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.
1996 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
“I didn’t know I’d won the championship until after I pulled into victory lane,” Jimmy Sills said in reflecting on the 1996 USAC Silver Crown finale at California’s Del Mar Fairgrounds.
“When I went by Kenny (Irwin Jr.), I couldn’t tell who it was. He was up against the outside concrete and it was shaded up there, so I wasn’t sure who it was. I just figured we were second in the points.”
Sills’ unexpected Silver Crown championship came at the end of a remarkable run of success for him and his Mopar-powered Stanton Racing machine. After a slow start to the season, he posted two wins and four seconds in the last eight races and ended up beating Irwin by 42 points.
It was a disappointing finish for Irwin, who led the standings most of the season. He was forced into borrowing a backup car from Johnny Vance at Eldora Speedway’s 4-Crown Nationals after his primary car, the Fred Ede owned M & L Plumbing ride, returned to California after the first weekend of the 4-Crown was rained out.
Needing only a sixth-place finish in the Del Mar finale to clinch the championship, Irwin had the title in the bag, running fourth on the last lap when a tire blew, and he eventually slid into the outside wall in the fourth and final turn.
Sills failed to finish the first two races and was seventh at IRP in May, then surprised many with his impressive victory at Virginia’s Richmond International Raceway in June. That win produced the first victory for a Chrysler engine in Silver Crown series history. Sills followed with another victory in the Del Mar finale and four runner-up finishes.
“It’s been a two-year program,” engine builder, chief mechanic and team manager Gary Stanton said. “We approach every race with the thought of winning and Richmond finally produced the desired results. Our 1995 problems were no engine related, so we really thought we had a good chance at the title this year. But, I have to be honest. We were shocked at the Del Mar results, not with winning the race, but winning the title. It took three days to really realize we had won the championship!”
“We had written the title off after the DNF at Sacramento,” Stanton continued. “Then when I heard Kenny (Irwin Jr.) had stopped in turn four at Del Mar, I thought it was on his cooldown lap since we had already taken the checkered.”
Sills, known at “The Professor” because of his School of Open Wheel Racing at Twin City Speedway in Marysville, Calif., offers thanks to Gary and his crew, including mechanic Dave Kepperling and wife Ruth, plus Gene, Darryl and John.”
The engine was a 340 A-block Chrysler, the same as used in the NASCAR’s Truck Series. “It’s funny,” added Stanton. “We really didn’t do anything different this year. We were just as fast last year, but I guess the dice just rolled in our favor this time around. I feel sorry for Kenny, the way the title came down, but I’m happy for our team and for Mopar.”
The season included live television coverage and concluded with a return to Del Mar after 47 years of open wheel inactivity at the southern California oval.
Irwin, buoyed by second and third-place finishes in each of the first four races on the schedule, appeared in the driver’s seat for the series title until the final lap of the year, when a tire went down at Del Mar and sent him into the outer concrete barriers on the last turn. That relegated him to a disappointing, yet significant second in the final standings.
Irwin experienced both the ups and downs of a championship drive, nearly winning both races at Indianapolis Raceway Park, but flipping twice and, finally, the aforementioned Del Mar incident. He won the DuPont 100 in August at IRP but lost the May 100-lapper there to Mike Bliss’ final lap bonzai move as the two slid across the finish line locked together in one of the most memorable finishes in series history.
Bliss won the Copper World Classic opener at Phoenix and added the IRP win to lead the early standings but his commitments to other racing endeavors precluded him from challenging for the series crown.
Chuck Gurney again figured in the title chase, scoring a wire-to-wire seventh victory in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield and a third win at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds, but disqualification of his car after a second-place finish at Ohio’s Eldora Speedway contributed to a third place finish in the final points.
A similar disqualification (for post-race weight of George Snider’s car) affected the outcome of the Hulman Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, again won by Dave Darland, who won both Indy Mile races in 1995 as well. Darland took fourth in the final standings.
Robby Flock, who ranked fifth in the points, won the pole for the Hulman Hundred and at Springfield, but was unable to reach victory lane in 1996.
Other top-10 finishers in the standings who excelled in 1996 were Jack Hewitt, who scored a then-record 20th series triumph in the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora and led the first half of Du Quoin race until losing an engine. Reigning series champion Tony Stewart made an impressive run from 25th starting spot to second at Du Quoin before finishing fifth. Kevin Thomas won the Sumar Classic at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track and Donnie Beechler, who won the pole for the Sumar, then scored a second consecutive victory at the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds in Sacramento, Calif. late in the campaign.
Ryan Newman collected the 1996 USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year award while Kevin Thomas earned the series’ Most Improved Driver honors following his first career victory at Terre Haute.
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BLISS RECORDS 3RD COPPER WORLD SILVER CROWN WIN
Avondale, Arizona………Mike Bliss of Milwaukie, Ore. scored his second consecutive victory in the USAC Silver Crown portion of the Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic on February 4, winning the 50-mile series opener at Phoenix International Raceway.
Driving the McClure Racing Chevy, Bliss led 39 of the 50 laps around the one-mile paved oval, beating Randy Tolsma of Meridian, Idaho by .065 of a second to earn $17,597 from the total purse of $74,100.
Fast qualifier Jimmy Sills, who won the pole for the 30-car field at 135.844 mph on Saturday, led the first three laps before yielding to Kenny Irwin Jr. He regained the lead on lap nine but again yielded to Irwin on lap 13. Bliss, working his way to the front from the 12th starting spot, sailed past Irwin on lap 13 and was never again headed.
Irwin, of Indianapolis, settled for third, with 1995 series champion Tony Stewart of Columbus, Ind. fourth and Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. fifth. Rounding out the top-10 were John Heydenreich of Bloomsburg, Pa., Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif., Doug Kalitta of Ann Arbor, Mich., Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio and Jac Haudenschild of Wooster, Ohio.
Only two yellow flags slowed the race. Tyce Carlson stalled on the backstretch on lap 11 and Rocky Hodges blew an engine on lap 36.
Bentley Warren of Kennebunkport, Maine and Hodges of Des Moines, Iowa won the two 10-mile qualifying races held on February 3.
USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: February 2-4, 1996 – Avondale, Arizona – Phoenix International Raceway – Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-26.501; 2. Kenny Irwin Jr., 14, Ede-26.592. 3. Doug Kalitta, 222, Kalitta-26.662; 4. Randy Tolsma, 6, Potter-26.683; 5. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-26.793; 6. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-26.838; 7. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-26.885; 8. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-26.911; 9. Dave Blaney, 110, Luna-26.930; 10. Davey Hamilton, 53, Morales-26.942; 11. Tony Stewart, 25, Boles-26.950; 12. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-26.986; 13. Frankie Kerr, 67, Zarounian-27.007; 14. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-27.080; 15. Jac Haudenschild, 4, Consani-27.097; 16. Tyce Carlson, 17, Carlson-27.135; 17. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-27.152; 18. Jim Mahoney, 2, Vance-27.235; 19. Russ Gamester, 92, Hoerner-27.266; 20. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-27.281; 21. Pat Abold, 65, Dynamics-27.296; 22. Andy Michner, 26, J & S-27.313; 23. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-27.374; 24. Chet Fillip, 5, Steck-27.392; 25. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-27.419; 26. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-27.427; 27. Kenneth Nichols, 72, Brown-27.439; 28. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-27.518; 29. Greg Peterson, 57, Peterson-27.551; 30. Tony Elliott, 61, Howard-27.625; 31. Paul Durant, 95, Fresno Roofing-27.664; 32. Gene Lee Gibson, 37, Riggs-27.667; 33. Ken Hamilton, 90, Tyler-27.689; 34. Mark Cassella, 62, Beaver-27.711; 35. Rocky Hodges, 10, Hill-27.752; 36. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-27.774; 37. Brian Tyler, 174, Seelman-27.816; 38. Ray Evans, 85, Knowley-27.857; 39. Johnny Parsons, 7, Wellington-28.012; 40. Tray House, 50, Aviators-28.029; 41. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-28.094; 42. Bill Rose, 27, Jones-28.178; 43. Jackie Burke, 87, Burke-28.181; 44. Steve Perry, 22, Lawson-28.346; 45. Kevin Thomas, 148, Irvin-28.378; 46. Gary Bettenhausen, 12, Galas-28.379; 47. Don O'Keefe, 00, O'Keefe-28.703; 48. Jordan Hermansader, 77, Pritchett-29.262: 49. Dodie Miller, 8, Miller-29.528; 50. Bryan Shafer, 0, Shafer-30.035; 51. Matt Berryhill Jr., 97, Berryhill-30.264; 52. Rusty McClure, 73, Dickson-33.033; 53. Eric Gordon, 89, Stapp-38.012; 54. Chip Thomas, 79, Stasa-NT; 55. Marvin Mitchell, 68, Mitchell-NT; 56. Dan Drinan, 23, Calderwood-NT; 57. Ronnie Burke, 46, Egan-NT; 58. #120, Nolen-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-3 transfer to the feature) 1. Rocky Hodges, 2. Jim Keeker, 3. Paul Durant, 4. Kenneth Nichols, 5. Ken Hamilton. 6. Johnny Parsons, 7. Brian Tyler, 8. Greg Peterson, 9. Jackie Burke, 10. Gary Irvin, 11. Don O'Keefe, 12. Kevin Thomas, 13. Eric Gordon. 14. Matt Berryhill Jr. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-3 transfer to the feature) 1. Bentley Warren, 2. Ryan Newman, 3. Gene Lee Gibson, 4. Bill Baue, 5. Tony Elliott, 6. Tray House, 7. Rusty McClure, 8. Gary Bettenhausen, 9, Steve Perry, 10. Bill Rose, 11. Mark Cassella, 12. Chip Thomas, 13. Jordan Hermansader. 4:33.30
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Mike Bliss (12), 2. Randy Tolsma (4), 3. Kenny Irwin Jr. (2), 4. Tony Stewart (11), 5. Dave Steele (5), 6. John Heydenreich (7), 7. Chuck Gurney (17), 8. Doug Kalitta (3), 9. Jack Hewitt (8), 10. Jac Haudenschild (15), 11. Dave Darland (23), 12. Jim Keeker (27), 13. Davey Hamilton (10), 14. Jim Mahoney (18), 15. Gene Lee Gibson (30), 16. Pat Abold (21), 17. Andy Michner (22), 18. Paul Durant (29), 19. Russ Gamester (19), 20. Bentley Warren (26), 21. Jason McCord (14), 22. Ryan Newman (28), 23. Rocky Hodges (25), 24. Frankie Kerr (13), 25. Jimmy Sills (1), 26. Dave Blaney (9), 27. Robby Flock (20), 28. Tyce Carlson (16), 29. Chet Fillip (24), 30. George Snider (6). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Jimmy Sills, Laps 4-8 Kenny Irwin Jr., Laps 9-12 Mike Bliss, Laps 13-15 Kenny Irwin Jr., Laps 16-50 Mike Bliss.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Mike Bliss-200, 2-Randy Tolsma-160, 3-Kenny Irwin Jr.-140, 4-Tony Stewart-120, 5-Dave Steele-100, 6-John Heydenreich-80, 7-Chuck Gurney-60, 8-Doug Kalitta-50, 9-Jack Hewitt-40, 10-Dave Darland-20.
