In celebration of the 50th year of USAC Silver Crown Champ Car racing in 2020, we are reviewing the past 49 years of series history.
1990 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
From Rookie of the Year in 1989 to series champion in 1990, that’s how meteoric of a rise Jimmy Sills put on display at the dawn of the new decade of the 1990s for Valvoline USAC Silver Crown racing.
The 37-year-old racing veteran from Placerville, Calif. finished 11th in the 1989 title chase but served notice of his intentions in 1990 in the Golden State 100 at his home state track – the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds in Sacramento, Calif. – on June 3, driving the Pioneer Concrete Special.
In earning the 1990 title, Sills won the championship by the narrowest margin, to that point, in the 20-year history of the Silver Crown series, edging upstart Eric Gordon by just 11 points.
“I knew after Sacramento that I had a good chance to win the crown,” Sills said. “I drove for Tex Countryman in the Phoenix opener, but a blown engine put him on the sidelines, so I talked to Bob Consani about driving for him. Fortunately, we were able to put a deal together and got the job done.
Just two years prior in 1988, Jimmy, a veteran of the west coast open wheel wars, had never seen a Silver Crown race. But, his fondness for racing on the big one-mile ovals led him to pursue the championship.
“These are neat cars to drive because you can feel the sensation of speed going down the long straightaways, yet the cars are stable enough that you feel comfortable driving them.”
One of only five drivers who started all nine series races (the others were Chuck Gurney, Eric Gordon, George Snider and Wally Pankratz), Jimmy added a second in the Pepsi-Cola 100 at Indianapolis Raceway Park and a third in the Du Quoin, Ill. 100-miler to his Sacramento victory and won the pole at both Sacramento and Milwaukee.
“The entire Consani team did a magnificent job of preparing the car and my thanks go to mechanics Mike Consani, Ron Bertone, Ardee Dexter, Jim Van Lare and Ronnie Day,” added Sills.
Testimony to the unpredictable nature of the series’ competition and to Sills’ ability to win the title is the fact that all nine races produced a different winner. In a 1990 survey conducted by Auto Racing Analysis, the Silver Crown series was listed as the only major racing series in the world presenting five or more events which had a different winner every time. Sills, Ken Schrader, Jack Hewitt, George Snider, Gary Hieber, Chuck Gurney, Jeff Swindell, Eric Gordon and Steve Butler all visited victory lane during the year, with five of the winners scoring their first career Silver Crown wins.
Schrader kicked off the season with a 50-mile triumph in the Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway, but second-finishing Bob Frey was the early series point leader.
Hewitt’s victory in the Hulman Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds came after Eric Gordon had led the first 45 miles before oil pump trouble surfaced. Jack’s win was his 13th in the series, an all-time record at the time.
Sills’ victory at Sacramento was marred by the serious injuries suffered by Gary Bettenhausen in an accident on the opening lap. Gary recovered by season’s end and was a welcome sight as a Hoosier Hundred spectator.
Snider, after starting 16th, caught Eric Gordon 11 laps from the end to win the Pepsi-Cola 100 at Indianapolis Raceway Park, beating Schrader and Gordon to the checkered flag.
USAC Silver Crown’s Most Improved Driver for 1990, Gary Hieber, stunned many with his surprise victory in the Hoosier Hundred in Indianapolis, but the crowd favorite was Andy Hillenburg, who led the first 96 laps before a shredding right rear tire forced him out. Sills’ second-place finish bolstered his title hopes.
Gurney scored his fourth victory in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at Springfield’s Illinois State Fairgrounds mile, leading all 100 laps after starting on the pole.
Swindell benefitted from Johnny Parsons’ misfortune at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds and came away as the winner of the Labor Day 100-miler. Parsons led until only eight laps remained in his bid for a first series victory but lost a driveline and wound up 16th.
Eric Gordon, the 1990 Silver Crown Rookie of the Year, was running second to Dave Blaney three miles from the finish at the Milwaukee Mile but Blaney ran out of fuel and Gordon grabbed the winner’s trophy. Wisconsin favorite Stan Fox took a well-deserved second.
Steve Butler’s first Silver Crown triumph came in the 4-Crown Nationals finale at Eldora Speedway as he outdueled Jack Hewitt for the win. A fourth-place finish could have given Eric Gordon the series title, but it was not to be as Eric wound up seventh.
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SCHRADER NOW 3-FOR-3 AT PHOENIX; WINS COPPER WORLD 50
Avondale, Arizona………Ken Schrader of Fenton, Mo. is now three-for-three in Valvoline USAC Silver Crown racing at Phoenix International Raceway.
Schrader drove the Seymour Enterprises Chevy to victory in the 50-mile Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic Silver Crown feature on February 4, racking up his third straight win at the one-mile paved oval. The win was worth more than $14,000, including lap prizes.
Ken won the pole for the 50-miler with a qualifying speed of 133.492 mph, but front row starter Gary Bettenhausen grabbed the early lead in the race and held on for 16 laps. Schrader then led for four laps before being passed by young Jeff Gordon on lap 21. Five laps later, Schrader regained the lead for good.
Bob Frey of Wickenburg, Ariz. finished second in the 50-mile series opener, with Bob Cicconi of Prospect Park, Pa., from 25th starting spot, taking third. Cicconi won the 10-mile qualifying race. George Snider of Bakersfield, Calif. and Gordon, of Pittsboro, Ind. rounded out the top-five.
The race was red flagged on the 48th lap when Wayne Hammond of Tampa, Fla. spun into the inside wall on the front stretch and flipped several times. He was not seriously injured, and the race was resumed.
