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.
1998 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
Following the 1998 season opener, a dejected Jason Leffler sat quietly in the press room at Walt Disney World Speedway, his hair ruffled and face covered in perspiration from the Silver Crown race he had finished only moments before – a race that should have been his.
After all, it was the 22-year-old Long Beach, Calif. native who had dominated the middle portion of the race in only his fifth series start. Then, coming around to take the white flag, the car that had done no wrong that day, suddenly gasped for fuel.
So close to his first series victory, Leffler could only watch helplessly as Brian Tyler stormed by him to take his first series victory. In the shadow of the Magic Kingdom, it was Tyler taking the lion’s share of the magic that day.
What a difference a racing season can make.
Twelve races and nine months later, it was Leffler’s chance to yank the rug out from under Tyler. Trailing Tyler in the points coming into the final event at Gateway International Raceway, Jason knew he would need a solid finish and some help. He got both.
Leffler finished the Gateway race a solid fourth while Tyler suffered from brake problems all day and came home 16th, losing the championship to Jason by only 16 points.
Despite the rocky start, Leffler’s 1998 season was simply incredible. He not only won his first Silver Crown championship in what was unofficially his Rookie year, but he also won the USAC National Midget title for a second consecutive year.
The midget title was expected; it was Leffler’s goal and focus from the first race to the last. The Silver Crown title was a surprise to Leffler himself.
“We really didn’t anticipate winning the championship at all,” Leffler admitted. “We planned to run the first couple of races, but then we were quick right off the bat. We really felt we should have won the race at Disney, but it showed us we had the speed. We just needed to find victory lane.”
Making matters more difficult was the fact that the licensed owner of the car, Jim Goetz, decided to step back from racing. He deferred to car builder and chief mechanic Bob East, who along with his wife Janice, fielded the car out of their own pocket for the entire season. The idea to run the full season really only started to take shape after the first two outings of the year proved the team’s potential. Given those circumstances and Leffler’s relative inexperience in the champ cars, a title should have been out of the question.
The title was certainly a storybook ending to the season but was not without difficulty. Leffler admitted to struggling on the dirt miles that are so integral to a Silver Crown championship. Combine his learning curve with mechanical gremlins and it reminded Leffler and the team that dirt is a four-letter word.
“The problems (on the dirt miles) weren’t really the team’s problems,” Leffler admitted. “Also, when we did have (mechanical) problems with the car, it seemed like they all came on the dirt.”
Leffler’s season was highlighted by his first Silver Crown win which came at Indianapolis Raceway Park in July, where he won the pole and led all 100 laps. The rest of his season statistics included starting all 13 races, winning two poles, and finishing in the top-five seven times and the top-ten eight. Apart from the Disney race, the rest of Leffler’s finishes outside of the top-10 came on the dirt.
It was hard not to note the contrast between the two scenes after the Silver Crown season closer at Gateway in October. Like at Disney World several months before, Leffler sat in the press room moments after climbing out of his car. His hair was once again ruffled, but this time his face was covered with a huge smile and his driving suit with champagne. He had just pulled off the upset of his career.
Furthermore, Jim Keeker’s injuries in the Copper World Classic at Phoenix in February put a damper on the season but his amazing recovery by season’s end was a delight to behold.
Tony Stewart, the 1995 series titlist, won the Copper World Classic, becoming the first driver to win two Copper World races in the same year (he also won the Midget race). Stewart also captured the Coca-Cola 100 at IRP in May and was one of only two drivers to win more than one race.
Dave Steele led every lap to win at the new Memphis Motorsports Park while Tony Elliott scored a historical first series victory in the 200th USAC Silver Crown race since the series inception – the Sumar Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track.
John Heydenreich rode out a wild last lap on a worn tire to win the nationally televised July race at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Colorado.
Russ Gamester won the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at Springfield, Ill. to add to the 1997 victory he scored at the other Illinois mile dirt track at Du Quoin.
Jimmy Sills, a three-time series titlist, finally cracked the winners circle at Du Quoin, Ill., taking that track’s historic 50th anniversary 100-miler.
J.J. Yeley, who earned the series’ Hoosier Tire Most Improved Driver award, closed out the season with back-to-back victories on the dirt at Cal Expo and the pavement at Gateway.
But, the most spectacular victory of the season went to Jack Hewitt. When he won the 50-lap 4-Crown National feature at Eldora in September, he climaxed a truly remarkable sweep of all four 4-Crown main events, an unprecedented motorsports feat.
Turbines, Inc. posted Rookie of the Race awards and Todd Kane of Powell, Ohio, who claimed three of those, earned the Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Year honors.
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TYLER TAKES DISNEY WORLD OPENER
Orlando, Florida………Brian Tyler, USAC’s two-time Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car champion and 1997 Most Improved Silver Crown driver, took the lead at the white flag when leader Jason Leffler ran short of fuel to win the 50-mile USAC Silver Crown series opening race at Walt Disney World Speedway.
The victory was the first in Silver Crown racing for Tyler.
“We were all playing the fuel game and we’re happy to have won this one,” said an elated Tyler in the post-race press interview. “I knew going down the backstretch that it was going to be an interesting finish. On the last lap, my crew told me I had a lot of room on John Heydenreich, so I took it easy and brought it home.”
Leffler led 33 laps of the race and appeared headed for victory until he exited the final turn on the 49th lap. Tyler slid beneath him as the two crossed the start/finish line and Leffler eventually slipped to 12th on the last lap. Tyler started 10th in the 30-car field on the one-mile paved track and led only the final two laps in his Angell & Giroux/Justice Brothers Special.
Heydenreich, of Bloomsburg, Pa., finished second and was followed by Chet Fillip, Jack Hewitt and defending series champion Dave Darland.
Kenny Irwin Jr., Robby Flock and Dave Steele were eliminated in a first turn crash on the 16th lap. Irwin and Flock shared the front row starting spots at qualifying speeds over 130 mph and tangled entering the turn, taking Steele with them. Flock led the first six laps and Irwin led the next nine before the crash.
Jac Haudenschild won the 15-mile qualifying race.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACE RESULTS: January 16-17, 1998 – Orlando, Florida – Walt Disney World Speedway
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Kenny Irwin Jr., 28, Vance-27.529; 2. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-27.626; 3. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-27.659; 4. Dave Steele, 2, Vance-27.703; 5. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-27.963; 6. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-27.987; 7. Chet Fillip, 777, Advanced-28.000; 8. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-28.034; 9. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-28.151; 10. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-28.243; 11. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-28.246; 12. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-28.269; 13. Jason McCord, 62, Beaver-28.278; 14. Davey Hamilton, 98, Gregg-28.287; 15. Gene Lee Gibson, 87, Wilson-28.289; 16. Mike Bliss, 11, Snider-28.379; 17. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-28.381; 18. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-28.383; 19. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-28.455; 20. J.J. Yeley, 25, Boles-28.483; 21. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-28.505; 22. Todd Kane, 163, Hampshire-28.555; 23. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-28.596; 24. Jeff Mitrisin, 10, Cahill-28.599; 25. David Reutimann, 88, Nowling-28.701; 26. Bill Rose, 41, Bowen-28.837; 27. Eric Gordon, 48, Shorthorn-28.873; 28. Jac Haudenschild, 137, Riggs-28.950; 29. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-28.973; 30. Randy Bauer, 12, Galas-29.085; 31. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-29.099; 32. Brian Hayden, 31, Mataka-29.185; 33. Travis Rilat, 8, Miller-29.419; 34. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-29.498; 35. Derek Davidson, 72, Brown-29.576; 36. Doug Didero, 18, Conroy-29.600; 37. Tracy Hines, 6, Potter-29.687; 38. Mike Brooks, 97, Brooks-29.884; 39. Brad Armstrong, 74, Seelman-30.208; 40. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-30.429; 41. John Barrick, 77, Barrick-30.947; 42. Randy Bateman, 96, Wallace-32.247; 43. Chuck Gurney, 37, Riggs-32.557; 44. Lou Cicconi Jr., 99, Mucci-NT; 45. Gary Irvin, 148, Shorthorn-NT; 46. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-NT; 47. Don O’Keefe, 00, O’Keefe-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Jac Haudenschild, 2. Gary Hieber, 3. David Reutimann, 4. Kevin Thomas, 5. Eric Gordon, 6. Randy Bauer, 7. Bill Rose, 8. Brian Hayden, 9. Travis Rilat, 10. Mike Brooks, 11. Doug Didero, 12. Bill Baue, 13. Daryl Daugherty, 14. Randy Bateman, 15. John Barrick, 16. Derek Davidson, 17. Tracy Hines, 18. Brad Armstrong, 19. Chuck Gurney. NT
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Brian Tyler (10), 2. John Heydenreich (11), 3. Chet Fillip (7), 4. Jack Hewitt (18), 5. Dave Darland (17), 6. Davey Hamilton (14), 7. Ryan Newman (12), 8. Chuck Leary (6), 9. Kevin Thomas (28), 10. Jimmy Sills (9), 11. Russ Gamester (8), 12. Jason Leffler (3), 13. Jac Haudenschild (25), 14. J.J. Yeley (20), 15. Randy Bauer (30), 16. Bentley Warren (21), 17. Eric Gordon (29), 18. Pat Abold (23), 19. Gary Hieber (26), 20. Wally Pankratz (19), 21. Mike Bliss (16), 22. Todd Kane (22), 23. David Reutimann (27), 24. Jason McCord (13), 25. Kenny Irwin Jr. (1), 26. Robby Flock (2), 27. Dave Steele (4), 28. Jeff Mitrisin (24), 29. Jim Keeker (5), 30. Gene Lee Gibson (15). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Robby Flock, Laps 7-15 Kenny Irwin Jr., Laps 16-48 Jason Leffler, Laps 49-50 Brian Tyler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Brian Tyler-60; 2-John Heydenreich-57; 3-Chet Fillip-54; 4-Jack Hewitt-51; 5-Dave Darland-48; 6-Davey Hamilton-45; 7-Ryan Newman-42; 8-Chuck Leary-39; 9-Kevin Thomas-36; 10-Jimmy Sills-33.
