SILVER CROWN SHOWDOWN JUNE 25 AT GATEWAY; WINDOM WINS “HORN-SCHINDLER” THRILLER!
Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Ill. hosts the USAC Silver Crown Championship June 25 for the Vatterott College “Silver Crown Showdown” and Franklin, Massachusetts native Bobby Santos figures to be a heavy favorite after winning the last two Silver Crown races at the 1.25-mile paved oval in 2013 and 2014.
Santos led 80 laps at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Ind. on May 27 before engine problems forced him out and allowed Tanner Swanson to take the “Carb Night Classic.” Santos hopes to bounce back when the series visits the St. Louis area in two weeks.
St. Louis resident Chris Windom closed the point gap on series point leader Kody Swanson to just 15 points after winning Friday night’s “Horn Schindler Memorial” at Williams Grove (Pa.) Speedway. The race marked the series’ return to the historic half-mile oval for the first time in 35 years!
Windom grabbed the lead from Justin Grant on lap 38 and never looked back, although late-race drama featured Bryan Clauson’s spirited drive to second which nearly resulted in a victory. Clauson erased a quarter-lap deficit in the closing laps and challenged for the lead on the white-flag lap, but was unable to halt Windom’s winning bid.
Windom wheeled the RPM/Fred Gormly RPM Auto Enterprise Maxim/J & D to victory. He and Clauson were followed to the checkered flag by series point leader Kody Swanson, Brady Bacon and Grant.
ProSource fast qualifier C.J. Leary led the first 29 laps before his engine expired.
Clauson’s drive earned him the race’s KSE Racing Products/Martens Machine Shop Hard Charger Award.
The Vatterott College “Silver Crown Showdown” gets underway with spectator gates opening at 8am. Silver Crown practice hits the track from 9:30 to 10:20 a.m. with qualifying starting at 12:30pm. Driver introductions take place at 3pm. while the green flag for the Silver Crown feature is scheduled to fly at 3:30pm.
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UPCOMING USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT:
DATE: Saturday, June 25, 2016
SERIES: USAC Silver Crown Championship
TRACK: Gateway Motorsports Park (Madison, Illinois) – 1.25-mile paved oval
EVENT: Vatterott College “Silver Crown Showdown” featuring the USAC Silver Crown Championship. Also featuring the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour.
STARTING TIMES: Spectator gates open: 8am. Silver Crown practice: 9:30-10:20 a.m. Qualifying: 12:30pm. Driver introductions: 3pm. Vatterott College “Silver Crown Showdown:” 3:30pm.
TICKETS: Junior: $0.00 - $20.00. Military: $14.00 - $24.00. Adult: $36.00 - $59.00.
TRACK ADDRESS: 700 Raceway Blvd., Madison, IL 62060
TRACK PHONE: (618) 215-8888
TRACK WEBSITE: http://www.gatewaymsp.com/
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ALL-TIME USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE WINNERS AT WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY:
1. (1) Sheldon Kinser, Eddie Leavitt & Chris Windom
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2016 USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (268) Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, CA)
2. (253) Chris Windom (Canton, IL)
3. (217) Justin Grant (Ione, CA)
4. (192) Shane Cottle (Kokomo, IN)
5. (190) Jerry Coons, Jr. (Tucson, AZ)
6. (178) David Byrne (Shullsburg, WI)
7. (177) Bryan Clauson (Noblesville, IN)
8. (169) Casey Shuman (Tempe, AZ)
9. (154) Shane Cockrum (Benton, IL)
