1984 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
Nobody, but nobody, figured on 21-year-old Dave Blaney being a contender for the 1984 USAC Silver Crown championship – not even Dave.
The Hartford, Ohio youngster astounded everyone with his smooth driving style and, ultimately, wore the crown as champion in his first attempt with the series.
The quiet, unassuming son of talented racer Lou Blaney, Dave had never seen a USAC Silver Crown car until March of 1983 when he travelled east to watch Gary Bettenhausen win a 100-mile race at the Nazareth National Motor Speedway in Pennsylvania.
Little did he know then that one year later he’d be battling wheel-to-wheel with Bettenhausen and others for the series title – and beating them!
Go-karts served to launch Dave’s racing career but when he turned 18 in 1981, his dad let him try out the family sprint car. That proved to be a good decision because his success came quickly. Competing with the All Star Sprint Car circuit, he quickly caught the attention of numerous car owners, among them fellow Buckeyes Johnny Vance of Dayton and Ralph and Jim DePalma of Lima.
Vance selected Dave as his driver for a sprint race at Pennsboro, W.Va. in July of 1983 and a fourth-place finish there brought a subsequent drive in the ABC Wide World of Sports USAC race at Eldora Speedway in early 1984.
Prior to Eldora, though, Jim DePalma got together with Dave during the wintertime Sprint series in Florida and made plans for Dave’s debut in the Silver Crown cars. Terry Shappel, chief mechanic on the Blaney family sprinter, also served on the DePalma team, hence the connection.
Originally, the plans called for Dave to debut on the short tracks while Dave’s father Lou had purchased a Silver Crown license with the intention of driving in the races on the longer ovals.
Dave’s only mile track experience prior to 1984 had been in a couple of winged sprint events at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, and the hope was that his performance on the short tracks in 1984 would be sufficient to give him a shot at the Rookie of the Year honors.
After all, the DePalma team had already fielded two previous USAC Silver Crown Rookies of the Year – Jack Hewitt in 1981 and Keith Kauffman in 1982.
Lou’s many years of racing experience enabled him to see the talent his son possesses, and he elected to step aside and give Dave an opportunity to run the entire 1984 series and his decision is one he’ll always be proud of.
In April, Dave made his non-wing racing debut in Vance’s Aristocrat Products Chevy at Eldora and was the third-fastest qualifier in a field of 55 cars. He took the green flag before a national television audience but was unable to finish the race.
In May of 1984, the DePalma Silver Crown team came to the Indiana State Fairgrounds with Blaney as their driver. The initial outing for the Stenger Ford-sponsored machine was not totally successful, as another driver spun in front of Dave during a qualifying race and he was eliminated from the Hulman Hundred activities.
Undaunted, Dave bounced back with an 11th place finish among some top competition at Oklahoma City in July, but the best was yet to come.
Dave surprised many when he brought the Stenger Ford Chevy home second behind Chuck Gurney in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 in August at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
Then came the true test of a champion. Dave had never driven in a race on pavement, so it was with some apprehension that he buckled up for the 200-lap race at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. Flawlessly, he picked his way through traffic, and when the checkered flag fell, he was again in second place.
Now the crowd was beginning to pick up on this newcomer as he’d emerged from the St. Paul race with the series point lead. Of course, the big point races at Du Quoin and Indiana State Fairgrounds were next and Gurney and Bettenhausen were breathing down his neck.
At Du Quoin on Labor Day, Dave finished fourth and extended his lead. The next race was the Hoosier Hundred and it appeared a top finish could clinch the championship.
He worked his way up to sixth at the finish of the 100-miler in Indianapolis, and when the dust cleared, he was proclaimed Rookie of the Race, but also that his point total was enough to wrap up the championship, with Bettenhausen and Gurney not able to make up the difference in the last scheduled race of the year, the rained out 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway.
Dave was quick to point out that much of his success belongs to the other members of this team. Jim and Ralph DePalma echoed the feelings that the support of sponsor Tom Stenger has made the championship possible.
Dick Johnson of Raymond, Ohio served as crew chief for the team, with the assistance of brother Bruce Johnson and sons Randy and Rick. Tom Sawyer was the team’s tire man.
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SNIDER BEATS GURNEY IN HULMAN HUNDRED
Indianapolis, Indiana………George Snider’s victory in the May 25 Hulman Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds gave him the early point lead in the 1984 USAC Silver Crown series.
Snider drove the LeFevre Automotive Chevy to the win in the rain-shortened event which was halted after 33 of the scheduled 60 miles had been completed.
Defending race winner Chuck Gurney narrowly missed scoring his fourth consecutive Silver Crown triumph at the one-mile dirt track, finishing second, and trails Snider by 24 points going into the July 21-22 USAC/NCRA Challenge at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds Speedway, the next event on the series schedule.
Larry Dickson, winner of one of the three preliminary Qualifying Races, led the first five miles of the main event but was forced out after 18 miles with engine problems. Snider and Gurney won the other qualifiers.
Billy Engelhart placed third Friday night after battling Snider for the lead during the early laps with Rich Vogler fourth and Tom Bigelow fifth.
Rounding out the top-ten in the feature finish were Ken Schrader, Kevin Olson, Billy Vukovich, Jerry Russell and Joe Saldana.