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STEWART 25TH TO 1ST AT COPPER WORLD
Avondale, Arizona………Tony Stewart of Columbus, Ind. captured the 50-mile Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic feature at the Phoenix International Raceway, completing a sweep of the day’s USAC activities at the one-mile paved oval.
Stewart’s victory made him the first driver ever to win two legs of the Copper World Classic in its 21 runnings to date, having earlier in the day won the 25-mile USAC Midget race.
Stewart wheeled the True Value Chevy from the 25th starting position to the lead in just 27 laps and led the rest of the way to take home a paycheck in the amount of $15,972 from the total purse of $81,750.
The race was marred by an accident on the 38th lap involving Jim Keeker, Johnny Parsons and Robby Flock. Keeker, of Cicero, Ind., flipped and was taken to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Phoenix after suffering a basal skull fracture. Parsons and Flock escaped injury.
Trailing Stewart to the checkered flag were Brian Tyler, Jack Hewitt, Jason Leffler and Davey Hamilton.
Dave Steele set a new track record of 138.450 mph during qualifying to earn the pole starting spot and led the first 26 laps before yielding to Stewart, who won the 10-mile qualifying race the previous day. Stewart was the third fastest qualifier, but due to missing his turn in the qualifying line, forfeited his automatic feature starting spot and wound up 25th on the final grid.
Troy Regier of Dinuba, Calif. earned the Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Race award for his 14th place finish.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: January 30-February 1, 1998 – Avondale, Arizona - Phoenix International Raceway - 21st Skoal Bandit Racing Copper World Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Dave Steele, 2, Vance-26.002; 2. Kenny Irwin Jr., 28, Vance-26.202; 3. Tony Stewart, 11, Snider-26.297; 4. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-26.420; 5. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-26.424; 6. Davey Hamilton, 98, Gregg-26.470; 7. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-26.535; 8. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-26.597; 9. Jay Drake, 17, Ricehouse-26.619; 10. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-26.670; 11. Jason McCord, 62, Beaver-26.719; 12. Jim Keeker, 20, Nolen-26.730; 13. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-26.732; 14. Casey Diemert, 173, Diemert-26.737; 15. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-26.760; 16. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-26.761; 17. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-26.772; 18. Troy Regier, 54, Biswell-26.867; 19. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-26.869; 20. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-26.879; 21. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-26.884; 22. Chet Fillip, 777, Advanced-26.960; 23. Johnny Parsons, 7, Wellington-26.960; 24. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-26.976; 25. J.J. Yeley, 25, Boles-26.978; 26. Gene Lee Gibson, 87, Wilson-27.063; 27. Tracy Hines, 6, Potter-27.102; 28. Dan Drinan, 333, Drinan-27.112; 29. Eric Gordon, 48, Shorthorn-27.118; 30. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-27.179; 31. Jac Haudenschild, 137, Riggs-27.214; 32. Ray Evans, 85, Evans-27.228; 33. Ken Hamilton, 90, Tyler-27.237; 34. Jeff Mitrisin, 10, Cahill-27.303; 35. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-27.331; 36. Ronnie Day, 117, JR-27.353; 37. Don Carter Jr., 32, Kazmark-27.365; 38. Ricky Logan, 16, Logan-27.414; 39. Lou Cicconi Jr., 99, Mucci-27.421; 40. Todd Kane, 163, Hampshire-27.422; 41. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-27.568; 42. Randy Bauer, 12, Galas-27.586; 43. Derek Davidson, 72, Brown-27.787; 44. Bill Baue, 78, Baue-27.853; 45. Chuck Gurney, 37, Riggs-28.200; 46. Randy Bateman, 96, T & D-28.368; 47. Jackie Burke, 45, Pritchett-28.395; 48. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-28.712; 49. John Barrick, 77, Barrick-29.029; 50. Troy Cline, 42, Robison-29.103; 51. Travis Rilat, 8, Miller-29.231; 52. Randy Hannagan, 26, Espindola-30.545; 53. Andy Forsberg, 57, Dolner-NT; 54. Cary Faas, 58, Gardner-NT; 55. Bob Meli, 84, Spivey-NT; 56. Doug Didero, 18, Conroy-NT; 57. Mike Brooks, 97, Brooks-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Tony Stewart, 2. Gene Lee Gibson, 3. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 4. Gary Hieber, 5. Tracy Hines, 6. Eric Gordon, 7. Dan Drinan, 8. Ricky Logan, 9. Jac Haudenschild, 10. Chuck Gurney, 11. Don Carter Jr., 12. Ronnie Day, 13. John Heydenreich, 14. Todd Kane, 15. Randy Bauer, 16. Lou Cicconi Jr., 17. Bill Baue, 18. Randy Bateman, 19. Daryl Daugherty, 20. Ray Evans, 21. Ken Hamilton, 22. Randy Hannagan, 23. John Barrick, 24. Jackie Burke, 25. Jeff Mitrisin, 26. Troy Cline, 27. Derek Davidson, 28. Travis Rilat. NT
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tony Stewart (25), 2. Brian Tyler (4), 3. Jack Hewitt (9), 4. Jason Leffler (15), 5. Davey Hamilton (5), 6. J.J. Yeley (24), 7. Casey Diemert (13), 8. Dave Steele (1), 9. Ryan Newman (20), 10. Bentley Warren (6), 11. Chet Fillip (21), 12. Dave Darland (7), 13. Jason McCord (10), 14. Troy Regier (17), 15. Gary Hieber (28), 16. Tracy Hines (29), 17. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (27), 18. Eric Gordon (30), 19. Wally Pankratz (23), 20. Jimmy Sills (12), 21. Johnny Parsons (22), 22. Robby Flock (16), 23. Jim Keeker (11), 24. Russ Gamester (3), 25. Gene Lee Gibson (26), 26. Kenny Irwin Jr. (2), 27. Jay Drake (8), 28. Kevin Thomas (19), 29. Chuck Leary (14), 30. Pat Abold (18). NT
**Jim Keeker flipped on lap 38 of the feature and suffered a critical head injury.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-26 Dave Steele, Laps 27-50 Tony Stewart.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Brian Tyler-117; 2-Jack Hewitt-105; 3-Davey Hamilton-93; 4-Chet Fillip-85; 5-Jason Leffler-83; 6-Ryan Newman-78; 7-Dave Darland-77; 8-J.J. Yeley-70; 9-Tony Stewart-60; 10-John Heydenreich-57
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STEWART WINS AGAIN AT IRP’S COCA-COLA 100
Clermont, Indiana………Tony Stewart of Columbus, Ind. scored a third consecutive USAC Silver Crown victory in his past three series starts, leading all but the first six laps of the 100-lap Coca-Cola 100 at Indianapolis Raceway Park on May 16.
Stewart and his True Value/Terre Haute First National Bank Special previously won the 1997 series closer at Las Vegas and the February 1 Copper World Classic at Phoenix. He did not compete in the January 17 race at Walt Disney World Speedway.
Stewart started alongside fast qualifier Jason Leffler but trailed Leffler for the first six laps. Leffler slipped to fifth at the checkered behind runner-up and defending race winner Pat Abold, Dave Steele and Russ Gamester. Tracy Hines won the 15-lap qualifying race while Doug Didero and Mike Brooks shared the Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Race award.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 16, 1998 – Clermont, Indiana – Indianapolis Raceway Park – Coca-Cola 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-21.128; 2. Tony Stewart, 11, Snider-21.147; 3. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-21.160; 4. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-21.202; 5. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-22.263; 6. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-21.274; 7. Doug Didero, 18, Conroy-21.361; 8. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-21.378; 9. Jay Drake, 17, Ricehouse-21.455; 10. Jason McCord, 62, Beaver-21.462; 11. Chet Fillip, 777, Advanced-21.530; 12. Mike Brooks, 97, Brooks-21.532; 13. Dave Steele, 2, Vance-21.557; 14. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.573; 15. Kevin Thomas, 137, Riggs-21.598; 16. Eric Gordon, 48, Shorthorn-21.609; 17. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-21.610; 18. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-21.617; 19. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-21.620; 20. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-21.625; 21. Tracy Hines, 6, Potter-21.658; 22. Ronnie Day, 117, JR-21.684; 23. Todd Kane, 163, Hampshire-21.724; 24. J.J. Yeley, 25, Boles-21.737; 25. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-21.843; 26. Ken Hamilton, 98, Gregg-21.850; 27. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-21.853; 28. Jeff Mitrisin, 10, Cahill-21.940; 29. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 20, Nolen-22.021; 30. Bill Rose, 41, Bowen-22.025; 31. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-22.044; 32. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-22.099; 33. Tony Elliott, 12, Galas-22.130; 34. Lou Cicconi Jr., 99, Mucci-22.145; 35. Troy Regier, 54, Biswell-22.203; 36. Randy Bateman, 96, T & D-22.258; 37. Tim Cox, 83, Sohm-22.366; 38. Brian Hayden, 31, Mataka-22.492; 39. Greg Stephens, 47, Jones-23.698; 40. Dodie Miller, 8, Miller-NT; 41. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-NT; 42. John Barrick, 77, Barrick-NT; 43. Paul Durant, 71, Trigueiro-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Tracy Hines, 2. Ronnie Day, 3. Todd Kane, 4. Ken Hamilton, 5. Gary Hieber, 6. Ryan Newman, 7. J.J. Yeley, 8. Lou Cicconi Jr., 9. Bill Rose, 10. Troy Regier, 11. Daryl Daugherty, 12. Tony Elliott, 13. Jeff Mitrisin, 14. Randy Bateman, 15. Greg Stephens, 16. Jack Hewitt, 17. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 18. Tim Cox. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tony Stewart (2), 2. Pat Abold (5), 3. Dave Steele (13), 4. Russ Gamester (3), 5. Jason Leffler (1), 6. Doug Didero (7), 7. Tracy Hines (21), 8. Brian Tyler (19), 9. Chet Fillip (11), 10. Jimmy Sills (6), 11. Ryan Newman (26), 12. Bentley Warren (18), 13. Gary Hieber (25), 14. Kevin Thomas (15), 15. J.J. Yeley (27), 16. Ronnie Day (22), 17. John Heydenreich (20), 18. Eric Gordon (16), 19. Jason McCord (10), 20. Mike Brooks (12), 21. Lou Cicconi Jr. (28), 22. Dave Darland (14), 23. Donnie Beechler (4), 24. Troy Regier (30), 25. Jay Drake (9), 26. Todd Kane (23), 27. Chuck Leary (8), 28. Ken Hamilton (24), 29. Bill Rose (29), 30. Robby Flock (17). 44:57.26
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Jason Leffler, laps 7-100 Tony Stewart.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Brian Tyler-156; 2-Jason Leffler-134; 3-Tony Stewart-123; 4-Chet Fillip-121; 5-Ryan Newman-109; 6-Dave Steele-105; 7-Jack Hewitt-105; 8-J.J. Yeley-93; 9-Davey Hamilton-93; 10-Russ Gamester-91.
