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.
1993 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
“Phoenix was great,” Mike Bliss said about winning the 1993 True Value USAC Silver Crown season opener. “I didn’t think it would get any better.”
Well, it did. He added victories at Indianapolis Raceway Park and the Milwaukee Mile, then came from behind in the standings to beat Ron Shuman of Tempe, Ariz. by two points in the closest title race in series history.
Bliss, of Milwaukie, Ore. (a Portland suburb), and long-time friend Del McClure of Portland, teamed up for driver and entrant championships in the nine-race series, both claiming two-point margins over their closest rivals.
“I wasn’t sure until I got a call from USAC for my ring size,” said McClure about winning the championship. “We really weren’t focusing on the title. We were more concerned with Mike’s future and getting him the exposure he deserves in order to further his career in open wheel racecars.”
It was déjà vu for Bliss, who in 1989 came from behind to beat Washington state driver Mike Stryker by a single point for the WMRA Midget championship in the final race at Tenino, Wash.
“I don’t get excited easily,” Bliss said. “But I was really nervous going into the Sacramento finale. I feel like a ton of bricks is off my back.”
“The IRP win surprised me,” Bliss admitted. “After we won Milwaukee, we started to get serious about the points. I was happy with the adaptation to dirt after seventh at Springfield. It was easier than I thought it would be. After Du Quoin, I started thinking we might have a shot at the title, but after Eldora, I thought it had slipped away. I didn’t see Shuman pit at Sacramento, but I noticed he wasn’t ahead of me on the restart. I just tried to save our tires and finish the best I could. I didn’t know where he was, so when I came into the pits, I still didn’t know the outcome. Then Johnny Capels came down and said, unofficially, we had won it.”
McClure’s first involvement with Championship cars came in 1961, when Len Sutton drove for Don Collins in a Sprint Car race at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds.
“We then supplied motors for Collins, who fielded Champ Cars for Art Pollard and Jerry “Scratch” Daniels in the mid and late 1960s. Pollard’s car at Du Quoin in 1968 was named the McClure Plastics Special.
McClure became a USAC Silver Crown car entrant in 1973 and his list of drivers since has included Larry Dickson, Mike Gregg, Joe Saldana, Bob Cicconi, Bobby Adkins, Steve Chassey, Jeff Swindell, Dave Feese and Davey Hamilton. Bliss actually drove for McClure as early as 1987 at Indianapolis Raceway Park, then returned with a great second place finish at Phoenix in 1992.
The three victories this season are not the first for McClure. Steve Chassey drove McClure’s car to victory in the 1988 100-miler at Springfield, Ill. Chassey also had a second at Phoenix in 1987.
“I owe a lot to Del,” Bliss continued. “My mechanic, Doug Howells, gave me a great car all season and our wives Sue (Bliss) and Joanne (Howells) were very supportive. Keith Randol Automotive kept our engines in top shape too.”
Along with the championship accolades, Mike Bliss collected the USAC Silver Crown division’s Most Improved Driver award while Randy Tolsma was named Rookie of the Year.
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BLISS BLISTERS PHOENIX PAVEMENT IN SILVER CROWN OPENER
Avondale, Arizona…...Mike Bliss of Milwaukie, Oregon, is the early leader of the 1993 True Value USAC Silver Crown standings after his victory in the 16th Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic 50-miler at Phoenix International Raceway on February 28.
Bliss trailed Tony Stewart for the first 31 miles before taking the lead and holding it until the checkered flag in his McClure Racing Special. The victory was the first in Silver Crown competition for the 1992 Copper World Silver Crown runner-up.
Stewart finished second, followed by Jimmy Sills, Jim Keeker (who started 27th in the 30-car field) and Eric Gordon.
The race was interrupted by only one caution period, when Stevie Reeves and Jim Mahoney tangled and hit the wall in turn three on the 48th lap. Reeves had been running third prior to the accident.
Bliss’ team earned $12,961 in total prizes from the $65,150 purse, while Stewart earned $8,623 and Sills $4,936.
Rounding out the top-10 in the 50-mile race were Larry Dickson (6th), Kenny Jacobs (7th), Bentley Warren (8th), Ron Shuman (9th) and Rocky Hodges (10th).
Davey Hamilton was the fastest qualifier at 133.735 mph, but he retired with handling problems just before the finish. Chuck Gurney won the 10-lap consolation race.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: February 26-28, 1993 – Avondale, Arizona – Phoenix International Raceway – 16th Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Davey Hamilton, 51, Trigueiro-26.919; 2. Tony Stewart, 8, Leyba-26.945; 3. Stevie Reeves, 37, Pattee-27.141; 4. Stan Fox, 9, Runyon-27.233; 5. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-27.251; 6. Ron Shuman, 4, Ede-27.254; 7. Jimmy Sills, 3, Consani-27.332; 8. Greg Peterson, 57, Bulfinch-27.363; 9. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-27.402; 10. Eric Gordon, 6, Hill-27.455; 11. Page Jones, 48, Shorthorn-27.513; 12. Steve Butler, 1, Jarrett-27.634; 13. Lealand McSpadden, 61, Howard-27.640; 14. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-27.675; 15. Dave Blaney, 54, Stapp-27.718; 16. Kenny Jacobs, 44, Wolf-27.757; 17. Larry Dickson, 73, Dickson-27.773; 18. Cary Faas, 47, Faas-27.787; 19. Jim Mahoney, 2, Vance-27.797; 20. Jack Hewitt, 27, Six-R-27.865; 21. Rocky Hodges, 50, Aviators-27.865; 22. John Ryals, 71, McCreary-27.867; 23. Kenny Irwin Jr., 74, Ede-27.879; 24. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-27.910; 25. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-28.011; 26. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-28.027; 27. Chip Thomas, 88, Nowling-28.029; 28. Jim Keeker, 26, Six-R-28.148; 29. Gary Cameron II, 7, Cameron-28.282: 30. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-28.301; 31. Wally Pankratz, 40, Woodward-28.302; 32. Aaron Berryhill, 97, Berryhill-28.927; 33. Bob Meli, 58, Senter-29.126; 34. Robbie Stanley, 81, Gordon-29.235; 35. Tom Ball, 87, Ball-29.305; 36. Ron Koehler, 21, Koehler-31.913; 37. Dodie Miller, 72, Miller-32.102; 38. Billy Shuman, 77, Pritchett-NT; 39 . Bob Davison, 41, Wheeler-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Chuck Gurney, 2. George Snider, 3. Jim Keeker, 4. Bill Baue, 5. Wally Pankratz, 6. Gary Cameron II, 7. Robbie Stanley. 8. Tom Ball, 9. Bob Meli, 10. Chip Thomas, 11. Aaron Berryhill, 12. Dodie Miller. 4:41.22
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Mike Bliss (5), 2. Tony Stewart (2), 3. Jimmy Sills (7), 4. Jim Keeker (27), 5. Eric Gordon (10), 6. Larry Dickson (17), 7. Kenny Jacobs (16), 8. Bentley Warren (14), 9. Ron Shuman (6), 10. Rocky Hodges (21), 11. Kenny Irwin Jr. (23), 12. Tony Elliott (24), 13. Bill Baue (28), 14. Steve Butler (12), 15. Chuck Gurney (25), 16. John Ryals (22), 17. Gary Cameron II (30), 18. Stevie Reeves (3), 19. Jim Mahoney (19), 20. Davey Hamilton (1), 21. Johnny Parsons (9), 22. Wally Pankratz (29), 23. Lealand McSpadden (13), 24. Dave Blaney (15), 25. Stan Fox (4), 26. George Snider (26), 27. Cary Faas (18), 28. Greg Peterson (8), 29. Jack Hewitt (20), 30. Page Jones (11). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-31 Tony Stewart, Laps 32-50 Mike Bliss.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Mike Bliss-100; 2-Tony Stewart-80; 3-Jimmy Sills-70; 4-Jim Keeker-60; 5-Eric Gordon-50; 6-Larry Dickson-40; 7-Ron Shuman-30; 8-Rocky Hodges-25; 9-Kenny Irwin Jr.-20; 10-Tony Elliott-15.
