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.
2008 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. became the fifth driver to claim USAC's Triple Crown after locking down a pair of National Championships during the 2008 season.
Coons emerged from the Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway with the USAC K & N Silver Crown title, then clinched the 2008 USAC National Sprint Car Championship the following night in the Western World Championships at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix.
The two titles, coupled with 2006 and 2007 USAC National Midget crowns, put Coons in company with fellow USAC Triple Crown titlists Pancho Carter, Tony Stewart, Dave Darland and J.J. Yeley. Stewart (1995) and Yeley (2003) remain the only two to sweep all three titles in a single season.
It had been a decade since Coons' initial USAC Silver Crown start, and a marked improvement over his previous best point ranking with the series, which came the prior year, in 2007, a fourth-place finish in the final tally.
Coons became the first driver since Dave Steele three years earlier, in 2005, to capture victory in the season opening race and also claim the season championship in the same season. Coons was victorious in the Copper on Dirt season opener at his home track of Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Arizona in February.
Coons led the point standings for all but one race throughout the year when Tracy Hines held the advantage following his fourth-place finish behind first-time series winner Chet Fillip at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in June. Coons took 12th at Richmond, the only occasion he finished outside the top-ten during the campaign.
Bouncing back with a runner-up finish to Dave Darland at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track’s Sumar Classic in July elevated Coons to a point lead he wouldn’t relinquish. The following night’s O’Reilly Raceway Park J.D. Byrider 100 marked the first time Silver Crown races have been held on back-to-back nights since 1974. Bobby East took the victory while Coons collected a solid fifth.
Greenfield, Indiana’s Cameron Dodson returned to victory lane with the series at Iowa Speedway in August before 1996-97 USAC National Sprint Car champion Brian Tyler swept both Illinois dirt miles at Springfield and Du Quoin to round up the month.
Darland once again displayed his prowess of Eldora Speedway with his third career Silver Crown win at the half-mile in September during the annual 4-Crown Nationals.
East closed out the season in November with an impressive victory in the southwest at Phoenix International Raceway’s Copper World Classic while Coons’ ninth-place finish secured the championship by a mere five points over Darland at season’s end.
With Tucson native Coons’ first driving championship in the series, he is the second Arizonian to score a USAC Silver Crown title following J.J. Yeley’s back-to-back title seasons in 2002 and 2003.
Coons’ driving title was also paired with his team, RW Motorsports of Lederach, Pa., earning its first-ever USAC National entrant championship.
Steve Arpin of Saint Frances, Ont. earned series Rookie of the Year honors for his 18th place finish with the series and was the Silver Crown division’s first driver from Canada to win the honor. He’s the first Canadian since Calgary’s Trevor Boys in the 1980 Midget series to win a National Rookie of the Year award with USAC and is the first from outside of the United States since New Zealand’s Carl Olsen in 1996 (Midget).
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COPPER ON DIRT IS COONS’ AT SEASON OPENER
Phoenix, Arizona………Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. earned his second USAC K & N Silver Crown Series feature victory Saturday night in the 50-lap Copper on Dirt main event presented by Sands Chevrolet at Manzanita Speedway.
Coons started third and took the lead from Bud Kaeding on lap 39. He led the final 12 laps in his Rotondo Weirich Beast/Chevy to beat the defending series champion Kaeding and 2007 race winner Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to the checkered flag.
The race was slowed by only one caution, when pole starter Jon Stanbrough spun while battling for the lead on lap 14.
Coons averaged 78.034 mph for the 50-lap distance on the 1/2-mile dirt oval. Shane Cottle and Tracy Hines rounded out the top-five in the 2008 series opener.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Presented by Optima Batteries RACE RESULTS: February 16, 2008 – Phoenix, Arizona – Manzanita Speedway – Sands Chevrolet Presents The Copper on Dirt
QUALIFYING: 1. Jon Stanbrough, 5, Baldwin-20.070; 2. Tracy Hines, 22, Stewart-20.134; 3. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-20.203; 4. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-20.383; 5. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-20.403; 6. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-20.409; 7. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart-20.444; 8. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-20.450; 9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-20.476; 10. Darren Hagen, 92, DDK-20.479; 11. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-20.608; 12. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-20.695; 13. Aaron Fike, 91, RFMS-20.819; 14. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-21.060; 15. Damion Gardner, 28, Pierson-21.155; 16. Jay Ervine, 42, Pritchett-21.808; 17. Mike Murgoitio, 19, Six-R-22.107; 18. Mat Neely, 17, RW-NT.
