FRIDAY THE 13TH OPENS WESTERN WORLD
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
San Tan Valley, Arizona (November 13, 2020)………Friday night’s Western World Championships opener presented by San Tan Ford USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget event at Arizona Speedway will mark just the 19th USAC National race held on Friday the 13th since the club’s inception in 1956.
Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) won the most recent USAC National event held on the date on Sept. 13, 2019, a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car feature at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track.
Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, Ind.) won the most recent Friday the 13th USAC National Midget feature at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway in April of 2018. Both Grant and Courtney are in the lineup for this weekend’s Western World, pulling double duty with the USAC NOS Energy Drink National / Western States Midgets and AMSOIL USAC CRA / Southwest Sprint Cars.
Chuck Rodee won the first ever for USAC National Midget race held on Friday the 13th in 1965 at Michigan’s Ionia Free Fair. Jim Mahoney, meanwhile, won the first USAC National Sprint Car race on the date at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas in 1991.
On both Friday and Saturday night, Nov. 13-14, the pits open at Arizona Speedway at 1pm MT, grandstands at 3pm, the drivers meeting at 5pm and hot laps at 5:30pm. General admission adult tickets are $30, while kids 11 and under are just $10. Pit passes are $40 for adults and $15 for ages 7-12 and free for ages 6 and under.
The previous year’s Western World Midget winners include Kevin Thomas Jr. and Brady Bacon, who each raced their way to San Tan Ford / Beaver Stripes victory lane in 2019.
Western World tickets are on sale now at www.arizonaspeedway.net.
Both nights of the 53rd Western World Championships will be streamed live on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/2ZpafUr.
Here's a look at the history of USAC National events held on Friday the 13th throughout the years.
FRIDAY THE 13TH USAC NATIONAL MIDGET SERIES WINNERS:
8/13/1965: Ionia, MI - Ionia Free Fair - Chuck Rodee
9/13/1968: Springfield, IL - Springfield Speedway - Bob Wente
6/13/1969: Jackson, MI - Jackson Motor Speedway - Mel Kenyon
8/13/1971: Hales Corners, WI - Hales Corners Speedway - Danny Caruthers
10/13/1972: Chula Vista, CA - South Bay Speedway - Larry Rice
8/13/1982: Springfield, IL - Springfield Speedway - Rich Vogler
9/13/1985: Indianapolis, IN - Indianapolis Speedrome - Rich Vogler
9/13/1985: Indianapolis, IN - Indianapolis Speedrome - Rich Vogler
11/13/1987: Tucson, AZ - Raven Raceway - Sleepy Tripp
6/13/2014: Bloomington, IN - Bloomington Speedway - Christopher Bell
4/13/2018: Kokomo, IN - Kokomo Speedway - Tyler Courtney
FRIDAY THE 13TH USAC NATIONAL SPRINT CAR SERIES WINNERS:
9/13/1991: Kansas City, KS - Lakeside Speedway - Jim Mahoney
9/13/1996: Mechanicsburg, PA - Williams Grove Speedway - Billy Pauch
7/13/2001: Toledo, OH - Toledo Speedway - Brian Tyler
7/13/2007: Gas City, IN - Gas City I-69 Speedway - Daron Clayton
7/13/2012: Gas City, IN - Gas City I-69 Speedway - Bryan Clauson
11/13/2015: Perris, CA - Perris Auto Speedway - Robert Ballou
9/13/2019: Terre Haute, IN – Terre Haute Action Track – Justin Grant