The three USAC National Champions: AMSOIL Sprint champ Tyler Courtney (Left), P1 Insurance Midget champ Logan Seavey (Middle) & Silver Crown champ Kody Swanson (right). (Jeremey Rhoades Photo)

Via USAC Medie

Indianapolis, Indiana (December 7, 2018).........USAC National driving champions Kody Swanson, Tyler Courtney and Logan Seavey shared the spotlight along with other 2018 USAC champions and special award recipients at Friday night's 63rd USAC "Night of Champions" celebration at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in downtown Indianapolis, Ind.

Swanson, of Kingsburg, Calif., Courtney, of Indianapolis, IN and Seavey, of Sutter, Calif., earned National championships. Swanson is a four-time Silver Crown titlist, Courtney a first-time AMSOIL Sprint Car king and Seavey a first-time P1 Insurance National Midget champ.

Courtney secured the $5,000 Mike Curb "Super License" in memory of Bryan Clauson. The award was presented for scoring the most National points combined in the three series.

Car owner National champions for 2018 included DePalma Motorsports of Lima, Ohio (Silver Crown), Clauson/Marshall/Newman Racing of Fishers, Ind. (Sprint) and Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports of Columbus, Ind. (Midget).

Emcees Pat Sullivan, Dillon Welch and Butch Lamb orchestrated the presentations, which included driver and car entrant champions, Rookies of the Year, Most Improved Drivers and special award recipients.

Among items presented to the 2018 champions were championship rings from Jostens, trophies, plaques, Hoosier Tire jackets, medallions, distinctive sound art canvases and OGIO Sonic Sling Packs from Elliott's Custom Trailers.

Sprint Car driving champions in addition to the aforementioned included Damion Gardner of Concord, Calif. (AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprints); Austin Liggett of Tracy, Calif. (West Coast Sprints), Charles Davis, Jr. of Buckeye, Ariz. (Sands Chevrolet Southwest Sprints), Steven Drevicki of Reading, Pa. (East Coast Sprints) and Brett Wilson of Sapulpa, Okla. (Wingless Oklahoma Sprints).

Other 2018 champions included Michael Faccinto of Hanford, Calif. (Light up the World Beverages Western States Midgets); Alex Bright of Collegeville, Pa. (USAC Eastern Midgets), Jason Goff of Preston Hollow, NY (Laquerre's Sports DMA Speed2 Midget); Aaron Leffel of Springfield, Ohio (Midwest Thunder Speed2 Midget); Andy Baugh of Mason City, Ill. (Engler IMRA Speed2 Midget), Adam Lemke of Hollister, Calif. (Western Speed2 Midget Overall and Pavement), Tyler Slay of Watsonville, Calif. (Western Speed2 Midget Dirt) and Jessica Bean of Farmland, Ind. (Eastern Speed2 Midget).

Jarrett Kramer of Spring Valley, Calif. earned the USAC National Lightning Sprint title.

Also honored for their 2018 championships at Kutztown, Pa.'s Action Track USA were Billy Pauch, Jr. of Frenchtown, NJ (All Pro SpeedSTRs and Hyper Racing Wingless 600 Sprints); Jared Silfee of Saylorsburg, Pa. (Speedway Entertainment All Star Slingshots) and Tyler Ulsh of Shade Gap, Pa. (Speedway Entertainment Junior Slingshots).

Honored as USAC .25 Midget National Champions as a result of their accomplishments were drivers Steven Snyder (Heavy 160 Dirt and Heavy World Formula Pavement), Paul Hartwig (Junior Honda Dirt), Dylan Kontra (Senior Honda Dirt), Kenny Beinhower (Heavy Honda Dirt), Jacob Denney (Light 160 and Light World Formula Dirt), Tyler Driscoll (Junior Animal Dirt), Preston Lattomus (Senior Animal and Light Formula Mod Dirt), Jayden Wolf (Unrestricted Animal and Heavy World Formula Dirt), Ethan Burdett (Junior Honda and Junior Animal Pavement), Hunter Wise (Light 160 and Light World Formula Pavement), Ryan Wilson (Heavy 160 Pavement), Nick Loden (Senior Honda Pavement), Chase Spicola (Senior Animal Pavement), Daytona Spicola (Unrestricted Animal Pavement), Justis Sokol (Heavy Formula Mod Pavement) and Taylor Watson (Heavy Honda Pavement).

USAC President Kevin Miller presented USAC Special Appreciation Awards to Scott Petry and Reece O'Connor, acknowledging their contributions to the BC39 Midget race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and the Roger McCluskey Award to Phil Grove for his outstanding support of and contributions to the BC39 Midget race. Race organizer Doug Boles also was awarded the Race Organizer of the Year award for the September Midget spectacular at IMS.

