Edition 30 by Brett Swanson

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Who is Highline Magazine Editor: Brett Swanson Artist/Layout; Andy Ticehurst Contributors; Kaylene Oliver, Grant Woodhams, Andy Ticehurst, Shaun McDonald Photographers: Brett Swanson – Pirate Media Kieran Swanson – Pirate Media Andy Ticehurst – Andy Ticehurst Media Brett Williams – Lone Wolf Photography Geoff Gracie (SA) Wayne Martin (WA) Anthony Loxley / Full Throttle Publishing

www.HighlineMagazine.com.au

Cover – Main. This awesome Randy Crist shot captures Justin Grant enroute to his first Winchester Silver Crown win. Inside cover: Darwin fun in the sun.

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Party action at Darwins Chariots of Thun

nder. Ray Ritter image.

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Editorial

Welcome to edition 30. Wow! Is this the true definition of De Ja Vu or what? At this same time last year it seems we were in exactly the same position with Qld, SA and WA already up and running while Victoria and NSW were sat there doing nothing. When we finally did get to go racing all over the nation we thought that was it. Covid was done and things were working their way back to normal – that this season 21/22 would be a “normal” one. But not so. Covid has kicked back – with a vengeance. Avalon Raceway has delayed its planned start as too has Premier Speedway Warrnambool. Thankfully the latest news suggests that very soon all events will be back on in Victoria with no crowd limits for fully vaccinated fans and we have now in fact kicked the season off a little earlier than first thought. The only issue is some continuing lock outs from certain states that most probably will affect competitor numbers in some of the bigger events such as the South West Conveyancing Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic. The scenario in Sydney however is still far from settled. Covid lockdowns have delayed the construction of the brand-new PCR replacement and while many were still hoping for a 2021 inauguration, it’s currently planned for a mid-January 2022 start with a couple of dates pencilled in.

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PIRATES POINT OF VIEW Speaking of PCR, Highline is pleased to welcome PCR identity and stats man Shaun MacDonald to the roster with his article

pretty quickly. There has been a few form slips from time to time but I guess this is just due to general fatigue and tiredness

on just what PCR meant to him personally and for many others also. Shaun is just one of many eagerly awaiting the opening of the new track.

from a gruelling life on the road not from Covid – right?!

I’m just going to put this out there but does anyone else find it strange that none of the touring World of Outlaws teams were affected by the Corona Virus while racing across the USA? In my opinion the US hasn’t handled it as well as we have here and they certainly opened back up

Big congratulations to the Kasey Kahne Racing team on a third straight Outlaws Championship for Brad Sweet and Rookie of the Year honours for our own James McFadden. McFadden was fighting an uphill battle to win the RotY title due to his late start in the championship chase but after hard racer Aaron Reutzel’s ludicrous lack of judgement saw him suspended and eliminated from HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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the RoY chase for using an illegal chassis while leading the RotY chase, J-Macs quest became just slightly easier. Hot on the back of the RotY for McFadden comes the news that J-Mac, and effectively his whole team, are moving to the famous Roth Motorsport #83 for a full Outlaw season in 2022. The revolving door of drivers in this car over the past few years is quite phenomenal and ironically it was Reutzel who started the season in that car before the aforementioned stupidty saw him get sacked. J-Macs car Sad recent news out of the USA owner Kasey Kahne then had a few was the passing of Big Ed Wibur. months in the seat towards the end of the season. Wilbur was a large physical figure, with a larger than life persona. He So J-Mac takes over the Roth ride was a hugely popular regular down and KKR (Kasey Kahne Racing) drops back to a single car Outlaw team which makes one think that there might be a little bit of collaboration between Roth and KKR. Speaking of Reutzel – WTF? We all know racers will do anything to find an advantage but using a lightweight undersized tubing car is just plain dumb. Just ask Brad Doty how life changing this can be. (n.b. Doty’s chassis was not illegal as there was no regulation on tube size/wall thickness at the time). It makes you think of the old saying, if you’ve got a $10 head, buy a $10 helmet. You are potentially playing with your life. 6

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PIRATES POINT OF VIEW under tourist who knew how to play the crowds to perfection – just how the promoters liked it. Liverpool Speedway was his grand stage. Not only was Ed a big man, but he had a big heart and gave many people a big assist along the way. He gave Sydney’s Bill Roberts a place to live and a job at the start of a decade long American career that netted multiple championships and big races, including the Knoxville Nationals, crewing and building cars for such people as Kenny Brightbill, Kenny Weld and Bobby Allen. He also funded Brian Healey’s successful launch

into the American transport industry that ultimately led to Healeys’ purchase of the PCR lease with American associate Bob Spence. “He paid me $3 a tyre to groove tyres at his tyre business four and a half days a week in Sacramento allowing myself and Mark Welsh (Gene’s son) to go racing on the weekends.” Recalled Roberts about the man who he still caught up with annually at different racing events and functions around the USA for the past 3 or 4 decades. “He helped plenty of people along the way. He was just that sort of man.” Even though it’s been decades since big Ed last raced here he is still remembered and revered by a legion of Aussie fans and competitors both those who cheered for him and those who booed/cheered against him and his legendary Sedan Test Team mates. RIP big Ed. In this issue we continue to bring you something a little different with exclusive photos from Indiana Sprint Week and some Silver Crown action from the fearsome Winchester Speedway and a little bit of a Kiwi preview. Enjoy.

