SILVER CROWN TACKLES “THE GROVE” FRIDAY FOR THE 100-LAP “HORN-SCHINDLER MEMORIAL”
Friday’s “Ted Horn-Bill Schindler Memorial” at the Williams Grove (Pa.) Speedway continues a long tradition honoring the two auto racing legends and welcomes the USAC Silver Crown Championship Cars back to the historic half-mile dirt oval for the first time in more than three decades!
Sheldon Kinser and Eddie Leavitt were the winners when the series last visited “The Grove” in 1980 and 1981, respectively and a whole new contingent of drivers are anxious to challenge one of America’s most storied venues.
Kingsburg, Calif. driver Kody Swanson leads the series, holding a 24-point lead over Chris Windom entering Friday’s race. Swanson has had an enviable resume on the dirt in recent times and comes to “The Grove” fresh off his third consecutive victory in the “Hoosier Hundred” in Indianapolis in May. He’s won nine of the last 16 Silver Crown outings on the dirt in the past three years!
C.J. Leary of Greenfield, Ind. earned his initial series victory in this year’s dirt opener at Terre Haute, Ind. and figures to be a strong candidate for victory Friday.
USAC “Triple Crown” Champion Jerry Coons Jr. is also expected to be a strong challenger as are a number of other stars who will be making their initial appearances at Williams Grove
Friday’s race will be 100 laps and should figure prominently in the chase for the 2016 championship.
Williams Grove actually hosted USAC Championship Cars in the 1950s as well, with drivers Jimmy Bryan, Jud Larson and Rodger Ward recording wins. The last USAC appearance at Williams Grove saw Billy Pauch win in a Sprint Car in 1996.
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UPCOMING USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT:
DATE: Friday, June 10, 2016
SERIES: USAC Silver Crown Championship
TRACK: Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) – ½-mile, dirt oval
EVENT: “Horn-Schindler Memorial” featuring the USAC Silver Crown Championship and the ARDC Midgets
STARTING TIMES: Pit gates open at 3:30pm. Drivers’ meeting at 6:30pm. Hot laps at 7pm. Qualifying at 7:30pm.
TICKETS: General Admission (Adult): $25. General admission (Youth/Ages 13-20): $10.
TRACK ADDRESS: 1 Speedway Dr., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
TRACK PHONE: (717) 697-5000
TRACK WEBSITE: http://www.williamsgrove.com/
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ALL-TIME USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE WINNERS AT WILLIAMS GROVE SPEEDWAY:
1. (1) Sheldon Kinser & Eddie Leavitt
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2016 USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (204) Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, CA)
2. (180) Chris Windom (Canton, IL)
3. (159) Shane Cottle (Kokomo, IN) & Justin Grant (Ione, CA)
5. (141) Jerry Coons, Jr. (Tucson, AZ) & (89) David Byrne (Shullsburg, WI)
7. (125) C.J. Leary (Greenfield, IN)
8. (121) Shane Cockrum (Benton, IL)
9. (117) Casey Shuman (Tempe, AZ)
10. (110) Bryan Clauson (Noblesville, IN)
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2016 USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP “ROOKIE” DRIVER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (117) Casey Shuman (Tempe, AZ)
2. (61) Robert Stout (Brownsburg, IN)
3. (60) Joe Liguori (Tampa, FL)
4. (55) Neil Shepherd (Warsaw, IN)
5. (49) Joe Axsom (Franklin, IN)
6. (46) Mark Smith (Sunbury, PA)
7. (36) J.C. Bland (Springfield, IL)
8. (18) Joey Moughan (Springfield, IL)
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2016 USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP OWNER POINT STANDINGS (TOP-10):
1. (204) DePalma Motorsports #63
2. (159) Curtis Williams #81
3. (159) Chris Carli #8
4. (141) Nolen Racing #20
5. (141) Byrne Racing #40
6. (132) RPM/Fred Gormly #98
7. (125) Leary/6R Racing #30
8. (121) Hardy Boys Motorsports #71
9. (117) Patty Bateman #55
10. (110) Klatt Enterprises #6
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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
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)
LAPS LED:
1. (93) Justin Grant
2. (80) Bobby Santos
3. (34) Kody Swanson
4. (32) Jerry Coons, Jr.
5. (25) Brady Bacon
6. (20) Tanner Swanson
7. (9) Shane Cottle
8. (7) C.J. Leary
TOP-FIVE FINISHES:
1. (3) Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
3. (1) Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson, Jerry Coons, Jr., Shane Cottle, Justin Grant, C.J. Leary, Aaron Pierce, Robert Stout & Tanner Swanson
TOP-TEN FINISHES:
1. (3) Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
3. (2) David Byrne, Bryan Clauson, Shane Cockrum, Jerry Coons, Jr., Shane Cottle, Dave Darland, Justin Grant & C.J. Leary
11. (1) Joe Axsom, Brady Bacon, Joe Liguori, Aaron Pierce, Mark Smith, Davey Ray, Robert Stout & Tanner Swanson
PROSOURCE FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
1. (1) Brady Bacon, Justin Grant & Bobby Santos
RACE STARTS:
1. (3) David Byrne, Shane Cockrum, Jerry Coons, Jr., Shane Cottle, Justin Grant, Austin Nemire, Casey Shuman, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
10. (2) Terry Babb, Brady Bacon, J.C. Bland, Steve Buckwalter, Bryan Clauson, Dave Darland, Terry James, C.J. Leary, Joe Liguori, Aaron Pierce, Billy Puterbaugh, Jr., Neil Shepherd & Jacob Wilson
23. (1) Joe Axsom, Robert Ballou, A.J. Fike, Russ Gamester, Patrick Lawson, Danny Long, Joey Moughan, Davey Ray, Bobby Santos, Mark Smith, 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)
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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)
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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
49. [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, Chris Windom, 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