CASEY’S GENERAL STORES 100 AT IOWA SPEEDWAY SATURDAY

Saturday’s Casey’s General Stores 100 at Iowa Speedway will be USAC’s first appearance at the 7/8-mile paved oval in three years.

Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif. leads in his bid for a repeat USAC Silver Crown series championship, holding a 33-point edge over runner-up Aaron Pierce going into Saturday’s race. He has won seven of the last 13 Silver Crown races, including the 2015 pavement opener at Toledo, Ohio in May. Swanson also holds the 1-lap Iowa Speedway track record of 146.212 mph., set in 2012.

Swanson’s brother Tanner won the most recent pavement race at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Ind. in May.

Practice Saturday begins at 10 am and qualifying starts at 12:30 pm. The 100-lap feature gets the green flag at 2 pm.

Three-time USAC Iowa winner Bobby Santos will also be among favorites Saturday. He won USAC Midget races at Iowa in 2009, 2010 and 2012.

A.J. Fike of Galesburg, Ill. will also be a top candidate for victory. He was the 2010 Silver Crown race winner and shares the second point ranking with Pierce. Davey Ray of Davenport, Iowa is also expected to compete along with Illinois drivers Patrick Lawson (Edwardsville), Dave Baumgartner (Ottawa Lake) and Tad Roach (Granite City).

Bobby East established the 100-lap Silver Crown record at Iowa Speedway with his 2011 victory at 135.220 mph.