10. (152) Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK)
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2016 USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP “ROOKIE” DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (169) Casey Shuman (Tempe, AZ)
2. (101) Mark Smith (Sunbury, PA)
3. (85) Joe Liguori (Tampa, FL)
4. (65) Neil Shepherd (Warsaw, IN)
5. (61) Robert Stout (Brownsburg, IN)
6. (49) Joe Axsom (Franklin, IN)
7. (36) J.C. Bland (Springfield, IL)
8. (29) Dave Berkheimer (Mechanicsburg, PA)
9. (22) Billy Pauch, Jr. (Milford, NJ)
10. (18) Joey Moughan (Springfield, IL)
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2016 USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP OWNER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (268) DePalma Motorsports #63
2. (217) Chris Carli #8
3. (205) RPM/Fred Gormly #98
4. (202) Curtis Williams #81
5. (190) Nolen Racing #20
6. (178) Byrne Racing #40
7. (177) Klatt Enterprises #6
8. (169) Patty Bateman #55
9. (154) Hardy Boys Motorsports #71
10. (152) Paul Martens #48
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2016 USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE & RESULTS:
Apr 3: Terre Haute, IN - Terre Haute Action Track
WINNER: C.J. Leary
Apr 30: Toledo, OH - Toledo Speedway
WINNER: Rained Out
May 26: Indianapolis, IN - Indiana State Fairgrounds
WINNER: Kody Swanson
May 27: Brownsburg, IN - Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
WINNER: Tanner Swanson
Jun 10: Mechanicsburg, PA - Williams Grove Speedway
WINNER: Chris Windom
Jun 25: @ Madison, IL - Gateway Motorsports Park
Jul 21: Brownsburg, IN - Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
Aug 13: Salem, IN - Salem Speedway
Aug 20: @ Springfield, IL - Illinois State Fairgrounds
Sep 3: Du Quoin, IL – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds
Sep 24: Rossburg, OH - Eldora Speedway
**Races noted with @ represent an afternoon race.
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2016 USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP STATISTICS:
RACE WINS:
1. (1) C.J. Leary (Terre Haute Action Track on April 3)
(1) Kody Swanson (Indiana State Fairgrounds on May 26)
(1) Tanner Swanson (Lucas Oil Raceway on May 27)
(1) Chris Windom (Williams Grove Speedway on June 10)
LAPS LED:
1. (101) Justin Grant
2. (80) Bobby Santos
3. (63) Chris Windom
4. (36) C.J. Leary
5. (34) Kody Swanson
6. (32) Jerry Coons, Jr.
7. (25) Brady Bacon
8. (20) Tanner Swanson
9. (9) Shane Cottle
TOP-FIVE FINISHES:
1. (4) Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
3. (2) Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson & Justin Grant
6. (1) Jerry Coons, Jr., Shane Cottle, C.J. Leary, Aaron Pierce, Robert Stout & Tanner Swanson
TOP-TEN FINISHES:
1. (4) Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
3. (3) Bryan Clauson, Jerry Coons, Jr., Shane Cottle & Justin Grant
7. (2) Brady Bacon, David Byrne, Shane Cockrum, Dave Darland, C.J. Leary & Mark Smith
13. (1) Joe Axsom, Steve Buckwalter, Joe Liguori, Aaron Pierce, Davey Ray, Casey Shuman, Robert Stout & Tanner Swanson
PROSOURCE FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
1. (1) Brady Bacon, Justin Grant, C.J. Leary & Bobby Santos
RACE STARTS:
1. (4) David Byrne, Shane Cockrum, Jerry Coons, Jr., Shane Cottle, Justin Grant, Austin Nemire, Casey Shuman, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
10. (3) Brady Bacon, Steve Buckwalter, Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland, C.J. Leary, Joe Liguori & Billy Puterbaugh, Jr.
