Schedule Update and Wausau Race News
The 2022 off season for the USSA ProStar Series and the ProStar Cup Tour personnel has been nothing short of eventful. With many changes in race formats, the driver and crew experience, and an ever-evolving schedule, the USSA board of directors has found itself continuously meeting, discussing, and evaluating new ideas and suggestions. The outcome of the discussion is truly exciting.
The 2022-2023 schedule for the USSA ProStar Series and the ProStar Cup Tour has been re-released. No one saw the loss of the Fire on Ice event in Weyauwega as a possibility and it caught the USSA board by surprise. In an effort to fill a complete race schedule, the board was able to negotiate racing at the famed World Championship Derby Complex (WCDC). The WCDC staff and the USSA board of directors are adding a ProStar Cup Tour race (Round 3) as part of the Friday Night Thunder race package on January 13, 2023. In addition, USSA will sanction and participate in the February World Series race at the WCDC. This Friday and Saturday race event will see Round 7 of the ProStar Cup Tour run on Friday. Racing is scheduled to begin around 2 pm on Friday.
Wausau, Wi has been a racer and fan favorite for the past several years. With the off-season sale of the property by Ralph Merwin, the future of ice oval racing in Wausau was in jeopardy. In a forward thinking move, the USSA Board of Directors carved out an agreement with the new property owners to continue ice oval racing in Wausau. The USSA ProStar Series will not only sanction the Jan 28-29 race weekend, USSA will also operate in the role of the promoter. Through a cooperative effort with the local volunteers from the Wausau track, the USSA ProStar series will oversee building the ice track, preparing the venue for the weekend, and running the race weekend. But wait – there is more!!
Ice Oval Sprint World Cup
Working as the promoter of the Wausau weekend, the USSA ProStar Series proudly introduces the “Ice Oval Sprint World Cup”; a 440 Pro Champ showdown. After running Round 4 of the ProStar Cup Tour on Saturday, Jan 28, the inaugural “Ice Oval Sprint World Cup” will be run on Sunday, Jan 29. Heat races throughout the day will qualify drivers for the 15-lap final at the Wausau facility. The Sprint World Cup will become the premier traveling trophy for the 440 Pro Champ ice oval class. The World Cup will signify who is the best of the best in the 440 Pro Champ Sprint class. In addition to the significant trophy, the cash payout for the Pro Champ field on Sunday should exceed any other race venue for the season.
The 2023 Ice Oval Sprint World Cup race will begin an annual tradition of recognizing the importance of the Pro Champ class in the world of ice oval sprint racing. The trophy, cash, and prestige that will follow this trophy will add emphasis to design ingenuity and driver skill at the top of the food chain. Don’t miss it.