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BLISS EDGES IRWIN IN COCA-COLA 100 IRP THRILLER
Clermont, Indiana………Kenny Irwin Jr. appeared headed for victory in the May 18 Coca-Cola 100 at Indianapolis Raceway Park but got caught in traffic on the final lap and tangled with Mike Bliss, who was challenging from behind.
Bliss and Irwin locked together and slid across the finish line with Bliss winning by inches. The two cars then separated but were forced to take the pit exit escape route to turn one.
The Bliss victory at IRP came in the most spectacular finish in Silver Crown history as he put his McClure Special in victory lane for the second time this year. The win was his 10th on the IRP oval.
Dave Blaney finished third ahead of Kevin Doty and Dave Steele. Robby Flock won the pole and led the first 20 laps but eventually retired with ignition problems.
USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: May 18, 1996 – Clermont, Indiana – Indianapolis Raceway Park – Coca-Cola 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-20.982; 2. Dave Blaney, 110, Luna-21.048; 3. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-21.135; 4. Kenny Irwin Jr., 14, Ede-21.167; 5. Kevin Doty, 25, Boles-21.170; 6. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-21.194; 7. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-21.197; 8. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-21.198; 9. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-21.215; 10. Frankie Kerr, 67, Zarounian-21.320; 11. Sammy Swindell, 6, Potter-21.325; 12. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-21.343; 13. Russ Gamester, 92, Hoerner-21.392; 14. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-21.399; 15. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-21.434; 16. Pat Abold, 65, Dynamics-21.443; 17. Johnny Parsons, 7, Wellington-21.447; 18. Eric Gordon, 53, Pattee-21.495; 19. Jim Mahoney, 2, Vance-21.517; 20. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-21.518; 21. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-21.560; 22. Tony Elliott, 61, Howard-21.575; 23. Jackie Burke, 87, Burke-21.582; 24. Chet Fillip, 37, Riggs-21.586; 25. Kenneth Nichols, 72, Brown-21.591; 26. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-21.623; 27. Chip Thomas, 12, Galas-21.648; 28. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.667; 29. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-21.700; 30. Donnie Beechler, 51, Mitchell-21.736; 31. Doug Kalitta, 222, Kalitta-21.768; 32. Bill Rose, 27, Jones-21.777; 33. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-21.810; 34. Mark Cassella, 62, Beaver-21.907; 35. Brian Tyler, 74, Seelman-21.956; 36. Mike Mosley Jr., 82, Leader Card-21.960; 37. Rusty McClure, 73, Dickson-22.101; 38. Andy Michner, 26, J & S-22.133; 39. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-22.280; 40. Max Ebaugh, 19, Ebaugh-22.405; 41. Jeff Beck, 60, BBC-22.774; 42. Steve Barth, 17, Carlson-24.507; 43. Richie Sherrill, 46, Egan-NT; 44. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-NT; 45. Steve Perry, 22, Lawson-NT.
MENARDS FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Bill Baue, 2. Jackie Burke, 3. Kenneth Nichols, 4. Chip Thomas, 5. Jimmy Sills, 6. Doug Kalitta, 7. George Snider, 8. Brian Tyler, 9. Gary Irvin, 10. Jeff Beck, 11. Rusty McClure. 5:31.42
MENARDS SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Chet Fillip, 2. Dave Darland, 3. Tony Elliott, 4. Bentley Warren, 5. Bill Rose, 6. Mark Cassella, 7. Donnie Beechler, 8. Andy Michner, 9. Mike Mosley Jr., 10. Max Ebaugh. 5:31.92
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Mike Bliss (7), 2. Kenny Irwin Jr. (4), 3. Dave Blaney (2), 4. Kevin Doty (5), 5. Dave Steele (3), 6. Jim Keeker (6), 7. Johnny Parsons (17), 8. Chuck Gurney (8), 9. Chet Fillip (22), 10. Dave Darland (24), 11. Jack Hewitt (9), 12. Russ Gamester (13), 13. Wally Pankratz (14), 14. Chip Thomas (27), 15. Jimmy Sills (29), 16. Sammy Swindell (11), 17. Ryan Newman (12), 18. Pat Abold (16), 19. Robby Flock (1), 20. Tony Elliott (26), 21. Jim Mahoney (19), 22. Frankie Kerr (10), 23. Jackie Burke (23), 24. Chuck Leary (15), 25. John Heydenreich (20), 26. Bill Baue (21), 27. Kenneth Nichols (25), 28. Bill Rose (30), 29. Eric Gordon (18), 30. Bentley Warren (28). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-20 Robby Flock, Laps 21-45 Dave Blaney, Laps 46-99 Kenny Irwin Jr., Lap 100 Mike Bliss.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Mike Bliss-400; 2-Kenny Irwin-300; 3-Dave Steele-200; 4-Randy Tolsma-160; 5-Dave Blaney-142; 6-Tony Stewart & Kevin Doty-120; 8-Chuck Gurney-110; 9-Jim Keeker-90; 10-John Heydenreich-82.
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HULMAN HUNDRED IS DARLAND’S 3RD STRAIGHT AT INDY MILE AFTER SNIDER DQ
Indianapolis, Indiana………Dave Darland claimed his third consecutive USAC Silver Crown victory at the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Saturday afternoon, May 25, after rain forced the Hulman Hundred to be postponed from the night before.
After finishing second in the Franklin Power Products Chevy, Darland was elevated to first when original race winner George Snider’s car failed to meet minimum weight requirement in post-race technical inspection.
Darland, who won the 1995 Hulman Hundred and Hoosier Hundred 100-milers at the one-mile dirt oval, claimed the $9,000 winner’s share of the $40,000 purse.
Trailing Darland at the checkered flag were Chuck Gurney, Kenny Irwin Jr., Robby Flock and Andy Michner. Brad Marvel won the 15-mile qualifying race and Kevin Doty of Milan, Ill., driving the 1995 Silver Crown car owner champion’s machine, and 1994 Silver Crown driver champion Jimmy Sills shared the front row in the lineup determined by rule book procedures giving priority to past champions and point leaders.
Sills led the first 62 laps of the race before Snider worked his way to the front. Snider then led the rest of the way before the post-race inspection ended in disqualification. That left Gurney as the official leader of laps 64-97 before Darland got by him for the final three laps.
USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: May 25, 1996 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – A.J. Foyt's 16th Hulman Hundred Presented by True Value
Qualifying not held – Starting positions determined by rule book procedures and qualifying race finish.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-13 transfer to the feature) 1. Brad Marvel (#7 Wellington). 2. Ryan Newman (#39 Newman), 3. Kevin Thomas (#12 Galas), 4. Andy Michner (#26 J & S), 5. Doug Kalitta (#222 Kalitta) 6. Jackie Burke (#87 Burke), 7. Eric Gordon (#53 Pattee), 8. Russ Gamester (#92 Hoerner), 9. Bill Rose (#27 Jones), 10. Rip Williams (#10 Hill), 11. Gary Hieber (#66 EWH), 12. Rusty McClure (#73 Dickson), 13. Billy Engelhart (#83 Sohm), 14. Shane Scully (#70 Senter), 15. Mark Cassella (#62 Beaver), 16. Jon Stanbrough (#32 P & W). 17. Steve Perry (#22 Lawson), 18. Jeff Galas (#16 Logan), 19. Max Ebaugh (#19 Ebaugh), 20. Dean Franklin (#44 Logan), 21. Brian Black (#71 Black), 22. Bill Baue (#78 B & G), 23. Jim Whiteside (#172 Thomas), 24. Tony Elliott (#61 Howard). NT
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Ron Standridge (#96 Wallace) and Ned Fry (#52 Fry).
