JONES EDGES CLAUSON BY 2 POINTS TO TAKE ISW TITLE; SWEET, DARLAND, CLAUSON & JONES TAKE INDIANA FINALES


Indiana Sprint Week Champion Levi Jones of Brownsburg, Ind. will lead the USAC National Sprint Series to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa July 31 where a world’s sprint car qualifying record is possible at the “Casey’s General Stores Challenge.” Darren Hagen set the 146.145 mph mark there in 2006.


 


In spectacular fashion, Indiana Sprint Week concluded with a shootout unlike any in history, with Jones taking the title by just two points over Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind. Jones entered Saturday night’s 30-lap feature event at Tri-State Speedway one point behind Clauson and fought off repeated challenges from Clauson in the closing laps to win the series finale in his Chevy/Bass Pro Shops Maxim/Kistler Chevy and claim the championship Bridgeport Rocker from John Youngs for car owner Tony Stewart Racing. Chad Boat finished third and the top three finishers also posed for the “top-three” photo in the final ISW point standings! Cole Whitt and Josh Wise rounded out the “top-five” at the checkered flag. Wise led the first nine laps and Robert Ballou led the next nine before Jones took over on lap 19.


 


Brad Sweet of Grass Valley, Calif. led all 30 laps to win Wednesday night’s “Indiana Sprint Week” race at the Terre Haute Action Track. The victory, Sweet’s second career USAC Sprint win, came in the Kasey Kahne/Curb Racing Ollie’s Bargain Outlet Maxim/Speedway Mopar. Jerry Coons Jr. made a late-race charge to finish second ahead of Dave Darland, Whitt and Wise.


 


Darland, of Lincoln, Ind. became the winningest driver in “Indiana Sprint Week” history Thursday night, scoring his 13th career win in the 30-lapper at Kamp Motor Speedway. Darland tracked down Whitt on lap 25 and led the final six laps in his Rotondo Weirich/Benic Enterprises Maxim/Chevy. Whitt was second in a photo-finish at the checkered flag, ahead of Boat, Jones and Jon Stanbrough.


 


Clauson won Friday night’s USAC “Indiana Sprint Week” feature at the Bloomington Speedway and tied Jones for the ISW point lead entering Saturday night’s finale at Tri-State Speedway. Jones finished second at Bloomington. Clauson took the lead from Jones on lap 15 and led the final 16 laps in his Parker Stone Company/Gaerte Engines Maxim/Gaerte. Jon Sciscoe finished third ahead of Hunter Schuerenberg and Brady Short. Short led the first seven laps and Jones led the next seven before yielding to Clauson.