Drivers Ronnie Burke and Terry Kawell were involved in separate spectacular flips during the program, Burke suffering a mild concussion when he tumbled during the first qualifying race. During the incident, Burke’s helmet was ejected and was later found outside the racetrack. Kawell, meanwhile, was uninjured in a flip during the feature.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 25, 1984 – Indiana State Fairgrounds – Indianapolis, Indiana – Hulman Hundred
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-8 transfer to the feature) 1. Larry Dickson (#64 Jet Engineering), 2. Jerry Russell (#53 Schmidt), 3. Billy Vukovich (#86 Hill), 4. Kevin Olson (#16 Wilke), 5. Jerry Nemire (#36 Truax), 6. Herb Copeland (#18 Conroy), 7. Ronnie Burke (#33 Dooper), 8. Jack Hewitt (#2 Vance), 9. Dave Blaney (#58 DePalma), 10. Arnie Knepper (#35 Fischer), 11. Mike Peters (#88 Hill), 12. Larry Rice (#20 Peterson-Niebel), 13. Bud Wilmot (#84 Wilmot), 14. Kramer Williamson (#21 Stephens). NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-8 transfer to the feature) 1. George Snider (#9 LeFevre), 2. Rich Vogler (#29 Seymour), 3. Steve Cannon (#26 Jones), 4. Bob Cicconi (#37 Senter), 5. Danny Milburn (#46 Egan), 6. Gary Hieber (#47 EWH), 7. Joe Saldana (#56 Gohr), 8. Gary Irvin (#48 Irvin), 9. Bobby Olivero (#15 Leader Card), 10. Ken Schrader (#55 Middleton), 11. Sheldon Kinser (#4 Leyba), 12. Gary Griffith (#81 Conroy), 13. Jerry Weeks (#57 Roberts), 14. Larry Martin (#31 Mataka). 7:15.19
THIRD QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-8 transfer to the feature) 1. Chuck Gurney (#30 Kurtz), 2. Billy Engelhart (#70 Snell), 3. Tom Bigelow (#14 Smith), 4. Nick Fornoro Jr. (#51 GCQ), 5. Terry Kawell (#96 Kawell), 6. Rick Hood (#39 Fortune), 7. Duke Cook (#3 Cook), 8. Manny Rockhold (#19 Automotive Machine), 9. Warren Mockler (#24 MacPherson), 10. Steve Butler (#98 Lesko), 11. Johnny Parsons (#10 Jarrett), 12. Mike Johnson (#59 Robinson), 13. Mark Alderson (#7 LaGrande). 6:58.85
FEATURE: (33 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. George Snider (2), 2. Chuck Gurney (3), 3. Billy Engelhart (6), 4. Rich Vogler (5), 5. Tom Bigelow (9), 6. Ken Schrader (24), 7. Kevin Olson (10), 8. Billy Vukovich (7), 9. Jerry Russell (4), 10. Joe Saldana (18), 11. Bob Cicconi (11), 12. Manny Rockhold (20), 13. Nick Fornoro Jr. (12), 14. Steve Cannon (8), 15. Bud Wilmot (27), 16. Danny Milburn (14), 17. Larry Martin (28), 18. Rick Hood (16), 19. Warren Mockler (23), 20. Gary Hieber (17), 21. Jerry Nemire (13), 22. Duke Cook (19), 23. Larry Dickson (1), 24. Bobby Olivero (22), 25. Sheldon Kinser (26), 26. Terry Kawell (15), 27. Steve Butler (25), 28. Gary Irvin (21). NT
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Gary Bettenhausen (#1 Delrose-Holt), Jack Hewitt (#2 Vance), Mark Alderson (#7 LaGrande), Johnny Parsons (#10 Jarrett), Herb Copeland (#18 Conroy), Manny Rockhold (#19 Automotive Machine), Larry Rice (#20 Peterson-Niebel), Kramer Williamson (#21 Stephens), Ronnie Burke (#33 Dooper), Arnie Knepper (#35 Fischer), Joe Saldana (#45 Beletsky), Jerry Weeks (#57 Roberts), Dave Blaney (#58 DePalma), Mike Johnson (#59 Robinson), Gary Griffith (#81 Conroy) & Bud Wilmot (#84 Wilmot).
**Ronnie Burke flipped during the first qualifying race. Terry Kawell flipped on lap 15 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-5 Larry Dickson, Laps 6-7 George Snider, Laps 8-13 Billy Engelhart, Laps 14-33 George Snider.
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HOOD HAS THE WINNING TOUCH IN USAC VS. NCRA CHALLENGE
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma………Rick Hood defeated all challengers in the July 21 USAC Silver Crown match race, pitting the stars of USAC vs. the NCRA in a 15-lap special event at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds Speedway.
Hood led the USAC team to a convincing victory over the NCRA (National Championship Racing Association) team in the KXY Radio Challenge at the ½-mile dirt track, beating Shane Carson and Dave Blaney to the checkered flag.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SPECIAL EVENT RACE RESULTS: July 22, 1984 – Oklahoma City Fairgrounds Speedway – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – KXY Radio USAC vs. NCRA Challenge Race
FEATURE: (15 laps) 1. Rick Hood (#39 Fortune) (5), 2. Shane Carson (#76s Suchy), 3. Dave Blaney (#58 DePalma) (9), 4. Scott Edmiston (#13x Edmiston) (4), 5. Larry Rice (#20 Peterson-Niebel) (19), 6. Ron Shuman (#21 Stephens) (13), 7. Bob Ewell (#85 Ewell) (12), 8. Garry Lee Maier (#11x Patton) (14), 9. Larry Dickson (#64 Jet Engineering) (1), 10. Johnny Parsons (#10 Jarrett) (11), 11. Duke Cook (#3 Cook) (3), 12. Bob Cicconi (#37 Senter) (7), 13. Danny Shouse (#27 Shouse) (20), 14. Steve Cannon (#26 Jones) (17), 15. Jeff Forshee (#88n King) (18), 16. Bruce Jennings (#20s Carithers) (6), 17. Earnest Jennings (#61 Jennings) (16), 18. Steve Garey (#12 Garey) (8), 19. Billy Engelhart (#70 Snell) (15), 20. Mike Peters (#65 McDonald) (10). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-7 Shane Carson, Laps 8-15 Rick Hood.