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PARRAMATTA CITY RACEWAY

A SPECIAL PLACE IN SYDNEY (AND

BY SHAUN McDON

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D WORLD) SPEEDWAY HISTORY!

NALD Images: Andy Ticehurst Media HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Parramatta City Raceway was a place that was close to many people’s hearts, and earlier this year, sadly, the doors closed on the iconic

event in their nightly news and the message was well and truly conveyed to the politicians.

venue, wrapping up 43 years of operation and leaving an indelible mark on the sport of speedway worldwide.

For me personally, it was my life, and I knew nothing else between September and April each year.

So, what did PCR mean to everyone over the years?

It was a comforting feeling every week making the left hand turn off James Ruse Drive and heading around the Rosehill Racecourse to a place that I considered my second home. As a kid, I would impatiently wait for my dad to get home on a Friday afternoon before heading down for racing, eagerly anticipating the night’s events. If it rained, the disap-

Well, you don’t have to look any further than the scores of people who turned up the day after the news broke about the NSW Government’s acquisition of the venue in what was a hastily convened rally for support. All of the TV stations covered the 10

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pointment would set in as it would be another seven days before we got to see racing again. It was our way of life each week and to this day, brings back great memories. The track was known for many highlights throughout the years, from the best drivers in the world visiting from the USA and New Zealand to the first $50,000-to-win Sprintcar event (which attracted ‘live’ cable-TV coverage across the nation) ever held in Australia and many, many more examples that made PCR the envy of many around the country. As a PCR local, you could go to any event in the country and have a heated debate with someone about racing;

someone was always up for a discussion (good or bad) about the latest in Sydney. Even if you didn’t agree with what was happening, you never backed down and defended the place until the very end! It certainly made for some interesting conversations in the waiting entrance line at the Grand Annual Sprintcar Classic in Warrnambool every year. It’s hard to put a full stop on 43 years of non-stop racing history, with all that happened from the day the gates swung open in 1977 until the gates closed for the final time on March 7, 2020. From the tragedy and heartbreak that occurred right through to the edge of your seat action that gave

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you goosebumps, PCR was there to wash away the weekly stress of life and spend quality time with family, friends, and enemies. It’s hard to put into words what life has been like since March 2020 but what makes it even more a bitter pill to swallow is the current COVID pandemic that is sweeping Australia, which not only cut short the 2019-20 season, but also totally obliterated the 2020-21 season and robbed everyone of a chance to say goodbye. Sadly, all dedicated fans, drivers and officials got was a “farewell” in the car park – a truly sad ending for such an admired and loved place. But there is sunshine on the horizon for speedway folk in the harbour city.

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Unless you have been living under a rock, you would be aware that the new Eastern Creek Speedway is well on its way to being built. Now before you say, “but it’s not Parramatta,” stop and think about things. Do we really want it to be? Of course not! This 70-million-dollar speedway will be the newest shining light in the country and deserves to stand on its own two feet, creating new memories away from the shadow of PCR and I mean that with the sincerest respect to PCR. We are so lucky that the NSW Government agreed to build a new speedway for us, and we need to grasp it with two hands. Whilst we

will never EVER forget about the good (and bad) times at Parramatta, we need to focus on the future and never compare, even though sometimes, we do without noticing. In closing, I would like to personally thank Sid Hopping and the late Bert Wilder for having the vision and the dream to build PCR.

Now we move forward to the new track, where the hardest thing to do will be to get out of the habit of saying Parramatta. Bring it on! Till next time…

Despite it ending the way it did, I know Sid was extremely proud of the way his baby grew over the years. To all the different promoters through the years who operated PCR, the fans, and most importantly the stars of the show – the drivers – thank you for everything. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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f e l l a c i M Ben

Stylish and calm. Not you

ne of the surprises from last season in Victorian Sprintcar ranks was the emergence of 18y.o Ben Micallef.

while whilst nurturing his two boys careers in Dirt Karts and Junior Sedans. From the age of seven Ben was in karts as a member of the Whinchelsea Kart Club competing on both Dirt and Asphalt before graduating to Junior Sedans.