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jerry Coons Jr. (3), 2. Bud Kaeding (4), 3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (9), 4. Shane Cottle (6), 5. Tracy Hines (2), 6. Mat Neely (18), 7. Levi Jones (7), 8. Brian Tyler (5), 9. Dave Darland (11), 10. Darren Hagen (10), 11. Shane Hollingsworth (8), 12. Aaron Fike (13), 13. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (12), 14. Damion Gardner (15), 15. Jay Ervine (16), 16. Chris Urish (14), 17. Mike Murgoitio (17), 18. Jon Stanbrough (1). 19:13.35
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-7 Jon Stanbrough, Lap 8 Bud Kaeding, Laps 9-13 Jon Stanbrough, Laps 14-38 Bud Kaeding, Laps 39-50 Jerry Coons Jr.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jerry Coons Jr.-60; 2-Bud Kaeding-60; 3-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.-54; 4-Shane Cottle-51; 5-Tracy Hines-48; 6-Mat Neely-45; 7-Levi Jones-42; 8-Brian Tyler-39; 9-Dave Darland-36; 10-Darren Hagen-33.
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FILLIP FINDS VICTORY #1 AT RICHMOND
Richmond, Virginia………Chet Fillip of San Angelo, Texas scored his first USAC feature victory in 10 years Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway, grabbing the checkered flag in the James River Grounds 100 USAC K & N Silver Crown Series race presented by Optima Batteries.
The win was Fillip’s first in USAC Silver Crown racing, his last USAC win coming in the USAC Sprint Car Series at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway in 1998.
Fillip, at age 51, becomes one of the oldest winners in USAC history and led the final 62 laps of the race in his Advanced Racing Tex-Mex Chevy to beat Cameron Dodson, A.J. Fike, pole starter Tracy Hines and Wayne Reutimann Jr.
Fillip started 10th and caught Hines with an inside pass entering turn three. Only one caution flag interrupted the event, when Brian Tyler lost a wheel on lap nine and hit the outside wall in turn three. During the caution, Shane Cottle pitted with a fuel leak. Fillip averaged 107.698 mph for the distance.
Ryan Smith led the first six laps before Hines moved to the front. Hines won the pole on Friday with a qualifying speed of 131.598 mph in his Tony Stewart Racing entry.
Hines emerged as the new series point leader.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Presented by Optima Batteries RACE RESULTS: June 27-28, 2008 – Richmond, Virginia – Richmond International Raceway – James River Grounds 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Tracy Hines, 22, Stewart-20.517; 2. Ryan Smith, 155, S & S-20.594; 3. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-20.702; 4. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-20.754; 5. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-20.769; 6. A.J. Fike, 32, RFMS-20.773; 7. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart-20.863; 8. Eric Gordon, 2, Boca/Bowman-20.953; 9. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-20.956; 10. Chet Fillip, 177, Advanced-21.043; 11. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-21.055; 12. Zach Schiff, 3, East-21.086; 13. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-21.093; 14. Jacob Wilson, 07, Wilson-21.301; 15. Mat Neely, 17, RW-21.451; 16. Cameron Dodson, 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-21.535; 17. Mike Murgoitio, 19, Six-R-21.597; 18. Steve Arpin, 35, Edwards/RE Technologies-22.136.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Chet Fillip (10), 2. Cameron Dodson (16), 3. A.J. Fike (6), 4. Tracy Hines (1), 5. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (4), 6. Ryan Smith (2), 7. Levi Jones (7), 8. Eric Gordon (8), 9. Shane Hollingsworth (9), 10. Mike Murgoitio (17), 11. Mat Neely (15), 12. Jerry Coons Jr. (11), 13. Steve Arpin (18), 14. Jacob Wilson (14), 15. Shane Cottle (3), 16. Brian Tyler (5), 17. Zach Schiff (12), 18. Tom Capie (13). 41:47.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-6 Ryan Smith, Laps 7-38 Tracy Hines, Laps 39-100 Chet Fillip.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Tracy Hines-102; 2-Jerry Coons Jr.-89; 3-Levi Jones-84; 4-Mat Neely-76; 5-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-75; 6-Shane Cottle-74; 7-Shane Hollingsworth-67; 8-Chet Fillip-63; 9-Bud Kaeding-60; 10-Brian Tyler-60.
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DARLAND WINS SUMAR CLASSIC
Terre Haute, Indiana………Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. won Wednesday night’s First Financial Bank Sumar Classic USAC K & N Silver Crown Championship race at the Terre Haute Action Track, leading 68 of the 100 laps in his Jarvis Enterprises/Plastic Express Beast/Foxco Chevy.
Pole sitter Darland held off repeated challenges from runner-up Jerry Coons Jr., while Shane Cottle took third ahead of Brian Tyler and Mat Neely. Coons led 20 laps and Levi Jones, who finished seventh, led 12.
