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.
2012 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
Like a walk-off home run, there’s no finer way to compliment a championship season in auto racing than with a cherry on top in the form of a victory in the season finale.
That’s just what Bobby East did in the 2012 USAC Silver Crown finale at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track, dominating the night with a 100-lap victory and doubling up the fun with a series championship in hand.
East, from Brownsburg, Ind., became the eighth driver in series history, and the first since J.J. Yeley nine years prior in 2003, to close out a championship season with a race victory, joining Al Unser (1973), Bobby Olivero (1979), Gary Bettenhausen (1980), Jack Hewitt (1986), Steve Butler (1992), Jimmy Sills (1996) and J.J. Yeley (2002 & 2003).
East, aboard the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing ride throughout the year, finished with a 12-point margin of victory in the driver standings over runner-up Jerry Coons Jr., while the RW Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian No. 17 out of Lederach, Pa., with dirt master Bryan Clauson and pavement ace Bobby Santos taking turns at the controls, emerged with the owner’s championship by 14 markers.
In fact, between RW and the Stewart team, they collected seven of the eight victories during the season. Santos swept both races at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Ind. In the May season opener, an early-race restart gave Santos the opening he wanted to see and the Franklin, Mass. driver never looked back en route to a dominating Inaugural Hall of Fame Classic triumph in his first race for the team. In July, Santos backed up his early-season performance at LOR with a victory in the Rich Vogler Classic / J.D. Byrider 100 TRAXXAS Silver Crown event.
Santos’ RW teammate, Coons of Tucson, Ariz., counted his own previous year’s win in the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds as one of the biggest of his career, then came back in May of 2012 to back it up with his second-straight victory in the 100-mile event. USAC Triple Crown champion Coons took his second win of the season, this time on the pavement, taking the lead late to win the Rollie Beale 100 at Ohio’s Toledo Speedway in June.
East took 56 laps to wrestle the lead away from Kody Swanson in late June at Iowa Speedway, but from there, East was never challenged to finish off the 100-lap victory at the Casey’s General Stores USAC Challenge.
In mid-August, A.J. Fike of Galesburg, Ill. became the first Illinois driver in 29 years to capture the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, leading the final 65 laps of the 100-mile race. Gary Bettenhausen had been the last Illinois driver to win the race, in 1983. Fike’s RFMS Racing machine was the only win by a non TSR or RW car during the 2012 Silver Crown season.
Bryan Clauson’s second verse was the same as his first, returning to victory lane for the second time with the series where he won his first two years before, Eldora Speedway, leading the final 40 laps to win the 50-lap 4-Crown Nationals.
East’s fourth-place finish in the penultimate race at Eldora elevated him to the point lead for the first time all season after three other drivers – Santos, Bud Kaeding and Kody Swanson – all took turns heading the pack.
East only had one finish outside the top-ten and two outside the top-five in eight starts to take the crown.
Danville, Indiana’s Kyle Hamilton, a specialist on the paved tracks, was named Rookie of the Year.
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SANTOS SMOKES THE FIELD AT LOR’S HALL OF FAME CLASSIC
Brownsburg, Indiana………An early-race restart gave Bobby Santos the opening he wanted to see and the Franklin, Massachusetts driver never looked back en route to dominating Saturday night's Inaugural Hall of Fame Classic TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown race at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.
In his first race aboard the RW/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports Rotondo Weirich - Curb Records #17 Beast/Wallace Toyota Silver Crown car, Santos pulled away as the 100 laps wore on, posting an eventual winning margin of 7.512 seconds.
"I don't think Kody's car was restarting the greatest, so I just took advantage there and went underneath him. The car was so good, it was a pretty easy drive from there. Usually, I push my car as hard as I can without losing the tires, and I'm really more comfortable coming from behind, but that's just how good my car was tonight. I'm excited for all the races with this team, and to join with my teammates to run for a championship in the Midgets and with Bryan (Clauson) in this," Santos said.
Kody Swanson, who won the last Silver Crown race at the facility, took the pole and led at the start, before a lap-four yellow for Brian Tyler, who suffered a broken axle on the front-stretch. On the restart, Santos pounced, leaving everyone to watch the battles behind him.
