By Danny Burton

Forgive my bias, but sprint cars opening the season at the Terre Haute Action Track are comparable to Father’s Day, a birthday, and Grandparents’ Day all rolled into one. A strong lineup of some of the best in the Midwest is expected to kick off the Action Track’s 2015 season on April 26.

This event will be co-sanctioned by the Midwest Sprint Car Series and the King of Indiana Sprint Series. On April 11 at Lincoln Park Speedway, Chase Stockon grabbed the feature win and the early point lead in the 2015 debut of the MSCS. Terre Haute will be the opener for KISS, the first of seven scheduled events presented by seven of the finest bullrings in the nation.

Among competitors expected to pay a visit to the Action Track on the 26th are Brady Short, 2013 KISS champion from Bedford, Indiana. Also Kyle Cummins, winner of five MSCS features and a native of Princeton, Indiana is expected to stop by for awhile.

On the modified side, NASCAR racer and TV personality Kenny Wallace is expected to pay another visit to Terre Haute.

The MSCS schedule this year will find the caravan traveling from one end of the Hoosier State to another, from Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt (southwestern Indiana) to the Montpelier Motor Speedway (northeastern Indiana). 20 races are scheduled under the MSCS banner with six of them co-sanctioned.

The KISS schedule will follow a similar path from Tri-State in the southwest to Gas City/I-69 Speedway in northeastern Indiana.

After the Terre Haute event, KISS heads north to Gas City on Friday, May 1, then to the multi-groove Kokomo Speedway on Sunday, May 3.

The gang then goes southeast to the Lawrenceburg Speedway on Saturday, May 16 to challenge the lightning quick three eights mile oval.

The following weekend will find the King of Indiana Sprint Series and the Midwest Sprint Car Series teaming up at the Bloomington Speedway and the high banked red clay oval on Friday, May 22.

Two nights later, both groups again meet at the Tri-State Speedway, less than a two hour drive from Terre Haute to the Class Track.

The 2015 KISS season closes out at the ageless Paragon Speedway on Saturday night, June 13.

The Action Track will have its share of special events this year as well, beginning with the April 26 opener which will also see UMP Modifieds tackling the lightning quick half mile oval.

USAC’s sprint cars and UMP Modifieds will assemble at the Vigo County Fairgrounds on May 20, a Wednesday, for the “Tony Hulman Classic,” which will honor the memory of the man who did so much for racing at every level.

A “NASCAR night” is in the works with a date yet to be announced. This will host MSCS sprinters and the UMP Modifieds.

On Sunday, June 7, the UMP Summit National Modifieds take center stage.

The storied USAC Silver Crown division will offer up their brand of excitement on Thursday, July 2.

One of the most anticipated dates that sprint fans love will be July 15, a Wednesday. This is the night that USAC’s sprint cars arrive for Indiana Sprint Week, the “Don Smith Classic” presented by First National Bank. Like Mr. Hulman, Mr. Smith has been a friend of racing over the years.  The Action Track will be the scene of the fourth of seven races in nine nights.

A final race, date to be announced, will closeout the 2015 season at the Action Track. USAC sprints and the UMP Mods will be on the card.

Pit gates open at 3:00, grandstands at 4:00, Hot laps are scheduled to start at 5 p.m. with racing at 6:30 on April 26.