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.
1994 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
Jimmy Sills was literally on the hot seat in 1994 and rode it to his second career True Value USAC Silver Crown driving championship.
“I burned my backside at Du Quoin on Labor Day and it still hasn’t healed completely,” Sills said at the time. “The heat from the exhaust got into the cockpit and gave me some good blisters.”
Sills locked up the title by finishing fifth in the finale at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, Calif., but admits it was a roller-coaster season.
“When I passed Chuck (Gurney), it felt pretty good,” Sills added. “I knew then we didn’t luck into it. There were motor problems at the first race, then other races where we qualified badly and spent the whole race coming from behind. Plus, the Midget crash at Belleville threw us a curve.”
Sills suffered a concussion and injuries to his shoulder and ribs in a violent crash during the Belleville (Kans.) Midget Nationals in August. He made a rapid recovery but didn’t really think about the Silver Crown point race until his victory in the Hoosier Hundred on September 3.
“The Indiana State Fairgrounds was awfully good to us,” he said. “Those two wins gave us a big lift and put us in the thick of the point race. We always had to worry about (Randy) Tolsma and Gurney, though. They were up front virtually every race.”
After his win at Sacramento, Sills decided to just “go racing” at Mesa Marin.
“I’ve lost sleep in the past worrying about points,” Sills commented. “I decided to just have fun at Mesa Marin and let the points sort themselves out. The car wasn’t good before the race, but it was perfect in the 100-lapper.”
Sills started racing in Sacramento in 1973 in supermodifieds. His first Silver Crown appearance came in 1989 when he subbed for the injured Steve Butler at the Indiana State Fairgrounds after Butler’s crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway that May. Sills won the pole and finished third at Du Quoin later in 1989 and was named the Rookie of the Year at season’s end. The next year, he won the title, and he’s never finished worse than fourth in the standings since.
Sills’ championship marked the return to Silver Crown racing for Gary Stanton, who celebrated his 50th birthday the night Sills won at Sacramento. Stanton hadn’t fielded a Silver Crown car since Doug Wolfgang drove for him in 1982, but he decided to call Sills during the winter and put the team together.
“We had mostly a Rookie crew,” Sills said. “I want to thank Paul Blacketer, Dave Kepperling, John Brunson and John Weland for their help.”
Stanton also offers thanks to Champion Spark Plugs, Hoosier Tires, Weld Wheels and Carrera Shocks for their support.
Sills, sometimes referred to as “Buckwheat” on occasion, doesn’t really care for the nickname, he admitted.
“I hate that name,” Sills exclaimed.
Somehow, the nickname “champ” seems more appropriate anyway.
Sills’ second Silver Crown title, after winning it for the first time in 1990, came with the aid of three wins in nine starts to beat runner-up Chuck Gurney by 82 points.
Sills put his Stanton Racing machine in victory lane in both 100-mile races at the Indiana State Fairgrounds to capture a $10,000 bonus from the special Tony George Point Fund for those two events, then notched his third consecutive victory in the Miller Genuine Draft 100 at the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds in Sacramento, Calif. to close in on the crown. A fifth-place finish in the final race Bakersfield, California’s Mesa Marin Raceway locked up the championship.
The season began inconspicuously for Sills, who missed the Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic opener at Arizona’s Phoenix International Raceway with engine problems. Kenny Irwin Jr., a series Rookie, sped to victory in the Phoenix 50-miler and consistent finishes kept him in the point race until midseason. He capped the season with a stunning wire-to-wire performance, lapping everyone but runner-up Tony Stewart in the finale at Mesa Marin.
Sills led all but the opening lap of the Hulman Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in May and closed in on the point leader with a fifth at Indianapolis Raceway Park in August.
Defending series champion Mike Bliss was unable to repeat his 1993 success although he did beat fast qualifier P.J. Jones to win the Mello Yello 100 at IRP. Jones, in his only series appearance of the year, set a new track record during qualifying.
Gurney became a factor in the title hunt, becoming the new leader with his sixth career victory in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in August. Jack Hewitt, returning to the series after his recovery from 1993 injuries, finished a strong second. Rain forced a delayed start after Johnny Parsons drew the pole starting spot.
Sills’ victory in A.J. Foyt’s Coors Light Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in September was worth $26,000 but Randy Tolsma’s outstanding second-place finish (after leading Sills late in the race) put him in title contention. Gurney started on the pole but was involved in a mid-race tangle, while George Snider (who was second to Irwin at Phoenix) and Bliss escaped serious injury in bad spills.
Gurney’s victory at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds in September was complimented by the sterling performances of four other drivers in the race. Tony Stewart came from 26th to finish third, Sills came from 22nd to sixth and Gary Bettenhausen, in his first series start since 1990, came from 25th to finish seventh. Tolsma’s fourth-place finish vaulted him into the point lead.
Hewitt recorded a popular victory in the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway in late-September, while Sills’ third-place finish gave him the series lead which he would not relinquish.
Tolsma’s retirement from the Sacramento race in October left only Sills and Gurney to determine the champion at Mesa Marin one week later, which was a new addition to the 1994 schedule and drew a capacity crowd.
Series regular Page Jones, who led the early laps at Du Quoin, was seriously injured in a September Sprint Car crash at Eldora.
Bookending the 1994 season with his first two career Silver Crown victories was Rookie of the Year, Kenny Irwin Jr. Meanwhile, one year after being named Silver Crown Rookie of the Year, Randy Tolsma earned series’ Most Improved Driver honors.
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WHO NEEDS GOLD, SILVER OR BRONZE? IRWIN TAKES COPPER
Avondale, Arizona………Kenny Irwin Jr. of Indianapolis, Ind. scored his initial True Value USAC Silver Crown victory on February 6 in the 50-mile Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic main event at Phoenix International Raceway.
Irwin led the final half of the race in his Wynn’s/MP Environmental Services machine after passing early leader George Snider.
Irwin started next to fast qualifier Ron Shuman, but it was Snider who led the first 25 miles of the race. Shuman, who qualified for the pole at 134.892 mph on February 5, retired after only 22 miles with overheating problems in his Valvoline/VHT/M & L Plumbing machine.
Trailing Irwin and Snider at the checkered flag were Tony Stewart (who started 21st), Jim Keeker, defending race winner and series champion Mike Bliss, Stevie Reeves, Stan Fox, Randy Tolsma, Eric Gordon and Davey Hamilton. Page Jones won the qualifying race on February 5.
Irwin averaged 129.776 mph for the 50-mile race, which had no caution periods. His victory was worth $12,775 from a total purse of $63,925.