Defending series champion Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif., driving the Builders Equipment Chevy, finished 16th but was two laps behind the leaders at the checkered flag
VALVOLINE SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: February 3-4, 1990 – Avondale, Arizona – Phoenix International Raceway – Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Ken Schrader, 29, Seymour-26.968; 2. Gary Bettenhausen, 12, Delrose/Holt-26.997; 3. Brent Kaeding, 96, Miller-27.192; 4. Jeff Gordon, 35, Ede-27.204; 5. Dave Blaney, 83, Chapin-27.299; 6. Bob Frey, 20, Nolen-27.371; 7. Steve Butler, 10, Jarrett-27.415; 8. Dave Feese, 69, McClure-27.416; 9, Mark Alderson, 37, Scruggs-27.512; 10. Mike Bliss, 45, Bliss-27.649; 11. Wally Pankratz, 56, Gohr-27.690; 12. Eric Gordon, 81, Gordon-27.762; 13. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-27.794; 14. Andy Hillenburg, 85, McMahon-27.795; 15. Lealand McSpadden, 19, Conklin-27.953; 16. Walt Kennedy, 40, Woodward-28.130; 17. Wayne Hammond, 88, Nowling-28.154; 18. Darryl Haugh, 25, Haugh-28.306; 19. Danny Milburn, 27, Milburn-28.588; 20. Jim Mahoney, 50, Aviators-28.740; 21. Tony Elliott, 51, GCQ-28.769; 22. Chuck Gurney, 48, Irvin-28.7:116; 23. Jimmy Sills, 15, Countryman-29.013; 24. Greg Staab, 44, SMS-29.057; 25. Billy Boat, 79, Martin-29.062; 26. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-29.275; 27. Bob Davison, 41, Ellis-29.363; 28. Davey Hamilton, 54 Consani-29.372; 29. Bob Cicconi, 3, Leyba-29.434; 30. Frank McDaniel, 77, Pritchett-29.452; 31. Lyn McIntosh, 74, MRS-29.591; 32. Gary Griffith, 18, Conroy-29.608; 33. Ron Roberts, 21, Roberts-30.059; 34. Rick Sipes, 80, Sipes-30. 132; 35. Bob Meli, 87, Senter-30.358; 36. Kevin Whitesides, 47, Whitesides-30.760; 37. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-32.617; 38. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-NT; 39. Herb Crawford, 53, Crawford-NT; 40. Jim McElreath, 23, McElreath-NT; 41. Ken Hamilton, 65, Neilson-NT; 42. Terry Kawell, 90, Kawell-NT; 43. Dave Burns, 28, Burns-NT; 44. Rich Vogler, 16, Wilke-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Bob Cicconi, 2. Ron Dunstan, 3. Gary Griffith, 4. Davey Hamilton, 5. Frank McDaniel, 6, Bob Davison, 7. Kevin Whitesides, 8. Lyn McIntosh, 9. Chip Thomas, 10. Rick Sipes, 11. Ron Roberts, 12. Billy Boat, 13. Bob Meli. NT
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Ken Schrader (1), 2. Bob Frey (6), 3. Bob Cicconi (25), 4. George Snider (13), 5. Jeff Gordon (4), 6. Dave Feese (8), 7. Andy Hillenburg (14), 8. Mike Bliss (10), 9. Eric Gordon (12), 10. Danny Milburn (19), 11. Darryl Haugh (18), 12. Walt Kennedy (16), 13. Rich Vogler (#50) (24), 14. Wally Pankratz (11), 15. Bob Davison (30), 16. Chuck Gurney (21), 17. Gary Bettenhausen (2), 18. Wayne Hammond (17), 19. Frank McDaniel (29), 20. Brent Kaeding (3), 21. Mark Alderson (9), 22. Gary Griffith (27), 23. Greg Staab (23), 24. Dave Blaney (5), 25. Steve Butler (7), 26. Davey Hamilton (28), 27. Lealand McSpadden (15), 28. Ron Dunstan (26), 29. Jimmy Sills (22), 30. Tony Elliott (20). NT
**Wayne Hammond flipped on lap 48 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-16 Gary Bettenhausen, Laps 17-20 Ken Schrader, Laps 21-25 Jeff Gordon, Laps 26-50 Ken Schrader.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Bob Frey-80; 2-Bob Cicconi-70; 3-George Snider-60; 4-Jeff Gordon-50; 5-Dave Feese-40; 6-Andy Hillenburg-30; 7-Mike Bliss-25; 8-Eric Gordon-20; 9-Danny Milburn-15; 10-Darryl Haugh-10.
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DELAYED HULMAN HUNDRED GOES TO HEWITT
Indianapolis, Indiana………Jack Hewitt grabbed the lead from Eric Gordon on the 46th lap of the Hulman Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, then cruised to victory over defending race winner Rich Vogler.
Gordon, who led the first 45 miles of the race, retired with oil pump trouble. Hewitt’s victory in the Barfield’s Gift Fruit Special owned by Bob Hampshire was worth $9,000 and put him temporarily in the series point lead.
The Hulman Hundred was originally scheduled for Friday night, May 25, but rain forced postponement to Monday afternoon, May 28.
VALVOLINE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 28, 1990 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – Hulman Hundred
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-12 transfer to the feature) 1. Gary Hieber (#66 EWH), 2. Walt Kennedy (#40 Woodward), 3. Stan Fox (#37 Scruggs), 4. Dave Feese (#69 McClure), 5. Andy Hillenburg (#85 McMahon), 6. Brent Kaeding (#96 Miller), 7. Steve Butler (#10 Jarrett), 8. Johnny Parsons (#20 Niebel), 9. Steve Chassey (#8 Vance), 10. Ed Lynch Jr. (#94 Truchan), 11. Warren Mockler (#75 Mitchell), 12. Wayne Hammond (#88 Nowling), 13. Perry Ferrell (#91 Ferrell), 14. Greg Staab (#44 SMS), 15. Kevin Whitesides (#47 Whitesides), 16. Jim McElreath (#23 McElreath), 17. Jerry Nemire (#98 Lesko), 18. Jeff Schrum (#83 Chapin), 19. Manny Rockhold (#17 Rockhold), 20. Ray Kenens Jr. (#99 Faurote), 21. Rick Sipes (#80 Sipes), 22. Tony Elliott (#51 GCQ), 23. Randy Bateman (#55 Bateman), 24. Bill Kojis (#34 Gunderson). NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-12 transfer to the feature) 1. Eric Gordon (#81 Gordon), 2. Rich Vogler (#16 Wilke), 3. Jack Hewitt (#63 Hampshire), 4. Brian Tyler (#25 MBC), 5. George Snider (#11 Snider-Foyt), 6. Wally Pankratz (#56 Gohr), 7. Chip Thomas (#24 Thomas), 8. Jimmy Sills (#54 Consani), 9. Chuck Gurney (#30 Kurtz), 10. Larry Rice (#5 LeFevre), 11. Gary Irvin (#48 Shorthorn), 12. Danny Milburn (#27 Milburn), 13. Ron Dunstan (#42 Tomasits), 14. Russ Gamester (#9 Hoerner), 15. Jim Mahoney (#50 Aviators), 16. Bob Cicconi (#3 Leyba), 17. Tom Bigelow (#14 Smith), 18. Lyn McIntosh (#74 MRS), 19. Terry Babb (#64 Babb), 20. Jerry Russell (#79 McQuinn) 21. Rusty McClure (#18 Conroy), 22. Jeff Gordon (#35 Ede), 23. Blake Hollingsworth (#93 Henning). 8:24.80
SEMI: (15 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Ron Dunstan, 2. Bob Cicconi, 3. Russ Gamester, 4. Perry Ferrell, 5. Jim Mahoney, 6. Tony Elliott, 7. Jim McElreath, 8. Manny Rockhold, 9. Greg Staab, 10. Lyn McIntosh, 11. Jerry Nemire, 12. Tom Bigelow, 13. Randy Bateman, 14. Jim Whitesides, 15. Bill Kojis, 16. Blake Hollingsworth, 17. Jeff Gordon. 8:32.20
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Gary Bettenhausen (#12 Delrose-Holt), Larry Hoppes (#22 Hoppes), Ray Joe Fager (#32 Fager), Donnie Beechler (#46 Egan), Wayne Woodward (#49 Woodward) & Richard Woodward (#71 Woodward).
FEATURE: (60 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jack Hewitt (6), 2. Rich Vogler (4), 3. Brent Kaeding (11), 4. Walt Kennedy (3), 5. Jimmy Sills (16), 6. Stan Fox (5), 7. Warren Mockler (21), 8. Larry Rice (20), 9. Danny Milburn (24), 10. Chip Thomas (14), 11. Wally Pankratz (12), 12. Ron Dunstan (25), 13. Tony Elliott (30), 14. Ed Lynch Jr. (19), 15. Perry Ferrell (28), 16. Jim Mahoney (29), 17. Wayne Hammond (23), 18. Eric Gordon (2), 19. Gary Hieber (1), 20. Johnny Parsons (15), 21. Russ Gamester (27), 22. George Snider (10), 23. Steve Chassey (17), 24. Dave Feese (7), 25. Chuck Gurney (18), 26. Brian Tyler (8), 27. Steve Butler (13), 28. Gary Irvin (22), 29. Bob Cicconi (26), 30. Andy Hillenburg (9). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-45 Eric Gordon, Laps 46-60 Jack Hewitt.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jack Hewitt-120; 2-Rich Vogler-99; 3-Brent Kaeding-86; 4-Bob Frey-80; 5-Walt Kennedy-77; 6-Bob Cicconi-71; 7-George Snider-62; 8-Jimmy Sills-61; 9-Jeff Gordon-50; 10-Dave Feese-42.