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HULMAN HUNDRED NO MYSTERY; BUTLER DID IT
Indianapolis, Indiana………Steve Butler of Kokomo, Indiana made up for last year’s Hoosier Hundred loss by winning A.J. Foyt’s True Value Hulman Hundred USAC Silver Crown race on May 28 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.
Butler tangled with eventual winner Ron Shuman on the final lap of the previous September’s 100-miler at the one-mile dirt oval and wound up third. This time, though, he put on a late-race exhibition of speed to outdistance Gary Hieber, Shuman, Chuck Gurney and Tony Stewart to claim a $10,000 winner’s share of the $41,600 purse.
Butler started fifth in the United Transporters Express Line Special and caught Shuman on the 69th lap, then led the final 32 miles for the victory, his first in the True Value Hardware Silver Crown series on a one-mile oval.
Jeff Swindell, the fastest qualifier, was forced out of the 100-miler in an eight-car accident on lap five. He and 1992 race winner Lealand McSpadden tangled and the ensuing melee forced five cars to the sidelines. Cary Faas and Ronnie Burke also flipped during the 100-mile contest, Faas escaping injury and Burke suffering a concussion.
Swindell led the first four laps prior to the big accident. Jimmy Sills then led through lap 49, but he was involved in a tangle with Eric Gordon and Brent Kaeding on lap 50. Shuman then led until he was passed by Butler.
Terry Shepherd of Warsaw, Ind. won the 15-mile qualifying race.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 28, 1993 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – A.J. Foyt's True Value Hardware Stores Hulman Hundred
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jeff Swindell, 12, Delrose/Holt-32.575; 2. Lealand McSpadden, 61, Howard-32.642; 3. Ron Shuman, 4, Ede-32.878; 4. Jimmy Sills, 3, Consani-32.927; 5. Steve Butler, 1, Jarrett-33.074; 6. Eric Gordon, 6, Hill-33.094; 7. Jack Hewitt, 26, Six-R-33.217; 8. Billy Boat, 15, Lawson-33.221; 9. Tony Stewart, 8, Leyba-33.272; 10. Gary Hieber, 66, Hieber-33.309; 11. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-33.389; 12. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-33.423; 13. Brent Kaeding, 96, Miller-33.511; 14. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-33.524; 15. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-33.550; 16. Cary Faas, 47, Faas-33.577; 17. Ronnie Burke, 46, Egan-33.606; 18. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-33.629; 19. Chip Thomas, 88, Nowling-33.639; 20. Blake Hollingsworth, 93, Henning-33.694; 21. Terry Shepherd, 5, LeFevre-33.711; 22. Greg Staab, 44, Staab-33.723; 23. Stevie Reeves, 37, Pattee-33.795; 24. Tray House, 54, Stapp-33.837; 25. Mark Alderson, 31, Mataka-33.936; 26. Larry Dickson, 73, Dickson-33.938; 27. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-33.984; 28. Robbie Stanley, 81, Gordon-33.986; 29. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-34.031; 30. Tom Bigelow, 38, Basala/MacPherson-34.086; 31. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-34.266; 32. Dave Darland, 33, Faurote-34.455; 33. Red Stauffer, 52, Luscomb-34.492; 34. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-34.814; 35. Art Bisch Jr., 19, K & B-35.073; 36. Gary Cameron II, 7, Cameron-35.256; 37. Dodie Miller, 72, Miller-35.457; 38. Ralph Liguori, 99, Baity-35.474; 39. Jim Whiteside, 70, Whiteside-44.769.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Terry Shepherd, 2. Larry Dickson, 3. Stevie Reeves, 4. Tray House, 5. Robbie Stanley, 6. Mark Alderson, 7. Wally Pankratz, 8. Tom Bigelow, 9. Johnny Parsons, 10. Red Stauffer, 11. Art Bisch Jr., 12. Ralph Liguori, 13. Bill Baue, 14. Gary Cameron II, 15. Jim Whiteside, 16. Dodie Miller, 17. Randy Bateman, 18. Dave Darland. 8:28.31
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Steve Butler (5), 2. Gary Hieber (10), 3. Ron Shuman (3), 4. Chuck Gurney (12), 5. Tony Stewart (9), 6. Stevie Reeves (23), 7. Billy Boat (8), 8. Johnny Parsons (29), 9. Tony Elliott (15), 10. Wally Pankratz (27), 11. Terry Shepherd (21), 12. Jimmy Sills (4), 13. Tom Bigelow (28), 14. Chip Thomas (19), 15. Blake Hollingsworth (20), 16. Tray House (24), 17. Mark Alderson (26), 18. Ronnie Burke (17), 19. Larry Dickson (22), 20. Jack Hewitt (7), 21. Eric Gordon (6), 22. Brent Kaeding (13), 23. Robbie Stanley (25), 24. George Snider (11), 25. Jeff Swindell (1), 26. Lealand McSpadden (2), 27. Ron Dunstan (14), 28. Cary Faas (16), 29. Perry Ferrell (18), 30. Red Stauffer (30).
**Cary Faas flipped on lap 3 of the feature. Lealand McSpadden flipped on lap 5 of the feature. Ronnie Burke flipped on lap 75 of the feature and was taken to the hospital for a checkup.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 Jeff Swindell, Laps 5-49 Jimmy Sills, Laps 50-68 Ron Shuman, Laps 69-100 Steve Butler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Steve Butler-203; 2-Tony Stewart-200; 3-Ron Shuman-180; 4-Chuck Gurney-143; 5-Stevie Reeves-102; 6-Mike Bliss-100; 7-Jimmy Sills-80; 8-Johnny Parsons-62; 9-Jim Keeker-60; 10-Tony Elliott-55.
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BLISS REMAINS UNBEATEN, CLAIMS MELLO YELLO 100 AT IRP
Clermont, Indiana………Mike Bliss of Milwaukie, Oregon caught Jimmy Sills on the 55th lap of the Mello Yello 100 on June 26 at Indianapolis Raceway Park and led the final six laps in his McClure Racing Special for the victory.
The win kept him undefeated in 1993 USAC Silver Crown competition and boosted him into a tie with Ron Shuman for second in the new True Value Silver Crown standings.
Bliss, who also won the series opener at Phoenix, Ariz. in February, trailed fast qualifier Sills for the first three laps of the IRP race, featured on ESPN’s Saturday Night Thunder, then paced the next five circuits. Sills regained the lead on lap nine but lost the engine in his Pioneer Concrete Special after relinquishing the lead near the finish.
Johnny Parsons finished second ahead of George Snider, Stevie Reeves and Eric Gordon. Rounding out the top-10 at the checkered flag were Shuman, Jim Keeker, Steve Butler, Tony Elliott and Jim Mahoney.