A crowd of 33,000 was on hand for the 17th Copper World events at the one-mile paved oval.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS – February 4-6, 1994 – Avondale, Arizona – Phoenix International Raceway – 17th Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Ron Shuman, 14, Ede-26.688; 2. Kenny Irwin Jr., 23, Calderwood-26.861; 3. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-26.937; 4. Stan Fox, 9, Goetz-27.051; 5. Davey Hamilton, 51, Trigueiro-27.106: 6. Eric Gordon, 92, Hoerner-27.113; 7. Robby Flock, 94, Senter/Hart-27.133: 8. Jim Mahoney, 2, Vance-27.289; 9. Brad Noffsinger, 4, Consani-27.306; 10. Jim Keeker, 26. Six-R-27.318; 11. Robbie Stanley, 69, Dynamics-27.431; 12. Mike Bliss, 1, McClure-27.435; 13. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-27.479; 14. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-27.485: 15. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-27.502: 16. Stevie Reeves, 37, Chrisman-27.544; 17. Paul Durant, 95, Fresno Roofing-27.555: 18. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-27.617; 19. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-27.656; 20. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-27.691; 21. Tony Stewart, 20, Nolen-27.707: 22. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-27.732; 23. Mark Alderson, 80, Watson-27.783; 24. Kenny Jacobs, 73, Dickson-27.812; 25. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-27.854; 26. Greg Peterson, 57, Bulfinch-27.893: 27. Page Jones, 54, Stapp-28.096; 28. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-28.137; 29. Keith Butler, 86, Nowling-28.152; 30. Jack Runyon, 7, Runyon-28.215; 31. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-28.366; 32. Don Jones, 35, Rising Moore-28.507; 33. Kenneth Nichols, 40, Woodward-28.755; 34. Tray House, 5, LeFevre-28.800; 35. Cary Faas, 27, Faas-28.806; 36. Gary Irvin, 48, Shorthorn-29.053; 37. Wally Pankratz, 77, Pritchett-29.057; 38. Dodie Miller, 72, Miller-29.331; 39. Perry Younce, 22, Lawson-29.578; 40. Ray Evans, 85, Knowley-30.050; 41. Tom Ball, 87, Ball-30.275; 42. Greg DeCaires, 65, Countryman-30.993; 43. Mark Passerrelli, 79. Stasa-NT; 44. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-NT; 45. Brent Kaeding, 63, Six-R-NT; 46. Andy Michner, 8. Leyba-NT; 47. Wally Pankratz, 10, Leader Card-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Page Jones. 2. Chip Thomas, 3. Greg Peterson, 4. Bill Baue, 5. Keith Butler, 6. Dave Steele, 7. Kenneth Nichols, 8. Don Jones, 9. Tray House, 10. Wally Pankratz, 11. Ray Evans, 12. Gary Irvin, 13. Tom Ball, 14. Greg DeCaires, 15. Dodie Miller, 16. Jack Runyon, 17. Cary Faas, 18. Perry Younce. 4:46.71
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses): 1. Kenny Irwin Jr. (2), 2. George Snider (3), 3. Tony Stewart (21), 4. Jim Keeker (10), 5. Mike Bliss (12), 6. Stevie Reeves (16), 7. Stan Fox (4), 8. Randy Tolsma (15), 9. Eric Gordon (6), 10. Davey Hamilton (5), 11. Brad Noffsinger (9), 12. Bentley Warren (14), 13. Tony Elliott (13), 14. Chuck Gurney (18), 15. Chuck Leary (22), 16. Chip Thomas (26), 17. Kenny Jacobs (24), 18. Greg Peterson (27), 19. Robbie Stanley (11), 20. Gary Hieber (20), 21. Mark Alderson (23), 22. Perry Ferrell (19), 23. Page Jones (25), 24. Keith Butler (29), 25. Ron Shuman (1), 26. Robby Flock (7), 27. Jim Mahoney (8), 28. Paul Durant (17), 29. Dave Steele (30), 30. Bill Baue (28). 23:07.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-25 George Snider, Laps 26-50 Kenny Irwin Jr.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kenny Irwin Jr.-100; 2-George Snider-80; 3-Tony Stewart-70; 4-Jim Keeker-60; 5-Mike Bliss-50; 6-Stevie Reeves-40; 7-Stan Fox-30; 8-Randy Tolsma-25; 9-Eric Gordon-20: 10-Davey Hamilton-15.
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SILLS GRABS FOYT’S 14TH HULMAN HUNDRED
Indianapolis, Indiana………Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif. led all but the opening lap of A.J. Foyt’s 14th Hulman Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis on May 27.
Sills passed Randy Tolsma on the second lap and never looked back as he averaged 94.339 mph in his Stanton Racing Engines machine.
Ron Shuman finished second, followed by George Snider, Kenny Irwin Jr. and Tolsma. Rounding out the top-ten at the checkered flag were Chuck Gurney, Chip Thomas, Jim Keeker, Mike Bliss and Tony Stewart.
Sills won the pole starting spot with a qualifying speed of 108.244 mph. Cary Faas and Page Jones won the two preliminary 15-mile qualifying races.
The race was slowed by just two caution periods. The first came on lap 16 for a four-car accident on the backstretch involving Tray House, Gary Hieber, Wally Pankratz and Andy Michner. There were no injuries. The last came when Bruce Field stalled on the backstretch on lap 50.
Snider and Irwin are now tied for the True Value USAC Silver Crown point lead. Sills, whose victory was worth $9,500, trails them by only 20 points.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: May 27, 1994 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – A.J. Foyt's 14th Hulman Hundred
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-33.258; 2. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-33.611; 3. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-34.184; 4. Ron Shuman, 14, Ede-34.267; 5. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-34.285; 6. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-34.376; 7. Warren Mockler, 54, Clark-34.406; 8. Mark Alderson, 80, Watson-34.437; 9. Kenny Irwin Jr., 23, Calderwood-34.556; 10. Jim Keeker, 26, Six-R-34.582; 11. Lealand McSpadden, 28, Stepter-34.614; 12. Russ Gamester, 73, Dickson-34.648; 13. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-34.694; 14. Rocky Hodges, 50, Aviators-34.697; 15. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-34.716; 16. Tray House, 6, Hill-34.748; 17. Andy Michner, 8, Leyba-34.775; 18. Wally Pankratz, 5, LeFevre-34.776; 19. Mike Bliss, 1, McClure-34.903; 20. Tony Stewart, 20, Nolen-34.905; 21. Cary Faas, 27, Faas-34.907; 22. Page Jones, 9, Goetz-34.996; 23. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-35.038; 24. Tom Bigelow, 38, Basala/MacPherson-35.217; 25. Brent Kaeding, 96, Miller-35.334; 26. Bruce Field, 62, Beaver-35.338; 27. Eric Gordon, 92, Hoerner-35.429; 28. Ralph Liguori, 89, Liguori-35.675; 29. Brad Noffsinger, 4, Consani-35.762; 30. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-35.782; 31. Dan Drinan, 35, Rising Moore-35.802; 32. Jeff Galas, 16, Logan-35.858; 33. Jim Whiteside, 70, Whiteside-35.877; 34. Kevin Thomas, 10, Leader Card-35.893; 35. Greg DeCaires, 65, Countryman-35.964; 36. Blake Hollingsworth, 93, Henning-36.006; 37. Kenneth Nichols, 44, Stapp-36.052; 38. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-36.152; 39. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-36.204; 40. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-36.248; 41. Dave Darland, 83, Sohm-36.346; 42. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-36.431; 43. Davey Hamilton, 51, Trigueiro-36.505; 44. Dodie Miller, 72, Miller-36.558; 45. Terry Babb, 49, Babb-36.857; 46. Billy Boat, 15, Lawson-37.545; 47. Tyce Carlson, 22, Lawson-48.336; 48. Jerry Coons Jr., 77, Pritchett-NT; 49. Jack Runyon, 7, Runyon-NT; 50. Robby Flock, 94, Senter/Hart-NT; 51. Ronnie Burke, 46, Egan-NT; 52. Rodney Duncan, 32, P & W-NT; 53. Doug Wright, 99, BBC-NT; 54. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-NT; 55. Greg Staab, 79, Stasa-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Cary Faas, 2. Brent Kaeding, 3. Eric Gordon, 4. Brad Noffsinger, 5. Dan Drinan, 6. Dave Darland, 7. Jim Whiteside, 8. Dave Steele, 9. Davey Hamilton, 10. Tyce Carlson, 11. Terry Babb, 12. Kenneth Nichols, 13. Greg DeCaires, 14. Jack Runyon, 15. Tony Elliott. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Page Jones, 2. Bruce Field, 3. Tom Bigelow, 4. Ralph Liguori, 5. Jeff Galas, 6. Chuck Leary, 7. Kevin Thomas, 8. Blake Hollingsworth, 9. Bill Baue, 10. Randy Bateman, 11. Ron Dunstan, 12. Dodie Miller, 13. Perry Ferrell, 14. Billy Boat. 5:44.70
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jimmy Sills (1), 2. Ron Shuman (4), 3. George Snider (5), 4. Kenny Irwin Jr. (9), 5. Randy Tolsma (2), 6. Chuck Gurney (6), 7. Chip Thomas (3), 8. Jim Keeker (10), 9. Mike Bliss (19), 10. Tony Stewart (20), 11. Brad Noffsinger (27), 12. Lealand McSpadden (11), 13. Cary Faas (21), 14. Page Jones (22), 15. Eric Gordon (25), 16. Russ Gamester (12), 17. Rocky Hodges (14), 18. Dan Drinan (29), 19. Warren Mockler (7), 20. Jeff Galas (30), 21. Brent Kaeding (23), 22. Bruce Field (24), 23. Ralph Liguori (28), 24. Gary Hieber (15), 25. Mark Alderson (8), 26. Tray House (16), 27. Wally Pankratz (18), 28. Andy Michner (17), 29. Jack Hewitt (13), 30. Tom Bigelow (26). 1:03:36.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Randy Tolsma, Laps 2-100 Jimmy Sills.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-George Snider & Kenny Irwin Jr.-220; 3-Jimmy Sills-200; 4-Ron Shuman-161; 5-Randy Tolsma-125; 6-Jim Keeker-110; 7-Tony Stewart-100; 8-Mike Bliss-90; 9-Chuck Gurney-83; 10-Chip Thomas-63.
