#30 C.J. Leary of Greenfield, Indiana. (Photo Courtesy Brian Bouder)

By: Richie Murray - USAC Media

One-thousand, eight-hundred and sixty-eight. That's the number of USAC Sprint Car events held since the club's inception in 1956 coming into the final two weekends of the 2018 season Nov. 2-3 at Arizona Speedway and Nov. 8-9-10 at California's Perris Auto Speedway.

Of those 1,868 races throughout a 63-year span, this year actually marks one of the busiest years in USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car history with a total of 37 events already held - 36 points races and one non-points, special event. Barring any weather disruptions over these next two weekends - knock on wood - this would mark the fourth largest schedule in terms of events run by the series.

The year 1977 set the highwater mark with 51 events held, but the schedule consisted visits to only six different states: Indiana, California, Illinois, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. In 2018 already, the series has ventured to 10 states, with two more to be added in November for a total of 12 states, which will make it the third most diverse schedule as far as states traveled to: Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

What makes it the third busiest schedule in its 63-year-history? If you add the Number of Events + the Number of Tracks, 1977's cumulative score works out as 57 (51 events + 6 tracks). Meanwhile, 2016 had 45 events in 11 states to become the second busiest at 56 points.

This year, if all goes according to schedule at Arizona and Perris, with 41 events in 12 states, you would arrive at a cumulative score of 53, making it the third busiest overall season in the history of the series when all the pieces are put together. And that goes with having five rain outs which prevented a trip to the state of Kansas, which would've added one more point to the total.

Without further ado, here's a gander at the year-by-year history of USAC National Sprint Car racing, ranked by the number of events held and how many states held those events.

YEAR-BY-YEAR EVENT AND TRACK COUNT (BY RANK)
1. 1977: (51) 51 Points Races (6 States)
2. 2016: (45) 41 Points Races, 4 Special Events (11 States)
3. 1976: (44) 44 Points Races (4 States)
4. 1973: (41) 41 Points Races (6 States)
5. 1978: (40) 40 Points Races (9 States)
6. 1968: (39) 39 Points Races (9 States)
7. 1979: (39) 39 Points Races (5 States)
8. 2010: (39) 39 Points Races (10 States)
9. 2012: (39) 38 Points Races, 1 Special Event (13 States)
10. 2015: (39) 39 Points Races (10 States)
11. 2009: (38) 36 Points Races, 2 Special Events (9 States)
12. 2017: (38) 37 Points Races, 1 Special Event (10 States)
13. 2004: (37) 35 Points Races, 2 Special Events (15 States)
14. 2006: (37) 36 Points Races, 1 Special Event (11 States)
15. 2003: (36) 31 Points Races, 5 Special Events (7 States)
16. 2005: (36) 34 Points Races, 2 Special Events (9 States)
17. 2011: (36) 36 Points Races (10 States)
18. 2018: (36) 35 Points Races, 1 Special Event (12 States)
19. 1967: (34) 34 Points Races (8 States)
20. 1974: (34) 34 Points Races (4 States)
21. 1975: (34) 34 Points Races (5 States)
22. 1999: (34) 34 Points Races (5 States)
23. 2013: (33) 33 Points Races (9 States)
24. 2001: (32) 31 Points Races, 1 Special Event (7 States)
25. 2014: (32) 32 Points Races (10 States)
26. 1970: (31) 31 Points Races (8 States)
27. 1971: (31) 31 Points Races (5 States)
28. 1972: (31) 31 Points Races (7 States)
29. 1997: (31) 31 Points Races (4 States)
30. 1998: (31) 31 Points Races (6 States)
31. 1990: (29) 29 Points Races (7 States)
32. 2000: (29) 29 Points Races (5 States)
33. 2002: (29) 28 Points Races, 1 Special Event (6 States)
34. 2007: (29) 29 Points Races (8 States)
35. 1956: (28) 27 Point Races, 1 Special Event (8 States)
36. 2008: (28) 27 Points Races, 1 Special Event (8 States)
37. 1965: (27) 27 Points Races (6 States)
38. 1966: (27) 27 Points Races (9 States)
39. 1969: (27) 27 Points Races (7 States)
40. 1985: (27) 27 Points Races (9 States)
41. 1994: (27) 27 Points Races (5 States)
42. 1996: (27) 27 Points Races (10 States)
43. 1982: (26) 26 Points Races (8 States)
44. 1995: (26) 26 Points Races (8 States)
45. 1961: (24) 24 Points Races (6 States)
46. 1963: (24) 24 Points Races (7 States)
47. 1964: (24) 24 Points Races (6 States)
48. 1980: (24) 24 Points Races (4 States & 2 Countries)
49. 1991: (24) 24 Points Races (7 States)
50. 1960: (23) 23 Points Races (6 States)
51. 1962: (22) 22 Points Races (5 States)
52. 1984: (22) 20 Points Races, 2 Special Events (5 States)
53. 1981: (21) 21 Points Races (5 States)
54. 1957: (20) 20 Points Races (4 States)
55. 1988: (20) 20 Points Races (6 States)
56. 1989: (20) 20 Points Races (6 States & 2 Countries)
57. 1958: (19) 19 Points Races (4 States)
58. 1993: (19) 19 Points Races (4 States)
59. 1992: (18) 18 Points Races (6 States)
60. 1959: (17) 17 Points Races (7 States)
61. 1983: (17) 17 Points Races (3 States)
62. 1987: (14) 14 Points Races (6 States)
63. 1986: (11) 11 Points Races (3 States)

The 51st "Western World Championships" from Arizona Speedway in San Tan Valley, Ariz. on November 2-3 will feature the USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship with the USAC/CRA Sprint Cars as well as the USAC Southwest Sprint Cars.

The 23rd Budweiser "Oval Nationals" California's Perris Auto Speedway on November 8-9-10 features three-straight nights of USAC AMSOIL National & CRA Sprint Cars, concluding with a $25,000-to-win prize on the final night.

All five remaining races will all be streamed live on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/ and live audio will be on the USAC app.