Wally Pankratz and Butler captured the two 20-lap Jonathan Byrd’s Cafeteria qualifying races.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: June 26, 1993 – Clermont, Indiana – Indianapolis Raceway Park – Mello Yello 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-4 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 3, Consani-21.030; 2. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-21.100; 3. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-21.100; 4. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-21.159; 5. Tony Stewart, 8, Leyba-21.165; 6. Eric Gordon, 6, Hill-21.170; 7. Jim Keeker, 26, Six-R-21.201; 8. Ron Shuman, 4, Ede-21.203; 9. Stevie Reeves, 37, Pattee-21.246; 10. Steve Butler, 1, Jarrett-21.263; 11. Jack Hewitt, 27, Six-R-21.328; 12. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-21.479; 13. Chip Thomas, 88, Nowling-21.638; 14. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-21.651; 15. Larry Dickson, 73, Dickson-21.681; 16. Jim Mahoney, 2, Vance-21.742; 17. Tyce Carlson, 84, Pedersen-21.743; 18. Stan Fox, 9, Runyon-21.782; 19. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-21.801; 20. Kenneth Nichols, 40, Woodward-21.840; 21. Bob Frey, 29, Seymour-21.930; 22. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-22.274; 23. Bob Cicconi, 12, Delrose/Holt-22.323; 24. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-22.343; 25. Dan Drinan, 5, LeFevre-22.351; 26. Greg Staab, 44, Wolf-22.416; 27. Andy Michner, 22, Lawson-22.427; 28. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-22.461; 29. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-22.473; 30. Roy Caruthers, 38, Basala/MacPherson-22.497; 31. Robbie Stanley, 81, Gordon-22.513; 32. Ronnie Burke, 46, Egan-22.535; 33. Mark Alderson, 31, Mataka-22.716; 34. Tray House, 54, Stapp-22.801; 35. Bob Meli, 58, Senter-23.177; 36. Ralph Liguori, 99, Liguori-23.282; 37. Gary Cameron II, 7, Cameron-23.655; 38. Dodie Miller, 72, Miller-24.858.
JONATHAN BYRD'S CAFETERIA FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (20 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Wally Pankratz, 2. Tony Stewart, 3. Stevie Reeves, 4. Jim Keeker, 5. Larry Dickson, 6. Tyce Carlson, 7. Chip Thomas, 8. Bob Frey, 9. Bob Cicconi, 10. Gary Cameron II, 11. Bob Meli, 12. Jack Hewitt, 13. Robbie Stanley, 14. Andy Michner, 15. Dan Drinan, 16. Randy Bateman, 17. Mark Alderson. NT
JONATHAN BYRD'S CAFETERIA SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (20 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Steve Butler, 2. Jim Mahoney, 3. Tony Elliott, 4. Gary Hieber, 5. Ron Shuman, 6. Eric Gordon, 7. Greg Staab, 8. Ronnie Burke, 9. Tray House, 10. Bill Baue, 11. Roy Caruthers, 12. Dodie Miller, 13. Kenneth Nichols, 14. Chuck Gurney, 15. Stan Fox, 16. Ralph Liguori. 7:24.81
FEATURE: (60 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Mike Bliss (3), 2. Johnny Parsons (2), 3. George Snider (4), 4. Stevie Reeves (9), 5. Eric Gordon (16), 6. Ron Shuman (14), 7. Jim Keeker (11), 8. Steve Butler (6), 9. Tony Elliott (10), 10. Jim Mahoney (8), 11. Gary Hieber (12), 12. Bob Cicconi (21), 13. Ronnie Burke (19), 14. Bob Frey (20), 15. Greg Staab (18), 16. Wally Pankratz (5), 17. Bill Baue (24), 18. Jimmy Sills (1), 19. Tray House (22), 20. Larry Dickson (13), 21. Tyce Carlson (15), 22. Chip Thomas (17), 23. Tony Stewart (7), 24. Gary Cameron II (23). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Jimmy Sills, Laps 4-8 Mike Bliss, Laps 9-54 Jimmy Sills, Laps 55-60 Mike Bliss.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Steve Butler-228; 2-Miike Bliss & Ron Shuman-200; 4-Tony Stewart-182; 5-Gary Hieber-170; 6-Stevie Reeves-142; 7-Johnny Parsons-132; 8-Chuck Gurney-123; 9-Eric Gordon-103; 10-Jim Keeker-90.
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BADGER WORLD CLASSIC MAKES BLISS 3-FOR-3
West Allis, Wisconsin………Mike Bliss of Milwaukie, Oregon kept his undefeated status in True Value USAC Silver Crown competition intact on August 1 at the Milwaukee Mile, winning the Badger World Classic 100-miler in the McClure Special.
Bliss caught new track record holder Eric Gordon on lap 38 of the nationally televised (ESPN) race, and when the two encountered traffic on lap 61, he put some daylight between them. The final margin was 14 seconds over Jim Keeker as Gordon fought tire problems while slipping to eighth at the finish. Keeker’s teammate, Jack Hewitt, took third, 21 seconds behind Bliss. Series Rookie Randy Tolsma finished fourth in his Silver Crown debut, and Johnny Parsons took fifth.
Bliss picked up a $12,000 check for his win. The race was slowed by three cautions. The first flew on lap 15 when Ronnie Burke hit the wall exiting turn two. Ron Shuman, running third behind Bliss and Gordon, hit the outside wall in turn three on lap 39. Gary Irvin brought out the final yellow when his engine let go in a ball of flame coming down the front stretch on lap 49. There were no driver injuries.