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BLISS REPEATS IN IRP SILVER CROWN 60-LAPPER
Clermont, Indiana………Mike Bliss of Milwaukie, Ore. extended his incredible streak of successes at Indianapolis Raceway Park on August 4 in the 60-lap True Value USAC Silver Crown race, leading all but the first seven laps of the Yellow Cab 100 in his McClure Special.
The victory was Mike’s fifth at IRP this year (including four in sprint cars) and vaulted the defending series and race champion to fifth in the point standings.
Bliss started fourth in the rain-delayed feature, caught Andy Michner on lap eight, then held off a late-race challenge from fast qualifier P.J. Jones. Jones took second ahead of Johnny Parsons, Kenny Irwin Jr., Jimmy Sills, Tony Elliott, Ron Shuman, George Snider, Randy Tolsma and Chuck Gurney.
Jones and Elliott won the two 20-lap K & K Insurance Group Qualifying Races. Irwin’s finish left him clutching a 30-point lead over Sills in the new Silver Crown standings.
The first 55 laps were run without a caution until Rusty McClure spun on the front stretch. Two laps after the restart, Jack Hewitt and Bentley Warren were forced out of the race in a first-turn skirmish. Pre-race favorite Tony Stewart failed to earn a feature starting berth when he tangled with Irwin during a qualifying race and hit the fourth turn wall hard. He was not injured.
P.J. Jones established a new track record of 20.800 seconds in winning the pole starting spot for the 60-lapper.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 4, 1994 – Clermont, Indiana – Indianapolis Raceway Park – Yellow Cab 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-4 locked into the feature) 1. P.J. Jones, 26, Six-R-20.800; 2. Andy Michner, 8, Leyba-20.847; 3. Johnny Parsons, 37, Chrisman-20.915; 4. Mike Bliss, 1, McClure-21.024; 5. Page Jones, 9, Goetz-21.055; 6. Kenny Irwin Jr., 23, Calderwood-21.132; 7. Davey Hamilton, 51, Trigueiro-21.143; 8. Tony Stewart, 20, Nolen-21.175; 9. Jack Runyon, 7, Runyon-21.182; 10. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-21.192; 11. Ron Shuman, 14, Ede-21.245; 12. Mark Alderson, 80, Watson-21.303; 13. Paul Durant, 95, Fresno Roofing-21.317; 14. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-21.325; 15. Gary Irvin, 48, Shorthorn-21.402; 16. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-21.412; 17. Eric Gordon, 92, Hoerner-21.415; 18. Brad Marvel, 94, Senter/Hart-21.447; 19. Wally Pankratz, 5, LeFevre-21.550; 20. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-21.596; 21. Russ Gamester, 73, Dickson-21.602; 22. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-21.615; 23. Rusty McClure, 31, Mataka-21.645; 24. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-21.647; 25. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-21.675; 26. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-21.688; 27. Rocky Hodges, 50, Aviators-21.732; 28. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-21.744; 29. Tyce Carlson, 22, Lawson-21.757; 30. Kenneth Nichols, 40, Woodward-21.757; 31. Tray House, 6, Hill-21.818; 32. Tom Bigelow, 38, Basala/MacPherson-21.961; 33. Brian Gerster, 10, Leader Card-22.023; 34. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-22.045; 35. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-22.067; 36. Lealand McSpadden, 53, Morales-22.077; 37. Bruce Field, 62, Beaver-22.155; 38. Blake Hollingsworth, 93, Henning-22.170; 39. Greg Staab, 79, Stasa-22.392; 40. Ron Koehler, 67, Koehler-23.360; 41. Jim Whiteside, 70, Whiteside-23.480; 42. Jim Mahoney, 2, Vance-23.872; 43. Tommy Nichols, 84, Pedersen-NT; 44. Kenny Irwin Jr., 123, Calderwood-NT.
K & K INSURANCE GROUP FIRST QUALIFYING RACE (20 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Page Jones, 2. Eric Gordon, 3. Russ Gamester, 4. Rusty McClure, 5. Wally Pankratz, 6. Ron Shuman, 7. Chuck Gurney, 8. Jack Runyon, 9. Jack Hewitt, 10. Rocky Hodges, 11. Tray House, 12. Bruce Field, 13. Brian Gerster, 14. Davey Hamilton, 15. Paul Durant, 16. Greg Staab, 17. Tyce Carlson, 18. Gary Irvin. NT
K & K INSURANCE GROUP SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (20 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Tony Elliott, 2. Kenny Irwin Jr., 3. Bentley Warren, 4. Jimmy Sills, 5. Randy Tolsma, 6. Chuck Leary, 7. Gary Hieber, 8. George Snider, 9. Dave Steele, 10. Kenneth Nichols, 11. Tom Bigelow, 12. Ron Koehler, 13. Blake Hollingsworth, 14. Brad Marvel, 15. Mark Alderson, 16. Tony Stewart, 17. Bill Baue, 18. Lealand McSpadden. NT
FEATURE: (60 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Mike Bliss (4), 2. P.J. Jones (1), 3. Johnny Parsons (3), 4. Kenny Irwin Jr. (8), 5. Jimmy Sills (12), 6. Tony Elliott (6), 7. Ron Shuman (15), 8. George Snider (20), 9. Randy Tolsma (14), 10. Chuck Gurney (17), 11. Jack Runyon (19), 12. Wally Pankratz (13), 13. Kenneth Nichols (24), 14. Rocky Hodges (23), 15. Bentley Warren (10), 16. Jack Hewitt (21), 17. Chuck Leary (16), 18. Rusty McClure (11), 19. Andy Michner (2), 20. Gary Hieber (18), 21. Page Jones (5), 22. Eric Gordon (7), 23. Russ Gamester (9), 24. Dave Steele (22). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-7 Andy Michner, Laps 8-60 Mike Bliss.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kenny Irwin Jr.-280; 2-Jimmy Sills-250; 3-George Snider-245; 4-Ron Shuman-191; 5-Mike Bliss-190; 6-Randy Tolsma-145; 7-Jim Keeker-110; 8-Tony Stewart-100; 9-Chuck Gurney-98; 10-P.J. Jones-80.