Three-time series champion Bud Kaeding reeled in Swanson over the final few laps looking for the runner-up spot. Kody held on to finish second in the Six-R Racing - Jet Star - K&N Filters #19 Beast/Claxton Toyota. Kaeding held on to fill the podium in the BK Motorsports - Kaeding Performance - Alviso Rock #29 Beast/Speedway Mopar.
The best battle over the final few laps developed as Jacob Wilson encountered a pack of lapped cars. Using the traffic as his opportunity, Tanner Swanson swept by to claim fourth in the Six-R Racing - Jet Star - K&N Filters #23 Beast/Claxton Toyota. Wilson rounded out the top-five in the Wilson Brothers Racing - Jet Star - Toyota #07 Beast/Toyota.
The event was run just after ceremonies held to honor the inaugural class inducted into the newly-formed USAC Hall of Fame, which consisted of J.C. Agajanian, Mario Andretti, Gary Bettenhausen, Tom Binford, Jimmy Bryan, Duane Carter, A.J. Foyt, Tony Hulman, Parnelli Jones, Mel Kenyon, Roger McCluskey, and Rich Vogler.
TRAXXAS USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: May 19, 2012 - Brownsburg, Indiana - Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis - Inaugural Hall of Fame Classic
QUALIFYING: 1. Kody Swanson, 19, Six-R-20.763; 2. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-20.988; 3. Bobby Santos, 17, RW/Curb-Agajanian-20.995; 4. Tanner Swanson, 23, Six-R-21.013; 5. Jacob Wilson, 07, WBR-21.137; 6. Bobby East, 22, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-21.167; 7. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-21.296; 8. A.J. Fike, 3, RFMS-21.341; 9. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-21.366; 10. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-21.421; 11. Tracy Hines, 16, Lightfoot-21.443; 12. Kyle Hamilton, 33, Six-R/Hamilton-21.464; 13. David Byrne, 40, Byrne-21.512; 14. Eric Gordon, 2, Bowman/Canine-21.572; 15. Zach Daum, 50, Daum-21.590; 16. Doug Berryman, 63, DePalma-21.917; 17. Jimmy Kite, 25, Sachs-22.149; 18. Donnie Beechler, 14, McQuinn-NT; 19. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Bobby Santos (3), 2. Kody Swanson (1), 3. Bud Kaeding (2), 4. Tanner Swanson (4), 5. Jacob Wilson (5), 6. Tracy Hines (11), 7. Eric Gordon (14), 8. Levi Jones (7), 9. A.J. Fike (8), 10. Russ Gamester (19), 11. Bobby East (6), 12. Kyle Hamilton (12), 13. Zach Daum (15), 14. Jerry Coons Jr. (10), 15. Jimmy Kite (17), 16. Doug Berryman (16), 17. David Byrne (13), 18. Brian Tyler (9), 19. Donnie Beechler (18). 47:57.38
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-13 Kody Swanson, Laps 14-100 Bobby Santos.
NEW TRAXXAS SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Bobby Santos-63; 2-Kody Swanson-60; 3-Bud Kaeding-54; 4-Tanner Swanson-51; 5-Jacob Wilson-48; 6-Tracy Hines-45; 7-Eric Gordon-42; 8-Levi Jones-39; 9-A.J. Fike-36; 10-Russ Gamester-33.
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COONS GOES BACK-TO-BACK WITH HOOSIER HUNDRED VICTORY
Indianapolis, Indiana………Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Arizona counted last year’s win in the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds as one of the biggest of his career.
He came back on Friday night to back it up with his second-straight victory in the 100-mile event aboard the RW Motorsports – Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil #27 Beast/Wallace Toyota.
"Winning this race just once and joining that list of names, that was a huge deal in itself. To come back and join the group of guys who have won it more than once, and won it back-to-back, it’s just amazing,” Coons said of his romp that accounted for 87 laps led.
Tracy Hines jumped from the front row to lead at the start, but a cluster of cautions slowed the pace and set up multiple double-file restarts. Those proved pivotal, as Coons used a restart on lap 14 to leap past Hines and take a lead he would never relinquish.
