USAC NEWS
By
The United States Auto Club.
BETTENHAUSEN LEGACY LIVES ON AT SPRINGFIELD
Tony Bettenhausen was among inductees into the USAC Hall of Fame this year. This Saturday’s TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds continues his legacy, one which resulted in numerous major racing triumphs and titles, including the 1951 AAA and 1958 USAC National Driving Championship.
Tony won at Springfield in 1947, 1950 and 1951 and his son Gary was the 1978 and 1983 winner.
This year, four-time race winner Brian Tyler will try to become only the second driver to win five “Tony Bettenhausen 100” classics. Chuck Gurney won seven between 1994 and 1996. A.J. Foyt and Jack Hewitt each won four times, while Dave Darland, Mario Andretti, Al Unser, Rodger Ward and the aforementioned Tony Bettenhausen himself each recorded three wins in the race which dates all the way back to 1934.
Tracy Hines, who won at Springfield in 2006, will lead the series to the 100-miler, holding a tenuous four-point lead over Bobby East in the latest standings. Hines won the most recent race, August 2 at Belleville, Kans.
Kody Swanson and Jerry Coons Jr., each like East seeking a Springfield first, stand just eight and 12 points behind Hines with 66 points on the line in Saturday’s race.
A.J. Fike, the defending race winner, and Russ Gamester, the 1998 race winner, complete the quintet of former “Bettenhausen” champions in Saturday’s field.
Last year, Fike became the first Illinios driver to win the “Tony Bettenhausen 100” since Gary Bettenhausen’s 1983 victory.
2013 TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Point Standings: 1-Tracy Hines-247, 2-Bobby East-243, 3-Kody Swanson-239, 4-Jerry Coons Jr.-235, 5-Chris Windom-213, 6-Brian Tyler-204, 7-Shane Hollingsworth-182, 8-A. J. Fike-155, 9-David Byrne-127, 10-Bobby Santos-108.
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KOKOMO SPRINT “SMACKDOWN” AUGUST 22-24;
STANBROUGH TAKES “SHORTENED” OSKY “CHALLENGE”
The AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car series is preparing for the second annual “Sprint Car Smackdown” at the Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway and the event promises to be pivotal in the battle for the 2013 championship.
Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. returned to the point lead after Tuesday night’s “Casey’s General Stores Ultimate Challenge” at Oskaloosa, Iowa where he finished 14th. He emerged from that race with a five-point cushion as his closest pursuers, Bryan Clauson and Brady Bacon, finished 20th and third respectively.
The Oskaloosa race was halted by rain after 20 of the 30 scheduled laps and Jon Stanbrough of Avon, Ind. was declared the winner in his Marion Underground Construction/DND Oil Company DRC/Dynotech. He led all of the 20 laps to beat Kyle Larson, Bacon, Chase Stockon and Jerry Coons Jr.
Clauson won last year’s inaugural “Sprint Car Smackdown” as well as the opening-night prelim. Chris Windom also won a prelim in the three-night spectacular at the one-third mile dirt oval.
Kevin Thomas Jr., who was 15th at Oskaloosa after an earlier heat-race flip, is only 41 points behind Darland in the standings, with Stockon just 76 back. More than 200 championship points will be available during the Kokomo events.
2013 AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Point Standings: 1-Dave Darland-1,125; 2-Bryan Clauson-1,120; 3-Brady Bacon-1,105; 4-Kevin Thomas Jr.-1,084; 5-Chase Stockon-1,049; 6-Hunter Schuerenberg-947; 7-Robert Ballou-922; 8-Tracy Hines-919; 9-Chris Windom-739; 10-Shane Cottle-707.
