driver has won more #LetsRaceTwo contests than Robert Ballou or Justin Grant who each have scored three apiece over the years. Furthermore, these two drivers possess more USAC National Sprint Car wins at Eldora than any other driver in this weekend’s field with Ballou at six and Grant at five.
In fact, during the first year of the event nearly a decade ago, the two traded victories with Ballou mastering night one while Grant slipped by C.J. Leary in turn one for a masterful last lap victory. Ballou (Rocklin, Calif.) can count #LetsRaceTwo triumphs in 2015-17-21 while Grant (Ione, Calif.) collected his paydays in 2015-17-23.
On the season, two-time series champion Grant (Ione, Calif.) already owns three feature wins but is coming in off results of 20th and 22nd in his last two starts. Ballou (Rocklin, Calif.), the 2015 series champion, has raced to a pair of top-fives this season but is more than eager to work his way back toward the top following a five-race stretch of finishes outside the top-10.
ANOTHER ONE ON THE BOARD FOR C.J. & BRADY
Overall, four drivers come into this weekend’s fray at Eldora as the owners of past #LetsRaceTwo feature wins. The aforementioned duo of Ballou and Grant have had their share, but Brady Bacon (2018) and C.J. Leary (2023) have also experienced personal elation in the event as well.
Back in 2018, Bacon had his work cut out for him, charging from his eighth starting spot by first tickling the twines of the bottom groove before hitting the high line, then shuffled into the top spot to earn what remains his most recent USAC Sprint victory at Eldora.
Leary (Greenfield, Ind.), meanwhile, had long yearned to crack the code of what it would take to capture a win during #LetsRaceTwo. Not once, not twice, not thrice, but on four occasions, he’d finished as the runner-up in the event, doing so in 2015, again in 2016, and on both nights in 2019. But in 2023, he uncovered the combination to unlock a long desired, yet elusive piece on his resume.
After a harsh start to 2024, Bacon, the four-time USAC Sprint champ, has recovered to with a pair of runner-up finishes in his last four starts to climb back to seventh in points. Leary, the 2019 USAC titlist, has been solid, finishing all seven of his series starts inside the top-10 to reside second in points.
THE UNTAMED LAND
As impressive as the winners list of #LetsRaceTwo is, the rundown of drivers still searching for their first USAC National Sprint Car win at Eldora is almost equally as impressive.
Of the group expected to compete this weekend at Eldora, many have experienced the thrill of victory in a USAC National Sprint Car feature event in one fashion or another to various degrees. However, these individuals have long held a constant craving to add their name as an Eldora USAC winner.
Among those are Jake Swanson (Anaheim, Calif.), a runner-up finisher on the second night of #LetsRaceTwo in 2023. Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) ranks 10th on USAC’s career National Sprint Car win list and captured the most recent USAC outing at Lawrenceburg on April 13, but at #LetsRaceTwo, his best thus far is a third in 2017. Likewise, veteran Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, Ind.) collected a third in 2018 and repeated with another third on night one in 2023.
One of Jadon Rogers’ (Worthington, Ind.) finest USAC runs to this point came at #LetsRaceTwo with a third in 2021, as did Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.) in 2023 after leading the opening nine laps of night one.  Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.) has finished a best of second with both the USAC Silver Crown and USAC Sprint divisions at Eldora and he’ll be back in a rare sprint car appearance this weekend for Saturday night only in the Wedgewood Motorsports No. 98.
Mitchel Moles (Raisin City, Calif.) enters Eldora coming off a fourth place run at #LetsRaceTwo a year ago while 2023 USAC National Most Improved Driver Carson Garrett (Littleton, Colo.) made a surge from 20th to 6th in 2023. Max Adams (Loomis, Calif.) ran ninth in his latest #LetsRaceTwo appearance last year. Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.) has been impressive early in the going, residing fifth in USAC points, and his latest series run at Eldora resulted in a solid 10th.
EAST COAST BRETHREN
Briggs Danner and Joey Amantea have experienced their share of success on the USAC National Sprint Car circuit. But where they’ve really made their mark in recent years is with the USAC East Coast Sprint Car Series.
Both drivers won with the series a week ago as two-time USAC EC champ Danner (Allentown, Pa.) scored the season opener at Bedford (Pa.) Speedway while Amantea (Mount Pocono, Pa.) was victorious in a stirring slider fest at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway the following evening.
With the 410 under the hood, Danner’s best result at #LetsRaceTwo came in an 11th place performance in 2023.  However, he did finish 5th at last September’s 4-Crown. Amantea, meanwhile, looks to make his first Eldora start.
RACE DETAILS
#LetsRaceTwo features two-straight nights of full racing programs featuring the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship and the NOS Energy Drink World of Outlaws Sprint Cars on Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4.
On both days, ticket sales begin at the main gate, turn 4 and pit gate at 1:30pm Eastern. The grandstands open at 2pm. The drivers meeting will take place at 5:15pm. Cars will be on track at 6pm with qualifying and racing for both divisions immediately following.
Advance tickets are on sale now at www.eldoraspeedway.com. For ages 14 and up, general admission tickets are $35 while reserved seats are $40. For ages 13 and under, general admission tickets are free while reserved seats are $10. Pit passes are $40 each night ($75 for a two-day pit pass).
The USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car portion of the event from Eldora can be watched LIVE on FloRacing both nights at https://flosports.link/usac.