TRAXXAS USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: May 25, 2012 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – Hoosier Hundred
QUALIFYING: 1. Bryan Clauson, 17, RW/Curb-Agajanian-34.768; 2. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-34.847; 3. Jerry Coons Jr, 27, RW-34.942; 4. Tracy Hines, 16, Lightfoot-35.025; 5. Kody Swanson, 19, Six-R-35.126; 6. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-35.397; 7. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-35.407; 8. Bobby East, 22, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-35.451; 9. Shane Cockrum, 114, Hardy-35.502; 10. A.J. Fike, 3 RFMS-35.518; 11. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-35.565; 12. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-35.697; 13. Zach Daum, 50, Daum-35.789; 14. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-36.033; 15. Tanner Swanson, 23, Six-R-36.258; 16. Justin Grant, 63, DePalma-36.453; 17. Steve Adams, 500, Adams-36.978; 18. Jimmy Kite, 25, Sachs-38.360; 19. Todd Kane, 78, Kane-NT; 20. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-NT; 21. Robert Ballou, 43, Nix-NT; 22. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-NT (time of 35.884 disallowed).
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jerry Coons Jr. (3), 2. Bud Kaeding (2), 3. Levi Jones (14), 4. Bobby East (8), 5. Kody Swanson (5), 6. Tracy Hines (4), 7. Bryan Clauson (1), 8. Tanner Swanson (15), 9. Zach Daum (13), 10. Shane Hollingsworth (7), 11. Chris Urish (12), 12. Todd Kane (19), 13. Justin Grant (16), 14. Brian Tyler (11), 15. Steve Adams (17), 16. Jimmy Kite (18), 17. Russ Gamester (22), 18. Dave Darland (6), 19. Shane Cockrum (9), 20. A.J. Fike (10). 1:11:57.00
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-13 Tracy Hines, Laps 14-100 Jerry Coons Jr.
NEW TRAXXAS SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Bud Kaeding-111; 2-Kody Swanson-108; 3-Levi Jones-93; 4-Tanner Swanson-90; 5-Tracy Hines-90; 6-Jerry Coons Jr.-88; 7-Bobby East-82; 8-Bobby Santos-63, 9-Zach Daum-63; 10-Russ Gamester-52.
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EAST RULES SILVER CROWN ROOST
Newton, Iowa………Bobby East took 56 laps to wrestle the lead away from Kody Swanson, but from there, East and his Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing Chevrolet Performance No. 22 Beast/Kistler Chevy were never challenged to finish off the Casey’s General Stores USAC Challenge in victory lane for the TRAXXAS Silver Crown Series.
East started fifth in the 100-lap race but wasted no time in working his way to the front. Swanson and East distanced themselves from the lead as East repeatedly looked low to take the lead.
Two cautions slowed the field over the first half of the race, but the field went back green with 53 laps to go for the final time, and East wasted no time getting to the point.
He harassed Swanson before finally pulling ahead off turn-two on lap 56 and quickly put space between him and the rest of the field. As the rest of the race went green, East finished off his race by lapping the fourth-place car and finished 11.019 seconds ahead of Swanson, adding much of that distance in the final laps.
“I have to thank Tony (Stewart) and his team for giving me this opportunity. All the guys on this team won this race for me with great preparation. It was a great race out there tonight. Putting Team Chevrolet in victory lane and getting my first win for this team is really exciting,” East said.
Swanson came home second and took the series point lead in the Six-R Racing – Jet Star No. 19 Beast/Claxton Toyota.
East’s teammate Levi Jones raced among the top-three nearly all race and finished third in the Chevrolet Performance – Curb Records No. 10 Beast/Kistler Chevy.
Jerry Coons Jr. fought back from a pit stop during the caution to finish fourth with Russ Gamester fifth in the 16-car field.
TRAXXAS USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: June 22, 2012 – Newton, Iowa – Iowa Speedway – Casey’s General Store USAC Challenge
QUALIFYING: 1. Kody Swanson, 19, Six-R-21.544; 2. Tanner Swanson, 23, Six-R-21.557; 3. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-21.767; 4. Bobby Santos, 17, RW/Curb-Agajanian-21.842; 5. Bobby East, 22, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-21.898; 6. A.J. Fike, 3, RFMS-22.096; 7. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-22.122; 8. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-22.255; 9. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-22.303; 10. Kyle Hamilton, 33, Six-R/Hamilton-22.852; 11. Jacob Wilson, 07, WBR-22.919; 12. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-23.003; 13. Taylor Ferns, 35, Ferns/Six-R-23.235; 14. Jimmy Kite, 25, Sachs-23.235; 15. Zach Daum, 50, Daum-23.875; 16. Tracy Hines, 16, Lightfoot-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Bobby East (5), 2. Kody Swanson (1), 3. Levi Jones (7), 4. Jerry Coons Jr. (9), 5. Russ Gamester (12), 6. A.J. Fike (6), 7. Bud Kaeding (8), 8. Bobby Santos (4), 9. Brian Tyler (3), 10. Taylor Ferns (13), 11. Tracy Hines (15), 12. Jacob Wilson (11), 13. Jimmy Kite (14), 14. Tanner Swanson (2), 15. Kyle Hamilton (10). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-55 Kody Swanson, Laps 56-100 Bobby East.