Now, Victorian Speedway fans are very familiar with the name Micallef as father Phil has been a long time front line campaigner in Sedans then latterly in Wingless Sprints By the time he was too old for the and more recently Sprintcars all the Junior Ranks he and brother Darcy 14

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ur average Sprintcar racer.

were front runners and Phil had a real issue getting the two sedans to and from the track as well as trying to continue his own stellar and lengthy career.

Kid is also proud of his effort in the 2019 Australian Championship where he grafted hard to come from 15th to 9th.

Last season Ben made his SprintHighlights of his time in Juniors was car Racing Association debut after finishing second in the state junior Dad had done a couple of shows sedan series (JSPA) behind young- late the season before. er brother Darcy after winning 2 of the 3 rounds. The Camperdown From the get go he looked smooth HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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and fast and then I was blown away when he was caught up in a wreck and as he exited to the infield he explained he only had an LS engine in his car. If he hadn’t told me that I would have though it was a 410. The car in question is a 2008 Maxim with an LS1 Motor with a Victor Junior manifold to suit mechanical fuel injection. This engine, unlike many other LS powered cars kicking around Victoria is almost stock standard. The beauty for Ben and his dad Phil who runs an LS2, is that they can run with the VSC Sprintcars (regional Victorian series) or with the SRA at open Sprintcar events

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against 410’s and 360’s. “An LS based motor is applicable to race as a VSC sprintcar whilst still remaining affordable. This also is a great start into sprintcar racing.” Ben stated. Ben’s goal is to progress to become the best driver he can possibly be on and off the track. He acknowledges his racing partners are also a huge part of the family’s racing program so also representing them in the best manner possible moving forward will always be high in the list.

Rest assured this young man does that easily with his great smile, work ethic and demeaner on and off the track. One bonus for Ben at the moment is getting to race against his hero, his dad. “It’s really cool to race with dad at the

highest level but We somehow always end up finding each other by the end of the night.” Keep your eye on the Roadside Mowing V21 next time out as you are clearly watching a smooth steering hard charger with the right attitude to go a long way.

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All images Ray Ritter / KNJ Photography

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After a Covid enforced hiatus in 2020, the annual Ostojic Group Chariots of Thunder (CoT) event in Darwin was back on the cards for 2021 and with a recent dearth of racing it seemed like every racer and his dog was keen to head North including Sprintcar, Speedcar and Wingless Sprint competitors over a multi weekend format. The NT had been largely Covid free and so the biggest issue for travelling teams was which route they would take to get there as some states were still locked out from other states. It was all looking good approaching the first of the two weekends until a sudden outbreak in the top end locked down Darwin. Thankfully it was quickly lifted but it was too late for the opening shows so the format was adjusted to a three night deal on the concluding weekend. For those teams already in the territory it just meant more time to see the fantastic sights in and around Darwin before the racing finally kicked off. When it did kick off it was a surprise first CoT win from Adelaide’s Matt Egel after he caught both Robbie Farr and Lachlan McHugh with a decisive move on the low groove to pass them both mid race. He then held on for the win despite a late race caution with McHugh fresh from his American sojourn and subsequent quarantine period in second with veteran Farr completing the podium. If night one was a surprise then more was in store on night two when Egel in the Whyalla Eathworks Racing #52 took a dramatic repeat victory when McHughs’ right rear tyre exploded on the last lap costing him the $10,000 win. Veal was second, with local hero Ben Atkinson charging from 9th in the B-Main to claim the final podium position. Murray Bridge hero Ryan Davis took his second fifth place finish but had hoped for more after leading by 3 seconds mid race. When Farr tagged the wall and Winchelsea’s Ryan Davis hit the stalled Farr and rolled, the red light proved Jones’ undoing. The drama continued and escalated to a whole new level on the final night as Veal led the feature and looked likely to take the overall win as Egel had been forced into the B-Main and was running off the podium and just shy of the points needed for the title on the last lap. But it seemed that Egel was the chosen one on this weekend as on the last lap Jack Lee and Cody Maroske tangled elevating Egel to third and into the CoT champions crown by the slimmest of margins over Veal and Atkinson with Jones 4th and Callum Williamson 5th. Despite the unavoidable and last minute issues the event went off well with the only criticism again being a lack of post race media releases being distributed.

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SaVic’s Brock Hallett rolls past the pit gate as he and some mates wheel pack 22

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the track in the late afternoon/early evening sunshine.. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Cast of the fast, Mug shot, CoT cases, Motley Crew – call them what you like. 24

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They were the lucky ones racing in the North End. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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WA’s Taylor Milling found the infield to be bothersome as he launches out towa 26

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ards Local Kane Quinlan and Mildura’s Terry Kelly. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Pretty much fresh from a great run in America’s Mid-West Lachlan McHugh lets 28

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s it all hang out on the cushion with mere centimetres to spare. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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McHugh wasn’t so lucky in this one though as he wrecks with Monte Motorspor 30

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rts’ J-Mac stand in Callum Williamson. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Veteran Robbie Farr was quick at times but was in serious trouble here as McH 32

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Hugh goes around him with Jamie Veal passing on the inside. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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CoT Champion Matt Egel and the Whyalla Earthmoving team got to celebrate o 36

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on the podium each night with two wins and the championship crown. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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HYDRAULINK CONTINUE WITH WOW SP Story by: Allan Batt

his summers War of the Wings Sprintcar Series will see a continuation of the association between the South Island Sprintcar Association (SISCA), and Hydraulink.