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Dave Darland (#56 Foxco) (14), 2. Chuck Gurney (#9 Goetz) (5), 3. Kenny Irwin Jr. (#14 Ede) (4), 4. Robby Flock (#94 Hart) (16), 5. Andy Michner (21), 6. Jackie Burke (23), 7. Jimmy Sills (#75 Stanton) (2), 8. Cary Faas (#69 McClure) (3), 9. Eric Gordon (24), 10. Doug Kalitta (22), 11. Gary Hieber (27), 12. Jack Hewitt (#63 Six-R) (6), 13. Rusty McClure (28), 14. Kevin Thomas (20), 15. Rocky Hodges (#6 Potter) (12), 16. Jim Keeker (#20 Nolen) (13), 17. Bill Rose (26), 18. Cory Kruseman (#50 Aviators) (17), 19. Billy Engelhart (29), 20. Brian Hayden (#24 LeFevre) (9), 21. Kevin Doty (#25 Boles) (1), 22. Dave Steele (#88 Nowling) (11), 23. Brad Marvel (18), 24. Russ Gamester (25), 25. Mike Mosley Jr. (#82 Leader Card) (8), 26. Rick Hood (#65 Dynamics) (7), 27. Donnie Beechler (#51 Mitchell) (15), 28. Ryan Newman (19), 29. Tony Elliott (30). (George Snider, #11 Snider-Foyt car was disqualified after failing to meet minimum weight after winning race) (10). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-63 Jimmy Sills, Laps 64-97 Chuck Gurney, Laps 98-100 Dave Darland.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kenny Irwin Jr.-440; 2-Mike Bllss-400; 3-Chuck Gurney-270; 4-Dave Darland-250; 5-Dave Steele-203; 6-Randy Tolsma-160; 7-Dave Blaney-142: 8-Robby Flock-126; 9-Kevin Doty-123; 10-Tony Stewart-120.
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HISTORIC MOPAR WIN FOR SILLS AT RICHMOND
Richmond, Virginia………Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif. captured the 134-lap USAC Silver Crown race at Richmond International Raceway on June 15 in his Mopar Special.
It marked Chrysler’s first USAC open wheel victory lane appearance since Art Pollard’s triumph in a Plymouth-powered Indy Car at Dover Downs in Delaware in 1969. It was also the first Chrysler victory at Richmond since Neil Bonnett’s in 1975.
Sills started sixth in the 30-car field on the ¾-mile paved oval and took the lead from Kenny Irwin Jr. on lap 58. Irwin remained second until the checkered flag and was followed by defending race winner Jack Hewitt, Pat Abold and Dave Darland. 1996 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Tony Stewart finished sixth.
Dave Steele, who finished seventh, led the first 52 laps after out-racing new track record holder Randy Tolsma on the opening lap. Tolsma, who qualified at 131.374 mph, lasted only eight laps before encountering engine problems. Irwin, who caught Steele on lap 53, then yielded to Sills five laps later, increased his series point lead over Mike Bliss to 196 points. Bliss was forced out of the race with brake trouble after 76 laps.
Sills’ victory was worth $15,000 from the $75,000 purse. Irwin claimed an $8,000 check for second place. Rounding out the top-ten behind seventh-place Steele were John Heydenreich, Wally Pankratz and Kevin Doty.
USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: June 15, 1996 – Richmond, Virginia – Richmond International Raceway – USAC Open Wheel Madness
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Randy Tolsma, 6, Potter-20.552; 2. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-20.792; 3. Kenny Irwin Jr., 14, Ede-20.792; 4. Tony Stewart, 11, Snider/Foyt-20.830; 5. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-21.011; 6. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-21.022; 7. Jackie Burke, 87, Burke-21.027; 8. Davey Hamilton, 111, Snider/Foyt-21.033; 9. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-21.079; 10. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-21.182; 11. Pat Abold, 65, Dynamics-21.183; 12. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-21.220; 13. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-21.272; 14. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.282; 15. Frankie Kerr, 67, Zarounian-21.303; 16. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-21.313; 17. Tyce Carlson, 17, Carlson-21.394; 18. Brian Tyler, 5, Steck-21.436; 19. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-21.469; 20. Kevin Doty, 25, Boles-21.486; 21. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-21.554; 22. Paul Durant, 95. Fresno Roofing-21.623; 23. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-21.632; 24. Chip Thomas, 16, Logan-21.636; 25. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-21.703; 26. Bruce Field, 7, Wellington-21.724; 27. Eric Gordon, 53, Pattee-21.739; 28. Kenneth Nichols, 72, Brown-21.761; 29. Rusty McClure, 73, Dickson-21.791; 30. Jimmy McCune, 31, Mataka-21.801; 31. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-21.821; 32. Brian Gerster, 74, Seelman-21.825; 33. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-21.836; 34. Donnie Adams, 12, Galas-21.851; 35. Chet Fillip, 37, Riggs-21.864; 36. Andy Michner, 26, J & S-21.905; 37. Mark Cassella, 62, Beaver-21.959; 38. Tony Elliott, 61, Howard-21.990; 39. Jimmy Kite, 38, MacPherson-22.018; 40. Bill Rose, 27, Jones-22.026; 41. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-22.041; 42. Dodie Miller, 8, Miller-22.416; 43. Rod Holshouser, 64, Holshouser-22.442; 44. Don O'Keefe, 00, O'Keefe-22.574; 45. Tray House, 89, Stapp-22.893; 46. Doug Kalitta, 222, Kalitta-25.408; 47. Jim Mahoney, 2, Vance-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (20 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Robby Flock, 2. Bruce Field, 3. Rusty McClure, 4. Bill Baue, 5. Chet Fillip, 6. Jimmy McCune, 7. Gary Hieber, 8. Eric Gordon, 9. Billy Cassella, 10. Don O'Keefe, 11. Brian Gerster, 12. Donnie Adams, 13. Rod Holshouser, 14. Jason McCord, 15. Tray House, 16. Jimmy Kite, 17. Dodie Miller, 18. Tony Elliott, 19. Bill Rose. NT
FEATURE: (134 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jimmy Sills (6), 2. Kenny Irwin Jr. (3), 3. Jack Hewitt (9), 4. Pat Abold (11), 5. Dave Darland (14), 6. Tony Stewart (4), 7. Dave Steele (2), 8. John Heydenreich (16), 9. Wally Pankratz (23), 10. Kevin Doty (20), 11. Robby Flock (25), 12. Ryan Newman (10), 13. Chet Fillip (29), 14. Chuck Gurney (19), 15. Bruce Field (26), 16. Paul Durant (22), 17. Bentley Warren (13), 18. Gary Irvin (21), 19. Jackie Burke (7), 20. Mike Bliss (12), 21. Rusty McClure (27), 22. Frankie Kerr (15), 23. Brian Tyler (18), 24. Bill Baue (28), 25. Davey Hamilton (8), 26. Jimmy McCune (30), 27. Chip Thomas (24), 28. Tyce Carlson (17), 29. Randy Tolsma (1), 30. Jim Keeker (5). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-52 Dave Steele, Laps 53-57 Kenny Irwin Jr., Laps 58-134 Jimmy Sills.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kenny Irwin Jr.-600; 2-Mike Bliss-404; 3-Dave Darland-350; 4-Chuck Gurney-275; 5-Jimmy Sills-267; 6-Dave Steele-263; 7-Jack Hewitt-210; 8-Tony Stewart-200; 9-Randy Tolsma-161; 10-Kevin Doty-153.
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THOMAS OUTRUNS SILLS & STEWART AT TERRE HAUTE’S SUMAR CLASSIC
Terre Haute, Indiana………Kevin Thomas of Danville, Ind. scored his initial USAC Silver Crown race victory in the Dean’s Partymania 2nd running of the Sumar Classic on July 5 at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Thomas outdueled Jimmy Sills and 1996 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year Tony Stewart to win the 100-lap race at the half-mile dirt track.
Thomas’ win was worth $11,399 to his Galas Motorsports team, which included a $2,500 bonus from Sue Root and Mary Frances Smith on behalf of Sumar Racing, plus lap prizes. Cash bonuses of $1,500 and $1,000, respectively, for second and third were also posted by the two ladies.
Thomas led the final five laps after driving his Terre Haute First National Bank Special past Stewart on lap 96. Sills eventually moved into second while Stewart had to settle for third at the checkered flag ahead of Tony Elliott and Cory Kruseman.
Kenny Irwin Jr. outraced pole winner and defending race champion Donnie Beechler to the first turn at the start and led the first 15 laps. Irwin was still on the lead lap late in the race when he was forced out with mechanical problems, but he still holds a commanding lead in the series standings.
Sills led 69 laps before breaking a radius rod, which allowed Stewart to take over on lap 85. Five laps later, Thomas moved to the front and remained there except for lap 95 which Stewart led.
