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The United States Auto Club (USAC) is one of the sanctioning bodies of Indianapolis 500. Today, the USAC serves as the sanctioning body for a number of racing series, including the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Car Series, National Midget Series, Ignite Ethanol Fuel Series, .25 Midget Series, and Traxxas TORC Series.
The USAC was formed by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman when the American Automobile Association (AAA) withdrew from auto racing following the 1955 Le Mans disaster. It became the arbiter of rules, car design, and other matters for what it termed championship auto racing. This became the term describing a car built to be used in the highest level of USAC racing. For a while there was a separate series of specifications for championship cars designed to be run on dirt, rather than paved, tracks.
The USAC’s long history as on open-wheel sanctioning body continues today with the Silver Crown Series, National Sprint Car Series, National Midget Series, Ignite Ethanol Fuel Series, .25 Midget Series, and Traxxas TORC Series. NASCAR stars including Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, and Kasey Kahne honed their skills and captured championships while competing in various USAC series.
The "Triple Crown" is earned in USAC racing when a driver claims all three national championships (Silver Crown, Sprint Car, and Midget Car). Only two drivers, Tony Stewart (1995) and J.J. Yeley (2003), have achieved the triple crown in a single season. Three other drivers, Pancho Carter (1972–78), Dave Darland (1997–2001), and Jerry Coons, Jr. (2006–08), have claimed each of the three championships at least once in their careers. In 2012 Mike Curb and Cary Agajanian became the only car owners to win the Triple Crown by winning all three championships in the same year.
USAC had awarded a national championship until A. J. Foyt won his seventh title in 1979.[2] It has announced that it will begin awarding a national championship starting in 2010.[2] A driver's finishes in his 25 best races are counted toward the championship and the 2010 winner will receive $40,000.[2] Points are accumulated in the three national series: sprints, midgets, and Silver Crown.[2] Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Indiana claimed the inaugural championship, topping runner-up, Levi Jones, by 14 points. USAC National Drivers Champions
On April 23, 1978, eight key members of the USAC, plus the pilot, were killed when their 10-seat Piper Navajo Chieftain crashed during a thunderstorm 25 miles southeast of Indianapolis.[3]
Killed were:
The effect on the USAC, and for open-wheel racing in the United States, was devastating, especially since it closely followed the death of Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony Hulman.
Unfortunately, the plane crash came at a time when Indy car owners and drivers were demanding changes from the USAC. Aside from the Indianapolis 500, USAC events were not well attended, and the owners felt that the USAC poorly negotiated television rights. The owners also wanted increases in payouts, especially at Indy.[4] Though some think the plane crash was used as an opportunistic way to force change in the sport, it was merely an unfortunate coincidence. The seed of dissent had been growing for several years before the accident,[5] and claims the crash was an immediate cause for the 1979 CART/USAC "split" are considered for the most part unfounded.
Also unpopular were the attempts of the USAC to keep the aging Offenhauser engine competitive with the newer, and much more expensive, Cosworth DFV engine using boost-limiting "pop off valves" and limiting the amount of fuel that could be used.[6]
Finally, most car owners banded together to form Championship Auto Racing Teams (CART) in 1978, with the first race to be run in 1979. USAC tried unsuccessfully to ban all CART owners from the 1979 Indianapolis 500, finally losing in court before the race began. Both the USAC and CART ran race schedules in 1979.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway president John Cooper was instrumental in forming a joint body of CART and the USAC with the creation of the Championship Racing League in March 1980. However, in mid 1980, Cooper forced USAC to renounce their agreement with the CRL if they wanted to keep officiating the Indy 500.[7] After the USAC's pitiful attempt at a 500-mile races at Pocono Raceway – which was boycotted by the CART teams, forcing USAC to fill the field with silver crown cars – USAC and CART eventually settled into a relatively peaceful co-existence, with the USAC continuing to sanction the Indianapolis 500, and CART including the race in its schedule.
Between 1971 and 1980 the series was named National Dirt Car Championship, then renamed Silver Crown Series in 1981.
USAC Silver Crown Series Champions
From 1956–1960 the USAC National Sprint Car Championship was divided into two divisions, Midwest and East.
USAC Sprint Car Series Champions
USAC National Midget Series Champions
The HPD Midget Series is a regional division of USAC. Utilizing cars identical to the midgets seen in the National Midget Championship, with the exception of the engine, drivers as young as 12 years old can compete. As of 2014, the sealed crate engine used by the series is a 2.4L 4-cylinder Honda K24 engine from Honda Performance Development, although the previous-generation Ford 2.0L 4-cylinder based on the engine found in the Ford Focus ZX3 and built by Roush Yates Engines is grandfathered in some classes.
National Championship The HPD Midget Series National Champion has been determined in a variety of ways. The inaugural championship, 2005, was decided by a two-race series (one dirt, one pavement). Subsequent national champions were determined by a single "national championship race" held at various locations. This format was used until 2010. In 2011, a points system was instituted to determine the national champion. Counting only a drivers twelve best finishes, the system allowed drivers from multiple regions to compete under a common points structure for a season-long championship. The 2012 season did not award a national champion, however the respective regional champions were honored at the USAC Night of Champions.
USAC HPD Midget Series Midget National Champions
The Traxxas TORC Series was founded in 2009 by motocross racer Rick Johnson and it was managed the race operations and officiated the events.[10] USAC took over complete management of the series in 2010.[10] The complete management ended in August 2013 season when it was sold to The Armory. USAC returned to offication / race control and the series was renamed "TORC: The Off Road Championship" for 2014.
The USAC featured a stock car division from 1956 to 1984.
* The inaugural season featured two subtitles: Pacific Coast (won by Sam Hanks) and Short Track (Troy Ruttman).
Jim Dittemore 1971 Lola/Chevrolet T192
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