Coons emerged with the series point lead following the event.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Presented by Optima Batteries RACE RESULTS: July 23, 2008 – Terre Haute, Indiana – Terre Haute Action Track – First Financial Bank presents the Sumar Classic
QUALIFYING: 1. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.663; 2. Tracy Hines, 22, Stewart-21.715; 3. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-21.732; 4. Jon Stanbrough, 5, Baldwin-21.745; 5. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-21.870; 6. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart-21.907; 7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-21.997; 8. Tyler Walker, 32, RFMS-22.061; 9. Chris Windom, 03, Dooling-22.076; 10. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-22.117; 11. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-22.187; 12. Cole Whitt, 65, Hartenstine-22.251; 13. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-22.282; 14. Darren Hagen, 92, DDK-22.381; 15. Jesse Hockett, 28, Pierson-22.572; 16. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC22.970; 17. Mat Neely, 17, RW-23.026; 18. Craig Dori, 38, Shoestring-23.215; 19. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-23.617; 20. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-23.700; 21. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-23.791; 22. Patrick Bruns, 81, Foster-24.522; 23. Rex Norris III, 163, Norris-29.829; 24. Dustin Morgan, 93, M & M-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Dave Darland (1), 2. Jerry Coons Jr. (3), 3. Shane Cottle (11), 4. Brian Tyler (13), 5. Mat Neely (17), 6. Levi Jones (6), 7. Jesse Hockett (15), 8. Tom Capie (21), 9. Chris Urish (20), 10. Patrick Bruns (22), 11. Russ Gamester (19), 12. Craig Dori (18), 13. Kevin Huntley (16), 14. Shane Hollingsworth (5), 15. Rex Norris III (23), 16. Bud Kaeding (10), 17. Darren Hagen (14), 18. Jon Stanbrough (4), 19. Tyler Walker (8), 20. Cole Whitt (12), 21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (7), 22. Tracy Hines (2), 23. Chris Windom (9). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-11 Dave Darland, Laps 12-31 Jerry Coons Jr., Laps 32-43 Levi Jones, Lap 44-100 Dave Darland.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jerry Coons Jr.-146; 2-Levi Jones-129; 3-Shane Cottle-128; 4-Mat Neely-124; 5-Tracy Hines-113; 6-Brian Tyler-111; 7-Dave Darland-102; 8-Shane Hollingsworth-92; 9-Bud Kaeding-81; 10-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-75.
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EAST DOMINATES START TO FINISH AT IRP’S J.D. BYRIDER 100
Clermont, Indiana………Bobby East of Brownsburg, Ind. led all 100 laps of Thursday night’s J.D. Byrider 100 presented by TourHendricksCounty.com at O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis in his Ford Racing/The Car Lot Beast/Ford.
The victory in the K & N USAC Silver Crown Series race was worth $9,500 to his Klatt Enterprises team. East started next to pole starter Shane Hmiel but grabbed the lead at the start and never looked back.
NASCAR star Ryan Newman started third and finished second ahead of Chet Fillip, Dave Darland and series point leader Jerry Coons Jr. Coons emerged with a 23-point lead over Levi Jones.
Jones finished seventh in Thursday’s 100-lap race, which was slowed by only two caution flags.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Presented by Optima Batteries RACE RESULTS: July 24, 2008 – Clermont, Indiana – O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis – J.D. Byrider 100 presented by TourHendricksCounty.com
QUALIFYING: 1. Shane Hmiel, 17, RW-21.197; 2. Bobby East, 6, Klatt-21.206; 3. Ryan Newman, 192, DDK-21.308; 4. Chet Fillip, 177, Advanced-21.425; 5. Eric Gordon, 2, Boca/Bowman-21.444; 6. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart-21.525; 7. Tracy Hines, 22, Stewart-21.552; 8. Mike Murgoitio, 19, Six-R-21.553; 9. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-21.575; 10. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-21.575; 11. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-21.615; 12. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 11, Boca/Bowman-21.620; 13. A.J. Fike, 32, RFMS-21.635; 14. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-21.679; 15. Mario Marietta, 15, Beach-21.691; 16. Zach Schiff, 3, East-21.739; 17. Dave Darland, 92, DDK-21.767; 18. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-21.816; 19. Ryan Smith, 155, S & S-21.850; 20. Jacob Wilson, 07, Wilson-21.853; 21. Steve Arpin, 35, Edwards/RE Technologies-21.870; 22. Brad Armstrong, 08, Armstrong22.013; 23. Cameron Dodson, 47, Paternoster-22.168; 24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-22.209; 25. Michael Annett, 121, TMC-22.407; 26. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-22.562; 27. #9, East-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Bobby East (2), 2. Ryan Newman (3), 3. Chet Fillip (4), 4. Dave Darland (17), 5. Jerry Coons Jr. (9), 6. Aaron Pierce (11), 7. Levi Jones (6), 8. A.J. Fike (13), 9. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (12), 10. Mike Murgoitio (8), 11. Brian Tyler (14), 12. Eric Gordon (5), 13. Jacob Wilson (20), 14. Shane Hmiel (1), 15. Tracy Hines (7), 16. Steve Arpin (21), 17. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (24), 18. Michael Annett (25), 19. Brad Armstrong (22), 20. Ryan Smith (19), 21. Zach Schiff (16), 22. Mario Marietta (15), 23. Shane Hollingsworth (18), 24. Tom Capie (26), 25. Cameron Dodson (23), 26. Shane Cottle (10). 42:46.92
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Bobby East.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jerry Coons Jr.-194; 2-Levi Jones-171; 3-Dave Darland-153; 4-Brian Tyler-142; 5-Tracy Hines-136; 6-Shane Cottle-135; 7-Mat Neely-124; 8-Chet Fillip-117; 9-Wayne Reutimann-111; 10-Shane Hollingsworth-102.