NEW TRAXXAS SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kody Swanson-171, 2-Bud Kaeding-153, 3-Levi Jones-147, 4-Bobby East-142, 5-Jerry Coons Jr.-139, 6-Tracy Hines-121, 7-Tanner Swanson-115, 8-Bobby Santos-102, 9-Russ Gamester-100, 10-A.J. Fike-94.
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COONS CORRALS ROLLIE BEALE 100 WIN AT TOLEDO
Toledo, Ohio………Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Arizona took his second TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Series win of the season and second Toledo Speedway win in three races after taking the lead late and winning Friday night’s Rollie Beale 100.
Bobby East led from the pole position and set a torrid pace. Only one caution slowed the pace, as Taylor Ferns slowed to a stop on lap 24.
East led Bobby Santos and Coons into traffic as the top-three pulled away from the rest of the field. With Santos continually pressuring East for the lead, Coons kept the pair in sight. Santos nudged East from behind on a couple occasions before pulling alongside on lap 67.
Santos again pulled alongside East for the lead in traffic, and as Santos looked for the lead a third time, Coons pinned him behind a lapped car to take the second spot.
It didn’t take long after that for Coons to grab the lead, as he jumped to the outside lane and circled East for the top spot on lap 87. He pulled away to capture the win in the Rotondo Weirich – Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil #27 Beast/Wallace Toyota.
“I didn’t qualify where I wanted, but we started on the outside and I kept it out there to pick up some spots at the beginning. I knew the top was okay, and my car rolled really nice. I tried Santos a little bit and felt like I lost some grip after that, and they pulled away a little, but my car seemed to level off and their cars were going away. I was able to use traffic to my advantage, and Bobby (East) was obviously getting pretty loose, so I knew if I could beat him to the center of the corner, I could get him,” Coons said of his winning move.
East had his hands full over the final few laps as Santos still worked him over for the runner-up spot, but East held on in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing – Chevy Performance #22 Beast/Kistler.
“I knew I wasn’t good enough to have a comfortable lead, so I was just trying to make up any ground that I could in traffic. At times, I cut through it really well, and other times I got slowed up a little. I felt Santos back there a couple times, but I was just holding on there. Still, we were only fifteen laps short of pulling it off. Another good night with this team,” East said.
Santos joined his teammate Coons on the podium as the Franklin, Massachusetts driver took home third in the Rotondo Weirich – Curb Records #17 Beast/Wallace Toyota.
“Bobby (East) did a good job. I was just too tight to get by him and couldn’t ever find a way by him. I wish there was more traffic to figure something out on him, because I couldn’t roll around the outside. I had the advantage of being behind him, but Jerry was able to figure things out from behind us, and it looked like he had the best car at the end and drove a great race,” Santos said.
TRAXXAS USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: June 29, 2012 – Toledo, Ohio – Toledo Speedway – Hemelgarn Super Fitness Rollie Beale 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Bobby East, 22, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-15.051; 2. Kody Swanson, 19, Six-R-15.114; 3. Bobby Santos, 17, RW/Curb-Agajanian-15.126; 4. Tracy Hines, 16, Lightfoot-15.211; 5. Kyle Hamilton, 33, Six-R/Hamilton-15.220; 6. Tanner Swanson, 23, Six-R-15.244; 7. Taylor Ferns, 35, Ferns/Six-R-15.316; 8. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-15.331; 9. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-15.351; 10. A.J. Fike, 3, RFMS-15.399; 11. Jacob Wilson, 07, WBR-15.403; 12. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-15.516; 13. Eric Gordon, 2, Bowman/Canine-15.557; 14. Doug Berryman, 63, DePalma-15.881; 15. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jerry Coons Jr. (8), 2. Bobby East (1), 3. Bobby Santos (3), 4. Kody Swanson (2), 5. Tracy Hines (4), 6. Kyle Hamilton (5), 7. Tanner Swanson (6), 8. A.J. Fike (10), 9. Levi Jones (14), 10. Jacob Wilson (11), 11. Bud Kaeding (9), 12. Eric Gordon (13), 13. Brian Tyler (12), 14. Doug Berryman (15), 15. Taylor Ferns (7). 27:07.40
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-86 Bobby East, Laps 87-100 Jerry Coons Jr.