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BEECHLER TAKES RAIN-SHORTENED HULMAN-HOOSIER HUNDRED
Indianapolis, Indiana……… Donnie Beechler of Springfield, Ill. emerged as the winner of A.J. Foyt’s Hulman-Hoosier Hundred USAC Silver Crown race on May 22 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds after an accident and heavy rain forced a premature halt to the event after 39 laps had been completed.
The Foyt Group, organizers of the event, determined that due to the lack of a suitable alternate date for the event, to distribute the entire purse to the participants based on the 39 complete laps, proclaiming Beechler the winner in his Gaerte Engines/Pro Shocks Special.
Beechler started fourth in the 32-car field and earned a paycheck in the amount of $10,500 after leading the final nine laps of the race before Chuck Leary, Jack Hewitt and Billy Puterbaugh Jr. tangled in turn one, bringing out the red flag when Leary’s car overturned several times. He was uninjured, but the cleanup lasted until the rain started.
Pole winner Jimmy Sills led the first 13 laps before Jason Leffler moved to the front. He led the next 17 laps and his eventual second-place finish boosted him to the series point lead over Brian Tyler, who endured a pair of flips during the night. Tyler flipped in turn three during qualifying, then flipped again in turn three on the fourth lap of the feature, bringing out the first red flag.
Sills was third when the race was declared complete while Dave Darland and Chuck Gurney rounded out the top-five.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: May 22, 1998 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – A.J. Foyt’s Hulman-Hoosier Hundred
QUALIFYING: 1. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-31.911; 2. Ronnie Day, 117, JR-32.470; 3. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-32.636; 4. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-32.839; 5. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-32.947; 6. J.J. Yeley, 25, Boles-33.088; 7. Chuck Gurney, 137, Riggs-33.146; 8. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-33.230; 9. Cary Faas, 60, Kurtz-33.330; 10. Jason McCord, 62, Beaver-33.371; 11. Tim Cox, 83, Sohm-33.409; 12. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-33.421; 13. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-33.669; 14. Johnny Parsons, 7, Wellington-33.846; 15. Greg Stephens, 47, Jones-33.889; 16. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-33.957; 17. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-33.960; 18. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-33.999; 19. Todd Kane, 63, Hampshire-34.098; 20. Eric Gordon, 48, Shorthorn-34.258; 21. George Snider, 11, Snider-34.423; 22. Kevin Thomas, 27, 5D-34.493; 23. Tony Elliott, 24, LeFevre-34.516; 24. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-34.690; 25. Tracy Hines, 6, Potter-34.731; 26. Jack Hewitt, 23, Parker-34.841; 27. Bill Rose, 41, Bowen-35.015; 28. Travis Rilat, 8, Miller-35.060; 29. Lou Cicconi Jr., 99, Mucci-35.142; 30. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-35.299; 31. Jimmy Stinson, 76, Westfall-35.627; 32. John Barrick, 77, Barrick-38.836; 33. Rusty McClure, 46, Egan-NT; 34. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-NT; 35. Derek Davidson, 72, Brown-NT; 36. Scott Hatton, 154, Hatton-NT; 37. Sarah Fisher, 65, Burghardt-NT.
FEATURE: (39 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Donnie Beechler, 2. Jason Leffler, 3. Jimmy Sills, 4. Dave Darland, 5. Chuck Gurney, 6. Ronnie Day, 7. Russ Gamester, 8. Ryan Newman, 9. J.J. Yeley, 10. Todd Kane, 11. George Snider, 12. Cary Faas, 13. Wally Pankratz, 14. Kevin Thomas, 15. Robby Flock, 16. Tracy Hines, 17. Eric Gordon, 18. Jack Hewitt, 19. Tony Elliott, 20. Travis Rilat, 21. Bill Rose, 22. Lou Cicconi Jr., 23. Chuck Leary, 24. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 25. John Heydenreich, 26. Johnny Parsons, 27. Greg Stephens, 28. Jimmy Stinson, 29. Gary Hieber, 30. Tim Cox, 31. Brian Tyler, 32. John Barrick. NT
**Brian Tyler flipped during qualifying. Brian Tyler flipped on lap 4 of the feature. Leary flipped on lap 40 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-13 Jimmy Sills, Laps 14-30 Jason Leffler, Laps 31-39 Donnie Beechler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jason Leffler-194; 2-Brian Tyler-159; 3-Ryan Newman-148; 4-Dave Darland-139; 5-Jimmy Sills-136; 6-Russ Gamester-133; 7-J.J. Yeley-129; 8-Tony Stewart-123; 9-Jack Hewitt-122; 10-Chet Fillip-121.
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STEELE DOMINATES DELTA THUNDER IN MEMPHIS DEBUT
Millington, Tennessee………Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. dominated the 100-lap Delta Thunder USAC Silver Crown race on June 7 at the brand-new Memphis Motorsports Park ¾-mile paved track.
Steele led all 100 laps in his Aristocrat Products/Wynn’s Chevy to claim the $16,100 winner’s share of the $80,350 purse.
“Without a radio, I really didn’t know how big a lead I had until the red flag,” admitted Steele, who won by nearly a half-lap. He enjoyed a similar lead when the red flag flew on lap 79 for an accident on the backstretch involving three cars. Doug Didero of Hamilton, Ont. escaped serious injury when his car flipped numerous times after contacting a car driven by Derek Davidson of Lafayette, Ind. Davidson was uninjured, as was Pat Abold of Pennellville, N.Y., who spun to miss the tangle.
“I’m thrilled to finally win a Silver Crown race,” said Steele, who has numerous Sprint Car wins but had never won in the bigger cars before. “I always have a lot of confidence when I come to the track because my car owner (Johnny Vance) always gives me a good car.”
Steele won the pole for the race at a speed of 129.789 mph. He was followed at the checkered flag by Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif. and Robby Flock of Murrieta, Calif. Series point leader Jason Leffler ran second for much of the race but a tire change after the red flag relegated him to fourth at the finish.
Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. and Davey Hamilton of Boise, Idaho took fifth and sixth, respectively. Hamilton started last in a car qualified by George Snider. J.J. Yeley joined Hamilton in a flight from Saturday night’s Texas 500 Indy Racing League event and finished 10th in Sunday’s race.
Todd Kane of Powell, Ohio won the $250 Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Race award for finishing 12th.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: June 7, 1998 – Millington, Tennessee – Memphis Motorsports Park – Delta Thunder
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Dave Steele, 2, Vance-20.803; 2. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-20.956; 3. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-21.225; 4. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-21.397; 5. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-21.416; 6. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-21.481; 7. Eric Gordon, 48, Shorthorn-21.523; 8. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-21.569; 9. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 20, Nolen-21.631; 10. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.638; 11. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-21.655; 12. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-21.664; 13. Tracy Hines, 6, Potter-21.675; 14. Jason McCord, 25, Boles-21.710; 15. Dan Drinan, 333, Drinan-21.732; 16. Doug Didero, 18, Conroy-21.732; 17. Derek Davidson, 62, Beaver-21.809; 18. Tim Cox, 83, Sohm-21.821; 19. Lou Cicconi Jr., 99, Mucci-21.840; 20. Jay Drake, 17, Ricehouse-21.875; 21. George Snider, 11, Snider-21.925; 22. Chip Thomas, 16, Logan-21.962; 23. Todd Kane, 163, Hampshire-21.967; 24. Rod Holshouser, 64, Holshouser-22.015; 25. Ricky Shelton, 98, Gregg-22.051; 26. Mike Brooks, 97, Brooks-22.088; 27. Brad Armstrong, 137, Riggs-22.093; 28. Jack Hewitt, 63, Hampshire-22.127; 29. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-22.140; 30. Jackie Burke, 8, Miller-22.180; 31. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-22.185; 32. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-22.242; 33. Kevin Thomas, 73, Dickson-22.324; 34. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-22.500; 35. Pat Bliss, 7, Wellington-22.630; 36. Tommy Nichols, 13, Nichols-22.728; 37. Randy Bateman, 96, T & D-23.159; 38. Paul Durant, 91, Trigueiro-23.937; 39. Perry Ferrell, 81, Ferrell-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Mike Brooks, 2. Brad Armstrong, 3. Gary Hieber, 4. Jack Hewitt, 5. Ricky Shelton, 6. John Heydenreich, 7. Kevin Thomas, 8. Paul Durant, 9. Wally Pankratz, 10. Pat Bliss, 11. Randy Bateman, 12. Daryl Daugherty, 13. Jackie Burke, 14. Kenneth Nichols. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Dave Steele (1), 2. Jimmy Sills (5), 3. Robby Flock (8), 4. Jason Leffler (3), 5. Tyler (6), 6. Davey Hamilton (#11) (21), 7. Eric Gordon (7), 8. Ryan Newman (4), 9. Pat Abold (12), 10. J.J. Yeley (#25) (14), 11. Derek Davidson (17), 12. Todd Kane (23), 13. Brad Armstrong (26), 14. Bentley Warren (11), 15. Jack Hewitt (28), 16. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (9), 17. Dave Darland (10), 18. Mike Brooks (25), 19. Gary Hieber (27), 20. Doug Didero (16), 21. John Heydenreich (30), 22. Tracy Hines (13), 23. Rod Holshouser (24), 24. Lou Cicconi Jr. (19), 25. Chip Thomas (22), 26. Ricky Shelton (29), 27. Jay Drake (20), 28. Russ Gamester (2), 29. Dan Drinan (15), 30. Tim Cox (18). NT
**Doug Didero flipped on the 79th lap of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Dave Steele.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jason Leffler-245; 2-Brian Tyler-207; 3-Jimmy Sills-193; 4-Ryan Newman-187; 5-Dave Steele-171; 6-J.J. Yeley-162; 7-Dave Darland-158; 8-Jack Hewitt-145; 9-Davey Hamilton-138; 10-Russ Gamester-138.
