Youngest Driver in USAC History to Debut in Toledo Saturday
Youngest Driver in USAC History to Debut in Toledo Saturday
April 15, 2025 (Indianapolis, Indiana)………Colton Bettis will make his USAC Silver Crown National Championship debut with Sam Pierce Racing on Saturday, April 19, during the Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness Rollie Beale Classic at Ohio’s Toledo Speedway.
The 15-year-old teenaged phenom will become the youngest driver to compete in USAC Silver Crown Series history. Bettis will pilot the no. 126 AP Driver Development / SamPierceChevy.com / Logical Systems Chevy powered Beast alongside teammate and Team SPR primary driver Kaylee Bryson, the 2024 Trans Am SGT Series National Champion.
Colton will also race the SPR no. 26 Chevy V6 powered sprint car during the Glenn Niebel Classic at Anderson Speedway this Thursday, April 17, in preparation for Anderson Speedway’s 77th Little 500 on Memorial Day weekend. SPR team principal Aaron Pierce is the all-time Glenn Niebel Classic race winner with six career victories.
Bettis has been on quite a roll as of late, winning the 2024 Auburndale (FL) Pro Late Model Championship and the 2024 BG Southern Sprint Car Series Championship last season. The Lutz, Florida native was ranked number five in the 2024 National Pavement Sprint Car Rankings.
His roll continues into 2025 as he has won five of the first seven winged pavement sprint car races in Florida so far this season - beaten only by open wheel G.O.A.T. Kody Swanson. Swanson won the season opener with Bettis a close second during the prestigious Dave Steele Classic at Showtime Speedway. Colton countered by winning the second feature of the night with Kody finishing second. Ironically, Swanson was driving the #26 for Team SPR at the event while Colton’s success this season has been in his family-owned #61.
The following weekend the wing cars headed to Citrus Speedway for the Children’s Dream Fund Weekend where Bettis fired the first salvo winning the first feature race of the event over Swanson in Dick Meyer’s formidable #50. Colton led the opening laps the next night before succumbing to a blown engine while leading, and – no surprise, Kody took the win. Kaylee Bryson earned her career-first winged pavement sprint car podium that evening with a third-place finish in the Team SPR #26 just one week after posting her first Trans Am Series podium of the season with a second-place finish behind Paul Tracy at the Trans Am opener at Sebring International Raceway.
Not at all discouraged by the engine woes at Citrus, Team Bettis rebounded to sweep the next three events at Showtime and Auburndale Speedways over the last three weekends – and even started on the tail for the last two races. Collectively, Bettis and Swanson have dominated all seven Florida winged pavement sprint car races this season.
Bettis is currently ranked second in the 2025 National Pavement Sprint Car Rankings, only 4.5 points behind Swanson and is the current BG Southern Sprint Car Shootout Series points leader. The two face off next, along with Bryson in Toledo this Saturday.
RACE DETAILS
Racing fans, start your engines! Toledo Speedway is gearing up for an electrifying Opening Day on Saturday April 19, headlined by a first-of-its-kind doubleheader that will set the tone for an action-packed season. The historic half-mile oval will roar to life with the prestigious Hemelgarn / SuperFitness USAC Silver Crown Rollie Beale Classic 100-lap race alongside the close quarters CRA JEGS All Star Tour 100-lap event, promising an unforgettable day of racing excitement, presented by Insulators Local 45.
You can get your tickets for this race NOW by clicking the link below.
2:00 PM