THE KINGS OF THE PAVEMENT IN USAC SILVER CROWN
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Salem, Indiana (August 12, 2020)………USAC has had their share of pavement masters over the years, with the likes of Dave Steele, Mike Bliss, Bobby Santos and the like in recent years first coming to mind.
The first of those names mentioned, Steele, has long been the standard bearer for pavement prowess in USAC with all 60 of his National series victories coming on the blacktop, including 16 alone in the Silver Crown division. That long-standing number is now being threatened by the driver who has begun to own many of Silver Crown’s records, Kody Swanson.
Steele and Swanson are knotted up at 16 victories apiece in pavement Silver Crown races, the next of which arrives this Saturday night, August 15, at southern Indiana’s Salem Speedway for the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Joe James-Pat O’Connor Memorial. It’s a race in which Swanson has won in each of the past four seasons (2016-17-18-19) and one that Steele won for himself in both 1997 and 2004.
Forty-nine different drivers have won the 160 pavement Silver Crown races held since the series’ debut “off the dirt” at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul during the 1975 season, won by USAC and National Sprint Car Hall of Famer Tom Bigelow, which incidentally was his lone win with the series on pavement.
A six-pack of expected entries for this Saturday night’s event at Salem comprise 29 of those pavement Silver Crown triumphs: Kingsburg, California’s Kody Swanson (16), Franklin, Massachusetts’ Bobby Santos (7), Muncie, Indiana’s Aaron Pierce (3), Shullsburg, Wisconsin’s David Byrne (1), Danville, Indiana’s Kyle Hamilton (1) and Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania’s John Heydenreich (1).
Saturday’s Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial featuring the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series & Lucas Oil Great American Stocks begins with the pits opening at 1pm Eastern, spectator gates at 3pm, practice at 3:30pm, qualifying at 5:45pm and racing at 7:15pm.
General admission tickets are $27 for adults/teens, $5 for ages 6-12 and free for ages 5 and under.
Watch it LIVE on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/3frPoW6.
PAVEMENT USAC SILVER CROWN WINS: (1975-2019)
16-Dave Steele & Kody Swanson
10-Mike Bliss, Bobby East, Bobby Santos & Brian Tyler
7-Tanner Swanson
5-Tracy Hines, Kenny Irwin Jr., Jason Leffler, Ken Schrader & J.J. Yeley
4-Jay Drake & Russ Gamester
3-Cameron Dodson, Jim Keeker & Aaron Pierce
2-Pat Abold, Jerry Coons Jr., Bud Kaeding, Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman, George Snider & Tony Stewart
1-Tom Bigelow, Jeff Bloom, David Byrne, Marvin Carman, Bob Cicconi, Bruce Field, A.J. Fike, Aaron Fike, Chet Fillip, Bob Frey, Eric Gordon, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Hamilton, Jack Hewitt, John Heydenreich, Rick Hood, Jimmy Kite, Jason McCord, Brad Noffsinger, Johnny Parsons, Wayne Reutimann Jr., Jimmy Sills, Tyler Walker, Paul White & Cole Whitt