Gordon’s new one-lap track qualifying mark, established on July 31, was 122.541 mph. Series Rookie Bobby Marcum won the qualifying race.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: July 31/August 1, 1993 – West Allis, Wisconsin – Milwaukee Mile – Badger World Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Eric Gordon, 6, Hill-29.378; 2. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-29.509; 3. Ron Shuman, 4, Ede-29.647; 4. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-29.768; 5. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-29.772; 6. Davey Hamilton, 51, Trigueiro-29.841; 7. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-29.922; 8. Jimmy Sills, 3, Consani-29.957; 9. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-29.967; 10. Steve Butler, 1, Jarrett-30.006; 11. Stevie Reeves, 37, Pattee-30.032; 12. Tony Stewart, 8, Leyba-30.051; 13. Jim Keeker, 26, Six-R-30.138; 14. Jack Hewitt, 27, Six-R-30.159; 15. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-30.229; 16. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-30.242; 17. Gary Irvin, 48, Shorthorn-30.299; 18. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-30.348; 19. Jim Hettinger, 115, Bilby-30.362; 20. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-30.372; 21. Larry Dickson, 73, Tomax-30.396; 22. Bobby Marcum, 40, Woodward-30.444; 23. Bob Cicconi, 12, Delrose/Holt-30.533; 24. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-30.611; 25. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-30.719; 26. Mark Alderson, 31, Mataka-30.835; 27. Bob Frey, 29, Seymour-30.901; 28. Greg Staab, 44, Wolf-30.919; 29. Dan Drinan, 53, BBC-30.920; 30. Dan Boorse, 34, Gunderson-31.188; 31. Ronnie Burke, 46, Egan-31.233; 32. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-31.250; 33. Gary Cameron II, 7, Cameron-31.285; 34. Andy Michner, 22, Lawson-31.805; 35. Ralph Liguori, 99, Liguori-32.166; 36. Dodie Miller, 72, Miller-32.732; 37. Stan Fox, 9, Runyon-NT; 38. #62, Six-R-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-11 transfer to the feature) 1. Bobby Marcum, 2. Larry Dickson, 3. Bob Cicconi, 4. Dave Steele, 5. Dan Drinan, 6. Dan Boorse, 7. Ronnie Burke, 8. Chip Thomas, 9. Greg Staab, 10. Gary Cameron II, 11. Ralph Liguori, 12. Dodie Miller, 13. Andy Michner. 7:40.64
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Mike Bliss (15), 2. Jim Keeker (13), 3. Jack Hewitt (14), 4. Randy Tolsma (5), 5. Johnny Parsons (2), 6. Steve Butler (10), 7. Chuck Gurney (7), 8. Eric Gordon (1), 9. Tony Elliott (9), 10. Davey Hamilton (6), 11. Bobby Marcum (21), 12. Dave Steele (24), 13. Chip Thomas (28), 14. Bob Cicconi (23), 15. Gary Cameron II (30), 16. Greg Staab (27), 17. Larry Dickson (22), 18. Jim Hettinger (19), 19. Ralph Liguori (29), 20. Perry Ferrell (16), 21. Tony Stewart (12), 22. Gary Hieber (20), 23, Gary Irvin (17), 24. Stevie Reeves (11), 25. Dan Boorse (26), 26. Ron Shuman (3), 27. Ronnie Burke (25), 28. Bill Baue (18), 29. Jimmy Sills (8), 30. George Snider (4). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-37 Eric Gordon, Laps 38-100 Mike Bliss.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Mike Bliss-400; 2-Steve Butler-308; 3-Jim Keeker-250; 4-Johnny Parsons-232; 5-Ron Shuman-202; 6-Tony Stewart-185; 7-Chuck Gurney-183; 8-Gary Hieber-173; 9-Eric Gordon-153; 10-Stevie Reeves & Jack Hewitt-145.
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HEWITT WINS OLDANI MEMORIAL AT SPRINGFIELD; DICKSON SETS RECORD
Springfield, Illinois………Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio added another True Value USAC Silver Crown victory to his career-leading total on August 21, winning the William A. “Wild Bill” Oldani Memorial 100-miler at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
Starting from the inside of row four in the 30-car field, Hewitt began his charge to the front at the 25-lap mark, moving past Gary Hieber for third place. He caught five-time Springfield winner Chuck Gurney for second on lap 32, and three laps later, overhauled pole starter and new track record holder Larry Dickson for the lead.
Hewitt built a seven-second lead in 10 laps, lost it when the race was red flagged for Dave Darland’s flip on lap 61, but stretched it out again to nine seconds in the final 40 laps for a convincing victory in the DuPont Automotive Finishes/J.W. Hunt/Mayflower/Café Santa Fe Special. The win was Hewitt’s 15th in Silver Crown competition, five more than any other driver in the 23-year history of the series.
Dickson, USAC’s first three-time Sprint Car champion and a former Springfield winner, set a new track record of 117.008 mph in qualifying and led the first 34 miles. Gurney finished second, Jeff Swindell third, defending race winner Jimmy Sills fourth and Gary Hieber fifth.
Series point leader Mike Bliss scored a scintillating victory over defending series champion Steve Butler and Springfield favorite Donnie Beechler in an exciting qualifying race. Beechler came from the back of the pack to thrill the fans and nearly caught the two leaders as the three came to the checkered flag together. Bliss then motored through the field in the 100-miler to finish seventh and retain the series lead over Butler, who finished ninth.
The race was slowed by just three cautions and one red. Randy Tolsma hit the wall in turn three on lap seven. Tony Stewart did the same eight laps later and series newcomer Lee Dunn stalled on the front straightaway on lap 60. Darland executed his flip in turn three on the next lap, bringing out the day’s only red flag. There were no driver injuries.
George Snider of Bakersfield, Calif. retired after just 31 laps with engine problems but earned his 99th career Silver Crown start.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 21, 1993 – Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds – William A. "Wild Bill" Oldani Memorial
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Larry Dickson, 73, Dickson-30.767; 2. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-30.841; 3. Jeff Swindell, 12, Delrose/Holt-30.878; 4. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-31.108; 5. Ron Shuman, 4, Ede-31.569; 6. Jimmy Sills, 3, Consani-31.681; 7. Jack Hewitt, 26, Six-R-31.748; 8. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-31.777; 9. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-31.805; 10. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-31.844; 11. Eric Gordon, 6, Hill-32.027; 12. Blake Hollingsworth, 93, Henning-32.203; 13. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-32.234; 14. Stevie Reeves, 37, Pattee-32.309; 15. Lee Dunn, 36, Hall-32.407; 16. Jim Keeker, 47, Six-R-32.535; 17. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-32.666; 18. Mark Alderson, 31, Mataka-32.667; 19. Dave Darland, 33, Faurote-32.729; 20. Tony Stewart, 8, Leyba-32.739; 21. Greg Staab, 44, Wolf-32.869; 22. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-32.925; 23. Dave Feese, 43, Nix-32.935; 24. Stan Fox, 9, Runyon-33.133; 25. Tom Bigelow, 38, Basala/MacPherson-33.159; 26. Steve Butler, 7, Cameron-33.168; 27. Art Bisch Jr., 19, K & B-33.249; 28. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-33.274; 29. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-33.491; 30. Jerry Nemire, 80, Sohm-33.609; 31. Brad Marvel, 84, Pedersen-33.666; 32. Donnie Beechler, 39, McQuinn-33.696; 33. Jim Whiteside, 70, Whiteside-33.750; 34. Ralph Liguori, 99, Liguori-33.863; 35. Tray House, 5, LeFevre-33.923; 36. Ronnie Burke, 46, Egan-33.990; 37. Dodie Miller, 72, Miller-34.467; 38. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-34.672; 39. Perry Younce, 22, Lawson-35.035; 40. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-35.161; 41. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-NT. (Steve Butler, 1, Jarrett-32.950-Withdrawn).
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Mike Bliss, 2. Steve Butler (#7), 3. Donnie Beechler, 4. Greg Staab, 5. Johnny Parsons, 6. Randy Tolsma, 7. Jerry Nemire, 8. Tray House, 9. Ronnie Burke, 10. Jim Whiteside, 11. Brad Marvel, 12. Ralph Liguori, 13. Dave Steele, 14. Bill Baue, 15. Tom Bigelow, 16. Perry Younce, 17. Dodie Miller, 18. Art Bisch Jr., 19. Randy Bateman, 20. Stan Fox, 21. Dave Feese. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Jack Hewitt (7), 2. Chuck Gurney (2), 3. Jeff Swindell (3), 4. Jimmy Sills (6), 5. Gary Hieber (4), 6. Ron Shuman (5), 7. Mike Bliss (21), 8. Chip Thomas (10), 9. Steve Butler (22), 10. Tray House (28), 11. Stevie Reeves (14), 12. Johnny Parsons (25), 13. Larry Dickson (1), 14. Jim Keeker (16), 15. Perry Ferrell (9), 16. Mark Alderson (18), 17. Lee Dunn (15), 18. Jerry Nemire (27), 19. Eric Gordon (11), 20. Tony Elliott (13), 21. Dave Darland (19), 22. Blake Hollingsworth (12), 23. Ronnie Burke (29), 24. Donnie Beechler (23), 25. Ron Dunstan (17), 26. George Snider (8), 27. Greg Staab (24), 28. Tony Stewart (20), 29. Randy Tolsma (26), 30. Jim Whiteside (30). NT
**Dave Darland flipped on lap 61 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-34 Larry Dickson, Laps 35-100 Jack Hewitt.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Mike Bliss-460; 2-Steve Butler-348; 3-Jack Hewitt-345; 4-Chuck Gurney-343; 5-Ron Shuman-282; 6-Gary Hieber-273; 7-Jim Keeker-255; 8-Johnny Parsons-242; 9-Jimmy Sills-203; 10-Tony Stewart-187.
