USAC events 2006 air dates announced

TWENTY USAC THUNDER RACES SCHEDULED ON THE OUTDOOR CHANNEL IN 2006

Outdoor Channel will telecast 12 Silver Crown races and eight other events during season

INDIANAPOLIS -- Twenty USAC events, including a dozen Silver Crown Series races, will be telecasted on The Outdoor Channel in 2006, the organization announced Thursday.

Known as USAC Thunder -- the throwback name to USAC's weekend races during the 1990s -- the tape-delayed races will be shown over a period of 20 weeks, including 14 straight Saturday afternoons from July thru September, in one-hour programs.

Twelve of the 14 Silver Crown races, including all nine to be contested on pavement in 2006 using the new generation cars, will be broadcast.

Five Midget races and three Sprint car races are also on The Outdoor Channel 's programming schedule. Two Midget events -- Phoenix and Milwaukee -- are incorporated into a Silver Crown Series weekend, but will be shown on different dates. Three other high-profile events -- the "Night Before The 500" at Indianapolis Raceway Park, the "Pepsi/Mt. Dew Midget Nationals" at Knoxville Raceway in Iowa, and the "Hut Hundred" at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track -- will also make their ways to the tube.

The Sprint car races scheduled for taping are the March 4 CRA Sprint Car Series race at Perris, Calif., the June 23 National Sprint Car Series race at Richmond, Va., and the annual "Joe James/Pat O'Connor Classic" Aug. 12 at Salem, Ind.

"We are extremely excited about the USAC Silver Crown, USAC/CRA and USAC Sprint Cars along with the USAC Midget Cars airing on The Outdoor Channel in 2006," said Steve Farmer, USAC's National Director of Sales and Marketing. "I personally want to thank everyone involved in putting together the most diversified television package available on any network. We look forward to many years of exciting USAC Racing on the Outdoor Channel."

USAC's National season is scheduled to start Jan. 21-22 with the "Copper World Classic" at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.

<pre> 2006 USAC Television Schedule -- The Outdoor Channel

Event Date      Location                                Air Date        Air Time        Division
Jan. 22         Phoenix International Raceway           Feb. 8  Wed.    8 p.m.          Silver Crown
Jan. 22         Phoenix International Raceway           Feb. 15 Wed.    8 p.m.          Midgets
March 4         Perris Auto Speedway                    April 1 Sat.    5 p.m.          CRA Sprints
March 25        Homestead-Miami Speedway                April 8 Sat.    5 p.m.          Silver Crown
May 27          Indianapolis Raceway Park               June 3  Sat.    5 p.m.          Midgets
June 3          Knoxville Raceway                       July 1  Sat.    5 p.m.          Midgets
June 16         Kentucky Speedway                       July 8  Sat.    5 p.m.          Silver Crown
June 23         Richmond International Raceway          July 15 Sat.    5 p.m.          Natl. Sprints
June 24         Richmond International Raceway          July 22 Sat.    5 p.m.          Silver Crown
July 7          Chicagoland Speedway                    July 29 Sat.    5 p.m.          Silver Crown
July 21         The Milwaukee Mile                      Aug. 5  Sat.    5 p.m.          Midgets
July 22         The Milwaukee Mile                      Aug. 12 Sat.    5 p.m.          Silver Crown
Aug. 3          Indianapolis Raceway Park               Aug. 19 Sat.    5 p.m.          Silver Crown
Aug. 12         Salem Speedway                          Aug. 26 Sat.    5 p.m.          Natl. Sprints
Aug. 19         Illinois State Fairgrounds              Sept. 2 Sat.    5 p.m.          Silver Crown
Sept. 3         DuQuoin State Fairgrounds               Sept. 9 Sat.    5 p.m.          Silver Crown
Sept. 9         Terre Haute Action Track                Sept. 16 Sat.   5 p.m.          Midgets
Sept. 16        Iowa Speedway                           Sept. 23 Sat.   5 p.m.          Silver Crown
Sept. 22        Eldora Speedway                         Sept. 30 Sat.   5 p.m.          Silver Crown
Sept. 30        Kansas Speedway                         Oct. 14 Sat.    5 p.m.          Silver Crown

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