Beechler, last year’s inaugural race winner, lasted just 14 laps until fuel line problems forced him to the pits. Kevin Doty and Jack Hewitt won 15-lap qualifying races. Kurt Hawkins and Ron Standridge flipped during the first qualifying race while John Heydenreich brought out the red flag with a flip on the 15th lap of the feature but there were no serious injuries.
USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: July 5, 1996 – Terre Haute, Indiana – Terre Haute Action Track – Dean's Partymania 2nd Sumar Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-14 locked into the feature) 1. Donnie Beechler, 51, Mitchell-21.368; 2. Kenny Irwin Jr., 14, Ede-21.521; 3. Cary Faas, 69, McClure-21.641; 4. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-21.648; 5. Cory Kruseman, 50, Aviators-21.708; 6. Kenny Jacobs, 28, Stepter-21.763; 7. Tony Stewart, 11, Snider/Foyt-21.782; 8. Tony Elliott, 61, Howard-21.849; 9. Bill Rose, 27, Jones-21.852; 10. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-21.891; 11. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-21.894; 12. Kevin Thomas, 12, Galas-22.108; 13. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-22.167; 14. Mark Cassella, 62, Beaver-22.169; 15. Tracy Hines, 2, Vance-22.176; 16. Johnny Parsons, 7, Wellington-22.237; 17. Brad Marvel, 41, Black Hawk-22.267; 18. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-22.295; 19. Richard Griffin, 53, Pattee-22.315; 20. Rip Williams, 10, Hill-22.347; 21. Andy Michner, 26, J & S-22.377; 22. Brian Tyler, 5, Steck-22.429; 23. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-22.513; 24. Terry Pletch, 91, Pletch-22.542; 25. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-22.542; 26. Jackie Burke, 87, Burke-22.564; 27. Jon Stanbrough, 32, P & W-22.565; 28. Rocky Hodges, 6, Potter-22.621; 29. Ron Standridge, 96, Wallace-22.634; 30. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-22.667; 31. Kevin Doty, 25, Boles-22.914; 32. Max Ebaugh, 19, Ebaugh-22.930; 33. Kurt Hawkins, 33, Faurote-22.966; 34. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-23.410; 35. Blake Hollingsworth, 22, Lawson-23.414; 36. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-23.475; 37. Al Thomas, 172, Thomas-23.621; 38. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-23.895; 39. Dr. Tom Black, 71, Black Hawk-24.182; 40. Brian Hayden, 24, LeFevre-24.247; 41. Richie Sherrill, 46, Egan-24.436; 42. Jeff Beck, 60, BBC-25.419; 43. Brad Armstrong, 76, Estes-25.734; 44. Don O'Keefe, 00, O'Keefe-NT; 45. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-NT; 46. Ned Fry, 52, Fry-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Kevin Doty, 2. Dave Darland, 3. Brad Marvel, 4. Richard Griffin, 5. Jon Stanbrough, 6. Jason McCord, 7. Kevin Thomas, 8. Jeff Beck, 9. Tracy Hines, 10. Blake Hollingsworth, 11. Ron Standridge, 12. Kurt Hawkins. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jack Hewitt, 2. Johnny Parsons, 3. John Heydenreich, 4. Rip Williams, 5. Jim Keeker, 6. Ryan Newman, 7. Terry Pletch, 8. Dave Steele, 9. Richie Sherrill, 10. Max Ebaugh, 11. Brian Tyler, 12. Jackie Burke, 13. Rocky Hodges, 14. Gary Hieber. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kevin Thomas (12), 2. Jimmy Sills (11), 3. Tony Stewart (7), 4. Tony Elliott (8), 5. Cory Kruseman (3), 6. Chuck Gurney (13), 7. Dave Darland (17), 8. Kevin Doty (15), 9. Jon Stanbrough (23), 10. Jim Keeker (24), 11. Richard Griffin (21), 12. Brad Marvel (19), 13. Kenny Irwin Jr. (2), 14. Johnny Parsons (18), 15. Rip Williams (22), 16. Kenny Jacobs (6), 17. Mark Cassella (14), 18. Jack Hewitt (16), 19. Donnie Beechler (1), 20. John Heydenreich (20), 21. Bill Rose (9), 22. Cary Faas (3), 23. Bill Baue (4), 24. Robby Flock (10). NT
**Kurt Hawkins & Ron Standridge flipped during the first qualifying race. John Heydenreich flipped on lap 15 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-15 Kenny Irwin Jr., Laps 16-84 Jimmy Sills, Laps 85-89 Tony Stewart, Laps 90-94 Kevin Thomas, Lap 95 Tony Stewart, Laps 96-100 Kevin Thomas.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kenny Irwin Jr.-605; 2-Jimmy Sills-427; 3-Dave Darland-410; 4-Mike Bliss-404; 5-Chuck Gurney-355; 6-Tony Stewart-340; 7-Dave Steele-263; 8-Jack Hewitt-214; 9-Kevin Thomas-205; 10-Kevin Doty-203.
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IRWIN EXTENDS LEAD WITH DuPONT 100 VICTORY AT IRP
Clermont, Indiana………Kenny Irwin Jr. of Indianapolis, Ind. took another step closer to his first USAC National driving championship on July 31, winning the DuPont 100 Silver Crown race at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Irwin’s victory was worth $11,725 and extended his lead over Jimmy Sills to 218 points.
Irwin won the pole for the 100-lap race at 117.993 mph, then led all 100 laps to beat Sills, Mike Bliss, Robby Flock and Eric Gordon to the checkered flag. Bliss, who won the May 18 Silver Crown race at IRP, failed in his bid for the $10,000 Print Express Exacta bonus for the two-race sweep.
The race was halted on the third lap after a multi-car accident on the backstretch that sidelined Bill Rose and defending race winner Jim Keeker. There were no driver injuries.
Randy Tolsma and Brian Tyler captured 15-lap K & K Insurance Qualifying Races.
Dan Drinan, injured in a crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in May, made his return to USAC competition at IRP, qualifying sixth fastest in the 50-car field. He scraped the wall on lap 39 and was forced out of the race.
USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: July 31, 1996 – Clermont, Indiana – Indianapolis Raceway Park – DuPont 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Kenny Irwin Jr., 14, Ede-20.930; 2. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-20.965; 3. Tony Stewart, 11, Snider/Foyt-20.980; 4. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-21.008; 5. Rocky Hodges, 6, Potter-21.020; 6. Dan Drinan, 23, Calderwood-21.052; 7. Davey Hamilton, 111, Snider/Foyt-21.053; 8. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-21.054; 9. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-21.107; 10. Pat Abold, 65, Dynamics-21.235; 11. Mike Bliss, 69, McClure-21.243; 12. Steve Barth, 62, Beaver-21.315; 13. Andy Michner, 26, J & S-21.337; 14. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-21.345; 15. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.375; 16. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-21.375; 17. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-21.382; 18. Jackie Burke, 87, Burke-21.390; 19. Tracy Hines, 30, Leary-21.415; 20. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-21.433; 21. Paul Durant, 95, Fresno Roofing-21.467; 22. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-2I.498; 23. Randy Tolsma, 53, Pattee-21.515; 24. Brian Tyler, 5, Steck-21.532; 25. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-21.542; 26. Tommy Nichols, 99, Armstrong-21.562; 27. Bill Rose, 27, Jones-21.640; 28. Eric Gordon, 25, Boles-21.658; 29. Kenneth Nichols, 51, Mitchell-21.708; 30. Tony Elliott, 61, Howard-21.735; 31. Jimmy Kite, 38, MacPherson-21.747; 32. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-21.760; 33. Donnie Adams, 12, Galas-21.762; 34. Tyce Carlson, 17, Carlson-21.789; 35. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-21.817; 36. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-21.833; 37. Chet Fillip, 37, Riggs-21.855; 38. Michael Lang, 72, Brown-21.882; 39. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-21.957; 40. Chip Thomas, 16, Logan-21.987; 41. Richie Larson, 22, Lawson-22.163; 42. Max Ebaugh, 19, Ebaugh-22.253; 43. Brad Marvel, 41, Black Hawk-22.338; 44. Mike Mosley Jr., 82, Leader Card-22.483; 45. Tray House, 31, Mataka-22.487; 46. Jeff Beck, 60, BBC-22.804; 47. Don O'Keefe, 00, O'Keefe-23.130; 48. Gus Wasson, 18, Conroy-23.269; 49. Dodie Miller, 8, Miller-25.150; 50. Doug Kalitta, 2, Vance-NT.
