The USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship makes its final Midwest appearance of the 2016 season, before heading out west, this Saturday night, October 15 at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track for the 17th “Jim Hurtubise Classic.”
The race honors Hurtubise, the auto racing legend who dominated the Action Track back in the early 1960s. The North Tonawanda, New York native known as “Herk” racked up five consecutive USAC Sprint Car wins from 1960 to 1962, a feat that hasn’t been matched in the ensuing 54 years.
The “Hurtubise Classic” dates back to 1990 when Jack Hewitt won the inaugural edition of the event, but this year’s race marks just the 17th running; the tradition resumed after a ten-year hiatus from the schedule from 2000 to 2009.
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma’s Brady Bacon enjoys a hefty 245-point lead over Chase Stockon in the series standings. Bacon and Stockon are among the five past “Hurtubise Classic” winners expected to compete in Saturday night’s event.
Bacon’s lone Terre Haute triumph came at the “Hurtubise” in the fall of 2014 while Stockon raced to victory in 2012. Stockon’s most recent series victory came at Terre Haute just three months ago at the “Don Smith Classic” during “Indiana Sprint Week.”
Those two will be joined by recent “Hurtubise” winners Jerry Coons, Jr. (2013), Chris Windom (2011) and Jon Stanbrough (2010).
The event has proven to be wide-open over the years, producing 14 different feature winners in the 16 runnings of the race. Only the great Jack Hewitt was able to win multiple “Hurtubise Classics” throughout his career, taking three of them, including the first two in 1990 and 1991, before grabbing his third one in 1995.
In fact, the last 11 “Hurtubise Classic” have produced a different winner each time. Terre Haute USAC winning drivers looking for their first “Hurtubise” trophy this Saturday include the USAC National Sprint Car division’s winningest driver, Dave Darland, as well as 2016 “Sumar Classic” Silver Crown winner C.J. Leary, 2015 “Don Smith Classic” victor Aaron Farney and 2013 “Don Smith Classic” winner Kevin Thomas, Jr., who will continue to sport the No. 1 on his car for Robert Ballou, winner of the 2015 “Hurtubise” as he continues to recover from injuries sustained in USAC/CRA Sprint Car crash at Calistoga (Calif.) Speedway in September.
Pit gates for Saturday night’s event open at 3:00pm with front gates opening at 4. Hot laps get underway at 6 with ProSource Qualifying set for 6:30 and racing beginning at 7. The Scott’s Custom Colors UMP Modifieds will also be in action
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UPCOMING USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT:
DATE: Saturday, October 15, 2016
SERIES: USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship
TRACK: Terre Haute Action Track (Terre Haute, Indiana) – 1/2-mile dirt oval
EVENT: “Jim Hurtubise Classic” featuring the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship
STARTING TIMES: Pit gates open at 3:00, grandstands at 4:00, hot laps at 6, qualifying at 6:30 and racing will begin at 7.
TICKETS: Grandstand admission is $25, infield admission is $15, and children 10 and under are free.
TRACK ADDRESS: 3901 South US Hwy 41, Terre Haute, IN 47807
TRACK PHONE: Track Enterprises: (217) 764-3200. Race Day: (812) 232-4040
TRACK WEBSITE: http://trackenterprises.com/ & http://terrehauteactiontrack.net/
MEDIA COVERAGE: Live updates on https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/ and https://twitter.com/USACNation and available on the Race Monitor app on your phone.
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PAST “JIM HURTUBISE CLASSIC” WINNERS:
1990: Jack Hewitt, 1991: Jack Hewitt, 1992: Rusty McClure, 1993: Robbie Stanley, 1994: Tray House, 1995: Jack Hewitt, 1996: Kevin Thomas, 1997: J.J. Yeley, 1998: Tony Elliott, 1999: Tony Jones, 2010: Jon Stanbrough, 2011: Chris Windom, 2012: Chase Stockon, 2013: Jerry Coons, 2014: Brady Bacon, 2015: Robert Ballou
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2016 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (2268) Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK)
2. (2023) Chase Stockon (Fort Branch, IN)
3. (1926) Dave Darland (Lincoln, IN)
4. (1919) Robert Ballou (Rocklin, CA)
5. (1910) Thomas Meseraull (San Jose, CA)
6. (1809) Chad Boespflug (Hanford, CA)
7. (1805) C.J. Leary (Greenfield, IN)
8. (1780) Chris Windom (Canton, IL)
9. (1264) Max McGhee (Camby, IN)
10. (1233) Aaron Farney (Brookston, IN)
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2016 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP “ROOKIE” DRIVER POINT STANDINGS:
1. (756) Isaac Chapple (Willow Branch, IN)
2. (341) Cole Ketcham (Muncie, IN)
3. (301) Tony DiMattia (Malvern, PA)
4. (228) Matt Goodnight (Winchester, IN)
5. (225) Zach Daum (Pocahontas, IL)
6. (205) Kent Schmidt (Owensville, IN)
7. (153) Tom Harris (Banbury, Oxfordshire, England)
8. (122) Carmen Perigo (Stoystown, PA)
9. (113) Robert Bell (Colfax, IA)
10. (104) Aric Gentry (Robards, KY)
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2016 USAC AMSOIL SPRINT CAR NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP OWNER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (2268) Dynamics, Inc. #69
2. (2072) Ballou Motorsports #1
3. (2023) 32/TBI Racing #32
4. (1971) Baldwin Brothers Racing #5
5. (1926) Jeff Walker/Curb-Agajanian Racing #11
6. (1850) Amati Racing #66
7. (1809) NineEight Motorsports/EZR #98E
8. (1757) Michael Dutcher Motorsports #17GP
9. (1635) Sam McGhee Motorsports #17
10. (1396) Rock Steady Racing #3R