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ELLIOTT CELEBRATES FIRST AS SILVER CROWN CELEBRATES 200TH
Terre Haute, Indiana………Tony Elliott of Kokomo, Ind. scored his initial USAC Silver Crown victory on July 3 in the Pepsi-Cola Sumar Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track, leading 62 of the 100 laps around the ½-mile dirt track in his Columbus Container/Jerico Mold/Tranter Chevy. He took the lead for the final time on the 95th lap from J.J. Yeley when Yeley slid wide in turn two.
“I got the lead right at the start, then J.J. got around me, but we finally got him back.” Elliott said. “Fortunately, he had a problem and we were able to close on him at the end. The guys had (the car) hooked up really well and I’m just glad we’re up here (on the podium). It was really tiring but real fun.”
Jack Hewitt, who suffered minor injuries in a USAC Sprint Car crash two nights previous at Indianapolis Raceway Park, returned to win the pole for the Terre Haute race but failed to finish, eventually involved in a crash with Jimmy Sills on lap 53. Both drivers were unhurt.
Yeley ended up second, ahead of Brian Tyler, Billy Puterbaugh Jr. and Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Race Todd Kane. David Bridges of Indianapolis, Ind. escaped injury in a flip over the guardrail during a qualifying race.
The race was the 200th in USAC Silver Crown history and Elliott’s take of $12,000 included a bonus of 200 $10 bills from Terre Haute First National Bank.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: July 3, 1998 – Terre Haute, Indiana – Terre Haute Action Track – Pepsi-Cola Sumar Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-14 locked into the feature) 1. Jack Hewitt, 23, Parker-21.278; 2. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-21.582; 3. J.J. Yeley, 11, Snider-21.726; 4. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-21.794; 5. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-21.923; 6. Tracy Hines, 30, Leary-21.939; 7. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-21.947; 8. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-21.958; 9. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.958; 10. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-21.978; 11. Todd Kane, 63, Hampshire-21.985; 12. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-21.986; 13. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-21.988; 14. Kevin Doty, 137, Riggs-22.019; 15. Eric Gordon, 48, Shorthorn-22.071; 16. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-22.089; 17. Derek Davidson, 62, Beaver-22.124; 18. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-22.197; 19. Aaron Mosley, 27, 5D-22.325; 20. Kevin Thomas, 73, Dickson-22.357; 21. Brian Gerster, 25, Boles-22.506; 22. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-22.544; 23. Lou Cicconi Jr., 99, Mucci-22.577; 24. Jerry Coons Jr., 6, Potter-22.625; 25. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-22.817; 26. Kenneth Nichols, 72, Brown-22.838; 27. Bill Rose, 41, Bowen-22.861; 28. John Barrick, 77, Barrick-23.815; 29. Al Thomas, 172, Thomas-24.117; 30. Greg Stephens, 47, Jones-24.390; 31. Rusty McClure, 46, Egan-NT; 32. David Bridges, 44, Logan-NT; 33. Jon Stanbrough, 31, Mataka-NT; 34. Mike Mosley Jr., 33, Faurote-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (10 Laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Derek Davidson, 2. Aaron Mosley, 3. Eric Gordon, 4. Lou Cicconi Jr., 5. Bill Rose, 6. Bill Baue, 7. Rusty McClure (#31), 8. Al Thomas, 9. Brian Gerster. 3:40.40
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (10 Laps, top-5 transfer to the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 2. Ryan Newman, 3. Jerry Coons Jr., 4. Kevin Thomas, 5. Kenneth Nichols, 6. Randy Bateman, 7. John Barrick, 8. David Bridges. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tony Elliott (2), 2. J.J. Yeley (3), 3. Brian Tyler (5), 4. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (4), 5. Todd Kane (11), 6. Ryan Newman (18), 7. Wally Pankratz (10), 8. Kevin Doty (14), 9. Robby Flock (7), 10. Jerry Coons Jr. (20), 11. Derek Davidson (15), 12. Jason Leffler (12), 13. Dave Darland (9), 14. Lou Cicconi Jr. (21), 15. Kenneth Nichols (24), 16. Tracy Hines (6), 17. Jimmy Sills (16), 18. Jack Hewitt (1), 19. Eric Gordon (19), 20. Bill Rose (23), 21. Kevin Thomas (22), 22. Russ Gamester (8), 23. Donnie Beechler (13), 24. Aaron Mosley (17). NT
**David Bridges flipped over guardrail during the second qualifying race.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-22 Tony Elliott, Laps 23-43 J.J. Yeley, Laps 44-77 Tony Elliott, Laps 78-94 J.J. Yeley, Laps 95-100 Tony Elliott.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jason Leffler-274; 2-Brian Tyler-261; 3-Ryan Newman-232; 4-J.J. Yeley-219; 5-Jimmy Sills-212; 6-Dave Darland-185; 7-Dave Steele-171; 8-Jack Hewitt-165; 9-Russ Gamester-149; 10-Davey Hamilton-138.
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HEYDENREICH HANGS ON TO WIN FIRST AT ROCKY MOUNTAIN CLASSIC
Fountain, Colorado………John Heydenreich and Bentley Warren turned the USAC Silver Crown “shootout in the west” into a battle of Easterners as they finished 1-2 in the 100-mile Rocky Mountain Classic at Pikes Peak International Raceway.
Heydenreich of Bloomsburg, Pa. earned his initial Silver Crown victory despite fighting an ill-handling American Compressed Steel Special in the closing laps. On the last lap, he slid up to the outside wall but kept going, and on the final turn, he smoked the tires in a broadslide but held on to beat Warren of Kennebunkport, Maine by just over a car length.
“I thought it was over,” Heydenreich said in victory lane. “I didn’t know how close he was. I was so busy watching the wall. I just had to ride it out to the checkered flag.”
Heydenreich started ninth in the 30-car field and moved to the front on lap 67. Four laps later, Heydenreich lost the lead to Pat Abold of Pennellville, N.Y. on a restart but regained the lead the next lap and held it to the end.
Pole winner Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind. led the first 40 laps but retired after 69 laps due to overheating problems.
Ryan Newman, Jimmy Sills and Jason Leffler, the series point leader, rounded out the top-five at the end. Jerry Coons Jr., who was 17th, earned the $250 Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Race award.
The race was slowed by three cautions. One was for Dan Drinan’s trip into the outside wall in turn three on lap 15. Another came out when race leader Dave Steele tapped a lapped car and spun out on lap 67.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: July 11-12, 1998 – Fountain, Colorado – Pikes Peak International Raceway – Rocky Mountain Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-25.537; 2. Jack Hewitt, 23, Parker-25.751; 3. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-25.793; 4. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-25.900; 5. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-25.902; 6. Davey Hamilton, 11, Snider-25.937; 7. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-25.942; 8. Dave Steele, 2, Vance-25.942; 9. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-26.001; 10. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-26.061; 11. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-26.127;12. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-26.158; 13. Bentley Warren, 34, D & D-26.262; 14. Eric Gordon, 48, Shorthorn-26.416; 15. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 20, Nolen-26.447; 16. Ken Hamilton, 53, Pattee-26.494; 17. Mike Brooks, 97, Brooks-26.594; 18. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-26.602; 19. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-26.621; 20. Casey Diemert, 173, Diemert-26.644; 21. Chuck Gurney, 137, Riggs-26.682; 22. Ricky Shelton, 98, Gregg-26.744; 23. Brian Gerster, 25, Boles-26.839; 24. Dan Drinan, 333, Drinan-26.865; 25. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-26.907; 26. Derek Davidson, 62, Beaver-27.025; 27. Jerry Coons Jr., 6, Potter-27.141; 28. Matt Jewell, 73, Dickson-27.154; 29. Ray Evans, 85, Evans-27.297; 30. Kevin Bloomstran, 59, Westcon-28.288; 31. Scott Hansen, 42, Robison-28.786; 32. John Barrick, 77, Barrick-28.930; 33. Doug Didero, 18, Conroy-NT; 34. Jimmy Hamilton, 90, Tyler-NT; 35. Jackie Burke, 8, Miller-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 Laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Jerry Coons, 2. Gary Hieber, 3. Matt Jewell, 4. Ray Evans, 5. Derek Davidson, 6. Kevin Bloomstran, 7. Jimmy Hamilton, 8. Scott Hansen, 9. John Barrick. 6:52.85
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. John Heydenreich (9), 2. Bentley Warren (13), 3. Ryan Newman (3), 4. Jimmy Sills (11), 5. Jason Leffler (10), 6. Brian Tyler (4), 7. Robby Flock (12), 8. Gary Hieber (26), 9. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (15), 10. Wally Pankratz (19), 11. Dave Steele (8), 12. Matt Jewell (27), 13. Derek Davidson (29), 14. Kevin Bloomstran (30), 15. Pat Abold (7), 16. Davey Hamilton (6), 17. Jerry Coons Jr. (25), 18. Donnie Beechler (5), 19. Ray Evans (28), 20. Ken Hamilton (16), 21. Ricky Shelton (22), 22. Russ Gamester (1), 23. Casey Diemert (20), 24. Dave Darland (18), 25. Mike Brooks (17), 26. Eric Gordon (14), 27. Jack Hewitt (2), 28. Dan Drinan (24), 29. Brian Gerster (23), 30. Chuck Gurney (21). 54:10.54
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-40 Russ Gamester, Laps 41-55 Pat Abold, laps 56-66 Dave Steele, Laps 67-70 John Heydenreich, Lap 71 Pat Abold, Laps 72-100 John Heydenreich.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jason Leffler-322; 2-Brian Tyler-306; 3-Ryan Newman-286; 4-Jimmy Sills-263; 5-J.J. Yeley-219; 6-Dave Steele-202; 7-Dave Darland-194; 8-Robby Flock-176; 9-Jack Hewitt-171; 10-Russ Gamester-166.
