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11/29/23 8:04 PM LIKE A RECORD: GRANT GETS 3RD STRAIGHT MIKE CURB USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2023

https://www.usacracing.com/news/spri...onship-in-2023



LIKE A RECORD: GRANT GETS 3RD STRAIGHT MIKE CURB USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP IN 2023

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Speedway, Indiana (November 29, 2023)………Justin Grant’s second straight USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship isn’t the only impressive accolade he repeated during the 2023 campaign.

For the third consecutive season, and fourth time overall, the Ione, Calif. racer captured the $10,000 Mike Curb USAC National Drivers Championship, amassing more total points across the three USAC national divisions throughout the duration of the 2023 campaign.

Grant (2021-2022-2023) now becomes just the third driver to win the honor in three consecutive seasons, joining J.J. Yeley (2001-2002-2003) and Bryan Clauson (2010-2011-2012).

Furthermore, with his first such Mike Curb USAC National Drivers Championship arriving in 2017, Grant also added his name to the very short list of drivers who’ve earned the reward four times overall, a list which includes only himself and Tracy Hines (2000-2008-2013-2014).

“To have my name alongside the legends and heroes of the sport, it’s why I love the lists and I love seeing where my career stacks up against other guys careers,” Grant explained.* “I jokingly say that I feel like my name is devaluing that list, but it’s starting to feel more and more like it belongs.* I know how big of a deal those guys were to me, watching them as I grew up and then getting to race against them.* They’re huge names and icons and I’m awfully, awfully proud to have my name along with them.”

In making 73 combined USAC national starts in 2023, the Ione, Calif. native totaled 4,394 points, just 184 markers more than second place finishing Logan Seavey.

Curb is accustomed to “records” as a hit making musician and the founder of Curb Records, but now racers like Grant are beginning to make records of their own in association with Curb, a record Grant is proud to have his name be a part of.

“It’s super special for me to not only win it once, but to win it four times now,” Grant exclaimed.* “Our on-track performance is one thing, but being able to keep car owners and partners and crew people happy and wanting to go up and down the road with me year after year is another point of pride.* It’s a little bit different when we go win a big race or a series championship, which is entirely performance based.* But to me, the Mike Curb award speaks more about your ability to manage your role as a driver and multiple race teams.* I struggled with that early in my career, so it’s a point of pride now that I’ve been able to be successful at that.”

Additionally, Grant once again finished inside the top-three of all three USAC national divisions’ point standings, also doing so in 2021.* In 2023, he tallied a first with the AMSOIL National Sprint Cars for TOPP Motorsports, second with the NOS Energy Drink National Midgets for RMS Racing and third with the Silver Crown series for Hemelgarn Racing.* He now stands behind only Rich Vogler in that category, the man who was the first to finish inside the top-three in all three in 1980 before repeating in 1981 and again in 1989.

“Being able to be in the points hunt in all three divisions for a few years now is really cool,” Grant reflected.* “We want to win all three, and when you don’t, it always feels like a bit of a disappointment, but it gives you a little perspective on the accomplishment and it’s nice to take a breath and look at the fact that there aren’t many guys who’ve had the opportunity to race for all three, and there’s even less guys who’ve had the opportunity to race for all three in a single year.”

Grant is beyond thankful for the opportunity, and while soaking in the accomplishments at season’s end, he doesn’t take any of it for granted.

“To be one of those guys, and to do my job after having that opportunity, makes me feel very grateful and fortunate for the opportunities I have, the car owners I have, the partners I have, the crews that work on them, my family at home and my wife and kids that support me while I’m out on the road.”

This year marked the 25th year of the Mike Curb USAC National Drivers Championship.* Curb has offered the reward annually since the 1999 USAC season to honor USAC’s top overall points champion.* Once known as the USAC Super License, the title was rechristened as the National Drivers Championship to more properly represent the accomplishment of achieving the feat, which so few have done.* Now Grant will once again accept the honor during USAC’s Night of Champions at the Indiana Roof Ballroom in Indianapolis on Friday night, December 8, 2023.

“The passion he has for motorsports, and especially our form of motorsports, is great, and the fact that he has an award to honor and pay a guy who beats up and down the road and lays it out on the line night-in and night-out is incredible,” Grant said of Curb.* “These are dangerous racecars at the end of the day, and when you’re in one as many nights of the year as we are, your odds of getting hurt go up substantially.* It feels good to be recognized for that, and it feels good to be appreciated and it means a lot knowing that Mike Curb is willing to do that.* He’s done this for a long time now, and I’m honored to win it.”

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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

2022: Justin Grant

2023: Justin Grant

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2023 MIKE CURB USAC NATIONAL DRIVERS CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

POS****** PTS******* DRIVER

1*********** 4394***** Justin Grant

2*********** 4210***** Logan Seavey

3*********** 3362***** Emerson Axsom

4*********** 3073***** Daison Pursley

5*********** 2562***** C.J. Leary

6*********** 2547***** Brady Bacon

7*********** 2345***** Mitchel Moles

8*********** 2196***** Jake Swanson

9*********** 2107***** Kyle Cummins

10********* 2012***** Matt Westfall

11********* 2005***** Kevin Thomas Jr.