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HOOD SWEEPS OKLAHOMA CITY SILVER CROWN WEEKEND
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma………Rick Hood and the Rose Brothers Trucking Chevy were the class of the field in the July 21-22 USAC Silver Crown events at the Oklahoma City Fairgrounds Speedway, winning both Saturday night’s 15-lap USAC vs. NCRA Challenge and Sunday night’s 50-lap Silver Crown points race.
Hood entered Sunday’s event and subsequently went wire-to-wire in the feature, netting the Damon “Blackie” Fortune team over $9,000 in weekend prizes from the total purse of over $40,000.
Tom Bigelow, who came from 17th starting spot to finish second in the Terre Haute First National Bank Chevy Sunday night, rose to third in the 1984 series points, while Billy Engelhart’s third-place finish helped move him into second in the standings, just one point behind leader George Snider.
Snider failed to score points at Oklahoma City, as he retired just 13 laps in with torsion bar trouble after being added to the starting field by the race organizer.
Hood won the pole starting spot for the 50-lapper by setting a new one-lap track qualifying record on Saturday night.
Drivers Robert Smith, Troy Matchen, Jackie Howerton and Bob Priddy all escaped injury in flips during Saturday night’s preliminaries, while Bob Waller walked away from a Sunday night spill.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: July 22, 1984 – Oklahoma City Fairgrounds Speedway – Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – KXY Radio Oklahoma City 50
QUALIFYING: (Top-12 locked into the feature) 1. Rick Hood, 39, Fortune-20.961; 2. Jeff Forshee, 88n, King-20.524; 3. Mike Peters, 65, McDonald-21.613; 4. Billy Engelhart, 70, Snell-21.634; 5. Ron Shuman, 21, Stephens-21.760; 6. Bob Ewell, 85, Ewell-21.953; 7. Steve Cannon, 26, Jones-22.043; 8. Johnny Parsons, 10, Jarrett-22.044; 9. Duke Cook, 3, Cook-22.075; 10. Larry Dickson, 64, Jet Engineering-22.197; 11. Earnest Jennings, 61, Jennings-22.221; 12. Scott Edmiston, 13x, Edmiston-22.340; 13. Larry Rice, 20, Peterson/Niebel-22.349; 14. Danny Shouse, 27, Shouse-22.464; 15. Garry Lee Maier, 11x, Patton-22.482; 16. Bruce Jennings, 20s, Carithers-22.538; 17. Dave Blaney, 58, DePalma-22.609; 18. Shane Carson, 76s, Suchy-22.628; 19. Bob Cicconi, 37, Senter-22.665; 20. Mark Alderson, 7, LaGrande-22.703; 21. Ken Schrader, 55, Middleton-22.723; 22. Steve Garey, 12, Garey-22.795; 23. George Snider, 9, LeFevre-22.842; 24. Ken Brewer, 96, Brewer-22.848; 25. Tom Bigelow, 1, Delrose/Holt-22.876; 26. Rick Jennings, 88, Hill-22.909; 27. Jim Bean, 5p, Bean-22.958; 28. Jon Johnson, 1x, Ochs-22.982; 29. Billy Vukovich, 86, Hill-22.996; 30. Jerry Stone, 21n, Stephens-23.075; 31. Mike Gigot, 7x, SOS-23.079; 32. Greg Wooley, 23, Wooley-23.129; 33. Gary Griffith, 81, Conroy-23.144; 34. Tony Armstrong, 11, Stephens-23.229; 35. Herb Copeland, 1n, Nance-23.248; 36. Bob Waller, 1c, Waller-23.276; 37. Harold Leep, 99, Snowden-23.511; 38. Stan Constant, 17, Constant-23.526; 39. Jack Moulton Jr., 79, Moulton-23.547; 40. Dave Turpin, 19, Turpin-23.627; 41. Dusty Odom, 10n, Odom-23.647; 42. Terry Quinn, 42, Mercer-23.794; 43. Troy Matchen, 86n, Moxley-23.849; 44. Butch Roberts, 71, Roberts-23.926; 45. Jackie Howerton, 77, Powell-24.054; 46. Terry Uehling, 72, Tradewind-24.113; 47. Bob Priddy, 15, Priddy-24.409; 48. D.E. Suggs, 44, Denton-25.522; 49. Robert Smith, 18, Conroy-NT; 50. Darrell Jennings, 81n, Jennings-NT.
