Archive for USAC Silver Crown
LEARY LEAVES NOTHING ON THE TABLE IN ELDORA SILVER CROWN VICTORY
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The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
C.J. Leary captured Saturday night's USAC Silver Crown race during the '4-Crown Nationals' at Eldora Speedway. (Ryan Sellers Photo)
LEARY LEAVES NOTHING ON THE TABLE IN ELDORA SILVER CROWN VICTORY
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Rossburg, Ohio.........C.J. Leary felt he gave one away earlier Saturday night in the USAC Sprint Car portion of the 37th "4-Crown Nationals" at Eldora Speedway.
When the time came for him to set foot in his USAC Silver Crown car for the season finale, he made it his life's mission to not let another golden opportunity slip through his fingers.
"The top was so treacherous, I kept making little mistakes and throwing the right front into it," Leary recalled. "I thought I gave the race away three or four times. This racecar was bad fast, and I had a bad fast sprint car too. But the driver stepped on it in that one."
Leary's hunger was palpable after finishing second in the sprinter. You would've had to use a jackhammer to crack that lingering "What if" thought out of his head throughout the 50-lap Silver Crown finale. He wasn't going to let anything go to chance; he was going to put this race in his own hands and be on the attack on the cushion. Although, the cushion at this particular moment of the night was an unmovable concrete wall.
"I'm always one to bang the boards," Leary admitted. "The top's the best place to run here at Eldora. The guy who can throw his nut sack over his shoulder and just haul it around here is normally the winner. I'm just glad to be standing down here and have the car in one piece after banging off the fence for the 50 laps."
Leary had his work cut out for him, starting the race from the eighth position in his Chuck & Tammi Leary/Leary Construction - GreenTech Lubricants/DRC/1-Way Toyota, while Shane Cottle took off from the pole to lead early despite a rough going for others in the field that created a bevy of stoppages within the first eight laps.
On the third lap, David Byrne flipped into the catchfence between turns three and four to bring out the first red flag. Chris Windom, the victor of the two most recent series races, had a rear end break on him just as he was poised to snag the race lead on the seventh circuit. A lap later, defending race winner Tyler Courtney's bid to sweep the three USAC divisions in a single night came to an abrupt end after tagging the turn one wall and flipping. Both Byrne and Courtney were uninjured.
As he had done throughout the night, Leary was on a mission, sliding into second past Jerry Coons, Jr. in turn one on the 15th go-around. By the time the two hit the back straight, Kevin Thomas, Jr. entered the fray and also ripped past Coons to move into third. Thus began what would be a familiar refrain for the remaining 33 laps - Leary and Thomas side-by-side!
As the two found their distinctive grooves - Leary heaving his car around the top against the outside wall and Thomas keeping his car straight as an arrow through the middle - they were able to cut Cottle's lead down substantially from a second-plus to pretty much nil within a handful laps.
Leary pulled the bow first, sliding by Cottle momentarily in turn two on lap 30 with Thomas crashing the party as well. Cottle re-emerged with the lead at the line as the trio crossed the stripe three-wide.
Shuffle, repeat, shuffle, repeat like an old five-disc CD changer your grandparents might still own, that was the name of the game. Thomas initially gained the lead on lap 31, controlled three laps before Leary blasted by around the outside. Two laps later, Leary repainted the turn one wall with rubber after blasting the concrete, allowing Thomas to sneak back by for another three-lap stint at the front.
'I'm always one to bang the boards,' Leary admitted. 'The top's the best place to run here at Eldora. The guy who can throw his nut sack over his shoulder and just haul it around here is normally the winner. I'm just glad to be standing down here and have the car in one piece after banging off the fence for the 50 laps.' (Rich Forman Photo)
Leary again was pestering Thomas around the top, coming back to snare the lead on lap 39, but for nary one trip around the half-mile - by a half-car-length - before bouncing off the turn one wall again, handing the race back over to Thomas for one lap. Leary once again roared back to reclaim the lead the following time around, then led for four laps before battering the turn one wall again, allowing Thomas to take the advantage with six laps remaining.
Leary was relentless, ripping the topside around Thomas off turn four coming to the stand with three laps to go, beating Thomas by the mere diameter of a wheel. Thomas, never doubting, made one last ditch run at Leary into turn one, nearly getting the deed done, but Leary cleared Thomas by as much as the thickness of a five o'clock shadow exiting turn two.
All that stood in Leary's way between he and a first series victory since Terre Haute in 2016 was a triumvirate of lapped cars. However, they were all hugging the bottom, which was more of a bugaboo to Thomas' middle line than it was to Leary skimming the fence.
Leary was untouched the remainder of the way to win his second career Silver Crown race by a half-second over Thomas, a second-place finisher for the third race in a row. Pole sitter Cottle finished third in front of an impressive fourth-place run in Jason McDougal's series' debut while new, four-time series champ Kody Swanson rounded out the top-five.
"Winning these Silver Crown races are the crown jewel," Leary said. "Winning sprint car races are cool, but these are my favorite races to run. This is a dream come true tonight."
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USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 21-22, 2018 - Eldora Speedway - Rossburg, Ohio - 37th "4-Crown Nationals" presented by NKT.TV
PROSOURCE QUALIFYING: 1. Shane Cottle, 81, Williams-16.764; 2. Jerry Coons Jr., 20, Nolen-16.888; 3. Chris Windom, 17, Nolen-16.935; 4. Brady Bacon, 6, Klatt-16.993; 5. Kody Swanson, 63, DePalma-16.993; 6. Tyler Courtney, 97, Lein-16.998; 7. Jason McDougal, 9, Dyson-17.002; 8. C.J. Leary, 30, Leary-17.011; 9. Matt Goodnight, 39, Goodnight-17.118; 10. Kevin Thomas, Jr. 56, Foxco-17.146; 11. Kyle Robbins, 7, KR-17.179; 12. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-17.250; 13. David Byrne, 40, Byrne-17.306; 14. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-17.333; 15. Austin Nemire, 16, Nemire/Lesko-17.543; 16. Travis Welpott, 18, Welpott/Gorman-17.554; 17. Mike Haggenbottom, 124, Haggenbottom-17.714; 18. Jacob Wilson, 07, WBR-17.765; 19. Aaron Schuck, 53, Five-Three-18.034; 20. Chris Fetter, 89, Fetter-18.513; 21. Dave Berkheimer, 31, Berkheimer-19.076; 22. Bill Rose, 66, Rose-NT, 23. Dave Darland, 43, Felker/Nix-NT.
