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.
1997 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
There was something extra special about Dave Darland’s USAC Silver Crown victory at Sacramento’s Cal Expo State Fairgrounds in 1997.
Returning to the site of his heartbreaking early exit in the 1995 season finale, which handed the championship to Tony Stewart by just two points, Darland had a point to prove.
Perhaps haunted by the memory of that frustrating 1995 oil fire after only 11 laps, Darland led from start to finish in the 1997 edition to extend his narrow point lead with only the season finale at Las Vegas remaining.
“I was pretty comfortable going into the last few races with the lead, but we lost a close one in 1995,” Darland recalled. “Vegas was tough because we struggled at the start of the race and couldn’t put up much of a fight. We were definitely counting the cars dropping out to know how we would finish.”
Despite his struggle in the final race, Darland salvaged a 10th place finish and scored what many called an overdue USAC Silver Crown championship.
Prior to 1997, Darland could have been described as a very talented driver who was competitive anywhere on the dirt. In 1997, it became the year in which Darland stepped it up a notch, particularly on the pavement, to win the series title. In fact, Darland’s turnaround after a rough season start came on pavement.
“It was a tough battle,” Darland admitted. “Pikes Peak was definitely the turnaround for the whole season. We had struggled at Phoenix in the opener, and we always seem to have problems at IRP. Even the race at the (Indiana State) Fairgrounds didn’t go very well, so to come into Colorado and score a fourth-place finish was great.”
In 12 events during the 1997 season, Darland scored wins at both the Illinois and Cal Expo State Fairgrounds. In addition, Darland had a total of five top-five finishes and four other top-10s, while qualifying for the pole at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds.
The series opened with a remarkable victory by young Jimmy Kite at Phoenix International Raceway as he came from the 26th starting position to beat Chuck Gurney’s sputtering machine at the start/finish line to win the 20th Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic. Gurney’s car ran out of fuel on the final lap and Kite’s victory came in only his second series start.
Chuck Leary surprised the series regulars with an impressive win in the Hulman-Hoosier Hundred on May 17 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds while Pat Abold’s pavement prowess powered him to victory in the following week’s Coca-Cola 100 at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Kenny Irwin Jr. posted a record qualifying speed of 140.482 mph to win the pole for the Rocky Mountain Classic at the new Pikes Peak International Raceway, then went on to win the inaugural event at the one-mile paved track.
Beechler, who assumed the series point lead after finishing second to Irwin in Colorado, scored his second victory in the Sumar Classic at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track on July 4, then added a third at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in August to remain atop the leaderboard.
Irwin, who came from 28th to record a record-setting win at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in 1995, repeated that performance with an awesome drive from 28th to 1st in the DuPont 100 at Indianapolis Raceway Park on July 30. Tony Stewart appeared to have the race in command until Jay Drake’s spinning car collected him on lap 78.
Darland then annexed the Springfield, Ill. 100-miler and added a second to Russ Gamester in the Labor Day 100-miler at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds. Gamester’s victory was his first in the series.
Abold returned to the winner’s circle in USAC’s debut at the new Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis, Mo., but Chuck Leary’s qualifying time for the pole set an all-time series mark of 141.750 mph. The race proved to be the turning point in the season-long battle for the championship as Beechler was involved in a practice crash and had to secure a backup ride for the 100-mile race but finished seven laps off the pace.
Tire problems beset the field in the 17th annual 4-Crown Nationals 50-lapper at Eldora Speedway on September 20, leaving Kevin Huntley with his first series triumph.
Beechler took a third-place finish behind Darland at Cal Expo despite a severe bout with the flu to remain in the thick of the point race going into the series’ final race at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Tony Stewart finally ended a long period of frustration with his victory at the new half-mile Las Vegas dirt oval, scoring a controversial victory in the 100-lap season-ender. Ironically, both Beechler and Darland were DNF’s, Beechler involved in a tangle with Stewart while battling for the race lead. Drivers Brian Tyler and Robby Flock suffered injuries in Las Vegas accidents, but both recovered to resume racing in early 1998.
Seven different drivers shared in the new Nelson Residential Communities fast qualifying awards, with Gamester the only driver to post the top time on three occasions.
Phoenix winner Jimmy Kite earned 1997 USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year honors while Brian Tyler earned the title as Most Improved Driver with the series.
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KITE FLIES TO PHOENIX COPPER WORLD CLASSIC VICTORY
Avondale, Arizona………Jimmy Kite of Stockbridge, Ga. scored a stunning upset victory in the 50-mile USAC Silver Crown series opener on February 2nd at Phoenix International Raceway, part of the 20th Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic at the one-mile paved oval.
Kite worked his way from the 26th starting position to second behind Chuck Gurney, then caught Gurney exiting the final corner of the final lap as Gurney’s car was sputtering from lack of fuel. Kite slipped by Gurney at the start/finish line to score a photo finish win worth $15,949 to his Hoerner-Stapleton team. It was only the second Silver Crown start for the 20-year-old driver, having finished 20th at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1995.
Gurney ended up a close second, and by virtue of having led 44 of the 50 laps to earn a points bonus, he and Kite each have 60 points atop the series standings.
Gurney spent most of the race dicing with new track record holder Kenny Irwin Jr., who retired with tire trouble after 43 laps. Irwin qualified at 136.804 mph on February 1.
Trailing Kite and Gurney at the checkered flag were defending series champion Jimmy Sills, Donnie Beechler, Davey Hamilton, Rocky Hodges, Gary Hieber, Eric Gordon, Bentley Warren and Robby Flock.
Kite had finished second to Dave Darland in the 10-lap qualifying race on February 1 and was in the top-10 by lap 11. He was fifth by halfway and third four laps later. He passed Irwin for second on lap 38 and set sail for Gurney.
Former Silver Crown champion Tony Stewart was the first driver out of the race. His car broke an axle on the warm-up lap, and he didn’t make it to the green flag.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: January 31-February 2, 1997 – Avondale, Arizona – Phoenix International Raceway – 20th Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Kenny Irwin Jr., 2, Vance-26.315; 2. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-26.331; 3. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-26.565; 4. Dave Blaney, 112, Saucier-26.701; 5. Jac Haudenschild, 37, Riggs-26.748; 6. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-26.748; 7. Dave Steele, 26, Vance-26.810; 8. Doug Kalitta, 222, Kalitta-26.821; 9. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-26.840; 10. Paul Durant, 95, Fresno Roofing-26.874; 11. Tony Stewart, 81, Snider/Foyt-26.880; 12. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-26.906; 13. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-26.910; 14. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-26.922; 15. Davey Hamilton, 111, Snider/Foyt-26.927; 16. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-26.934; 17. Brent Kaeding, 4, Consani-26.944; 18. Andy Michner, 14, Ede-26.950; 19. Rocky Hodges, 6, Potter-26.950; 20. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-26.980; 21. Brian Tyler, 25, Boles-27.031; 22. Eric Gordon, 16, Logan-27.049; 23. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-27.072; 24. Casey Diemert, 173, Diemert-27.078; 25. Kenneth Nichols, 62, Beaver-27.135; 26. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-27.180; 27. Tyce Carlson, 17, Ricehouse-27.231; 28. Drew Church, 91, Church-27.268; 29. Jimmy Kite, 92, Hoerner-27.299; 30. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-27.323; 31. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-27.330; 32. Ray Evans, 85, Knowley-27.467; 33. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-27.471; 34. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-27.528; 35. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-27.557; 36. Dave McKnight, 74, Seelman-27.558; 37. Ken Hamilton, 90, GT Sales-27.583; 38. Rusty McClure, 73, Dickson-27.627; 39. Greg Peterson, 57, Peterson-27.645; 40. Paul White, 100, Sturdivant-27.648; 41. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-27.976; 42. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-28.200; 43. Dodie Miller, 8, Miller-28.484; 44. Don O'Keefe, 00, O'Keefe-28.763; 45. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-28.822; 46. Cory Kruseman, 58, Gardner-28.977; 47. Dave Stoltz, 84, Spivey-29.469; 48. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-29.535; 49. Dan Drinan, 89, Stapp-30.528; 50. Richie Sherrill, 46, Egan-31.346; 51. Jackie Burke, 77, Pritchett-NT; 52. Jordan Hermansader, 72, Brown-NT; 53. Tracy Hines, 61, Howard-NT; 54. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-NT; 55. Don Carter Jr., 192, Kazmark-NT; 56. Bob Cicconi, 59, Cicconi-NT; 57. Bruce Field, 7, Wellington-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Dave Darland, 2. Jimmy Kite, 3. Tyce Carlson, 4. Kenneth Nichols, 5. Russ Gamester, 6. Bill Baue, 7. Kevin Thomas, 8. Dave McKnight, 9. Gary Irvin, 10. Wally Pankratz, 11. Rusty McClure, 12. Jason McCord, 13. Ken Hamilton, 14. Paul White, 15. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 16. Ray Evans, 17. Greg Peterson, 18. Don O'Keefe, 19. Dodie Miller, 20. Daryl Daugherty, 21. Cory Kruseman. NT
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jimmy Kite (26), 2. Chuck Gurney (2), 3. Jimmy Sills (6), 4. Donnie Beechler (3), 5. Davey Hamilton (15), 6. Rocky Hodges (19), 7. Gary Hieber (12), 8. Eric Gordon (22), 9. Bentley Warren (14), 10. Robby Flock (20), 11. Andy Michner (18), 12. Ryan Newman (23), 13. Casey Diemert (24), 14. Chuck Leary (9), 15. Kenneth Nichols (28), 16. Jack Hewitt (16), 17. Doug Kalitta (8), 18. Jac Haudenschild (5), 19. Kenny Irwin Jr. (1), 20. Dave Blaney (4), 21. Jim Keeker (13), 22. Brent Kaeding (17), 23. Dave Darland (25), 24. Brian Tyler (21), 25. Dave Steele (7), 26. Bill Baue (30), 27. Paul Durant (10), 28. Tyce Carlson (27), 29. Russ Gamester (29), 30. Tony Stewart (11). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-19 Chuck Gurney, Lap 20 Kenny Irwin Jr., laps 21-25 Chuck Gurney, Laps 26-29 Kenny Irwin Jr., Laps 30-49 Chuck Gurney, Lap 50 Jimmy Kite.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1. Jimmy Kite, 2-Chuck Gurney-60; 3-Jimmy Sills-54; 4-Donnie Beechler-51; 5-Davey Hamilton-48; 6-Rocky Hodges-45; 7-Gary Hieber-42; 8-Eric Gordon-39; 9-Bentley Warren-36; 10-Robby Flock-33.