LAST CHANCE RACE: (15 laps, held July 21) 1. Stan Constant, 2. Harold Leep, 3. Jack Moulton Jr., 4. Terry Uehling, 5. Butch Roberts, 6. D.E. Suggs, 7. Dusty Odom, 8. Terry Quinn, 9. Dave Turpin, 10. Bob Priddy, 11. Troy Matchen, 12. Jackie Howerton. NT
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-7 transfer to the feature) 1. Larry Rice, 2. Ken Schrader, 3. Tom Bigelow, 4. Dave Blaney, 5. Herb Copeland, 6. Billy Vukovich, 7. George Snider, 8. Bob Cicconi, 9. Garry Lee Maier, 10. Mike Gigot, 11. Jim Bean, 12. Butch Roberts, 13. George Snider, 14. Dave Turpin, 15. Gary Griffith, 16. Dusty Odom, 17. Jack Moulton Jr. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-7 transfer to the feature) 1. Jon Johnson, 2. Jerry Stone, 3. Tony Armstrong, 4. Greg Wooley, 5. Shane Carson, 6. Harold Leep, 7. Ken Brewer, 8. Terry Uehling, 9. Rick Jennings, 10. D.E. Suggs, 11. Bruce Jennings, 12. Steve Garey, 13. Danny Shouse, 14. Mark Alderson, 15. Bob Waller. NT
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Rick Hood (1), 2. Tim Bigelow (17), 3. Billy Engelhart (4), 4. Ron Shuman (5), 5. Jeff Forshee (2), 6. Herb Copeland (21), 7. Larry Rice (13), 8. Johnny Parsons (8), 9. Ken Schrader (15), 10. Scott Edmiston (12), 11. Dave Blaney (19), 12. Mike Peters (3), 13. Jon Johnson (14), 14. Steve Cannon (7), 15. Bob Ewell (6), 16. Tony Armstrong (18), 17. Earnest Jennings (11), 18. Billy Vukovich (23), 19. Terry Uehling (24), 20. Ken Brewer (26), 21. Jerry Stone (16), 22. Shane Carson (22), 23. Duke Cook (9), 24. George Snider (25), 25. Larry Dickson (10), 26. Greg Wooley (20). NT
**Robert Smith flipped during practice. Troy Matchen, Jackie Howerton and Bob Priddy flipped during the last chance race. Bob Waller flipped during the second qualifying race.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-50 Rick Hood.
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BETTENHAUSEN 100 TO GURNEY
Springfield, Illinois………Chuck Gurney captured the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on August 18, leading all but the first seven miles in the Plastic Express Chevy.
Gurney averaged 91.246 mph for the race after starting from the pole. He and Ken Schrader shared the front row after qualifying was scrubbed because of morning rainfall and they won the two qualifying heats. Schrader led the first seven miles before Gurney caught him.
Gary Bettenhausen came from the 27th starting spot to finish third in his bid to repeat as winner of the race named in honor of his father.
Jack Hewitt escaped serious injury when he flipped on the opening lap of his qualifying race. His car rolled over several times after hitting the wall in turn 3.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 18, 1984 – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Springfield, Illinois – Tony Bettenhausen 100
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: 1. Chuck Gurney (#30 Kurtz), 2. Bobby Olivero (#15 Leader Card), 3. Sheldon Kinser (#10 Jarrett), 4. Mark Alderson (#7 LaGrande), 5. Mike Johnson (#11 Plummer), 6. Billy Engelhart (#70 Snell), 7. Keith Campbell (#85 McMahon), 8. Danny Milburn (#14 Smith), 9. Duke Cook (#3 Cook), 10. Warren Mockler (#24 MacPherson), 11. Gary Bettenhausen (#1 Delrose-Holt), 12. Joe Saldana (#81 Conroy), 13. Rich Vogler (#29 Seymour)
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: 1. Ken Schrader (#55 Middleton), 2. Ron Shuman (#21 Stephens), 3. Dave Blaney (#58 DePalma), 4. George Snider (#9 LeFevre), 5. Larry Rice (#20 Peterson-Niebel), 6. Tom Bigelow (#16 Wilke), 7. Gary Irvin (#48 Irvin), 8. Bob Cicconi (#37 Senter), 9. Nick Fornoro Jr. (#51 GCQ), 10. Jerry Nemire (#36 Truax), 11. Paul Koch (#60 Murray), 12. Gary Hieber (#47 EWH), 13. Jerry Russell (#53 Schmidt), 14. Larry Dickson (#64 Jet Engineering), 15. Randy Bateman (#38 Bateman), 16. Manny Rockhold (#19 Automotive Machine), 17. Herb Copeland (#18 Conroy), 18. Bill Hudson (#49 Hudson). NT
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Jack Hewitt (#2 Vance), Steve Butler (#26 Jones), Rick Hood (#39 Fortune), Jim McElreath (#65 Hall), Jim Moughan (#78 Conrad), Bud Wilmot (#84 Wilmot) & Steve Cannon (#89 Soubirou)
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chuck Gurney (1), 2. Dave Blaney (6), 3. Gary Bettenhausen (27), 4. Bobby Olivero (3), 5. Mark Alderson (7), 6. Jerry Russell (23), 7. Jerry Nemire (20), 8. Nick Fornoro Jr. (18), 9. Bob Cicconi (16), 10. Herb Copeland (28), 11. Joe Saldana (29), 12. Gary Hieber (22), 13. Paul Koch (21), 14. Keith Campbell (13), 15. Warren Mockler (19), 16. George Snider (8), 17. Rich Vogler (31), 18. Tom Bigelow (12), 19. Ken Schrader (2), 20. Danny Milburn (15), 21. Billy Engelhart (11), 22. Mike Johnson (9), 23. Larry Dickson (24), 24. Sheldon Kinser (5), 25. Ron Shuman (4), 26. Gary Irvin (14), 27. Randy Bateman (25), 28. Manny Rockhold (26), 29. Duke Cook (17), 30. Bill Hudson (30), 31. Larry Rice (10). 1:05:46.46
**Jack Hewitt flipped during the qualifying race.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-7 Ken Schrader, Laps 8-100 Chuck Gurney.
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CARMAN 1ST IN MINNESOTA 200-LAPPER
St. Paul, Minnesota………Marvin Carman and the Roberts Steel Erectors Chevy scored a surprise victory in the Coca Cola 200 at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds on August 24, with new point leader Dave Blaney taking second in his pavement racing debut.