K & K FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Randy Tolsma, 2. Donnie Beechler, 3. Bill Rose, 4. Paul Durant, 5. Kenneth Nichols, 6. Jimmy Kite, 7. Wally Pankratz, 8. Chet Fillip, 9. John Heydenreich, 10. Donnie Adams, 11. Don O'Keefe, 12. Dodie Miller, 13. Richie Larson, 14. Brad Marvel, 15. Tray House. 5:26.49
K & K SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Brian Tyler, 2. Eric Gordon, 3. Tony Elliott, 4. Bill Baue, 5. Gary Hieber, 6. Bentley Warren, 7. Chip Thomas, 8. Tyce Carlson, 9. Max Ebaugh, 10. Jeff Beck, 11. Kenneth Nichols, 12. Michael Lang, 13. Mike Mosley, Jr., 14. Gus Wasson. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kenny Irwin Jr. (1), 2. Jimmy Sills (2), 3. Mike Bliss (11), 4. Robby Flock (8), 5. Eric Gordon (24), 6. Davey Hamilton (7), 7. Jack Hewitt (14), 8. Dave Darland (15), 9. Andy Michner (13), 10. Pat Abold (10), 11. Donnie Beechler (23), 12. Paul Durant (27), 13. Kenneth Nichols (29), 14. Steve Barth (12), 15. Chuck Gurney (20), 16. Randy Tolsma (21), 17. Gary Hieber (30), 18. Rocky Hodges (5), 19. Tracy Hines (19), 20. Tony Stewart (3), 21. Ryan Newman (9), 22. Dan Drinan (6), 23. Jackie Burke (18), 24. Bill Baue (28), 25. Gary Irvin (17), 26. Brian Tyler (22), 27. Dave Steele (4), 28. Tony Elliott (26), 29. Jim Keeker (16), 30. Bill Rose (25). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Kenny Irwin Jr.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kenny Irwin Jr.-805; 2-Jimmy Sills-587; 3-Mike Bliss-544; 4-Dave Darland-460; 5-Chuck Gurney-360; 6-Tony Stewart-344; 7-Jack Hewitt-274; 8-Robby Flock-269; 9-Dave Steele-265; 10-Kevin Thomas-205.
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3RD DuQUOIN CENTURY VICTORY FOR CHUCK GURNEY
Du Quoin, Illinois………Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif captured the Du Quoin Century at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds on Labor Day, September 2, leading the final 51 miles of the 100-mile race after Jack Hewitt’s engine expired. Hewitt, who won the pole position for the race, led the first 49 miles before retiring.
Gurney earned $9,000 for his Petro Stopping Centers/Beast team as he beat runner-up Ryan Newman to the checkered flag by nearly a quarter-lap. Defending race winner Johnny Parsons took third ahead of Tony Elliott, Tony Stewart, Donnie Beechler, Dave Darland, Kevin Thomas, Cary Faas and Gary Hieber.
Stewart, who started 25th in the 30-car field, came through the pack to take second late in the race before slipping to fifth in the final 10 laps.
The 100-mile race was stopped twice for accidents. Silver Crown point leader Kenny Irwin Jr. flipped during a three-car tangle in turn two on lap six. Robby Flock also flipped on the 86th lap of the race when he hit the hay bales in turn one. Both drivers escaped injury. Jimmy McCune also escaped injury in a flip during practice.
USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: September 2, 1996 - Du Quoin, Illinois – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin Century
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-31.827; 2. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-32.082; 3. Dan Drinan, 23, Calderwood-32.085; 4. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-32.261; 5. Tony Elliott, 61, Howard-32.359; 6. Chip Thomas, 50, Aviators-32.396; 7. Brian Tyler, 5, Steck-32.406; 8. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-32.429; 9. Kevin Thomas, 2, Vance-32.434; 10. Johnny Parsons, 65, Dynamics-32.437; 11. Kenny Irwin Jr., 14, Ede-32.442; 12. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-32.461; 13. Bill Rose, 27, Jones-32.520; 14. Tracy Hines, 30, Leary-32.521; 15. Billy Engelhart, 83, Sohm-32.524; 16. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-32.633; 17. Cary Faas, 43, Nix-32.638; 18. Rusty McClure, 73, Dickson-32.646; 19. Rip Williams, 53, Pattee-32.702; 20. Russ Gamester, 92, Hoerner/Kazmark-32.749; 21. Steve Knepper, 12, Galas-32.767; 22. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-32.772; 23. Rick Hood, 87, Burke-32.833; 24. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-32.836; 25. Dave Steele, 88, Nowling-32.972; 26. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-33.001; 27. Tony Stewart, 1, Snider/Foyt-33.078; 28. Eric Gordon, 25, Boles-33.124; 29. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-33.141; 30. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-33.142; 31. Bob Hauks, 46, Egan-33.167; 32. Jackie Burke, 16, Logan-33.183; 33. Brian Hayden, 24, LeFevre-33.271; 34. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-33.305; 35. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-33.525; 36. Terry Pletch, 91, Pletch-33.579; 37. Mark Cassella, 62, Beaver-33.590; 38. Cory Kruseman, 6, Potter-33.623; 39. Brian Black, 71, Blackhawk-33.776; 40. Brad Marvel, 41, Black Hawk-33.812; 41. Andy Michner, 26, J & S-33.838; 42. Al Thomas, 172, Thomas-33.886; 43. Jerry Nemire, 22, Lawson-33.920; 44. Terry Babb, 49, Babb-34.011; 45. Michael Lang, 72, Brown-34.043; 46. Mike Mosley Jr., 82. Leader Card-34.055; 47. Scott Hatton, 54, Hatton-34.200; 48. Gary Irvin, 77, Pritchett-34.284; 49. Roy Caruthers, 60, BBC-34.426; 50. Al Woodall, 19, Ebaugh-34.678; 51. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-35.021; 52. Dodie Miller, 8, Miller-35.853; 53. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-NT; 54. Jimmy McCune, 10, Hill-NT; 55. Cary Faas, 69, McClure-NT; 56. Don O'Keefe, 00, O'Keefe-NT; 57. Chip Thomas, 44, Logan-NT; 58. Rod Holshouser, 64, Holshouser-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Steve Knepper, 2. Rick Hood, 3. Tony Stewart, 4. Dave Steele, 5. Brian Hayden, 6. Andy Michner, 7. Mark Cassella, 8. Jerry Nemire, 9. Bob Hauks, 10. Brian Black, 11. Roy Caruthers, 12. Scott Hatton, 13. Michael Lang, 14. Jason McCord, 15. Randy Bateman, 16. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Robby Flock, 2. Dave Darland, 3. Gary Hieber, 4. George Snider, 5. Eric Gordon, 6, Keeker, 7. Jackie Burke, 8. Cory Kruseman, 9. Terry Pletch, 10. Terry Babb, 11. Al Woodall, 12. Mike Mosley Jr., 13. Gary Irvin, 14. Al Thomas, 15. Dodie Miller, 16. Brad Marvel. 5:28.10
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chuck Gurney (4), 2. Ryan Newman (2), 3. Johnny Parsons (10), 4. Tony Elliott (5), 5. Tony Stewart (25), 6. Donnie Beechler (8), 7. Dave Darland (24), 8. Kevin Thomas (9), 9. Cary Faas (17), 10. Gary Hieber (26), 11. Billy Engelhart (15), 12. Steve Knepper (21), 13. Rip Williams (19), 14. Rick Hood (23), 15. Brian Hayden (29), 16. Brian Tyler (7), 17. Jimmy Sills (16), 18. Eric Gordon (30), 19. Robby Flock (22), 20. Rusty McClure (18), 21. Tracy Hines (14), 22. Dan Drinan (3), 23. Jack Hewitt (1), 24. Bill Rose (13), 25. Russ Gamester (20), 26. John Heydenreich (12), 27. Kenny Irwin Jr. (11), 28. George Snider (28), 29. Dave Steele (27), 30. Chip Thomas (6). NT
**Jimmy McCune flipped during practice. Kenny Irwin Jr. flipped on lap 6 of the feature. Robby Flock flipped on lap 86 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-49 Jack Hewitt, Laps 50-100 Chuck Gurney.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kenny Irwin Jr.-807; 2-Jimmy Sills-591; 3-Chuck Gurney-560; 4-Mike Bliss-544; 5-Dave Darland-520; 6-Tony Stewart-444; 7-Jack Hewitt-277; 8-Robby Flock-273; 9-Dave Steele-266; 10-Kevin Thornas-255.
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GURNEY WINS 7TH TONY BETTENHAUSEN 100 AT SPRINGFIELD
Springfield, Illinois………Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif. led all 100 miles to win the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on September 14. The win was his seventh in the race which dates back to 1934.
Gurney started third at Springfield but put his Petro Stopping Centers/Beast machine in the lead on the opening lap and never looked back. He averaged 103.063 mph in the race which had only one caution flag for Billy Puterbaugh Jr.’s accident on the first lap. Puterbaugh escaped injury.
Jimmy Sills finished second ahead of fast qualifier Robby Flock, Kevin Thomas, Cary Faas, Kenny Irwin Jr., Gary Hieber, Tracy Hines, Dave Darland and Ryan Newman.
USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: September 14, 1996 – Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Tony Bettenhausen 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-29.988; 2. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-30.062; 3. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-30.352; 4. Donnie Beechler, 67. Zarounian-30.478; 5. Dan Drinan, 23, Calderwood-30.494; 6. Mark Cassella, 62, Beaver-30.616; 7. Scott Hatton, 54, Hatton-30.882; 8. Tony Elliott, 61, Howard-30.916; 9. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-30.987; 10. Billy Engelhart, 83, Sohm-31.093; 11. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-31.096; 12. Tracy Hines, 6, Potter-31.133; 13. Kevin Thomas, 2, Vance-31.191; 14. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-31.220; 15. Rip Williams, 53, Pattee-31312; 16. Cary Faas, 69, McClure-31328; 17. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-31.347; 18. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-31.390; 19. Kenny Irwin Jr., 14, Ede-31.464; 20. Rick Hood, 87, Burke-31.515; 21. Bill Rose, 27, Jones-31.706; 22. Steve Knepper, 12, Galas-31.841; 23. Tray House, 88, Nowling-31.859; 24. Eric Gordon, 25, Boles-31.888; 25. Jon Stanbrough, 32, P & W-31.908; 26. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-31.940; 27. Derek Davidson, 24, LeFevre-32.024; 28. Chip Thomas, 50, Aviators-32.114; 29. Kevin Doty, 37, Riggs-32.197; 30. Brian Black, 71, Black Hawk-32.223; 31. Rod Holshouser, 64, Holshouser-32.288; 32. Bob Hauks, 46, Egan-32.480; 33. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-32.534; 34. Kenneth Nichols, 51, Mitchell-32.708; 35. Al Thomas, 172, Thomas-32.838; 36. Russ Gamester, 92, Hoerner/Kazmark-32.867; 37. Dodie Miller, 8, Miller-32.878; 38. Norm Young, 60, Meister-33.326; 39. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-33.417; 40. Terry Babb, 49, Babb-33.827; 41. Wayne Sternbergh, 44, Logan-NT; 42. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Bill Rose, 2. Kenneth Nichols, 3. Ryan Newman, 4. Steve Knepper, 5. Eric Gordon, 6. Jon Stanbrough, 7. Derek Davidson, 8. Tray House, 9. Dave Darland, 10. Al Thomas, 11. Gary Irvin, 12. Rod Holshouser, 13. Bob Hauks, 14. Kevin Doty, 15. Norm Young, 16. Brian Black, 17. Dodie Miller, 18. Terry Babb, 19. Al Thomas, 20. Russ Gamester. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chuck Gurney (3), 2. Jimmy Sills (2), 3. Robby Flock (1), 4. Kevin Thomas (13), 5. Cary Faas (16), 6. Kenny Irwin Jr. (19), 7. Gary Hieber (17), 8. Tracy Hines (12), 9. Dave Darland (29), 10. Ryan Newman (23), 11. Rick Hood (20), 12. Jim Keeker (11), 13. Rip Williams (15), 14. Steve Knepper (24), 15. Eric Gordon (25), 16. John Heydenreich (18), 17. Jon Stanbrough (26), 18. Kenneth Nichols (22), 19. Derek Davidson (27), 20. Al Thomas (30), 21. Dan Drinan (5), 22. Scott Hatton (7), 23. Billy Engelhart (10), 24. Tray House (28), 25. George Snider (14), 26. Bill Rose (21), 27. Mark Cassella (6), 28. Donnie Beechler (4), 29. Tony Elliott (8), 30. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (9). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Chuck Gurney.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kenny Irwin Jr.-887; 2-Chuck Gurney-760; 3-Jimmy Sills-751; 4-Dave Darland-560; 5-Mike Bliss-544; 6-Tony Stewart-444; 7-Robby Flock-413; 8-Kevin Thórnas-375; 9-Jack Hewitt-277; 10-Dave Steele-266.
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HEWITT ROLLS A 7 AT ELDORA’S 4-CROWN NATIONALS
Rossburg, Ohio………Jack Hewitt scored his seventh career 4-Crown Nationals USAC Silver Crown victory on September 28 at Eldora Speedway.
Hewitt officially took the lead from Jimmy Sills on the 27th lap and led the rest of the way to win the 50-lap race in his Café Santa Fe/Parker Machinery Ford-powered machine. Jack previously won the race in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1994 and 1995.
Sills’ second-place finish boosted him past Kenny Irwin Jr. and into the point lead in the series. Irwin finished 17th at Eldora in a backup car after his originally qualified Fred Ede No. 14 machine returned to California after the September 21 rainout.
Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif. originally finished second in the 4-Crown feature after leading the first 31 laps from the pole, but his effort was for naught as a post-race technical inspection found his No. 9 car failing to meet the minimum weight specs and it was disqualified. Gurney was the fastest qualifier during the September 20 preliminaries.
Trailing Hewitt and Sills were Bill Rose, Dave Darland, Johnny Parsons, Cary Faas, Mark Cassella, Brian Tyler, Donnie Beechler and Rusty McClure. Darland won the 20-lap qualifying race.
Dan Drinan escaped injury in a flip on the 22nd lap of the 50-lap feature.
USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: September 20-28, 1996 – Rossburg, Ohio – Eldora Speedway – 16th 4-Crown Nationals
QUALIFYING: (Top-12 locked into the feature) 1. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-17.192; 2. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-17.202; 3. Mark Cassella, 62, Beaver-17.629; 4. Johnny Parsons, 65, Dynamics-17.702; 5. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-17.714; 6. Kevin Thomas, 2, Vance-17.764; 7. Cory Kruseman, 6, Potter-17.777; 8. Kevin Doty, 37, Riggs-17.798; 9. Brian Hayden, 50, Aviators-17.870; 10. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-17.898; 11. Cary Faas, 69, McClure-17.925; 12. Rusty McClure, 12, Galas-17.961; 13. Tray House, 88, Nowling-17.965; 14. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-17.977; 15. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-17.977; 16. Jerry Nemire, 46, Egan-18.018; 17. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-18.020; 18. Tracy Hines, 53, Pattee-18.093; 19, Tony Elliott, 61, Howard-18.107; 20. Bill Rose, 27, Jones-18.135; 21. Dan Drinan, 23, Calderwood-18.190; 22. Al Thomas, 172, Thomas-18.195; 23. Brian Tyler, 5, Steck-18.239; 24. Derek Davidson, 24, LeFevre-18.256; 25. Terry Pletch, 91, Pletch-18.296; 26. Jon Stanbrough, 32, P & W-18.299; 27. Kenny Irwin Jr., 14, Ede-18.342; 28. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-18.385; 29. Brian Black, 41, Black Hawk-18.578; 30. Eric Gordon, 25, Boles-18.601; 31. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-18.631; 32. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-18.658; 33. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-18.714; 34. Dr. Tom Black, 71, Black Hawk-18.820; 35. Max Ebaugh, 19, Ebaugh-19.483; 36. #26, Vance-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (20 laps, top-12 transfer to the feature) 1. Dave Darland, 2. Robby Flock, 3. Bill Rose, 4. Kevin Doty, 5. Dan Drinan, 6. Tracy Hines, 7. Donnie Beechler, 8. Jerry Nemire, 9. Kenny Irwin Jr. (#26), 10. Brian Tyler, 11. Jim Keeker, 12. Eric Gordon, 13. Jon Stanbrough, 14. Derek Davidson, 15. Brian Black, 16. Max Ebaugh, 17. Al Thomas, 18. Tray House. 5:53.42
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jack Hewitt (5), 2. Jimmy Sills (2), 3. Bill Rose (15), 4. Dave Darland (13), 5. Johnny Parsons (4), 6. Cary Faas (10), 7. Mark Cassella (3), 8. Brian Tyler (22), 9. Donnie Beechler (19), 10. Rusty McClure (11), 11. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (12), 12. Eric Gordon (24), 13. Jerry Nemire (20), 14. Brian Hayden (8), 15. Robby Flock (14), 16. Cory Kruseman (7), 17. Kenny Irwin Jr. (#26) (21), 18. Chip Thomas (6), 19. Dan Drinan (17), 20. Ryan Newman (9), 21. Tracy Hines (18), 22. Kevin Doty (16), 23. Jim Keeker (23). (Car #9 Chuck Gurney disqualified after finishing 2nd for failing to meet minimum weight) (1). NT
**Dan Drinan flipped in turn 3 on lap 22 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-26 Jimmy Sills, Laps 27-50 Jack Hewitt.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jimmy Sills-911; 2-Kenny Irwin Jr.-891; 3-Chuck Gurney-760; 4-Dave Darland-680; 5-Mike Bliss-544; 6-Jack Hewitt-477; 7-Tony Stewart-444; 8-Robby Flock-418; 9-Kevin Thomas-379; 10-Johnny Parsons-305.
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USAC BOWEN OLDS SILVER CROWN CHALLENGE SPECIAL EVENT RACE RESULTS: October 5, 1996 – Terre Haute, Indiana – Terre Haute Action Track – Terre Haute Nationals
FEATURE: (10 laps) 1. Jack Hewitt (#63 Six-R), 2. Tony Elliott (#62 Beaver), 3. Dave Darland (#6 Potter), 4. Dan Drinan (#43 Nix). 4:08.21
DID NOT START: Kevin Thomas (#12 Galas)
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Tony Elliott, laps 7-10 Jack Hewitt.
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BEECHLER REPEATS AT CAL EXPO
Sacramento, California………Donnie Beechler of Springfield, Ill. captured the Miller Genuine Draft Silver Crown 100 for the second-straight year on October 12 at the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds, outdueling Kenny Irwin Jr. in the closing laps of the 100-mile contest.
Irwin’s second-place finish returned him to the lead in the series standings, needing only a sixth in the Del Mar 100 finale.