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. C.J. Leary (8), 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (10), 3. Shane Cottle (1), 4. Jason McDougal (7), 5. Kody Swanson (5), 6. Jerry Coons, Jr. (2), 7. Justin Grant (12), 8. Brady Bacon (4), 9. Kyle Robbins (11), 10. Jacob Wilson (16), 11. Austin Nemire (15), 12. Bill Rose (20), 13. Steve Buckwalter (#53) (19), 14. Matt Goodnight (9), 15. Mike Haggenbottom (17), 16. Dave Darland (23), 17. Travis Welpott (14), 18. Chris Fetter (18), 19. Dave Berkheimer (21), 20. Aaron Pierce (22), 21. Tyler Courtney (6), 22. Chris Windom (3), 23. David Byrne (13). NT
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**Byrne flipped on lap 3 of the feature. Courtney flipped on lap 8 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Cottle, Laps 31-33 Thomas, Laps 34-35 Leary, Laps 36-38 Thomas, Lap 39 Leary, Lap 40 Thomas, Laps 41-44 Leary, Laps 45-46 Thomas, Laps 47-50 Leary.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS/LARRY RICE HIGH PERFORMANCE HARD CHARGER: Kevin Thomas, Jr. (10th to 2nd)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Steve Buckwalter
FINAL USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES POINTS: 1-Swanson-641, 2-Grant-559, 3-Windom-526, 4-Byrne-462, 5-Coons-433, 6-Robbins-372, 7-Welpott-348, 8-Goodnight-344, 9-Bobby Santos-329, 10-Nemire-327.
4-CROWN NATIONALS ELDORA USAC SILVER CROWN PREVIEW
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
2017 '4-Crown' USAC Silver Crown winner Tyler Courtney. (Ryan Sellers Photo)
4-CROWN NATIONALS ELDORA USAC SILVER CROWN PREVIEW
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Rossburg, Ohio.........The big cars of the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series are known for endurance races. One-hundred miles, tire and fuel conservation and being in position at the end usually dictate how the race will unfold.
This Saturday's 37th running of the "4-Crown Nationals" presented by NKT.TV at Eldora Speedway is about as close to a sprint race as you can get. It's 50 laps around a half-mile, all out, for the finale of the series' 48th season.
Kody Swanson has virtually locked up an unprecedented fourth series championship. With a 76-point lead and a max of 76 points on the table, all the Kingsburg, Calif. native has to do is sign-in (worth 10 appearance points) and the title is his.
At that point, Swanson is basically playing with house money, taking the pressure of "points racing" out of the equation and allowing him to affix his sole focus to the steering wheel and the pedals as he searches for his first Silver Crown win, the only dirt track on this year's Silver Crown schedule that he hasn't yet won at.
Only three drivers have recorded a win at Eldora on their road to a championship when the "4-Crown" has been the finale: Jack Hewitt in 1986, Steve Butler in 1992 and Chris Windom in 2016.
Tucson, Arizona's Jerry Coons, Jr. is one of only four drivers to have won in all three of USAC's National open wheel divisions during the "4-Crown" (Jack Hewitt, Kyle Larson & Dave Darland). Coons scored his wins in 2007 and 2014 for two different teams. He's still angling for that first Silver Crown win for Gene Nolen's team, which too is eager to breakthrough for the first time at Eldora.
Barriers that have stood in the way of Nolen and victory at a track that has eluded his pilots have already been busted this year by Coons teammate, Chris Windom. The Canton, Ill. driver has won the past two Silver Crown races, both on the Illinois dirt miles in Springfield and Du Quoin. Capturing Springfield was a first for both Nolen and Windom. The Du Quoin score was the first for the team there this millennium, following wins in 1992 and 1999. Windom, the two-time "4-Crown" Silver Crown winner and series champ, finished second in 2017.
The driver Windom chased to the line was Tyler Courtney of Indianapolis, Ind., who drove himself and his Hans Lein-owned ride to both their first Silver Crown wins as driver and owner, respectively. He joins an interesting list of drivers to earn their first Silver Crown triumph at the "Big E:" Steve Kinser (1981), Danny Smith (1982), Ron Shuman (1982), Ken Schrader (1983), Steve Butler (1990), Kevin Huntley (1997), Mat Neely (2006), Jerry Coons, Jr. (2007), Bryan Clauson (2010), Chris Windom (2013) and Christopher Bell (2015).
Justin Grant, a 2016 "4-Crown" Sprint Car winner, is a surefire bet to be a threat in the Champ Car. The Ione, California driver won the "Sumar Classic" at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track in April in his Hemelgarn Racing mount. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma's Brady Bacon won in May in a Sprint Car at Eldora and finished fifth in last year's Eldora Silver Crown ride.
On Friday, September 21, the Silver Crown Champ Car Series will lead off the USAC portion of the event with practice and single car qualifying along with complete shows for the World of Outlaws Craftsman Sprint Cars and the Eldora Stock Cars.
Friday's event will begin at 6pm with World of Outlaws practice and qualifying, Silver Crown practice, stock car hot laps, followed by Silver Crown qualifying, all preceding the opening ceremonies and the remainder of the night's racing activities.
The Silver Crown teams will again have a practice session the following day, Saturday, September 22, leading into their 50-lap finale as part of the event which will feature complete events for the USAC P1 Insurance National Midgets, USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Cars and the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions.
On Friday, pits open at 1:30pm and spectator gates open at 2pm. General admission tickets are $25 for ages 13 & up and free for ages 12 & under. Reserved tickets are $29 for ages 13 & up and $10 for ages 12 & under.
On Saturday, pits open at 11:30am, spectator gates open at noon, a USAC autograph session will take place from 3-4pm in the fan zone, drivers meeting at 4:30pm and cars on track at 6pm. General admission tickets are $30 for ages 13 & up and $30 for ages 12 & under. Reserved tickets are $34 for ages 13 & up and $14 for ages 12 & under: $14.
Saturday's full events will have LIVE audio on the USAC app along with LIVE video on http://Live.EldoraSpeedway.com/.