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DODSON WINS AT IOWA SPEEDWAY
Newton, Iowa………Cameron Dodson of Greenfield, Ind. won Sunday’s Casey’s General Stores 100 USAC K & N Silver Crown race at Iowa Speedway, leading 74 of the 100 laps around the 7/8-mile paved oval, including the last 38.
Dodson held off repeated challenges from Tracy Hines, who slipped to fourth in the closing laps, while A.J. Fike finished second and series point leader Jerry Coons Jr. took third.
Pole starter Shane Hmiel was one of several drivers involved in race incidents and failed to finish. There were no driver injuries. Dodson’s run in his Ford/Red Line Oil Beast/Yates Ford earned his team $10,500 from the total purse of $66,150.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (Presented by Optima Batteries) RACE RESULTS: August 10, 2008 – Newton, Iowa – Iowa Speedway – “Casey’s General Stores 100”
QUALIFYING: 1. Shane Hmiel, 17, RW-22.096; 2. Tracy Hines, 22, Stewart-22.113; 3. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-22.164; 4. A.J. Fike, 32, RFMS-22.249; 5. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-22.325; 6. Cameron Dodson, 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-22.367; 7. Dave Darland, 92, DDK-22.440; 8. Marc Jessup, 11, Boca/Bowman-22.465; 9. Mike Murgoitio, 19, Six-R-22.497; 10. Eric Gordon, 2, Boca/Bowman-22.554; 11. Michael Annett, 121, TMC-22.568; 12. Chet Fillip, 177, Advanced-22.570; 13. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart-22.612; 14. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-22.628; 15. Brad Armstrong, 08, Armstrong-22.707; 16. Jacob Wilson, 07, Wilson-22.732; 17. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-22.838; 18. Mario Marietta, 15, Beach-22.907; 19. Jeff Mitrisin, 46, Mitrisin-23.350; 20. Steve Arpin, 35, Edwards/RE Technologies-23.544; 21. David Mirk, 43, Mirk-24.671; 22. Kody Swanson, 192, DDK-NT; 23. Bill Rose, 7, Six-R-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Cameron Dodson (6), 2. A.J. Fike (4), 3. Jerry Coons Jr. (3), 4. Tracy Hines (2), 5. Eric Gordon (10), 6. Michael Annett (11), 7. Dave Darland (7), 8. Brad Armstrong (15), 9. Steve Arpin (20), 10. Jeff Mitrisin (19), 11. Mario Marietta (18), 12. Shane Hollingsworth (14), 13. David Mirk (21), 14. Mike Murgoitio (9), 15. Shane Hmiel (1), 16. Jacob Wilson (16), 17. Levi Jones (13), 18. Marc Jessup (8), 19. Shane Cottle (17), 20. Brian Tyler (5), 21. Chet Fillip (12), 22. Kody Swanson (22). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-3 Tracy Hines, Laps 4-22 Brian Tyler, Laps 23-25 Cameron Dodson, Laps 26-28 Tracy Hines, Laps 29-61 Cameron Dodson, Lap 62 Tracy Hines, Laps 63-100 Cameron Dodson.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jerry Coons Jr.-248; 2-Dave Darland-195; 3-Levi Jones-190; 4-Tracy Hines-187; 5-Brian Tyler-155; 6-A.J. Fike-150; 7-Shane Cottle-150; 8-Shane Hollingsworth-131; 9-Chet Fillip-130; 10-Cameron Dodson-128.
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TYLER WINS BETTENHAUSEN 100 AT SPRINGFIELD
Springfield, Illinois………Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. led wire-to-wire to win Saturday afternoon's Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
The victory in the 100-mile USAC K & N Silver Crown race presented by Optima Batteries was worth $10,500. Tyler started second next to pole winner Shane Hollingsworth but took the lead on lap one and never looked back in his Toyota/Fatheadz Sunglasses Beast/Toyota.
Dave Darland finished second ahead of Hollingsworth, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Bud Kaeding.
Series point leader Jerry Coons Jr. finished sixth and took a 41-point lead over Darland.