“The team at Hydraulink is once again very proud to be the naming sponsor of the Hydraulink “War of the Wings”, South Islands premier sprint car series. To be associated with these quality drivers along with the War of the Wings management team, has been a long and exciting relationship for Hydraulink. Our motto is “best under pressure”, which fits well with this series. We can’t wait until the season opener where we can again watch the dirt fly!” said Rob Naughton from Hydraulink New Zealand. President of the SISCA Kevin Freeman said that he was proud of the relationship between the two organisations. “Hydraulink are the perfect partners for the War of the Wings. We are proud to carry their name around the South Island, particularly into markets where there is a strong presence in the likes of fishing, horticulture, mining, agriculture, farming and earth works.” This summers Hydraulink War of the Wings Series. which races around New Zealands South Island commences on November 13 at Nelson,

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PRINTCARS before heading to Ruapuna on December 11. The Annual Wild West Shootout at Greymouth starts the 2022 action on January 15 before making a welcome return to Invercargill’s Riverside Speedway on March 5. Central Motor Speedway at Cromwell will host a round at its traditional Easter Meeting on April 15, before the Grand Final at Ruapuna on April 24. With current series champion Jamie Duff likely to be competing up in Auckland for the first half of the season, that could lead to a new champion being crowned with Duff likely to miss at least one round. The series will have for the first time a North Islander committing to race the entire schedule with Wellingtons Stephen Taylor running for the Nelson based ‘Landon Dawson Motorsport team. Taylor has previously contested a couple of rounds of the WoW, both at Nelson and both resulting in him winning.

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Three times now Connor Rangi (57NZ) has finished runner up in the war of the nship at theatsame venue when he by wasJoseph taken outJohnson of the event in someone else’s wreck. Rangi Ruapuna photo

Steven Lines in the Brian Hall WA3 was a surprise winner of the USC round at Warrnambool recently. What’s so surprising about Lines winning, right? The reason it was surprising was that James McFadden in the Monte WA17 was leadi o

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e Wings Sprintcars. Will this be ‘his’ season? Jamie Duff (19) chases

ing all feature long until inexplicable spinning out of the lead a short distance from the chequered flag handing the win to Lines. Lines luck however, deserted him at the same venue a couple of weeks later in the Victorian Champi-

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Borrowing from the Simpson’s cartoon is current series champ Jamie Duff. pho 42

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oto by Joseph Johnson. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Louise Gale works her Wingless Sprint prior to action at Murray Bridges’ Riverv 46

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view Speedway. – Picko’s Photos. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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More art through the Picko lens as a couple of “Streeties” wait to head out for c 48

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combat. – Picko’s Photos. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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A contrast of colour and black & white. Kirby Hillyer is a regular Wingless trave 50

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eller between SA and VIC. – Picko’s Photos. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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More girl power as Jenna Kervers sits eerily in her Wingless Sprint. – Picko’s P 52

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Photos. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Mitch Broome successfully continues the Broome’s of Mt Gambier racing herita Picko’s Photos. 54

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age into it a third generation with wins in both Victoria and South Australia. –

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How good is it to see scenes like this return after yet another year of Covid res rade the flags before an eagerly building crowd at Riverview Murray Bridge. – P 56

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strictions and limitations? A quartet of South aussie best Sprintcar racers paPicko’s Photos. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Matt Egel is on a roll after his Chariots of Thunder and not even the combined t win in their home state. – Picko’s Photos. 58

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talent of Daniel Pestka 3rd and Luke Dillon 2nd could keep Egel from another

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ot far off the back of the exciting and ultra-competitive Indiana Midget Week came the Indiana Sprint Week and things started out very differently.

In Midget week it took 7 nights of action before there was a repeat feature winner.

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All awesome action pix: Randy Crist

In Sprint week three of the first four races all fell to the same driver, but amazingly that driver, Logan Seavey, despite contesting the whole championship, didn’t win the series. There was as always plenty of action and excitement and flared tempers and aggression – all the things you’d expect from a compact, high presHIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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tige, high pressure week of racing. As usual, an Indiana summer can often be wet as well as hot and that too was the case this year.

“I’ll take them anyway I can get them,” Grant declared. “This one paid more per lap than anyone I’ve ever won!”