ALL-TIME USAC SILVER CROWN "4-CROWN" WINNERS: 1981: Steve Kinser, 1982: Ron Shuman, 1983: Ken Schrader, 1985: Larry Rice, 1986: Jack Hewitt, 1987: Larry Rice, 1988: Jack Hewitt, 1989: Jack Hewitt, 1990: Steve Butler, 1991: Jack Hewitt, 1992: Steve Butler, 1993: Ron Shuman, 1994: Jack Hewitt, 1995: Jack Hewitt, 1996: Jack Hewitt, 1997: Kevin Huntley, 1998: Jack Hewitt, 1999: Jimmy Sills, 2000: J.J. Yeley, 2001: J.J. Yeley, 2002: Brian Tyler, 2004: Dave Darland, 2005: Dave Darland, 2006: Mat Neely, 2007: Jerry Coons Jr., 2008: Dave Darland, 2009: Dave Darland, 2010: Bryan Clauson, 2011: Kyle Larson, 2012: Bryan Clauson, 2013: Chris Windom, 2014: Jerry Coons Jr., 2015: Christopher Bell, 2016: Chris Windom, 2017: Tyler Courtney
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Kody Swanson-583, 2-Justin Grant-507, 3-Chris Windom-503, 4-David Byrne-439, 5-Jerry Coons, Jr.-378, 6-Bobby Santos-329, 7-Kyle Robbins-326, 8-Travis Welpott-319, 9-Matt Goodnight-309, 10-Austin Nemire-286.
SATURDAY’S RICH VOGLER CLASSIC SILVER CROWN ENTRY LIST REVEALED
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
#17 Chris Windom battles with #21 Eric Gordon. (Dave Olson Photo)
SATURDAY'S RICH VOGLER CLASSIC SILVER CROWN ENTRY LIST REVEALED
Brownsburg, Indiana.........A field of 22 cars is expected for this Saturday's, September 8, USAC Silver Crown "Rich Vogler Classic" at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis with former race winners and champions across the board.
Past LOR Silver Crown winners Kody Swanson, Tanner Swanson, Bobby Santos, Ryan Newman, Russ Gamester and David Byrne are entered along with past champs K. Swanson, Newman, Chris Windom, Jerry Coons, Jr. and Dave Darland, plus 2012 Rookie of the Year Kyle Hamilton and current top Rookie Kyle Robbins, among many others.
Pits open at noon, with practice set for 3pm, qualifying at 6pm and racing at 7pm. The race will be live via pay-per-view on http://www.Speed51.com/ and tape-delayed for a later airing on MAVTV.
Advance adult general admission tickets are $25. Advance tickets for children 11 and under are $10. On the day of race, at the gate, adult general admission tickets are $25 and general admission tickets for children 11 and under are $10. Pit passes are $35 apiece.
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"RICH VOGLER CLASSIC" ENTRY LIST:
02 TANNER SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA (Bowman Racing)
2 RYAN NEWMAN/South Bend, IN (Johnny Vance Racing)
6 KYLE HAMILTON/Danville, IN (Klatt Enterprises)
7 (R) KYLE ROBBINS/New Castle, IN (KR Racing)
17 CHRIS WINDOM/Canton, IL (Gene Nolen Racing)
18 (R) TRAVIS WELPOTT/Pendleton, IN (Welpott Racing)
20 JERRY COONS, JR./Tucson, AZ (Gene Nolen Racing)
21 ERIC GORDON/Greenfield, IN (Armstrong Racing)
22 BOBBY SANTOS/Franklin, MA (DJ Racing)
24 (R) MIKE HAGGENBOTTOM/Levittown, PA (Haggenbottom Racing)
32 DAVE DARLAND/Lincoln, IN (Williams & Wright Racing)
39 MATT GOODNIGHT/Winchester, IN (Goodnight Racing)
40 DAVID BYRNE/Shullsburg, WI (Byrne Racing)
51 RUSS GAMESTER/Peru, IN (Gamester Racing)
60 (R) CODY GERHARDT/Fresno, CA (Cody Gerhardt)
63 KODY SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA (DePalma Motorsports)
80 (R) TONI BREIDINGER/Hillsborough, CA (Breidinger Racing)
81 (R) CODY GALLOGLY/Pataskala, OH (Curtis Williams)
91 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)
92 (R) JIM ANDERSON/Joliet, IL (Gene Kazmark)
96 (R) AUSTIN BLAIR/Fairview Heights, IL (Blair Racing)
98 DAVEY HAMILTON, JR./Boise, ID (RPM/Fred Gormly)
(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year contender.
WINDOM’S PLAN COMES TOGETHER IN Du QUOIN TED HORN 100 VICTORY
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Chris Windom collected his second career 'Ted Horn 100' victory Saturday night at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. (Dallas Breeze Photo)
WINDOM'S PLAN COMES TOGETHER IN Du QUOIN TED HORN 100 VICTORY
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Du Quoin, Illinois.....September 2, 2018 - Every driver, every team has a plan when they enter the ring for 100 miles of USAC Silver Crown racing at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.
Sometimes those plans go awry and sometime those plans come to fruition. Then again, other times, the way things play out don't fit into either of those columns. Sometimes, you must take advantage of the hand you're dealt and see where it goes.
That was how Chris Windom's Sunday night played out down the stretch for the topsy-turvy conclusion to the latest edition of the "Ted Horn 100."
Not one, but two race leaders ran out of fuel during the final 13-lap stretch and the Canton, Illinois driver was poised to pounce, leading the final six laps to win his second "Ted Horn 100" in the last three years. He also became the first driver in a decade, since Brian Tyler in 2008, to sweep both Silver Crown races on the Illinois dirt miles of Du Quoin and Springfield in the same year.
Windom started eighth in the 30-car field aboard his Gene Nolen Racing/KECO Coatings/Maxim/Tranter Chevy. Meanwhile, up front, his teammate and outside front row starter Jerry Coons, Jr. notched the top spot, maneuvering around the outside of pole sitter Jacob Wilson to lead the opening six circuits.
Brady Bacon was a man in motion early on, riding the high line from the fourth starting spot to the lead past Coons on lap seven.
The race came to a halt on the 15th lap when J.C. Bland's rear axle snapped, sending him flipping over the inside guardrail on the back straightaway nearing the entrance to turn three.
The ensuing restart was a Flying Wallendas high wire act between Bacon and C.J. Leary, both running the fence at a torrid pace as they separated themselves from the pack until the second and final stoppage of the night on lap 34 when series Rookie Austin Mundie flipped it over in turn one and walked away unscathed.