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ABOLD TAKES FIRST AT IRP’S COCA-COLA 100
Clermont, Indiana………Pat Abold of Pennellville, N.Y. scored a surprise victory in the Coca-Cola 100 at Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 17, leading the final 36 laps of the 100-lap USAC Silver Crown race on the .686-mile paved oval.
Jimmy Kite of Stockbridge, Ga., winner of the series opener at Phoenix in February, finished second and was followed by Hewitt, Donnie Beechler (from 28th starting spot) and Nelson Builders fast qualifier Jim Keeker. Keeker led the first 11 laps before yielding to Kenny Irwin Jr. who led the next 53. Abold then led the rest of the way in his Hoffman Auto Racing Special.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 17, 1997 – Clermont, Indiana – Indianapolis Raceway Park – Coca-Cola 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-20.819; 2. Davey Hamilton, 111, Snider/Foyt-20.865; 3. Brian Gerster, 61, Howard-20.908; 4. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-20.941; 5. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-20.949; 6. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-21.000; 7. Kenny Irwin Jr., 2, Vance-21.007; 8. Jimmy Kite, 92, Hoerner-21.020; 9. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-21.022; 10. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-21.045; 11. Andy Michner, 14, Ede-21.083; 12. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-21.119; 13. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-21.132; 14. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-21.161; 15. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-21.220; 16. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-21.228; 17. Dave Steele, 26, Vance-21.254; 18. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-21.258; 19. Cory Kruseman, 58, Gardner-21.275; 20. Rocky Hodges, 6, Potter-21.277; 21. Todd Thomas, 73, Dickson-21.315; 22. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-21.348; 23. Brian Tyler, 25, Boles-21.362; 24. Jay Drake, 17, Ricehouse-21.383; 25. Dan Drinan, 81, Snider/Foyt-21.452; 26. Paul Durant, 50, Aviators-21.572; 27. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-21.585; 28. Jeff Mitrisin, 10, Cahill-21.601; 29. Kenneth Nichols, 62, Beaver-21.627; 30. Joe Gosek, 5, Steck-21.660; 31. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-21.730; 32. Mike Mosley Jr., 38, MacPherson-21.757; 33. Eric Gordon, 16, Logan-21.770; 34. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-21.812; 35. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.833; 36. Ronnie Burke, 87, Burke-21.865; 37. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-21.990; 38. Rod Holshouser, 64, Holshouser-22.076; 39. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-22.149; 40. Bruce Field, 7, Wellington-22.422; 41. Dick St. John, 60, Meister-22.447; 42. Jeff Bloom, 3, VanKlompenburg-22.623; 43. Tony Elliott, 41, Bowen-22.696; 44. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-22.705; 45. Don Carter Jr., 32, Kazmark-22.708; 46. Steve Perry, 22, Lawson-22.753; 47. Jason Leffler, 89, Stapp-NT; 48. Brian Hayden, 96, Wallace-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Dave Steele, 2. Brian Tyler, 3. Bill Baue, 4. Dave Darland, 5. Eric Gordon, 6. Kenneth Nichols, 7. Gary Hieber, 8. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 9. Dan Drinan, 10. Daryl Daugherty, 11. Don Carter Jr., 12. Dick St. John, 13. Tony Elliott, 14. Jason Leffler. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jay Drake, 2. Jason McCord, 3. Ronnie Burke, 4. Donnie Beechler, 5. Joe Gosek, 6. Bruce Field, 7. Paul Durant, 8. Rod Holshouser, 9. Steve Perry, 10. Gary Irvin, 11. Jeff Mitrisin, 12. Jeff Bloom. 5:32.20
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Pat Abold (4), 2. Jimmy Kite (8), 3. Jack Hewitt (6), 4. Donnie Beechler (28), 5. Jim Keeker (1), 6. Davey Hamilton (2), 7. Kenny Irwin Jr. (7), 8. Chuck Leary (9), 9. Andy Michner (11), 10. Russ Gamester (16), 11. Chuck Gurney (13), 12. Bentley Warren (12), 13. Brian Tyler (23), 14. Eric Gordon (29), 15. Dave Darland (27), 16. Ronnie Burke (26), 17. Rocky Hodges (19), 18. Joe Gosek (30), 19. Cory Kruseman (18), 20. Bill Baue (25), 21. Todd Thomas (20), 22. Tracy Hines (17), 23. Ryan Newman (14), 24. Robby Flock (15), 25. Jimmy Sills (5), 26. Kevin Thomas (10), 27. Brian Gerster (3), 28. Jason McCord (24), 29. Jay Drake (22), 30. Dave Steele (21). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-11 Jim Keeker, Laps 12-64 Kenny Irwin Jr., Laps 65-100 Pat Abold.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1. Jimmy Kite-117; 2-Donnie Beechler-102; 3-Davey Hamilton-93; 4-Chuck Gurney-91; 5-Jack Hewitt-75; 6-Andy Michner-67; 7-Chuck Leary-64; 8-Eric Gordon-64; 9-Rocky Hodges-64; 10-Jim Keeker-63.
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LEARY SURPRISES FOYT’S HULMAN-HOOSIER HUNDRED FIELD
Indianapolis, Indiana………Chuck Leary’s surprise victory in the 100-mile A.J. Foyt’s Hulman-Hoosier Hundred presented by True Value on May 23 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds came as he passed Chuck Gurney on lap 81 and led the final 20 laps in his Leary Construction/Comet Kart Sales Special.
The win, Leary’s first in USAC competition, boosted him to third in the series standings. Trailing Leary and Gurney at the checkered flag were Johnny Parsons, Cory Kruseman and Tracy Hines.
Dave Darland, winner of the last three Silver Crown races at the one-mile dirt oval, was ninth.
Four drivers flipped during the Hulman-Hoosier Hundred program, including Bill Baue, Carl Olsen, Jack Hewitt and Randy Bateman. There were no serious injuries.
Russ Gamester was the Nelson Builders fast qualifier and led for 26 laps from the pole before he hit the outside wall in turn two and retired.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 23, 1997 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – A.J. Foyt's Hulman-Hoosier Hundred Presented by True Value Hardware
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-31.451; 2. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-31.774; 3. Cary Faas, 37, Riggs-31.788; 4. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-31.799; 5. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-31.968; 6. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-31.972; 7. Brian Tyler, 25, Boles-31.972; 8. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-32.016; 9. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-32.036; 10. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-32.087; 11. Brian Gerster, 61, Howard-32.206; 12. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-32.261; 13. Cory Kruseman, 58, Gardner-32.297; 14. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-32.308; 15. Jay Drake, 17, Ricehouse-32.436; 16. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-32.442; 17. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-32.458; 18. Bruce Field, 7, Wellington-32.572; 19. Ronnie Day, 117, JR-32.606; 20. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-32.625; 21. Ronnie Burke, 87, Burke-32.643; 22. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-32.644; 23. Billy Puterbaugh, 35, Puterbaugh-32.648; 24. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-32.667; 25. Scott Hatton, 54, Hatton-32.744; 26. Jason Leffler, 6, Potter-32.868; 27. Ryan Newman, 2, Vance-32.897; 28. Rusty McClure, 46, Egan-32.918; 29. Billy Engelhart, 83, Sohm-32.948; 30. Bobby Davis Jr., 14, Ede-32.981; 31. Tony Elliott, 41, Bowen-32.984; 32. Jimmy Kite, 92, Hoerner-33.050; 33. Derek Davidson, 24, LeFevre-33.086; 34. Mike Gregg, 65, Gregg-33.142; 35. Kenneth Nichols, 62, Beaver-33.178; 36. Todd Thomas, 73, Dickson-33.262; 37. Tracy Hines, 53, Pattee-33.495; 38. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-33.529; 39. Shane Scully, 70, Senter-33.838; 40. Steve Perry, 22, Lawson-33.955; 41. Justin Via, 116, Logan-34.042; 42. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-34.087; 43. Terry Pletch, 129, Pletch-34.392; 44. Jim Whiteside, 172, Thomas-34.543; 45. Max Ebaugh, 19, Ebaugh-35.569; 46. Carl Olsen, 33, Faurote-36.284; 47. Kevin Huntley, 31, Mataka-NT; 48. Tim Clark, 23, Parker-NT; 49. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-NT.