Johnny Parsons escaped injury when he hit the wall in turn three on lap 24.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Presented by Optima Batteries RACE RESULTS: August 16, 2008 – Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Tony Bettenhausen 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-30.286; 2. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-30.325; 3. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart-30.473; 4. Kody Swanson, 19, Six-R-30.483; 5. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-30.532; 6. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-30.609; 7. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-30.725; 8. Tracy Hines, 22, Stewart-30.750; 9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-30.824; 10. Jon Stanbrough, 5, Baldwin-30.858; 11. Donnie Beechler, 14. McQuinn-30.915; 12. Mat Neely, 17, RW-30.930; 13. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-30.969; 14. A.J. Fike, 32, RFMS-31.053; 15. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-31.102; 16. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC-31.110; 17. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-31.200; 18. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-31.256; 19. Paul White, 99, Matczak-31.497; 20. Patrick Bruns, 81, Quick Draw-31.767; 21. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-32.055; 22. Craig Dori, 38, Shoestring-32.917; 23. Jeff Leka, 36, Miller-33.872; 24. Mike Stroehle, 83, Stroehle-NT; 25. Derek Hagar, 35, RE Technologies-NT; 26. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Brian Tyler (2), 2. Dave Darland (6), 3. Shane Hollingsworth (1), 4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (9), 5. Bud Kaeding (17), 6. Jerry Coons Jr. (25), 7. Shane Cottle (5), 8. Tom Capie (7), 9. Kody Swanson (4), 10. Jon Stanbrough (10), 11. Tracy Hines (8), 12. A.J. Fike (14), 13. Levi Jones (3), 14. Russ Gamester (15), 15. Mat Neely (12), 16. Patrick Bruns (20), 17. Randy Bateman (13), 18. Craig Dori (22), 19. Paul White (19), 20. Jeff Leka (23), 21. Johnny Parsons (21), 22. Donnie Beechler (11), 23. Chris Urish (18), 24. Derek Hagar (24), 25. Kevin Huntley (16), 26. Mike Stroehle (26). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Brian Tyler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jerry Coons Jr.-293; 2-Dave Darland-252; 3-Brian Tyler-218; 4-Tracy Hines-218; 5-Levi Jones-217; 6-Shane Cottle-192; 7-Shane Hollingsworth-188; 8-A.J. Fike-179; 9-Mat Neely-147; 10-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.-136.
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TYLER WINS THE TED HORN 100 AT Du QUOIN
Du Quoin, Illinois………Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. earned his second straight 100-mile USAC K & N Silver Crown Championship race victory Sunday night in the Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.
Tyler trailed defending race winner Shane Cottle for the first 75 laps, then led the final 25 laps in his Toyota/Fatheadz Sunglasses Beast/Toyota.
Dave Darland finished second in a spirited run from the back of the pack after a lap 74 restart. He was running fourth but pitted for a tire and rejoined the race. In the final 26 laps, he passed everyone but Tyler, whom he challenged for the victory on a final lap restart after series point leader Jerry Coons Jr. spun in turn two.
Cottle won the pole and ended up third ahead of Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Mat Neely.
Coons took a 23-point lead over Darland following his seventh-place finish.
Series veteran Johnny Parsons lasted only seven laps in his final start. He announced his retirement from the sport as a driver at the end of the race.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES Presented by Optima Batteries RACE RESULTS: August 31, 2008 – Du Quoin, Illinois – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Ted Horn 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-30.997; 2. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-31.406; 3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-31.468; 4. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-31.476; 5. Donnie Beechler, 14, McQuinn-31.580; 6. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-31.657; 7. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart-31.682; 8. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-31.723; 9. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-31.723; 10. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-31.756; 11. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-31.760; 12. A.J. Fike, 32, RFMS-31.871; 13. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-31.980; 14. Mat Neely, 17, RW-31.982; 15. Tracy Hines, 22, Stewart-32.089; 16. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC-32.141; 17. Dustin Morgan, 93, M & M-32.385; 18. Chappy Knaack, 36, Miller-32.433; 19. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-32.488; 20. Joey Moughan, 155, Baker-33.004; 21. Patrick Bruns, 81, Quick Draw-33.228; 22. Derek Hagar, 35, RE Technologies-33.461; 23. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-NT; 24. J.J. Yeley, 03, Dooling-NT; 25. Kody Swanson, 19, Six-R-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Brian Tyler (6), 2. Dave Darland (4), 3. Shane Cottle (1), 4. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (3), 5. Mat Neely (14), 6. Tom Capie (10), 7. Jerry Coons Jr. (23), 8. A.J. Fike (12), 9. Derek Hagar (22), 10. Kevin Huntley (16), 11. Bud Kaeding (13), 12. Tracy Hines (15), 13. Levi Jones (7), 14. Randy Bateman (2), 15. Donnie Beechler (5), 16. Joey Moughan (20), 17. Russ Gamester (9), 18. Chris Urish (8), 19. Chappy Knaack (18), 20. J.J. Yeley (24), 21. Shane Hollingsworth (11), 22. Dustin Morgan (17), 23. Patrick Bruns (21), 24. Johnny Parsons (19). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-75 Shane Cottle, Laps 76-100 Brian Tyler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jerry Coons Jr.-335; 2-Dave Darland-312; 3-Brian Tyler-278; 4-Shane Cottle-249; 5-Tracy Hines-247; 6-Levi Jones-244; 7-A.J. Fike-218; 8-Shane Hollingsworth-200; 9-Mat Neely-195; 10-Ricky Stenhouse Jr.-187.