17. (2) Terry Babb, J.C. Bland, Terry James, Aaron Pierce, Neil Shepherd, Mark Smith & Jacob Wilson
24. (1) Joe Axsom, Robert Ballou, Dave Berkheimer, Chris Fetter, A.J. Fike, Russ Gamester, John Heydenreich, Patrick Lawson, Danny Long, Joey Moughan, Billy Pauch, Jr., Davey Ray, Bobby Santos, Robert Stout, Tanner Swanson, Jeff Swindell, & Mitch Wissmiller
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TOP “ROOKIE” FINISHER OF THE RACE:
Apr. 3: Terre Haute Action Track – Casey Shuman (12th)
May 26: Indiana State Fairgrounds – Mark Smith (9th)
May 27: Lucas Oil Raceway – Robert Stout (4th)
June 10: Williams Grove Speedway – Mark Smith (6th)
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KSE RACING PRODUCTS “HARD CHARGER” OF THE RACE:
Apr. 3: Terre Haute Action Track – Bryan Clauson (6 positions)
May 26: Indiana State Fairgrounds – Terry James (13 positions)
May 27: Lucas Oil Raceway – Shane Cockrum (7 positions)
June 10: Williams Grove Speedway – Bryan Clauson (14 positions)
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ALL-TIME USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE WINS:
1. [23 wins] Jack Hewitt
2. [17 wins] Brian Tyler
3. [16 wins] Dave Steele
4. [15 wins] J.J. Yeley
5. [14 wins] Dave Darland & Chuck Gurney
7. [13 wins] Kody Swanson
8. [12 wins] Jimmy Sills
9. [11 wins] Bobby East
10. [10 wins] Gary Bettenhausen & Mike Bliss
12. [9 wins] Tracy Hines
13. [7 wins] Jerry Coons Jr., Rick Hood & George Snider
16. [6 wins] Tom Bigelow, Russ Gamester, Kenny Irwin Jr., Jason Leffler, Bobby Santos, Ken Schrader, Tanner Swanson & Al Unser
24. [5 wins] Mario Andretti, Donnie Beechler, Pancho Carter, Jay Drake, Tony Elliott, Bud Kaeding, Sheldon Kinser, Larry Rice
32. [4 wins] Jeff Swindell & Rich Vogler
34. [3 wins] Steve Butler, Shane Cockrum, Cameron Dodson, A.J. Fike, Levi Jones, Kasey Kahne, Jim Keeker, Steve Kinser, Bobby Olivero, Johnny Parsons, Aaron Pierce, Ron Shuman, Tony Stewart, Tyler Walker, Paul White & Chris Windom
50. [2 wins] Pat Abold, Steve Chassey, Bryan Clauson, Larry Dickson, Bill Engelhart, A.J. Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman, Joe Saldana, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Cole Whitt, Josh Wise & Doug Wolfgang
64. [1 win] Teddy Beach, Christopher Bell, Jeff Bloom, David Byrne, Marvin Carman, Shane Carson, Bob Cicconi, Herb Copeland, Shane Cottle, Bruce Field, Aaron Fike, Chet Fillip, Bob Frey, Eric Gordon, John Heydenreich, Gary Hieber, Shane Hmiel, Shane Hollingsworth, Jimmy Horton, Jackie Howerton, Kevin Huntley, Kenny Jacobs, Bubby Jones, Keith Kauffman, Jimmy Kite, Chuck Leary, C.J. Leary, Eddie Leavitt, Jason McCord, Jim McElreath, Lealand McSpadden, Mat Neely, Brad Noffsinger, Stevie Reeves, Wayne Reutimann Jr., Danny Smith, Kevin Thomas, Rich Tobias Jr., Chris Urish & Billy Vukovich
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ALL-TIME USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER CHAMPIONS:
1971: George Snider; 1972: A.J. Foyt; 1973: Al Unser; 1974: Mario Andretti; 1975: Jimmy Caruthers; 1976: Billy Cassella; 1977: Larry Rice; 1978: Pancho Carter; 1979: Bobby Olivero; 1980: Gary Bettenhausen; 1981: Larry Rice; 1982: Ken Schrader; 1983: Gary Bettenhausen; 1984: Dave Blaney; 1985: Rick Hood; 1986: Jack Hewitt; 1987: Jack Hewitt; 1988: Steve Butler; 1989: Chuck Gurney; 1990: Jimmy Sills; 1991: Jeff Gordon; 1992: Steve Butler; 1993: Mike Bliss; 1994: Jimmy Sills; 1995: Tony Stewart; 1996: Jimmy Sills; 1997: Dave Darland; 1998: Jason Leffler; 1999: Ryan Newman; 2000: Tracy Hines; 2001: Paul White; 2002: J.J. Yeley; 2003: J.J. Yeley; 2004: Dave Steele; 2005: Dave Steele; 2006: Bud Kaeding; 2007: Bud Kaeding; 2008: Jerry Coons Jr.; 2009: Bud Kaeding; 2010: Levi Jones; 2011: Levi Jones; 2012: Bobby East; 2013: Bobby East; 2014: Kody Swanson; 2015: Kody Swanson