SANTOS’ SILVER CROWN RESURGENCE ROLLS INTO OHIO FRIDAY FOR TOLEDO’S 50TH USAC EVENT

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Toledo, Ohio has been a home to USAC racing dating back to the club’s inception in 1956.  Over the past six decades, no driver has won more USAC races in the “Glass City” than did hometown hero, Rollie Beale, who won five USAC Sprint Car races on the half-mile, high-banked paved oval between 1971 and 1976.

However, this Friday night, July 28, at Toledo's Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness “Rollie Beale Classic,” one driver has an opportunity to do something not even the great Beale was able to accomplish, nor anyone else for that matter.

Bobby Santos snagged a USAC National Sprint Car victory in 2006 and a National Midget win in 2009, but another checkered flag this Friday would send him into a stratosphere of his own.  A win would make him the only driver to win in all three USAC National divisions at Toledo.

The Franklin, Massachusetts native has two Silver Crown starts at Toledo, including a 3^rd place run in 2012 and a 16^th in 2015 after being involved in an early race accident.  Santos has seen a major resurgence in 2017 after not seeing USAC victory lane for two years.  He has two victories this season at Phoenix Raceway in April and just last Thursday at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Ind.  His only finish outside the “top-one” was a 2^nd at LOR in May.

In fact, Santos’ recent hot streak included a stop at Toledo last Friday where he was victorious in the 40-lap King of the Wing Sprint Car Shootout.

The last time USAC was on hand at Toledo, Tanner Swanson walked away from a vicious turn one crash while leading at the halfway mark.  Older brother Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, California carried on after the incident to nab his second win there following his 2011 triumph.  The current Silver Crown point leader has already scored on the pavement once this season at LOR in May.  One more win would prove to be historic, though, as that would move him past Brian Tyler for second all-time in career Silver Crown wins with 18.

Tucson, Arizona’s Jerry Coons, Jr. has been “Mr. Consistency” throughout his career, but especially in his previous four trips to Toledo where he’s been 1st, 4th, 1st and 4th.  If you’re a fan of mathematical sequences and patterns, then you’ll certainly love the USAC Triple Crown champ’s chances for victory in this Friday in the 100-lapper.

Additional expected entrants who have previous Toledo Silver Crown experience include Shullsburg, Wisconsin’s David Byrne, who led 69 of the 100 laps at Phoenix before finishing 3^rd.  Byrne is a veteran of two Silver Crown starts at Toledo – a 12^th in 2011 and a 6^th in 2015.

Muncie, Indiana’s Aaron Pierce has one start and one top-five finish at Toledo – a 5^th in 2015.  The driver who owns the fastest official lap in Silver Crown racing history is coming off a strong 3^rd place result at LOR last Thursday.

Jacob Wilson of Crawfordsville, Indiana has yet to compete on the pavement this season with the Silver Crown Series, but the two-time Little 500 champ and Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial winner will certainly be a threat as evidenced by his runner-up finishes in a National Sprint race in 2009 and the series’ most recent Silver Crown meeting at Toledo in 2015.

Chris Windom of Canton, Illinois is the defending Silver Crown champion, but has yet to turn a wheel in Silver Crown competition at Toledo in his career.  Although, he has made a pair of sprint car appearances (24^th in 2007 & 3^rd in 2011) and a single midget start (13^th in 2007).

Beale, the late 1973 USAC National Sprint Car champ and series official will be remembered as the Silver Crown cars take on Toledo Speedway for the event that bears his name.  Pits open at 1:30 with two sessions of Silver Crown practice scheduled from 4:30-5pm and 5:25-5:45pm.  Silver Crown ProSource Qualifying is set for 6:45 while the night’s racing program will get underway at 7:30pm (Times Subject to Change).