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HEWITT MAKES HISTORY WITH VICTORY AT Du QUOIN
Du Quoin, Illinois………Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio became the all-time leader in total laps led in USAC Silver Crown series history on September 6, winning the 100-mile Du Quoin Century at the one-mile Du Quoin State Fairgrounds oval in southern Illinois. His 67 laps led pushed him past Gary Bettenhausen in the career totals.
Hewitt won the pole for the Du Quoin 100-miler with a speed of 116.546 mph in the DuPont/J.W. Hunt/Mayflower/Café Santa Fe Special, but dropped behind front row starting Jeff Swindell in the early going.
Swindell lost the lead to hard-charging George Snider on lap 21. Snider, who tied Larry Rice’s Silver Crown record of 100 starts, led 13 laps before losing the brakes in his Skoal Classic Racing machine.
Hewitt assumed the lead when Snider retired and he and Swindell battled the rest of the way.
The race was red flagged twice. On lap 39, the race was stopped to repair the outer guardrail in turn three after Gary Hieber smacked it while running fifth.
On lap 92, Tony Stewart brought out the second red flag when he slid wide in turn three as Hewitt slid by on the inside to put a lap on him. Stewart’s Ben’s Hoosier Tire machine hit the outer guardrail and went into a frightening series of barrel-rolls before landing upside down. Stewart was taken to Marshall-Browning Hospital in Du Quoin, then to Carbondale Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, Ill. where x-rays and a scan proved negative. He was held overnight and released the following day.
Ron Shuman finished third, followed by the aggressive Mike Bliss, whose superb qualifying race victory and drive from 21st to fourth in the 100-miler enabled him to retain the series point lead over Hewitt, Chuck Gurney, Tony Elliott, Steve Butler, Tray House, Eric Gordon and Larry Dickson (from 26th) rounded out the top-10.
Perry Ferrell and Donnie Beechler also brought out the yellow for separate rail-banging incidents in the feature and Jeff Galas flipped during qualifications.
Lap 44 put Hewitt ahead of Bettenhausen in the all-time lap leader list. He now has 997, compared to Bettenhausen’s 941. Hewitt has led 25 Silver Crown races during his career and his win was a record 16th.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 6, 1993 – Du Quoin, Illinois – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin Century
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jack Hewitt, 26, Six-R-30.889; 2. Jeff Swindell, 12, Delrose/Holt-30.909; 3. Ron Shuman, 4, Ede-30.959; 4. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-31.383; 5. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-31.386; 6. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-31.558; 7. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-31.721; 8. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-31.726; 9. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-31.918; 10. Tony Stewart, 8, Leyba-31.960; 11. Steve Butler, 1, Jarrett-32.073; 12. Tray House, 5, LeFevre-32.089; 13. Jimmy Sills, 3, Consani-32.118; 14. Eric Gordon, 6, Hill-32.122; 15. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-32.276; 16. Donnie Beechler, 39, McQuinn-32.365; 17. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-32.465; 18. Jim Whiteside, 70, Whiteside-32.531; 19. Greg Staab, 44, Wolf-32.554; 20. Stevie Reeves, 37, Pattee-32.579; 21. Jim Keeker, 47, Six-R-32.608; 22. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-32.675; 23. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-32.690; 24. Jerry Nemire, 80, Sohm-32.913; 25. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-32.936; 26. Larry Dickson, 73, Dickson-32.965; 27. Tom Bigelow, 38, Basala/MacPherson-32.996; 28. Bobby Marcum, 58, Senter-33.008; 29. Lee Dunn, 36, Hall-33.194; 30. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-33.310; 31. Ralph Liguori, 99, Liguori-33.471; 32. Dan Drinan, 53, BBC-33.564; 33. Terry Babb, 49, Babb-33.747; 34. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-33.760; 35. Mark Alderson, 31, Mataka-33.882; 36. Jeff Galas, 16, Logan-33.948; 37. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-34.249; 38. Dodie Miller, 72, Miller-34.872; 39. Art Bisch Jr., 19, K & B-34.930; 40. Ronnie Burke, 46, Egan-NT; 41. #93, Henning-NT; (Johnny Parsons, 62, Six-R-33.190-Scratched).
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Mike Bliss, 2. Randy Bateman, 3. Jerry Nemire, 4. Jim Keeker, 5. Wally Pankratz, 6. Larry Dickson, 7. Tom Bigelow, 8. Ron Dunstan, 9. Lee Dunn, 10. Mark Alderson, 11. Art Bisch Jr., 12. Bill Baue, 13. Bobby Marcum, 14. Terry Babb, 15. Dan Drinan, 16. Ralph Liguori, 17. Dave Steele, 18. Dodie Miller. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Jack Hewitt (1), 2. Jeff Swindell (2), 3. Ron Shuman (3), 4. Mike Bliss (21), 5. Chuck Gurney (8), 6. Tony Elliott (5), 7. Steve Butler (11), 8. Tray House (12), 9. Eric Gordon (14), 10. Larry Dickson (26), 11. Mark Alderson (30), 12. Greg Staab (19), 13. Randy Bateman (22), 14. Ron Dunstan (28), 15. Lee Dunn (29), 16. Jim Whiteside (18), 17. Tony Stewart (10), 18. Stevie Reeves (20), 19. Wally Pankratz (25), 20. Jim Keeker (24), 21. Donnie Beechler (16), 22. Jerry Nemire (23), 23. Jimmy Sills (13), 24. Tom Bigelow (27), 25. Johnny Parsons (17), 26. Chip Thomas (7), 27. Gary Hieber (6), 28. George Snider (4), 29. Randy Tolsma (9), 30. Perry Ferrell (15). NT
**Jeff Galas flipped during qualifying. Tony Stewart flipped on lap 92 of the feature and was taken to Marshall-Browning Hospital in Du Quoin, then to Carbondale (Ill.) Memorial Hospital where x-rays and a scan proved negative.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-20 Jeff Swindell, Laps 21-33 George Snider, Laps 34-100 Jack Hewitt.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Mike Bliss-580; 2-Jack Hewitt-545; 3-Chuck Gurney-443; 4-Ron Shuman-422; 5-Steve Butler-408; 6-Jeff Swindell-302; 7-Gary Hieber-275; 8-Jim Keeker-259; 9-Johnny Parsons-244; 10-Jimmy Sills-206.
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JEFF SWINDELL WIRE-TO-WIRE IN A.J.’S HOOSIER HUNDRED
Indianapolis, Indiana………Jeff Swindell of Memphis, Tenn. led all 100 miles of the 41st A.J. Foyt’s Coors Light Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on September 11 aboard the Terre Haute First National Bank Special.
