SWANSON BECOMES FIRST TO WIN 4-STRAIGHT AT MULTIPLE TRACKS

By: Richie Murray (USAC Media)

Salem, Indiana (August 11, 2019)………Kody Swanson’s USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series victory on Saturday night at Salem Speedway was his fourth in a row on the .555 high banked paved oval.  The fourth-straight win by the Kingsburg, Calif. native equaled Pancho Carter’s mark of four consecutive victories in the Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial.

That got us thinking about dominant Silver Crown streaks at other tracks since the series' inception in 1971.  Al Unser’s streak of victories at the Indiana State Fairgrounds began in the 1970 Hoosier Hundred when it was part of the USAC National Championship, or current day IndyCar Series trail, and carried through the first Silver Crown season in 1971, then again in 1972 and 1973.

In solely just the Silver Crown era, prior to Swanson, only one driver had won at least four in a row at one venue: Dave Steele at Phoenix International Raceway in 2002-03-04-05-06.

However, Swanson became the first driver to accomplish the feat twice at two different venues.  He won four consecutive editions of the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds between 2014 and 2018, interrupted only by a rain out in 2017.  This weekend, he kept his undefeated streak going at Salem with wins in 2016, 2017, 2018 and now 2019.

Swanson still has quite a ways to go to reach the ultimate standard for total Silver Crown wins at a single track, set by Jack Hewitt with an astounding eight triumphs in his career at Eldora Speedway.

MOST CONSECUTIVE SILVER CROWN WINS AT ONE TRACK:

(5 Straight Wins)

Dave Steele at Phoenix International Raceway

(4 Straight Wins)

Kody Swanson at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

Kody Swanson at Salem Speedway

TOTAL SILVER CROWN WINS AT ONE TRACK:

(8 Wins)

Jack Hewitt at Eldora Speedway

(7 Wins)

Chuck Gurney at the Illinois State Fairgrounds

(5 Wins)

Gary Bettenhausen at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds

Jack Hewitt at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

Mike Bliss at Indianapolis Raceway Park

Tanner Swanson at Lucas Oil Raceway

Dave Steele at Phoenix International Raceway

(4 Wins)

Jimmy Sills at the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds

Dave Darland at Eldora Speedway

Brian Tyler at the Illinois State Fairgrounds

Jack Hewitt at the Illinois State Fairgrounds

Chuck Gurney at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

Dave Darland at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

Kody Swanson at the Indiana State Fairgrounds

Bobby Santos at Lucas Oil Raceway

Kody Swanson at Lucas Oil Raceway

Kody Swanson at Salem Speedway