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SIXTH BETTENHAUSEN 100 WIN FOR GURNEY AT SPRINGFIELD
Springfield, Illinois………Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif. became a six-time winner of the Tony Bettenhausen 100 on August 20, winning the 100-mile True Value USAC Silver Crown race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.
The win was Gurney’s sixth In the last 11 years at the one-mile dirt oval and earned his Foxco Engineering team a $9,000 paycheck.
Morning rain forced a delay in starting and Johnny Parsons drew the pole position after qualifications were abandoned. Ron Shuman, who started sixth, led the first seven miles before yielding to defending race winner Jack Hewitt. Shuman regained the lead on lap 12 but lost it back to Hewitt on lap 27. Gurney came to the front on lap 51 and was never again headed as Hewitt finished second. Shuman was forced to the pits for adjustments and eventually finished 13th.
Gurney’s victory boosted him into the lead of the Silver Crown standings ahead of Randy Tolsma, who was third at Springfield.
Five yellow flags slowed the 100-mile feature but there were no serious incidents.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 20, 1994 – Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Tony Bettenhausen 100
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-9 transfer to the feature) 1. Donnie Beechler (#39 McQuinn-Tapocik), 2. Dave Darland (#83 Sohm), 3. Lealand McSpadden (#53 Morales), 4. Billy Boat (#15 Lawson), 5. Rusty McClure (#31 Mataka), 6. Mark Alderson (#80 Watson), 7. Kevin Doty (#62 Beaver), 8. Jon Stanbrough (#32 P & W), 9. Ron Dunstan (#42 Tomasits), 10. Steve Knepper (#59 Beach), 11. Tray House (#6 Hill), 12. Ralph Liguori (#89 Liguori), 13. Derek Davidson (#33 Faurote), 14. Doug Wright (#99 BBC), 15. Art Bisch Jr. (#19 Bisch), 16. Terry Babb (#49 Babb), 17. Tyce Carlson (#22 Lawson), 18. Perry Ferrell (#91 Ferrell), 19. Jeff Galas (#16 Logan), 20. Cary Faas (#69 Dynamics), 21. Tom Bigelow (#38 Basala-MacPherson), 22. Ned Fry (#52 Fry), 23. Kevin Thomas (#28 Stepter), 24. Robby Flock (#94 Senter/Hart), 25. Jackie Burke (#72 Miller), 26. Lee Dunn (#68 Hall). NT
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Scott Frew (#71 Frew), Jim McClean (#97 McClean), Bill Baue (#78 Baue) & (#27 Faas).
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chuck Gurney (#56 Foxco) (7), 2. Jack Hewitt (#63 Six-R) (2), 3. Randy Tolsma (#61 Howard) (3), 4. Russ Gamester (#73 Dickson) (18), 5. Wally Pankratz (#5 LeFevre) (15), 6. Johnny Parsons (#37 Chrisman) (1), 7. Rusty McClure (26), 8. Rocky Hodges (#50 Aviators) (17), 9. Donnie Beechler (22), 10. Davey Hamilton (#51 Trigueiro) (13), 11. Jack Runyon (#7 Runyon) (20), 12. Dave Darland (23), 13. Ron Shuman (#14 Ede) (6), 14. Stan Fox (#9 Goetz) (12), 15. Jimmy Sills (#75 Stanton) (10), 16. Mark Alderson (27), 17. Eric Gordon (#92 Hoerner) (11), 18. Kenny Irwin Jr. (#23 Calderwood) (5), 19. George Snider (#11 Snider-Foyt) (9), 20. Billy Boat (25), 21. Kevin Doty (28), 22. Mike Bliss (#1 McClure) (8), 23. Lealand McSpadden (24), 24. Tony Elliott (#18 Conroy) (21), 25. Gary Hieber (#66 EWH) (14), 26. Chip Thomas (#24 Thomas) (16), 27. Ron Dunstan (30), 28. Page Jones (#26 Six-R) (19), 29. Jon Stanbrough (29), 30. Tony Stewart (#20 Nolen) (4). 1:08:25.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-7 Ron Shuman, Laps 5-11 Jack Hewitt, Laps 12-26 Ron Shuman, Laps 27-50 Jack Hewitt, Laps 51-100 Chuck Gurney.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Chuck Gurney-298; 2-Randy Tolsma-285; 3-Kenny Irwin Jr.-254; 4-Jimmy Sills-255; 5-George Snider-249; 6-Ron Shuman-196; 7-Mike Bliss-193; 8-Jack Hewitt-164; 9-Johnny Parsons-150; 10-Russ Gamester-127.
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$26,000 HOOSIER HUNDRED FOR SILLS
Indianapolis, Indiana………Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif. is the new leader in the True Value USAC Silver Crown standings after his victory in A.J. Foyt’s 42nd Coors Light Hoosier Hundred on September 3.
Sills leads Randy Tolsma of Boise, Idaho by just 10 points in the new standings.
Sills fought off the determined challenges of Tolsma to earn $26,000 in prize money for his Hoosier Hundred victory at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. His prizes included a $10,000 bonus from the Tony George Point Fund (for the two Silver Crown races at the one-mile dirt oval).
Sills, who also won the Hulman Hundred at the track in May, relinquished the lead to Tolsma on lap 80 but regained it three laps later and led the rest of the way, earning $7,000 in lap prize money for his 70 leading laps in the Stanton Racing Special.
Tolsma’s $10,800 earnings for second place included a $6,000 Tony George Point Fund bonus, while Lealand McSpadden of Tempe, Ariz. raked in $7,000 for third place, including $4,000 from the Tony George Point Fund.
Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif. won the pole position for the 100-mile race at 110.348 mph but Cary Faas of Yorba Linda, Calif. led the first 24 miles before Gurney, the winner at Springfield, Ill. on August 20, caught him. Gurney then led the next three miles before he was involved in a tangle with Wally Pankratz in turn four. Sills then assumed command.
The race was red flagged after just three laps when Mike Bliss and George Snider flipped during a three-car skirmish in turn three. Although the Bliss and Snider machines were extensively damaged, there were no serious injuries.
Donnie Beechler finished fourth in the 100-miler and was trailed by Jack Hewitt, Stan Fox, Tony Elliott, Rookie of the Race Kevin Doty, Rusty McClure and Tony Stewart (whose drive from 30th to 10th earned him the Most Improved award).
Gary Hieber, winner of the 1990 Hoosier Hundred, and Robby Flock, the 1993 USAC Western States Midget champion, captured the two 10-mile qualifying races.
