USAC Border Wars Returning to Eldora
ROSSBURG, OH – Eldora Speedway is deeply entrenched in history with many landmark events, each with their own characteristic. Among them is what is referred to as a ‘battle within a battle’, and that is the Border Wars concept involving the non-winged Sprint Cars of USAC (United States Auto Club). With a rich 14 year history behind it, the 15th annual running of USAC Border Wars concludes Saturday, June 14 at Eldora, with the sponsorship of Pak A Sak convenience stores.
While some of the Border Wars players have changed throughout the years, there has been one constant and that is that Eldora Speedway has been on the menu since its inception.
Originally the brainchild of the late Roger Holdeman of Winchester (IN) Speedway and Eldora Speedway founder Earl Baltes, the concept of Border Wars was to involve speedways with boundary ties to the Ohio/Indiana border line and run back to back races to determine an overall champion of the mini series.
To display the characteristic of USAC, and its demanding schedule of involving both dirt and asphalt surfaces, that was factored in with Winchester’s historic one-half mile asphalt oval and Eldora’s storied one-half mile clay oval as the original Border Wars participants.
The mini-battle was an instant winner with the fans. Two-time NASCAR champion, and current Eldora owner, Tony Stewart kicked off the Border Wars history with a championship in 1995, while Brian Tyler became the most versatile driver three-years running with Border Wars titles from 1996-1998.
Tracy Hines intervened with a Border Wars nameplate added to his resume in 1999, while Tyler came back to win yet another in 2000. Attica Raceway Park was added to the slate for a one-year stand in 2001, with another current NASCAR star, J.J. Yeley, stepping up to the podium. Hines charged back with a pair of titles in 1002 and 2003.
In 2004, Winchester stepped away from the Border Wars concept, with Gas City I-69 Speedway stepping to the plate to make for an all dirt-surface series. That fell into the hands of Jay Drake, who took two straight series (2004, 2005), before yielding the title to Jerry Coons, Jr. in 2006 and Jon Stanbrough last season.
The landmark 15th annual running of Border Wars will take on yet another look this season, as Winchester returns to the menu, while bringing along Ohio’s Shady Bowl Speedway. That will give the asphalt chasers a 2-1 advantage, and make for another interesting twist in a series that is equally intriguing. Winchester kicks off the three-race series on June 12, followed by Shady Bowl’s leg on June 13 and the Pak A Sak sponsored wrap up at Eldora on June 14.
<Tags: Border Wars, USAC