Point leader Mike Bliss started 16th in the Hoosier Hundred but was running seventh when he tangled with Chuck Gurney on the 87th lap. Bliss hit the outside wall hard and rolled over, bringing out the race’s only red flag. He escaped injury but saw his series lead jeopardized as a result.
Jimmy Sills finished second in the 100-miler, trailed by Ron Shuman, Eric Gordon and Gurney. Shuman, who was also third in the May 28 Hulman Hundred at the Fairgrounds, earned a $10,000 bonus from the $20,000 Tony George point fund as the top point earner in the two races.
Shuman’s finish also vaulted him to second in the series standings, only 22 points behind Bliss.
Tony Elliott, Tony Stewart, Gary Hieber, Jim Keeker and Johnny Parsons completed the top-10, while Randy Tolsma, who finished 11th, earned the Danny Milburn Memorial Ralph’s Muffler & Brakes Rookie of the Race award.
Swindell won the pole for the race at a speed of 112.142 mph. Larry Dickson won the 15-mile qualifying race over Greg Staab and Jim Keeker.
The race was slowed by four cation flags but there were no driver injuries.
Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio, winner of the two previous Silver Crown races, did not compete in the race due to previous racing commitments. He slipped to third in the points behind Shuman as a result.
George Snider, who started fifth but lasted only three laps before a fuel leak sent him to the sidelines, established a new career series mark of 101 starts, breaking Larry Rice’s record of 100.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 11, 1993 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – A.J. Foyt's Coors Light Hoosier Hundred
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jeff Swindell, 12, Delrose/Holt-32.102; 2. Jimmy Sills, 3, Consani-32.806; 3. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-32.950; 4. Ron Shuman, 4, Ede-32.973; 5. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-32.994; 6. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-33.021; 7. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-33.054; 8. Eric Gordon, 6, Hill- 33.166; 9. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-33.260; 10. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-33.295; 11. Donnie Beechler, 39, McQuinn-33.349; 12. Stan Fox, 2, Vance-33.362; 13. Danny Smith, 26, Six-R-33.398; 14. Mark Alderson, 31, Mataka-33.406; 15. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-33.437; 16. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-33.477; 17. Steve Butler, 1, Jarrett-33.517; 18. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-33.557; 19. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-33.586; 20. Dan Drinan, 53, BBC-33.722; 21. Greg Staab, 44, Wolf-33.786; 22. Larry Dickson, 73, Dickson-33.816; 23. Tom Bigelow, 38, Basala/MacPherson-33.852; 24. Jim Keeker, 47, Six-R-33.978; 25. Dean Billings, 34, Gunderson-34.043; 26. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-34.048; 27. Page Jones, 48, Shorthorn-34.048; 28. Art Bisch Jr., 19, K & B-34.172; 29. Bobby Marcum, 58, Senter-34.232; 30. Jim Hettinger, 115, Bilby-34.234; 31. Tray House, 5, LeFevre-34.243; 32. Tony Stewart, 54, Stapp-34.306; 33. Stevie Reeves, 37, Pattee-34.363; 34. Ralph Liguori, 99, Liguori-34.392; 35. Jim Whiteside, 70, Whiteside-34.473; 36. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-34.842; 37. Blake Hollingsworth, 93, Henning-34.918; 38. Lee Dunn, 36, Hall-35.226; 39. Bill Rose, 84, Pedersen-35.270; 40. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-NT; 41. Greg Wilson, 63, Hampshire-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Larry Dickson, 2. Greg Staab, 3. Jim Keeker, 4. Page Jones, 5. Stevie Reeves, 6. Dave Steele, 7. Bobby Marcum, 8. Tony Stewart, 9. Tray House, 10. Lee Dunn, 11. Ralph Liguori, 12. Blake Hollingsworth, 13. Art Bisch Jr., 14. Bill Rose, 15. Dean Billings, 16. Jim Whiteside, 17. Bill Baue, 18. Tom Bigelow, 19. Jim Hettinger. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Jeff Swindell (1), 2. Jimmy Sills (2), 3. Ron Shuman (4), 4. Eric Gordon (8), 5. Chuck Gurney (9), 6. Tony Elliott (3), 7. Tony Stewart (28), 8. Gary Hieber (7), 9. Jim Keeker (23), 10. Johnny Parsons (10), 11. Randy Tolsma (15), 12. Ron Dunstan (18), 13. Danny Smith (13), 14. Mark Alderson (14), 15. Steve Butler (17), 16. Tray House (29), 17. Lee Dunn (30), 18. Dave Steele (26), 19. Dan Drinan (20), 20. Mike Bliss (16), 21. Larry Dickson (21), 22. Bobby Marcum (27), 23. Stan Fox (12), 24. Stevie Reeves (25), 25. Page Jones (24), 26. Donnie Beechler (11), 27. Chip Thomas (6), 28. George Snider (5), 29. Wally Pankratz (19), 30. Greg Staab (22). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Jeff Swindell.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Mike Bliss-584; 2-Ron Shuman-562; 3-Jack Hewitt-545; 4-Chuck Gurney-543; 5-Jeff Swindell-502; 6-Steve Butler-413; 7-Jimmy Sills-366; 8-Gary Hieber-325; 9-Eric Gordon-317; 10-Jim Keeker-299.
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SHUMAN FLIES TO 4-CROWN VICTORY AT ELDORA
Rossburg, Ohio………Ron Shuman of Tempe, Ariz. led all 50 laps of the True Value USAC Silver Crown race at Eldora Speedway on October 3.
Shuman’s victory in the 4-Crown Nationals was worth $10,000 to his M & L Plumbing/Rasmussen Auto/VHT team but more importantly it left him with a 39-point lead over Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif. in the new standings. Gurney finished second at Eldora. Donnie Beechler was third, Steve Butler fourth and Johnny Parsons fifth.
Mike Bliss, of Milwaukie, Ore., who led the standings going into the 4-Crown, finished ninth in the 50-lapper.