Carman led the final 52 laps of the race following pole starter Rich Vogler’s engine expiring after he led the first 121 laps and George Snider fell to sixth place at the finish after leading the next 27 laps.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 24, 1984 – Minnesota State Fairgrounds – St. Paul, Minnesota – Coca-Cola 200
QUALIFYING: 1. Rich Vogler, 29, Seymour-19.508; 2. Steve Chassey, 56, Gohr-19.546; 3. Larry Rice, 20, Peterson/Niebel-19.732; 4. Marvin Carman. 57, Roberts-19.771; 5. Tom Bigelow, 15, Leader Card-19.831; 6. Gary Bettenhausen, 1, Delrose/Holt-19.856; 7. Ken Schrader, 55, Middleton-19.881; 8. George Snider, 16, Wilke-19.900; 9. Chuck Gurney, 30, Kurtz-19.939; 10. Gary Hieber, 47, EWH-19.946; 11. Dave Blaney, 58, DePalma-19.981; 12. Ken Hamilton, 86, Hill-19.983; 13. Mike Gregg, 27, Petauro-19.997; 14. Billy Engelhart, 70, Snell-20.000; 15. Larry Dickson, 64, Jet Engineering-20.018; 16. Bob Cicconi, 37, Senter-20.164; 17. Bentley Warren, 10, Jarrett-20.201; 18. Eddie Wirth, 43, Patterson-20.220; 19. Jerry Nemire, 36, Truax-20.297; 20. Nick Fornoro Jr., 51, GCQ-20.323; 21. Mark Alderson, 7, LaGrande-20.368; 22. Herb Copeland, 18, Conroy-20.385; 23. Bud Wilmot, 84, Wilmot-20.469; 24. Duke Cook, 3, Cook-20.590; 25. Joe McCarthy, 28, Polnau-22.096; 26. Gary Griffith, 81, Conroy-NT.
FEATURE: (200 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Marvin Carman (4), 2. Dave Blaney (11), 3. Tom Bigelow (5), 4. Gary Bettenhausen (6), 5. Ken Schrader (7), 6. George Snider (8), 7. Bentley Warren (17), 8. Jerry Nemire (19), 9. Ken Hamilton (12), 10. Billy Engelhart (14), 11. Nick Fornoro Jr. (20), 12. Bud Wilmot (23), 13. Joe McCarthy (25), 14. Gary Hieber (10), 15. Mike Gregg (13), 16. Eddie Wirth (18), 17. Chuck Gurney (9), 18. Duke Cook (24), 19. Rich Vogler (1), 20. Steve Chassey (2), 21. Herb Copeland (22), 22. Larry Dickson (15), 23. Larry Rice (3), 24. Mark Alderson (21), 25. Bob Cicconi (16). 1:16:10.20
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-121 Rich Vogler, Laps 122-148 George Snider, Laps 149-200 Marvin Carman.
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SHUMAN’S BLOWN TIRE GIVES SALDANA Du QUOIN VICTORY
Du Quoin, Illinois………Joe Saldana scored a come from behind victory in the Labor Day 100-mile USAC Silver Crown race at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds on September 3.
Driving the Mauri Amerling Chevy, Saldana passed the ailing machine of Ron Shuman on the final straightaway to win the race.
Shuman, who had led from lap 76-99, had the misfortune of blowing a right rear tire coming out of the last turn and had to settle for second place in the OFIXCO Chevy.
Johnny Parsons, in a fine drive, finished third, with Dave Blaney fourth and Steve Chassey fifth.
Gurney set a new track qualifying record of 111.238 mph and led the first 75 miles of the race before ignition trouble forced him out. Bettenhausen was running second when ring and pinion gear problems dropped him out of contention at 78 miles.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 3, 1984 – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin, Illinois – Ted Horn 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Chuck Gurney, 30, Kurtz-32.363; 2. Steve Chassey, 56, Gohr-32.452; 3. Sheldon Kinser, 4, Leyba-32.555; 4. Joe Saldana, 6, Amerling-32.566; 5. Ken Schrader, 55, Middleton-32.731; 6. Gary Bettenhausen, 1, Delrose/Holt-32.815; 7. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-33.039; 8. Ron Shuman, 21, Stephens-33.274; 9. Johnny Parsons, 18, Conroy-33.368; 10. Billy Vukovich, 86, Hill-33.401; 11. George Snider, 9, LeFevre-33.437; 12. Dave Blaney, 58, DePalma-33.494; 13. Larry Rice, 20, Peterson/Niebel-33.504; 14. Jack Hewitt, 75, Bill King-33.507; 15. Larry Martin, 10, Jarrett-33.572; 16. Danny Milburn, 14, Smith-33.792; 17. Rick Hood, 39, Fortune-33.942; 18. Duke Cook, 3, Cook-34.091; 19. Mark Alderson, 7, LaGrande-34.239; 20. Mike Johnson, 11, Plummer-34.259; 21. Steve Cannon, 31, Mataka-34.393; 22. Gary Hieber, 47, EWH-34.427; 23. Tom Bigelow, 16, Wilke-34.458; 24. Jerry Russell, 53, Schmidt-34.474; 25. Jerry Nemire, 36, Truax-34.485; 26. Billy Engelhart, 70, Snell-34.606; 27. Jim Moughan Jr., 78, Conrad-34.863; 28. Manny Rockhold, 19, Automotive Machine-34.919; 29. Keith Campbell, 85, McMahon-34.933; 30. Bud Wilmot, 84, Wilmot-34.934; 31. Joe McCarthy, 28, Polnau-34.967; 32. Bobby Olivero, 15, Leader Card-34.999; 33. Jim McElreath, 65, Hall-35.195; 34. Bob Cicconi, 37, Senter-35.197; 35. Randy Bateman, 38, Bateman-35.256; 36. Warren Mockler, 24, MacPherson-35.516; 37. Arnie Knepper, 35, Fischer-35.539; 38. Bill Hudson, 49, Hudson-36.119; 39. Ralph Liguori, 46, Egan-37.065; 40. Steve Butler, 26, Jones-NT; 41, Larry Dickson, 64, Jet Engineering-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Joe Saldana (4), 2. Ron Shuman (8), 3. Johnny Parsons (9), 4. Dave Blaney (12), 5. Steve Chassey (2), 6. Manny Rockhold (26), 7. Gary Irvin (7), 8. Keith Campbell (27), 9. Gary Hieber (20), 10. Jim Moughan Jr. (25), 11. Rick Hood (15), 12. Tom Bigelow (21), 13. Bill Hudson (36), 14. Sheldon Kinser (3), 15. Warren Mockler (34), 16. Billy Vukovich (10), 17. Bud Wilmot (28), 18. Gary Bettenhausen (6), 19. Chuck Gurney (1), 20. Bob Cicconi (32), 21. Jack Hewitt (14), 22. Larry Martin (13), 23. Randy Bateman (33), 24. Jerry Russell (22), 25. Danny Milburn (16), 26. Larry Rice (11), 27. Bobby Olivero (30), 28. Jerry Nemire (23), 29. Ken Schrader (5), 30. Mike Johnson (18), 31. Steve Cannon (19), 32. Billy Engelhart (24), 33. Arnie Knepper (35), 34. Mark Alderson (17), 35. Jim McElreath (31), 36. Joe McCarthy (29). 1:33:13.07
**Larry Rice flipped on lap 42 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-75 Chuck Gurney, Laps 76-99 Ron Shuman, Lap 100 Joe Saldana.
