SANTOS HEATS UP PHOENIX PAVEMENT; SWANSON TO THE TOP IN SILVER CROWN STANDINGS
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
There’s only but a few occasions per year when a pavement ace can showcase his talents on a stage such as Phoenix Raceway. Last Saturday, the first of five USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series presented by TRAXXAS asphalt events in 2017 raised the curtain on the series’ grand re-entrance to a venue where some of the most legendary snapshots in the history of the United States Auto Club have been captured.
After nearly a decade absent from the desert, the excitement was palpable on a sun-drenched afternoon as the series made its return to the Valley of the Sun for the first time since 2009. Yes, indeed. The “Big Cars” of USAC were back in its Southwest home in search of the “Copper Cup.”
In the eight years that had passed since the Silver Crown’s last appearance to Phoenix, the track had been slightly reconfigured, repaved and renovated. To Bobby Santos, though, it was still the same Phoenix Raceway he knew and loved back in ‘09 when he raced to a USAC National Midget victory at the one-mile tri-oval.
Santos took the pole position for last Saturday’s main event in Friday’s ProSource Qualifying and, right from the drop of the green, put the power on full display as he sprinted to the lead. However, sixth-starting Tanner Swanson’s day came to an immediate end as he slowed to a stop just after taking the green.
After the restart, the man on the move was seventh-starting David Byrne. In rapid-fire succession, the Wisconsin driver worked his way to fourth past Damion Gardner and third from Justin Grant before swapping to the low-line to grab second from Kody Swanson and, finally, to the lead on lap 22 when he corralled Santos, beating him to the bottom in turn one for the spot.
Meanwhile, Swanson and Grant were engaged in a torrid battle for third. But, on lap 25, the right side of his car was grinding up against the baby blue-colored SAFER barrier, ending a solid run for the talented California driver.
Under the yellow, race control deemed that Byrne had jumped the previous restart, relegating him back to second in the running order behind Santos for the lap 31 restart. Byrne wasted absolutely no time getting back to the front, snagging the top spot from Santos on lap 33 where he would remain for the next 60 laps.
Point leader Chris Windom began his race from the tail of the field in Patrick Lawson’s No. 2 after a hard practice crash put his regular Kazmark No. 92 out of commission. But that didn’t faze the Canton, Illinois driver as he raced from the back to eighth by lap 39, when suddenly, he went up in smoke, sending him to pit road and putting an end to his three-race win streak in the series as well as his run of 13-straight top-five Silver Crown finishes.
Byrne quickly distanced himself from Santos on the ensuing restart, but little-by-little, Santos erased most of the gap, shaving off a half-second of Byrne’s one-plus second lead prior to a yellow for Damion Gardner’s hard hit with the turn four wall that was instigated by a broken right front wheel.
When action resumed with 31 laps remaining, Santos threw his first dart at Byrne. Santos wrestled the lead away from Byrne with an inside move entering the first turn. Byrne came right back at Santos, hitting the bottom of turn three to retake the position as a freight-train of Santos, K. Swanson, Aaron Pierce and Davey Hamilton followed.
After a yellow for series rookie Toni Breidinger, Byrne took advantage of his newfound breathing room to distance himself from Santos on the restart with 18 laps to go. But, yet again, all it took was a handful of laps and Santos was back in the game. With 12 laps remaining, the gap was a mere single car-length as Santos continued to reel him in.
Santos repeatedly looked to the outside, peeking his nose to the outside of Byrne on laps 89 and 90 when he veered a little too high and into the turn three marbles, which cost him valuable ground in the race for the win.
As had been the case all afternoon long, Santos struck back, using a crossover off turn four on lap 92 to pull within a half car-length of Byrne at the line. Byrne hung on with all his might, but Santos outpaced Byrne into the first turn to capture the point. Byrne fought back with all his might in turn three, but got the left side tires on the apron and slid up off the bottom, allowing Santos to speed away.
Coming to the white flag, Swanson relentlessly worked on Byrne for second, finding the outside groove to his liking as he sped around Byrne for second off turn two.
Swanson quickly made a charge at Santos, but the sand in the proverbial hourglass had run out as Santos crossed under the double-checkered flags to take his first Silver Crown win in nearly two years over Kody Swanson and David Byrne.
The victory was a homecoming of sorts for the 2010 NASCAR Modified champion from Massachusetts, who scored a USAC National Midget victory the last time USAC visited Phoenix and also become the first driver not named Kody or Tanner Swanson to win on the pavement in eight series races.
With consecutive runner-up finishes to begin the season, two-time champ Kody Swanson holds an 18-point lead over Jerry Coons, Jr. in the standings. Chris Windom falls to third and David Byrne makes a big jump to fourth, while series Rookie Damion Gardner holds the fifth spot.
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UPCOMING USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT
DATE: Thursday, May 25, 2017
SERIES: USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series presented by TRAXXAS
TRACK: Indiana State Fairgrounds (Indianapolis, Indiana) - 1-Mile, Dirt Oval
EVENT: “Hoosier Hundred” featuring the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series and the Mid-American Stock Car Series
STARTING TIMES: Practice: 5pm. ProSource Qualifying: 6.
TICKETS: Tickets can be obtained by calling Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200. A three-day special Superticket for the full week of Indy including the “Tony Hulman Classic” at the Terre Haute Action Track, the “Hoosier Hundred” at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and the “Carb Night Classic” at Lucas Oil Raceway is also available at https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2017-week-of-indy.
