 | |
| USAC Silver Crown Series | |
|---|---|
| Venue | West 16th Street Speedway (1946-1958) Kokomo Speedway (1959-1961, 1965-1968) Indianapolis Speedrome (1962-1964, 1979) Indiana State Fairgrounds (1972-1973) Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis (1969- 1971, 1974-1978, 1980-2017) |
| Location | Brownsburg, Indiana 39°48′46″N 86°20′27″W / 39.81278°N 86.34083°W |
| First race | 1946 AAA Midgets |
| First Silver Crown race | 2015 |
| Distance | 68.6 miles |
| Laps | 100 |
| Previous names | Famous Night Before the 500 (1958-1960) Coca-Cola Night Before the 500 (1979) Budweiser Night Before the 500 (1989-2000) Toyota Night Before the 500 (2007) NOS Energy Drink Night Before the 500 (2010) Visit Hendricks County Night Before the 500 (2013-2014) Day Before the 500 (2015) Carb Night Classic...The Race Before the 500 (2016-17) |
| Most wins (driver) | Eddie Haddad (4) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt |
| Length | 0.686 mi (1.104 km) |
| Turns | 4 |
| Lap record | 0:19.581 (Mark Smith, Ralt RT5, 1989, Formula Super Vee) |
The Dave Steele Carb Night Classic is a United States Auto Club dirt track car race held near Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, which takes place in late May before the Indianapolis 500 at the nearby Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Over its history, the event has been held at several different short tracks in Indiana, but since 1980, it has permanently been hosted at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in Brownsburg, Indiana. The event has long been considered one of the Indianapolis 500 traditions, along with the Hoosier Hundred and Little 500, which are also held over the same weekend at different venues in Indiana. Over the course of its history, numerous Indy 500 drivers have competed in the Night Before the 500, some winning.
For nearly 70 years, the event was better known as the Night Before the 500 and was traditionally scheduled the night immediately before the Indianapolis 500 and held under-the-lights. From its inception in 1946 through 2014, the event was held as a midget car race. In 2015, the race was switched to the USAC Silver Crown Series and held in the afternoon. In 2016, it was renamed Carb Night Classic and moved to Friday night of the Memorial Day weekend, to avoid conflicting with the Little 500 at Anderson Speedway. In 2018, the race was named after Dave Steele, a former USAC driver killed in a 2017 racing crash.
Various support races have accompanied the Midget main event including stock cars, Formula Super Vee, Formula Ford, and the Mini Indy series. Since 2010 (except in 2017), the Mazda Road to Indy U.S. F2000 and Pro Mazda racing series supported the event. The current name of the event is derived from "Carb Day", the final practice session for the Indianapolis 500, held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway earlier in the afternoon. While the two events are not directly linked, they share a long and rich history of co-existence.