JACK'S TOOL RENTAL FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Ronnie Burke, 2. Tracy Hines, 3. Billy Engelhart, 4. Tony Elliott, 5. Ryan Newman, 6. Derek Davidson, 7. Justin Via, 8. Kenneth Nichols, 9. Scott Hatton, 10. Terry Pletch, 11. Max Ebaugh, 12. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 13. Shane Scully. NT
PARTYTIME RENTAL SECOND QUALIFYING: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Gary Hieber, 2. Jimmy Kite, 3. Randy Bateman, 4. Rusty McClure, 5. Bobby Davis Jr., 6. Mike Gregg, 7. Steve Perry, 8. Todd Thomas, 9. Jason Leffler, 10. Bill Baue, 11. Daryl Daugherty, 12. Carl Olsen, 13. Jim Whiteside, 14. Kevin Huntley. NT
FEATURE (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chuck Leary (5), 2. Chuck Gurney (2), 3. Johnny Parsons (8), 4. Cory Kruseman (13), 5. Tracy Hines (23), 6. George Snider (17), 7. Brian Gerster (11), 8. Jimmy Sills (4), 9. Dave Darland (14), 10. Brian Tyler (7), 11. Billy Engelhart (25), 12. Bruce Field (18), 13. Ryan Newman (29), 14. Tony Elliott (27), 15. Bobby Davis Jr. (30), 16. Gary Hieber (22), 17. Kevin Thomas (10), 18. Randy Bateman (26), 19. Donnie Beechler (9), 20. Cary Faas (3), 21. Jimmy Kite (24), 22. Wally Pankratz (16), 23. Russ Gamester (1), 24. Jim Keeker (12), 25. Jack Hewitt (6), 26. Ronnie Burke (21), 27. Ronnie Day (19), 28. Robby Flock (20), 29. Rusty McClure (28), 30. Jay Drake (15). NT
**Bill Baue & Carl Olsen flipped during the second qualifying race. Jack Hewitt flipped on the 13th lap of the feature. Randy Bateman flipped on the 77th lap of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-26 Russ Gamester, Laps 27-80 Chuck Gurney, Laps 81-100 Chuck Leary.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Chuck Gurney-151; 2-Jimmy Kite-129; 3-Chuck Leary-124; 4-Donnie Beechler-117; 5-Jimmy Sills-101; 6-Davey Hamilton-93; 7-Jack Hewitt-83; 8-Jim Keeker-72; 9-Dave Darland-69; 10-Brian Tyler-69.
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IRWIN WINS ROCKY MOUNTAIN CLASSIC AT PIKES PEAK
Fountain, Colorado………Kenny Irwin Jr. of Indianapolis, Ind. won the 100-mile Rocky Mountain Classic USAC Silver Crown race on June 8 at the brand-new Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo.
Irwin led the first seven laps of the race after winning the pole starting position on June 7 with an all-time record Silver Crown speed of 140.482 mph, then led the final 10 laps in the Aristocrat Products/Wynn’s Special after passing Donnie Beechler on the 91st circuit around the one-mile paved track.
Rounding out the top-10 were Beechler, Pat Abold, Dave Darland, Davey Hamilton, John Heydenreich, Jeff Mitrisin, Ted Hines, Jimmy Kite and Jimmy Sills.
Irwin’s victory was worth $17,500 from a total purse of $84,500 for the fourth round of the 1997 series. He averaged 98.226 mph.
Gary Hieber won the 15-lap qualifying race held on June 7.
Beechler emerged with a nine-point lead over Kite in the new series standings.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 7-8, 1997 – Fountain, Colorado – Pikes Peak International Raceway – Rocky Mountain Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Kenny Irwin Jr., 2, Vance-25.626; 2. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-25.639; 3. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-25.781; 4. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-25.881; 5. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-25.898; 6. Dave Steele, 26, Vance-25.942; 7. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-25.943; 8. Brian Gerster, 61, Howard-25.975; 9. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-25.981; 10. Ted Hines, 95, Fresno Roofing-25.989; 11. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-26.010; 12. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-26.031; 13. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-26.078; 14. Kenneth Nichols, 62, Beaver-26.079; 15. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-26.177; 16. Andy Michner, 14, Ede-26.189; 17. Davey Hamilton, 111, Snider/Foyt-26.221; 18. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-26.222; 19. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-26.272; 20. Mike Gregg, 65, Gregg-26.302; 21. Rick Brown, 173, Diemert-26.343; 22. Jeff Mitrisin, 10, Cahill-26.442; 23. Bruce Field, 7, Wellington-26.458; 24. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-26.480; 25. Jason Leffler, 6, Potter-26.536; 26. Joe Gosek, 5, Steck-26.554; 27. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-26.557; 28. Randy Bauer, 81, Snider/Foyt-26.621; 29. Jimmy Kite, 70, Senter-26.677; 30. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-26.718; 31. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-26.811; 32. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-26.824; 33. Cory Kruseman, 58, Gardner-26.848; 34. Ronnie Burke, 87, Burke-26.873; 35. Brian Tyler, 25, Boles-26.894; 36. Todd Thomas, 73, Dickson-26.898; 37. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D Racing-27.096; 38. Jay Drake, 17, Ricehouse-27.277; 39. Don Carter Jr., 32, Kazmark-27.384; 40. Bill Baue, 78, B&G-27.459; 41. Don O'Keefe, 00, O'Keefe-27.632; 42. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-27.944; 43. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-NT; 44. Dodie Miller, 8, Miller-NT; 45. Jimmy Kite, 92, Hoerner-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Gary Hieber, 2. Jimmy Kite, 3. Jay Drake, 4. Randy Bauer, 5. Ronnie Burke, 6. Jason McCord, 7. Todd Thomas, 8. Joe Gosek, 9. Kevin Thomas, 10. Cory Kruseman, 11. Bill Baue, 12. Don O'Keefe, 13. Jason Leffler, 14. Wally Pankratz, 15. Daryl Daugherty, 16. Don Carter Jr., 17. Brian Tyler. 6:35.93
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kenny Irwin Jr. (1), 2. Donnie Beechler (18), 3. Pat Abold (5), 4. Dave Darland (3), 5. Davey Hamilton (29), 6. John Heydenreich (15), 7. Jeff Mitrisin (22), 8. Ted Hines (10), 9. Jimmy Kite (26), 10. Jimmy Sills (17), 11. Ryan Newman (11), 12. Ronnie Burke (27), 13. Mike Gregg (20), 14. Brian Gerster (8), 15. Jay Drake (25), 16. Jack Hewitt (13), 17. Russ Gamester (12), 18. Kenneth Nichols (14), 19. Andy Michner (16), 20. Bentley Warren (9), 21. Jason McCord (30), 22. Jim Keeker (2), 23. Rick Brown (19), 24. Robby Flock (7), 25. Randy Bauer (28), 26. Dave Steele (6), 27. Gary Hieber (23), 28. Chuck Gurney (4), 29. Bruce Field (21), 30. George Snider (24). 1:01:05.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-7 Kenny Irwin Jr., Laps 8-74 Robby Flock, Lap 75 Kenny Irwin Jr., Laps 76-87 Pat Abold, Laps 88-90 Donnie Beechler, Laps 91-100 Kenny Irwin Jr.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Donnie Beechler-174; 2-Jimmy Kite-165; 3-Chuck Gurney-156; 4-Davey Hamilton-141; 5-Jimmy Sills-134; 6-Kenny Irwin Jr.-126; 7-Chuck Leary-124; 8-Dave Darland-120; 9-Pat Abold-114; 10-Jack Hewitt-104.
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BEECHLER BECOMES TWO-TIME SUMAR CLASSIC WINNER
Terre Haute, Indiana………Donnie Beechler of Springfield, Ill. scored his second Sumar Classic victory in the 100-lap USAC Silver Crown race on July 4 at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Beechler won the pole, then led the first 55 laps before yielding to defending series champion Jimmy Sills. Beechler regained the lead from Sills on lap 92 and led to the finish as Sills slipped to third at the finish behind 1996 Sumar victor Kevin Thomas.
Beechler earned $11,500 for the victory, which included a $2,500 bonus from Don Smith and Terre Haute First National Bank plus a $500 bonus from Nelson Builders for his fast qualifying time. Beechler now leads Sills by 52 points in the new Silver Crown standings.
Five cars were eliminated from the race on the opening lap, including front row starter Cary Faas as well as former series point leaders Jimmy Kite and Chuck Gurney. J.J. Yeley, winner of the previous week’s Tony Hulman Classic Sprint Car race at the half-mile dirt track, was also involved in an opening lap incident and flipped but there were no driver injuries.
