“4-CROWN” SPRINT SATURDAY AT ELDORA;

“HULMAN-HURTUBISE” TO BALLOU; SHORT GRABS “HAUBSTADT HUSTLER”

Robert Ballou continues his pursuit of his first USAC championship Saturday as the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Cars compete in the “4-Crown Nationals” at the Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.

Ballou has 10 feature victories this season and is nursing a 38-point lead over Chase Stockon in the latest standings. Dave Darland, with an all-time series career record 57 victories (4 this year), is third in the points, only 52 behind Ballou entering Saturday’s race. Ballou won the “4-Crown” Sprint race in 2007 and Darland was the 1999 race winner.

Ballou, of Rocklin, Calif., scored a spectacular victory in last Friday’s “Tony Hulman/Jim Hurtubise Classic” at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track. He passed Chris Windom on lap 28 and led the final three circuits for the win in his MPHG Promotions/Blakesley’s Auto Maxim/Ott. Windom took second ahead of Darland, Jon Stanbrough and Jerry Coons Jr.

Brady Short of Bedford, Ind. won Saturday night’s 40-lap “Haubstadt Hustler” at Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt, Ind., co-sanctioned by MSCS. He assumed the lead on lap 36 and led the final five laps in his Sipes Body & Glass/Indiana Stone Works Maxim/SPEC. Kevin Thomas Jr. finished second ahead of Dakota Jackson, Brady Bacon and Chase Stockon.

Kyle Cummins, who led the first 35 laps at Haubstadt, was caught up in a tangle, ending his bid for his first USAC victory.

Brady Bacon, currently fourth in the standings, is the defending winner of the “4-Crown” Sprint race. Former race winners Chris Windom (2013), Tracy Hines (2000, 2006 and 2012), and Jerry Coons Jr. (2009), are also expected to be among favorites Saturday.