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DARLAND BECOMES 3-TIME 4-CROWN SILVER CROWN WINNER
Rossburg, Ohio………Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. led the final 33 laps of Saturday night’s 50-lap 4-Crown Nationals K & N USAC Silver Crown Championship race at the Eldora Speedway, his third in the event following victories in 2004 and 2005, and closed to within just 20 points of series point leader Jerry Coons Jr.
Coons finished third behind Brian Tyler, with Shane Cottle and Levi Jones rounding out the top-five. Coons led the first 17 laps before Darland put his Jarvis Enterprises/Plastic Express Beast/Foxco Chevy into the lead.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 20, 2008 – Rossburg, Ohio – Eldora Speedway – Chevrolet Presents An American Revolution 28th 4-Crown Nationals
QUALIFYING: (Top-12 locked into the feature) 1. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-19.019; 2. Tracy Hines, 22, Stewart-19.029; 3. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-19.315; 4. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-19.557; 5. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart-19.648; 6. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-19.713; 7. Kody Swanson, 19, Six-R-19.898; 8. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-19.931; 9. Jon Stanbrough, 5, Baldwin-19.935; 10. Mat Neely, 17, RW-20.009; 11. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC-20.054; 12. Mike Stroehle, 83, Stroehle-20.115; 13. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-20.155; 14. Derek Hagar, 35, RE Technologies-20.163; 15. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-20.243; 16. J.J. Yeley, 03, Dooling-20.546; 17. Bruce Kindberg, 98, Lesko-20.554; 18. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-20.572; 19. Patrick Bruns, 81, Quick Draw-20.705; 20. Dustin Morgan, 93, M & M-20.976; 21. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-20.988; 22. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-21.043; 23. Rex Norris III, 163, Norris-21.217; 24. A.J. Fike, 32, RFMS-21.329; 25. Tad Roach, 84, Spivey-21.384; 26. Chad Boat, 28, Pierson-21.667; 27. Craig Dori, 38, Shoestring-NT; 28. Paul White, 99, Matczak-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-12 transfer to the feature) 1. Shane Hollingsworth, 2. Derek Hagar, 3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 4. Dustin Morgan, 5. Russ Gamester, 6. J.J. Yeley, 7. Bruce Kindberg, 8. Chris Urish, 9. Patrick Bruns, 10. Chad Boat, 11. A.J. Fike, 12. Randy Bateman, 13. Rex Norris III, 14. Tad Roach. 4:37.62
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Dave Darland (3), 2. Brian Tyler (6), 3. Jerry Coons Jr. (1), 4. Shane Cottle (8), 5. Levi Jones (5), 6. Kevin Huntley (11), 7. Shane Hollingsworth (13), 8. Bud Kaeding (4), 9. Jon Stanbrough (9), 10. Tracy Hines (2), 11. Mike Stroehle (12), 12. Mat Neely (10), 13. A.J. Fike (19), 14. Kevin Swindell (#199) (21), 15. Chad Boat (22), 16. Randy Bateman (24), 17. Bill Rose (#98) (23), 18. Chris Urish (20), 19. Dustin Morgan (16), 20. Patrick Bruns (17), 21. J.J. Yeley (18), 22. Kody Swanson (7), 23. Russ Gamester (15), 24. Derek Hagar (14). NT
**Derek Hagar flipped on lap 2 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-17 Jerry Coons Jr., Laps 18-50 Dave Darland.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Jerry Coons Jr.-392; 2-Dave Darland-372; 3-Brian Tyler-335; 4-Shane Cottle-303; 5-Levi Jones-292; 6-Tracy Hines-280; 7-A.J. Fike-245; 8-Shane Hollingsworth-242; 9-Mat Neely-224; 10-Bud Kaeding-199.
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EAST GOES SOUTHWEST TO WIN COPPER WORLD CLASSIC
Avondale, Arizona………Bobby East of Brownsburg, Ind. led all but four laps to win Thursday night’s 100-mile Copper World Classic presented by Fast Signs at Phoenix International Raceway.
The victory in the K & N USAC Silver Crown race was worth $20,500 to his Klatt Enterprises team as he won the pole in his Ford Racing/Club Sport Beast/Ford and fought off an early challenge from Ryan Newman.
“I grew up working on cars and watching Newman and others race at PIR and to win two on the same night here is special to me,” said East, who also won the 25-mile USAC Mopar National/Western Midget race.