When the time came to restart, race leader Bacon's car was unable to fire. His car was pushed to the infield without power and, being unable to restart due to a clutch issue, retired for the remainder of the evening.
That gave the lead to Leary who was a rocket right out of the box in his second race for the DMW Motorsports team, riding the high line to perfection and constantly extending his lead, up to over three seconds by the halfway point. As the laps wound down to 40 to go and 30 to go, Leary maintained a lead of between two and three seconds, with Windom in third another 10 whole seconds back.
While Windom had an inkling that both Leary and Courtney would run into issues with fuel, he wasn't exactly sure if or when he had to turn up the wick to catch them as he remained disciplined at his own pace.
"It's really hard in that situation," Windom explained. "I didn't know when to pick it up because we never got a caution. There really wasn't a right time to. I don't feel like I've really learned that until this year. You really have to pace yourself. It may not always work out but, nine times out of ten, it's going to work out because the pace those guys tried setting there, I didn't think was sustainable for 100 laps."
Chris Windom's triumph also added a third Du Quoin Silver Crown victory to car owner Gene Nolen's list of accomplishments, previously scoring wins with Johnny Parsons in 1992 and Tony Elliott in 1999. (Dallas Breeze Photo)
The furious pace on the long green flag run and running the high line for the entire duration of the race would soon rear its ugly head with 15 laps remaining. Courtney began to pulley the once untouchable Leary, ultimately passing the sputtering Leary on the 88th lap exiting turn two. Leary slowed considerably, but was able to nurse his ride home the rest of the way for a seventh place finish.
Now, Courtney was in control, and he too had no hesitation of letting up anytime soon, stretching his advantage over Windom to 5.4 seconds with six laps to go just before the proverbial rug got pulled out from beneath the Indianapolis, Indiana driver and his bid to claim his first win on a mile.
On lap 95, Courtney's thirsty engine sputtered off turn four, coasting down the front straightaway and gave way to Windom who had planned to be in contention at the end, but most probably not in the manner it ultimately did.
"I didn't think the race was going to play out that way," Windom admits. "I didn't think we'd go green for that long. I thought we'd get a caution with 20 or 30 to go, then I'd be able to race them for the lead. It never came, so then I started thinking with 20 to go that, with the pace they're setting, there's no way they're going to last. I got a little more nervous when there were 13 to go and they were still 13 seconds ahead of me. Finally, my spotter came over the radio and said the No. 10 and then the 97 was slowing. So, I knew it was our race to lose at that point."
"I moved down and tried to conserve fuel then because I started getting nervous that I was going to run out," Windom continued. These races are different every time. You never know what you're going to get. I don't think I've ever ran a Crown race at that pace for that long. I tried to manage it as long as I could. I've had to learn the hard way a lot of times here while leading. I've run out of fuel and crashed multiple times. I tried to take what I've learned from the past and put it to use here today."
That experience ultimately paid off for Windom, the 2016 series champ, as he was able to bring home his eighth career Silver Crown score to move into sole possession of 14th on the all-time list. The triumph also added a third Du Quoin Silver Crown victory to car owner Gene Nolen's list of accomplishments, previously scoring wins with Johnny Parsons in 1992 and Tony Elliott in 1999.
Same as Springfield, Windom led only a scant number of laps (15 in total between there and Du Quoin) but came away with two monster victories on his racing resume. Also similar was Kevin Thomas, Jr. finishing in the runner-up spot. Shane Cockrum took third ahead of Justin Grant with Kody Swanson rounding out the top-five.
Contingency award winners Sunday night at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds were Mike Haggenbottom (KSE Racing Products Hard Charger), Chris Dyson (Wilwood Brakes 13th place finisher) and Terry James (Saldana Racing Products First Non-Transfer).
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USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 2, 2018 - Du Quoin, Illinois - Du Quoin State Fairgrounds - "Ted Horn 100"
QUALIFYING: 1. Jacob Wilson, 07, WBR-30.214; 2. Jerry Coons Jr., 20, Nolen-30.286; 3. C.J. Leary, 10, DMW-30.343; 4. Brady Bacon, 6, Klatt-30.452; 5. Kevin Thomas, Jr., 56, Foxco-30.474; 6. David Byrne, 40, Byrne-30.605; 7. Kyle Robbins, 7, KR-30.650; 8. Chris Windom, 17, Nolen-30.670; 9. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-30.737; 10. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-30.739; 11. Tyler Courtney, 97, Lein-30.744; 12. Kody Swanson, 63, DePalma-30.806; 13. Joe Liguori, 4, Liguori-30.847; 14. Shane Cockrum, 71, Hardy-31.077; 15. Joey Moughan, 29, Moughan-31.183; 16. Shane Cottle, 81, Williams-31.193; 17. Austin Nemire, 16, Nemire/Lesko-31.214; 18. Jeff Swindell, 21, Swanson-31.296; 19. Austin Mundie, 47, Butler-31.408; 20. Matt Goodnight, 39, Goodnight-31.856; 21. Patrick Lawson, 2, Lawson-31.874; 22. Bill Rose, 75, Rose-31.911; 23. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-31.941; 24. Brian Tyler, 12, Galas-32.199; 25. Steve Buckwalter, 53, Five Three-32.275; 26. Mike Haggenbottom, 124, Haggenbottom-32.311; 27. J.C. Bland, 5, Bland-32.340; 28. Korey Weyant, 99, Weyant-32.418; 29. Chris Dyson, 9, Dyson-32.792; 30. Terry Babb, 34, Morford-32.922; 31. Keith Burch, 24, Burch-33.090; 32. A.J. Fike, 14, McQuinn-33.125; 33. Travis Welpott, 18, Welpott/Gorman-33.415; 34. Terry James, 23, Satterthwaite-33.778; 35. Jackie Burke, 33, Burke-33.807; 36. Dave Berkheimer, 31, Berkheimer-35.851; 37. Danny Long, 44, Long-NT; 38. Chris Fetter, 89, Fetter-NT.