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IRP’S DuPONT 100 IS LEFFLER’S FIRST SILVER CROWN VICTORY
Clermont, Indiana………Jason Leffler of Long Beach, Calif. extended his lead in the USAC Silver Crown standings on July 29 by leading wire-to-wire to capture the DuPont 100 at Indianapolis Raceway Park, round eight of the 1998 series and the opening event of IRP’s Kroger SpeedFest.
Leffler won the pole position with a speed of 116.380 mph and led every lap in his Action Performance/Beast Special despite late-race pressure from runner-up Dave Steele and third-place Russ Gamester. Ryan Newman and Tony Stewart, who came from 21st starting spot after winning the qualifying race, rounded out the top-five at the checkered flag.
“It feels good,” said Leffler, whose victory was his first in Silver Crown racing. “I never dreamed it would happen here. And with all the big dogs here too. The car had a bad push about mid-race, but we overcame it and held on.”
The race was red flagged on the 89th lap when John Heydenreich of Bloomsburg, Pa. crashed on the front straightaway and was taken to the track’s care center suffering from a concussion. He was transported to Indianapolis’ Methodist Hospital and later released.
Brad Armstrong was named Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Race after finishing 19th.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: July 29, 1998 – Clermont, Indiana – Indianapolis Raceway Park – DuPont 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-21.220; 2. Dave Steele, 2, Vance-21.233; 3. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-21.307; 4. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-21.319; 5. Mike Bliss, 111, Snider-21.355; 6. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-21.376; 7. John Heydenreich, 80, Beach-21.390; 8. Tony Stewart, 11, Snider-21.509; 9. Dave Blaney, 6, Potter-21.537; 10. Jack Hewitt, 23, Parker-21.583; 11. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-21.605; 12. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-21.667; 13. Dan Drinan, 333, Drinan-21.701; 14. Tracy Hines, 30, Leary-21.725; 15. Brian Gerster, 25, Boles-21.798; 16. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 20, Nolen-21.808; 17. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-21.857; 18. Eric Gordon, 48, Shorthorn-21.860; 19. Donnie Beechler, 67, Zarounian-21.870; 20. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.877; 21. Chet Fillip, 777, Advanced-21.894; 22. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-22.024; 23. Bentley Warren, 29, Seymour-22.065; 24. Mike Brooks, 97, Brooks-21.105; 25. Brad Armstrong, 63, Hampshire-22.161; 26. Derek Davidson, 62, Beaver-22.165; 27. Doug Didero, 18, Conroy-22.205; 28. Johnny Parsons, 12, Galas-22.211; 29. Bill Rose, 41, Bowen-22.240; 30. Tim Cox, 83, Sohm-22.385; 31. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-22.578; 32. Rusty McClure, 31, Mataka-22.641; 33. Randy Bateman, 96, T & D-22.725; 34. Lou Cicconi Jr., 99, Mucci-22.742; 35. Nate Law, 16, Logan-22.795; 36. Gary Irvin, 148, Shorthorn-22.929; 37. Daryl Daugherty, 34, D & D-22.938; 38. Rod Holshouser, 64, Holshouser-23.097; 39. Kevin Bloomstran, 59, Westcon-23.111; 40. John Barrick, 77, Barrick-23.572; 41. Dean Franklin, 15, Lawson-24.558; 42. Stevie Reeves, 28, Vance-28.748; 43. Kevin Thomas, 73, Dickson-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 Laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Tony Stewart, 2. Tracy Hines, 3. Bentley Warren, 4. Mike Brooks, 5. Doug Didero, 6. Derek Davidson, 7. Brad Armstrong, 8. Johnny Parsons, 9. Bill Baue, 10. Lou Cicconi Jr., 11. Nate Law, 12. Bill Rose, 13. Tim Cox, 14. Rusty McClure, 15. Daryl Daugherty, 16. Randy Bateman, 17. Kevin Bloomstran, 18. John Barrick, 19. Gary Irvin, 20. Stevie Reeves, 21. Rod Holshouser, 22. Dean Franklin. 5:48.92
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jason Leffler (1), 2. Dave Steele (2), 3. Russ Gamester (3), 4. Ryan Newman (4), 5. Tony Stewart (21), 6. Brian Tyler (6), 7. Robby Flock (11), 8. Jack Hewitt (9), 9. Eric Gordon (16), 10. Dan Drinan (12), 11. Dave Darland (18), 12. Pat Abold (15), 13. Tracy Hines (22), 14. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (14), 15. Donnie Beechler (17), 16. Bentley Warren (23), 17. Jimmy Sills (10), 18. Gary Hieber (20), 19. Brad Armstrong (27), 20. John Heydenreich (7), 21. Chet Fillip (19), 22. Mike Brooks (24), 23. Mike Bliss (5), 24. Derek Davidson (26), 25. Doug Didero (25), 26. Bill Baue (29), 27. Brian Gerster (13), 28. Lou Cicconi Jr. (30), 29. Dave Blaney (8), 30. Johnny Parsons (28). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Jason Leffler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jason Leffler-388; 2-Brian Tyler-351; 3-Ryan Newman-337; 4-Jimmy Sills-282; 5-Dave Steele-259; 6-Dave Darland-225; 7-Russ Gamester-220; 8-J.J. Yeley-219; 9-Robby Flock-218; 10-Jack Hewitt-210.
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GAMESTER WINS SPRINGFIELD’S TONY BETTENHAUSEN 100
Springfield, Illinois………Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind. scored his second career USAC Silver Crown victory in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield on August 22.
Gamester won the pole position in his Terre Haute First National Bank Chevy with a speed of 112.778 mph and averaged 96.128 mph for the 100-mile distance to beat Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. and Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio to the checkered flag. Robby Flock of Murrieta, Calif. and Billy Puterbaugh Jr. of Brownsburg, Ind. rounded out the top-five.
“I didn’t want to push it too hard,” said a happy Gamester after the race. “I needed to save my tires for the late stages of the race. My brother George kept me informed on the radio as to where Jack (Hewitt) and Dave (Darland) were so I was pretty confident.”
As for the point race, Gamester added, “I sure wish I had the Pikes Peak and Memphis races back.”
The win boosted Gamester to fifth in the new standings behind point leader Jason Leffler, who won the qualifying race and finished 12th in the 100-mile feature.
Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. earned the Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Race award for his ninth-place finish.
The race was interrupted by only three caution periods. Terry Babb of Decatur, Ill. hit the wall in turn three on lap 10 and Cary Faas hit the wall in turn three on lap 66. Neither driver was injured.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: August 22, 1998 – Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Tony Bettenhausen 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-31.921; 2. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-31.970; 3. Donnie Beechler, 16, Logan-32.093; 4. Jack Hewitt, 23, Parker-32.130; 5. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-32.147; 6. Jimmy Sills, 11, Snider-32.221; 7. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 35, Puterbaugh-32.224; 8. Tracy Hines, 30, Leary-32.408; 9. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-32.411; 10. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-32.524; 11. Rusty McClure, 31, Mataka-32.665; 12. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-32.678; 13. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-32.686; 14. Derek Davidson, 62, Beaver-32.759; 15. Eric Gordon, 48, Shorthorn-32.768; 16. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-32.701; 17. Kevin Thomas, 137, Riggs-32.837; 18. J.J. Yeley, 67, Zarounian-33.090; 19. Cary Faas, 60, Kurtz-33.100; 20. Johnny Parsons, 47, Jones-33.166; 21. Jerry Coons Jr., 6, Potter-33.186; 22. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-33.202;. 23. Greg Wilson, 63, Hampshire-33.530; 24. Bill Rose, 41, Bowen-33.782; 25. Jackie Burke, 46, Egan-33.875; 26. Terry Babb, 49, Babb-33.988; 27. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-34.027; 28. Tim Cox, 83, Sohm-34.129; 29. Mike Mosley Jr., 33, Faurote-34.418; 30. Al Thomas, 172, Thomas-34.516; 31. John Barrick, 77, Barrick-35.370; 32. Don Carr, 84, Spivey-35.488; 33. Ronnie Franklin, 86, Franklin-38.780; 34. Brian Gerster, 25, Boles-NT; 35. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-NT; 36. Kevin Thomas, 73, Dickson-NT. (Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-33.524-withdrawn). (NOTE: George Snider also in car #11.)