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CHASSEY WITHSTANDS GURNEY’S BID TO WIN HOOSIER HUNDRED
Indianapolis, Indiana………Steve Chassey captured the 32nd Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on September 15, leading all 100 miles in the Gohr Distributing Genesee Beer Wagon.
Chassey won the pole position during qualifications and held off late-race challenges from both Chuck Gurney and Sheldon Kinser. Gurney, in a desperate bid to win his third consecutive Hoosier Hundred, spun while trying to pass Chassey in the first turn on lap 79 and he eventually finished eighth.
Kinser, who started 13th, chased Chassey in the final laps but finished second, a few car lengths behind.
Gary Bettenhausen was third, with Jack Hewitt fourth and Rich Vogler, returning from shoulder injuries suffered a couple of weeks previous, taking fifth.
Dave Blaney finished sixth in the Radio Hospital Chevy to earn the Rookie of the Race award and extend his lead in the 1984 USAC Silver Crown standings over Bettenhausen and Gurney.
The race was halted on the 90th lap after an accident involving Larry Martin and Jerry Russell. Martin flipped in turn three and was taken to Indianapolis Methodist Hospital, suffering a compression skull fracture. Phenomenal progress enabled Martin to be released from the hospital nine days later on September 24.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 15, 1984 – Indiana State Fairgrounds – Indianapolis, Indiana – Hoosier Hundred
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Steve Chassey, 56, Gohr-33.849; 2. Billy Engelhart, 70, Snell-33.641; 3. Billy Vukovich, 86, Hill-33.942; 4. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-34.050; 5. Rick Hood, 39, Fortune-34.101; 6. Rodney Ritter Jr., 12, Kirtley-24.456; 7. Ken Schrader, 55, Middleton-34.467; 8. Gary Bettenhausen, 1, Delrose/Holt-34.479; 9. Jim McElreath, 45, Beletsky-34.576; 10. Johnny Parsons, 81, Conroy-34.723; 11. George Snider, 21, Stephens-34.748; 12. Dave Blaney, 58, DePalma-34.757; 13. Sheldon Kinser, 4, Leyba-34.886; 14. Chuck Gurney, 30, Kurtz-34.941; 15. Tom Bigelow, 16, Wilke-35.036; 16. Bobby Olivero, 15, Leader Card-35.075; 17. Joe Saldana, 6, Amerling-35.082; 18. Larry Martin, 10, Jarrett-35.092; 19. Rich Vogler, 29, Seymour-35.131; 20. Larry Dickson, 9, LeFevre-35.269; 21. Joe McCarthy, 28, Polnau-35.366; 22. Jack Hewitt, 97, Hajduk-35.624; 23. Danny Milburn, 14, Smith-35.630; 24. Mike Johnson, 11, Plummer-35.662; 25. Mark Alderson, 7, LaGrande-35.759; 26. Keith Campbell, 85, McMahon-35.822; 27. Manny Rockhold, 19, Automotive Machine-35.879; 28. Steve Cannon, 89, Soubirou-35.912; 29. Gary Hieber, 47, EWH-35.955; 30. Jerry Nemire, 36, Truax-36.042; 31. Jerry Russell, 53, Schmidt-36.121; 32. Marvin Carman, 57, Roberts-36.317; 33. Steve Butler, 26, Jones-36.325; 34. Nick Fornoro Jr., 51, GCQ-36.330; 35. Warren Mockler, 24, MacPherson-36.396; 36. Arnie Knepper, 35, Fischer-36.540; 37. Duke Cook, 3, Cook-36.566; 38. Donnie Kreitz Jr., 31, Mataka-36.606; 39. Bill Hudson, 49, Hudson-36.969; 40. Jim Moughan, 78, Conrad-37.541; 41. Bud Wilmot, 84, Wilmot-37.673; 42. Kenny Jacobs, 43, Patterson-NT; 43. Larry Rice, 2, Vance-NT; 44. Larry Rice, 87, LaGrande-NT; 45. Johnny Parsons, 18, Conroy-NT; 46. Randy Bateman, 38, Bateman-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Danny Milburn, 2. Gary Hieber, 3. Jerry Russell, 4. Bud Wilmot, 5. Manny Rockhold, 6. Warren Mockler, 7. Steve Butler, 8. Bill Hudson, 9. Duke Cook, 10. Joe McCarthy, 11. Mark Alderson. 7:01.52
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (12 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jack Hewitt, 2. Mike Johnson, 3. Steve Cannon, 4. Nick Fornoro Jr., 5. Keith Campbell, 6. Marvin Carman, 7. Donnie Kreitz Jr., 8. Jim Moughan, 9. Larry Rice, 10. Arnie Knepper, 11. Jerry Nemire. 7:03.75
