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11/28/22 3:33 PM GRANT RACKS UP 2ND STRAIGHT MIKE CURB USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2022

https://www.usacracing.com/news/silv...onship-in-2022



GRANT RACKS UP 2ND STRAIGHT MIKE CURB USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2022

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Speedway, Indiana (November 28, 2022)………Justin Grant had a special season on the USAC trail in 2022, and with it, comes the special awards.

For the second consecutive year, the Ione, Calif. native captured the Mike Curb USAC National Drivers Championship.* For Grant, it’s his third such title, having earned the reward in 2017, 2021 and now 2022.

Grant becomes just the fourth driver to win the honor on three different occasions, joining J.J. Yeley (2001-2002-2003) and Bryan Clauson (2010-2011-2012).* Tracy Hines has won the award more times than anybody else, on four occasions in 2000, 2008, 2013 and 2014.

No other driver started every USAC national event throughout the year and no other driver accumulated more total points throughout the three national divisions during the course of the 2022 campaign than Grant.

In 82 combined USAC national starts in 2022, the Ione, Calif. native totaled 4,991 points, more than a thousand markers over his nearest competition, earning a $10,000 bonus.

“It’s a neat reward,” Grant exclaimed.* “It’s cool to be acknowledged for being at the front of all three series throughout the course of the year.* Anything with Mike Curb’s name on it carries some weight.* He’s been a staple in USAC racing for a long time and winning an award with his name on it is really neat and it’s even neater that it pays a few more bucks this year.”

Grant’s 2022 journey included a first USAC National Sprint Car driving championship and he was the lone driver to win feature in all three series during the year with one Silver Crown victory, six in the sprint cars and five more in midgets.

It’s something that Grant doesn’t take for granted, not the first time he corralled the overall USAC National Drivers Championship, nor the second or third time as well.

“Driving with USAC specifically is what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid,” Grant said.* “To be in the position to run all these races and to do this is amazing and I want to do as much of it as I can.* I’m really fortunate to have great car owners, great partners and great crews and the ability to go and run all these races is really on them with how much they provide for me and how hard they work to keep me going, beating up and down the road.”

As Grant alluded to, it’ takes more than a driver to make it all work.* There are several facets that work to make it a success and three teams in which Grant competed for to achieve the feat: Hemelgarn Racing (Silver Crown), TOPP Motorsports (Sprint Car) and RMS Racing (Midget).

“I get to come in and be the hero at the end of the night,” Grant continued.* “It’s really a lot about all about them and my wife at home taking care of the kids and holding the house down while I’m out on the road racing.* I’ve just got a really good circle around me, great car owners, great partners, great crews, great wife and a great family.* There’s a ton of people on the backend that you don’t see on FloRacing who make it possible for everybody to see me on FloRacing every night.”

Curb has offered the reward annually since the 1999 USAC season, and now in his 24th year of bestowing the honor upon USAC’s top overall points champion.* The title was rechristened as the National Drivers Championship to more properly represent the accomplishment of achieving the feat, which so few have done.

The prize had previously been known as the USAC National Drivers Championship for a span of three years between 2010-2012 as well as the Super License in recent years.

The new Mike Curb USAC National Drivers Champion will be honored at USAC’s Night of Champions in December of 2022.

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MIKE CURB USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONS:

1999: Dave Darland

2000: Tracy Hines

2001: J.J. Yeley

2002: J.J. Yeley

2003: J.J. Yeley

2004: Jay Drake

2005: Josh Wise

2006: Josh Wise

2007: Jerry Coons Jr.

2008: Tracy Hines

2009: Cole Whitt

2010: Bryan Clauson

2011: Bryan Clauson

2012: Bryan Clauson

2013: Tracy Hines

2014: Tracy Hines

2015: Dave Darland

2016: Brady Bacon

2017: Justin Grant

2018: Tyler Courtney

2019: Tyler Courtney

2020: Chris Windom

2021: Justin Grant

2021: Justin Grant

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2022 MIKE CURB USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:

1.*********** 4,991**** Justin Grant

2.*********** 3,968**** Logan Seavey

3.*********** 3,164**** C.J. Leary

4.*********** 3,117**** Mitchel Moles

5.*********** 2,910**** Brady Bacon

6.*********** 2,819**** Emerson Axsom

7.*********** 2,670**** Thomas Meseraull

8.*********** 2,388**** Buddy Kofoid

9.*********** 2,369**** Robert Ballou

10.******** 2,148**** Jason McDougal

11.******** 2,079**** Matt Westfall

12.******** 1,910**** Jake Swanson

13.******** 1,864**** Chase Stockon

14.******** 1,829**** Kyle Cummins

15.******** 1,736**** Jadon Rogers

16.******** 1,726**** Kaylee Bryson

17.******** 1,669**** Bryant Wiedeman

18.******** 1,666**** Cannon McIntosh

19.******** 1,439**** Kevin Thomas Jr

20.******** 1,306**** Jacob Denney

21.******** 1,290**** Brenham Crouch

22.******** 1,279**** Zach Daum

23.******** 1,244**** Taylor Reimer

24.******** 1,130**** Shane Cottle

25.******** 1,039**** Brandon Mattox

26.******** 1,021**** Ethan Mitchell

27.******** 977******* Hayden Reinbold

28.******** 956******* Chance Crum

29.******** 930******* Jade Avedisian

30.******** 783******* Dominic Gorden

31.******** 760******* Chase McDermand

32.******** 697******* Max Adams

33.******** 675******* Tanner Thorson

34.******** 668******* Kody Swanson

35.******** 632******* Briggs Danner

36.******** 596******* Ryan Timms

37.******** 585******* Jace Park

38.******** 575******* Cade Lewis

39.******** 569******* Alex Banales

40.******** 525******* Mario Clouser

41.******** 518******* Brian Tyler

42.******** 504******* Maria Cofer

43.******** 488******* Daison Pursley

44.******** 455******* Shane Cockrum

45.******** 454******* Charles Davis Jr

46.******** 431******* Alex Bright

47.******** 428******* Mariah Ede

48.******** 420******* Trey Gropp

49.******** 404******* Travis Welpott

50.******** 379******* Dallas Hewitt

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51.******** 332******* Cole Bodine & Bobby Santos

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53.******** 327******* Xavier Doney

54.******** 325******* Kyle Robbins

55.******** 322******* Brent Beauchamp

56.******** 319******* Gregg Cory

57.******** 314******* Sterling Cling

58.******** 264******* Blake Brannon

59.******** 255******* Taylor Ferns

60.******** 244******* Dave Berkheimer

61.******** 242******* Carson Short

62.******** 236******* Travis Buckley

63.******** 230******* Nathan Byrd

64.******** 229******* Davey Hamilton Jr

65.******** 223******* Eric Gordon

66.******** 220******* Kyle Shipley

67.******** 218******* Wyatt Burks

68.******** 216******* Ricky Lewis

69.******** 210******* Gavin Miller

70.******** 208******* Brady Short

71.******** 202******* Carmen Perigo

72.******** 199******* Derek Bischak

73.******** 197******* Mike McVetta

74.******** 194******* Sam Johnson

75.******** 189******* Steven Drevicki

76.******** 178******* Bryan Gossel

77.******** 174******* Brian Ruhlman

78.******** 172******* Harley Burns

79.******** 157******* Tom Paterson

80.******** 156******* Jack Hoyer

81.******** 154******* Casey Buckman

82.******** 153******* Brian Hayden

83.******** 147******* Russ Gamester

84.******** 143******* Brayden Fox

85.******** 142******* Austin Nemire

86.******** 141******* Davey Ray

87.******** 129******* Nick Bilbee & Kyle O'Gara

89.******** 127******* Dustin Clark

90.******** 119******* Nick Hamilton

91.******** 118******* Mike Haggenbottom

92.******** 113******* Jerry Coons Jr

93.******** 101******* Tanner Swanson

94.******** 100******* Patrick Bruns

95.******** 98********** Steve Buckwalter

96.******** 95********** Braxton Cummings

97.******** 93********** Jake Day

98.******** 91********** Kyle Steffens

99.******** 89********** Brandon Morin

100.****** 88********** Patrick Lawson & Landon Simon

102.****** 87********** Kaidon Brown

103.****** 82********** Jimmy Light

104.****** 74********** Kendall Ruble

105.****** 64********** Chad Boespflug & Tyler Roahrig

107.****** 63********** Adam Taylor

108.****** 59********** J.R. Ewing

109.****** 56********** Rylan Gray

110.****** 55********** Saban Bibent & Bill Rose

112.****** 51********** Danny Long

113.****** 46********** Terry Babb

114.****** 43********** Jake Simmons

115.****** 42********** Dave Peperak

116.****** 41********** A.J. Fike & Chris Windom

118.****** 39********** Matt Goodnight

119.****** 38********** Korey Weyant

120.****** 37********** Tye Mihocko

121.****** 36********** Cary Oliver

122.****** 34********** Oliver Akard

123.****** 33********** Nathan Moore, Steven Russell & Kent Schmidt

126.****** 31********** Mark Smith & Chris Urish

128.****** 27********** Ryan Newman

129.****** 25********** Mark Bitner

130.****** 24********** Chris Fetter

131.****** 18********** Tommy Nichols

132.****** 10********** David Byrne, Chelby Hinton, Anthony Macri, Nate McMillin & Ronnie Wuerdeman

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