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SILLS WINS GOLDEN STATE 100, BETTENHAUSEN HURT
Sacramento, California………Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif. is the new leader in the Valvoline USAC Silver Crown series after his stunning victory in the Golden State 100 at the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds in Sacramento, Calif. on June 3.
Sills won the pole then led the first nine miles before yielding to Rich Vogler. Rich led through lap 72, then clipped a concrete barrier and was forced to pit, returning to finish 10th.
Sills led the final 28 miles for his first USAC triumph in the Pioneer Concrete Special, averaging 91.954 mph.
The Sacramento race was stopped on the opening lap by a five-car accident in turn three. Gary Bettenhausen and Steve Butler both flipped during the melee and Bettenhausen suffered burns on his wrists and several broken ribs. Butler was also taken for x-rays but was released from the hospital.
Sills earned $10,000 from the total Sacramento purse of $63,000.
VALVOLINE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 3, 1990 – Sacramento, California – Cal Expo State Fairgrounds – Golden State 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-14 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 54, Consani-33.104; 2. Rich Vogler, 16, Wilke-33.294; 3. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-33.333; 4. Walt Kennedy, 40, Woodward-33.458; 5. Brent Kaeding, 96, Miller-33.558; 6. Andy Hillenburg, 85, McMahon-33.758; 7. Ron Shuman, 6, Snow-33.762; 8. Chuck Gurney, 30, Kurtz-3.822; 9. Jeff Gordon, 35, Ede-33.893; 10. Darryl Haugh, 25, Haugh-33.905; 11. Dave Feese, 69, McClure-33.955; 12. Gary Bettenhausen, 12, Delrose/Holt-34.056; 13. Wally Pankratz, 56, Gohr-34.306; 14. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-34.350; 15. Stan Fox, 37, 5cruggs-34.566; 16. Eric Gordon, 81, Gordon-34.627; 17. Danny Milburn, 27, Milburn-34.959; 18. Jim Mahoney, 50, Aviators-35.116; 19. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-35.143; 20. Jack Hewitt, 15, Countryman-35.147; 21. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-35.348; 22. Jim McElreath, 23, McElreath-35.393; 23. Dave Burns, 28, Burns-35.466; 24. Jim Moughan, 43, Marcello-35.621; 25. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-35.700; 26. Mike Bliss, 85, Bliss-36.036; 27. Steve Butler, 65, Neilson-36.097; 28. Kevin Whitesides, 47, Whitesides-36.106; 29. Mike McCreary, 82, McCreary-36.428; 30. Ray Kenens Jr., 99, Faurote-36.451; 31. Bobby McMahan, 62, McMahan-36.454; 32. Frank McDaniel, 77, Pritchett-36.644; 33. Bob Davison, 41, Wheeler-37.065; 34. Anthony Simone, 10, Simone-37.623; 35. Larry Rice, 5, LeFevre-NT
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Eric Gordon, 2. Jim Mahoney, 3. Stan Fox, 4. Danny Milburn, 5. Jim McElreath, 6. Chip Thomas, 7. Randy Bateman, 8. Kevin Whitesides, 9. Dave Burns, 10. Steve Butler, 11. Jim Moughan, 12. Ray Kenens Jr., 13. Bob Davison, 14. Frank McDaniel, 15. Anthony Simone, 16. Mike McCreary, 17. Jack Hewitt, 18. Bobby McMahan, 19. Ron Dunstan, 20. Mike Bliss. 5:47.77
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jimmy Sills (1), 2. Chuck Gurney (8), 3. Jeff Gordon (9), 4. Jim Mahoney (16), 5. Darryl Haugh (10), 6. Chip Thomas (20), 7. Andy Hillenburg (6), 8. Brent Kaeding (5), 9. Kevin Whitesides (22), 10. Rich Vogler (2), 11. Jim McElreath (19), 12. Walt Kennedy (4), 13. George Snider (14), 14. Danny Milburn (18), 15. Johnny Parsons (3), 16. Dave Feese (11), 17. Wally Pankratz (13), 18. Eric Gordon (15), 19. Ron Shuman (7), 20. Gary Bettenhausen (12), 21. Stan Fox (17), 22. Randy Bateman (21), 23. Dave Burns (23), 24. Steve Butler (24). 1:05:15.00
**Gary Bettenhausen and Steve Butler flipped on lap 1 of the feature. Bettenhausen suffered burns on his wrists and some broken ribs.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-9 Jimmy Sills, Laps 10-72 Rich Vogler, Laps 73-100 Jimmy Sills.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jimmy Sills-261; 2-Jeff Gordon-190; 3-Chuck Gurney-164; 4-Brent Kaeding-136; 5-Rich Vogler-129; 6-Jim Mahoney-129; 7-Jack Hewitt-120; 8-Darryl Haugh-110; 9-Chip Thomas-98; 10-Andy Hillenburg-91.
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SNIDER, FROM 16TH, WINS PEPSI-COLA 100 AT IRP
Clermont, Indiana………George Snider of Bakersfield, Calif., starting 16th in the 24-car field, came through the pack to take the lead from Eric Gordon on the 90th lap and went on to win the Pepsi-Cola 100 June 30 at Indianapolis Raceway Park,
The victory in the Skoal Classic Racing Special boosted him to third in the 1990 Valvoline USAC Silver Crown series point standings.
George finished second to Jack Hewitt in the 25-lap Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria Qualifying Race but caught Gordon in traffic and led the final 11 circuits. Gordon, who had led the first 89 laps of the race, ended up third behind runner-up Ken Schrader.
Only one yellow flag interrupted the 100-lap contest, when Tony Elliott, Manny Rockhold and Bentley Warren (subbing for the injured Gary Bettenhausen) tangled and crashed in turn three on lap 10.
Jimmy Sills held onto the series point lead despite a 17th place finish in the 100-lapper. Jeff Gordon, who was sixth at IRP, trails him but 18 points.
Warren Mockler was the fastest qualifier for the race at 117.070 mph but wound up 12th in the main event.
