GATEWAY SILVER CROWN TEST SUCCESSFUL
 
Four TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Championship cars ventured to Gateway Motorsports Park near St. Louis Wednesday for an evaluation test aimed at a possible series engagement at the 1.25-mile paved oval in 2013.
 
The Madison, Ill. facility last hosted the USAC series in 2001, the last of five races held between 1997 and 2001 resulting in victories for drivers Pat Abold, J.J. Yeley, Ryan Newman, Tracy Hines and Dave Steele.
 
Car entrants 6R Racing of Noblesville, Ind. and RW Motorsports of Lederach, Pa. participated in the test, with drivers Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif. and Taylor Ferns of Shelby Township, Mich. piloting 6R cars and Bobby Santos of Franklin, Mass. and Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. in RW machines.
 
According to all accounts, the tests were successful, with speeds reaching 141.764 mph., near the track record of 143.967 mph achieved by Steele in 2001. The fastest speed of the session was posted by Santos, who scored two series pavement victories this year at Indianapolis, Ind.
 
“We were pleased with the results of the test and the enthusiasm exhibited by Gateway management and the teams involved,” said USAC’s Silver Crown Director James Spink. “We look forward to future involvement at Gateway and the excitement generated by a possible 2013 series appearance.”
 
6R Racing, under the tutelage of Darryl Guiducci, and RW Motorsports, guided by Steve Weirich, each own historic Silver Crown achievements. 6R shares the all-time series victory record of 27 by Tony Stewart Racing, while RW captured this year’s 2012 series car entrant championship and recorded five wins by three different drivers.
 
Coons participated in the 2001 Silver Crown race at Gateway, finishing 13th in the 100-mile race.
 
Ferns, USAC’s winningest female driver ever with eight feature victories and a 2011 USAC D1 Midget Championship on her resume, is a Silver Crown series rookie, while Coons, Santos and Swanson all have series victories.