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-10 transfer to the feature) 1. Jason Leffler, 2. Jerry Coons Jr., 3. Greg Wilson, 4. Jackie Burke, 5. Terry Babb, 6. Bill Baue, 7. Al Thomas, 8. Mike Mosley Jr., 9. Bill Rose, 10. John Barrick, 11. Tim Cox, 12. Don Carr, 13. Ronnie Franklin. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Russ Gamester (1), 2. Dave Darland (14), 3. Jack Hewitt (4), 4. Robby Flock (9), 5. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (7), 6. Tracy Hines (8), 7. Brian Tyler (11), 8. Ryan Newman (2), 9. Jerry Coons Jr. (22), 10. Gary Hieber (13), 11. Tony Elliott (5), 12. Jason Leffler (21), 13. Derek Davidson (15), 14. Rusty McClure (12), 15. Greg Wilson (23), 16. Al Thomas (27), 17. Bill Rose (29), 18. Donnie Beechler (3), 19. Jimmy Sills (6), 20. J.J. Yeley (18), 21. Cary Faas (19), 22. Jackie Burke (24), 23. Eric Gordon (16), 24. John Barrick (30), 25. Wally Pankratz (10), 26. Bill Baue (26), 27. Mike Mosley Jr. (28), 28. Terry Babb (25), 29. Johnny Parsons (20), 30. Kevin Thomas (17). 1:02:25.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-13 Ryan Newman, laps 14-100 Russ Gamester.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jason Leffler-417; 2-Brian Tyler-393; 3-Ryan Newman-376; 4-Jimmy Sills-297; 5-Russ Gamester-286; 6-Dave Darland-282; 7-Robby Flock-269; 8-Jack Hewitt-264; 9-Dave Steele-259; 10-J.J. Yeley-232.
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SILLS FINALLY WINS Du QUOIN CENTURY
Du Quoin, Illinois………Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif. captured the 100-mile Du Quoin Century USAC Silver Crown race at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds on Labor Day, September 7.
Sills became the ninth different winner in 10 Silver Crown races this season as he led 69 laps in the Mopar Special to beat Tracy Hines, Donnie Beechler, George Snider and J.J. Yeley.
The win was Sills’ ninth in Silver Crown racing but his first at Du Quoin.
“It feels good to finally win here,” Sills said in victory lane. “I’ve always had trouble here in the past. We actually ran last year’s pavement car today.”
Sills’ car was pushing bad at the end and Hines nearly caught him in the closing laps.
“We had a blistered tire too,” Sills admitted. “My crew was signaling me where Hines was, but I figured if I protected the bottom groove, I’d be okay. It’s one thing catching someone here but passing is another thing.”
The race was red flagged twice. Kaylene Verville of Phoenix, Ariz. suffered minor burns when she hit Billy Puterbaugh Jr. on the front stretch on lap four, flipped and caught fire. Puterbaugh suffered a minor shoulder injury. The second red flag came when John Heydenreich flipped on lap 38. He escaped injury.
Sills started fifth behind pole starter George Snider, who led the first four laps. Robby Flock led the next 27 laps before his car developed an oil leak, allowing Sills to take over.
Morning rain washed out qualifications and a draw was utilized to determine starting positions.
Jason Leffler of Long Beach, Calif. finished 14th but emerged with a 10-point lead over Brian Tyler, who finished eighth. Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. earned the Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Race award for his 11th place finish.
The Du Quoin race marked the 50th anniversary of Championship racing at the one-mile oval where Lee Wallard and Johnnie Parsons scored victories in 1948.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 7, 1998 – Du Quoin, Illinois – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin Century
QUALIFYING: Not held due to morning rain. Starting lineup determined by rule book procedure and a draw.
ALSO AT THE TRACK: Wally Pankratz (#50 Aviators) & Randy Bateman (#55 Bateman)
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jimmy Sills (#75 Stanton) (5), 2. Tracy Hines (#37 Riggs) (15), 3. Donnie Beechler (#16 Logan) (8), 4. George Snider (#11 Snider-Foyt) (1), 5. J.J. Yeley (#67 Zarounian) (3), 6. Tony Elliott (#20 Nolen) (12), 7. Chuck Leary (#30 Leary) (14), 8. Brian Tyler (#94 Hart) (9), 9. Derek Davidson (#62 Beaver) (23), 10. Ron Smoker (#12 Galas) (18), 11. Jerry Coons Jr. (#6 Potter) (24), 12. Gary Hieber (#66 EWH) (20), 13. Dave Darland (#56 Foxco) (13), 14. Jason Leffler (#9 Goetz) (7), 15. Jack Hewitt (#23 Parker) (6), 16. Terry Babb (#49 Babb) (17), 17. Russ Gamester (#51 Gamester) (10), 18. Rusty McClure (#31 Mataka) (16), 19. Kenneth Nichols (#72 Brown) (22), 20. Eric Gordon (#48 Shorthorn) (27), 21. Wally Pankratz (#114 Ede) (33), 22. John Heydenreich (#80 Beach) (30), 23. Robby Flock (#61 Howard) (4), 24. Ryan Newman (#14 Ede) (11), 25. Mike Mosley Jr. (#33 Faurote) (31), 26. Rod Holshouser (#64 Holshouser) (21), 27. Al Thomas (#172 Thomas) (32), 28. Jackie Burke (#46 Egan) (25), 29. Chuck Gurney (#98 Gregg) (2), 30. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (#35 Puterbaugh) (19), 31. Bill Baue (#78 B & G) (26), 32. Kaylene Verville (#45 Pritchett) (29), 33. Ronnie Franklin (#86 Franklin) (28). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-4 George Snider, laps 5-31 Robby Flock, Laps 32-100 Jimmy Sills.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jason Leffler-442; 2-Brian Tyler-432; 3-Ryan Newman-385; 4-Jimmy Sills-360; 5-Dave Darland-309; 6-Russ Gamester-305; 7-Jack Hewitt-287; 8-J.J. Yeley-280; 9-Robby Flock-279; 10-Dave Steele-259.
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HEWITT CLIMAXES 4-CROWN SWEEP IN SILVER CROWN 50
Rossburg, Ohio………Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio became the first driver in the 18-year-history of the 4-Crown Nationals to sweep all four feature events on September 26 at Eldora Speedway.
Hewitt’s feat is totally unprecedented in major motorsports. Winning more than one feature event in a single day is a remarkable achievement, but to win four back-to-back in four different race cars is absolutely incredible.
Hewitt capped one of the sport’s most amazing accomplishments by winning the 50-lap USAC Silver Crown feature. He earlier had won the 25-lap USAC National Midget race, the 30-lap Stoops Freightliner USAC Sprint Car feature and the 20-lap UMP Modified main event. He led all 50 laps of the Silver Crown race in his Utility Peterbilt/Parker Machinery/Hannig Construction Special.
“This has been a fairy tale night,” said Hewitt after his four wins. “Snow White and Cinderella have nothing on me! I never thought anybody could win all four of these in one night. Maybe three, but not all four.”
Hewitt felt the bumps in turn three helped him in the 50-lap finale.
“It helped save the tires,” Hewitt said. “Usually the tires go away late in that long of a race, but not tonight.”
Following Hewitt to the checkered flag were Dave Darland, Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Race Todd Kane, Kevin Huntley and Jimmy Sills.
Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. snatched the Silver Crown point lead from Jason Leffler by finishing seventh. Leffler was 16th.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: September 25-26, 1998 – Rossburg, Ohio – Eldora Speedway – 18th 4-Crown Nationals
QUALIFYING: (Top-12 locked into the feature) 1. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-16.391; 2. Jack Hewitt, 23, Parker-16.412; 3. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-16.536; 4. J.J. Yeley, 67, Zarounian-16.580; 5. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-16.678; 6. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-16.693; 7. Derek Davidson, 62, Beaver-16.811; 8. Jay Drake, 11, Snider-16.833; 9. Kevin Huntley, 34, D & D-16.839; 10. John Heydenreich, 37, Riggs-16.863; 11. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-16.882; 12. Rusty McClure, 31, Mataka-17.072; 13. Tracy Hines, 30, Leary-17.073; 14. Kevin Thomas, 73, Dickson-17.093; 15. Aaron Mosley, 27, Jones-17.102; 16. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-17.117; 17. Jerry Coons Jr., 6, Potter-17.157; 18. Ricky Shelton, 50, Aviators-17.300; 19. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-17.311; 20. Todd Kane, 24, LeFevre-17.324; 21. Greg Wilson, 63, Hampshire-17.342; 22. Kenneth Nichols, 72, Brown-17.422; 23. Dean Erfurth, 81, Peachey-17.483; 24. Mike Mosley Jr., 33, Faurote-17.597; 25. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-17.613; 26. Al Thomas, 172, Thomas-17.654; 27. Donnie Beechler, 16, Logan-17.792; 28. Terry Babb, 49, Babb-17.805; 29. Marvin Pifer, 211, Morton-17.929; 30. Bill Baue, 78, B & G-17.932; 31. Jimmy Stinson, 76, Westfall-17.973. (NOTE: Kevin Doty also in car #37).
QUALIFYING RACE: (20 laps, top-13 transfer to the feature) 1. Kevin Thomas, 2. Greg Wilson, 3. Tony Elliott, 4. Aaron Mosley, 5. Todd Kane, 6. Tracy Hines, 7. Ryan Newman, 8. Donnie Beechler, 9. Jimmy Stinson, 10. Terry Babb, 11. Ricky Shelton, 12. Jason Leffler, 13. Jerry Coons Jr., 14. Dean Erfurth, 15. Kenneth Nichols, 16. Bill Baue, 17. Marvin Pifer, 18. Mike Mosley Jr., 19. Al Thomas. NT
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jack Hewitt (2), 2. Dave Darland (3), 3. Todd Kane (16), 4. Kevin Huntley (9), 5. Jimmy Sills (1), 6. Derek Davidson (7), 7. Brian Tyler (6), 8. Tony Elliott (14), 9. Ryan Newman (18), 10. J.J. Yeley (4), 11. Jimmy Stinson (20), 12. Aaron Mosley (15), 13. Greg Wilson (13), 14. Jay Drake (8), 15. Terry Babb (21), 16. Jason Leffler (23), 17. Jerry Coons Jr. (24), 18. Kevin Thomas (12), 19. Donnie Beechler (19), 20. Rusty McClure (11), 21. Ricky Shelton (22), 22. Russ Gamester (10), 23. Robby Flock (5), 24. Tracy Hines (17). 16:44.29
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-50 Jack Hewitt.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Brian Tyler-474; 2-Jason Leffler-463; 3-Ryan Newman-421; 4-Jimmy Sills-411; 5-Dave Darland-366; 6-Jack Hewitt-350; 7-Russ Gamester-316; 8-J.J. Yeley-313; 9-Robby Flock-289; 10-Dave Steele-259.