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Steve Chassey (1), 2. Sheldon Kinser (13), 3. Gary Bettenhausen (8), 4. Jack Hewitt (22), 5. Rich Vogler (19), 6. Dave Blaney (12), 7. Ken Schrader (7), 8. Chuck Gurney (14), 9. Gary Irvin (4), 10. Mike Johnson (24), 11. Steve Cannon (26), 12. Larry Dickson (20), 13. Manny Rockhold (29), 14. Nick Fornoro Jr, (28), 15. Billy Vukovich (3), 16. Larry Martin (18), 17. Jerry Russell (25), 18. Johnny Parsons (10), 19. George Snider (11), 20. Steve Butler (31), 21. Rick Hood (5), 22. Danny Milburn (21), 23. Billy Engelhart (2), 24. Bud Wilmot (27), 25. Gary Hieber (23), 26. Keith Campbell (30), 27. Bobby Olivero (16), 28. Marvin Carman (32), 29. Jim McElreath (9), 30. Joe Saldana (17), 31. Rodney Ritter Jr. (6), 32. Tom Bigelow (15). NT
**Larry Martin flipped on lap 90 of the feature and was transported to Indianapolis Methodist Hospital with a compression skull fracture.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Steve Chassey.
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THIRD-STRAIGHT RAINOUT FORCES 4-CROWN CANCELLATION; BLANEY THE NEW CHAMP
Rossburg, Ohio………Preliminary events were completed on October 13, but the fourth annual 4-Crown Nationals USAC Silver Crown finale was rained out on three consecutive weekends, October 14, 21 and 28, concluding the season with Rookie sensation Dave Blaney as the series champion driver.
Silver Crown feature participants had completed their warmup sessions prior to the rainfall.
Fifth quickest qualifier Tom Bigelow was one of three drivers to earn starting positions in three different feature races at the 1984 4-Crown Nationals, the others being Rich Vogler and Rick Hood.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: October 13, 1984 – Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, Ohio – 4-Crown Nationals
QUALIFYING: 1. Sheldon Kinser, 4, Leyba-17.797; 2. Joe Saldana, 6, Amerling-17.867; 3. Danny Milburn, 14, Smith-18.021; 4. Rick Hood, 39, Fortune-18.034; 5. Tom Bigelow, 10, Jarrett-18.213; 6. Dave Blaney, 58, DePalma-18.352; 7. Rich Vogler, 29, Seymour-18.366; 8. Jack Hewitt, 56, Gohr-18.389; 9. Mark Alderson, 7, LaGrande-18.445; 10. Johnny Parsons, 18, Conroy-18.452; 11. Keith Campbell, 85, McMahon-18.564; 12. George Snider, 9, LeFevre-18.583; 13. Rodney Ritter Jr., 12, Kirtley-18.705; 14. Duke Cook, 3, Cook-18.711; 15. Mike Johnson, 11, Plummer-18.825; 16. Billy Engelhart, 70, Snell-18.876; 17. Gary Hieber, 47, EWH-18.879; 18. Bud Wilmot, 84, Wilmot-18.909; 19. Billy Pauch, 98, Lesko-18.921; 20. Bob Cicconi, 37, Senter-19.083; 21. Manny Rockhold, 19, Rockhold-19.258; 22. Jim Moughan, 78, Conrad-19.311; 23. Jerry Nemire, 61, W & W-19.631; 24. Gary Griffith, 81, Conroy-19.936; 25. Jac Haudenschild, 2, Vance-NT; 26. Nick Fornoro Jr., 51, GCQ-NT.
SEMI: (20 laps) 1. Johnny Parsons, 2. Rich Vogler, 3. Jack Hewitt, 4. Billy Pauch, 5. Bud Wilmot, 6. Rodney Ritter Jr., 7. George Snider, 8. Gary Hieber, 9. Jim Moughan, 10. Mike Johnson, 11. Mark Alderson, 12. Jerry Nemire, 13. Gary Griffith; 14. Manny Rockhold, 15. Bob Cicconi, 16. Duke Cook, 17. Billy Engelhart, 18. Keith Campbell. 12:25.36
FEATURE RAINED OUT
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1984 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (525) Dave Blaney, Hartford, Ohio
2. (404) Gary Bettenhausen, Monrovia, Ind.
3. (354) Chuck Gurney, Livermore, Calif.
4. (304) Steve Chassey, Clermont, Ind.
5. (255) Tom Bigelow, Whitewater, Wisc.
6. (223) Ken Schrader, Fenton, Mo.
7. (209) George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif.
8. (200) Marvin Carman, Union City, Mich.
9. (192) Ron Shuman, Mesa, Ariz.
10. (180) Rich Vogler, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
11. (169) Sheldon Kinser, Bloomington, Ind.
12. (157) Johnny Parsons, Indianapolis, Ind.
13. (156) Billy Engelhart, Madison, Wisc.
14. (126) Bobby Olivero, Lakewood, Calif.