The 18-lap, rain-shortened feature Just two nights after scoring a 100- has much historical significance lap, long distance USAC Silver within the USAC record books with Crown race, Justin Grant reigned it being the first-ever rain-shortened triumphant in one of the shortest Indiana Sprint Week main event in feature events in the 66-year history the series’ 34-year history. of USAC Sprint Car National Championship racing on his way to takThe only stoppage of the feature ing the opening round of the Sprint came on the sixth lap when 19th week series. running Brandon Mattox flipped nose-to-tail down the front straightaUnder threatening skies that hovway, separating the fuel tank from ered over the top of Kokomo’s quar- the racecar as the Indiana driver ter-mile dirt oval, Grant raced to landed upside down straddling the lead on the ninth lap past Kevin the start/finish line. When the car Thomas Jr., then remained at the was tipped back over onto its four head of the field when the skies let wheels, a brief oil fire broke out loose, halting the race with 18 of 30 on the right-side headers but was laps complete. quickly extinguished.

A feature event is considered complete when more than half of the scheduled laps are completed. When it became apparent that the rain was going to make the resumption of the event an impossibility, Grant was declared the winner.

Midget week at the awesome Lawrenceburg had belonged totally to Logan Seavey who’d scored both the Midget and companion Sprintcar feature on the night and in a continuation of his newfound affinity with L-Burg he scored again.

With the falling precipitation causing the mass exodus from both the capacity-filled grandstands and pit area, the traditional victory lane celebration and the resulting jubilation was a little more muted than usual.

Seavey delivered a Sunday night spectacular in round two of USAC Indiana Sprint Week to become just the third driver to earn victories in both an Indiana Midget Week and Indiana Sprint Week feature at the same track in the same season.

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Seavey’s score on this night was the third of his career and was also the second triumph added to his Indiana Sprint Week resume.

Originally scheduled as the opening night, Gas City had succumbed to the rain that almost killed it’s nearby Kokomo raceway the following night, so it was a rare Monday night appearance for USAC.

“It feels so good,” Seavey exclaimed. “I feel like every time I’ve Seavey however didn’t care what been here, I’ve been good. This year, everything’s coming together.” day it was as he went back-to-back on multiple levels. Front row starters Jake Swanson Seavey not only repeated his Gas and Tanner Thorson exchanged slide jobs on both ends of the race- City ISW feature win from a year track., first coming courtesy of Thor- ago, but also captured his second victory in the series within a 24-hour son in turn one and then Swanson span. following in kind in turn two. By midway, the chapter had been turned to a quagmire of heavy traffic for the frontrunners. Swanson commanded the race by eight car lengths, but his progress stalled out as he attempted to put reigning Indiana Sprint Week champion Chase Stockon a lap down. On a lap 22 restart, the man on the move was Seavey who quickly surpassed Thorson on lap 22, then set his sights on running down Swanson. On lap 24 Swanson became sideways on the topside at the exit of turn two, allowing Seavey to charge under for the lead.

Seavey raced from the fourth starting position to the lead on the second lap after rocketing past race leader Swanson. Seavey persevered on a real racers quarter-mile surface which had been hammered by a substantial amount of rainfall over the weekend, leading the final 29 laps and requiring a set of proverbials to get the job done.

“What a different Gas City then I had ever seen,” Seavey exclaimed. “I’ve only been here a handful of times and I honestly had no idea where I needed to be on the racetrack. I didn’t know if anybody was close; it felt like there was someone on me the whole time. I felt like I Despite the win Seavey was still only 5th in the points behind Bacon, couldn’t put together two laps the same. I think that’s just how the Grant, Thomas Jr. and C J Leary. racetrack was. It was a ‘cowboy up’ place.” HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Justin Grant had a solid Sprint Week but just missed out on the big cheque des 64

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spite a couple of wins. . Randy Crist Photo. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Seavey had now jumped to second in the ISW points behind Bacon while the consistent Thorson, Thomas Jr. and Swanson completed the top 5. The half mile Terre Haute showgrounds Action Track is so different to most other Indiana racetracks with its old school grandstand, its flat wide track and its long history but one thing remained the same, the feature winner. Seavey won his third consecutive ISW feature and in the process won more USAC sprint features in a week than he’d won in his entire threeyear USAC career prior to Sprint week. The third win of Seavey’s personal hat trick was special in a myriad of manners, but most of all, it came at Terre Haute, a place in which so few have tamed throughout its 60-plus year history. A win at this place is something special, something memorable, something remarkable. Seavey was all of those things and more on the Wednesday night at the Don Smith Classic. “To win at Terre Haute is unlike anything I’ve ever done in my career; this is awesome,” Seavey exclaimed. “To beat Grant too just makes it that much sweeter. He’s one of the best here and I had to run 110 percent every lap to keep him behind us.” Seavey’s three-straight Indiana Sprint Week victories puts him in rarified air and are the most since Thomas Jr. won three consecutively in 2013. Jay Drake also captured three-straight Indiana Sprint Week wins in 2000 as did Cory Kruseman during the 2002 series. Seavey hooked the pole for the start of the 30-lap feature and quickly established his presence at the front of the field on the opening lap, hugging the inner guardrail as he motored by outside front row starter Nick Bilbee. Meanwhile, fourth starting Grant took the high road past Stockon in turns three and four for third, then laid down a slide job on Bilbee for the second position entering turn one on the second lap. A two-car break headed by Seavey and Grant forged an unstoppable force in the early going until the ninth lap when Robert Ballou and Eddie Tafoya Jr., running 14th and 15th respectively, simultaneously flipped after contact on the back straightaway. Both drivers were uninjured, but the 66

