2024 United Rebel Sprint Series Souvenir Program

URSS Set for 31 Race Schedule...

The 2024 United Rebel Sprint Series schedule has been announced with 31 dates at 15 different tracks across 5 states, totaling more than $250,000 in total purse money.

The slate is highlighted with major events including the $5,000 to win DCRP 305 Nationals at Dodge City Raceway Park in Dodge City, Kansas, The Sandhill Showdown at Lincoln Co Raceway in North Platte, Nebraska, the Bellville 305 Nationals in Bellville, Kansas, and a double header weekend at Salt City Speedway with the USAC Silver Crown Series.

The United Rebel Sprint Series will kick off the season with a new event added to the schedule. The Inaugural DCRP 305 Sprint Car Nationals at Dodge City Raceway Park will kick off the 2024 season with $5,000 to win on April 6th. The event will feature a practice session on Thursday allowing drivers to test and tune from the off season.

The series looks to make new stops in the next year with one of the earliest being the Enid Speedway in Enid, Oklahoma. The High Banked 3 / 8 Mile looks to bring new excitement to the series. The Salt City Speedway in Hutchinson Kansas will also make its return to the schedule after the recent vote with the Kansas State Fair Board. The 1/2 mile, 100 year old dirt oval will add another new venue for the United Rebel Sprint Series. The series will make familiar stops as well in 2024 with Dodge City Raceway Park hosting 6 nights, Salt City Speedway in Hutchinson, Ks hosting 6 nights, Longdale Speedway with 3 nights, Bellville High Banks with 2 nights, WaKeeney Speedway with 2 nights, and multiple double header weekends.

No matter who you ask, Rick Salem has been the pinnacle of Sprint Car Racing in the Midwest. Born and raised in Oberlin, Kansas, Rick Salem has always had a pure love for Sprint Cars. Salem and his father, Bob, had an exceptional bond. Even though Salem’s father has passed away, that bond is still evident to this day. Rick’ father was monumental in sculpting his son’s racing career, and big supporter of him beginning the United Rebel Sprint Series in 2006. Since its inception, the United Rebel Sprint Series has grown into one of the largest 305 Sprint Car Racing Series in the nation. From the Bellville High Banks, Colorado Motorsports Park, Dodge City Raceway Park, to even the depths of Longdale Oklahoma. The United Rebel Sprint Series has raced at nearly 50 different tracks across the Midwest. Notable drivers and Champions getting their start with Rick Salem and the URSS group. From third generation driver Kyler Johnson, to Jake Bubak, Zach Blurton and Jason Martin, many notable drivers have had to get their elbows up with the URSS bunch.

From URSS vs OCRS, to first time appearances, the United Rebel Sprint Series has been a prayer answered in the Midwest for Sprint Car Racing, and the limit is only higher from here.

What is the United Rebel Sprint Series?

The United Rebel Sprint Series is the premier sanctioning body for 305 winged sprint car racing in the world. The series was founded by Rick Salem in 2006, giving 305 winged sprint car racers somewhere to compete with uniform rules and guaranteed purse money in the Midwest.

What is a IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car

A United Rebel Sprint Car is a purpose-built open-wheel race car that must weigh at least 1,550 pounds with the driver in the car. The 305-cubic inch engine is fueled by methanol and produces approximately 450 horsepower.

2024 Sprint Car Specs

Engine: 305 Cubic inch max

Fuel System: Fuel Injection

Horsepower: Approx 500 hp

Compression Ratio: 10-11:1

RPM: 3,200 - 7,800 rpm

Speed: Up to 125 Mph

Powertrain: In/Out direct drive with quick change rear end

Lubrication: Dry sump oil system

Fuel: Methanol

Wheelbase: 80”-95”

Width: 77”

Weight: 1,550 with the driver

Chassis - Chrome-moly frame

Ground Clearance: 6” on right, 4” on left

Tire Brand: Hoosier

Right Rear Tire: 18” wide, 94” circumference

Wheels: Aluminum

Steering System: Power steering

Brakes: Disc brakes

Why is there a wing on top of the car?

A large wing on top of the car with sideboards that face opposite directions produces a great amount of downforce to help keep the car planted on the track and turn in the corners. The wings also help to absorb energy in the case of the car getting airborne in an accident. Top wings became prominent in the early 1980s. The cars also have nose wings.

Why are the cars pushed to start?

Sprint Cars do not have starters, so push trucks are used to fire the engine and get the car in gear. The car only has an in/out drive, no reverse.

Where do the United Rebel Sprint Series Cars Race?

The Series races all over the Midwest. Some of the most well-known tracks on the circuit include: Dodge City Raceway Park in Kansas, Lincoln County Raceway in Nebraska, Longdale Speedway in Oklahoma, and Belleville High Banks in Kansas.

What are the United Rebel Sprint Series Race Night Formats?

Drivers Meeting Prior to each night of racing, all United Rebel Sprint Series drivers and crew members attend a mandatory meeting conducted by Series Officials. The meeting outlines the night’s racing and any procedural changes that may be in place.