15. (123) Jack Hewitt, Troy, Ohio
16. (114) Jerry Nemire, Toledo, Ohio
17. (111) Jerry Russell, Springfield, Ill.
18. (104) Mark Alderson, Timberlake, S.D.
19. (103) Gary Irvin, West Lafayette, Ind.
20. (93) Manny Rockhold, Pekin, Ill.
21. (78) Nick Fornoro, Jr., Rockaway, N.J.
22. (75) Rick Hood, Memphis, Tenn.
23. (60) Bentley Warren, Ipswich, Mass.
24. (59) Gary Hieber, Langhorne, Pa.
25. (57) Keith Campbell, Olney, Ill.
26. (54) Bob Cicconi, Prospect Park, Pa.
27. (53) Herb Copeland, Dodge City, Kans.
28. (41) Billy Vukovich, Coarsegold, Calif.
29. (36) Kevin Olson, Rockford, Ill.
30. (30) Jim Moughan, Springfield, Ill.
31. (25) Steve Cannon, Danville, Ill.
32. (21) Larry Rice, Brownsburg, Ind.
33. (20) Bud Wilmot, Middletown, Ohio
34. (19) Larry Dickson, Marietta, Ohio
35. (12) Danny Milburn, Indianapolis, Ind.
36. (10) Larry Martin, Martinsville, Ind.
37. (8) Duke Cook, Sidney, Ohio
38. (7) Warren Mockler, Westfield, Ind.
39. (6) Joe McCarthy, Denver, Colo.
40. (5) Paul Koch, Allentown, Pa.
41. (5) Mike Gregg, Fort Collins, Colo.
42. (5) Eddie Wirth, Hermosa Beach, Calif.
43. (2) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
44. (1) Terry Kawell, Colton, Calif.
45. (1) Steve Butler, Kokomo, Ind.
46. (1) Terry Uehling, Ness City, Kans.
47. (1) Bill Hudson, Jasper, Ind.
48. (1) Jim McElreath, Arlington, Texas
1984 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (525) Radio Hospital, Lima, Ohio (#58)
2. (444) Delrose-Holt Racing, Joliet, Ill. (#1)
3. (354) Transportation Computer Systems, Ontario, Calif. (#30)
4. (322) Gohr Distributing, Buffalo, N.Y. (#56)
5. (266) Leader Cards, Milwaukee, Wisc. (#15)
6. (223) George Middleton, Florissant, Mo. (#55)
7. (201) Mauri Amerling, Kingston, N.Y. (#6)
8. (200) Lyle Roberts, Kalamazoo, Mich. (#57)
9. (196) Lloyd K. Stephens, Tulsa, Okla. (#21)
10. (180) Louis Seymour, Marlboro, Mass. (#29)
11. (173) Joe Conroy, Brunswick, Ohio (#18)
12. (166) Ben Leyba, South Bend, Ind. (#4)
13. (156) Tipp Machine & Tool, Tipp City, Ohio (#70)
14. (135) David LeFevre, Lafayette, Ind. (#9)
15. (131) Mark Wilke, Milwaukee, Wisc. (#16)
16. (120) Racing Associates, Niles, Ill. (#97)
17. (114) Robert Truax, Lansing, Mich. (#36)
18. (111) Lowell Schmidt, Evansville, Ind. (#53)
19. (104) LaGrande, Inc., Caledonia, Mich. (#7)
20. (103) Gary Irvin, West Lafayette, Ind. (#48)
21. (93) Manny Rockhold, Pekin, Ill. (#19)
22. (84) Kenny Jarrett, Elwood, Ind. (#10)
23. (81) Larry Hill, Midwest City, Okla. (#86)
24. (78) Michael Gurtizen, Yoe, Pa. (#51)
25. (75) Damon Fortune, Boonville, Ind. (#39)
26. (69) Cecilia Smith, Eaton, Ohio (#14)
27. (59) E.W.H. Service, Langhorne, Pa. (#47)
28. (57) Ron McMahon, Flushing, Mich. (#85)
29. (54) Louis Senter, Encino, Calif. (#37)
30. (34) Jesse Plummer, Indianapolis, Ind. (#11)
31. (30) Don Conrad, Countryside, Ill. (#78)
32. (24) Joe Conroy, Brunswick, Ohio (#81)
33. (21) Peterson-Niebel Racing, Edinburgh, Ind. (#20)
34. (20) Richard Soubirou, Hatboro, Pa. (#89)
35. (20) Steve Wilmot, Middletown, Ohio (#84)
36. (9) Jet Engineering, Lansing, Mich. (#64)
37. (8) Verneda Cook, Sidney, Ohio (#3)
38. (7) Steve MacPherson, Indianapolis, Ind. (#24)
39. (6) San Rafael Truck Lines, Phoenix, Ariz. (#28)
40. (5) Frank Murray, Hellertown, Pa. (#60)
41. (5) Petauro Racing, Littleton, Colo. (#27)
42. (5) Charlie Patterson, Plainfield, Ind. (#43)
43. (4) Elizabeth Jones, Silverado, Calif. (#26)
44. (3) George Egan, Hazelwood, Mo. (#46)
45. (3) William Mataka, Lebanon, N.J. (#31)
46. (3) Bill King, Dallas, Texas (#75)
47. (2) Mark Bateman, Edwardsville, Ill. (#38)
48. (1) Terry Kawell, Colton, Calif. (#96)
49. (1) Bob Lesko Enterprises, Wayne, N.J. (#98)
50. (1) Tradewind Industries, Liberal, Kans. (#72)
51. (1) Bill Hudson, Jasper, Ind. (#49)
52. (1) Walter Beletsky, Bethany, Conn. (#45)
53. (1) William Kirtley, Bloomington, Ind. (#12)