NEW TRAXXAS SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kody Swanson-222, 2-Bobby East-205, 3-Jerry Coons Jr.-199, 4-Bud Kaeding-184, 5-Levi Jones-183, 6-Tracy Hines-169, 7-Tanner Swanson-157, 8-Bobby Santos-156, 9-A.J. Fike-133, 10-Jacob Wilson-110.
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SANTOS DOMINATES J.D. BYRIDER 100
Brownsburg, Indiana………Bobby Santos of Franklin, Massachusetts ended the Rich Vogler Classic night at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis by dominating Thursday’s J.D. Byrider 100 TRAXXAS Silver Crown event. The win backed up his victory in the Hall of Fame Classic at the same track in May.
After earning the pole earlier in the day, Santos streaked away from the field and was never headed, completing an all-green race in under 35 minutes. After diving deep into lapped traffic, his lead inched slowly towards the end of the race as he won by 6.247-seconds in the Rotondo Weirich – Curb Records #17 Beast/Wallace Toyota.
“The RW Motorsports team gave me an amazing race car tonight. My job was really easy, honestly. We started up front and got to have a lot of fun. This year has been great with this team. I love to come here to Lucas Oil Raceway and win races. You’re waiting for something to go wrong out front like that, but it’s a well-prepared race car and I don’t doubt my team one bit,” Santos said.
Behind him, Kody Swanson made a valiant effort to keep pace after jumping to the second spot, but he had to settle for second in the Jet Star – Toyota TRD #19 Beast/Claxton Toyota.
“I got to thank my guys for sticking with me after we struggled early in the day. We threw some stuff at it for the race, and second is what we got,” Swanson said.
Bobby East was the Hard Charger of the race, as he jumped from his 11th-starting spot to finish third in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing – Chevy Performance #22 Beast/Kistler.
“We just had to start too far back to have anything for those guys up there. I had to use my stuff up getting as far as we got. This is three podium finishes in a row for us, so hopefully we can carry that momentum through the second half of this season,” East said.
TRAXXAS USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: July 26, 2012 – Brownsburg, Indiana – Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis – J.D. Byrider 100 / Rich Vogler Classic
QUALIFYING: 1. Bobby Santos, 17, RW/Curb-Agajanian-20.947; 2. Tanner Swanson, 23, Six-R-21.010; 3. Kyle Larson, 11, Bowman/Canine-21.035; 4. Kody Swanson, 19, Six-R-21.071; 5. Tracy Hines, 16, Lightfoot-21.111; 6. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-21.144; 7. Eric Gordon, 2, Bowman/Canine-21.217; 8. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-21.469; 9. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-21.469; 10. Kyle Hamilton, 33, Six-R/Hamilton-21.470; 11. Bobby East, 22, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-21.531; 12. Jacob Wilson, 07, WBR-21.590; 13. Taylor Ferns, 35, Ferns/Six-R-21.638; 14. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-21.639; 15. A.J. Fike, 3, RFMS-21.720; 16. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-21.968; 17. Aaron Pierce, 26, Vance-22.379; 18. Damion Gardner, 02, Vance-NT; 19. Jimmy Kite, 25, Sachs-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Bobby Santos (1), 2. Kody Swanson (4), 3. Bobby East (11), 4. Kyle Larson (3), 5. Tanner Swanson (2), 6. Jerry Coons Jr. (6), 7. Eric Gordon (7), 8. Russ Gamester (9), 9. Levi Jones (14), 10. Bud Kaeding (16), 11. Jacob Wilson (12), 12. Kyle Hamilton (10), 13. Brian Tyler (8), 14. A.J. Fike (15), 15. Taylor Ferns (13), 16. Tracy Hines (5), 17. Aaron Pierce (17), 18. Jimmy Kite (18). 36:48.05
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Bobby Santos.