Kyle Robbins of New Castle, Ind. earned the 2018 USAC Silver Crown "Rookie of the Year" honor. Timmy Buckwalter of Douglassville, Pa. and Logan Seavey of Sutter, Calif. shared the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Rookie honors and Seavey was also presented the Bob Stroud Memorial Rookie of the Year award for the P1 Insurance National Midget Series.

Isaac Chapple of Willow Branch, Ind. was named USAC's Most Improved National Driver of 2018.

USAC's 2018 Chief Mechanic of the Year award went to Tyler Ransbottom, who orchestrated Courtney's drive to the AMSOIL National Sprint Car title.

In a special ceremony, the #63 Silver Crown car was proclaimed a "lifetime registration" for DePalma Motorsports, the Silver Crown Car Owner champions who announced their retirement at the end of 2018.

Dick Jordan, who is celebrating his 50th year at USAC, was honored for his contributions to the series with an award named after him. Recipients of the award will have to meet the criteria of one who has dedicated his or her life to the betterment of USAC racing.

Two driving championships concluded in virtual ties in 2018, with Tyler Courtney and Michael Faccinto benefitting from their total feature wins in claiming their respective titles. The only previous tie in USAC history resulted in 1977 when Herm Johnson and Tom Bagley shared the Mini-Indy crown.

Second and third-place drivers and car entrants in USAC's National racing series also received their year-end recognition and awards.

All USAC driving champions were also presented one-year memberships by the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in Knoxville, Iowa.

Floral decorations were provided by Jockish Flowers of Indianapolis.

Via Blakesley Sports Media

STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA (December 6, 2018) – California Speedweek has announced that Hoosier Racing Tire, the leading dirt racing tire manufacturer, has agreed to present the fifth annual event for Micro Sprints. The Hoosier Tire California Speedweek will run from June 25-29, 2019, including Super 600, Non Wing, and Restricted Micro Sprints. The four races in five days event visits Dixon Speedway, Delta Speedway, Keller Auto Raceway at Plaza Park, and Lemoore Raceway.

Hoosier Tire has been a contingency partner for the series over the previous four seasons before increasing its involvement for 2019. Drivers and teams from across North America and Australia venture to the golden state to compete for the coveted carved wooden bear trophies. The event is also a lucrative one, awarding nearly $250,000 in cash and prizes with five drivers eclipsing $10,000 in career series earnings.

The series is owned by C&P Promotions and promoted by Steven Blakesley.

“We could not be happier to have a great partner like Hoosier Racing Tire to support our series, our tracks, and our racers,” Blakesley said. “It is a special feeling when a company of their heritage recognizes what we are doing for the sport and wants to give back.”

Pre-registration and additional details will be announced in the spring of 2019. Sponsorships are available by contacting Steven Blakesley at steven@norcalmedia.com or (916) 316-4854.

The California Speedweek is available online at www.CASpeedweek.com or on Facebook and Twitter.

Via Blakesley Sports Media

RIVERSIDE, CALIFORNIA (December 5, 2018) – 12 year-old Cody Kiemele of Riverside, CA will enter his second season of Junior Late Model competition in 2019, competing across the southwest in his #48 Unlimited Landscaping / Burgeson’s Air Conditioning Toyota Camry.

The Amelia Earhart Middle School student burst onto the scene this season competing at Irwindale Speedway and the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. His progression into the series bore fruit, as he picked up two victories and three second place finishes at Irwindale on the one-third mile inner oval. He also accumulated a best finish of third at Vegas on the 3/8ths mile speedway.

Kiemele was the fourth highest driver in the national points for INEX Bandoleros in 2017 and like many Bandolero drivers in the Southwest, he has taken to full-sized stock cars rather quickly. His season culminated with the biggest run of his career in November. Kiemele was granted an age exemption to compete in the $5,000 to win, 100 lap season finale at his home Orange Show Speedway in San Bernardino. Kiemele was one of three Jr. graduates in the field and he qualified eighth out of 18 cars. He drove a steady race for a fifth place finish behind fellow graduate Austin Herzog, 15, who picked up the win.

The epicenter of the Jr. Late Model world is at Madera Speedway, which debuted the division for drivers ages 10-16 in 2016. Kiemele is working on his 2019 plans but they include starting the season at the MAVTV-televised one-third mile. The season opens on March 9th followed by round #2 on April 6th. Among the challenges will be an increase in lap count, with the Madera events spanning 70 laps. Drivers within the top-five at the lap 40 break receive a televised interview as do the top-three finishers at the checkered flag.

Kiemele drives a GM 602 crate engine on a Pathfinder Chassis. He also divides his time as a baseball pitcher when not on the track. His sponsors include Swift Springs, Downforce Racing Products by Loren Hill, and DJ Safety.

For more information or to sponsor Cody, call his father Rob at (909) 553-6130.