VALVOLINE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 30, 1990 – Clermont, Indiana – Indianapolis Raceway Park – Pepsi-Cola 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-14 locked into the feature) 1. Warren Mockler, 75, Mitchell-21.095; 2. Eric Gordon, 81, Gordon-21.107; 3. Brent Kaeding, 96, Miller- 21.156; 4. Stan Fox, 37, Scruggs-21.258; 5. Bob Cicconi, 3, Leyba-21.366; 6. Jeff Gordon, 35, Ede-21.430; 7. Wally Pankratz, 56, Gohr-21.461; 8. Rich Vogler, 16, Wilke-21.476; 9. Davey Hamilton, 69, McClure-21.500; 10. Bob Frey, 20, Nolen-21.551; 11. Ken Schrader, 29, Seymour-21.565; 12. Wayne Hammond, 88, Nowling-21.610; 13. Chuck Gurney, 48, Shorthorn-21.623; 14. Roy Caruthers, 7, Leader Card-21.692; 15. Jim Mahoney, 50, Aviators-21.701; 16. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-21.715; 17. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-21.845; 18. Jimmy Sills, 54, Consani-21.849; 19. Andy Hillenburg, 85, McMahon-21.877; 20. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-21.885; 21. Tray House, 31, Mataka-21.910; 22. Tony Elliott, 51, GCQ-21.951; 23. Jeff Bloom, 5, LeFevre-22.074; 24. Steve Butler, 10, Jarrett-22.085; 25. Blake Hollingsworth, 93, Henning-22.097; 28. Manny Rockhold, 17, Automotive Machine-22.117; 27. Rusty McClure, 18, Conroy-22.122; 26. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-22.177; 29. Kevin Whitesides, 47, Whitesides-22.223; 30. Ed Lynch Jr., 94, Truchan-22.333; 31. Bentley Warren, 12, Delrose/Holt-22.372; 32. Jerry Nemire, 98, Lesko-22.737; 33. Greg Staab, 44, SMS-22.668; 34. Lyn McIntosh, 74, MRS-23.206; 35. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-23.408; 36. Brian Tyler, 25, MBC-23.752; 37. Danny Milburn, 27, Milburn-24.141; 36. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-NT; 39. Brent Whited, 60, Whited-NT.
JONATHAN BYRD'S CAFETERIA QUALIFYING RACE: (25 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Jack Hewitt, 2. George Snider, 3. Andy Hillenburg, 4. Jimmy Sills, 5. Steve Butler, 6. Tray House, 7. Gary Hieber, 8. Tony Elliott, 9. Rusty McClure, 10. Manny Rockhold, 11. Danny Milburn, 12. Greg Staab, 13. Lyn McIntosh, 14. Ed Lynch Jr., 15. Brian Tyler, 16. Kevin Whitesides, 17. Blake Hollingsworth, 18. Perry Ferrell, 19. Jerry Nemire, 20. Jeff Bloom, 21. Bentley Warren. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. George Snider (16), 2. Ken Schrader (11), 3. Eric Gordon (2), 4. Bob Frey (10), 5. Brent Kaeding (3), 6. Jeff Gordon (6), 7. Jack Hewitt (15), 8. Davey Hamilton (9), 9. Wally Pankratz (7), 10. Andy Hillenburg (17), 11. Bob Cicconi (5), 12. Warren Mockler (1), 13. Chuck Gurney (13), 14. Roy Caruthers (14), 15. Rusty McClure (23), 16. Wayne Hammond (12), 17. Jimmy Sills (18), 18. Steve Butler (19), 19. Tray House (20), 20. Gary Hieber (21), 21. Rich Vogler (8), 22. Stan Fox (4), 23. Tony Elliott (22), 24. Bentley Warren (25), 25. Manny Rockhold (24). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-89 Eric Gordon, Laps 90-100 George Snider.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jimmy Sills-264; 2-Jeff Gordon-248; 3-George Snider-207; 4-Brent Kaeding-208; 5-Chuck Gurney-168; 6-Bob Frey-164; 7-Jack Hewitt-162; 8-Rich Vogler-131; 9-Eric Gordon-124; 10-Jim Mahoney-123.
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HIEBER SCORES HOOSIER HUNDRED UPSET; HILLENBURG 4 LAPS SHORT
Indianapolis, Indiana………Gary Hieber, from the storied racing community of Langhorne, Pa., scored one of the biggest upsets in Hoosier Hundred history on August 11 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, driving his Bucks County International Special to victory in the $61,000 Valvoline USAC Silver Crown race at the one-mile dirt track.
Andy Hillenburg of Indianapolis, Ind. appeared headed for a $22,000 payday as he led the first 96 laps of the race, but a worn right rear tire finally shredded and cost him the victory. A similar fate kept him from victory lane at Springfield two years earlier in 1988. He eventually finished 14th in the Hoosier Hundred, limping to the finish line one lap behind the winner but stealing the crowd’s ovation at the checkered flag. Lap prize money helped boost his 14th place prize, however, to a whopping $10,387.
Silver Crown point leader Jimmy Sills finished second to Hieber and holds a 78-point lead over Jeff Gordon in the new standings. Gordon was fifth in the 100-miler behind third-place Wally Pankratz and fourth-place George Snider.
Jeff Swindell won the pole position at 109.479 mph but lost the lead at the end of the first lap to Hillenburg. Swindell retired with mechanical problems 17 laps from the finish. Defending race winner Jack Hewitt, defending series champion Chuck Gurney and former race winner Larry Rice were all involved in a five-car first-lap tangle and only Hewitt was able to restart. Sixteen laps later, Hewitt spun and suffered minor burns when his car caught fire.
Despite being a front-runner several times in his 44 previous Silver Crown starts, the victory was Hieber’s first top-five finish in the series and boosted him to fifth in the new point standings.
VALVOLINE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 11, 1990 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – Hoosier Hundred
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jeff Swindell, 12, Delrose/Holt-32.883; 2. Danny Milburn, 27, Milburn-33.054; 3. Andy Hillenburg, 85, McMahon-33.190; 4. Stan Fox, 37, Scruggs-33.209; 5. Jimmy Sills, 54, Consani-33.276; 6. Rusty McClure, 18, Conroy-33.310; 7. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-33.330; 8. Warren Mockler, 75, Mitchell-33.384; 9. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-33.408; 10. Eric Gordon, 81, Gordon-33.418; 11. Steve Butler, 10, Jarrett-33.436; 12. Wally Pankratz, 56, Gohr-33.463; 13. Walt Kennedy, 40, Woodward-33.470; 14. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-33.527; 15. Chuck Gurney, 30, Kurtz-33.629; 16. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-33.659; 17. Jeff Gordon, 35, Ede-33.663; 18. Brian Tyler, 25, MBC-33.683; 19. Bob Cicconi, 3, Leyba-33.699; 20. Rick Hood, 16, Wilke-33.832; 21. Rocky Hodges, 88, Nowling-33.841; 22. Mark Alderson, 73, Dickson/Britton-33.946; 23. Larry Rice, 5, LeFevre-33.997; 24. Jerry Russell, 39, McQuinn/Tapocik-34.022; 25. Tony Elliott, 94, Truchan-34.061; 26. Gary Irvin, 48, Shorthorn-34.088; 27. Dave Feese, 69, McClure-34.099; 28. Jerry Nemire, 98, Lesko-34.157; 29. Blake Hollingsworth, 93, Henning-34.181; 30. Dave Darland, 99, Faurote-34.186; 31. Kevin Thomas, 84, Pedersen-34.292; 32. Tom Bigelow, 14, Smith-34.294; 33. Roy Caruthers, 7, Leader Card-34.365; 34. Tray House, 31, Mataka-34.406; 35. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-34.429; 36. Dave Burns, 28, Burns-34.562; 37. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-34.618; 38. Jim McElreath, 23, McElreath-34.683; 39. Red Stauffer, 2, Luscomb-34.957; 40. Jac Haudenschild, 97, Lesko-35.030; 41. Kevin Whitesides, 47, Whitesides-35.136; 42. Frank McDaniel, 77, Pritchett-35.185; 43. Greg Staab, 44, SMS-35.371; 44. Larry Hoppes, 22, Hoppes-35.655; 45. Robbie Stanley, 74, MRS-36.069; 46. Bill Kojis, 34, Gunderson-36.337; 47. Wayne Woodward, 71, Woodward-36.456; 48. Ray Joe Fager, 32, Fager-36.679; 49. Pepi Marchese, 95, Truchan-37.125; 50. Terry Babb, 64, Babb-37.648; 51. Richard Woodward, 49, Woodward-45.730; 52. Brent Kaeding, 96, Miller-NT; 53. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-NT; 54. Jim Mahoney, 50, Aviators-NT; 55. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Larry Rice, 2. Rocky Hodges, 3. Blake Hollingsworth, 4. Brent Kaeding, 5. Roy Caruthers, 6. Dave Feese, 7. Kevin Thomas, 8. Pepi Marchese, 9. Red Stauffer, 10. Wayne Woodward, 11. Greg Staab, 12. Perry Ferrell, 13. Tony Elliott, 14. Kevin Whitesides, 15. Robbie Stanley. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Mark Alderson, 2. Jerry Russell, 3. Jerry Nemire, 4. Dave Burns, 5. Tray House, 6. Bill Kojis, 7. Dave Darland, 8. Tom Bigelow, 9. Jac Haudenschild, 10. Larry Hoppes, 11. Frank McDaniel, 12. Richard Woodward. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Gary Hieber (9), 2. Jimmy Sills (5), 3. Wally Pankratz (12), 4. George Snider (7), 5. Jeff Gordon (17), 6. Mark Alderson (22), 7. Eric Gordon (10), 8. Danny Milburn (2), 9. Walt Kennedy (13), 10. Tray House (30), 11. Jerry Nemire (26), 12. Rocky Hodges (23), 13. Roy Caruthers (29), 14. Andy Hillenburg (3), 15. Rick Hood (20), 16. Jeff Swindell (1), 17. Brent Kaeding (27), 18. Steve Butler (11), 19. Stan Fox (4), 20. Rusty McClure (6), 21. Warren Mockler (8), 22. Johnny Parsons (16), 23. Jack Hewitt (14), 24. Blake Hollingsworth (25), 25. Brian Tyler (18), 26. Jerry Russell (24), 27. Chuck Gurney (15), 28. Bob Cicconi (19), 29. Larry Rice (21), 30. Dave Burns (28). NT
**Perry Ferrell flipped during the first qualifying race.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-96 Andy Hillenburg, Laps 97-100 Gary Hieber.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jimmy Sills-424; 2-Jeff Gordon-346; 3-George Snider-327; 4-Brent Kaeding-210; 5-Gary Hieber-205; 6-Wally Pankratz-187; 7-Eric Gordon-134; 8-Chuck Gurney-170; 9-Jack Hewitt-165; 10-Bob Frey-164.
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GURNEY DOMINATES TONY BETTENHAUSEN 100 AT SPRINGFIELD
Springfield, Illinois………Chuck Gurney led all 100 miles of the Tony Bettenhausen 100 on August 18 in the Plastic Express/George Middleton machine to score an impressive victory at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
The win propelled Gurney to fourth in the 1990 Valvoline USAC Silver Crown series standings.
Gurney started on the pole and dominated the race, with Eric Gordon and George Snider taking second and third, respectively.
Snider’s finish pushed him past Jimmy Sills into the series point lead by three points. Sills finished ninth in the 100-miler. Jeff Gordon took sixth in the Springfield race and ranks third in the series points as a result.
Gurney averaged 102.848 mph for the 100-mile contest which was slowed by only one caution flag when front row starter Jerry Russell stalled.
Russ Gamester captured the 15-mile qualifying race and finished 14th in the main event.
VALVOLINE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 18, 1990 -- Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds -- Tony Bettenhausen 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Chuck Gurney, 30, Kurtz-32.457; 2. Jerry Russell, 39, McQuinn/Tapocik-32.565; 3. Gary Irvin, 48, Shorthorn-32.616; 4. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-32.783; 5. Stan Fox, 37, Scruggs-32.806; 6. Wally Pankratz, 56, Gohr-32.817; 7. Eric Gordon, 81, Gordon-32.833; 8. Jeff Swindell, 12, Delrose/Holt-33.006; 9. Andy Hillenburg, 85, McMahon-33.018; 10. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-33.027; 11. Tray House, 31, Mataka-33.134; 12. Kevin Olson, 16, Wilke-33.162; 13. Steve Butler, 10, Jarrett-33.164; 14. Walt Kennedy, 40, Woodward-33.206; 15. Jim McElreath, 23, McElreath-33.211; 16. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-33.240; 17. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-33.246; 18. Tony Elliott, 94, Truchan-33.259; 19. Jimmy Sills, 54, Consani-33.331; 20. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-33.390; 21. Russ Gamester, 9, Hoerner-33.396; 22. Warren Mockler, 75, Mitchell-33.396; 23. Jim Mahoney, 50, Aviators-33.468; 24. Jerry Nemire, 98, Lesko-33.521; 25. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-33.624; 26. Dave Feese, 69, McClure-33.817; 27. Robbie Stanley, 74, MRS-33.895; 28. Mark Alderson, 73, Dickson/Britton-33.957; 29. Rusty McClure, 18, Conroy-33.995; 30. Jeff Gordon, 35, Ede-34.020; 31. Bill Kojis, 34, Gunderson-34.170; 32. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-34.262; 33. Dave Burns, 28, Burns-34.357; 34. Kevin Whitesides, 47, Whitesides-34.487; 35. Frank McDaniel, 77, Pritchett-34.564; 36. Danny Milburn, 27, Milburn-34.587; 37. Bob Cicconi, 14, Smith-34.827; 38. Greg Staab, 44, SMS-34.985; 39. Ray Joe Fager, 32, Fager-35.058; 40. Larry Hoppes, 22, Hoppes-35.443; 41. Terry Babb, 64, Babb-NT; 42. Donnie Beechler, 46, Egan-NT; 43. Rocky Hodges, 88, Nowling-NT; 44. Larry Rice, 5, LeFevre-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Russ Gamester, 2. Jeff Gordon, 3. Warren Mockler, 4. Jim Mahoney, 5. Jerry Nemire, 6. Mark Alderson, 7. Dave Feese, 8. Robbie Stanley, 9. Rusty McClure, 10. Danny Milburn, 11. Bill Kojis, 12. Bob Cicconi, 13. Kevin Whitesides, 14. Randy Bateman, 15. Dave Burns, 16. Ron Dunstan, 17. Frank McDaniel, 18. Ray Joe Fager, 19. Larry Hoppes. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chuck Gurney (1), 2. Eric Gordon (7), 3. George Snider (16), 4. Jeff Swindell (8), 5. Johnny Parsons (17), 6. Jeff Gordon (22), 7. Gary Hieber (4), 8. Wally Pankratz (6), 9. Jimmy Sills (19), 10. Mark Alderson (26), 11. Warren Mockler (23), 12. Tray House (11), 13. Chip Thomas (10), 14. Russ Gamester (21), 15. Robbie Stanley (28), 16. Walt Kennedy (14), 17. Rusty McClure (29), 18. Kevin Olson (12), 19. Jerry Nemire (25), 20. Jim McElreath (15), 21. Jack Hewitt (20), 22. Danny Milburn (30), 23. Jerry Russell (2), 24. Dave Feese (27), 25. Andy Hillenburg (9), 26. Steve Butler (13), 27. Tony Elliott (18), 28. Jim Mahoney (24), 29. Gary Irvin (3), 30. Stan Fox (5). 58:20.31
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Chuck Gurney.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-George Snider-467; 2-Jimmy Sills-464; 3-Jeff Gordon-426; 4-Chuck Gurney-370; 5-Eric Gordon-344; 6-Gary Hieber-265; 7-Wally Pankratz-237; 8-Brent Kaeding-210; 9-Jack Hewitt-168; 10-Bob Frey-164.