Defending race winner Cameron Dodson finished second ahead of Dave Steele, Dave Darland and Jacob Wilson but the spotlight was on Arizona’s Jerry Coons Jr. as the checkered flag fell. Coons, of Tucson, ended up winning the series championship for the first time, by just five points over Darland.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACE RESULTS: November 6, 2008 – Phoenix, Arizona – Phoenix International Raceway – 33rd “Copper World Classic” Presented by FAST SIGNS
QUALIFYING: 1. Bobby East, 6, Klatt-25.844; 2. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart-25.886; 3. Dave Steele, 91, Nicholas-25.888; 4. Ryan Newman, 192, DDK-25.894; 5. Jacob Wilson, 07, Wilson-25.901; 6. Cameron Dodson, 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-25.926; 7. Kody Swanson, 211, Six-R-25.935; 8. Tracy Hines, 22, Stewart-26.016; 9. Shane Hmiel, 17, RW-26.058; 10. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-26.110; 11. Mike Murgoitio, 19, Six-R-26.131; 12. Eric Gordon, 2, Bowman/Canine-26.142; 13. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-26.167; 14. Mario Marietta, 15, Marietta-26.176; 15. A.J. Fike, 32, RFMS-26.239; 16. Michael Annett, 121, TMC-26.306; 17. Dave Darland, 92, DDK-26.331; 18. Davey Hamilton, 28, Pierson-26.347; 19. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-26.410; 20. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-26.469; 21. Brad Armstrong, 08, Armstrong-26.492; 22. Ryan Smith, 155, S & S26.563; 23. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-26.653; 24. Steve Arpin, 35, Edwards/RE Technologies-27.067; 25. David Mirk, 43, Mirk-27.788; 26. Patrick Bruns, 81, Quick Draw-28.497; 27. Zach Schiff, 3, East-29.579; 28. Jay Ervine, 42, Pritchett-32.126.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Bobby East (1), 2. Cameron Dodson (6), 3. Dave Steele (3), 4. Dave Darland (17), 5. Jacob Wilson (5), 6. Steve Arpin (24), 7. Levi Jones (2), 8. Bud Kaeding (10), 9. Jerry Coons Jr. (13), 10. A.J. Fike (15), 11. Eric Gordon (12), 12. Shane Hmiel (9), 13. Shane Hollingsworth (23), 14. Shane Cottle (20), 15. Brad Armstrong (21), 16. Mike Murgoitio (11), 17. Tracy Hines (8), 18. Patrick Bruns (26), 19. Davey Hamilton (18), 20. Ryan Smith (22), 21. Michael Annett (16), 22. Mario Marietta (14), 23. Brian Tyler (19), 24. Zach Schiff (27), 25. Jay Ervine (28), 26. Kody Swanson (7), 27. Ryan Newman (4), 28. David Mirk (25). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Bobby East, Laps 2-5 Ryan Newman, Laps 6-100 Bobby East.
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2008 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (428) Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson, Ariz.
2. (423) Dave Darland, Lincoln, Ind.
3. (345) Brian Tyler, Parma, Mich.
4. (334) Levi Jones, Olney, Ill.
5. (328) Shane Cottle, Kokomo, Ind.
6. (299) Tracy Hines, New Castle, Ind.
7. (278) A.J. Fike, Galesburg, Ill.
8. (269) Shane Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, Ind.
9. (238) Bud Kaeding, Campbell, Calif.
10. (224) Mat Neely, Robinson, Ill.
11. (187) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Olive Branch, Miss.
12. (185) Cameron Dodson, Greenfield, Ind.
13. (149) Tom Capie, Trevose, Pa.
14. (147) Eric Gordon, Greenfield, Ind.
15. (131) Mike Murgoitio, Meridian, Idaho
16. (129) Chet Fillip, San Angelo, Texas
17. (129) Bobby East, Brownsburg, Ind.
18. (129) Steve Arpin, Saint Frances, Ont.
19. (121) Jacob Wilson, Crawfordsville, Ind.
20. (113) Kevin Huntley, Bloomington, Ind.
21. (111) Wayne Reutimann Jr., Zephyrhills, Fla.
22. (106) Jon Stanbrough, Avon, Ind.
23. (101) Chris Urish, Elkhart, Ill.
24. (94) Patrick Bruns, Champaign, Ill.
25. (85) Russ Gamester, Peru, Ind.
26. (83) Shane Hmiel, Huntersville, N.C.
27. (77) Brad Armstrong, New Palestine, Ind.
28. (74) Michael Annett, Des Moines, Iowa
29. (71) Ryan Smith, Kunkletown, Pa.
30. (65) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
31. (65) Kody Swanson, Kingsburg, Calif.
32. (63) Ryan Newman, South Bend, Ind.
33. (54) Dave Steele, Tampa, Fla.