LAST CHANCE RACE: (12 laps) 1. Haggenbottom, 2. Dyson, 3. Bland, 4. Burch, 5. Babb, 6. Weyant, 7. James, 8. Welpott, 9. Buckwalter, 10. Burke. 6:41.75
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Chris Windom (8), 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (5), 3. Shane Cockrum (14), 4. Justin Grant (9), 5. Kody Swanson (12), 6. David Byrne (6), 7. C.J. Leary (3), 8. Austin Nemire (17), 9. Joey Moughan (15), 10. Kyle Robbins (7), 11. Mike Haggenbottom (25), 12. Bill Rose (22), 13. Chris Dyson (26), 14. Tyler Courtney (11), 15. Shane Cottle (16), 16. Jerry Coons Jr. (2), 17. Jacob Wilson (1), 18. Joe Liguori (13), 19. Keith Burch (28), 20. Patrick Lawson (21), 21. Brady Bacon (4), 22. Matt Goodnight (20), 23. Chris Urish (10), 24. Austin Mundie (19), 25. Terry Babb (29), 26. Brian Tyler (24), 27. Korey Weyant (30), 28. J.C. Bland (27), 29. Russ Gamester (23), 30. Jeff Swindell (18). NT
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**Bland flipped on lap 15 of the feature. Mundie flipped on lap 34 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Coons, Laps 7-34 Bacon, Laps 35-87 Leary, Laps 88-94 Courtney, Laps 95-100 Windom.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: Mike Haggenbottom (25th to 11th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Chris Dyson
SALDANA RACING PRODUCTS FIRST NON-TRANSFER: Terry James
NEW USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Swanson-583, 2-Grant-507, 3-Windom-503, 4-Byrne-439, 5-Coons-378, 6-Bobby Santos-329, 7-Robbins-326, 8-Welpott-319, 9-Goodnight-309, 10-Nemire-286.
NEXT USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 8 - Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis - Brownsburg, Indiana - "Rich Vogler Classic"
USAC SILVER CROWN MAGIC RETURNS TO Du QUOIN THIS SUNDAY
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
2007 'Ted Horn 100' winner Shane Cottle. (Rich Forman Photo)
USAC SILVER CROWN MAGIC RETURNS TO Du QUOIN THIS SUNDAY
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Du Quoin, Illinois.........Simply put. The one-mile dirt oval at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds is magical.
The view of the moonlight dancing off the water in the infield and the thunderous roar of a full field of USAC Silver Crown Champ Cars reverberating off the covered grandstand is enough to make the hair on your neck stand up straight.
Du Quoin has been a staple of the USAC schedule since the club's founding in 1956, and, prior to that, with AAA dating to 1948, has routinely produced magic when it comes to the on-track action as well.
This Sunday, September 2, the series makes its third and final visit of the year to a classic one-mile dirt oval. The legendary Southern Illinois track known as the "Magic Mile" always seems to pull a barnburner out of its hat at the "Ted Horn 100."
Last year's race definitely fit into that category with Kingsburg, California's Kody Swanson flipped on the figurative switch in his patented style with ten laps remaining, passing Jeff Swindell in traffic to win his second career "Ted Horn 100," and first since his first career series victory in 2010.
This year, Swanson is among eight past "Ted Horn 100" winners in the 42-car field, the largest car count since 2002. In fact, last year's top-three all included past race winners. Runner-up finisher Shane Cockrum of nearby Benton, Ill. was a popular winner back in 2014 and 2015. Germantown, Tennessee's Jeff Swindell may have finished third in 2017, but he was the show for a good portion, leading 68 laps and nearly pulling off his first win at the track in 27 years.
Chris Windom of Canton, Ill. was victorious on the most recent one-mile dirt race back in August at the Illinois State Fairgrounds where he also guided Gene Nolen's car to its first win on the Springfield mile. Nolen's cars have won at Du Quoin twice, but not since the 1990s with Johnny Parsons in 1992 and Tony Elliott in 1999. Windom captured his lone Du Quoin score in 2016 aboard RPM/Fred Gormly's machine.
Peru, Indiana's Russ Gamester is back in the familiar No. 51, which is the same combo that won at Du Quoin in the daylight back in 1997. Shane Cottle of Kansas, Ill. won in a white and red colored car for Contos Racing in 2007 and will sport the same colors this Sunday in Curtis Williams' No. 81.
It's been a decade since Brian Tyler won at Du Quoin, but the Pleasant Garden, North Carolina driver is hungrier than ever in the Galas Racing No. 12 in which he led in until midway at this year's "Hoosier Hundred" at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Elkhart, Illinois driver Chris Urish led only three laps in the 2013 Du Quoin race, but those were the ones that counted the most as he earned his lone Silver Crown victory.
Justin Grant of Ione, Calif. finished sixth last year and owns the second spot in the series points heading into Du Quoin, 79 behind leader Swanson. David Byrne is fourth in the standings behind Windom in third. Byrne had a 28th place result in last year's 100-miler, dropping out after 41 laps with engine trouble.
USAC Triple Crown champs Jerry Coons, Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. (5th in points) and Lincoln, Indiana's Dave Darland (15th in points) have both had a victory at Du Quoin elude them over their legendary careers. Coons ran fifth last year after winning the pole position. Darland, meanwhile, started 12th and finished 12th.
A tight Rookie points race has emerged following Kyle Robbins strong sixth place run at the Springfield mile. The New Castle, Ind. racer is now only 26 behind Pendleton, Indiana's Travis Welpott is the battle. Veteran Matt Goodnight of Winchester, Ind. is sandwiched between the two in points in the eighth spot.
Windom, Cockrum, Urish and Cottle are all Illinois natives who've struck gold at Du Quoin over the years and are among the 10 from the Land of Lincoln to enter along with Patrick Lawson (Edwardsville), J.C. Bland (Springfield), Joey Moughan (Springfield), Terry Babb (Decatur), A.J. Fike (Galesburg) and Korey Weyant (Springfield).
Pits and registration open at 1pm. The ticket office and grandstands open at 4pm. Silver Crown practice runs from 5pm to 6:10pm. Qualifying is set for 6:30pm. The Qualifying race is scheduled for 7:15pm. Pre-race ceremonies begin at 7:45pm with the 100-mile "Ted Horn 100" green flag set for 8:15pm.
Advance adult tickets are $25. Advanced children 11 and under are $10. On the day of the race, adult are $30. Children 11 and under are $10. Adult pit passes are $35 apiece. Pit passes for children 11 and under are $20.
If you miss it live or want to watch all the action again, catch it one www.Loudpedal.TV/ with on-demand coverage the very next day. You can also listen to flag-to-flag coverage LIVE on the USAC app.
