bob jennings' WORLD O' RACING  07/05/99

Steve Knepper (car 17) leads Tony Stewart (car 32) in a USAC National Midget series feature at 16th St. Speedway on July 5, 1997

Bob Jennings

Over the past few seasons, I've become a big fan of USAC racing. I enjoy the Midgets, Sprints and Silver Crown cars more or less equally. Many years ago, prior to the change in complexion of Indy car racing, with the switch to rear engine cars, I used to pay close attention to USAC racing, because it was relevant to the "Indianapolis 500." After times changed,  however, in the 1960's, I only took passing notice in what was going on in USAC competition.

For a couple years, in the mid 1980's, I used to go to the Indianapolis Speedrome, to watch the USAC Midgets. I watched Rich Vogler and Mack McClellan battle weekly, around the tiny Speedrome oval. I can still visualize Vogler's red Jonathan Byrd Kentucky Fried Chicken midget lift the left front wheel going into the corners. Vogler was a terrific driver. Can you imagine how big Rich Vogler would've been in the Indy Racing League?

I usually watched the USAC Thunder programs, on ESPN and later, ESPN2. I saw Jeff Gordon gain recognition, on the Thunder shows, before his switch to NASCAR. I became familiar, again, with USAC racing, by watching ESPN. With the start of the IRL and Tony Stewart's rise, my interest in USAC grew. The past couple seasons, after I quit going to CART races, I replaced them by going to USAC events.

The evening I took this photo, I was attending my second USAC race in two nights. The night before, I had come, from Chicago, to see Tony Stewart run the Silver Crown race, at the Terre Haute Action Track. Donnie Beechler won that race. Stewart fell out of the Terre Haute race, within ten laps of the finish, while running third. On this night, Tony would win, driving an Esslinger powered midget, for his friend Larry Martz. He had to chase Knepper to get the win and he was in the process of doing that when I took this photo.

I went to the 16th Street Speedway, again in September 1997. Stewart was in the race that night too, but he fell out of the feature, which was won by Billy Boat.

Tony George and local partners purchased Bush Stadium, when the Indianapolis Indians AAA baseball team moved to the new Victory Field, in downtown Indianapolis. The ball park was converted to a race track and opened for midgets and "Legends" cars, in April 1997. It's a pretty neat place. People can say what they want, but George is devoted to the sport of racing and he puts his ideas in action.