Butler was the fastest qualifier for the event on September 24. The feature was rained out on September 26 and rescheduled for October 3.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 24/October 3, 1993 – Rossburg, Ohio – Eldora Speedway – 4-Crown Nationals
QUALIFYING: (Top-12 locked into the feature) 1. Steve Butler, 1, Jarrett-16.426; 2. Ron Shuman, 4, Ede-16.443; 3. Donnie Beechler, 39, McOuinn-16.477; 4. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-16.543; 5. Jeff Swindell, 12, Delrose/Holt-16.554; 6. Greg Staab, 44, Wolf-16.567; 7. Jack Hewitt, 26, Six-R-16.600; 8. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-16.603; 9. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-16.717; 10. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-16.805; 11. Eric Gordon, 6, Hill-I6.811; 12. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-16.820; 13. Rusty McClure, 31, Mataka-16.885; 14. Stevie Reeves, 2, Vance-16.986; 15. Bobby Marcum, 58, Senter-17.033; 16. Tray House, 5, LeFevre-17.304; 17. Greg Wilson, 63, Hampshire-17.315; 18. Stan Fox, 9, Runyon-17.515; 19. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-17.680; 20. Blake Hollingsworth, 93, Henning-17.846; 21. Tyce Carlson, 84, Pedersen-17.902; 22. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-18.114; 23. Tony Stewart, 54, Stapp-NT; 24. Dan Drinan, 53, Batista-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Rusty McClure, 2. Stan Fox, 3. Stevie Reeves, 4. Tray House, 5. Tyce Carlson, 6. Greg Wilson, 7. Bobby Marcum, 8. Ron Dunstan, 9. Dave Steele, 10. Blake Hollingsworth. 4:24.90
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Ron Shuman (2), 2. Chuck Gurney (4), 3. Donnie Beechler (3), 4. Steve Butler (1), 5. Johnny Parsons (10), 6. Tray House (16), 7. Eric Gordon (7), 8. Stan Fox (14), 9. Mike Bliss (8), 10. Tony Elliott (5), 11. Rusty McClure (9), 12. Stevie Reeves (11), 13. Jim Keeker (#26) (21), 14. Chip Thomas (12), 15. Greg Wilson (18), 16. Tyce Carlson (13), 17. Bobby Marcum (15), 18. Greg Staab (6), 19. Tony Stewart (17), 20. Blake Hollingsworth (22), 21. Ron Dunstan (20), 22. Robbie Stanley (#12) (19), 23. Dan Drinan (23). 21:10.44
**Tony Stewart flipped during qualifications.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-50 Ron Shuman.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Ron Shuman-662; 2-Chuck Gurney-623; 3-Mike Bliss-604; 4-Jack Hewitt-545; 5-Jeff Swindell-502; 6-Steve Butler-473; 7-Jimmy Sills-366; 8-Eric Gordon-347; 9-Gary Hieber-325; 10-Johnny Parsons-324.
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SILLS TAKES SACRAMENTO FINALE; BLISS WINS TITLE BY TWO POINTS
Sacramento, California………Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif. led all 200 miles of the Miller Genuine Draft Silver Crown 100 at the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds in Sacramento, Calif. on October 9, but Mike Bliss was also all smiles after clinching his first USAC championship by two points over Ron Shuman of Tempe, Ariz.
Bliss, of Milwaukie, Oregon, finished fourth in the 100-mile True Value Silver Crown finale, while Shuman, who made a pit stop for a tire on lap 79, ended up seventh. Shuman had run second to Sills for the first 68 laps of the race.
Bliss’ performance also netted the car owner’s championship for Del McClure and the McClure Racing team by only two points over Fred Ede, Shuman’s car owner.
Sills averaged 89.241 mph in his Pioneer Concrete Special to beat Jim Keeker of Cicero, Ind. and Cary Faas of Yorba Linda, Calif. to the checkered flag. Following fourth place Bliss was Kenny Irwin Jr. in fifth, Stevie Reeves, Shuman, Donnie Beechler, Steve Butler and Tony Stewart rounded out the top-10.
Shuman won the pole for the race with a new track record speed of 112.774 mph. After slipping to third behind George Snider on lap 69, he ducked into the pits for a tire change after Snider crashed in turn one while trying to pass Sills for the lead on lap 79. The wing nut jammed, and Shuman rejoined the race in seventh place. Eric Gordon won the 15-mile qualifying race over Johnny Parsons and Dave Feese.
Title hopefuls Steve Butler, Jeff Swindell and Chuck Gurney also met with some adversity during the 100-mile contest, ending their bid for the championship. Butler had a right rear tire go flat on lap 73 while running fifth. He changed it and finished ninth.
Swindell slowed on the back straightaway while running seventh on lap 47 and made a pit stop. He returned to the race but failed to finish, stopping in turn four on lap 73. Gurney stopped on the back straightaway on lap 14, and after a long pit stop, rejoined the event. He finished 14th, 11 laps behind the winner.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: October 9, 1993 – Sacramento, California – Cal Expo State Fairgrounds – Miller Genuine Draft Silver Crown 100
QUALIFICATIONS: (Top-14 locked into the feature) 1. Ron Shuman, 4, Ede-31.922; 2. Jimmy Sills, 3, Consani-32.180; 3. Jeff Swindell, 12, Delrose/Holt-32.296; 4. Brent Kaeding, 96, Miller-32.439; 5. Wally Pankratz, 18, Conroy-32.562; 6. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-32.623; 7. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-32.635; 8. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-32.768; 9. Cary Faas, 27, Faas-32.782; 10. Jim Keeker, 47, Six-R- 32.837; 11. Page Jones, 60, Snow-32.884; 12. Steve Butler, 1, Jarrett-32.892; 13. Stevie Reeves, 37, Pattee-32.903; 14. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-33.029; 15. Johnny Parsons, 20, Nolen-33.165; 16. Billy Boat, 15, Lawson-33.225; 17. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-33.333; 18. Dave Feese, 43, Nix-33.483; 19. Donnie Beechler, 26, Six-R-33.529; 20. Eric Gordon, 6, Hill-33.548; 21. Kenny Irwin Jr., 23, Calderwood-33.644; 22. Greg DeCaires, 65, Countryman-33.820; 23. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-33.901; 24. Jeff Galas, 16, Logan-34.037; 25. Mike McCreary, 71, McCreary-34.166; 26. Leroy Van Conett, 82, McCreary-34.343; 27. Bobby Marcum, 58, Senter-34.421; 28. Bobby McMahan, 25, Paniagua-34.515; 29. Tony Stewart, 54, Stapp-34.659; 30. Jim Edwards, 45, Schneider-37.869; 31. Fred Tegarden Jr., 77, Pritchett-38.671; 32. Tom Ball, 87, Ball-49.772; 33. Greg Peterson, 57, Bulfinch-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Eric Gordon, 2. Johnny Parsons, 3. Dave Feese, 4. Donnie Beechler, 5. Leroy Van Conett, 6. Bobby Marcum, 7. Kenny Irwin Jr., 8. Billy Boat, 9. Tony Stewart, 10. Bobby McMahan, 11. Ron Dunstan, 12. Jim Edwards, 13. Jeff Galas, 14. Tom Ball, 15. Greg DeCaires, 16. Randy Bateman, 17. Mike McCreary, 18. Fred Tegarden Jr. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Jimmy Sills (2), 2. Jim Keeker (10), 3. Cary Faas (9), 4. Mike Bliss (14), 5. Kenny Irwin Jr. (21), 6. Stevie Reeves (13), 7. Ron Shuman (1), 8. Donnie Beechler (18), 9. Steve Butler (12), 10. Tony Stewart (23), 11. Johnny Parsons (16), 12. Bobby McMahan (24), 13. Jeff Swindell (3), 14. Chuck Gurney (8), 15. Billy Boat (22), 16. George Snider (7), 17. Wally Pankratz (5), 18. Randy Tolsma (6), 19. Leroy Van Conett (19), 20. Brent Kaeding (4), 21. Bobby Marcum (20), 22. Eric Gordon (15), 23. Dave Feese (17), 24. Page Jones (11). 1:07:14.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Jimmy Sills.
FINAL SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Mike Bliss-724; 2-Ron Shuman-722; 3-Chuck Gurney-628; 4-Jimmy Sills-566; 5-Jack Hewitt-545; 6-Steve Butler-513; 7-Jeff Swindell-507; 8-Jim Keeker-462; 9-Eric Gordon-350; 10-Johnny Parsons-344.
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1993 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (724) Mike Bliss, Milwaukie, Ore.
2. (722) Ron Shuman, Tempe, Ariz.
3. (628) Chuck Gurney, Livermore, Calif.
4. (566) Jimmy Sills, Placerville, Calif.