TRACK ADDRESS: 1202 E 38th St, Indianapolis, IN 46205
TRACK PHONE: (217) 764-3200 & (317) 927-7500
TRACK WEBSITE: http://trackenterprises.com/ & http://www.indianastatefair.com/
MEDIA COVERAGE: Watch the race LIVE on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/. 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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UPCOMING USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES EVENT:
DATE: Friday, May 26, 2017
SERIES: USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series presented by TRAXXAS
TRACK: Lucas Oil Raceway (Brownsburg, Indiana) - .686-mile, semi-banked paved oval
EVENT: “Carb Night Classic...The Race Before the 500” featuring the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series and the Mid-American Stock Car Series
STARTING TIMES: TBA
TICKETS: A three-day special Superticket for the full week of Indy including the “Tony Hulman Classic” at the Terre Haute Action Track, the “Hoosier Hundred” at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and the “Carb Night Classic” at Lucas Oil Raceway is also available at https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2017-week-of-indy.
TRACK ADDRESS: 10267 US-136, Indianapolis, IN 46234
TRACK PHONE: (317) 291-4090
TRACK WEBSITE: http://trackenterprises.com/ & http://www.lucasoilraceway.com/
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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
WINNER: Bobby Santos
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. (134) Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, CA)
2. (116) Jerry Coons, Jr. (Tucson, AZ)
3. (110) Chris Windom (Canton, IL)
4. (102) David Byrne (Shullsburg, WI)
5. (88) Damion Gardner (R) (Concord, CA)
6. (75) Aaron Pierce (Muncie, IN)
7. (73) Bobby Santos (Franklin, MA)
8. (67) C.J. Leary (Greenfield, IN)
9. (61) Hunter Schuerenberg (R) (Sikeston, MO) & Davey Hamilton (Boise, ID)
**(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie Driver
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2017 USAC SILVER CROWN OWNER POINT STANDINGS
1. (134) DePalma Motorsports #63
2. (116) Gene Nolen Racing #20
3. (102) Gene Nolen Racing #120
4. (102) Byrne Racing #40
5. (88) Klatt Enterprises #6
6. (83) Gene Kazmark #92
7. (79) Gene Nolen Racing #201
8. (75) Sam Pierce #26
9. (74) Bill Rose #75
10. (73) DJ Racing #22
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2017 USAC SILVER CROWN ROOKIE DRIVER POINT STANDINGS
1. (88) Damion Gardner (Concord, CA)
2. (61) Hunter Schuerenberg (Sikeston, MO)
3. (55) Shane Butler (Bushnell, FL)
4. (49) Toni Breidinger (Hillsborough, CA)
5. (46) Dakota Jackson (Elizabethtown, IN) & A.J. Russell (Clovis, CA)
7. (43) Henry Clarke (Villa Park, CA) & Joss Moffatt (Columbus, IN)
9. (41) Joe Axsom (Franklin, IN) & Johnny Petrozelle (Denton, NC)
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RACE WINS:
1. (1) Bobby Santos (Apr. 29 at Phoenix Raceway)
(1) Chris Windom (Apr. 2 at the Terre Haute Action Track)
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LAPS LED:
1. (69) David Byrne
2. (51) Chris Windom
3. (31) Bobby Santos
4. (24) Kody Swanson
5. (18) Shane Cockrum
6. (7) C.J. Leary
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TOP-FIVE FINISHES:
1. (2) Jerry Coons Jr. & Kody Swanson
3. (1) David Byrne, Davey Hamilton, C.J. Leary, Bobby Santos, Hunter Schuerenberg & Chris Windom
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TOP-TEN FINISHES:
1. (2) Jerry Coons Jr., Kody Swanson
3. (1) Brady Bacon, Toni Breidinger, Shane Butler, David Byrne, Henry Clarke, Dave Darland, Damion Gardner, Davey Hamilton, Dakota Jackson, C.J. Leary, Joss Moffatt, Aaron Pierce, A.J. Russell, Bobby Santos, Hunter Schuerenberg & Chris Windom
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RACE STARTS:
1. (2) David Byrne, Jerry Coons, Jr., Damion Gardner, Justin Grant, Aaron Pierce, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
8. (1) Joe Axsom, Brady Bacon, J.C. Bland, Toni Breidinger, Patrick Bruns, Steve Buckwalter, Shane Butler, Henry Clarke, Shane Cockrum, Shane Cottle, Dave Darland, Davey Hamilton, Davey Hamilton Jr., Dakota Jackson, C.J. Leary, Joe Liguori, Joss Moffatt, Austin Nemire, Johnny Petrozelle, Bill Rose, A.J. Russell, Bobby Santos, Hunter Schuerenberg, Casey Shuman, Mark Smith & Tanner Swanson.
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TOP “ROOKIE” FINISHER OF THE RACE:
Apr. 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Hunter Schuerenberg (4th)
Apr. 29: Phoenix Raceway – Shane Butler (6th)
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KSE RACING PRODUCTS “HARD CHARGER” OF THE RACE:
Apr 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Dave Darland (20th to 7th)
Apr 29: Phoenix Raceway – Jerry Coons, Jr. (15th to 5th)
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WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER:
Apr 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Patrick Bruns
Apr 29: Phoenix Raceway – Chris Windom
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PROSOURCE FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
1. (1) Bobby Santos & 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, Bobby Santos, George Snider & Tanner Swanson
18. [6 wins] Tom Bigelow, Russ Gamester, Kenny Irwin Jr., Jason Leffler, 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