Pre-race favorite Gary Bettenhausen, making his return to the series after a four-year hiatus, was running fourth in the first qualifying race and headed for a feature starting berth when his magneto malfunctioned and forced him back to eighth place.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 3, 1994 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – A.J. Foyt's 42nd Coors Light Hoosier Hundred
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-32.624; 2. Cary Faas, 69, Dynamics-32.901; 3. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-32.993; 4. Rocky Hodges, 50, Aviators-33.028; 5. Kenny Irwin Jr., 23, Calderwood-33.126; 6. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-33.126; 7. Lealand McSpadden, 53, Morales-33.127; 8. Donnie Beechler, 39, McQuinn/Tapocik-33.243; 9. Warren Mockler, 54, Clark-33.277; 10. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-33.348; 11. Page Jones, 26, Six-R-33.363; 12. Rusty McClure, 31, Mataka-33.380; 13. Ron Shuman, 14, Ede-33.392; 14. Mike Bliss, 1, McClure-33.480; 15. Doug Kalitta, 2, Vance-33.488; 16. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-33.492; 17. Wally Pankratz, 5, LeFevre-33.544; 18. Stan Fox, 9, Goetz-33.578; 19. Brian Gerster, 30, Leary-33.611; 20. Jack Runyon, 7, Runyon-33.612; 21. Russ Gamester, 73, Dickson-33.645; 22. Robby Flock, 94, Senter/Hart-33.662; 23. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-33.731; 24. Billy Boat, 15, Lawson-33.812; 25. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-33.823; 26. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-33.834; 27. Gary Bettenhausen, 12, Galas-33.837; 28. Kevin Thomas, 28, Stepter-33.899; 29. Davey Hamilton, 51, Trigueiro-33.934; 30. Tony Stewart, 120, Nolen-33.946; 31. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-34.091; 32. Jeff Galas, 16, Logan-34.150; 33. Kevin Doty, 62, Beaver-34.161; 34. Jackie Burke, 72, Miller-34.169; 35. Andy Michner, 8, Steck-34.186; 36. Eric Gordon, 92, Hoerner-34.195; 37. Johnny Parsons, 37, Chrisman-34.215; 38. Blake Hollingsworth, 93, Henning-34.219; 39. Gary Irvin, 59, Beach-34.226; 40. Kenneth Nichols, 10, Leader Card-34.325; 41. Perry Ferrell, 91, Ferrell-34.382; 42. Derek Davidson, 33, Faurote-34.420; 43. Jerry Nemire, 22, Lawson-34.621; 44. Bill Rose, 38, Basala/MacPherson-35.149; 45. Ralph Liguori, 89, Liguori-35.410; 46. Jim Whiteside, 70, Whiteside-35.424; 47. Bob Brosemann, 77, Pritchett-36.359; 48. Ned Fry, 52, Fry-39.033; 49. Dave Darland, 83, Sohm-NT; 50. Jim McClean, 97, McClean-NT; 51. Mark Alderson, 80, Watson-NT; 52. Doug Wright, 99, BBC-NT; 53. Dan Drinan, 35, Rising Moore-NT; 54. Scott Frew, 71, Frew-NT; 55. Tony Stewart, 20, Nolen-NT; 56. #76, Runyon-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Gary Hieber, 2. Russ Gamester, 3. George Snider, 4. Kevin Doty, 5. Johnny Parsons, 6. Gary Irvin, 7. Randy Bateman, 8. Gary Bettenhausen, 9. Andy Michner, 10. Davey Hamilton, 11. Jerry Nemire, 12. Perry Ferrell, 13. Bob Brosemann. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Robby Flock, 2. Tony Elliott, 3. Kevin Thomas, 4. Billy Boat, 5. Tony Stewart, 6. Eric Gordon, 7. Jeff Galas, 8. Derek Davidson, 9. Jackie Burke, 10. Blake Hollingsworth, 11. Jim Whiteside, 12. Ned Fry, 13. Kenneth Nichols, 14. Bill Rose. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jimmy Sills (3), 2. Randy Tolsma (10), 3. Lealand McSpadden (7), 4. Donnie Beechler (8), 5. Jack Hewitt (6), 6. Stan Fox (18), 7. Tony Elliott (24), 8. Kevin Doty (27), 9. Rusty McClure (12), 10. Tony Stewart (30), 11. Kevin Thomas (26), 12. Billy Boat (28), 13. Cary Faas (2), 14. Russ Gamester (23), 15. Chuck Gurney (1), 16. Chip Thomas (16), 17. Jack Runyon (20), 18. Robby Flock (22), 19. Rocky Hodges (4), 20. Page Jones (11), 21. Warren Mockler (9), 22. Brian Gerster (19), 23. Gary Hieber (21), 24. Ron Shuman (13), 25. Doug Kalitta (15), 26. Wally Pankratz (17), 27. Johnny Parsons (29), 28. Mike Bliss (14), 29. George Snider (25), 30. Kenny Irwin Jr. (5). NT
**Mark Alderson flipped during practice. Jimmy Sills and George Snider flipped on lap 4 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-24 Cary Faas, Laps 25-27 Chuck Gurney, Laps 28-79 Jimmy Sills, Laps 80-82 Randy Tolsma, Laps 83-100 Jimmy Sills.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jimmy Sills-455; 2-Randy Tolsma-445; 3-Chuck Gurney-303; 4-Kenny Irwin Jr.-285; 5-Jack Hewitt-264; 6-George Snider-250; 7-Ron Shuman-199; 8-Mike Bliss-195; 9-Donnie Beechler-160; 10-Lealand McSpadden-153.
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GURNEY GRABS Du QUOIN CENTURY, TOLSMA TAKES POINT LEAD
Du Quoin, Illinois………Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif. captured the Du Quoin Century at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds on September 10, but Randy Tolsma of Boise, Idaho is the new True Value Silver Crown point leader after his fourth place finish in the 100-mile event. The race had been rained out the previous Monday.
Gurney led the final 34 miles of the race in his Foxco Performance Special after passing Eric Gordon on the 67th lap around the one-mile dirt oval. Gordon, who led 13 laps, finished second ahead of third place Tony Stewart, who came from the 26th starting position.
Rounding out the top-10 at the checkered flag were Tolsma (4th), Chip Thomas, Jimmy Sills, Gary Bettenhausen, Kenny Irwin Jr., Stan Fox and Gary Hieber. The start was Bettenhausen’s first in the series in four years and he came from the 25th starting spot.
Tony Elliott of Kokomo, Ind. was the fastest qualifier but trailed Page Jones for the first 13 laps. Jack Runyon hit the outside guardrail in turn two on the 14th lap, bringing out the red flag for repairs. He escaped injury.
At the same time, Jones’ Ford V-6 overheated, slowed and stopped on the backstretch. He restarted at the tail of the field. Elliott then led the next 40 laps before losing the steering in his machine.
The yellow flag flew for the first time on lap 22 when Donnie Beechler lost the rear end in his car and stalled on the front stretch. On lap 31, the yellow came out for the final time when Jack Hewitt, Randy Bateman and Doug Kalitta tangled exiting turn four.