Hot Laps Group practice sessions of three or more laps (depending on track size) are run at speed for drivers to ensure their cars are ready for qualifying. Groups are determined by a draw that also determines the order for time trials.

Qualifying (Time Trials) Each driver runs two timed laps to determine where they will start in the Heat races. Any competitor who misses his spot in the qualifying order by more than two places is allowed one lap at the end of time trials with restrictions placed on how well they can officially be scored.

Heat Races (or Heats) A series of 8- to 12-lap races (depending on size of track) that determine which cars will move on to the Feature or Last Chance Showdown. The top five cars in the Heats transfer when there are four heat races. If there are three heat races, then the top six transfer to the Feature. The number of Heats depends on the number of cars.

Feature The final race of the night determines the champion, who enters Victory Lane followed by the second and third place finishers. These three constitute the Podium. Depending on the size of the track, the Feature usually ranges from 25 to 40 laps, which is predetermined and shared with the drivers and teams at the Drivers Meeting.

What are the United Rebel Sprint Series Car Radio Frequencies?

The United Rebel Sprint Series Car Radio Frequencies are 450.0000

Dalton Janousek— The Road to 38 United Rebel Sprint Series victories and 5 championships all started with a 13 year old boy from Jetmore, Kansas. A second generation driver, and now husband, father, and arguably one of the best IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car drivers to hit any local track since the uprising of Jason Johnson. Zach Blurton has became more than just the once “Teenage Sensation” when he first got his start. In 2011, Blurton won his first ever URSS sanctioned race at the Jetmore Motorplex. That win would only be the start of what lead into a 12 year tear through the Midwest. It wouldn't be for another 6 years before Blurton could overcome tight point battles with fellow competitors. In 2017, the one box left to be checked was all that Zach and his team could focus on. With a near record low of 15 total sanctioned races in 2017, Blurton only managed to win 1 race. That 1 win would be enough though that year to help him claim his first ever United Rebel Sprint Series Championship. The next 3 seasons, Blurton would combine for 14 URSS victories, including a URSS record of 5 wins a row in the 2020 season. That spurt would help Zach claim his fourth consecutive championship with the URSS. In 2023 Zach Blurton added 3 more wins to his name which included a tying win with Jake Bubak for 2nd all time in the United Rebel Sprint Series. At the conclusion of 2023, Zach announced that the team would move up to 360 competition with the American Sprint Car Series. Zach Blurton has become a well known name within the open wheel scene. While the Quinter, Kansas driver may be moving on to 360 racing, don’t count him out entirely of a few surprise events including a rare Midget occurrence.

Zach Blurton (Age 5)

By Greg Soukup

EAGLE, Neb. (Sept. 3, 2023) – Night four of the IMCA RaceSaver Sprint Car Nationals presented by Twin Rivers Jeep Dodge Ram and Twin Rivers Ford was a repeat of nights two and three as far as the weather was concerned.

The spotlight introduction of the 27 warriors, highlighted by 3,000 glow sticks in the stands served to bring the crowd to a fever pitch in anticipation of the battle about to be waged on the high banks of America’s Home Track.

Lap one saw Jeremy Huish out front with Jason Danley, Jay Russell and Stu Snyder hot on his tail tank. 2021 champion Tyler Drueke passed Snyder on lap two to move into fourth. Drueke then got around Russell for third on lap five.

Drueke advanced to second on the restart, passing Danley for the position, and drove by Huish for the lead on lap seven.

Lap 20 saw Chris Graf and Chad Wilson get together in turn four, sending Graf flipping and causing a huge pileup behind them at the top of the track including Dustin Clark, Gene Ackland and Trevor Serbus.

Unfortunately, Drueke had been running the high side for a lot of the race, couldn’t stop in time and ran into Ackland, who drifted high in four in an attempt to miss the wreck. Ackland suffered extreme damage to his front axle and was done for the night as was Graf.

Drueke went to the work area to replace the drag link on his mount. He restarted in the 18th position. Huish, who had been .736 seconds off the pace before the melee, inherited the lead with Danley, Snyder and Mike Boston in fourth.

The restart saw Snyder advance to second but lose the spot back to Danley the following circuit. Ten laps remained when Tyler Harris passed Boston for fourth. Snyder passed Danley for second with five to go. The last change in the top four came with three to go when Harris also passed Danley for the third spot.

The final top four were Huish, Snyder, Harris and Danley. On a side note, Drueke managed to get all the way back up to the sixth position after he involvement in the crash fest on lap 20.

“It kind of shocks me and hasn’t quite settled in yet, but we unloaded with a lot of speed, kept it going all weekend and we had a lot of fun with it,” said Huish. “We came up to Eagle for a couple of weekly shows, wanting to expand the notebook a little bit and test some things out. I think it helped for tonight.”

“We really didn’t change a whole lot of things over the weekend,” he added. “The car was fast all weekend and I couldn’t be happier.”

Huish had finished 17th in last year’s RaceSaver Nationals main event. Snyder’s second place run was his best in nine career Big Dance starts

“I think it would have been a dog fight,” Huish said, when asked if he thinks he could have caught Drueke had the leader not gotten caught up in the lap 20 fracas. “Lapped traffic was very, very congested all over the place. You caught them quickly but just stalled out when you got there. The track had multiple grooves and the lapped traffic was top to bottom, so it would have been a very, very tight race.

“Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, I guess.”

FUN FACT

The United Rebel Sprint Series has run 47 features at RPM Speedway since 2007. C.J. Johnson leads the URSS with 6 wins at the track.

Home of the Belleville High Banks

Hall of Fame and National Midget Auto Racing Museum

Fans and family will tell you that “racing was in his blood.” The King family has been a part of the racing community since Steve’s father Danny fielded his first super modified in 1973. By 1979, six-year-old Steve was a regular on the crew, working alongside his father as they won the Supermodified National Championship Racing Association (NCRA) Championship. After this sweet taste of victory, Steve worked even harder, learning the ropes of dirt track racing. By the time he was eight, Steve was racing a go-cart around a small, makeshift track on the farm.

It wasn’t until 1989 that Danny finally let Steve climb behind the wheel as a driver. After high school, Steve spent the four years at Kansas State University earning his degree in Animal Science. But each summer, he spent his nights perfecting his driving skills at local tracks after farming all day. During this time of Steve's life, he won two track championships and finished fifth in overall IMCA circuit point standings.

Steve’s career took off in the mid-1990s when he began taking home the checkered flag at more and more tracks throughout the Midwest. His consistency earned him top 10 season standings in the NCRA circuits in 1995, 1996 and 1998-2006. Steve was the NCRA 360 Division Sprint Car Champion in 2002 and 2003, runner-up in 2004 and placed third in 2005. In 2006, he was posthumously awarded the ninth-place trophy. At the time of his death, Steve was the second most-winning driver in NCRA history.

Steve was in the second year of his sponsorship with Ethanol/ICM at the time of his death. The sponsorship was a perfect fit, teaming Steve’s farming background with the promotion of a fuel alternative. During the 2006 season, one of Steve’s goals was to qualify for the A-main at the Knoxville Nationals, the Daytona 500 of sprint car racing a feat he had attempted several times but had yet to achieve. Steve won his heat, setting a new 10-lap record and was running 16th in the qualifying feature at the time of the accident, which occurred on the white flag. Had Steve finished the race, he would have achieved his goal.

The Legends of the United Rebel Sprint Series

Three generations of racing run deep within the roots of the United Rebel Sprint Series. From the “Kansas Tornado”, Jon Johnson, to the All-Time winner in the URSS, C.J Johnson, or even the new and upcoming sensation of Kyler Johnson, the name runs deep with the Rebels…

When Rick Salem founded the series back in 2006, Jon Johnson was a huge supporter and aid in helping bring 305 Sprint Car racing to life in the Midwest. The spark only turned into a combustion later on, as Jon’s son, C.J, continued the success. From 2007-2013, C.J Johnson was not only able to win, but set the bar for future 305 drivers. Winning 39 URSS sanctioned races and a National title in 09’, the Johnson, and Series name was put on the map! The Johnson’s weren't the only name to help bring the Rebels to life though. Winning a Championship in 2007, and bringing a more …

“old-school” approach to the series. Smokey Ray Fairbank instantly became a fan favorite. A Ransom, Kansas native, also referred to as “Smokey”, entertained fans and racers from all over in his career. Now promoter for the Rush County Bullring in LaCrosse, Kansas, and Competition Director for Dodge City Raceway Park, you can still see Smokey at the track to this day.

In the early sanctioning of the URSS, one name came to rise quickly. That name being Luke Cranston. A western Kansas native from Holcomb, Cranston was able to do more with less in the time he was a Rebel. Winning 14 Belleville titles, a URSS title in 2006, and overall 34 wins with the URSS (4th all-time). “The Hitman” early in the day, was defiantly in tune when he was racing with the Rebels. Jason Martin combined for 31 wins (5th all-time) with the URSS. Martin now drives full time with the ASCS 360 tour.

2024 United Rebel Sprint Series Drivers

Steven Richardson Patrick Bourke

Jon Johnson

Brian Herbert

Ty Williams

Jason Martin

Luke Cranston

Zach Blurton

Jake Bubak C.J Johnson

Most URSS Championships - Zach Blurton - 5

Most URSS Championships in a row - Zach Blurton - 4

Most URSS Wins - C.J Johnson (39 Wins)

Most Wins in a Single Season - C.J Johnson - 16 Wins (2009)

Most Races at a Single Track (season) - Dodge City

Raceway Park - 17 Races (2008)

Most Races at a Single Track (all-time) - Dodge City

Raceway Park - (75 Races)

Most “First Time Winners” in a Season - 11 (2008)

Most Different Winners in a Season - 18 (2010)

Most Races in a Season– 54 Races (2008)

Least Races in a Season - 11 Races (2006)

All-Time URSS Races - 475 Races (as of 01/01/2024)

URSS Tracks Visited - 46 Tracks (since 2006)

Most Tracks Visited in a Season - 21 Different Tracks (2008)

Most New Tracks Visited in a Season - 10 (2008)