MILWAUKEE SILVER CROWN 100-MILER SATURDAY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNE 13, 2011
DICK JORDAN

MILWAUKEE SILVER CROWN 100-MILER SATURDAY;
“500” VET JIMMY KITE RETURNS TO SERIES

This Saturday’s return of the TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Championship Cars to the Milwaukee Mile will mark the 2011 pavement debut of the series as defending champion Levi Jones leads the series back to the famed oval at the Wisconsin State Fair Park.

Interest will not only focus on the early battle for the series point lead but also on the series return of Indianapolis 500 veteran and Silver Crown veteran Jimmy Kite of Stockbridge, Ga., who will try to earn his first Silver Crown start in six years!

Kite is slated to drive a car for car owner Eddie Sachs, Jr., whose father won the pole at Indianapolis in 1961 and nearly won that year’s “500” before finishing third behind eventual winner A.J. Foyt.

Kite captured the imagination of the racing world with his sensational victory in the 1997 “Copper World Classic” at Phoenix International Raceway, then backed it up with a second-place finish three months later at what is now known as Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis. His last Silver Crown appearance came at the Indianapolis oval late in 2005.

Kite, who has more than 30 career INDYCAR starts, including Indianapolis 500 starts which produced 11th and 13th-place finishes in 1998 and 2003, is no stranger to the Milwaukee Mile. He finished 14th in his only INDYCAR start there in 2005 and started USAC Silver Crown races at Milwaukee in 2004 and 2005.

“I’ve been gone too long,” admits Jimmy. I’m really looking forward to getting back into a Silver Crown car and proving I’m not really retired at the age of 35! I love these cars and there’s so much history there and with the Milwaukee Mile. It’s a fun track and a race I surely don’t want to miss. It’s hard to relate racing an Indy car there with a Silver Crown car. They are entirely different. The Silver Crown cars dart around a lot and keep you a lot busier during the race. I’ve always been comfortable in the Silver Crown cars and I’m really excited about this weekend. I want to thank Eddie for giving me this opportunity.”

Saturday’s race will be the seventh for the USAC Silver Crown cars at the Milwaukee Mile since the series debuted in 1971. George Snider was the 1988 winner, Eric Gordon won in 1990 and Mike Bliss took the 1993 race. More recently, Jay Drake (2004), Dave Steele (2005) and Wayne Reutimann Jr. (2006) have been the winners.

Saturday’s race is part of a huge weekend at Milwaukee, which includes the IZOD INDYCAR “Milwaukee 225,” the TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Series and USAC’s Mopar .25 Midgets, as well as Firstone Indy Lights and USF2000 and Star Mazda racing.

USAC TRAXXAS SILVER CROWN POINT STANDINGS

1-Levi Jones-63; 2-Jerry Coons Jr.-60; 3-Tracy Hines-54; 4-Bud Kaeding-51; 5-Brian Tyler-48; 6-Derek Hagar-45; 7-John Heydenreich-42; 8-Tanner Swanson-39; 9-Todd Kane-36; 10-Dave Darland-33.

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“MIDGET WEEK” CHAMP CLAUSON SET FOR MILWAUKEE MILE;
5-RACE IMW SERIES PRODUCES MEMORABLE RACING, 4 WINNERS

The Milwaukee (Wisc.) Mile looms large for the USAC Mopar National Midget Series this week as they share the weekend billing with a number of racing series at the one-mile oval, including the IZOD INDYCAR “Milwaukee 225” Indycar race and the USAC TRAXXAS Silver Crown Championship Cars. USAC’s Mopar .25 Midgets are also slated for action on another track located on the fairgrounds.

Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind., USAC’s 2010 National Drivers Champion, comes to Milwaukee as the National Midget point leader and defending champion. He is coming off a five-race week which produced an “Indiana Midget Week” title and left him with a 17-point lead over Bobby East in the new National standings. Saturday’s Milwaukee race marks the fourth appearance of the series at Milwaukee this decade. J.J. Yeley won there in 2004, while Josh Wise (2005) and Bobby Santos III (2006) have also won on the Mile.

Practice and qualifying are scheduled Friday and Saturday’s race is a 25-miler.

Michael Pickens of Auckland, New Zealand scored a sensational victory in Sunday night’s “Indiana Midget Week” finale at the Kokomo Speedway, leading the final two laps after a restart which saw the complexion of the IMW points championship change in Clauson’s favor. Clauson emerged with a six-point margin of victory over Kyle Larson for the 2011 Indiana Midget Week title as Larson slid from the lead to third in the closing laps after leading the first 28 circuits. Pickens’ victory, his first in USAC racing, came in the Polar Ice/BSL Racing Breka/Esslinger Ford. Trailing him at the checkered flag were Tracy Hines, who made a late-race charge to second, Larson, Brad Kuhn and Clauson. Darren Hagen was the fastest qualifier.

Clauson won Saturday night's 30-lapper at Lawrenceburg Speedway. He got by Steve Buckwalter on lap six and led the last 25 laps in his Parker Stone Spike/Esslinger Ford. Pickens finished second at Lawrenceburg, ahead of Larson, Hines and Hagen.

Larson, of Elk Grove, Calif., scored his first USAC feature victory in Friday night’s 30-lapper at the Bloomington Speedway. Larson trailed Chris Windom for 17 laps, then led lap 18 before yielding the lead back to Windom. On lap 27 Larson caught Windom in turn three and then led the final four laps in his Toyota TRD Bullet to beat Windom, Shane Cottle, Caleb Armstrong and East. NASCAR star Jason Leffler was unable to make the feature after fighting an ill-handling car. Jerry Coons Jr. was the fastest qualifier and IMW title contenders Hagen and Brad Kuhn were relegated to using provisional starting spots at the back of the feature but finished 11th and 13th respectively

Clauson took the checkered flag first Thursday night at Lincoln Park Speedway in Putnamville, but not before a thrilling battle for the victory with Larson in round two of the 2011 “Indiana Midget Week.” Clauson passed Larson on the final lap for the win in his Corey Tucker Racing/BCI/Curb-Agajanian Parker Stone Spike/Esslinger Ford, ending a duel which included six lead changes in the 30 laps. Larson took second after leading a total of 13 laps, finishing ahead of Kuhn, fast qualifier East and Jerry Coons Jr.

Hagen, of Riverside, Calif., caught early race leader Zach Daum on lap 13 and led the final 18 laps to win Wednesday night’s 30-lapper at Gas City I-69 Speedway. Trailing Hagen and his Liberty Village/McGladrey & Pullen Spike/Esslinger Ford at the checkered flag were Daum, who led the first 12 laps, Hines, East and Hunter Schuerenberg.

MOPAR USAC NATIONAL MIDGET POINT STANDINGS

1-Bryan Clauson-517; 2-Bobby East-500; 3-Darren Hagen-474; 4-Kyle Larson-460; 5-Tracy Hines-452; 6-Zach Daum-378; 7-Brad Kuhn-372; 8-Levi Roberts-303; 9-Jerry Coons Jr.-278; 10-Caleb Armstrong-268.

FINAL USAC INDIANA MIDGET WEEK POINT STANDINGS

1-Bryan Clauson-308; 2-Kyle Larson-302; 3-Tracy Hines-279; 4-Bobby East-268; 5-Michael Pickens-214; 6-Chris Windom-214; 7-Darren Hagen-209; 8-ZachDaum-204; 9-Brad Kuhn-200; 10-Shane Cottle-174.