Lee Dunn of Charleston, Mo. escaped serious injury when he hit the front stretch guardrail and flipped during practice.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: September 10, 1994 – Du Quoin, Illinois – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin Century
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-31.215; 2. Page Jones, 26, Six-R-31.323; 3. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-31.629; 4. Eric Gordon, 92, Hoerner-31.703; 5. Johnny Parsons, 6, Hill-31.623; 6. Cary Faas, 69, Dynamics-31.967; 7. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-32.029; 8. Kevin Thomas, 28, Stepter-32.091; 9. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-32.116; 10. Donnie Beechler, 39, McQuinn/Tapocik-32.117; 11. Tony Stewart, 20, Nolen-32.166; 12. Andy Michner, 8, Steck-32.281; 13. Kenny Irwin Jr., 23, Calderwood-32.296; 14. Lealand McSpadden, 53, Morales-32.325; 15. Bill Rose, 43, Nix-32.424; 16. Tray House, 37, Chrisman-32.619; 17. Dave Darland, 83, Sohm-32.672; 16. Doug Kalitta, 73, Dickson-32.726; 19. Mike Bliss, 30, Leary-32.736; 20. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-32.747; 21. Rusty McClure, 31, Mataka-32.922; 22. Kevin Doty, 62, Beaver-33.072;.23. Jack Runyon, 7, Runyon-33.157; 24. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-33.180; 25. Rocky Hodges, 50, Aviators-33.339; 26. Tommy Scott, 46, Egan-33.551; 27. Jimmy Brewer, 64, Brewer-33.560; 28. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-33.575; 29. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-33.601; 30. Stan Fox, 9, Goetz-33.742; 31. Gary Irvin, 59, Beach-33.763; 32. Tony Stewart, 120, Nolen-33.822, 33. Jackie Burke, 72, Miller-33.842; 34. Jerry Nemire, 22, Lawson-33.915; 35. Jimmy Kite, 38, Basala/MacPherson-33.965; 36. Gary Bettenhausen, 12, Galas-34.116; 37. Ralph Liguori, 89, Liguori-34.314; 38. Brad Marvel, 25, Black-34.375; 39. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-34.393; 40. Jim McClean, 97, McClean-34.400; 41. Jeff Galas, 16, Logan-34.699; 42. Robby Flock, 94, Senter/Hart-34.700; 43. Terry Babb, 49, Babb-34.887; 44. Jim Whiteside, 70, Whiteside-34.559; 45. Lee Dunn, 65, Hall-NT; 46 Danny Smith, 5, LeFevre-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Rocky Hodges, 2. Jack Runyon, 3. Gary Bettenhausen, 4. Randy Bateman, 5. Robby Flock, 6. Jerry Nemire, 7. Gary Irvin, 8. Jim Whiteside, 9. Jim McClean, 10. Brad Marvel, 11. Jimmy Brewer, 12. Cary Faas. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. George Snider, 2. Jimmy Sills, 3. Stan Fox, 4. Tony Stewart, 5. Gary Hieber, 6. Jimmy Kite, 7. Jackie Burke, 8. Ralph Liguori, 9. Jeff Galas, 10. Tommy Scott. 5:14.76
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chuck Gurney (8), 2. Eric Gordon (4), 3. Tony Stewart (26), 4. Randy Tolsma (6), 5. Chip Thomas (3), 6. Jimmy Sills (22), 7. Gary Bettenhausen (25), 8. Kenny Irwin Jr. (11), 9. Stan Fox (24), 10. Gary Hieber (28), 11. Rocky Hodges (21), 12. Mike Bliss (17), 13. Andy Michner (10), 14. Dave Darland (15), 15. Tray House (14), 16. Rusty McClure (19), 17. Bill Rose (13), 18. Jerry Nemire (30), 19. Robby Flock (29), 20. Randy Bateman (27), 21. Kevin Doty (20), 22. Tony Elliott (1), 23. Kevin Thomas (7), 24. Lealand McSpadden (12), 25. Page Jones (2), 26. Jack Hewitt (18), 27. Johnny Parsons (5), 28. Doug Kalitta (16), 29. Donnie Beechler (9), 30. Jack Runyon (23). NT
**Lee Dunn flipped on the front stretch during practice.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-13 Page Jones, Laps 14-53 Tony Elliott, Laps 54-66 Eric Gordon, Laps 67-100 Chuck Gurney.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Randy Tolsma-565; 2-Jimmy Sills-535; 3-Chuck Gurney-503; 4-Kenny Irwin Jr.-335; 5-Tony Stewart-271; 6-Jack Hewitt-266; 7-George Snider-250; 8-Mike Bliss-205; 9-Ron Shuman-199; 10-Eric Gordon-191.
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4-CROWN VICTORY GOES TO HEWITT AT ELDORA
Rossburg, Ohio………Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio scored his 17th career True Value USAC Silver Crown victory in the 4-Crown Nationals finale at Eldora Speedway on September 25.
Hewitt led the final 44 laps of the race in his RDL Custom Homes/Cintas/Café Santa Fe/J.W. Hunt Special after passing Jimmy Sills on lap seven. The victory came in an event billed as a Salute to Jack Hewitt.
Sills, of Placerville, Calif., finished third behind Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif., who was second. The finish boosted Sills into the lead of the series standings entering the two final races in California in October.
Randy Tolsma, who led the standings going into the 4-Crown, finished a disappointing 17th in the 50-lapper but ranks a close third in the standings, only 38 points behind Sills and 24 behind Gurney.
Gurney was the fastest qualifier at 16.886 seconds. Donnie Beechler won the 20-lap qualifying race.
The 50-lap feature was interrupted on lap 18 when Cary Faas flipped. He escaped injury.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: September 23-25, 1994 – Rossburg, Ohio – Eldora Speedway – 14th 4-Crown Nationals
QUALIFYING: (Top-12 locked into the feature) 1. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-16.886; 2. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-17.192; 3. Stan Fox, 9, Goetz-17.253; 4. Mike Bliss, 30, Leary-17.340; 5. Kevin Doty, 62, Beaver-17.726; 6. Kevin Huntley, 5, LeFevre-17.756; 7. Tray House, 37, Chrisman-17.784; 8. Cary Faas, 69, Dynamics-17.796; 9. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-17.816; 10. Page Jones, 26, Six-R-17.825; 11. Rusty McClure, 31, Mataka-17.832; 12. Eric Gordon, 92, Hoerner-17.858; 13. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-17.931; 14. Donnie Beechler, 39, McQuinn/Tapocik-18.054; 15. Andy Michner, 8, Steck-18.088; 16. Bill Rose, 43, Nix-18.120; 17. Kenny Irwin Jr., 23, Calderwood-18.159; 18. Greg Staab, 44, Stapp-18.171; 19. Chip Thomas, 24, Thomas-18.188; 20. Tony Stewart, 20, Nolen-18.340; 21. Steve Barnett, 120, Nolen-18.553; 22. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-18.624; 23. Jon Stanbrough, 32, P & W-18.631; 24. Jerry Nemire, 22, Lawson-18.751; 25. Jack Runyon, 7, Runyon-18.778; 26. Ron Dunstan, 42, Tomasits-18.841; 27. Robby Flock, 94, Senter/Hart-18.907; 28. Phil French, 60, Meister-18.928; 29. Derek Davidson, 33, Faurote-19.032; 30. Dr. Tom Black, 25, Black-NT; 31. #76, Runyon-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (20 laps, top-12 transfer to the feature) 1. Donnie Beechler, 2. Greg Staab, 3. Kenny Irwin Jr., 4. Chip Thomas, 5. Andy Michner, 6. Steve Barnett, 7. Randy Tolsma, 8. Jerry Nemire, 9. Bill Rose, 10. Jon Stanbrough, 11. Robby Flock, 12. Derek Davidson, 13. Ron Dunstan, 14. Phil French, 15. Tony Elliott, 16. Tony Stewart. NT
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jack Hewitt (7), 2. Chuck Gurney (1), 3. Jimmy Sills (2), 4. Kevin Doty (5), 5. Eric Gordon (10), 6. Rusty McClure (9), 7. Kenny Irwin Jr. (13), 8. Chip Thomas (12), 9. Dave Darland (#44) (22), 10. Jon Stanbrough (18), 11. Steve Barnett (14), 12. Mike Bliss (4), 13. Jerry Nemire (16), 14. Kevin Thomas (#37) (21), 15. Robby Flock (19), 16. Bill Rose (17), 17. Randy Tolsma (15), 18. Derek Davidson (20), 19. Kevin Huntley (6), 20. Danny Smith (#8) (23), 21. Donnie Beechler (11), 22. Cary Faas (8), 23. Stan Fox (3). NT
**Ron Dunstan flipped during the qualifying race. Cary Faas flipped in turn 1 on the 18th lap of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Jimmy Sills, Laps 7-50 Jack Hewitt.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jimmy Sills-605; 2-Chuck Gurney-583; 3-Randy Tolsma-567; 4-Jack Hewitt-366; 5-Kenny Irwin Jr.-365; 6-Tony Stewart-271; 7-George Snider-250; 8-Eric Gordon-241; 9-Mike Bliss-210; 10-Ron Shuman-199.