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"TED HORN 100" ENTRY LIST: (42 Cars Entered)
04 (R) NEIL SHEPHERD/Warsaw, IN (Shepherd Racing)
07 JACOB WILSON/Crawfordsville, IN (Wilson Brothers Racing)
2 PATRICK LAWSON/Edwardsville, IL (Patrick Lawson)
4 JOE LIGUORI/Tampa, FL (Liguori Racing)
5 J.C. BLAND/Springfield, IL (Bland Brothers Enterprises)
6 BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (Klatt Enterprises)
7 (R) KYLE ROBBINS/New Castle, IN (KR Racing)
8 (R) JOHNNY PETROZELLE/Denton, NC (Cornell-Petrozelle Racing)
9 (R) CHRIS DYSON/Pleasant Valley, NY (Chris Dyson Racing)
10 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN (Mickey Meyer)
12 BRIAN TYLER/Mt. Pleasant, NC (Galas Motorsports)
14 KEN SCHRADER/Fenton, MO (Dennis & Dave McQuinn)
16 AUSTIN NEMIRE/Sylvania, OH (Nemire-Lesko Racing)
17 CHRIS WINDOM/Canton, IL (Gene Nolen Racing)
18 (R) TRAVIS WELPOTT/Pendleton, IN (Welpott Racing)
20 JERRY COONS, JR./Tucson, AZ (Gene Nolen Racing)
21 JEFF SWINDELL/Germantown, TN (Swanson Racing)
23 TERRY JAMES/St. Louis, MO (Todd Satterthwaite)
24 (R) KEITH BURCH/Farmington, MO (Keith Burch)
29 JOEY MOUGHAN/Springfield, IL (Joey Moughan)
31 (R) DAVE BERKHEIMER/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)
33 JACKIE BURKE/Houston, TX (Jackie Burke)
34 TERRY BABB/Decatur, IL (Ken Morford)
39 MATT GOODNIGHT/Winchester, IN (Goodnight Racing)
40 DAVID BYRNE/Shullsburg, WI (Byrne Racing)
41 A.J. FIKE/Galesburg, IL (Dave & Dennis McQuinn)
44 DANNY LONG/Bonne Terre, MO (Danny Long)
47 (R) AUSTIN MUNDIE/Dallas, TX (Les Butler)
51 RUSS GAMESTER/Peru, IN (Gamester Racing)
56 (R) KEVIN THOMAS, JR./Cullman, AL (Foxco Racing)
63 KODY SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA (DePalma Motorsports)
71 SHANE COCKRUM/Benton, IL (Hardy Boys Racing)
75 BILL ROSE/Plainfield, IN (Bill Rose Racing)
77 CHRIS URISH/Elkhart, IL (Chris Urish)
81 SHANE COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Curtis Williams)
89 CHRIS FETTER/Troy, MO (Fetter Racing)
91 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)
92 DAVE DARLAND/Lincoln, IN (Gene Kazmark)
97 TYLER COURTNEY/Indianapolis, IN (Hans Lein)
99 (R) KOREY WEYANT/Springfield, IL (Scott Weyant)
124 (R) MIKE HAGGENBOTTOM/Levittown, PA (Haggenbottom Racing)
(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year contender.
WINDOM WINS ONE FOR THE HOME CROWD AT BETTENHAUSEN 100
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Winner Chris Windom (Dallas Breeze Photo)
WINDOM WINS ONE FOR THE HOME CROWD AT BETTENHAUSEN 100
By: Ryan Mahan - The Springfield State Journal-Register
Springfield, Illinois (Aug. 18, 2018)……… Chris Windom had plenty of patience in Saturday’s USAC Silver Crown Series Tony Bettenhausen 100 race.
He had plenty of car left too.
The Canton driver became just the third from Illinois to win the 100-lap Bettenhausen race on the 1-mile dirt track, beating Kevin Thomas Jr. by 1.701 seconds.
“This is pretty sweet,” Windom said. “I’ve been trying to win this race since 2010 or 2011 It’s pretty awesome to do it with a lot of my hometown friends and family here to watch.”
Gary Bettenhausen, of Tinley Park, won in 1983. It took 29 years until Galesburg’s A.J. Fike ended that drought in 2012. He repeated in 2013.
Windom previously earned an in-state USAC win — the 2016 Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin State Fair. But this one came just 70 miles away.
“It’s pretty special to win one this close to home,” he said.
It didn’t take long for the race to shuffle from its starting grid.
Jerry Coons Jr. and Kody Swanson owned the front row. Swanson, who won the 2014 and 2015 Bettenhausen races and owned a five-race win streak prior to Saturday, quickly dropped to the middle of the pack.
Tyler Courtney, Justin Grant — last year’s Bettenhausen champion — and Kevin Thomas Jr. all worked their way to the front. It took Windom a little longer for him to crack the top-four, which he did by passing Coons.
“It was a really tight field today,” said Grant, who finished third, 2.012 seconds behind Windom. “Normally this is more about tire management and the sun’s a little brighter and the track’s a little cleaner — more rubbered up — so you don’t see guys racing that hard the whole race. Today, you could kind of abuse your stuff about all race. It was a little different Silver Crown race than what we’re used to.”
Windom tried to pressure the top-three drivers, but backed off to let them battle each other. ON lap 82, Windom grabbed third place. Almost immediately, Shane Cockrum, of Benton, brought out a caution flag.
On the restart, Windom took second place on lap 87. On lap 92, Windom made the final lead change.
“I’ve ran enough of these races now and I’ve ran around with Kody Swanson and he falls back to ninth or 10th and rides for almost the whole race,” Windom said. “I knew the pace they were running, they weren’t going to be able to run the pace I could the last 10 laps. It worked out in our favor like that.
“This car, I knew it was good enough to win the whole race. I wasn’t going to pressure it too early and wear our stuff out . . . so I saved it just like I planned and the cautions came just like I wanted.”
On the final restart, on lap 98, Windom kept Thomas and Grant in his rear-view mirror.
Thomas took his final lead on lap 55 when Courtney slid high into the loose dirt. He kept Grant and Courtney behind him, but couldn’t prevent Windom’s advance.
“It really was (competitive),” Thomas said. “From the start, me and Sunshine (Courtney) started in the second row and getting into (the first turn), we were running 1-2, so that was pretty exciting.