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night was finished prematurely for both. On the ensuing lap nine restart, Grant fired off a slider into turn one, clearing Seavey by three car lengths midway through the corner on his way up to the cushion. Meanwhile, Thorson pulled completely even with Grant as he worked the bottom. Seavey, now momentarily third, shot the gap exiting turn two and split between both Grant and Thorson to reclaim the lead. Seavey had quickly put himself into Indiana Sprint Week championship contention and was now just four points behind the ultra-consistent Bacon with three races remaining. High heat, high emotion and high intensity were the main ingredients of a dramatic ending at Putnamville’s Lincoln Park Speedway between drivers Thorson and C J Leary during round 5 of the ISW. A last lap caution set up a green-white-chequered finish that Thorson utilized for one last shot. On the lap 30 restart, Thorson slid from the bottom of turn one up toward the top of turn two while Leary occupied the high side, nestled snugly against the cushion. While the two were dead even, wheel-to-wheel near the top of turn two, Leary’s car biked on the curb, getting both left side wheels airborne before landing on all fours and skidding at the exit atop the second turn. No contact was made between the two cars as Thorson raced by underneath to take over the lead while Windom followed suit to second, although Leary briefly returned to the runner-up spot on the 31st and final lap before Windom retook the spot off turn two. Thorson led just the final two laps crossing under the double checquers 0.707 seconds ahead of Windom, Leary, Thomas Jr. and Seavey. On this night, it was Thorson’s turn in just about the most dramatic of ways imaginable as Leary unbelted, hopped out of his car and made a beeline to “greet” Thorson in victory lane while Leary’s racecar continued to roll across the infield driverless until petering out halfway across the 5/16-mile dirt oval. As Thorson came to a stop to celebrate, Leary put his foot down, quite litHIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Tanner Thorson won the Putnamville (Lincoln Park Speedway) round that saw eventual series champ Kevin Thomas Jr. Randy Crist Photo. 68

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tempers flare post-race between he and Justin Grant. Here he runs under

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erally, on the nose of Thorson’s car. Immediately, Thorson rose from his seat and the two exchanged blunt words, muffled only by the protection of their head sock and helmet, while also gesturing their displeasure quite animatedly. “I was going to apologize to C.J. for cutting it close, but he did the same thing at Path Valley,” Thorson said.

“It’s just a testament to the whole Hoffman team,” Bacon praised. “When something goes wrong, we put our noses down and keep working. We know we’re doing the right thing, it’s just that sometimes things get out of your control. You just can’t get down about it. You just plug away and keep trying.”

Bacon’s 38th career USAC National Sprint Car victory was a special “I was just kind of waiting for him one indeed. The victory also proved to (make a mistake). He just kept special as it thrusted Bacon back getting tighter and tighter on the into the thick of the Indiana Sprint top. He probably could’ve crossed Week championship race followme back over, been back in the lead ing heartache the night prior that and won the damn thing.” dropped him from first to fourth. Heading into Saturday’s finale at Logan Seavey took over the point Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, lead with two races remaining. Bacon now rides just 12 points beSeavey holds a 15-point lead over hind point leader Logan Seavey in Thorson with Kevin Thomas Jr. his quest to earn a first ISW crown third, 22 points back. since 2016. Bacon had led the Indiana Sprint Week points standings for the high majority of time thus far. However, on Thursday at Lincoln Park, Bacon did not even get the chance to take the green flag for the feature due to a mag issue after his car sheared a roll pin while pushing out for the feature Twenty-four hours later, Bacon and the famed Hoffman team were standing in victory lane, celebrating its first Indiana Sprint Week win of 2021. 70

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Bacon started fifth in the 22-car, 30-lap main event and had a front row seat for a tumultuous first lap which saw the front row of pole sitter Leary and Windom take the fight side-by-side through turns one and two. Atop the turn two cushion on the opening lap, Windom become airborne, landed on all fours and spun 180 degrees to a stop in an incident nearly reminiscent of the much-ballyhooed altercation between Leary and Thorson on Thursday at Lincoln