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YELEY BECOMES 11TH DIFFERENT WINNER OF SEASON AT CAL EXPO
Sacramento, California………J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Ariz. became the 11th different winner in 12 USAC Silver Crown races in 1998 by winning the Budweiser Silver Crown 100 at the Cal Expo State Fairgrounds on October 10.
Yeley led all but the first five laps after passing Tracy Hines on lap six and won $10,350 driving the Brian & Gary’s Cars for Less Special. The win was the first in Silver Crown competition for the Indianapolis 500 veteran.
“I thought it was going to be a short night,” Yeley said in victory lane. “Tracy and I tangled in turn one at the start, but we got through it.”
Ronnie Day didn’t, though. He hit the outside wall and brought out the first yellow flag of the night. He escaped injury.
“The track was a lot better this year,” said Yeley. “At the end, we had enough tire left to run another 20 miles.”
Indianapolis 500 veteran George Snider of Bakersfield, Calif. and defending race winner Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. finished second and third in the 100-mile race.
Silver Crown point leaders Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. and Jason Leffler of Long Beach, Calif. finished seventh and eighth respectively. Tyler emerged from the race with a 14-point lead over Leffler in the Silver Crown standings.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: October 10, 1998 – Sacramento, California – Cal Expo State Fairgrounds – Budweiser Silver Crown 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-30.814; 2. J.J. Yeley, 67, Zarounian-31.015; 3. Ronnie Day, 117, JR-31.045; 4. George Snider, 11, Snider-31.167; 5. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-31.177; 6. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-31.184; 7. Jack Hewitt, 23, Parker-31.234; 8. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-31.239; 9. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-31.449; 10. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-31.489; 11. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-31.511; 12. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-31.588; 13. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-31.791; 14. Derek Davidson, 62, Beaver-31.972; 15. Johnny Parsons, 7, Wellington-32.347; 16. Chuck Gurney, 98, Gregg-32.409; 17. Randy Hannagan, 26, Espindola-32.716; 18. Cary Faas, 21, Snow-32.973; 19. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-33.102; 20. Andy Forsberg, 57, Dolner-33.923; 21. Dean Erfurth, 81, Peachey-35.818; 22. Todd Bammer, 818, Moeller-35.848; 23. Don Carr, 84, Spivey-NT; 24. Greg Nelson, 112, Nelson-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 Laps) 1. Chuck Gurney, 2. Cary Faas, 3. Randy Hannagan, 4. Randy Bateman, 5. Johnny Parsons, 6. Dean Erfurth, 7. Andy Forsberg, 8. Todd Bammer. 5:44.56
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. J.J. Yeley (2), 2. George Snider (4), 3. Dave Darland (5), 4. Ryan Newman (6), 5. Russ Gamester (10), 6. Jack Hewitt (7), 7. Brian Tyler (9), 8. Jason Leffler (11), 9. Robby Flock (12), 10. Johnny Parsons (19), 11. Derek Davidson (14), 12. Wally Pankratz (8), 13. Jimmy Sills (13), 14. Dean Erfurth (20), 15. Randy Bateman (18), 16. Tracy Hines (1), 17. Randy Hannagan (17), 18. Andy Forsberg (21), 19. Cary Faas (16), 20. Chuck Gurney (15), 21. Ronnie Day (3), 22. Todd Bammer (22), 23. Don Carr (23), 24. Greg Nelson (24). 1:04:00.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-5 Tracy Hines, Laps 6-100 J.J. Yeley.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Brian Tyler-516; 2-Jason Leffler-502; 3-Ryan Newman-472; 4-Jimmy Sills-438; 5-Dave Darland-420; 6-Jack Hewitt-395; 7-J.J. Yeley-376; 8-Russ Gamester-364; 9-Robby Flock-325; 10-Tracy Hines-278.
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YELEY TAKES GATEWAY FINALE; SILVER CROWN TITLE TO LEFFLER
Madison, Illinois………J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Ariz. captured the Shop ‘N Save 100 USAC Silver Crown finale at Gateway International Raceway on October 17 before a crowd of more than 30,000 enthusiastic spectators.
Yeley passed Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind. on the final lap for the $17,500 win in his Brian & Gary’s Cars for Less Special, averaging 105.645 mph.
Jason Leffler of Long Beach, Calif. shared the victory podium with Yeley after clinching his first USAC Silver Crown driving title by a 16-point margin over Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich., who finished 16th in the 100-mile race.
Leffler, the 1997 USAC National Midget champion, said, “It hasn’t sunk in yet. We only planned to run a couple of races this year and here we are with the title.”
“I thought I had no chance to win today from 17th starting spot,” admitted Yeley in victory lane. “This track requires a lot of horsepower and I had to use the draft several times. The chassis was perfect, but it was a lucky move on the last lap which paid off and I was able to get by Hines with a “Manzanita Slide Job.”
Tyler entered the race with a 14-point lead on Leffler but pitted on lap 25 with braking problems. He rejoined the race but was unable to make up the lost ground and settled for second in the final standings. Ryan Newman of South Bend, Ind. finished third in the race and in the final points.
Only four caution periods interrupted the 100-mile event and there were no driver injuries in any of the incidents.
Pole starter Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. led much of the race before a broken fuel injector sent him to the sidelines after 67 laps.
Brad Armstrong of New Palestine, Ind. earned the Turbines, Inc. Rookie of the Race award for finishing seventh.
USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE RESULTS: October 16-17, 1998 – Madison, Illinois – Gateway International Raceway – Shop ‘N Save 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-24 locked into the feature) 1. Dave Steele, 2, Vance-31.798; 2. Ryan Newman, 14, Ede-31.806; 3. Jason Leffler, 9, Goetz-31.865; 4. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-31.941; 5. Dan Drinan, 333, Drinan-31.973; 6. Jimmy Sills, 75, Stanton-31.977; 7. Chuck Leary, 30, Leary-32.223; 8. Bentley Warren, 34, D & D-32.233; 9. Davey Hamilton, 11, Snider-32.258; 10. Brian Tyler, 94, Hart-32.307; 11. Robby Flock, 61, Howard-32.433; 12. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-32.460; 13. Stevie Reeves, 28, Vance-32.547; 14. Jason McCord, 80, Beach-32.554; 15. Brad Armstrong, 911, Dynamics-32.570; 16. Jack Hewitt, 23, Parker-32.662; 17. J.J. Yeley, 67, Zarounian-32.669; 18. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 20, Nolen-32.677; 19. Eric Gordon, 73, Dickson-32.680; 20. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-32.713; 21. Chet Fillip, 777, Advanced-32.823; 22. Derek Davidson, 62, Beaver-32.897; 23. Jerry Coons Jr., 6, Potter-32.968; 24. Doug Didero, 18, Conroy-33.056; 25. Pat Abold, 69, Dynamics-33.059; 26. Gary Hieber, 66, EWH-33.123; 27. Rebel Jackson Jr., 110, Helton-33.173; 28. Mike Brooks, 97, Brooks-33.182; 29. Wally Pankratz, 50, Aviators-33.538; 30. Kevin Bloomstran, 59, Westcon-33.556; 31. Johnny Parsons, 12, Galas-33.879; 32. Bill Tyler, 3, Van Klompenburg-33.997; 33. Kenneth Nichols, 72, Brown-34.764; 34. Tony Hunt, 31, Mataka-35.075; 35. Greg Wilson, 63, Hampshire-35.500; 36. Jimmy McCune, 114, Ede-35.692; 37. Dean Franklin, 15, Lawson-37.984; 38. Chip Thomas, 16, Logan-NT; 39. Randy Bateman, 96, T & D-NT; 40. Jimmy McCune, 36, McCune-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-6 transfer to the feature) 1. Gary Hieber, 2. Rebel Jackson Jr., 3. Pat Abold, 4. Mike Brooks, 5. Johnny Parsons, 6. Kevin Bloomstran, 7. Wally Pankratz, 8. Bill Tyler, 9. Jimmy McCune (#114), 10. Greg Wilson, 11. Tony Hunt, 12. Kenneth Nichols. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. J.J. Yeley (17), 2. Tracy Hines (12), 3. Ryan Newman (2), 4. Jason Leffler (3), 5. Bentley Warren (8), 6. Jason McCord (14), 7. Brad Armstrong (15), 8. Davey Hamilton (9), 9. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (18), 10. Pat Abold (27), 11. Eric Gordon (19), 12. Derek Davidson (22), 13. Dave Darland (20), 14. Johnny Parsons (29), 15. Rebel Jackson Jr. (26), 16. Brian Tyler (10), 17. Jimmy Sills (6), 18. Mike Brooks (28), 19. Robby Flock (11), 20. Gary Hieber (25), 21. Doug Didero (24), 22. Dave Steele (1), 23. Kevin Bloomstran (30), 24. Jack Hewitt (16), 25. Jerry Coons Jr. (23), 26. Chet Fillip (21), 27. Stevie Reeves (13), 28. Dan Drinan (5), 29. Russ Gamester (4). 56:47.64 (NOTE: Car #30, Chuck Leary (7), disqualified after finishing fifth for failing to pass post-race technical inspection.)
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Ryan Newman, Laps 4-56 Dave Steele, Laps 57-68 Ryan Newman, laps 69-75 J.J. Yeley, Laps 76-79 Tracy Hines, Lap 80 J.J. Yeley.
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1998 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (553) Jason Leffler, Long Beach, Calif.
2. (537) Brian Tyler, Parma, Mich.
3. (526) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind.