5. (545) Jack Hewitt, Troy, Ohio
6. (513) Steve Butler, Kokomo, Ind.
7. (507) Jeff Swindell, Memphis, Tenn.
8. (462) Jim Keeker, Cicero, Ind.
9. (350) Eric Gordon, Greenfield, Ind.
10. (344) Johnny Parsons, Indianapolis, Ind.
11. (325) Gary Hieber, Langhorne, Pa.
12. (284) Tony Elliott, Kokomo, Ind.
13. (283) Tony Stewart, Rushville, Ind.
14. (257) Stevie Reeves, Speedway, Ind.
15. (146) Randy Tolsma, Boise, Idaho
16. (143) Cary Faas, Yorba Linda, Calif.
17. (128) Donnie Beechler, Springfield, Ill.
18. (127) Tray House, Chesterfield, Ind.
19. (110) Kenny Irwin Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.
20. (88) Larry Dickson, Marietta, Ohio
21. (86) George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif.
22. (69) Chip Thomas, Belleville, Ill.
23. (65) Billy Boat, Phoenix, Ariz.
24. (44) Wally Pankratz, Orange, Calif.
25. (34) Mark Alderson, Timberlake, S.D.
26. (29) Stan Fox, Janesville, Wisc.
27. (23) Greg Staab, Cincinnati, Ohio
28. (21) Ron Dunstan, Allentown, Pa.
29. (17) Jim Mahoney, Peru, Ill.
30. (15) Rocky Hodges, Des Moines, Iowa
31. (12) Ronnie Burke, Houston, Texas
32. (11) Perry Ferrell, Memphis, Tenn.
33. (10) Bob Cicconi, Prospect Park, Pa.
34. (10) Blake Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, Ind.
35. (9) Gary Cameron II, Tulsa, Okla.
36. (9) Lee Dunn, East Prairie, Mo.
37. (8) Tom Bigelow, Winchester, Ind.
38. (8) Bobby Marcum, Phoenix, Ariz.
39. (7) Bill Baue, Indianapolis, Ind.
40. (7) Jerry Nemire, Erie, Mich.
41. (6) Jim Whiteside, Indianapolis, Ind.
42. (6) Dan Drinan, Scottsdale, Ariz.
43. (6) Page Jones, Torrance, Calif.
44. (5) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
45. (5) Tyce Carlson, Indianapolis, Ind.
46. (5) Robbie Stanley, Brownsburg, Ind.
47. (4) Lealand McSpadden, Tempe, Ariz.
48. (4) Jim Hettinger, Mason, Mich.
49. (4) Ralph Liguori, Tampa, Fla.
50. (4) Dave Steele, Tampa, Fla.
51. (4) Brent Kaeding, Campbell, Calif.
52. (3) Gary Irvin, Noblesville, Ind.
53. (3) Dave Darland, Lincoln, Ind.
54. (3) Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, Ohio
55. (3) Dave Feese, Saybrook, Ill.
56. (1) Greg Peterson, West Sacramento, Calif.
57. (1) Red Stauffer, Winter Park, Fla.
1993 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (724) Del McClure, Portland, Ore. (#69)
2. (722) M & L Plumbing Co. (Fred Ede), Fresno, Calif. (#4)
3. (712) Six-R Racing, Cicero, Ind. (#26)
4. (628) Foxco Engineering, Indianapolis, Ind. (#56)
5. (566) Bob Consani, Santa Rosa, Calif. (#3)
6. (519) Delrose & Holt Racing Associates, Champaign, Ill. (#12)
7. (473) Kenny Jarrett Farms, Elwood, Ind. (#1)
8. (350) Six-R Racing, Zionsville, Ind. (#47)
9. (350) Gary Hill, Hope, Ind. (#6)
10. (344) Gene Nolen, Greenwood, Ind. (#20)
11. (325) EWH Service, Langhorne, Pa. (#66)
12. (288) Joe Conroy, Brunswick, Ohio (#18)
13. (252) Clare Pattee, Blythe, Calif. (#37)
14. (191) Ben Leyba, South Bend, Ind. (#8)
15. (150) Gary L. Howard, Santa Rosa, Calif. (#61)
16. (145) Dave LeFevre, Lafayette, Ind. (#5)
17. (143) Leonard Faas, Yorba Linda, Calif. (#27)
18. (101) Stapp Racing Components, Brownsburg, Ind. (#54)
19. (100) Dave Calderwood, Bakersfield, Calif. (#23)
20. (88) Tom Dickson, Parkersburg, W.Va. (#73)
21. (86) George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif. (#11)
22. (78) Dennis McQuinn, Springfield, Ind. (#39)
23. (65) John Lawson, Fresno, Calif. (#15)
24. (62) Thomas Racing, Belleville, Ind. (#24)
25. (53) Aviators Racing, Chicago, Ill. (#50)
26. (53) Greg Staab, Cincinnati, Ohio (#44)
27. (49) Gary Cameron II, Tulsa, Okla. (#7)
28. (44) Mataka Motorsports, Lebanon, N.J. (#31)
29. (32) AFT Enterprises, Fresno, Calif. (#51)
30. (28) Louis Seymour, Marlboro, Mass. (#29)
31. (26) Gary Runyon, Janesville, Wisc. (#9)
32. (25) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#2)
33. (22) Larry Woodward, Waipahu, Hawaii (#40)
34. (21) J & J Marine (Jack Nowling), St. Petersburg, Fla. (#88)
35. (21) Andrew Tomasits, Bath, Pa. (#42)
36. (13) Jim Hall, Charleston, Mo. (#36)
37. (12) George Egan, Berkeley, Mo. (#46)
38. (11) Perry Ferrell, Memphis, Tenn. (#91)
39. (10) M & L Plumbing Co. (Fred Ede), Fresno, Calif. (#74)
40. (10) Duke Henning, Indianapolis, Ind. (#93)
41. (10) James Panigua, Rio Linda, Calif. (#25)
42. (8) Steve MacPherson, Lizton, Ind. (#38)
43. (8) Louis Senter, Encino, Calif. (#58)
44. (7) B & G Engines, Indianapolis, Ind. (#78)
45. (7) Sohm Enterprises, St. Louis, Mo. (#80)
46. (7) Los Gatos Body Shop, Los Gatos, Calif. (#96)
47. (6) Don Whiteside, Indianapolis, Ind. (#70)
48. (6) Gary Irvin, Noblesville, Ind. (#48)
49. (6) E.T. Batista, Ionia, Mich. (#53)
50. (5) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill. (#55)
51. (5) Miner Pedersen, Indianapolis, Ind. (#84)
52. (4) Robert Bilby, Lansing, Mich. (#115)
53. (4) Ralph Liguori, Tampa, Fla. (#99)
54. (4) Mike McCreary, Placerville, Calif. (#82)
55. (3) Mike McCreary, Placerville, Calif. (#71)
56. (3) Fay Gordon, Greenfield, Ind. (#81)
57. (3) Frank Faurote, Lafayette, Ind. (#33)
58. (3) Bob Hampshire, Findlay, Ohio (#63)
59. (3) Ricky Nix, Benton, Ill. (#43)
60. (3) Don Snow, Vacaville, Calif. (#60)
61. (2) Kurt Gunderson, Oak Creek, Wisc. (#34)
62. (1) Gary Bulfinch, Sacramento, Calif. (#57)
63. (1) Bob Luscomb, Orlando, Fla. (#52)