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SACRAMENTO IS ALL SILLS AT CAL EXPO
Sacramento, California………Jimmy Sills scored his third consecutive triumph at the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds on October 8, leading the final 47 miles of the Miller Genuine Draft Silver Crown 100 in his Stanton Racing Special.
Chuck Gurney led the first 53 miles before sliding wide while trying to lap a slower car. Steve Kent (in his initial Silver Crown appearance), Stan Fox and George Snider completed the top-five in the 100-miler.
Randy Tolsma, in contention for the series title going into the event, was forced out of the race with overheating problems.
Gary Bettenhausen ran well but dropped out near the finish with mechanical problems.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: October 8, 1994 – Sacramento, California – Cal Expo State Fairgrounds – Miller Genuine Draft Silver Crown 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-14 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-32.055; 2. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-32.122; 3. Steve Kent, 4, Consani-32.275; 4. Stan Fox, 9, Goetz-32.322; 5. Kenny Irwin Jr., 23, Calderwood-32.371; 6. Ron Shuman, 14, Ede-32.479; 7. Rocky Hodges, 50, Aviators-32.610; 8. Brent Kaeding, 96, Miller-32.728; 9. Robby Flock, 94, Senter/Hart-32.735; 10. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-32.527; 11. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-32.909; 12. Donnie Beechler, 26, Six-R-32.945; 13. Tony Stewart, 20, Nolen-32.973; 14. Chip Thomas, 21, Snow-33.010; 15. Billy Boat, 15, Lawson-33.054; 16. Johnny Parsons, 6, Hill-33.244; 17. Randy Tolsma, 61, Howard-33.361; 18. Tony Elliott, 18, Conroy-33.394; 19. Mike Bliss, 1, McClure-33.409; 20. Lealand McSpadden, 53, Morales-33.503; 21. Gary Bettenhausen, 12, Galas-33.603; 22. David McCreary, 32, McCreary-33.603; 23. Greg Peterson, 57, Bulfinch-34.048; 24. Greg DeCaires, 65, Countryman-34.231; 25. Ray Evans, 85, Knowley-34.250; 26. Mike McCreary, 81, McCreary-34.888; 27. Cary Faas, 27, Faas-NT; 28. Jim Edwards, 45, Schneider-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-12 transfer to the feature) 1. Billy Boat, 2. Johnny Parsons, 3. Randy Tolsma, 4. Mike Bliss, 5. Lealand McSpadden, 6. Gary Bettenhausen, 7. Tony Elliott, 8. Greg Peterson, 9. David McCreary, 10. Ray Evans, 11. Greg DeCaires, 12. Mike McCreary. 8:26.61
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jimmy Sills (1), 2. Chuck Gurney (2), 3. Steve Kent (3), 4. Stan Fox (4), 5. George Snider (11), 6. Jack Hewitt (10), 7. Brent Kaeding (8), 8. Mike Bliss (18), 9. Lealand McSpadden (19), 10. Ron Shuman (6), 11. Donnie Beechler (12), 12. Billy Boat (15), 13. Chip Thomas (14), 14. David McCreary (23), 15. Gary Bettenhausen (20), 16. Greg DeCaires (25), 17. Greg Peterson (22), 18. Kenny Irwin Jr. (5), 19. Johnny Parsons (16), 20. Robby Flock (9), 21. Tony Stewart (13), 22. Randy Tolsma (17), 23. Mike McCreary (26), 24. Rocky Hodges (7), 25. Ray Evans (24), 26. Tony Elliott (21). 1:07:57.48
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-53 Chuck Gurney, Laps 54-100 Jimmy Sills.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jimmy Sills-805; 2-Chuck Gurney-743; 3-Randy Tolsma-570; 4-Jack Hewitt-446; 5-Kenny Irwin Jr.-369; 6-George Snider-350; 7-Stan Fox-277; 8-Tony Stewart-274; 9-Mike Bliss-260; 10-Eric Gordon-241.
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IRWIN WIRE-TO-WIRE IN MESA MARIN 100-LAPPER
Bakersfield, California………”It was just awesome,” claimed Kenny Irwin Jr. after winning the October 15 True Value USAC Silver Crown finale at Mesa Marin Raceway.
“Everything went smooth,” was Jimmy Sills comment after clinching the driving title with a fifth-place finish in the 100-lap race.
Irwin, of Indianapolis, Ind., was referring to his Wynn’s Chevy V-6, which performed flawlessly and lapped all but the second-place car, averaging 96.289 mph in a race devoid of caution flags. Irwin started second alongside fast qualifier Paul Durant and took the lead in turn one. He steadily pulled away and appeared in position to lap the entire field until late in the race.
Tony Stewart of Columbus, Ind, subbing for George Snider in the Skoal Racing Special, finished second in the 100-lapper and was closing on Irwin in the final laps. Mike Bliss, Durant and Sills rounded out the top-five at the checkered flag.
Sills, of Placerville, Calif., finished with an 82-point cushion over runner-up Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif., who finished seventh in the series finale.
TRUE VALUE USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: October 15, 1994 – Bakersfield, California – Mesa Marin Raceway
QUALIFYING: 1. Paul Durant, 95, Fresno Roofing-17.930; 2. Kenny Irwin Jr., 23, Calderwood-18.051; 3. Davey Hamilton, 51, Trigueiro-18.077; 4. Gary Bettenhausen, 12, Galas-18.133; 5. Chuck Gurney, 56, Foxco-18.190; 6. Mike Bliss, 1, McClure-18.223; 7. Tony Stewart, 11, Snider/Foyt-18.269; 8. Stan Fox, 9, Goetz-18.293; 9. Johnny Parsons, 6, Hill-18.339; 10. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-18.534; 11. Lealand McSpadden, 53, Morales-18.595; 12. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-18.679; 13. Ray Evans, 85, Knowley-18.698; 14. Greg Peterson, 57, Bulfinch-18.759; 15. Wally Pankratz, 18, Conroy-19.039; 16. Jason Leffler, 47, Six-R-20.057; 17. Rick Sipes, 77, Pritchett-20.362; 18. Jay Drake, 26, Six-R-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kenny Irwin Jr. (2), 2. Tony Stewart (7), 3. Mike Bliss (6), 4. Paul Durant (1), 5. Jimmy Sills (10), 6. Wally Pankratz (15), 7. Chuck Gurney (5), 8. Stan Fox (8), 9. Jack Hewitt (12), 10. Johnny Parsons (9), 11. Davey Hamilton (3), 12. Jason Leffler (16), 13. Greg Peterson (14), 14. Ray Evans (13), 15. Gary Bettenhausen (4), 16. Rick Sipes (17), 17. Lealand McSpadden (11), 18. Jay Drake (18). 31:09.38
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Kenny Irwin Jr.
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1994 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (855) Jimmy Sills, Placerville, Calif.
2. (773) Chuck Gurney, Livermore, Calif.
3. (570) Randy Tolsma, Meridian, Idaho
4. (469) Kenny Irwin Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.
5. (466) Jack Hewitt, Troy, Ohio
6. (354) Tony Stewart, Columbus, Ind.
7. (350) George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif.
8. (330) Mike Bliss, Milwaukie, Ore.
9. (302) Stan Fox, Janesville, Wisc.
10. (241) Eric Gordon, Greenfield, Ind.
11. (229) Ron Shuman, Tempe, Ariz.
12. (200) Chip Thomas, Belleville, Ill.
13. (198) Lealand McSpadden, Tempe, Ariz.
14. (183) Donnie Beechler, Springfield, Ill.
15. (173) Johnny Parsons, Indianapolis, Ind.
