TRAXXAS POINT BATTLE SWITCHES TO PPIR SATURDAY

The torrid battle for the 2013 Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Championship point lead continues Saturday in the “Rocky Mountain Classic” at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo.

In the shadow of Pikes Peak, the one-mile paved oval re-opens for USAC racing this weekend with a 100-mile Silver Crown race and a 30-mile Honda USAC National Midget race on tap.

Former series champions Levi Jones and Jerry Coons Jr. share the Silver Crown point lead after the first two races. Jones won the “Hoosier Hundred” opener in May at Indianapolis, Ind and added a seventh at Madison, Ill. the following week. Coons has recorded a second and sixth in the two races.

Bobby Santos is not in the “top-10” in the standings but won the June 1 “Gateway 100” and rates among favorites for Saturday’s race at PPIR.

It’s been eight years since USAC last raced at the track located just south of Colorado Springs. A “media day” is on tap Friday and the racing activity unfolds Saturday.

Defending series champion Bobby East joins teammate Jones in cars entered by NASCAR star and former USAC Triple Crown Champion Tony Stewart. They, however, will have to contend with the RW Motorsports team of drivers Coons and Santos. Last year, the RW team won five of the eight series races with three different drivers!

Silver Crown drivers will challenge Tracy Hines’ 1-lap qualifying record of 143.227 mph in Saturday’s time trials. Hines ranks seventh in the current standings. Hines won at PPIR in 1999 and Brian Tyler, who is also expected to compete Saturday, won at PPIR in 2002.