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SWINDELL FIRST IN Du QUOIN 100-MILER
Du Quoin, Illinois………Jeff Swindell drove the Terre Haute First National Bank Special to victory at Du Quoin, taking the lead when Johnny Parsons’ car broke a drive line. Parsons had led most of the race before encountering his misfortune.
Chuck Gurney was runner-up to Swindell at Du Quoin after leading 22 laps during the early stages of the race.
Mark Alderson won the pole for the race and finished seventh.
Jeff Gordon and George Snider escaped injury in separate red flag incidents.
Point leader Jimmy Sills finished third and regained the series point lead from George Snider.
VALVOLINE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 3, 1990 – Du Quoin, Illinois – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin Century
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Mark Alderson, 73, Dickson/Britton-31.632; 2. Jeff Swindell, 12, Delrose/Holt-31.837; 3. Chuck Gurney, 30, Kurtz-32.047; 4. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-32.224; 5. Jeff Gordon, 35, Ede-32.250; 6. Wally Pankratz, 56, Gohr-32.280; 7. Eric Gordon, 81, Gordon-32.288; 8. Stan Fox, 37, Scruggs-32.370; 9. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-32.423; 10. Rusty McClure, 18, Conroy-32.436; 11. Gary Irvin, 48, Shorthorn-32.517; 12. Jerry Russell, 39, McQuinn/Tapocik-32.564; 13. Warren Mockler, 75, Mitchell-32.619; 14. Jimmy Sills, 54, Consani-32.722; 15. Steve Chassey, 8, Vance-32.799; 16. Tom Bigelow, 14, Smith-32.805; 17. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-32.817; 18. Walt Kennedy, 40, Woodward-32.823; 19. Bill Kojis, 34, Gunderson-32.841; 20. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-32.938; 21. Russ Gamester, 9, Hoerner-33.004; 22. Tray House, 31, Mataka-33.026; 23. Stevie Reeves, 16, Wilke-33.078; 24. Andy Hillenburg, 85, McMahon-33.113; 25. Dave Feese, 69, McClure-33.130; 26. Larry Rice, 5, LeFevre-33.147; 27. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-33.149; 28. Danny Milburn, 27, Milburn-33.299; 29. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-33.320; 30. Rick Hood, 88, Nowling-33.332; 31. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-33.378; 32. Dave Darland, 99, Faurote-33.410; 33. Greg Staab, 44, SMS-33.550; 34. Jerry Nemire, 98, Lesko-33.588; 35. Kevin Whitesides, 47, Whitesides-33.604; 36. Steve Butler, 10, Jarrett-33.650; 37. Tony Elliott, 50, Aviators-33.706; 38. Robbie Stanley, 74, MRS-34.135; 39. Jim McElreath, 58, Gohr-34.526; 40. Perry Tripp, 46, Egan-35.062; 41. Ray Joe Fager, 32, Eager-NT; 42. Blake Hollingsworth, 93, Henning-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-12 transfer to the feature) 1. Dave Feese, 2. Larry Rice, 3. Stevie Reeves, 4. Jack Hewitt, 5. Andy Hillenburg, 6. Danny Milburn, 7. Rick Hood, 8. Greg Staab, 9. Russ Gamester, 10. Chip Thomas, 11. Kevin Whitesides, 12. Jerry Nemire, 13. Dave Darland, 14. Tony Elliott, 15. Steve Butler, 16. Randy Bateman, 17. Tray House, 18. Robbie Stanley. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jeff Swindell (2), 2. Chuck Gurney (3), 3. Jimmy Sills (14), 4. Andy Hillenburg (25), 5. Jerry Russell (12), 6. Stevie Reeves (23), 7. Mark Alderson (1), 8. Dave Feese (21), 9. Eric Gordon (7), 10. Tom Bigelow (16), 11. Warren Mockler (13), 12. Danny Milburn (26), 13. Walt Kennedy (18), 14. Bill Kojis (19), 15. Gary Irvin (11), 16. Johnny Parsons (9), 17. Kevin Whitesides (31), 18. Jerry Nemire (32), 19. Rick Hood (27), 20. Jack Hewitt (24), 21. Ron Dunstan (20), 22. Chip Thomas (30), 23. Rusty McClure (10), 24. Larry Rice (22), 25. Stan Fox (8), 26. Greg Staab (28), 27. Wally Pankratz (6), 28. George Snider (17), 29. Gary Hieber (4), 30. Jeff Gordon (5), 31. Russ Gamester (29), 32. Steve Chassey (15). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Mark Alderson, Laps 2-23 Chuck Gurney, Laps 24-92 Johnny Parsons, Laps 93-100 Jeff Swindell.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jimmy Sills-604; 2-Chuck Gurney-530; 3-George Snider-469; 4-Jeff Gordon-427; 5-Eric Gordon-384; 6-Jeff Swindell-325; 7-Gary Hieber-266; 8-Wally Pankratz & Andy Hillenburg-239; 10-Brent Kaeding-210.
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ERIC GORDON WINS MILLER GENUINE DRAFT 100 AT MILWAUKEE
West Allis, Wisconsin………Eric Gordon’s first career Valvoline USAC Silver Crown victory in the September 8 Miller Genuine Draft 100 at the Milwaukee Mile thrust him into contention for the 1990 series championship.
Gordon, in his Epperson & Lester/All-Pro Cylinder Special, took the lead from Dave Blaney three miles from the finish as Blaney’s machine ran short on fuel.
Stan Fox came from 12th starting spot to finish second behind Gordon. Only two caution flags slowed the 100-mile event.
Pole winner and series point leader Jimmy Sills dropped out of the race with suspension problems 12 miles from the checkered flag and finished 16th.
