By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Speedway, Indiana (December 6, 2023)………The USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Championship enters the 2024 season loaded for bear with 30 events on the calendar from April through November at dirt tracks spanning California, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
SEASON OPENERS IN KOKOMO
Opening the year are two consecutive nights of the Kokomo Grand Prix at Indiana’s Kokomo Speedway, the lone track on the 2024 schedule that was also on the calendar during USAC’s inaugural year of 1956.
HITTING DOUBLES & TRIPLES
Five more events will be held in tandem alongside additional USAC series to make for tantalizing doubles and even tripleheaders throughout the year.
The Belleville (Kan.) Short Track will roll out the welcome mat for two-straight nights of midget racing on May 17-18. That same weekend, the USAC Silver Crown National Championship will make a two-night escapade to the adjoining Belleville High Banks half-mile which surrounds the inner 1/4-mile dirt oval.
Fall brings the heat by way of a James Dean Classic USAC twin-bill for the National Midgets and the AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship at Indiana’s Gas City I-69 Speedway on September 19. That same weekend, Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway presents the BeFour The Crown showdown on September 20, then closes out with a $15,000-to-win affair at Eldora’s half-mile on September 21.
The 42nd running of the 4-Crown at The Big E provides the one and only opportunity of the year to witness all three USAC national divisions in one night, with the winner’s share being increased from $10,000 to $15,000 from 2023 to 2024 for all three series, plus the High Limit Sprint Cars.
TO MID-AMERICA AND TO THE NORTH
USAC National Midget racing will also make its fair share of voyages to Mid-America throughout the spring and summer months with a stop at Missouri’s Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex for the John Hinck Championship arriving on May 19.
Mid-America Midget Week goes full send in mid-July with four events during a five-night span in three different states. First up is Meeker, Oklahoma’s Red Dirt Raceway for Tuesday Night Thunder on July 9. One night later, it’s northbound to Kansas for the Chad McDaniel Memorial at Beloit, Kansas’ Mitchell County Fairgrounds on July 10.
Jefferson County Speedway in the great state of Nebraska presents two nights of racing to close out Mid-America Midget Week for the Midwest Midget Championship on July 12-13 where the finale pays $10,000-to-win.
Way up north lies Wisconsin’s legendary Angell Park Speedway which will hold two nights of the 39th running of the Firemen’s Nationals on Labor Day weekend, September 1-2.
6 STRAIGHT NIGHTS OF USAC INDIANA MIDGET WEEK
USAC Indiana Midget Week celebrates its 20th birthday in 2024 with another fine slate of six events across six consecutive evenings in the Hoosier state.
For the first time in its young history, Circle City Raceway in Indianapolis launches the frenzied week of racing on June 4. Gas City follows up on June 5 with Lincoln Park Speedway (June 6), Bloomington Speedway (June 7), Tri-State Speedway (June 8) and Kokomo Speedway (June 9) rounding out the busy week.
ADDITION TO TRADITION FOR THE WESTERN SWING
USAC’s end-of-season National Midget California swing has expanded with the addition of a first-time venue and the reshuffling of the dates.
Placerville Speedway’s Hangtown 100 kicks it all off on November 15-16 with the season’s only 100-lap midget race. For the first time ever, Tulare’s Thunderbowl Raceway presents the USAC National Midgets with a date on November 20.
The annual ventures of Midget Madness continue November 22-23 at Merced Speedway. Meanwhile, Bakersfield Speedway’s November Classic moves from its previous slot as the opening night of the swing and will now serve as the penultimate round of the series season on November 26.
California’s Ventura Raceway will be the host once again of the 83rd running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix on Saturday night, November 30. For 2024, the longest-running midget racing event on the schedule has increased its winner’s share from $10,000 to $15,000.
TO BE ANNOUNCED / DETERMINED
Three notable TBA designations can be found on the 2024 USAC National Midget schedule. The sixth running of the Driven2SaveLives BC39 is a certainty for 2024 and will take place at The Dirt Track at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on yet-to-be-determined dates. Once again, the finale will pay a season high $20,039 to the victor.
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2024 USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Apr 26: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Kokomo Grand Prix | $4,000
Apr 27: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Kokomo Grand Prix | $5,000
May 17: Belleville Short Track | Belleville, KS | $4,000
May 18: Belleville Short Track | Belleville, KS | $6,000
May 19: Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex | Sweet Springs, MO | John Hinck Championship | $6,000
Jun 4: Circle City Raceway | Indianapolis, IN | Indiana Midget Week | $4,000
Jun 5: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Gas City, IN | Indiana Midget Week | $4,000
Jun 6: Lincoln Park Speedway | Putnamville, IN | Indiana Midget Week | $4,000
Jun 7: Bloomington Speedway | Bloomington, IN | Indiana Midget Week | $5,000
Jun 8: Tri-State Speedway | Haubstadt, IN | Indiana Midget Week | $5,000
Jun 9: Kokomo Speedway | Kokomo, IN | Indiana Midget Week | $5,000
Jul 9: Red Dirt Raceway | Meeker, OK | Tuesday Night Thunder | $4,000
Jul 10: Mitchell County Fairgrounds | Beloit, KS | Chad McDaniel Memorial | $4,000
Jul 12: Jefferson County Speedway | Fairbury, NE | Midwest Midget Championship | $4,000
Jul 13: Jefferson County Speedway | Fairbury, NE | Midwest Midget Championship | $10,000
Sep 1: Angell Park Speedway | Sun Prairie, WI | Firemen’s Nationals | $5,000
Sep 2: Angell Park Speedway | Sun Prairie, WI | Firemen’s Nationals | $5,000
Sep 19: Gas City I-69 Speedway | Gas City, IN | James Dean Classic | $4,000
Sep 20: Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | BeFour The Crowns | $5,000
Sep 21: Eldora Speedway | Rossburg, OH | 4-Crown Nationals | $15,000
Nov 15: Placerville Speedway | Placerville, CA | Hangtown 100 | $5,000
Nov 16: Placerville Speedway | Placerville, CA | Hangtown 100 | TBA
Nov 20: Thunderbowl Raceway | Tulare, CA | TBA
Nov 22: Merced Speedway | Merced, CA | Midget Madness | $5,000
Nov 23: Merced Speedway | Merced, CA | Midget Madness | $5,000
Nov 26: Bakersfield Speedway | Bakersfield, CA | November Classic | $5,000
Nov 30: Ventura Raceway | Ventura, CA | Turkey Night Grand Prix | $15,000
TBA: The Dirt Track at IMS | Speedway, IN | BC39 | $5,000
TBA: The Dirt Track at IMS | Speedway, IN | BC39 | $5,000
TBA: The Dirt Track at IMS | Speedway, IN | BC39 | $20,039
Richie Murray – USAC Media