“That was a fun race. Windom was back there. He was up under me at the beginning of the race. I knew he was good because where I was running was a little bit more of a dominant line and he was staying with me in the dirty stuff. When your car is that good, you’re going to be able to be patient and poke right underneath people and get the runs you need when you need to.”
Two other Illinois drivers — and both closer to home — had plenty of fans cheering.
Springfield’s Joey Moughan finished ninth — his highest finish in less than 10 USAC Silver Crown Series starts.
He said he was “extremely” happy with the top-10 showing.
“I’m not a great mechanic. Just to finish with everything working, we haven’t done that yet,” Moughan said. “I missed the setup just a touch. You’ve got to crawl before you can walk.”
He finished 15th in last year’s Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin State Fair.
Korey Weyant, also a Springfield product, made a hard-charge in the 12-lap semi-feature event. The top-six cars earned a spot in the main event. Weyant needed a push start, so he had to start at the back of the field despite originally on the front row.
Weyant had the fastest car in the field and quickly ran up the standings. As he was battling David Byrne, of Shullsburg, Wisconsin, for the lead in turns 3 and 4 of lap 11, Weyant’s engine blew, prematurely ending an exciting day.
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USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 18, 2018 – Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds – “Bettenhausen 100"
QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Jerry Coons Jr., 20, Nolen-30.875; 2. Kody Swanson, 63, DePalma-31.128; 3. Kevin Thomas, Jr, 56, Foxco-31.273; 4. Tyler Courtney, 97, Lein-31.681; 5. Shane Cockrum, 71, Hardy-31.689; 6. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-31.731; 7. Kyle Robbins, 7, KR-31.923; 8. Brady Bacon, 6, Klatt-32.010; 9. C.J. Leary, 10, Meyer- 32.012; 10. Jacob Wilson, 07, WBR-32.046; 11. Joey Moughan, 29, Moughan-32.073; 12. Dave Darland, 92, Kazmark-32.082; 13. Chris Windom, 17, Nolen-32.341; 14. Bill Rose, 75, Rose-32.725; 15. Matt Goodnight, 39, Goodnight-33.068; 16. Austin Nemire, 16, Nemire/Lesko-33.443; 17. David Byrne, 40, Byrne-33.490; 18. Neil Shepherd, 04, Shepherd-33.510; 19. Korey Weyant, 99, Weyant-33.585; 20. Jeff Swindell, 21, Swanson-33.634; 21. Joe Liguori, 4, Liguori-33.763; 22. Mike Haggenbottom, 124, Haggenbottom-33.844; 23. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-33.885; 24. Johnny Petrozelle, 8, Cornell/Petrozelle-33.975; 25. J.C. Bland, 5, Bland-34.000; 26. Brian Tyler, 12, Galas-34.102; 27. Patrick Lawson, 2, Lawson-34.308; 28. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-34.314; 29. Chris Dyson, 9, Dyson-34.460; 30. Terry Babb, 34, Morford-34.496; 31. A.J. Fike. 41, McQuinn-34.604; 32. Terry James, 23, Satterthwaite-35.016; 33. Ken Schrader, 14, McQuinn-35.040; 34. Keith Burch, 24, Burch-35,296; 35. Travis Welpott, 118, Welpott/Gorman-35.657; 36. Jackie Burke, 33, Burke-36.068; 37. Dave Berkheimer, 31. Berkheimer-41.088; 38. Austin Mundie, 47, Butler-NT; 39. Shane Cottle, 81, Williams-NT; 40. Chris Fetter, 88, Fetter-NT; 41. Steve Buckwalter, 53, Five Three-NT; 42. Danny Long, 44, Long-NT; 43. Casey Shuman, 55, Bateman-NT.
LAST CHANCE RACE: (12 laps) 1. Byrne, 2. Urish, 3. Babb, 4. Dyson, 5. Burch, 6. Lawson, 7. Welpott, 8. Burke, 9. James, 10. Weyant, 11. Fike (#14), 12. Berkheimer. NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Chris Windom (13), 2. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (3), 3. Justin Grant (6), 4. Jacob Wilson (10), 5. Jerry Coons Jr. (1), 6. Kyle Robbins (7), 7. Joe Liguori (19), 8. Austin Nemire (16), 9. Joey Moughan (11), 10. David Byrne (25), 11. Brady Bacon (8), 12. Mike Haggenbottom (20), 13. Chris Dyson (28), 14. Chris Urish (26), 15. Russ Gamester (21), 16. Keith Burch (29), 17. Travis Welpott (31), 18. J.C. Bland (23). 19. Matt Goodnight (15), 20. Tyler Courtney (4), 21. Jeff Swindell (18), 22. C.J. Leary (9), 23. Shane Cockrum (5), 24. Neil Shepherd (17), 25. Dave Darland (12), 26. Kody Swanson (2), 27. Johnny Petrozelle (22), 28. Bill Rose (14), 29. Patrick Lawson (30), 30. Brian Tyler (24). 31. Terry Babb (27). NT
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-44 Courtney, Laps 45-49 Thomas, Laps 50-54 Courtney, Laps 55-91 Thomas, Laps 92-100 Windom.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: David Byrne (25th to 10th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Chris Dyson
NEW USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS: 1-Swanson-525, 2-Grant-446, 3-Windom-433, 4-Byrne-384, 5-Coons-347, 6-Bobby Santos-329, 7-Welpott-309, 8-Goodnight-288, 9-Robbins-283, 10-Aaron Pierce-239.
NEXT USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE: September 2 – Du Quoin, IL – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – “Ted Horn 100”
SWANSON BECOMES WINNINGEST SILVER CROWN DRIVER WITH SALEM SCORE
Posted by: | Comments- The United States Auto Club.
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Contact: Richie Murray - USAC Media / richie@usacracing.com
Kody Swanson celebrates after scoring his record-setting 24th career USAC Silver Crown win Saturday night at Indiana's Salem Speedway in the 59th running of the 'Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial.' (Rich Forman Photo)
SWANSON BECOMES WINNINGEST SILVER CROWN DRIVER WITH SALEM SCORE
By: Richie Murray - USAC Media
Salem, Indiana.....August 11, 2018 - On a night when he was in a class of his own on the Salem Speedway high banks, Kody Swanson put himself in a class of his own in the record books.
