8 YEARS IN THE MAKING, USAC SILVER CROWN IS BACK AT PHOENIX RACEWAY THIS FRI.-SAT.
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
The journey to Phoenix Raceway is a trail that has been taken numerous times throughout USAC’s illustrious history. A.J. Foyt christened the new mile track back in 1964 and, from there on, visits by USAC’s premier series to Phoenix became an annual can’t-miss-event in which fans and teams from all over annually migrated to the southwest for a weekend of speed.
From 1987 through 2009, the USAC Silver Crown series put on race after memorable race, many of which are still remembered fondly to this day, in the traditional “Copper World Classic” which provided an open-wheel heaven for race fans and drivers alike to kick off the season.
In recent years, that trail to Phoenix has fallen silent. But, this coming Friday and Saturday, April 28th and 29th, the tumbleweeds have vanished into the desert horizon and the trail gets dusted off once again as the stars of USAC Silver Crown racing make their triumphant return to the Valley of the Sun.
The “Phoenix Copper Cup” begins a revitalization of the Silver Crown division’s pavement side of the schedule. New teams have emerged, bringing an air of excitement that is more than a welcome sight.
Starting off the list is defending series champ Chris Windom. In April alone, the Canton, Illinois driver has already taken a pair of USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victories and kicked off the month by winning the Silver Crown season-opening “Sumar Classic” at the Terre Haute Action Track. Prior to this season, Windom had never won a USAC National race this early in the season, but could head into May with four under his belt if he can stake his claim in Phoenix.
Lately, when you see a pavement Silver Crown race on the schedule, you can almost pencil in one of the Brothers Swanson as the winner. They’ve been that dominant! So dominant in fact, it’s been since June of 2015 that either Kody or Tanner Swanson didn’t return home from a pavement Silver Crown event without a trophy.
Tanner and Kody split won a pair on the asphalt a year ago with Tanner taking the first two at IRP and Gateway Motorsports Park while Kody went two-for-two as the DePalma Motorsports went back-in-black with the 63’s new paint scheme to grab the last two rounds at IRP and Salem Speedway.
The lone representative of the state of Arizona entered for the event is Tucson’s Jerry Coons, Jr. One of six USAC Triple Crown champions, Coons has not yet reached the pinnacle at Phoenix, finishing in the runner-up position of the 2007 edition. This Saturday, Coons plans to add one of the very few items he’s missing from his Hall of Fame resume.
USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship point leader Justin Grant will make his first Phoenix appearance as he eyes his first Silver Crown victory. The winner of National Sprints’ most recent race a week ago in Plymouth, Indiana will take the wheel for the Hemelgarn/Carli Motorsports team. If you recall, Ron Hemelgarn and crew chief Dennis LaCava have already been to Phoenix Raceway victory lane once before in an Indy Car when their driver, Buddy Lazier, raced from 26th to 1st in the year 2000.
Eleven-time Indianapolis 500 starter Davey Hamilton and his son, Davey Hamilton, Jr. are aiming to become the first father and son to compete in the same Silver Crown race since Wayne Reutimann, Sr. and Jr. at Phoenix 10 years ago in 2007. Davey Hamilton himself is a five-time winner of the Supermodified portion of the “Copper World” and is one of nine drivers entered who have previous Phoenix Raceway experience.
USAC/CRA AMSOIL Sprint Car division’s winningest driver, Damion Gardner, is a master on the dirt with 72 series victories to his credit, but this weekend, he makes his pavement Silver Crown debut. He will face a number of pavement standouts and series race winners who have previous experience at Phoenix including Bobby Santos, Aaron Pierce and David Byrne.
Friday’s schedule includes a pair of practice sessions for the “Phoenix Copper Cup” from 12:30 to 1:30pm and 1:45 to 2:15pm. ProSource Qualifying is slated to begin at 2:40pm.
Saturday’s schedule for the Silver Crown cars starts at 2pm when cars and drivers make their way to pit road. The green flag for the 100-lap, 100-mile race is set for 3pm.
Get your discount tickets now at http://bit.ly/2p5WGI5 to witness both days of racing action: the “Phoenix Copper Cup” featuring the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series, the Vintage Desert Classic and the Desert Diamond West Valley Phoenix Grand Prix featuring the Verizon IndyCar Series.
Can’t make it to Phoenix in-person? Watch flag-to-flag coverage of the event a day after, on-demand at Loudpedal.TV!
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UPCOMING USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT
DATE: Friday, April 28 & Saturday, April 29, 2017
SERIES: USAC Silver Crown Championship
TRACK: Phoenix Raceway (Phoenix, Arizona) - 1-Mile, Semi-Banked Asphalt Tri-Oval
EVENT: “Phoenix Copper Cup” featuring the USAC Silver Crown Championship Series
STARTING TIMES:
Thursday, April 27
6:00pm: USAC Paddock Load-In
Friday, April 28
11-11:30am: USAC to Pit Road
12:30-1:30pm: USAC Practice #1
1:45-2:15pm: USAC Practice #2
2:40-3:10pm: USAC Qualifying
Saturday, April 29
2:00-2:20pm: USAC to Pit Road
3:00pm: USAC Silver Crown race
TICKETS:
Friday, April 28
General Admission: Adults $20. Military $16. 12 & Under: $5.
Saturday, April 29
Adults: $40-75. Military: $28-56. 12 & Under: $10.