Tony Stewart, the 1995 series champion, was running third late in the race when the engine in his car failed and he was placed 14th in the official finish.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: July 4, 1997 – Terre Haute, Indiana – Terre Haute Action Track – Sumar Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-14 locked into the feature) 1. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-21.263; 2. Cary Faas, 37, Riggs-21.507; 3. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-21.544; 4. Brian Gerster, 61, Howard-21.793; 5. Jimmy Kite, 92, Hoerner-21.797; 6. Tim Clark, 23, Parker-22.008; 7. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-22.089; 8. Tony Stewart, 111, Snider/Foyt-22.109; 9. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-22.198; 10. Terry Pletch, 129, Pletch-22.222; 11. Brian Hayden, 96, Wallace-22.243; 12. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-22.300; 13. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-22.314; 14. Jason Leffler, 6, Potter-22.324; 15. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-22.333; 16. J.J. Yeley, 58, Gardner-22.369; 17. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-22.381; 18. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-22.414; 19. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-22.425; 20. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-22.510; 21. Derek Davidson, 24, LeFevre-22.521; 22. Brian Tyler, 73, Dickson-22.544; 23. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-22.616; 24. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-22.617; 25. Ryan Newman, 2, Vance-22.676; 26. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-22.738; 27. Bill Rose, 41, Bowen-22.799; 28. Rod Holshouser, 64, Holshouser-22.858; 29. Kenneth Nichols, 62, Beaver-23.353; 30. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-23.825; 31. Terry Babb, 49, Babb-24.513; 32. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-24.711; 33. Ricky Logan, 16, Logan-24.863; 34. Al Thomas, 172, Thomas-25.610; 35. Rusty McClure, 46, Egan-NT; 36. Robbie Rice, 48, Irvin-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Chuck Leary, 2. Dave Darland, 3. Jack Hewitt, 4. Derek Davidson, 5. Ryan Newman, 6. Jason McCord, 7. Ricky Logan, 8. Bill Rose, 9. Kenneth Nichols, 10. Terry Babb. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. J.J. Yeley, 2. Tony Elliott, 3. Chuck Gurney, 4. Johnny Parsons, 5. Brian Tyler, 6. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 7. Rod Holshouser, 8. Daryl Daugherty, 9. Al Thomas, 10. Bill Baue. 5:52.09
FEATURE (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Donnie Beechler (1), 2. Kevin Thomas (9), 3. Jimmy Sills (3), 4. Dave Darland (17), 5. Russ Gamester (13), 6. Brian Tyler (24), 7. Robby Flock (12), 8. Brian Gerster (4), 9. Derek Davidson (21), 10. Wally Pankratz (7), 11. Brian Hayden (11), 12. Tony Elliott (18), 13. Chuck Leary (15), 14. Tony Stewart (8), 15. Tim Clark (6), 16. Ryan Newman (23), 17. Jack Hewitt (19), 18. Jason Leffler (14), 19. Terry Pletch (10), 20. Cary Faas (2), 21. Jimmy Kite (5), 22. J.J. Yeley (16), 23. Chuck Gurney (20), 24. Johnny Parsons (22). NT
**J.J. Yeley flipped on lap 1 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-55 Donnie Beechler, Laps 56-91 Jimmy Sills, Laps 92-100 Donnie Beechler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Donnie Beechler-240; 2-Jimmy Sills-188; 3-Jimmy Kite-177; 4-Dave Darland-171; 5-Chuck Gurney-166; 6-Chuck Leary-151; 7-Davey Hamilton-141; 8-Kenny Irwin Jr.-126; 9-Jack Hewitt-123; 10-Ryan Newman-118.
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IRWIN COMES FROM 28TH TO WIN DuPONT 100 AT IRP
Clermont, Indiana………Kenny Irwin Jr. of Indianapolis, Ind. tied his own record for coming from the worst starting position in history to win a USAC Silver Crown race on July 30, taking the DuPont 100 at Indianapolis Raceway Park from 28th.
In 1995, Irwin came from 28th to in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. He failed to qualify for the DuPont 100 in his Wynn’s/Aristocrat Products machine. He started last in a qualifying race and spun out early, then came from the back on a restart to finish fourth and earn the 28th spot in the 100-lap feature.
By lap 34, Irwin was already in the top-10, and by halfway, he was seventh. Three laps later, he was fifth, then passed Pat Abold for fourth on lap 64, Jimmy Kite for third on lap 65 and fast qualifier Russ Gamester for second on lap 72. Six laps later, he inherited the lead when Tony Stewart was blocked by Jay Drake’s spinning car and Drake flipped down the front stretch. On the restart, Irwin assumed command but had to hold off Mike Bliss’ charge at the finish to post the victory.
Stewart led the first 78 laps of the race after starting on the front row next to Gamester. His misfortune in the Drake incident left him 23rd in the official finish. Bliss wound up a close second ahead of Dan Drinan, Pat Abold, Bentley Warren, Chet Fillip, Tracy Hines, Kite (who hit the wall on the final lap), Jim Keeker and Jeff Mitrisin.
Series point leader Donnie Beechler and National Midget point leader Jason Leffler won qualifying races but Beechler crashed on the 81st lap of the race and his point lead over Kite stands at 36.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: July 30, 1997 – Clermont, Indiana – Indianapolis Raceway Park – DuPont 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-20.818; 2. Tony Stewart, 11, Snider/Foyt-20.830; 3. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-20.885; 4. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-20.887; 5. Jay Drake, 17, Ricehouse-20.934; 6. Jimmy Kite, 92, Hoerner-21.053; 7. Brian Gerster, 61, Howard-21.060; 8. Paul Durant, 95, Fresno Roofing-21.065; 9. Chet Fillip, 27, 5D-21.166; 10. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-21.180; 11. Davey Hamilton, 111, Snider/Foyt-21.192; 12. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-21.207; 13. Mike Bliss, 9, Goetz-21.210; 14. Dan Drinan, 333, Drinan-21.212; 15. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.241; 16. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-21.279; 17. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-21.326; 18. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-21.329; 19. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-21.335; 20. Tracy Hines, 14, Ede-21.335; 21. J.J. Yeley, 58, Gardner-21.350; 22. Jason Leffler, 6, Potter-21.353; 23. Doug Kalitta, 37, Riggs-21.398; 24. Ronnie Burke, 87, Burke-21.408; 25. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-21.453; 26. Casey Diemert, 173, Diemert-21.459; 27. Jeff Mitrisin, 10, Cahill-21.460; 28. Dave Steele, 26, Vance-21.500; 29. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-21.555; 30. Andy Michner, 12, Galas-21.576; 31. Brian Tyler, 73, Dickson-21.605; 32. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-21.651; 33. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-21.675; 34. Jimmy McCune, 50, Aviators-21.747; 35. Randy Bauer, 25, Boles-21.749; 36. Joe Gosek, 5, Steck-21.770; 37. Kenneth Nichols, 62, Beaver-21.933; 38. Mike Mosley Jr., 38, MacPherson-21.991; 39. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-22.012; 40. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-22.088; 41. Don Carter Jr., 32, Kazmark-22.203; 42. Norm Young, 22, Lawson-22.407; 43. Bruce Field, 7, Wellington-22.703; 44. Dodie Miller, 8, Miller-23.148; 45. Kenny Irwin Jr., 2, Vance-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jason Leffler, 2. Jason McCord, 3. Ronnie Burke, 4. Andy Michner, 5. Joe Gosek, 6. Dave Steele, 7. Casey Diemert, 8. Jimmy McCune, 9. Daryl Daugherty, 10. Dodie Miller, 11. Norm Young, 12. Mike Mosley Jr. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Donnie Beechler, 2. Doug Kalitta, 3. Bentley Warren, 4. Kenny Irwin Jr., 5. Jeff Mitrisin, 6. Randy Bauer, 7. Bill Baue, 8. Brian Tyler, 9. Bruce Field, 10. Gary Hieber, 11. Don Carter Jr., 12. Kenneth Nichols. NT
FEATURE: (100 Laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kenny Irwin Jr. (28), 2. Mike Bliss (12), 3. Dan Drinan (13), 4. Pat Abold (9), 5. Bentley Warren (26), 6. Chet Fillip (8), 7. Tracy Hines (19), 8. Jimmy Kite (5), 9. Jim Keeker (15), 10. Jeff Mitrisin (30), 11. Jason McCord (23), 12. Joe Gosek (29), 13. Jason Leffler (21), 14. Dave Darland (14), 15. Andy Michner (27), 16. Russ Gamester (1), 17. Robby Flock (18), 18. Ryan Newman (11), 19. Davey Hamilton (10), 20. Jack Hewitt (3), 21. Donnie Beechler (22), 22. J.J. Yeley (20), 23. Tony Stewart (2), 24. Jay Drake (4), 25. Brian Gerster (6), 26. Doug Kalitta (24), 27. Ronnie Burke (25), 28. John Heydenreich (16), 29. Paul Durant (7), 30. Chuck Leary (17). NT
**Jay Drake flipped on lap 79 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-78 Tony Stewart, Laps 79-100 Kenny Irwin Jr.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Donnie Beechler-252; 2-Jimmy Kite-216; 3-Dave Darland-207; 4-Jimmy Sills-188; 5-Kenny Irwin Jr.-186; 6-Chuck Gurney-166; 7-Pat Abold-165; 8-Davey Hamilton-156; 9-Chuck Leary-154; 10-Russ Gamester-141.
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DARLAND CAPTURES SPRINGFIELD’S TONY BETTENHAUSEN 100
Springfield, Illinois………Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. captured the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield on August 16, leading the final 56 miles in his Franklin Power Products Special.
The victory boosted Darland to second in the standings behind leader Donnie Beechler.
Darland started third in the 30-car field and trailed pole starter and fast qualifier Russ Gamester for the first 44 laps before catching him in turn three. Gamester finished second ahead of Springfield’s Beechler, defending Silver Crown champion Jimmy Sills and Jim Keeker.