The Kingsburg, California native led the 59th "Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial" from start to finish in a landslide, perhaps the best on-track performance he's displayed of all 24 of his series victories, to surpass Jack Hewitt and become the USAC Silver Crown division's winningest driver.
Swanson set additional records, including notching his fifth consecutive series win, which passed the four-straight wins accomplished by Hewitt in 1986 and Tom Bigelow between 1975 and 1976. His third-straight "James/O'Connor" triumph slotted him into exclusive company as only the second driver to win that many consecutively. Pancho Carter won four-in-a-row between 1974 and 1977.
Twenty-one of those 24 wins have come behind the wheel of the DePalma Motorsports/Bob Hampshire-wrenched No. 63. Hampshire was also the crew chief on Hewitt's win streak and the majority of his Silver Crown wins over the years. Swanson is quick to credit his crew on the Lima, Ohio-based team. It's something he doesn't take for granted.
"It's so hard to believe," Swanson exclaimed. "It's what you dream about and what you wish for, but you never really give it a real chance. Silver Crown cars have long been my favorite, so to be on that list is special, let alone be at the top. But I didn't do it alone, though. Not a single one."
After all the preparation and anticipation between races, the anxiousness and butterflies dissipate once the green flag drops. It becomes all business. Swanson was proficient right from the outset, setting quick time in qualifying, then jumping out to the lead at the start.
David Byrne was pretty much the lone challenger to Swanson's throne early on, driving through an impressive shower of sparks that engulfed the nighttime sky to second by lap four and was routinely challenging for the race lead throughout the first third of the 75-lapper.
Following a lap 15 yellow for a slowing Matt Goodnight, Byrne remained relentless on the lone restart of the night, diving inside Swanson multiple times to no avail before slotting back in as the leader of the high-wire act displayed by Swanson's pursuers, followed by Bobby Santos, Chris Windom and Jerry Coons, Jr.
Between laps 30 and 40, Swanson extended his lead from a mere half-second to a 2.5 second challenge as he cut through the lapped traffic with the precision of a laser-guided missile.
#63 Kody Swanson battles #07 Jacob Wilson during Saturday 'Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial' at Salem (Ind.) Speedway. (Sean Cavanah Photo)
On the 53rd lap, Windom grabbed second from Santos and began shrinking Swanson's lead ever so slightly over the next handful of laps. Yet, the shrinkage didn't last long, and Swanson opened up the lead once again, upping the interval to over six seconds and a near half-straightaway advantage that would simply not be overcome, challenging and lapping cars that were competing for the lead with him seemingly just moments earlier.
Swanson was flawless all night long, winning by just a tick under 8.5 seconds, and setting a new 75-lap track record in the process, over Windom, Santos, Coons and a career-best finish for Kyle Hamilton.
You couldn't script a better performance than Swanson showcased on a fairytale night in which the record books were cast aside, and a new edition was published. From dirt to pavement, this team seems to be on the same page much more often than not and Saturday night's performance at Salem certainly showed.
"Salem is such a tough and challenging racetrack, not only physically as a driver, but man it's hard on everything to have a car that will be good the whole race," Swanson said. "These guys go the distance for me every time and we do it together. My wife and I drive to the shop and put in the effort with them. As far as a team, we're all in it together. That's what makes it so special."
There are many things that make Swanson appreciate the efforts of his crew, including his spotter, and wife, Jordan. But it's the competition that keeps Swanson and crew challenging themselves to be better every time they hit the racetrack.
"Part of the reason every win is special in Silver Crown is because of who you're racing against," Swanson said. "Everyone's here. Our crew goes the extra mile and they're always trying something to get better because you know they are. Every win is special because they're all great competitors and they're here to win just like any of us. If you're going to beat them, you're going to have to put in the extra time and you're going to have to have a little bit of luck too."
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USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 11, 2018 - Salem Speedway - Salem, Indiana - Discover Scott County "Joe James/Pat O'Connor Memorial" presented by Kentuckiana Ford Dealers
QUALIFYING: 1. Kody Swanson, 63, DePalma-16.001; 2. Jerry Coons, Jr., 20, Nolen-16.186; 3. Bobby Santos, 22, DJ-16.264; 4. David Byrne, 40, Byrne-16.298; 5. Chris Windom, 17, Nolen-16.353; 6. Eric Gordon, 21, Armstrong-16.479; 7. Kyle Hamilton, 6, Klatt-16.493; 8. Justin Grant, 91, Hemelgarn-16.540; 9. Jacob Wilson, 07, WBR-16.566; 10. Dave Darland, 32, Williams/Wright-16.922; 11. Kyle Robbins, 7, KR-17.061; 12. Travis Welpott, 18, Welpott/Gorman-17.194; 13. Matt Goodnight, 39, Goodnight-17.329; 14. Patrick Lawson, 2, Lawson-17.434; 15. John Heydenreich, 43, Felker/Nix-18.008; 16. Mike Haggenbottom, 24, Haggenbottom-18.497; 17. Toni Breidinger, 80, Breidinger-19.065; 18. Cody Gallogly, 81, Williams-20.881; 19. Terry James, 16, Logan-NT
FEATURE: (75 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Kody Swanson (1), 2. Chris Windom (5), 3. Bobby Santos (3), 4. Jerry Coons, Jr. (2), 5. Kyle Hamilton (7), 6. Justin Grant (8), 7. Jacob Wilson (9), 8. David Byrne (4), 9. Dave Darland (10), 10. Travis Welpott (12), 11. John Heydenreich (15), 12. Mike Haggenbottom (16), 13. Patrick Lawson (14), 14. Eric Gordon (6), 15. Matt Goodnight (13), 16. Toni Breidinger (17), 17. Kyle Robbins (11), 18. Cody Gallogly (18), 19. Terry James (19). 24:06.27 (New Track Record)
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FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-75 Swanson.
KSE RACING PRODUCTS HARD CHARGER AWARD: John Heydenreich (15th to 11th)
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER: Patrick Lawson
NEW USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES POINTS: 1-Swanson-508, 2-Grant-382, 3-Windom-363, 4-Byrne-341, 5-Santos-329, 6-Coons-286, 7-Welpott-280, 8-Goodnight-263, 9-Aaron Pierce-239, 10-Robbins-228.
NEXT USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES RACE: August 18 - Illinois State Fairgrounds - Springfield, Illinois - "Bettenhausen 100"