Advance adult tickets are just $20, but $25 if purchased on the day of the event.  Advance sales end at 5pm Thursday, July 27.  Children Age 6-12 can receive admission for $3.  Children 5 & Under are FREE!  (All seating is general admission).  Pit passes are $30 for USAC members and $35 for non-members.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

UPCOMING USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES EVENT

DATE: Friday, July 28, 2017

SERIES: USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series presented by TRAXXAS

TRACK: Toledo Speedway (Toledo, Ohio) – ½-mile, asphalt oval

EVENT: Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness “Rollie Beale Classic” featuring the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series presented by TRAXXAS

STARTING TIMES: Pits Open: 1:30pm. Spectator Gates Open: 4:30pm. Silver Crown Practice: 4:30-5pm & 5:25-5:45pm. Silver Crown Qualifying: 6:45pm. Racing Begins: 7:30pm.

TICKET PRICES: Advance Adults: $20 ($25 day of show - ALL seating general admission). Advance sale ends at 5pm Thursday, July 27). Children Age 6-12: $3. Children 5 & Under: FREE! Pit Pass: USAC members: $30, non-members $35.

TRACK ADDRESS: 5625 Benore Rd, Toledo, OH 43612

TRACK PHONE: (419) 729-9182

TRACK WEBSITE: http://www.toledospeedway.com/

MEDIA COVERAGE: Watch the race one day later, on-demand at http://www.Loudpedal.TV/.  Live updates on https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/, https://twitter.com/USACNation/ and on the Race Monitor app.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

PAST USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE WINNERS AT TOLEDO SPEEDWAY

10/16/2010: Jerry Coons, Jr.

10/15/2011: Kody Swanson

6/29/2012: Jerry Coons, Jr.

5/1/2015: Kody Swanson

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

WINNER: Rained Out

May 26: Brownsburg, IN – Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis

WINNER: Kody Swanson

Jun 16: Mechanicsburg, PA – Williams Grove Speedway

WINNER: Kody Swanson

Jul 20: Brownsburg, IN – Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis

WINNER: Bobby Santos

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

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2017 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINT STANDINGS

1.   (341) Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, CA)

2.   (290) Chris Windom (Canton, IL)

3.   (278) Jerry Coons, Jr. (Tucson, AZ)

4.   (237) David Byrne (Shullsburg, WI)

5.   (213) Bobby Santos (Franklin, MA)

6.   (197) Aaron Pierce (Muncie, IN)

7.   (192) Justin Grant (Ione, CA)

8.   (184) ®Damion Gardner (Concord, CA)

9.   (167) Tanner Swanson (Kingsburg, CA)

10. (154) Joe Liguori (Tampa, FL)

**(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie Driver

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2017 USAC SILVER CROWN OWNER POINT STANDINGS

1.   (341) DePalma Motorsports #63

2.   (278) Gene Nolen Racing #20

3.   (263) Gene Kazmark #92

4.   (237) Byrne Racing #40

5.   (213) DJ Racing #22

6.   (197) Sam Pierce #26

7.   (192) Carli/Hemelgarn Racing #91

8.   (187) Gene Nolen Racing #120

9.   (184) Klatt Enterprises #6

10. (154) Liguori Racing #4

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

2017 USAC SILVER CROWN ROOKIE DRIVER POINT STANDINGS

1.   (184) Damion Gardner (Concord, CA)

2.   (129) Joss Moffatt (Columbus, IN)

3.   (110) Davey Hamilton, Jr. (Boise, ID)

4.   (97) Joe Axsom (Franklin, IN)

5.   (95) A.J. Russell (Clovis, CA)

6.   (93) Kevin Studley (Plainfield, IN)

7.   (90) Toni Breidinger (Hillsborough, CA) & Hunter Schuerenberg (Sikeston, MO)

9.   (79) Dakota Jackson (Elizabethtown, IN)

10. (66) Johnny Petrozelle (Denton, NC)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

RACE WINS:

1. (2) Bobby Santos (Apr. 29 at Phoenix Raceway & Jul. 20 at Lucas Oil Raceway)

    (2) Kody Swanson (May 26 at Lucas Oil Raceway & Williams Grove Speedway on Jun. 16)

2. (1) Chris Windom (Apr. 2 at the Terre Haute Action Track)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

LAPS LED:

1. (141) Kody Swanson

2. (130) Bobby Santos

3. (83) Damion Gardner

4. (69) David Byrne

5. (51) Chris Windom

6. (18) Shane Cockrum

7. (7) C.J. Leary

8. (1) Tanner Swanson

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOP-FIVE FINISHES:

1. (5) Kody Swanson

2. (4) Chris Windom

3. (3) Jerry Coons, Jr. & Bobby Santos

5. (2) Aaron Pierce & Tanner Swanson

7. (1) Brady Bacon, David Byrne, Damion Gardner, Davey Hamilton, C.J. Leary & Hunter Schuerenberg

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOP-TEN FINISHES:

1.   (5) Jerry Coons, Jr. & Kody Swanson

3.   (4) Chris Windom

4.   (3) David Byrne, Aaron Pierce & Bobby Santos

7.   (2) Brady Bacon, Damion Gardner, A.J. Russell & Tanner Swanson

11. (1) Annie Briedinger, Toni Breidinger, Patrick Bruns, Shane Butler, Henry Clarke, Shane Cockrum, Dave Darland, Justin Grant, Davey Hamilton, Davey Hamilton, Jr., Dakota Jackson, Patrick Lawson, C.J. Leary, Joe Liguori, Joss Moffatt, Austin Nemire, Hunter Schuerenberg & Kevin Studley

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

RACE STARTS:

1.   (5) David Byrne, Jerry Coons, Jr., Justin Grant, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom

6.   (4) Damion Gardner, Joe Liguori & Aaron Pierce

9.   (3) Joe Axsom, Davey Hamilton, Jr., Joss Moffatt, Bill Rose, Bobby Santos & Tanner Swanson

15. (2) Brady Bacon, J.C. Bland, Toni Breidinger, Patrick Bruns, Steve Buckwalter, Shane Cockrum, Shane Cottle, Dave Darland, Matt Goodnight, Dakota Jackson, Patrick Lawson, C.J. Leary, Austin Nemire, Johnny Petrozelle, A.J. Russell, Hunter Schuerenberg, Mark Smith & Kevin Studley

33.   (1) Dave Berkheimer, Annie Breidinger, Shane Butler, Henry Clarke, Tyler Courtney, Cody Gerhardt, Davey Hamilton, Ryan Newman, Casey Shuman & Troy Thompson

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

TOP “ROOKIE” FINISHER OF THE RACE:

Apr. 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Hunter Schuerenberg (4^th)

Apr. 29: Phoenix Raceway – Shane Butler (6^th)

May 26: Lucas Oil Raceway – Kevin Studley (7^th)

Jun. 16: Williams Grove Speedway – Damion Gardner (2^nd)

Jul. 20: Lucas Oil Raceway – Davey Hamilton, Jr. (9^th)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

KSE RACING PRODUCTS “HARD CHARGER” OF THE RACE:

Apr 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Dave Darland (20^th to 7^th)

Apr 29: Phoenix Raceway – Jerry Coons, Jr. (15^th to 5^th)

May 26: Lucas Oil Raceway – Kevin Studley (15^th to 7^th)

Jun. 16: Williams Grove Speedway – Austin Nemire (15^th to 7^th)

Jul. 20: Lucas Oil Raceway – Annie Breidinger (18^th to 10^th)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

WILWOOD BRAKES 13^TH PLACE FINISHER:

Apr 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Patrick Bruns

Apr 29: Phoenix Raceway – Chris Windom

May 26: Lucas Oil Raceway – Troy Thompson

Jun. 16: Williams Grove Speedway – Steve Buckwalter

Jul. 20: Lucas Oil Raceway – Joss Moffatt

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

PROSOURCE FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:

1. (2) Kody Swanson

2. (1) Damion Gardner, Bobby Santos & Tanner Swanson

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

QUALIFYING RACE WINS:

1. (1) Mark Smith

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

ALL-TIME USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE WINS:

1. [23 wins] Jack Hewitt

2. [17 wins] Kody Swanson & Brian Tyler

4. [16 wins] Dave Steele

5. [15 wins] 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. [8 wins] Bobby Santos

14. [7 wins] Jerry Coons, Jr., Rick Hood, 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

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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