4. (457) Jimmy Sills, Placerville, Calif.
5. (447) Dave Darland, Lincoln, Ind.
6. (436) J.J. Yeley, Phoenix, Ariz.
7. (404) Jack Hewitt, Troy, Ohio
8. (368) Russ Gamester, Peru, Ind.
9. (340) Robby Flock, Murrieta, Calif.
10. (335) Tracy Hines, New Castle, Ind.
11. (276) Dave Steele, Tampa, Fla.
12. (266) Derek Davidson, Lafayette, Ind.
13. (248) Billy Puterbaugh Jr., Brownsburg, Ind.
14. (234) Bentley Warren, Kennebunkport, Maine
15. (226) Eric Gordon, Greenfield, Ind.
16. (215) Gary Hieber, Langhorne, Pa.
17. (206) Donnie Beechler, Springfield, Ill.
18. (198) Davey Hamilton, Boise, Idaho
19. (198) Pat Abold, Pennellville, N.Y.
20. (182) Todd Kane, Powell, Ohio
21. (180) John Heydenreich, Bloomsburg, Pa.
22. (179) Wally Pankratz, Orange, Calif.
23. (178) Tony Elliott, Kokomo, Ind.
24. (171) Tony Stewart, Rushville, Ind.
25. (146) Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson, Ariz.
26. (140) Chet Fillip, San Angelo, Texas
27. (139) George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif.
28. (123) Kevin Thomas, Danville, Ind.
29. (101) Chuck Leary, Greenfield, Ind.
30. (96) Jason McCord, Anderson, Ind.
31. (84)Brad Armstrong, New Palestine, Ind.
32. (84)Johnny Parsons, Indianapolis, Ind.
33. (78)Doug Didero, Hamilton, Ont.
34. (78)Ronnie Day, Salinas, Calif.
35. (68)Chuck Gurney, Livermore, Calif.
36. (66)Mike Brooks, Knoxville, Iowa
37. (62)Lou Cicconi Jr., Aston, Pa.
38. (56)Cary Faas, Yorba Linda, Calif.
39. (55)Rusty McClure, Ashland, Ohio
40. (52)Casey Diemert, Roseburg, Ore.
41. (50)Greg Wilson, Benton Ridge, Ohio
42. (48)Bill Rose, Plainfield, Ind.
43. (47)Dan Drinan, Indianapolis, Ind.
44. (45)Jay Drake, Val Verde, Calif.
45. (44)Terry Babb, Decatur, Ill.
46. (38)Kenneth Nichols, Odon, Ind.
47. (35)Kevin Bloomstran, Auburn Hills, Mich.
48. (34)Troy Regier, Dinuba, Calif.
49. (31)Ricky Shelton, Huntington Beach, Calif.
50. (29)Aaron Mosley, Lapel, Ind.
51. (27)Al Thomas, Ludlow, Ill.
52. (27)Jac Haudenschild, Wooster, Ohio
53. (23)Rebel Jackson Jr., Buckley, Wash.
54. (23)Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
55. (23)Randy Bauer, Kingston, Wash.
56. (22)Mike Bliss, Milwaukie, Ore.
57. (19)Randy Hannagan, San Jose, Calif.
58. (18)Ken Hamilton, Boise, Idaho
59. (18)Kenny Irwin Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.
60. (17)Rod Holshouser, Jackson, Mo.
61. (17)Bill Baue, Sparta, Ill.
62. (17)Andy Forsberg, Auburn, Calif.
63. (16)Jackie Burke, Houston, Texas
64. (15)Ray Evans, Salt Lake City, Utah
65. (14)Mike Mosley Jr., Indianapolis, Ind.
66. (14)Jim Keeker, Cicero, Ind.
67. (13)Travis Rilat, Texas City, Texas
68. (12)John Barrick, Lincoln, Ill.
69. (11)Gene Lee Gibson, Richwood, Ohio
70. (10)Don Carr, Lake Palo Pinto, Texas
71. (10)Brian Gerster, Indianapolis, Ind.
72. (8) Chip Thomas, Belleville, Ill.
73. (6) Stevie Reeves, Speedway, Ind.
74. (6) Tim Cox, Park City, Ill.
75. (6) Greg Stephens, Kokomo, Ind.
76. (5) Jeff Mitrisin, Oskaloosa, Iowa
77. (3) Kaylene Verville, Phoenix, Ariz.
78. (3) Ronnie Franklin, Fenton, Mo.
1998 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (553) Goetz Racing, Portage, Wisc. (#9)
2. (537) Richard Hart, Glendale, Calif. (#94)
3. (526) M & L Plumbing (Fred Ede), Fresno, Calif. (#14)
4. (524) George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif. (#11)
5. (447) Foxco Engineering, Avon, Ind., (#56)
6. (442) Stanton Racing, Nicholasville, Ky. (#75)
7. (368) Gamester Racing, Peru, Ind. (#51)
8. (340) Howard Motorsports, Santa Rosa, Calif. (#61)
9. (337) Zarounian Motorsports, Visalia, Calif. (#67)
10. (317) Beaver Racing, Noblesville, Ind. (#62)
11. (310) Nolen Racing, Greenwood, Ind. (#20)
12. (276) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#2)
13. (276) Bob Parker, Indianapolis, Ind. (#23)
14. (274) Bob Hampshire, Findlay, Ohio (#63)
15. (245) Ralph Potter, Indianapolis, Ind. (#6)
16. (225) Gene Beach, Franklin, Mo. (#80)
17. (215) EWH Service, Langhorne, Pa. (#66)
18. (203) Chuck Leary, Greenfield, Ind. (#30)
19. (198) Dynamics, Inc., Milford, Ohio (#69)
20. (195) Gary Irvin, Noblesville, Ind. (#48)
21. (179) Aviators Racing, Chicago, Ill. (#50)
22. (172) Terry Riggs, Indianapolis, Ind. (#137)
23. (172) Boles Chevrolet, Pendleton, Ind. (#25)
24. (156) D & D Fabrication, Findlay, Ohio (#34)
25. (140) Advanced Racing Suspensions, Indianapolis, Ind. (#777)
26. (138) Terry Riggs, Indianapolis, Ind. (#37)
27. (134) John Gregg, Camas, Wash. (#98)
28. (130) Bill Puterbaugh, Brownsburg, Ind. (#35)
29. (129) S & S (Seymour) Racing, Marlboro, Mass. (#29)
30. (104) 5D Racing, Tucson, Ariz. (#27)
31. (94)Dr. Jim Logan, St. Louis, Mo. (#16)
32. (89)Tomax (Dickson) Racing, Parkesburg, W.Va. (#73)
33. (84)Galas Motorsports, O’Fallon, Ill. (#12)
34. (78)Joe Conroy, Brunswick, Ohio (#18)
35. (78)JR Motorsports, Concord, Calif. (#117)
36. (69)Dave LeFevre, Lafayette, Ind. (#24)
37. (66)Brooks Motorsports, Knoxville, Iowa (#97)
38. (62)Ron Mucci, Syracuse, N.Y. (#99)
39. (55)Mataka Motorsports, Lebanon, N.J. (#31)
40. (52)Jim Wellington, Greenwood, Calif. (#7)
41. (52)James Diemert, Roseburg, Ore. (#173)
42. (49)Robert Babb, Decatur, Ill. (#49)
43. (48)Bowen Oldsmobile, Terre Haute, Ind. (#41)
44. (47)Drinan Racing Products, Indianapolis, Ind. (#333)
45. (47)Bob Hampshire, Findlay, Ohio (#163)
46. (42)Dynamics, Inc., Milford, Ohio (#911)
47. (41)Plastic Express (Junior Kurtz), Ontario, Calif. (#60)
48. (38)Steve Brown, Nabb, Ind. (#72)
49. (36)John Westfall, Troy, Ohio (#76)
50. (35)Westcon Racing, Auburn Hills, Mich. (#59)
51. (34)Biswell Motorsports, Selma, Calif. (#54)
52. (27)Al Thomas, Ludlow, Ill. (#172)
53. (25)Steve Peachey, Denver, Colo. (#211)
54. (24)Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#28)
55. (23)Helton Racing, Madera, Calif. (#110)
56. (23)Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill. (#55)
57. (20)Dan Ricehouse Racing, Scottsdale, Ariz. (#17)
58. (19)Espindola Motorsports, San Jose, Calif. (#26)
59. (17)Yvonne Dolner, Sacramento, Calif. (#57)
60. (17)Rod Holshouser, Jackson, Mo. (#64)
61. (17)B & G Engines, Indianapolis, Ind. (#78)
62. (16)George Egan, Hazelwood, Mo. (#46)
63. (15)Don Snow, Vacaville, Calif. (#21)
64. (15)Ray Evans, Salt Lake City, Utah (#85)
65. (14)Frank Faurote, Lafayette, Ind. (#33)
66. (13)Clare Pattee, Blythe, Calif. (#53)
67. (13)Dodie Miller, Seabrook, Texas (#8)
68. (12)M & L Plumbing (Fred Ede), Fresno, Calif. (#114)
69. (12)Barrick Distributing, Lincoln, Ill. (#77)
70. (11)Moeller Brothers Body Shop, San Leandro, Calif. (#818)
71. (11)Robert Wilson, Fishers, Ind. (#87)
72. (10)Herb Spivey, Glendora, Calif. (#84)
73. (10)Stephens Machine, Kokomo, Ind. (#47)
74. (10)George Snider, Bakersfield, Calif. (#111)
75. (10)Reutimann Racing, Zephyrhills, Fla. (#88)
76. (9) Greg Nelson, Citrus Heights, Calif. (#112)
77. (6) Sohm Enterprises, St. Louis, Mo. (#83)
78. (5) Cahill Racing, Cedar Rapids, Iowa (#10)
79. (3) Jerry Pritchett, Litchfield Park, Ariz. (#45)
80. (3) Ronnie Franklin, Fenton, Mo. (#86)