Discount Tickets for USAC fans only: http://bit.ly/2p5WGI5,
To purchase tickets, call 866-408-RACE or visit http://www.PhoenixRaceway.com/.
TRACK ADDRESS: 7602 S. Avondale Blvd, Avondale, AZ 85323
TRACK PHONE: 866-408-RACE
TRACK WEBSITE: http://www.PhoenixRaceway.com/
MEDIA COVERAGE: Watch the race one day later on demand at http://www.Loudpedal.TV/. Live updates on https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/ and https://twitter.com/USACNation, plus available on the Race Monitor app on your phone.
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2017 USAC SILVER CROWN SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Apr 2: Terre Haute, IN – Terre Haute Action Track
WINNER: Chris Windom
Apr 29: Avondale, AZ – Phoenix International Raceway
May 25: Indianapolis, IN – Indiana State Fairgrounds
May 26: Brownsburg, IN – Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
Jun 16: Mechanicsburg, PA – Williams Grove Speedway
Jul 20: Brownsburg, IN – Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
Jul 28: Toledo, OH – Toledo Speedway
Aug 12: Salem, IN - Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery
Aug 19: Springfield, IL – Illinois State Fairgrounds
Sep 3: Du Quoin, IL – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds
Sep 23: Rossburg, OH - Eldora Speedway
------------------------ KEY DEFINITIONS -------------------------
(D) represents a dirt event
(P) represents a pavement event
# represents a daytime event
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2017 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINT STANDINGS
1. (73) Chris Windom (Canton, IL)
2. (67) C.J. Leary (Greenfield, IN)
3. (67) Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, CA)
4. (61) Hunter Schuerenberg (R) (Sikeston, MO)
5. (58) Jerry Coons, Jr. (Tucson, AZ)
6. (55) Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, OK)
7. (52) Dave Darland (Lincoln, IN)
8. (49) Damion Gardner (R) (Concord, CA)
9. (46) Dakota Jackson (R) (Elizabethtown, IN)
10. (43) Joss Moffatt (R) (Columbus, IN)
**(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie Driver
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2017 USAC SILVER CROWN OWNER POINT STANDINGS
1. (73) Gene Kazmark #92
2. (67) Chuck & Tammi Leary #30
3. (67) DePalma Motorsports #63
4. (61) Gene Nolen Racing #120
5. (58) Gene Nolen Racing #20
6. (55) Paul Martens #48
7. (52) Carla & Steve Phillips #27
8. (49) Klatt Enterprises #6
9. (46) Gene Nolen Racing #201
10. (43) Williams & Wright Racing #32
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2017 USAC SILVER CROWN ROOKIE DRIVER POINT STANDINGS
1. (61) Hunter Schuerenberg (Sikeston, MO)
2. (49) Damion Gardner (Concord, CA)
3. (46) Dakota Jackson (Elizabethtown, IN)
4. (43) Joss Moffatt (Columbus, IN)
5. (41)Johnny Petrozelle (Denton, NC)
6. (25) Mark Smith (Sunbury, PA)
7. (20) J.C. Bland (Springfield, IL)
8. (10) Dave Berkheimer (Mechanicsburg, PA), David Shain (Sullivan, IL) & Korey Weyant (Springfield, IL)
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RACE WINS:
1. (1) Chris Windom (Apr. 2 at the Terre Haute Action Track)
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LAPS LED:
1. (51) Chris Windom
2. (24) Kody Swanson
3. (18) Shane Cockrum
4. (7) C.J. Leary
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TOP-FIVE FINISHES:
1. (1) Jerry Coons Jr., C.J. Leary, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
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TOP-TEN FINISHES:
1. (1) Brady Bacon, Jerry Coons Jr., Dave Darland, Damion Gardner, Dakota Jackson, C.J. Leary, Joss Moffatt, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
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RACE STARTS:
1. (1) Brady Bacon, J.C. Bland, Patrick Bruns, Steve Buckwalter, David Byrne, Shane Cockrum, Jerry Coons Jr., Shane Cottle, Dave Darland, Damion Gardner, Justin Grant, Dakota Jackson, C.J. Leary, Joe Liguori, Joss Moffatt, Austin Nemire, Johnny Petrozelle, Aaron Pierce, Bill Rose, Hunter Schuerenberg, Casey Shuman Mark Smith, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
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TOP “ROOKIE” FINISHER OF THE RACE:
Apr. 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Hunter Schuerenberg (4th)
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KSE RACING PRODUCTS “HARD CHARGER” OF THE RACE:
Apr 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Dave Darland (20th to 7th)
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WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER:
Apr 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Patrick Bruns
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PROSOURCE FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
1. (1) Kody Swanson
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QUALIFYING RACE WINS:
1. (1) Mark Smith
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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] Kody Swanson & J.J. Yeley
6. [14 wins] Dave Darland & Chuck Gurney
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 & Tanner Swanson
17. [6 wins] Tom Bigelow, Russ Gamester, Kenny Irwin Jr., Jason Leffler, Bobby Santos, Ken Schrader, Al Unser & Chris Windom
25. [5 wins] Mario Andretti, Donnie Beechler, Pancho Carter, Jay Drake, Tony Elliott, Bud Kaeding, Sheldon Kinser, Larry Rice
33. [4 wins] Jeff Swindell & Rich Vogler
35. [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
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; 2016: Chris Windom