Four caution periods slowed the race and Bruce Field flipped violently during qualifications but there were no driver injuries in any of the incidents.
Pre-race favorites Chuck Gurney, George Snider and Johnny Parsons were all involved in incidents which left them on the sidelines at race end. Gurney, seeking a record eighth victory in the race, blew a right rear tire on lap 71, then rejoined the race, only to spin into the guardrail in turn two 18 laps later.
Gamester qualified at 115.063 mph to earn the pole for the 100-miler and Cary Faas won a 15-lap qualifying race.
Rounding out the top-10 at the finish were Jack Hewitt, Faas, Brian Gerster, Gary Hieber and Billy Puterbaugh Jr.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 16, 1997 – Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Tony Bettenhausen 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-31.287; 2. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-31.637; 3. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-31.719; 4. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-31.853; 5. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-31.871; 6. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-32.195; 7. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-32.214; 8. Brian Gerster, 61, Howard-32.252; 9. George Snider, 111, Snider/Foyt-32.286; 10. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-32.352; 11. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-32.386; 12. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-32.425; 13. J.J. Yeley, 58, Gardner-32.511; 14. Ronnie Burke, 87, Burke-32.523; 15. Eric Gordon, 18, Conroy-32.525; 16. Derek Davidson, 24, LeFevre-32.564; 17. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-32.639; 18. Brian Tyler, 73, Dickson-32.727; 19. Kenneth Nichols, 62, Beaver-32.728; 20. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-32.733; 21. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-32.769; 22. Cary Faas, 37, Riggs-32.834; 23. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-33.055; 24. Tony Elliott, 6, Potter-33.132; 25. Tim Clark, 23, Parker-33.164; 26. Billy Engelhart, 83, Sohm-33.238; 27. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-33.240; 28. Jerry Nemire, 31, Mataka-34.364; 29. Mike Gregg, 65, Gregg-33.720; 30. Rod Holshouser, 64, Holshouser-33.729; 31. Norm Young, 22, Lawson-33.879; 32. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-33.900; 33. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-34.487; 34. Al Thomas, 172, Thomas-34.533; 35. Bruce Field, 7, Wellington-NT; 36. Randy Bateman, 96, Wallace-NT; 37. Rusty McClure, 46, Egan-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-11 transfer to the feature) 1. Cary Faas, 2. Jack Hewitt, 3. Gary Hieber, 4. Billy Engelhart, 5. Robby Flock, 6. Jerry Nemire, 7. Mike Gregg, 8. Rod Holshouser, 9. Bill Baue, 10. Tim Clark, 11. Daryl Daugherty, 12. Norm Young, 13. Al Thomas, 14. Tony Elliott. 9:20.48
FEATURE: (100 Laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Dave Darland (3), 2. Russ Gamester (1), 3. Donnie Beechler (11), 4. Jimmy Sills (2), 5. Jim Keeker (12), 6. Jack Hewitt (22), 7. Cary Faas (21), 8. Brian Gerster (8), 9. Gary Hieber (23), 10. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (10), 11. Eric Gordon (15), 12. J.J. Yeley (13), 13. Ronnie Burke (14), 14. Brian Tyler (18), 15. Derek Davidson (16), 16. Kenneth Nichols (19), 17. Rod Holshouser (28), 18. Mike Gregg (27), 19. Chuck Gurney (4), 20. Wally Pankratz (20), 21. Jerry Nemire (26), 22. Bill Baue (29), 23. Billy Engelhart (24), 24. Robby Flock (25), 25. George Snider (9), 26. Ryan Newman (17), 27. Daryl Daugherty (30), 28. Kevin Thomas (5), 29. Johnny Parsons (6), 30. Chuck Leary (7). NT
**Bruce Field flipped during qualifying.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-44 Russ Gamester, laps 45-100 Dave Darland.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Donnie Beechler-306; 2-Dave Darland-259; 3-Jimmy Sills-239; 4-Jimmy Kite-216; 5-Russ Gamester-201; 6-Kenny Irwin Jr.-186; 7-Jack Hewitt-181; 8-Chuck Gurney-181; 9-Jim Keeker-167; 10-Pat Abold-165.
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GAMESTER FINALLY CRACKS WINNER’S CIRCLE AT Du QUOIN
Du Quoin, Illinois………Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind. captured the Du Quoin Century at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds on September 1, his first victory in the USAC Silver Crown series.
Gamester caught new track record holder Dave Darland on the 87th lap and led the final 14 laps in his Terre Haute First National Bank Special.
Darland, who set a new track record of 118.780 mph during time trials to earn a $500 bonus from Nelson Builders, led the first 86 laps around the one-mile track and emerged from the race trailing Donnie Beechler by just one point in the new series standings. Beechler finished 18th at Du Quoin after a pit stop for new tires. Darland’s time trial erased Johnny Parsons’ five-year-old record of 117.971 mph.
Tony Stewart made a strong bid for victory although he had to start 22nd after coming from fifth to finish second in the semi. He was in the top-10 by lap 15 and took fifth on lap 32. He moved up to fourth on lap 35 when Tracy Hines, who started fifth and was running second, blew an engine. Eight laps later, Stewart passed Chuck Leary for third and he stayed there the rest of the race.
Trailing Gamester, Darland and Stewart at the checkered flag were Ron Shuman, Jimmy Sills, Jim Keeker, Kevin Thomas, Jack Hewitt, John Heydenreich and Robby Flock.
The race was slowed by five cautions. Kenneth Nichols hit the wall exiting turn two on the opening lap of the race. Ricky Logan stalled in turn four on lap 18. Tracy Hines’ blown engine brought out the yellow on lap 35. Chuck Leary stalled in turn four on lap 75 and Rod Holshouser hit the wall in turn two on lap 81. Mike Brooks of Knoxville, Iowa also escaped injury when he clobbered the third-turn guardrail during the semi. The impact sheared off the front end of his car.
The 15-mile qualifying race was won by Jimmy Sills.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 1, 1997 – Du Quoin, Illinois – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin Century
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-30.308; 2. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-30.547; 3. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-30.818; 4. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-30.914; 5. Johnny Parsons, 61, Howard-31.083; 6. Tracy Hines, 6, Potter-31.193; 7. Rusty McClure, 46, Egan-31.428; 8. Ron Shuman, 37, Riggs-31.447; 9. Ronnie Burke, 87, Burke-31.452; 10. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-31.934; 11. Bill Rose, 50, Aviators-32.031; 12. Rod Holshouser, 64, Holshouser-32.063; 13. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-32.125; 14. Brian Tyler, 73, Dickson-32.139; 15. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-32.170; 16. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-32.268; 17. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-32.439; 18. Kenneth Nichols, 62, Beaver-32.531; 19. Ricky Logan, 116, Logan-32.609; 20. Randy Bateman, 96, Wallace-32.687; 21. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-32.786; 22. Terry Pletch, 129, Pletch-33.002; 23. George Snider, 11, Snider/Foyt-33.065; 24. Dave McGough, 31, Mataka-33.235; 25. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-33.279; 26. Tony Stewart, 111, Snider/Foyt-33.356; 27. J.J. Yeley, 58, Gardner-33.386; 28. Eric Gordon, 83, Sohm-33.469; 29. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-33.842; 30. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-33.921; 31. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-34.009; 32. Derek Davidson, 24, LeFevre-34.292; 33. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-34.674; 34. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-34.702; 35. Mike Brooks, 97, Brooks-35.186; 36. Justin Via, 16, Logan-35.320; 37. Donnie Lehmann, 86, Franklin-35.488; 38. Norm Young, 22, Lawson-NT; 39. Marvin Pifer, 211, Morton-NT; 40. Scott Hatton, 54, Hatton-NT.
QUALFIYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 2. Tony Stewart, 3. Jack Hewitt, 4. Ryan Newman, 5. Kevin Thomas, 6. Eric Gordon, 7. John Heydenreich, 8. J.J. Yeley, 9. Dave McGough, 10. Terry Pletch, 11. Bill Baue, 12. Donnie Lehmann, 13. George Snider, 14. Daryl Daugherty, 15. Mike Brooks, 16. Derek Davidson. NT
FEATURE (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Russ Gamester (3), 2. Dave Darland (1), 3. Tony Stewart (22), 4. Ron Shuman (7), 5. Jimmy Sills (21), 6. Jim Keeker (15), 7. Kevin Thomas (25), 8. Jack Hewitt (23), 9. John Heydenreich (27), 10. Robby Flock (16), 11. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (14), 12. Ryan Newman (24), 13. Eric Gordon (26), 14. Bill Rose (10), 15. Gary Hieber (20), 16. J.J. Yeley (28), 17. Terry Pletch (30), 18. Donnie Beechler (12), 19. Randy Bateman (19), 20. Rod Holshouser (11), 21. Ronnie Burke (8), 22. Chuck Leary (9), 23. Brian Tyler (13), 24. Chuck Gurney (2), 25. Dave McGough (29), 26. Tracy Hines (5), 27. Rusty McClure (6), 28. Ricky Logan (18), 29. Johnny Parsons (4), 30. Kenneth Nichols (17). 1:05:30.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-86 Dave Darland, Laps 87-100 Russ Gamester.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Donnie Beechler-323; 2-Dave Darland-322; 3-Jimmy Sills-287; 4-Russ Gamester-261; 5-Jack Hewitt-220; 6-Jimmy Kite-216; 7-Jim Keeker-212; 8-Chuck Gurney-190; 9-Kenny Irwin Jr.-186; 10-Ryan Newman-171.