Park. During the first third of the event, it became a three-car breakaway at the front with Leary leading fourth starting Kyle Cummins and Bacon. Leary found himself over the edge in turn two, losing the top spot to Bacon who raced by underneath, then subsequently dropped to third four laps later as Cummins charged his way back into the runner-up spot. During the final five-lap sprint to the chequered flag, Bacon went undeniably unchallenged as he scored his third series victory of the year and his second with the USAC National Sprint Cars at Bloomington, and first since 2019. Despite a struggle on this night Seavey was still 12 points ahead of Brady Bacon in the points fight with Thomas Jr., Thorson, Grant, Leary and Swanson still in the chase.

ishers of a race can celebrate in unison for their own, separate personal accomplishments. For Grant and Thomas Jr., Haubstadts pristine Tri State raceway set such a scene following the finale for USAC Indiana Sprint Week. Both veteran racers cut their own slice of triumph, one as a race winner at a track that has been a longtime nemesis, and another who reached the zenith of his racing summer. Grant bookended the beginning and end of the seven-race ISW slate with a feature win at Kokomo to start and a Tri-State feature win to conclude the 34th annual edition of the series while Thomas capped the points race with a crown as the ISW champion for the second time in his career, and for the first time since 2017.

“We had some issues through the ISW continues to show just how middle of sprint week,” Grant acimportant it is to be consistent and knowledged after leading the final make each and every feature count. 29 laps of the 30-lap race. We startWins are great, but the final result ed it with a win and ended it with of the 2021 ISW showed that wins a win. It was good, and we won a are not always necessary, Neither race at Haubstadt. I can’t believe Seavey with three wins or Grant it!” with two could hold Thomas Jr. from taking the title with zero wins. Both Grant’s and Thomas’ paths to victory intersected each other It’s a rare instance though when throughout the race with Thomas both the first and second-place fin- leading the first lap from his outHIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Tanner Thorson won the Putnamville (Lincoln Park Speedway) round that saw eventual series champ Kevin Thomas Jr. Randy Crist Photo. 72

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tempers flare post-race between he and Justin Grant. Here he runs under

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side front row starting position just championship team, which is a before fourth-starting Grant power hand-built creation constructed out surged under Thomas in turn four to of cherry wood, by John Youngs. gain the lead on the very next lap. As it panned out, Thomas was the Seavey was mired mid-pack lone driver who finished inside the throughout much of the feature. top-five of the final 2021 ISW point Earlier in heat race number two, standings not to win a race during Seavey was caught up in an incithe series. dent that put him behind the eight ball for the remainder of the night, Once again, for the fourth consecuflipping his machine and necessitat- tive year, the Indiana Sprint Week ing a run through the semi-feature. champion driver went winless throughout their run following Chris Previous night’s winner Bacon Windom (2018), C.J. Leary (2019) faced a slightly different variation of and Chase Stockon (2020). struggledom in his own right at TriState with the team missing out on hot laps while they were busy swapping out the engine for another bullet prior to qualifying. A qualifying run chock full of challenges tested the team throughout the night, ultimately positioning themselves on the tail for the feature where they subsequently charged from 22nd to finish 8th, a valiant effort but only enough to get to second in the final ISW standings. Thomas’ second place finish was more than good enough to clinch the title by 17 points over Bacon, with Seavey, Thorson and Grant rounding out the top-five. Thomas’ $10,000 prize for winning the Indiana Sprint Week championship was accompanied by the traditional rocking chair going to the ISW 74

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Logan Seavey got to do this more than once during the week but not when it m 76

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At the line, Grant finished just a miniscule half car length ahead of Swanson in a dramat three stories high oval. Now a fully-fledged, first-time USAC Silver Crown winner on the pavement, the triumph in 2006 at California’s Madera Speedway.

“It’s a bit surreal for me to be standing at Winchester as a winner. As a kid who watched

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SILVER CROWN

GRANT WINS USAC’S RICH VOGLER CLASSIC BY A HALF CAR LENGTH Indiana’s Winchester Speedway is a brutally fast and fearsome paved racetrack and Justin Grant had to muster every ounce of grit, determination and daring on the last lap of the 100-lap Rich Vogler Classic USAC Silver Crown National Championship race to win his first pavement Silver Crown race. Driving that point home is the fact that the driver chasing Grant on the green-white-chequered dash to the finish, Kody Swanson, posted his fastest lap of the race on the 100th and final lap in his pursuit of the win. Simultaneously, Grant answered the bell by laying down his fastest lap of the entire race on the 100th and final lap to keep Swanson behind him.

tic ending to the heavyweight slugfest in the series’ debut on the 37-degree banked, marked Grant’s first of any kind on a hard surface since a BCRA Midget feature score

d races here on TV, thinking, ‘boy, that’s the gnarliest thing I’ve ever seen,’ I would’ve

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Shots we don’t get to see here in Oz - as the field full of Silver Crown standouts (26), Justin Grant (91), Travis Welpott (18), Shane Cottle (81) and others thund 80