VALVOLINE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 8, 1990 – West Allis, Wisconsin – Milwaukee Mile – Miller Genuine Draft 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 54, Consani-29.405; 2. Chuck Gurney, 30, Kurtz-29.603; 3. Jeff Gordon, 35, Ede-29.692; 4. Andy Hillenburg, 85, McMahon-29.722; 5. Dave Blaney, 29, Seymour-29.730; 6. Johnny Parsons, 16, Wilke-29.789; 7. Eric Gordon, 81, Gordon-29.802; 8. Mark Alderson, 73, Dickson/Britton-29.922; 9. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-29.970; 10. Wally Pankratz, 56, Gohr-29.979; 11. Gary Irvin, 48, Shorthorn-30.066; 12. Stan Fox, 37, Scruggs-30.072; 13. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-30.110; 14. Larry Rice, 20, Nolen-30.115; 15. Bruce Field, 12, Delrose/Holt-30.217; 16. Bob Cicconi, 3, Leyba-30.268; 17. Kevin Whitesides, 47, Whitesides-30.428; 18. Dave Feese, 69, McClure-30.431; 19. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-30.436; 20. Tray House, 31, Mataka-30.502; 21. Walt Kennedy, 40, Woodward-30.549; 22. Bill Kojis, 34, Gunderson-30.723; 23. Danny Milburn, 27, Milburn-30.759; 24. Tony Elliott, 50, Aviators-30.941; 25. Steve Butler, 10, Jarrett-30.987; 26. Jeff Bloom, 95, Truchan-31.149; 27. Greg Staab, 44, SMS-31.469; 28. Larry Hoppes, 22, Hoppes-31.930; 29. Bryan Whited, 60, Whited-34.952.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-9 transfer to the feature) 1. Danny Milburn, 2. Walt Kennedy, 3. Steve Butler, 4. Jeff Bloom, 5. Bill Kojis, 6. Tony Elliott, 7. Larry Hoppes, 8. Greg Staab, 9. Bryan Whited. 7:49.56
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Eric Gordon (7), 2. Stan Fox (12), 3. Tray House (20), 4. Dave Blaney (5), 5. Gary Irvin (11), 6. Gary Hieber (19), 7. Dave Feese (18), 8. Danny Milburn (21), 9. Wally Pankratz (10), 10. Larry Rice (14), 11. Bob Cicconi (16), 12. Jeff Gordon (3), 13. Andy Hillenburg (4), 14. Mark Alderson (8), 15. Greg Staab (28), 16. Jimmy Sills (1), 17. Tony Elliott (26), 18. George Snider (9), 19. Bill Kojis (25), 20. Bruce Field (15), 21. Kevin Whitesides (17), 22. Johnny Parsons (6), 23. Walt Kennedy (22), 24. Steve Butler (23), 25. Larry Hoppes (27), 26. Chip Thomas (13), 27. Jeff Bloom (24), 28. Chuck Gurney (2), 29. Bryan Whited (29). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-45 Jimmy Sills, Laps 46-55 Eric Gordon, Laps 56-66 Jimmy Sills, Laps 67-79 Eric Gordon, Laps 80-97 Dave Blaney, Laps 98-100 Eric Gordon.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jimmy Sills-609; 2-Eric Gordon-584; 3-Chuck Gurney-532; 4-George Snider-473; 5-Jeff Gordon-437; 6-Gary Hieber-346; 7-Jeff Swindell-325; 8-Wally Pankratz-279; 9-Andy Hillenburg-244; 10-Stan Fox-220.
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BUTLER THE $10,000 4-CROWN STAR AT ELDORA; SILLS WINS TITLE
Rossburg, Ohio………Steve Butler finally cracked the Valvoline USAC Silver Crown championship winner’s circle after 49 tries on September 30 at Eldora Speedway, picking up the $10,000 4-Crown National first-place prize for himself and his Kenny Jarrett Farms team.
Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif., who started on the pole, was involved in an altercation at the start, and after repairs, joined the race but finished 23rd.
However, Sills was able to lock up the series championship as Eric Gordon, the runner-up in points, needed to finish fourth to claim the crown but was seventh at the checkered flag. Sills emerged with an 11-point final margin in the standings for his first USAC championship.
Butler dueled with Jack Hewitt nearly the entire distance, finally taking the lead for the last time on the 46th of the 50-lap event. Hewitt ended up second, with Chuck Gurney third.
The 4-Crown features were postponed by rain on September 23 and again on September 29.
VALVOLINE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 22 & 30, 1990 – Rossburg, Ohio – Eldora Speedway – 4-Crown Nationals
QUALIFYING: (Top-12 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 54, Consani-17.615; 2. Steve Butler, 10, Jarrett-18.046; 3. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-18.127; 4. Tom Bigelow, 27, Milburn-18.215; 5. Stan Fox, 85, McMahon-18.288; 6. Chuck Gurney, 29, Seymour-18.295; 7. Eric Gordon, 81, Gordon-18.384; 8. Larry Rice, 5, LeFevre-18.389; 9. Stevie Reeves, 16, Wilke-18.463; 10. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-18.437; 11. Gary Irvin, 48, Shorthorn-18.459; 12. Wally Pankratz, 56, Gohr-18.553; 13. Greg Staab, 44, SMS-18.575; 14. Dave Darland, 99, Faurote-18.577; 15. Jeff Gordon, 35, Ede-18.606; 16. Brian Tyler, 25, MBC-18.629; 17. Jeff Swindell, 12, Delrose/Holt-18.647; 18. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-18.790; 19. Mark Alderson, 84, Pedersen-18.802; 20. Rusty McClure, 18, Conroy-18.886; 21. Tray House, 31, Mataka-18.991; 22. Bob Cicconi, 3, Leyba-19.053; 23. Jerry Russell, 39, McQuinn/Tapocik-19.115; 24. Robbie Stanley, 74, MRS-19.129; 25. Jerry Nemire, 98, Lesko-19.196; 26. Bill Kojis, 34, Gunderson-19.304; 27. Randy Roberts, 19, Conklin-19.383; 28. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-19.459; 29. Joe Melnick, 88, Nowling-19.463; 30. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-19.463; 31. Brent Whited, 60, Whited-NT.
TRUE VALUE MASTER MECHANIC TOOLS QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-12 transfer to the feature) 1. Jeff Gordon, 2. Johnny Parsons, 3. Dave Darland, 4. Greg Staab, 5. Brian Tyler, 6. Mark Alderson, 7. Jeff Swindell, 8. Rusty McClure, 9. Tray House, 10. Jerry Russell, 11. Bob Cicconi, 12. Robbie Stanley, 13. Joe Melnick, 14. Bill Kojis, 15. Randy Bateman, 16. Jerry Nemire, 17. Randy Roberts, 18. Ron Dunstan. 4:45.30
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Steve Butler (2), 2. Jack Hewitt (3), 3. Chuck Gurney (4), 4. Larry Rice (6), 5. Johnny Parsons (12), 6. Stan Fox (5), 7. Eric Gordon (7), 8. Dave Darland (13), 9. Danny Smith (#44) (22), 10. Mark Alderson (14), 11. Brian Tyler (15), 12. Tray House (17), 13. Danny Milburn (#27) (20), 14. Robbie Stanley (18), 15. Jerry Russell (16), 16. Ron Dunstan (23), 17. Wally Pankratz (10), 18. Bob Cicconi (19), 19. Gary Irvin (11), 20. Jerry Nemire (21), 21. Stevie Reeves (9), 22. George Snider (8), 23. Jimmy Sills (1). 16:30.53
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-12 Steve Butler, Laps 13-38 Jack Hewitt, Laps 39-44 Steve Butler, Lap 45 Jack Hewitt, Laps 46-50 Steve Butler.
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1990 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (610) Jimmy Sills, Placerville, Calif.
2. (599) Eric Gordon, Greenfield, Ind.
3. (567) Chuck Gurney, Livermore, Calif.
4. (474) George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif.
5. (437) Jeff Gordon, Pittsboro, Ind.
6. (346) Gary Hieber, Langhorne, Pa.
7. (325) Jeff Swindell, Memphis, Tenn.