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ABOLD WINS INAUGURAL GATEWAY SILVER CROWN RACE
Madison, Illinois………Pat Abold of Pennellville, N.Y. won the 100-mile Gateway Twin 100s USAC Silver Crown race at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill. on September 14.
The win, in the Hoffman Auto Racing Chevy, was Abold’s second victory in the 1997 series and boosted him to eighth in the standings.
“This was the most fun I’ve had in a long time,” Abold said after the race. “Drafting played a big part and (Robby) Flock was faster at times but we had enough at the finish.”
Abold scored a narrow victory over Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla., Dan Drinan of Indianapolis, Ind., Kenny Irwin Jr. of Indianapolis, Ind. and Flock of Temecula, Calif., who slipped back to fifth in the closing laps.
Abold led 42 of the 80 laps around the 1.25-mile oval, including the first 11 and the last 25.
Chuck Leary of Greenfield, Ind. set a new Silver Crown record during September 13 qualifying with a lap at 141.750 mph but dropped out with engine woes at halfway.
The race was halted twice by accidents. Johnny Parsons flipped at the start/finish line in a five-car tangle on lap four. Mike Bliss and Chuck Gurney tangled in turn two on lap 21 with Bliss’ car erupting in flames. There were no driver injuries.
Dave Darland, who finished eighth at Gateway, emerged with a 25-point series lead over Donnie Beechler, who was 20th.
Beechler was involved in a practice accident with Jimmy Kite and Paul Durant but hopped into the car qualified by John Heydenreich to start last in the 100-mile race. He was running at the finish but was seven laps down.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 13-14, 1997 – Madison, Illinois – Gateway International Raceway – Gateway Twin 100s
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-31.746; 2. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-32.360; 3. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-32.501; 4. Tony Stewart, 11, Snider/Foyt-32.511; 5. Dave Steele, 26, Vance-32.579; 6. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-32.650; 7. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-32.725; 8. Davey Hamilton, 111, Snider/Foyt-32.727; 9. Mike Bliss, 61, Howard-32.880; 10. Dan Drinan, 333, Drinan-32.984; 11. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-33.013; 12. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-33.051; 13. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-33.124; 14. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-33.182; 15. Tracy Hines, 53, Pattee-33.193; 16. Johnny Parsons, 37, Riggs-33.267; 17. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-33.291; 18. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-33.323; 19. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-33.482; 20. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-33.517; 21. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-33.553; 22. Brian Tyler, 73, Dickson-33.597; 23. Eric Gordon, 83, Sohm-33.614; 24. Gary Irvin, 48, Irvin-33.676; 25. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-33.783; 26. Jason McCord, 18, Conroy-33.786; 27. Mike Gregg, 65, Gregg-33.830; 28. Ricky Logan, 16, Logan-33.954; 29. Doug Kalitta, 8, Miller-34.108; 30. Ronnie Burke, 87, Burke-34.119; 31. J.J. Yeley, 58, Gardner-34.133; 32. Kenny Irwin Jr., 2, Vance-34.206; 33. Pat Bliss, 173, Diemert-34.225; 34. Jeff Mitrisin, 10, Cahill-34.249; 35. Jimmy McCune, 34, D & D-34.289; 36. Randy Bateman, 96, T & D-34.671; 37. Andy Michner, 12, Galas-34.672; 38. Don Carter Jr., 32, Kazmark-34.864; 39. Dave McGough, 31, Mataka-35.328; 40. Mike Mosley Jr., 38, MacPherson-35.935; 41. Donnie Lehmann, 86, Franklin-36.249; 42. Don O’Keefe, 00, O’Keefe-36.787; 43. Jimmy Kite, 92, Hoerner-NT; 44. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-NT; 45. Norm Young, 22, Lawson-NT; 46. Paul Durant, 95, Fresno Roofing-NT; 47. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Kenny Irwin Jr., 2. Mike Gregg, 3. Wally Pankratz, 4. Ricky Logan, 5. Jason McCord, 6. Ronnie Burke, 7. Pat Bliss, 8. Jimmy McCune, 9. Andy Michner, 10. Don Carter Jr., 11. Mike Mosley Jr., 12. Don O’Keefe, 13. Donnie Lehmann, 14. Randy Bateman, 15. J.J. Yeley, 16. Doug Kalitta. 8:18.44
FEATURE (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Pat Abold (2), 2. Dave Steele (5), 3. Dan Drinan (10), 4. Kenny Irwin Jr. (25), 5. Robby Flock (6), 6. Tony Stewart (4), 7. Jimmy Sills (3), 8. Dave Darland (21), 9. Ryan Newman (12), 10. Mike Gregg (26), 11. Russ Gamester (17), 12. Jim Keeker (19), 13. Brian Tyler (22), 14. Ronnie Burke (30), 15. Eric Gordon (23), 16. Wally Pankratz (27), 17. Chuck Gurney (11), 18. Jason McCord (29), 19. Gary Irvin (24), 20. Donnie Beechler (#80) (13), 21. Bentley Warren (20), 22. Jack Hewitt (7), 23. Chuck Leary (1), 24. Ricky Logan (28), 25. Mike Bliss (9), 26. Kevin Thomas (14), 27. Davey Hamilton (8), 28. Johnny Parsons (16), 29. Gary Hieber (18), 30. Tracy Hines (15). NT
**Johnny Parsons flipped on the fifth lap of the race.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-11 Pat Abold, Laps 12-20 Robby Flock, Laps 21-24 Pat Abold, Laps 25-38 Robby Flock, Lap 39 Pat Abold, Laps 40-42 Robby Flock, Lap 43 Pat Abold, Laps 44-55 Dan Drinan, Laps 56-80 Pat Abold.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Darland-361; 2-Donnie Beechler-336; 3-Jimmy Sills-329; 4-Russ Gamester-292; 5-Jim Keeker-241; 6-Kenny Irwin Jr.-237; 7-Jack Hewitt-231; 8-Pat Abold-228; 9-Jimmy Kite-216; 10-Robby Flock-210.
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HUNTLEY HUNTS DOWN FIRST SILVER CROWN WIN AT ELDORA
Rossburg, Ohio………Kevin Huntley of Bloomington, Ind. scored a somewhat surprising victory in the 50-lap USAC Silver Crown race at Eldora Speedway on September 20 as part of the annual 4-Crown Nationals.
Huntley trailed Brian Tyler for the first 47 laps but Tyler became one of several victims of tire wear in the closing laps and slipped to sixth at the checkered flag. Huntley led the final three laps in his Peterbilt of Northwest Ohio Special to beat Ryan Newman, Eric Gordon, Tracy Hines and Russ Gamester.
Silver Crown point leader Dave Darland, also a tire wear victim at the end, was eighth and holds a 35-point lead over Donnie Beechler in the new series standings.
Defending series champion Jimmy Sills won the pole during September 19 qualifying but he too fell victim to tire wear and finished 11th. Beechler, with similar tire problems, was 12th at the finish.
Pre-race favorites Jack Hewitt and Tony Stewart met similar fates. Hewitt dropped out with a blown tire after just three laps while Stewart, who won the 20-lap qualifying race, clipped the spun car of Brian Hayden on the 20th lap and retired.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 19-20, 1997 – Rossburg, Ohio – Eldora Speedway – 17th 4-Crown Nationals
QUALIFYING: (Top-13 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-16.378; 2. Brian Tyler, 73, Dickson-16.408; 3. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-16.452; 4. Kevin Huntley, 34, D & D-16.527; 5. Johnny Parsons, 61, Howard-16.553; 6. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-16.564; 7. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-16.590; 8. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-16.612; 9. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-16.651; 10. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-16.755; 11. Tracy Hines, 6, Potter-16.770; 12. Derek Davidson, 24, LeFevre-16.815; 13. Terry Pletch, 129, Pletch-16.899; 14. J.J. Yeley, 58, Gardner-16.914; 15. Tony Stewart, 111, Snider/Foyt-16.933; 16. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-17.035; 17. Rusty McClure, 46, Egan-17.087; 18. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-17.120; 19. John Heydenreich, 37, Riggs-17.126; 20. Bill Rose, 41, Bowen-17.169; 21. Brian Hayden, 31, Mataka-17.319; 22. Eric Gordon, 48, Irvin-17.355; 23. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-17.508; 24. Donnie Lehmann, 86, Franklin-17.569; 25. Tim Clark, 23, Parker-17.674; 26. Marvin Pifer, 211, Morton-18.317; 27. Al Thomas, 172, Thomas-18.336; 28. Kenneth Nichols, 62, Beaver-18.684; 29. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (20 laps, top-12 transfer to the feature) 1. Tony Stewart, 2. J.J. Yeley, 3. Tracy Hines, 4. Ryan Newman, 5. Robby Flock, 6. Brian Hayden, 7. Bill Rose, 8. Tim Clark, 9. Kevin Doty (#37), 10. Eric Gordon, 11. Kevin Thomas, 12. Jim Keeker, 13. Donnie Lehmann, 14. Al Thomas, 15. Jason Leffler (#62). 6:19.33
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Kevin Huntley (4), 2. Ryan Newman (16), 3. Eric Gordon (22), 4. Tracy Hines (15), 5. Russ Gamester (3), 6. Brian Tyler (2), 7. Johnny Parsons (5), 8. Dave Darland (7), 9. Bill Rose (19), 10. Jim Keeker (24), 11. Jimmy Sills (1), 12. Donnie Beechler (6), 13. J.J. Yeley (14), 14. Terry Pletch (12), 15. Robby Flock (17), 16. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (9), 17. Derek Davidson (11), 18. Kevin Doty (#37) (21), 19. Tony Stewart (13), 20. Chuck Gurney (8), 21. Brian Hayden (18), 22. Kevin Thomas (23), 23. Tim Clark (20), 24. Jack Hewitt (10). NT
**Kenneth Nichols flipped during practice.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-41 Brian Tyler, Lap 42 Donnie Beechler, Laps 43-47 Brian Tyler, Laps 48-50 Kevin Huntley.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Darland-400; 2-Donnie Beechler-365; 3-Jimmy Sills-363; 4-Russ Gamester-340; 5-Jim Keeker-274; 6-Ryan Newman-264; 7-Jack Hewitt-240; 8-Kenny Irwin Jr.-237; 9-Robby Flock-233; 10-Pat Abold-228.