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SILVER CROWN

s led by Kody Swanson (77), Bobby Santos (22), Eric Gordon, Aaron Pierce der down Winchester’s back straight. Randy Crist Photo. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Plenty of natural left side lean angle here without being “winged down” for Kyle Photo. 82

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SILVER CROWN

e O’Gara (1), Shane Cottle (81) and Mike Haggenbottom (24). Randy Crist

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thought that was outside the realm of possibility growing up,” Grant exclaimed. “I was a kid who dreamed of racing USAC and to come here and win means the world to me, and there’s not a better group of guys that I could do it with.” The Rich Vogler Classic win was also extra special for Grant’s car owner, Ron Hemelgarn, who fielded Vogler as his driver in the 1987 Indianapolis 500, starting 11th and finishing 20th. It was the third career series victory for Grant after tallying the Illinois State Fairgrounds and Terre Haute Action Track rounds in 2017 and 2018, respectively but his first on pavement. Grant started fifth on the Winchester grid and remained relatively status quo throughout the first quarter of the race as pole sitter Swanson launched away to lead the first four laps and outside front row starter Bobby Santos charged to the lead on lap five after diving to the bottom in turn three past Swanson.

sixth, respectively. Instantly, Pierce blitzed away to a twosecond advantage over the field during the following 20 laps. However, just before halfway, Grant had noticeably reeled Pierce in and was just a halfsecond back in the centre of lapped traffic when 12th running Nathan Byrd began leaking fluid from his car, knocking him out of the race, and forcing another yellow. With Grant on Pierce’s rear bumper, Grant made his bid for the lead on the 57th lap, diving low off turn four underneath Pierce. Though he came just a wheel short of the lead on that lap, Grant carried his substantial momentum into turn one, and despite getting squirrely on entry, got the handle back and motored past Pierce for the lead on the 58th trip. Seconds later, Swanson found his way back to second while Santos slotted into third, pushing Pierce back to fourth.

Keenly aware of Swanson’s prowess of winning races by virtue of his marksmanship in lapped traffic, Grant sought Moments following a lap 16 restart, every edge he could muster to push third-running Aaron Pierce cut below Swanson for the second position on the through and gain some much needed breathing room. back straightaway, then under Santos exiting turn four to rise from third to the However, when Shane Cottle’s Panlead on the 23rd circuit. hard bar broke with 15 laps remaining, causing him to spin atop the turn four In the resulting shuffle, Grant moved banking, all gameplans were out the to second with David Byrne now third, window. All that stood in front of Grant while 15th starting Kyle O’Gara had was the driver who stood behind him – raced his way all the way up to fourth. Swanson. Subsequently, Santos and Swanson were suddenly relegated to fifth and

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SILVER CROWN “I had to give myself a little bit of a pep talk on one of those last runs, like, ‘hey you’ve won a championship, you haven’t won a pavement race. Stick this thing in the fence if you need to stick this thing in the fence. Drive this son a gun.”

Swanson finished as the runner-up ahead of Bobby Santos, Aaron Pierce and Kyle O’Gara who finished a careerbest fifth after starting 15th, which earned him both the Hard Charger Award and the Quality Driving Performance of the night.

After hyping himself up even more, Grant forged ahead when racing resumed with eight laps to go. Swanson maintained his position just two car lengths back and was right on the rear bumper of Grant when the yellow dropped for 10th running Austin Nemire who spun to a stop in turn two, putting Grant in the position to now have to again outduel Swanson, the five-time series champion, in a green-whitecheckered showdown. “On the green white checkered, with the tires and brakes a little cold, I ran 90-95 percent on lap one and, on lap two, I ran it 100-110 percent,” Grant explained. “I about gave it away in three and four. I smoked it down in there kind of low to protect my entry a bit because I had been passing guys by diving underneath them into three, but I didn’t get in as deep as I think I needed to, and I didn’t make it up the hill; I landed short. It made my apex tight, and I got a little push coming off, like ‘oh no, that’s not good.’ I tried to get it turned back down the hill and, man, I thought we beat Kody to the line, but he was sucking my stickers off right at the line. Like, ‘did we get it, did we get it?’ Grant did get it, as a matter of fact, by a fraction of a tenth of a second, or 0.050 sec. to be exact. HIGHLINE MAGAZINE

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Another unique angle of a unique racetrack courtesy of Randy Crist. Bobby Sa Grant and Travis Welpott (18). 86

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antos leads Kody Swanson, Eric Gordon, Aaron Pierce, eventual winner Justin

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Despite his best efforts and being the winningest Silver Crown racer in history K Silver Crown win at Winchester with Bobby Santos third. Randy Crist Photo. 90

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SILVER CROWN

Kody Swanson couldn’t stop a determined Justin Grant from taking his first

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