12********* 1977***** Robert Ballou

13********* 1975***** Chase Stockon

14********* 1705***** Thomas Meseraull

15********* 1457***** Bryant Wiedeman

16********* 1429***** Ryan Timms

17********* 1407***** Jade Avedisian

18********* 1373***** Carson Garrett

19********* 1363***** Jacob Denney

20********* 1227***** Gavin Miller

21********* 1190***** Cannon McIntosh

22********* 1177***** Taylor Reimer

23********* 1087***** Shane Cottle

24********* 1075***** Jake Andreotti

25********* 995******* Hayden Reinbold

26********* 921******* Jadon Rogers

27********* 832******* Tanner Thorson

28********* 829******* Chase McDermand

29********* 822******* Kody Swanson

30********* 770******* Briggs Danner

31********* 766******* Max Adams

32********* 703******* Mario Clouser

33********* 623******* Brandon Mattox

34********* 567******* Jesse Love

35********* 561******* Daniel Whitley

36********* 539******* Chance Crum

37********* 528******* Charles Davis Jr.

38********* 475******* Jerry Coons Jr.

39********* 465******* Ethan Mitchell

40********* 447******* Kaylee Bryson

41********* 436******* Joey Amantea

42********* 400******* Mariah Ede

43********* 399******* Taylor Ferns

44********* 382******* Bobby Santos

45********* 345******* Sterling Cling

46********* 334******* Trey Burke

47********* 322******* Eddie Tafoya Jr.

48********* 319******* Brent Beauchamp

49********* 301******* Travis Welpott

50********* 299******* Derek Bischak

51********* 245******* Wayne Johnson

52********* 241******* Kyle O'Gara

53********* 237******* Russ Gamester

54********* 221******* Brady Short

55********* 216******* Davey Hamilton Jr.

56********* 211******* Rylan Gray

57********* 205******* Dalton Stevens

58********* 201******* Dave Berkheimer

59********* 177******* Chase Dietz

60********* 176******* Kyle Steffens

61********* 173******* Bryan Gossel

62********* 173******* Gregg Cory

63********* 173******* Mike McVetta

64********* 172******* Dakoda Armstrong

65********* 164******* Xavier Doney

66********* 155******* Tyler Roahrig

67********* 148******* Zack Pretorius

68********* 143******* Tom Harris

69********* 139******* Carmen Perigo

70********* 137******* Billy Wease

71********* 137******* Nathan Byrd

72********* 135******* Tom Paterson

73********* 130******* Steve Buckwalter

74********* 129******* Shane Cockrum

75********* 125******* Tanner Swanson

76********* 120******* Kayla Roell

77********* 120******* Kyle Robbins

78********* 117******* Dallas Hewitt

79********* 110******* Kevin Newton

80********* 109******* Cole Bodine

81********* 97********* Chris Fetter

82********* 95********* Casey Buckman

83********* 95********* Jason McDougal

84********* 95********* Travis Millar

85********* 92********* Ivan Glotzbach

86********* 90********* Oliver Akard

87********* 90********* Peter Hunnibell

88********* 89********* Ava Gropp

89********* 88********* J.J. Hughes

90********* 81********* Davey Ray

91********* 79********* Brenham Crouch

92********* 76********* Saban Bibent

93********* 71********* Patrick Lawson

94********* 71********* Trey Osborne

95********* 70********* Chris Urish

96********* 70********* Ryan Barr

97********* 66********* Patrick Bruns

98********* 65********* Jacob Wilson

99********* 61********* Danny Long

100******* 60********* Blake Brannon

101******* 60********* Curtis Spicer

102******* 60********* Devan Myers

103******* 57********* Holly Jones

104******* 55********* Ryan Thomas

105******* 53********* Korey Weyant

106******* 50********* Corey Joyner

107******* 49********* Aaron Pierce

108******* 49********* Caleb Armstrong

109******* 49********* Tyler Courtney

110******* 44********* Brian Hayden

111******* 44********* Tim Simmons

112******* 37********* Alex Bright

113******* 37********* Nathan Moore

114******* 33********* Brian Ruhlman

115******* 32********* Mark Bitner

116******* 31********* Steven Russell

117******* 30********* Cody Jessop

118******* 30********* Laike Imm

119******* 29********* Mark Smith

120******* 27********* A.J. Fike

121******* 27********* Matt Mitchell

122******* 27********* Parker Jones

123******* 25********* John Tosti

124******* 23********* Matt Goodnight

125******* 23********* Tanner Berryhill

126******* 20********* Scout Spraggins

127******* 20********* Zach Hampton

128******* 17********* Brent Yarnal

129******* 10********* Adam Taylor

130******* 10********* Cary Oliver

131******* 10********* Critter Malone

132******* 10********* Dave Peperak

133******* 10********* Gary Dunkle

134******* 10********* Jace Park

135******* 10********* Joss Moffatt