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DARLAND GOES WIRE-TO-WIRE AT CAL EXPO
Sacramento, California………Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. took the next-to-last step toward winning the 1997 USAC Silver Crown championship in October, leading wire-to-wire to win the Silver Crown 100 at the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds.
Donnie Beechler overcame a bout with the flu to compete, finishing a strong third behind Darland and runner-up George Snider. Cary Faas and Russ Gamester rounded out the top-five in the race slowed by three yellows and one red.
The red flag came out on lap 98 when Kevin Thomas, trying to protect third place from Beechler, hit the wall in turn one and flipped. Thomas escaped injury and the race was restarted.
Jimmy Sills, a three-time Cal Expo winner, won the pole for the 100-miler at 110.463 mph but encountered braking problems with his Mopar Special and retired only three laps into the race. Other yellows flew for Jack Hewitt’s brush with the wall in turn one on the 26th lap and Rip Williams’ spin in turn four on lap 90.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: October 11, 1997 – Sacramento, California – Cal Expo State Fairgrounds
QUALIFYING: 1. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-32.590; 2. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-32.660; 3. George Snider, 111, Snider/Foyt-32.747; 4. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-32.850; 5. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-32.869; 6. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-32.902; 7. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-32.915; 8. Cary Faas, 65, Gregg-32.942; 9. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-32.952; 10. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-33.017; 11. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-33.019; 12. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-33.090; 13. Brian Tyler, 73, Dickson-33.221; 14. Ronnie Day, 117, JR-33.225; 15. Brent Kaeding, 4, Wellington-33.377; 16. Tracy Hines, 6, Potter-33.405; 17. Ron Shuman, 37, Riggs-33.449; 18. Tony Elliott, 12, Galas-33.534; 19. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-33.545; 20. Richard Griffin, 53, Pattee-33.567; 21. Rip Williams, 36, Wilkerson-33.616; 22. Johnny Parsons, 61, Howard-33.677; 23. Greg Peterson, 57, Peterson-34.114; 24. Troy Cline, 42, Robison-34.303; 25. Jordan Hermansader, 72, Brown-34.615; 26. Bill Rose, 21, Snow-34.945; 27. Bryan Bullard, 82, McCreary-35.339; 28. Jason Statler, 121, Espindola-35.374; 29. Bob Meli, 84, Spivey-35.518; 30. Jackie Burke, 45, Pritchett-36.505; 31. Don O’Keefe, 00, O’Keefe-36.664; 32. Todd Bammer, 818, Bammer-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps) 1. Tracy Hines, 2. Brent Kaeding, 3. Robby Flock, 4. Ron Shuman, 5. Rip Williams, 6. Tony Elliott, 7. Richard Griffin, 8. Johnny Parsons, 9. Jordan Hermansader, 10. Troy Cline, 11. Bryan Bullard, 12. Jason Statler, 13. Jackie Burke, 14. Don O’Keefe, 15. Bob Meli, 16. Greg Peterson, 17. Bill Rose. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Dave Darland (2), 2. George Snider (3), 3. Donnie Beechler (9), 4. Cary Faas (8), 5. Russ Gamester (11), 6. Tracy Hines (15), 7. Jim Keeker (10), 8. Ronnie Day (14), 9. Robby Flock (17), 10. Johnny Parsons (22), 11. Rip Williams (19), 12. Kevin Thomas (6), 13. Wally Pankratz (7), 14. Brent Kaeding (16), 15. Troy Cline (24), 16. Richard Griffin (21), 17. Brian Tyler (13), 18. Tony Elliott (20), 19. Jordan Hermansader (23), 20. Ryan Newman (5), 21. Ron Shuman (18), 22. Jack Hewitt (12), 23. Chuck Gurney (4), 24. Jimmy Sills (1). NT
**Kevin Thomas flipped on the 99th lap of the race.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Dave Darland.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Darland-463; 2-Donnie Beechler-419; 3-Russ Gamester-388; 4-Jimmy Sills-375; 5-Jim Keeker-316; 6-Ryan Newman-277; 7-Robby Flock-269; 8-Jack Hewitt-251; 9-Brian Tyler-243; 10-Kenny Irwin Jr.-237.
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STEWART COMES UP A WINNER IN VEGAS
Las Vegas, Nevada………Tony Stewart of Columbus, Ind. scored his initial USAC Silver Crown victory in the 100-lap USAC Silver Crown season finale October 18 on the half-mile Dirt Track at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway.
Stewart led a total of 57 laps in his True Value/Terre Haute First National bank Special.
Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. failed to finish the race due to tire problems on his Franklin Power Products machine, but still managed to beat Donnie Beechler of Springfield, Ill. by 49 points for the season championship. Beechler also failed to finish the 100-lapper.
Stewart passed fast qualifier Beechler for the lead on the 41st lap, yielded to Beechler on lap 72, then the two tangled exiting the fourth turn on lap 74. Beechler spun out of competition while Stewart continued.
Seven laps later, Wally Pankratz of Orange, Calif. caught Stewart for the lead, but one lap later, they tangled exiting turn four, and again, Stewart continued while Pankratz retired from the race.
Lee Brewer Jr. of Lomita, Calif. finished a career-best second and was followed by Johnny Parsons, Jackie Burke and Kevin Thomas. Tony Elliott won the qualifying race.
USAC Sprint Car champion Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. suffered a shoulder separation in a flip in turn one on the 41st lap. He was running fifth at the time.
Robby Flock of Temecula, Calif. suffered fractured vertebrae and bruises in a flip on the restart at lap 41. Both Tyler and Flock were released from University Medical Center in Las Vegas.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: October 18, 1997 – Las Vegas, Nevada – The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
QUALIFYING: 1. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-19.082; 2. Cary Faas, 65, Gregg-19.456; 19.456; 3. Tony Stewart, 111, Snider/Foyt-19.482; 4. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-19.515; 5. Brian Tyler, 73, Dickson-19.562; 6. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-19.667; 7. Ryan Newman, 39, Newman-19.730; 8. Robby Flock, 94, Hart-19.754; 9. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-19.777; 10. Chuck Gurney, 9, Goetz-19.804; 11. Johnny Parsons, 61, Howard-19.909; 12. Tracy Hines, 6, Potter-19.919; 13. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-19.924; 14. Ronnie Day, 117, JR-19.944; 15. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-19.997; 16. Tony Elliott, 12, Galas-20.154; 17. Jackie Burke, 45, Pritchett-20.253; 18. Kevin Thomas, 53, Pattee-20.324; 19. Kevin Doty, 37, Riggs-20.344; 20. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-20.357; 21. Terry Pletch, 129, Pletch-20.362; 22. Lee Brewer Jr., 58, Gardner-20.693; 23. Jordan Hermansader, 72, Brown-20.734; 24. Don O’Keefe, 00, O’Keefe-21.548; 25. Bob Meli, 84, Spivey-21.943.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps) 1. Tony Elliott, 2. Wally Pankratz, 3. Lee Brewer Jr., 4. Kevin Doty, 5. Jackie Burke, 6. Kevin Thomas, 7. Terry Pletch, 8. Jim Keeker, 9. Jordan Hermansader, 10. Don O’Keefe, 11. Bob Meli. 5:10.45
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tony Stewart (3), 2. Lee Brewer Jr. (17), 3. Johnny Parsons (11), 4. Jackie Burke (19), 5. Kevin Thomas (20), 6. Kevin Doty (18), 7. Terry Pletch (21), 8. Russ Gamester (13), 9. Don O’Keefe (24), 10. Dave Darland (4), 11. Jimmy Sills (6), 12. Wally Pankratz (16), 13. Chuck Gurney (10), 14. Donnie Beechler (1), 15. Tracy Hines (12), 16. Jim Keeker (22), 17. Brian Tyler (5), 18. Robby Flock (8), 19. Tony Elliott (15), 20. Ryan Newman (7), 21. Cary Faas (2), 22. Ronnie Day (14), 23. Jordan Hermansader (23), 24. Jack Hewitt (9). NT
**Brian Tyler flipped on the 41st lap of the feature. Robby Flock flipped on the 41st lap restart of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-12 Cary Faas, Laps 13-40 Donnie Beechler, Laps 41-71 Tony Stewart, Laps 72-73 Donnie Beechler, Laps 74-80 Tony Stewart, Lap 81 Wally Pankratz, Laps 82-100 Tony Stewart.