8. (280) Wally Pankratz, Orange, Calif.
9. (244) Andy Hillenburg, Indianapolis, Ind.
10. (240) Stan Fox, Janesville, Wisc.
11. (212) Jack Hewitt, Troy, Ohio
12. (210) Brent Kaeding, Campbell, Calif.
13. (185) Mark Alderson, Timberlake, S.D.
14. (164) Bob Frey, Elyria, Ohio
15. (160) Dave Feese, Saybrook, Ill.
16. (158) Danny Milburn, Indianapolis, Ind.
17. (153) Tray House, Anderson, Ind.
18. (143) Johnny Parsons, Indianapolis, Ind.
19. (140) Walt Kennedy, Upland, Calif.
20. (131) Rich Vogler, Glen Ellyn, Ill.
21. (125) Jim Mahoney, Peru, Ill.
22. (110) Darryl Haugh, Fresno, Calif.
23. (108) Chip Thomas, Belleville, Ill.
24. (108) Bob Cicconi, Prospect Park, Pa.
25. (108) Gary Irvin, West Lafayette, Ind.
26. (106) Jerry Russell, Springfield, Ill.
27. (94) Larry Rice, Brownsburg, Ind.
28. (86) Warren Mockler, Westfield, Ind.
29. (81) Stevie Reeves, Indianapolis, Ind.
30. (67) Steve Butler, Kokomo, Ind.
31. (43) Kevin Whitesides, Columbia, Mo.
32. (30) Tom Bigelow, Whitewater, Wisc.
33. (25) Mike Bliss, Milwaukie, Ore.
34. (25) Jerry Nemire, Toledo, Ohio
35. (24) Jim McElreath, Arlington, Texas
36. (15) Rusty McClure, Ashland, Ohio
37. (13) Dave Darland, Lincoln, Ind.
38. (12) Tony Elliott, Warsaw, Ind.
39. (11) Ron Dunstan, Ruchsville, Pa.
40. (9) Roy Caruthers, Indianapolis, Ind.
41. (9) Greg Staab, Cincinnati, Ohio
42. (9) Bill Kojis, Milwaukee, Wisc.
43. (8) Wayne Hammond, Tampa, Fla.
44. (8) Russ Gamester, Peru, Ind.
45. (7) Brian Tyler, Parma, Mich.
46. (6) Gary Bettenhausen, Monrovia, Ind.
47. (6) Robbie Stanley, Brownsburg, Ind.
48. (4) Dave Burns, Casa Grande, Ariz.
49. (4) Bruce Field, Lockport, Ill.
50. (3) Perry Ferrell, Memphis, Tenn.
51. (3) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
52. (3) Blake Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, Ind.
53. (3) Steve Chassey, Clermont, Ind.
54. (2) Frank McDaniel, Phoenix, Ariz.
55. (2) Gary Griffith, Sandusky, Ohio
56. (2) Larry Hoppes, Anderson, Ind.
57. (1) Lealand McSpadden, Tempe, Ariz.
58. (1) Manny Rockhold, Pekin, Ill.
1990 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (610) Bob Consani, Santa Rosa, Calif. (#54)
2. (599) Eric Gordon, Greenfield, Ind. (#81)
3. (525) Transportation Computer Systems, Ontario, Calif. (#30)
4. (474) Snider-Foyt Racing, Houston, Texas (#11)
5. (437) Fred Ede, Fresno, Calif. (#35)
6. (367) Louis Seymour, Marlboro, Mass. (#29)
7. (346) E.W.H. Service, Langhorne, Pa. (#66)
8. (335) Delrose-Holt Racing, Joliet, Ill. (#12)
9. (334) Gene Nolen, Greenwood, Ind. (#20)
10. (280) Gohr Distributing, Buffalo, N.Y. (#56)
11. (264) Ron McMahon, Flushing, Mich. (#85)
12. (222) Charlie Scruggs, Kokomo, Ind. (#37)
13. (221) Mark Wilke, Milwaukee, Wisc. (#16)
14. (212) Bob Hampshire, Findlay, Ohio (#63)
15. (210) Robert Miller, Los Gatos, Calif. (#96)
16. (195) Del McClure, Portland, Ore. (#69)
17. (186) William Mataka, Lebanon, N.J. (#31)
18. (175) Max Britton & Tom Dickson, Parkersburg, W. Va. (#73)
19. (158) R.B. Milburn, Indianapolis, Ind. (#27)
20. (140) Larry Woodward, Waipanu, Hawaii (#40)
21. (132) Aviators Racing, Chicago, Ill. (#50)
22. (115) Gary Irvin, West Lafayette, Ind. (#48)
23. (110) George Haugh, Fresno, Calif. (#25)
24. (108) Charles Thomas, Belleville, Ill. (#24)
25. (108) Ben Leyba, South Bend, Ind. (#3)
26. (106) McQuinn & Tapocik Racing, Springfield, Ill. (#39)
27. (86) Tom Mitchell, Carmel, Ind. (#75)
28. (64) Kenny Jarrett, Elwood, Ind. (#10)
29. (64) David LeFevre, Lafayette, Ind. (#5)
30. (43) Randy Whitesides, Columbia, Mo. (#47)
31. (30) Cecilia Smith, Eaton, Ohio (#14)
32. (25) Bob Lesko Enterprises, Wayne, N.J. (#98)
33. (24) Shirley McElreath, Arlington, Texas (#23)
34. (22) J & J Marine, St. Petersburg, Fla. (#88)
35. (19) Greg Staab, Cincinnati, Ohio (#44)
36. (17) Joe Conroy, Brunswick, Ohio (#18)
37. (13) Frank Faurote, Lafayette, Ind. (#99)
38. (11) Andrew Tomasits, Bath, Pa. (#42)
39. (9) Leader Cards, Milwaukee, Wisc. (#7)
40. (9) Kurt Gunderson, Greenfield, Wisc. (#34)
41. (8) Bob Hoerner, Crest Hill, Ill. (#9)
42. (8) Miner Pedersen, Indianapolis, Ind. (#84)
43. (7) MBC Racing, Jackson, Mich. (#25)
44. (6) Michael Gurtizen, Yoe, Pa. (#51)
45. (6) Lyn McIntosh, Jamestown, Ind. (#74)
46. (5) Stephen Truchan, Gary, Ind. (#94)
47. (4) Don Snow, Rodeo, Calif. (#6)
48. (4) Dave Burns, Casa Grande, Ariz. (#28)
49. (3) Ron Wheeler, Porterville, Calif. (#41)
50. (3) Perry Ferrell, Memphis, Tenn. (#91)
51. (3) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill. (#55)
52. (3) Bob Neilson, Ukiah, Calif. (#65)
53. (3) Duke Henning, Indianapolis, Ind. (#93)
54. (3) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#8)
55. (2) Jerry Pritchett, Glendale, Ariz. (#77)
56. (2) Culverts, Inc., Coraopolis, Pa. (#83)
57. (2) Larry Hoppes, Anderson, Ind. (#22)
58. (2) Stephen Truchan, Gary, Ind. (#95)
59. (1) Harry Conklin, Denver, Colo. (#19)
60. (1) Tex Countryman, Sacramento, Calif. (#15)
61. (1) Automotive Machine, Pekin, Ill. (#17)
62. (1) Bryan Whited, Richmond, Ind. (#60)