Beechler started sixth in the 30-car field, caught Irwin on lap 87, then slipped back behind him for the next six laps. Beechler returned to the front on lap 94 and led the final seven laps in his Zarounian Olds-Cadillac-Isuzu Special to claim the $10,250 winner’s share of the $54,200 purse.
Trailing Beechler and Irwin at the checkered flag were Gurney, Dave Darland, Billy Boat, Brent Kaeding, Kevin Thomas, Ryan Newman, Dan Drinan and Jim Keeker.
Sills won the pole at 110.701 mph and led the first 31 miles before sliding into the concrete outer barriers in turn four. He was uninjured but unable to restart. Darland then paced the next 36 miles before yielding to Irwin and Beechler.
USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: October 12, 1996 – Sacramento, California – Cal Expo State Fairgrounds – Miller Genuine Draft Silver Crown 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-32.520; 2. Kenny Irwin Jr., 14, Ede-32.533; 3. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-32.672; 4. Brent Kaeding, 4, Consani-32.694; 5. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-32.726; 6. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-32.816; 7. Billy Boat, 45, Lawson-32.830; 8. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-32.941; 9. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-33.006; 10. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-33.038; 11. Dan Drinan, 23, Calderwood-33.112; 12. George Snider, 1, Snider/Foyt-33.168; 13. Tony Elliott, 61, Howard-33.367; 14. Kevin Thomas, 26, J & S-33.380; 15. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-33.401; 16. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-33.552; 17. Cary Faas, 69, McClure-33.561; 18. Steve Kent, 12, Galas-33.709; 19. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-33.825; 20. Greg Peterson, 57, Dolner-33.995; 21. Shane Scully, 70, Senter-34.124; 22. Johnny Parsons, 7, Wellington-34.126; 23. Brian Tyler, 25, Boles-34.162; 24. Jason Leffler, 21, Snow-34.230; 25. Greg DeCaires, 15, Countryman-34.406; 26. Ronnie Burke, 87, Burke-34.455; 27. Lee Brewer Jr., 58, Gardner-34.468; 28. Tracy Hines, 53, Pattee-34.630; 29. Mark Monico, 121, ATM-34.731; 30. Jackie Burke, 77, Pritchett-34.741; 31. Drew Church, 91, Church-35.006; 32. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-35.024; 33. Don O'Keefe, 00, O'Keefe-35.634; 34. Sparky Howard, 46, Egan-35.673; 35. Bob Walker, 3, Van Klompenburg-NT; 36. Ray Evans, 85, Knowley-NT; 37. Ronnie Day, 118, Bammer-NT; 38. Bill Rose, 27, Jones-NT; 39. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-11 transfer to the feature) 1. Brian Tyler, 2. Johnny Parsons, 3. Lee Brewer Jr., 4. Tracy Hines, 5. Shane Scully, 6. Greg DeCaires, 7. Randy Bateman, 8. Drew Church, 9. Ronnie Day, 10. Jason Leffler, 11. Sparky Howard, 12. Don O'Keefe, 13. Ray Evans, 14. Jackie Burke, 15. Mark Monico, 16. Ronnie Burke. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Donnie Beechler (6), 2. Kenny Irwin Jr. (2), 3. Chuck Gurney (9), 4. Dave Darland (3), 5. Billy Boat (7), 6. Brent Kaeding (4), 7. Kevin Thomas (14), 8. Ryan Newman (8), 9. Dan Drinan (11), 10. Jim Keeker (16), 11. Steve Kent (18), 12. Tracy Hines (24), 13. Brian Tyler (21), 14. Johnny Parsons (22), 15. Robby Flock (5), 16. George Snider (12), 17. Shane Scully (25), 18. Lee Brewer Jr. (23), 19. Tony Elliott (13), 20. Jack Hewitt (10), 21. Cary Faas (17), 22. Greg Peterson (20), 23. Drew Church (26), 24. Ronnie Day (29), 25. Jason McCord (19), 26. Jimmy Sills (1), 27. Sparky Howard (30), 28. Wally Pankratz (15), 29. Randy Bateman (27), 30. Jason Leffler (28). 1:08:44.82
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-31 Jimmy Sills, Laps 32-67 Dave Darland, Laps 68-86 Kenny Irwin Jr., Lap 87 Donnie Beechler, Laps 88¬93 Kenny Irwin Jr., Laps 94-100 Donnie Beechler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kenny Irwin Jr.-1,051; 2-Jimmy Sills-913: 3-Chuck Gurney-900; 4-Dave Darland-800; 5-Mike Bliss-544; 6-Jack Hewitt-481; 7-Tony Stewart-444; 8-Kevin Thomas-439; 9-Robby Flock-423; 10-Donnie Beechler-348.
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SILLS TAKES DEL MAR 100 & SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP
Del Mar, California………Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif. is the 1996 USAC Silver Crown champion, winning the October 20 Del Mar 100 series finale at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in his Mopar Special. The title is his third, having previously won the championship in 1990 and 1994.
Kenny Irwin Jr. of Indianapolis, Ind. had a lock on the series championship, running fourth on the final lap, when he blew a tire entering turn one, then encountered contact with another car in turn three and ended up against the outside wall in turn four. Irwin was officially credited with 11th place and ended up 42 points short of Sills in the final standings.
Robby Flock of Temecula, Calif. finished second in the 100-mile race, the first on the Del Mar mile dirt track since 1949. Flock was followed by Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind., Brent Kaeding of Campbell, Calif. and Chuck Gurney of Livermore, Calif. Gurney’s finish left him third in the final points.
Sills led all 100 laps and collected a paycheck for $18,150, including $7,900 in lap prizes for winning the race slowed by only three cautions. Brian Tyler spun on lap 45, Greg Peterson and Ronnie Day tangled on lap 49 and the cars of Jack Hewitt and Ronnie Burke locked together on lap 72.
Sills started on the pole after qualifying at a speed of 109.519 mph. Cary Faas won the 15-lap qualifying race.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: October 20, 1996 – Del Mar, California – Del Mar Fairgrounds – Del Mar 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-14 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-32.871; 2. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-33.300; 3. Brent Kaeding, 4, Consani-33.500; 4. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-33.521; 5. Kenny Irwin Jr., 14, Ede-33.561; 6. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-33.683; 7. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-33.795; 8. Billy Boat, 45, Lawson-33.804; 9. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-33.977; 10. Brian Tyler, 25, Boles-34.113; 11. Tracy Hines, 53, Pattee-34.136; 12. Ronnie Day, 118, Bammer-34.216; 13. Lee Brewer Jr., 58, Gardner-34.333; 14. Jack Hewitt, 63, Six-R-34.367; 15. Cary Faas, 69, McClure-34.389; 16. Kevin Thomas, 26, J & S-34.439; 17. Bill Rose, 27, Jones-34.455; 18. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-34.510; 19. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-34.581; 20. Dan Drinan, 23, Calderwood-34.693; 21. Ronnie Burke, 87, Burke-34.771; 22. Tony Elliott, 61, Howard-34.794; 23. Steve Kent, 12, Galas-35.095; 24. Greg Peterson, 57, Peterson-35.132; 25. Davey Hamilton, 1, Snider/Foyt-35.160; 26. Rip Williams, 36, Jones-35.287; 27. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-35.311; 28. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-35.312; 29. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-35.352; 30. Johnny Parsons, 7, Wellington-35.593; 31. Drew Church, 91, Church-35.653; 32. Ray Evans, 85, Knowley-35.986; 33. Bob Meli, 84, Spivey-35.990; 34. Sparky Howard, 46, Egan-35.999; 35. Jackie Burke, 77, Pritchett-36.291; 36. Dodie Miller, 8, Miller-36.755; 37. Justin Via, 16, Logan-37.142; 38. Don O'Keefe, 00, O'Keefe-37.201; 39. Mark Monico, 121, ATM-37.657; 40. Bob Walker, 3, Van Klompenburg-NT; 41. Shane Scully, 70, Scully-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Cary Faas, 2. Bill Rose, 3. Ryan Newman, 4 George Snider, 5. Dan Drinan, 6. Ronnie Burke, 7. Steve Kent, 8. Jim Keeker, 9. Tony Elliott, 10. Greg Peterson, 11. Davey Hamilton, 12. Johnny Parsons, 13. Rip Williams, 14. Randy Bateman, 15. Sparky Howard, 16. Drew Church, 17. Justin Via, 18. Mark Monico, 19. Don O'Keefe, 20. Kevin Thomas, 21. Jason McCord, 22. Jackie Burke, 23. Ray Evans, 24. Dodie Miller. NT
FEATURE: (100, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jimmy Sills (1), 2. Robby Flock (2), 3. Dave Darland (4), 4. Brent Kaeding (3), 5. Chuck Gurney (7), 6. Billy Boat (8), 7. Ryan Newman (17), 8. Cary Faas (15), 9. Tracy Hines (11), 10. Wally Pankratz (9), 11. Kenny Irwin Jr. (5), 12. Lee Brewer Jr. (13), 13. Steve Kent (21), 14. Bill Rose (16), 15. Tony Elliott (23), 16. Jack Hewitt (14), 17. Ronnie Burke (20), 18. Brian Tyler (10), 19. Jim Keeker (22), 20. Ronnie Day (12), 21. Donnie Beechler (6), 22. Greg Peterson (24), 23. Dan Drinan (19), 24. George Snider (18). 1:07:59.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Jimmy Sills.