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1997 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (496) Dave Darland, Lincoln, Ind.
2. (447) Donnie Beechler, Springfield, Ill.
3. (427) Russ Gamester, Peru, Ind.
4. (406) Jimmy Sills, Placerville, Calif.
5. (337) Jim Keeker, Cicero, Ind.
6. (290) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind.
7. (286) Robby Flock, Murrieta, Calif.
8. (262) Brian Tyler, Parma, Mich.
9. (260) Jack Hewitt, Troy, Ohio
10. (259) Chuck Gurney, Livermore, Calif.
11. (237) Kenny Irwin Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.
12. (230) Tracy Hines, New Castle, Ind.
13. (228) Pat Abold, Pennellville, N.Y.
14. (225) Kevin Thomas, Danville, Ind.
15. (218) Tony Stewart, Columbus, Ind.
16. (216) Jimmy Kite, Stockbridge, Ga.
17. (205) Johnny Parsons, Indianapolis, Ind.
18. (199) Eric Gordon, Greenfield, Ind.
19. (181) Chuck Leary, Greenfield, Ind.
20. (162) Davey Hamilton, Boise, Idaho
21. (159) Brian Gerster, Indianapolis, Ind.
22. (138) Bentley Warren, Kennebunkport, Maine
23. (134) Wally Pankratz, Orange, Calif.
24. (132) Gary Hieber, Langhorne, Pa.
25. (131) Cary Faas, Yorba Linda, Calif.
26. (127) Ronnie Burke, Houston, Texas
27. (113) George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif.
28. (108) Dan Drinan, Scottsdale, Ariz.
29. (105) Andy Michner, Grass Lake, Mich.
30. (101) Terry Pletch, Frankfort, Ind.
31. (99) J.J. Yeley, Phoenix, Ariz.
32. (86) Tony Elliott, Kokomo, Ind.
33. (86) John Heydenreich, Bloomsburg, Pa.
34. (85) Billy Puterbaugh Jr., Brownsburg, Ind.
35. (78) Derek Davidson, Lafayette, Ind.
36. (77) Mike Gregg, Vancouver, Wash.
37. (75) Dave Steele, Tampa, Fla.
38. (75) Jeff Mitrisin, Oskaloosa, Iowa
39. (66) Cory Kruseman, Ventura, Calif.
40. (65) Jason McCord, Anderson, Ind.
41. (65) Mike Bliss, Milwaukie, Ore.
42. (64) Kenneth Nichols, Odon, Ind.
43. (64) Rocky Hodges, Des Moines, Iowa
44. (61) Bill Rose, Plainfield, Ind.
45. (60) Kevin Huntley, Bloomington, Ind.
46. (56) Ronnie Day, Salinas, Calif.
47. (51) Jackie Burke, Houston, Texas
48. (46) Joe Gosek, Oswego, N.Y.
49. (45) Kevin Doty, Milan, Ill.
50. (44) Jason Leffler, Long Beach, Calif.
51. (43) Brian Hayden, Fillmore, Ind.
52. (41) Billy Engelhart, Madison, Wisc.
53. (39) Jay Drake, Val Verde, Calif.
54. (39) Ted Hines, Indianapolis, Ind.
55. (36) Don O’Keefe, Union City, Calif.
56. (36) Brent Kaeding, Campbell, Calif.
57. (33) Tim Clark, West Milton, Ohio
58. (33) Bruce Field, Lockport, Ill.
59. (32) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
60. (32) Rod Holshouser, Jackson, Mo.
61. (31) Bill Baue, Sparta, Ill.
62. (27) Casey Diemert, Roseburg, Ore.
63. (26) Doug Kalitta, Ann Arbor, Mich.
64. (25) Jordan Hermansader, Long Beach, Calif.
65. (15) Gary Irvin, Noblesville, Ind.
66. (14) Ricky Logan, Little Rock, Ark.
67. (13) Dave Blaney, Hartford, Ohio
68. (12) Ron Shuman, Tempe, Ariz.
69. (12) Todd Thomas, Pittsboro, Ind.
70. (11) Randy Bauer, Kingston, Wash.
71. (10) Rusty McClure, Ashland, Ohio
72. (10) Paul Durant, Fresno, Calif.
73. (8) Dave McGough, Sassamansville, Pa.
74. (6) Daryl Daugherty, Findlay, Ohio
75. (5) Tyce Carlson, Indianapolis, Ind.
1997 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (496) Foxco Engineering, Avon, Ind. (#56)
2. (434) Zarounian Motorsports, Visalia, Calif. (#67)
3. (427) Gamester Racing, Peru, Ind. (#51)
4. (406) Stanton Racing, Nicholasville, Ky. (#75)
5. (384) Snider-Foyt Racing, Bakersfield, Calif. (#111)
6. (366) Nolen Racing, Greenwood, Ind. (#20)
7. (316) Goetz Racing, Portage, Wisc. (#9)
8. (300) Howard Motorsports, Santa Rosa, Calif. (#61)
9. (286) Richard Hart, Glendale, Calif. (#94)
10. (285) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#2)
11. (260) Bob Hampshire, Findlay, Ohio (#63)
12. (242) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind. (#39)
13. (234) Ralph Potter, Indianapolis, Ind. (#6)
14. (233) Indiana Underground Construction (Terry Riggs), Indianapolis, Ind. (#37)
15. (228) Dynamics, Inc., Milford, Ohio (#69)
16. (222) Jack Gardner Jr., Orange, Calif. (#58)
17. (222) 5D Racing, Tucson, Ariz. (#27)
18. (205) Thomas Dickson, Parkersburg, W.Va. (#73)
19. (181) Chuck Leary, Greenfield, Ind. (#30)
20. (180) Bob Hoerner, Crest Hill, Ill. (#92)
21. (159) Aviators Racing, Chicago, Ill. (#50)
22. (147) M & L Plumbing (Fred Ede), Fresno, Calif. (#14)
23. (140) John Gregg, Camas, Wash. (#65)
24. (138) Mike & Bobby Seymour, Marlboro, Mass. (#29)
25. (132) EWH Service, Langhorne, Pa. (#66)
26. (127) Ronnie Burke, Houston, Texas (#87)
27. (120) Clare Pattee, Blythe, Calif. (#53)
28. (108) Dan Drinan, Indianapolis, Ind. (#333)
29. (106) Snider-Foyt Racing, Bakersfield, Calif. (#11)
30. (101) Terry Pletch, Frankfort, Ind. (#129)
31. (99) Gene Beach, Franklin, Mo. (#80)
32. (96) Joe Conroy, Brunswick, Ohio (#18)
33. (91) Sohm Enterprises, St. Louis, Mo. (#83)
34. (85) Bill Puterbaugh, Brownsburg, Ind. (#35)
35. (78) Dave LeFevre, Lafayette, Ind. (#24)
36. (75) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#26)
37. (75) Cahill Racing, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (#10)
38. (73) Dr. Jim Logan, St. Louis, Mo. (#16)
39. (69) Gary Irvin, Noblesville, Ind. (#48)
40. (69) Boles Chevrolet, Pendleton, Ind. (#25)
41. (67) Ricky Nix, Benton, Ill. (#43)
42. (66) D & D Fabrication, Findlay, Ohio (#34)
43. (64) Gary Beaver, Noblesville, Ind. (#62)
44. (61) Bob Bowen, Terre Haute, Ind. (#41)
45. (58) J.F. Wellington, Greenwood, Calif. (#7)
46. (56) JR Racing, Concord, Calif. (#117)
47. (55) Galas Motorsports, O’Fallon, Ill. (#12)
48. (51) Jerry Pritchett, Litchfield Park, Ariz. (#45)
49. (49) Fresno Roofing Company, Fresno, Calif. (#95)
50. (46) Jack Steck, Huber Heights, Ohio (#5)
51. (44) Dan Ricehouse, Scottsdale, Ariz. (#17)
52. (37) James Diemert, Roseburg, Ore. (#173)
53. (36) Linda O’Keefe, Union City, Calif. (#00)
54. (36) Shane Scully, Encino, Calif. (#70)
55. (33) Bob Parker, Indianapolis, Ind. (#23)
56. (32) Mataka Motorsports, Lebanon, N.J. (#31)
57. (32) Rod Holshouser, Jackson, Mo. (#64)
58. (31) Billy Wilkerson, Temple City, Calif. (#36)
59. (31) Bobby Wallace, Granite City, Ill. (#96)
60. (31) B & G Engines, Indianapolis, Ind. (#78)
61. (25) Steve Brown, Nabb, Ind. (#72)
62. (23) Linda Robison, Lakeside, Calif. (#42)
63. (19) Kalitta Flying Service, Ypsilanti, Mich. (#222)
64. (17) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill. (#55)
65. (15) T & D Motorsports, East Alton, Ill. (#96)
66. (13) Daryl Saucier, Memphis, Tenn. (#112)
67. (11) Bob Consani, Santa Rosa, Calif. (#4)
68. (11) Snider-Foyt Racing, Bakersfield, Calif. (#81)
69. (10) George Egan, Hazelwood, Mo. (#46)
70. (5) Dr. Jim Logan, St. Louis, Mo. (#116)