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.”
*
=======================
*
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
*
=======================
*
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