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1996 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (1,113) Jimmy Sills, Placerville, Calif.
2. (1,071) Kenny Irwin Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.
3. (1,000) Chuck Gurney, Livermore, Calif.
4. (940) Dave Darland, Lincoln, Ind.
5. (583) Robby Flock, Temecula, Calif.
6. (544) Mike Bliss, Milwaukie, Ore.
7. (486) Jack Hewitt, Troy, Ohio
8. (444) Tony Stewart, Columbus, Ind.
9. (439) Kevin Thomas, Danville, Ind.
10. (351) Donnie Beechler, Springfield, Ill.
11. (326) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind.
12. (326) Cary Faas, Yorba Linda, Calif.
13. (310) Johnny Parsons, Indianapolis, Ind.
14. (266) Dave Steele, Tampa, Fla.
15. (257) Tony Elliott, Kokomo, Ind.
16. (206) Kevin Doty, Milan, Ill.
17. (200) Brent Kaeding, Campbell, Calif.
18. (180) Billy Boat, Phoenix, Ariz.
19. (174) Jim Keeker, Cicero, Ind.
20. (166) Randy Tolsma, Meridian, Idaho
21. (160) Eric Gordon, Greenfield, Ind.
22. (160) Bill Rose, Plainfield, Ind.
23. (154) Pat Abold, Syracuse, N.Y.
24. (144) Andy Michner, Grass Lake, Mich.
25. (143) John Heydenreich, Bloomsburg, Pa.
26. (142) Dave Blaney, Hartford, Ohio
27. (114) Gary Hieber, Langhorne, Pa.
28. (110) Tracy Hines, New Castle, Ind.
29. (109) Cory Kruseman, Ventura, Calif.
30. (90) Jackie Burke, Houston, Texas
31. (87) Davey Hamilton, Boise, Idaho
32. (80) Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich.
33. (77) Wally Pankratz, Orange, Calif.
34. (69) Brian Tyler, Parma, Mich.
35. (66) Mark Cassella, Weirton, W.Va.
36. (56) Dan Drinan, Scottsdale, Ariz.
37. (45) Chet Fillip, San Angelo, Texas
38. (44) Jon Stanbrough, Avon, Ind.
39. (42) Rusty McClure, Ashland, Ohio
40. (27) Rick Hood, Memphis, Tenn.
41. (27) Billy Engelhart, Madison, Wisc.
42. (25) Steve Kent, Fresno, Calif.
43. (21) Billy Puterbaugh Jr., Brownsburg, Ind.
44. (20) Richard Griffin, Silver City, N.M.
45. (19) Paul Durant, Manteca, Calif.
46. (19) Russ Gamester, Peru, Ind.
47. (15) Rip Williams. Yorba Linda, Calif.
48. (14) Brian Hayden, Fillmore, Ind.
49. (14) Lee Brewer Jr., Memphis, Tenn.
50. (13) Brad Marvel, Brownsburg, Ind.
51. (13) George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif.
52. (12) Rocky Hodges, Des Moines, Iowa
53. (12) Chip Thomas, Belleville, Ill.
54. (11) Bill Baue, Sparta, Ill.
55. (11) Kenneth Nichols, Odon, Ind.
56. (9) Bentley Warren, Kennebunkport, Maine
57. (9) Frankie Kerr, Fremont, Ohio
58. (8) Jim Mahoney, Peru, Ill.
59. (6) Gary Irvin, Noblesville, Ind.
60. (6) Greg Peterson, West Sacramento, Calif.
61. (5) Gene Lee Gibson, Richwood, Ohio
62. (5) Bruce Field, Lockport, Ill.
63. (5) Kenny Jacobs, Holmesville, Ohio
64. (5) Steve Barth, Alexandria, Ind.
65. (5) Steve Knepper, Belleville, Ill.
66. (5) Jerry Nemire, Erie, Mich.
67. (5) Jason McCord, Anderson, Ind.
68. (4) Tyce Carlson, Indianapolis, Ind.
69. (4) Derek Davidson, Lafayette, Ind.
70. (4) Shane Scully, Encino, Calif.
71. (4) Ronnie Burke, Houston, Texas
72. (4) Ronnie Day, Salinas, Calif.
73. (3) Chuck Leary, Greenfield, Ind.
74. (3) Scott Hatton, Roscoe, Ill.
75. (3) Tray House, Chesterfield, Ind.
76. (3) Drew Church, Seattle, Wash.
77. (2) Mike Mosley Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.
78. (2) Sparky Howard, Santa Rosa, Calif.
79. (1) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
1996 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (1,113) Stanton Racing, Nicholasville, Ky. (#75)
2. (1,067) M & L Plumbing, Co. (Fred Ede), Fresno, Calif. (#14)
3. (1,000) Goetz Racing, Portage, Wisc. (#9)
4. (940) Foxco Engineering, Avon, Ind. (#56)
5. (830) Del McClure, Molalla, Ore. (#69)
6. (583) Richard Hart, Glendale, Calif. (#94)
7. (486) Six-R Racing, Zionsville, Ind. (#63)
8. (451) Boles Chevrolet, Pendleton, Ind. (#25)
9. (401) Dynamics, Inc., Milford, Ohio (#65)
10. (354) Zarounian Motorsports, Visalia, Calif. (#67)
11. (326) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind. (#39)
12. (280) Galas Motorsports, O’Fallon, Ill. (#12)
13. (269) J & J Marine, Inc. (Jack Nowling), St. Petersburg, Fla. (#88)
14. (256) Howard Motorsports, Santa Rosa, Calif. (#61)
15. (232) Snider-Foyt Racing, Bakersfield, Calif. (#11)
16. (230) Ralph Potter, Indianapolis, Ind. (#6)
17. (230) Bob Consani, Santa Rosa, Calif. (#4)
18. (208) J & S Distributing, Jackson, Mich. (#26)
19. (191) Aviators Racing, Chicago, Ill. (#50)
20. (187) Snider-Foyt Racing, Bakersfield, Calif. (#1)
21. (182) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#2)
22. (180) John Lawson, Fresno, Calif. (#45)
23. (174) Gene Nolen, Greenwood, Ind. (#20)
24. (160) Doug Jones, Tucson, Ariz. (#27)
25. (143) Gene Beach, Franklin, Mo. (#80)
26. (142) Casey Luna Racing, Belen, N.M. (#110)
27. (129) Clare Pattee, Blythe, Calif. (#53)
28. (119) Ronnie Burke, Houston, Texas (#87)
29. (114) EWH Service, Langhorne, Pa. (#66)
30. (80) Kalitta Flying Service, Ypsilanti, Mich. (#222)
31. (78) Jim Wellington, Greenwood, Calif. (#7)
32. (71) Gary Beaver, Noblesville, Ind. (#62)
33. (61) Jack Steck, Huber Heights, Ohio (#5)
34. (56) Dave Calderwood, Bakersfield, Calif. (#23)
35. (53) Indiana Underground Construction (Terry Riggs), Indianapolis, Ind. (#37)
36. (44) P & W Machine Shop, New Madison, Ohio (#32)
37. (40) Ricky Nix, Benton, Ill. (#43)
38. (27) Sohm Enterprises, St Louis, Mo. (#83)
39. (21) Bill Puterbaugh, Brownsburg, Ind. (#35)
40. (19) Fresno Roofing, Fresno, Calif. (#95)
41. (19) Bob Hoerner, Crest Hill, Ill. (#92)
42. (15) Tom Mitchell, Carmel, Ind. (#51)
43. (14) Jack Gardner, Orange, Calif. (#58)
44. (13) Dave LeFevre, Lafayette, Ind. (#24)
45. (12) Tom Dickson, Parkersburg, W.Va. (#73)
46. (11) B & G Engines, Indianapolis, Ind. (#78)
47. (10) Dr. Tom Black, Greencastle, Ind. (#41)
48. (10) Chuck Leary, Greenfield, Ind. (#30)
49. (9) Louis Seymour, Marlboro, Mass. (#29)
50. (9) Gary Hill, Hope, Ind. (#10)
51. (7) George Egan, Hazelwood, Mo. (#46)
52. (7) Moeller Bros. Body Shop, San Leandro, Calif. (#118)
53. (6) Gary Irvin, Noblesville, Ind. (#48)
54. (6) Greg Peterson, West Sacramento, Calif. (#57)
55. (5) Alex Morales, Anaheim, Calif. (#53)
56. (5) Jerry Stepter, Metropolis, Ill. (#28)
57. (5) Joe Conroy, Brunswick, Ohio (#18)
58. (4) Tyce Carlson Motorsports, Indianapolis, Ind. (#17)
59. (4) Louis Senter, Encino, Calif. (#70)
60. (3) Scott Hatton, Roscoe, Ill. (#54)
61. (3) Vern Church, Seattle, Wash. (#91)
62. (2) Larry Brown, Bakersfield, Calif. (#72)
63. (2) Leader Card, Inc., Milwaukee, Wisc. (#82)
64. (2) Mataka Motorsports, Lebanon, N.J. (#31)
65. (2) Dr. Jim Logan, St. Louis, Mo. (#16)
66. (1) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill. (#55)
67. (1) Don Snow, Vacaville, Calif. (#21)