34. (54) Derek Hagar, Marion, Ark.
35. (53) Mario Marietta, Indianapolis, Ind.
36. (52) Darren Hagen, Riverside, Calif.
37. (46) Craig Dori, Chicago, Ill.
38. (45) Aaron Pierce, Muncie, Ind.
39. (42) Jesse Hockett, Warsaw, Mo.
40. (40) Zach Schiff, Dublin, Ohio
41. (38) Mike Stroehle, Davenport, Iowa
42. (34) Donnie Beechler, Springfield, Ill.
43. (31) Jay Ervine, Litchfield Park, Ariz.
44. (29) Aaron Fike, Galesburg, Ill.
45. (26) Dustin Morgan, Owosso, Okla.
46. (25) Damion Gardner, Concord, Calif.
47. (25) J.J. Yeley, Phoenix, Ariz.
48. (25) Kevin Swindell, Germantown, Tenn.
49. (23) Rex Norris III, Knightstown, Ind.
50. (23) Chad Boat, Phoenix, Ariz.
51. (21) Johnny Parsons, Indianapolis, Ind.
52. (15) Paul White, Temple, Texas
53. (13) Cole Whitt, Alpine, Calif.
2008 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (428) RW Motorsports, Lederach, Pa. (#27)
2. (389) Carl Edwards-RE Technologies Racing, Bartlett, Tenn. (#199)
3. (345) Team Six-R, Zionsville, Ind. (#21)
4. (334) Tony Stewart Racing Enterprises, Brownsburg, Ind. (#10)
5. (328) Contos Racing, Anderson, Ind. (#4)
6. (307) RW Motorsports, Lederach, Pa. (#17)
7. (299) Tony Stewart Racing, Brownsburg, Ind. (#22)
8. (293) RFMS Racing, Galesburg, Ill. (#32)
9. (279) Foxco Engineering, Avon, Ind. (#56)
10. (269) Nolen Racing, Greenwood, Ind. (#20)
11. (238) BK Motorsports, Indianapolis, Ind. (#29)
12. (196) DDK of Illinois, Joliet, Ill. (#92)
13. (183) Carl Edwards-RE Technologies Racing, Bartlett, Tenn. (#35)
14. (178) Team Six-R, Zionsville, Ind. (#19)
15. (149) Capie Racing, Indianapolis, Ind. (#153)
16. (147) Mike Bowman, Brownsburg, Ind. (#2)
17. (129) Advanced Racing Suspensions, Indianapolis, Ind. (#177)
18. (129) Klatt Enterprises, Inc., Hastings, Neb. (#6)
19. (121) Wilson Brothers Racing, Crawfordsville, Ind. (#07)
20. (113) SC Racing, Carey, Ohio (#97)
21. (106) Baldwin Brothers Racing, LLC, West Lafayette, Ind. (#5)
22. (105) Ken Pierson, Elk Grove, Calif. (#28)
23. (101) Chris Urish, Elkhart, Ill. (#77)
24. (94) Steven Foster, Jacksonville, Ill. (#81)
25. (85) Gamester Racing, Peru, Ind. (#51)
26. (77) Brad Armstrong, New Palestine, Ind. (#08)
27. (75) Reutimann Motorsports, Zephyrhills, Fla. (#00)
28. (74) DDK of Illinois, Joliet, Ill. (#192)
29. (74) TMC Racing, Des Moines, Iowa (#121)
30. (71) S & S Speedways, Kunkletown, Pa. (#155)
31. (65) Bateman Racing, Murphysboro, Ill. (#55)
32. (54) Bruce Nicholas, Naples, Fla. (#191)
33. (53) Mike Bowman, Brownsburg, Ind. (#112)
34. (53) Beach Boys Motorsports, Donnelsville, Ohio (#15)
35. (46) Shoestring Racing, Speedway, Ind. (#38)
36. (45) Sam Pierce, Daleville, Ind. (#26)
37. (40) Bob East, Brownsburg, Ind. (#3)
38. (38) Mike Stroehle, Davenport, Iowa (#83)
39. (35) Dooling Machine Products, Hartford, Ill. (#03)
40. (34) Dennis McQuinn, Springfield, Ill. (#14)
41. (33) Jeff Mitrisin Racing, Oskaloosa, Iowa (#46)
42. (31) Jerry Pritchett, Litchfield Park, Ariz. (#42)
43. (29) RFMS Racing, Galesburg, Ill. (#91)
44. (28) Dodie Miller, Seabrook, Texas (#36)
45. (26) M & M Motorsports, Indianapolis, Ind. (#93)
46. (21) Ricky Nix, Benton, Ill. (#43)
47. (15) Skip Matczak, Ellington, Conn. (#99)
48. (13) Chuck Hartenstine, Douglassville, Pa. (#65)
49. (7) Team Six-R, Zionsville, Ind. (#211)