DIRT DREAMS COME TRUE: USAC Sprint Week Thunders into IMS

A new chapter in Hoosier horsepower history is set to be written Thursday night, as the 38th annual USAC NOS Energy Drink Indiana Sprint Week launches its opening salvo at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway—though not on the bricks, but on the dirt.

The Dirt Track at IMS, nestled inside Turn 3 of the legendary oval, will host an invitational field of 40 of the nation’s top Sprint Car gladiators. These speed demons will sling clay in a 35-lap showdown where $10,000 and prestige are on the line in this non-points exhibition toward the Indiana Sprint Week standings. However, drivers will earn USAC National Sprint Car appearance points as the summer sprint storm rolls through Indy.

C.J. Leary, who stole the show at the inaugural USAC event at The Dirt Track in 2024, will look to defend his turf under the lights. Leary carved his way from seventh to first in a thrilling late-race surge last year, and fans are eager to see if he can pull off another magic trick on Thursday.

With public gates opening at 5 p.m., fans should enter through Gate 10 off 30th Street and prepare for an evening full of heart-pounding horsepower. From the rumble of engine heat at 6 p.m. to hot laps, heats, mains, and redraws, this isn’t just dirt track racing—it’s Indiana Sprint Week, and at IMS, every lap is legendary.