NEW TRAXXAS SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kody Swanson-279, 2-Bobby East-259, 3-Jerry Coons Jr.-244, 4-Bobby Santos-222, 5-Levi Jones-219, 6-Bud Kaeding-217, 7-Tanner Swanson-205, 8-Tracy Hines-190, 9-A.J. Fike-158, 10-Jacob Wilson-141.
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FIKE BECOMES FIRST ILLINOIS TONY BETTENHAUSEN WINNER IN 29 YEARS
Springfield, Illinois………A.J. Fike of Galesburg, Ill. became the first Illinois driver in 29 years to capture the Tony Bettenhausen 100 USAC TRAXXAS Silver Crown race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, leading the final 65 laps of the 100-mile race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in his Liberty Village/McGladrey & Pullen Beast/Foxco.
Gary Bettenhausen was the last Illinois driver to win the race, in 1983. Defending race winner Brian Tyler finished second in Saturday’s race, ahead of Tanner Swanson, Levi Jones and Bryan Clauson.
Kody Swanson led the first 19 laps but encountered mechanical problems and failed to finish. Jones then led 16 laps before Fike went to the front on a restart.
TRAXXAS USAC SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: August 18, 2012 – Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Tony Bettenhausen 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-30.948; 2. Rich Tobias Jr., 39, Aquilini-31.204; 3. A.J. Fike, 3, RFMS-31.213; 4. Levi Jones, 10, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-31.215; 5. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-31.372; 6. Kody Swanson, 19, Six-R-31.587; 7. Bobby East, 22, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-31.661; 8. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-31.667; 9. Bryan Clauson, 17, RW/Curb-Agajanian-31.783; 10. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-31.817; 11. Jerry Coons Jr, 27, RW-31.896; 12. Shane Cottle, 14, McQuinn-31.953; 13. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-32.190; 14. Tracy Hines, 16, Lightfoot-32.269; 15. Shane Cockrum, 114, Hardy-32.567; 16. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-32.759; 17. Tanner Swanson, 23, Six-R-32.978; 18. Steve Adams, 500, Adams-33.224; 19. Joey Moughan, 141, McQuinn-33.756; 20. Bobby Santos, 7, RW-33.875; 21. Justin Grant, 63, DePalma-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. A.J. Fike (5), 2. Brian Tyler (4), 3. Tanner Swanson (17), 4. Levi Jones (1), 5. Bryan Clauson (9), 6. Jerry Coons Jr. (11), 7. Bud Kaeding (2), 8. Bobby East (7), 9. Rich Tobias Jr. (6), 10. Chris Urish (10), 11. Bobby Santos (20), 12. Steve Adams (18), 13. Tracy Hines (14), 14. Russ Gamester (16), 15. Kody Swanson (3), 16. Randy Bateman (13), 17. Shane Hollingsworth (8), 18. Shane Cottle (12), 19. Shane Cockrum (15), 20. Joey Moughan (19). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-19 Kody Swanson, Laps 20-35 Levi Jones, Laps 36-100 A.J. Fike.
NEW TRAXXAS SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Kody Swanson-302; 2-Bobby East-298; 3-Jerry Coons Jr.-289; 4-Levi Jones-270; 5-Tanner Swanson-259; 6-Bud Kaeding-259; 7-Bobby Santos-253; 8-A.J. Fike-221; 9-Tracy Hines-217; 10-Brian Tyler-192.
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CLAUSON TAKES 4-CROWN SILVER CROWN
Rossburg, Ohio………Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind. led the final 40 laps to win Saturday night's 50-lap 4-Crown Nationals USAC TRAXXAS Silver Crown race at Eldora Speedway.
Clauson piloted the RW Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian Rotondo Weirich/Curb Records Wallace/Toyota to beat Robert Ballou, Jerry Coons Jr., Bobby East and Bud Kaeding. East, the new series point leader, led the first 10 laps.
Fast qualifier Kyle Larson was unable to start the race after suffering minor injuries in the Sprint race which preceded the Silver Crown race.