16. (149) Wally Pankratz, Orange, Calif.
17. (147) Rusty McClure, Ashland, Ohio
18. (132) Russ Gamester, Peru, Ind.
19. (113) Kevin Doty, Milan, Ill.
20. (111) Tony Elliott, Kokomo, Ind.
21. (110) Jim Keeker, Cicero, Ind.
22. (84) Rocky Hodges, Des Moines, Iowa
23. (80) P.J. Jones, Torrance, Calif.
24. (68) Gary Bettenhausen, Monrovia, Ind.
25. (63) Brent Kaeding, Campbell, Calif.
26. (61) Paul Durant, Manteca, Calif.
27. (55) Davey Hamilton, Boise, Idaho
28. (42) Gary Hieber, Langhorne, Pa.
29. (40) Stevie Reeves, Speedway, Ind.
30. (35) Jack Runyon, Carmel, Ind.
31. (30) Brad Noffsinger, Huntington Beach, Calif.
32. (26) Kevin Thomas, Danville, Ind.
33. (25) Dave Darland, Lincoln, Ind.
34. (24) Billy Boat, Phoenix, Ariz.
35. (17) Page Jones, Torrance, Calif.
36. (16) Robby Flock, Temecula, Calif.
37. (15) Jon Stanbrough, Avon, Ind.
38. (12) Cary Faas, Yorba Linda, Calif.
39. (9) Mark Alderson, Timber Lake, S.D.
40. (9) Andy Michner, Grass Lake, Mich.
41. (7) Warren Mockler, Westfield, Ind.
42. (7) Tray House, Chesterfield, Ind.
43. (7) Jerry Nemire, Erie, Mich.
44. (7) Bill Rose, Plainfield, Ind.
45. (7) Greg Peterson, West Sacramento, Calif.
46. (5) Chuck Leary, Greenfield, Ind.
47. (5) Greg DeCaires, Elk Grove, Calif.
48. (5) Ray Evans, Salt Lake City, Utah
49. (4) Jeff Galas, O’Fallon, Mo.
50. (4) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
51. (3) Bruce Field, Lockport, Ill.
52. (3) Ralph Liguori, Tampa, Fla.
53. (3) Kenneth Nichols, Odon, Ind.
54. (3) Bentley Warren, Kennebunkport, Maine
55. (3) Dave Steele, Tampa, Fla.
56. (3) Brian Gerster, Indianapolis, Ind.
57. (2) Robbie Stanley, Brownsburg, Ind.
58. (2) Perry Ferrell, Memphis, Tenn.
59. (2) Ron Dunstan, Coplay, Pa.
60. (2) Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich.
61. (2) Derek Davidson, Lafayette, Ind.
62. (1) Jim Mahoney, Peru, Ill.
63. (1) Bill Baue, Sparta, Ill.
64. (1) Tom Bigelow, Winchester, Ind.
1994 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (855) Gary Stanton, Nicholasville, Ky. (#75)
2. (773) Foxco Engineering, Indianapolis, Ind. (#56)
3. (570) Gary Howard, Santa Rosa, Calif. (#61)
4. (469) Dave Calderwood, Bakersfield, Calif. (#23)
5. (466) Six-R Racing, Zionsville, Ind. (#63)
6. (430) George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif. (#11)
7. (315) Del McClure, Portland, Ore. (#69)
8. (309) Goetz Racing, Portage, Wisc. (#9)
9. (244) Gene Nolen, Greenwood, Ind. (#20)
10. (241) Bob Hoerner, Crest Hill, Ill. (#92)
11. (229) M & L Plumbing (Fred Ede), Fresno, Calif. (#14)
12. (220) Six-R Racing, Zionsville, Ind. (#26)
13. (200) Indiana Underground Construction, Indianapolis, Ind. (#37)
14. (195) Thomas Racing, Belleville, Ill. (#24)
15. (188) Alex Morales, Anaheim, Calif. (#53)
16. (170) Bob Consani, Santa Rosa, Calif. (#4)
17. (163) McQuinn & Tapocik, Springfield, Ill. (#39)
18. (151) Joe Conroy, Brunswick, Ohio (#18)
19. (147) Mataka 3n1 Motorsports, Lebanon, N.J. (#31)
20. (136) Tom Dickson, Parkersburg, W.Va (#73)
21. (119) Beaver Racing, Noblesville, Ind. (#62)
22. (111) Dave LeFevre, Lafayette, Ind. (#5)
23. (84) Aviators Racing, Chicago, Ill. (#50)
24. (68) Galas Motorsports, O’Fallon, Ill. (#12)
25. (63) Los Gatos Body Shop, Los Gatos, Calif. (#96)
26. (61) Fresno Roofing, Fresno, Calif. (#95)
27. (55) Trigueiro Motorsports, Fresno, Calif. (#51)
28. (42) EWH Service, Langhorne, Pa. (#66)
29. (40) Gene Nolen, Greenwood, Ind. (#120)
30. (35) Gary Runyon, Noblesville, Ind. (#7)
31. (33) Jerry Stepter, Metropolis, Ill. (#28)
32. (24) John R. Lawson, Fresno, Calif. (#15)
33. (23) Chuck Leary, Greenfield, Ind. (#30)
34. (23) Gary Hill, Hope, Ind. (#6)
35. (22) Steve Stapp, Indianapolis, Ind. (#44)
36. (16) P & W Machine Shop, New Madison, Ohio (#32)
37. (15) Sohm Enterprises, St., Louis, Mo. (#83)
38. (15) Louis Senter, Encino, Calif. (#94)
39. (9) Jerry Watson, Noblesville, Ind. (#80)
40. (9) Jack Steck, Huber Heights, Ohio (#8)
41. (9) Dynamics, Inc., Milford, Ohio (#69)
42. (9) Gary Bulfinch, Sacramento, Calif. (#39)
43. (8) Louis Seymour, Marlboro, Mass. (#29)
44. (7) Doug Clark, Carmel, Ind. (#54)
45. (7) J.A. Lawson Racing, Jamestown, Ind. (#22)
46. (7) Ricky Nix, Benton, Ill. (#43)
47. (5) Leonard Faas Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif. (#27)
48. (5) Don Snow, Vacaville, Calif. (#21)
49. (5) Mike McCreary, Placerville, Calif. (#82)
50. (5) Tex Countryman, Sacramento, Calif. (#65)
51. (5) Six-R Racing, Zionsville, Ind. (#47)
52. (5) Kent Knowley, Salt Lake City, Utah (#85)
53. (4) John Rising-Moore, Indianapolis, Ind. (#35)
54. (4) Dr. Jim Logan, St. Louis, Mo. (#16)
55. (4) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill. (#55)
56. (3) Ralph Liguori, Tampa, Fla. (#89)
57. (3) Larry Woodward, Waipahu, Hawaii (#40)
58. (3) J & J Marine (Jack Nowling), St. Petersburg, Fla. (#88)
59. (3) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#2)
60. (3) Mike McCreary, Placerville, Calif. (#81)
61. (3) Jerry Pritchett, Litchfield Park, Ariz. (#77)
62. (2) Perry Ferrell, Memphis, Tenn. (#91)
63. (2) J & J Marine (Jack Nowling), St. Petersburg, Fla. (#86)
64. (2) Ben Leyba, South Bend, Ind. (#8)
65. (2) Andrew Tomasits, Bath, Pa. (#42)
66. (2) Frank Faurote, Lafayette, Ind. (#33)
67. (1) Richard Hart, Glendale, Calif. (#94)
68. (1) B & G Engines, Indianapolis, Ind. (#78)
69. (1) Basala-MacPherson Racing, Indianapolis, Ind. (#38)