BACON, GARDNER EARN NATIONAL, CRA TITLES;

HINES, CLAUSON TAKE ARIZONA “HALL OF FAME” FEATURES

Brady Bacon and Damion Gardner completed 2014 USAC championship seasons last weekend. Bacon, of Broken Arrow, Okla., became USAC’s second National Champion from the Sooner State by claiming the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car crown. Gardner earned his third AMSOIL USAC/CRA Sprint Car title by a comfortable margin.

Bacon finished seventh in Friday night’s 14th Hose Advantage “Hall of Fame” Classic” at Canyon Speedway Park in Peoria, Ariz. and closed out the season with a third-place finish at the same track Saturday. Gardner finished third and seventh respectively in the two races.

The championships for Bacon’s Dynamics, Inc. team and Gardner’s Mark Alexander team are the ninth (Dynamics) and third (Alexander) respectively.

Tracy Hines and Bryan Clauson emerged as winners of last weekend’s series finales at Peoria. The Friday win was Hines’ 47th in National Sprint competition, vaulting him into third place on the all-time list. Clauson’s win was his sixth of 2014 and his 31st all-time.

Hines led all 30 laps Friday in his Carolina Nut Company/Hansen’s Welding DRC/Stanton Chevy. He was trailed at the checkered flag by Chase Stockon, Gardner, Robert Ballou and R.J. Johnson.

Clauson’s wire-to-wire 30-lap Saturday victory in the Tony Stewart/Curb Agajanian Racing - Chevy Performance Beast/Kistler saw Dave Darland take second ahead of Bacon, Mike Spencer and Jon Stanbrough.  The win was car owner Mike Curb’s 104th in USAC National competition.

Bacon ended the season with a 56-point edge over Clauson while Gardner’s final margin over Spencer in the USAC/CRA points was 269!