TRAXXAS USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 22, 2012 – Rossburg, Ohio – Eldora Speedway – 31st 4-Crown Nationals
QUALIFYING: 1. Kyle Larson, 10, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-16.366; 2. Bobby East, 22, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-16.528; 3. Bryan Clauson, 17, RW/Curb-Agajanian-16.776; 4. Robert Ballou, 63, DePalma-16.907; 5. Tracy Hines, 16, Lightfoot-16.981; 6. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-17.105; 7. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-17.121; 8. Dave Darland, 19, Six-R-17.285; 9. Mitch Wissmiller, 7, RW-17.305; 10. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-17.355; 11. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-17.381; 12. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-17.478; 13. Shane Cockrum, 114, Hardy-17.730; 14. Kody Swanson, 33, Six-R-17.753; 15. Tanner Swanson, 23, Six-R-17.964; 16. Rich Tobias Jr., 39, Aqualini-18.228; 17. Steve Adams, 500, Adams-19.216.
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Bryan Clauson (2), 2. Robert Ballou (3), 3. Jerry Coons Jr. (5), 4. Bobby East (1), 5. Bud Kaeding (6), 6. Tracy Hines (4), 7. Brian Tyler (9), 8. Shane Hollingsworth (11), 9. Kody Swanson (13), 10. Tanner Swanson (14), 11. Russ Gamester (10), 12. Rich Tobias Jr. (15), 13. Steve Adams (16), 14. Shane Cockrum (12), 15. Dave Darland (7), 16. Mitch Wissmiller (8). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-10 Bobby East, Laps 11-50 Bryan Clauson.
NEW TRAXXAS SILVER CROWN SERIES POINTS: 1-Bobby East-349, 2-Jerry Coons Jr.-343, 3-Kody Swanson-338, 4-Bud Kaeding-307, 5-Tanner Swanson-292, 6-Levi Jones-270, 7-Tracy Hines-262, 8-Bobby Santos-253, 9-Brian Tyler-234, 10-A.J. Fike-221.
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EAST WINS SUMAR CLASSIC & SILVER CROWN TITLE
Terre Haute, Indiana………Bobby East of Brownsburg, Ind. is the 2012 TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown champion, dominating the final race of the season by leading all 100 laps of Saturday night’s Sumar Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track.
East started second in the Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian entry and grabbed the lead from pole starter Bryan Clauson at the start. The #17 RW/Curb-Agajanian entry driven to sixth by Clauson ended up as the 2012 TRAXXAS Silver Crown car entrant champion.
Jerry Coons Jr. took second in Saturday night’s race and ended up second in the final standings. Russ Gamester came from 11th to take third at the checkered flag, with Bud Kaeding fourth and Tracy Hines fifth.
East’s final margin of victory over Coons in the 100-lapper was 12.751 seconds.
TRAXXAS USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES RACE RESULTS: October 13, 2012 – Terre Haute, Indiana – Terre Haute Action Track – Sumar Classic
QUALIFYING: 1. Bryan Clauson, 17, RW/Curb-Agajanian-20.467; 2. Bobby East, 22, Stewart/Curb-Agajanian-20.480; 3. Robert Ballou, 63, DePalma-20.799; 4. Tracy Hines, 16, Lightfoot-20.965; 5. Jerry Coons Jr., 27, RW-20.975; 6. Kody Swanson, 33, Six-R-21.007; 7. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK-21.025; 8. Shane Hollingsworth, 20, Nolen-21.135; 9. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-21.376; 10. Dave Darland, 19, Six-R-21.419; 11. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-21.795; 12. Rich Tobias Jr., 39, Aqualini-NT; 13. Shane Cottle, 14, McQuinn-NT; 14. Tanner Swanson, 23, Six-R-NT; 15. Steve Adams, 500, Adams-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Bobby East (2), 2. Jerry Coons Jr. (5), 3. Russ Gamester (11), 4. Bud Kaeding (7), 5. Tracy Hines (4), 6. Bryan Clauson (1), 7. Brian Tyler (9), 8. Robert Ballou (3), 9. Kody Swanson (6), 10. Tanner Swanson (13), 11. Rich Tobias Jr. (12), 12. Dave Darland (10), 13. Shane Hollingsworth (8), 14. Shane Cottle (14). NT
**Steve Adams flipped during practice and was transported for observation for a concussion. Tanner Swanson flipped over the wall during practice.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Bobby East.
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2012 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (412) Bobby East, Brownsburg, Ind.
2. (400) Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson, Ariz.
