But wait, there’s more: the Hoosier Hundred is a hundred mile dirt race held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on their 1 mile horse/car dirt track. The Hoosier Hundred was originally held as a Champ Car race in the early 1950s in September. It was included on the Champ Car schedule until 1970 (when dirt racing was dropped from Champ Car remember), where it became part of USAC’s Silver Crown Series. When USAC decided to drop dirt racing from the Champ Car, they created a new class called Silver Crown. These cars were much more like the old style of Indianapolis Champ Car that had raced in the early 1960s. Silver Crown is the spiritual successor to Champ Car: even today they use production based engines and run on both asphalt and dirt ovals, usually a mile or less. The Hoosier Hundred has run nearly continuously since 1953, sometimes in September, but recently in May before the Indy 500. The one constant since that first race has been the location: the Indiana State Fairgrounds in downtown Indianapolis. The 1-mile clay horse/car track has always been the host of the Hoosier Hundred race, a true old school race even in the modern age. Unfortunately, after much petitioning, the fairgrounds will be changing the track surface from the traditional clay to crushed limestone for the horse and harness racers. The new surface is unsuitable for racecars, making 2019 the last traditional Hoosier Hundred. For decades, the best oval drivers in the US raced at, and won, the Hoosier Hundred. From AJ Foyt, to Rodger Ward: Eddie Sachs to Jeff Gordon: Gary Bettenhausen to Kody Swanson. All have won the Hoosier Hundred.
With the backstory out of the way, let’s look at the racing.