3. (374) Kody Swanson, Kingsburg, Calif.
4. (358) Bud Kaeding, Campbell, Calif.
5. (325) Tanner Swanson, Kingsburg, Calif.
6. (310) Tracy Hines, New Castle, Ind.
7. (276) Brian Tyler, Parma, Mich.
8. (270) Levi Jones, Olney, Ill.
9. (253) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass.
10. (249) Russ Gamester, Peru, Ind.
11. (221) A.J. Fike, Galesburg, Ill.
12. (204) Bryan Clauson, Noblesville, Ind.
13. (141) Jacob Wilson, Crawfordsville, Ind.
14. (129) Kyle Hamilton, Danville, Ind.
15. (118) Shane Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, Ind.
16. (113) Eric Gordon, Indianapolis, Ind.
17. (96) Rich Tobias Jr., Lebanon, Pa.
18. (96) Robert Ballou, Rocklin, Calif.
19. (88) Jimmy Kite, Stockbridge, Ga.
20. (79) Taylor Ferns, Shelby Township, Mich.
21. (79) Steve Adams, Cooks Mills, Ill.
22. (69) Dave Darland, Lincoln, Ind.
23. (64) Chris Urish, Elkhart, Ill.
24. (63) Zach Daum, Pocahontas, Ill.
25. (55) Shane Cockrum, Benton, Ill.
26. (54) Kyle Larson, Elk Grove, Calif.
27. (46) Doug Berryman, Fremont, Ohio
28. (42) Shane Cottle, Kansas, Ill.
29. (29) Todd Kane, Powell, Ohio.
30. (27) Justin Grant, Ione, Calif.
31. (21) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
32. (21) Mitch Wissmiller, Saybrook, Ill.
33. (19) David Byrne, Shullsburg, Wisc.
34. (19) Aaron Pierce, Muncie, Ind.
35. (15) Donnie Beechler, Springfield, Ill.
36. (13) Joey Moughan, Springfield, Ill.
2012 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (426) RW/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports, Lederach, Pa. (#17)
2. (412) Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Brownsburg, Ind. (#22)
3. (400) RW Motorsports, Lederach, Pa. (#27)
4. (358) BK Racing, Indianapolis, Ind. (#29)
5. (354) Six-R Racing, Westfield, Ind. (#19)
6. (325) Six-R Racing, Westfield, Ind. (#23)
7. (310) Mark Lightfoot, Springfield, Mo. (#16)
8. (276) Six-R Racing, Westfield, Ind. (#21)
9. (273) Tony Stewart/Curb-Agajanian Racing, Brownsburg, Ind. (#10)
10. (249) Gamester Racing, Peru, Ind. (#51)
11. (221) RFMS Racing, Galesburg, Ill. (#3)
12. (201) Six-R Racing, Westfield, Ind. (#33)
13. (142) DePalma Motorsports, Lima, Ohio (#63)
14. (141) Wilson Brothers Racing, Crawfordsville, Ind. (#07)
15. (118) Nolen Racing, Greenwood, Ind. (#20)
16. (113) Bowman/Canine Racing, Brownsburg, Ind. (#2)
17. (96) Jeff Aqualini Motorsports, Reading, Pa. (#39)
18. (88) Eddie Sachs Racing, Mt. Clemens, Mich. (#25)
19. (79) Ferns Racing/Six-R, Shelby Township, Mich. (#35)
20. (79) Steve Adams, Cooks Mills, Ill. (#500)
21. (64) Chris Urish, Elkhart, Ill. (#77)
22. (63) Daum Motorsports, Pocahontas, Ill. (#50)
23. (57) Dennis McQuinn, Springfield, Ill. (#14)
24. (55) Shane Cockrum, Benton, Ill. (#114)
25. (52) RW Motorsports, Lederach, Pa. (#7)
26. (51) Bowman-Canine Racing, Brownsburg, Ind. (#11)
27. (29) Todd Kane, Delaware, Ohio (#78)
28. (27) DePalma Motorsports, Lima, Ohio (#63)
29. (21) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill. (#55)
30. (19) Byrne Motorsports, Shullsburg, Wisc. (#40)
31. (19) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#26)
32. (17) Foxco Engineering, Avon, Ind. (#56)
33. (13) Dennis McQuinn, Springfield, Ill. (#141)