SWANSON STEPS UP FOR 2ND STRAIGHT LOR CROWN WIN; LEADS WINDOM BY 39 HEADING INTO THE GROVE
By: Richie Murray – USAC Media
Dodging the rain. That had been the name of the game for all three of USAC’s national series for the past week leading into last Friday night’s “Carb Night Classic.”
Rain is oval racing’s stiffest competition. Five straight USAC National races, including last Thursday’s “Hoosier Hundred” had been lost due to the elements, so when the skies cleared and the engines finally fired Friday night at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Indiana, competitors and fans were more than ready to get the heart rates racing and the adrenaline pumping.
With one of racing’s biggest weeks of the year on tap, a bevy of big events began with Friday night’s USAC Silver Crown 100-lapper on the pavement of LOR, which has seen its share of memorable moments and talented racers compete since the gates opened in 1961.
For a time in the late 1990s, there was no greater dominator in USAC competition at Lucas Oil Raceway (then known as Indianapolis Raceway Park) than the late great Dave Steele, the two-time Silver Crown champion who passed away in March of this year in a sprint car crash in Florida.
Currently, we are in the midst of the Swanson era at the .686-mile paved oval located west of Indianapolis where, coming into Friday night’s “Carb Night Classic,” Kody and his younger brother, Tanner, had won a combined four-straight, and six of the past seven, at LOR. Though Tanner won the first of those five, Kody had the upper hand in the most recent go last July.
The Brothers Swanson occupied the front row for Friday night’s 100-lapper. Right from the outset, it was the three LOR dominators of the 2010s-decade running one-two-three with Kody Swanson, Tanner Swanson and Bobby Santos – winners of nine of the past 10 at the track – leading the way.
On the ensuing restart, just after halfway following a Troy Thompson spin, Kody had a pair of lapped cars as a buffer between himself and Tanner. It only took Tanner a lap-and-a-half to clear both Aaron Pierce, then Justin Grant. By then, Kody had taken advantage of the situation and stretched his lead to 1.5 seconds.
With 27 laps remaining, fifth-running Jerry Coons, Jr. slowed with a flat right front tire to bring out the second caution of the evening. With the field bunched up at the resumption of racing on lap 77, Santos poked a nose under Tanner for the second position in turn one. The move was made to no avail, while Kody up front wasn’t able to escape the two chasers as much as he had time and time before.
In the late stages, the race for the win wasn’t the only competition at stake; there was also the ongoing race against the imminent storm. With 10 laps remaining and dark clouds emerging over the springtime Indiana sky, sixth-running Justin Grant slammed the turn three SAFER barrier, eerily similar to the shunt he experienced at Phoenix Raceway a month ago.
After the cleanup, that left just two laps and a green-white-checker shootout to the finish. Santos repeated his move from the most recent restart, but this time, powered his way past Tanner to snag second. Santos went to work, gaining on Kody as he laid down his fastest two laps of the race since lap four, on laps 99 and 100. The anticipation grew as Santos began to charge. However, Kody was even quicker than Santos on the final two rounds and muscled the DePalma Motorsports No. 63 to his third overall LOR Silver Crown win by three-tenths over Bobby Santos and Tanner Swanson.
The Californian, who now resides in Indianapolis, surpassed J.J. Yeley to join mentor and friend Dave Steele for third on the all-time Silver Crown win list with his 16th career triumph.
Shortly after the checkered, the heavens opened up and LOR was drenched by an old-fashioned Midwestern thunderstorm. Finally, we had scored one on Mother Nature.
Heading into June’s “Horn-Schindler Memorial” at Williams Grove, Kody Swanson has opened up a 39-point advantage over defending champ Chris Windom with Jerry Coons, Jr., David Byrne and Bobby Santos filling out the rest of the top-five.
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UPCOMING USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES EVENT
DATE: Friday, June 16, 2017
SERIES: USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series presented by TRAXXAS
TRACK: Williams Grove Speedway (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) – ½-mile, dirt oval
EVENT: “Horn-Schindler Memorial” / “USAC Triple Crown Showdown” featuring the USAC Silver Crown Champ Cars and USAC/ARDC Midgets
STARTING TIMES: TBA
TICKETS: General Admission (Adult): $30. General admission (Youth/Ages 13-20): $10.
TRACK ADDRESS: 1 Speedway Dr., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055
TRACK PHONE: (717) 697-5000
TRACK WEBSITE: http://www.williamsgrove.com/
MEDIA COVERAGE: Watch the race LIVE on http://www.SpeedShiftTV.com/. Watch the race one day later, on-demand at http://www.Loudpedal.TV/. Live updates on https://www.facebook.com/usacracing/ and https://twitter.com/USACNation, plus available on the Race Monitor app on your phone.
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2017 USAC SILVER CROWN SCHEDULE & RESULTS
Apr 2: Terre Haute, IN – Terre Haute Action Track
WINNER: Chris Windom
Apr 29: Avondale, AZ – Phoenix International Raceway
WINNER: Bobby Santos
May 25: Indianapolis, IN – Indiana State Fairgrounds
WINNER: Postponed by Rain
May 26: Brownsburg, IN – Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
WINNER: Kody Swanson
Jun 16: Mechanicsburg, PA – Williams Grove Speedway
Jul 20: Brownsburg, IN – Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis
Jul 28: Toledo, OH – Toledo Speedway
Aug 12: Salem, IN - Salem Speedway Fueled by the Hoosier Lottery
Aug 19: Springfield, IL – Illinois State Fairgrounds
Sep 3: Du Quoin, IL – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds
Sep 23: Rossburg, OH - Eldora Speedway
------------------------ KEY DEFINITIONS -------------------------
(D) represents a dirt event
(P) represents a pavement event
# represents a daytime event
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2017 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINT STANDINGS
1. (210) Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, CA)
2. (171) Chris Windom (Canton, IL)
3. (162) Jerry Coons, Jr. (Tucson, AZ)
4. (157) David Byrne (Shullsburg, WI)
5. (140) Bobby Santos (Franklin, MA)
6. (133) Aaron Pierce (Muncie, IN)
7. (97) Tanner Swanson (Kingsburg, CA)
8. (95) (R) A.J. Russell (Clovis, CA)
9. (91) Justin Grant (Ione, CA)
10. (90) (R) Toni Breidinger (Hillsborough, CA)
**(R) represents a USAC Silver Crown Rookie Driver
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2017 USAC SILVER CROWN OWNER POINT STANDINGS
1. (210) DePalma Motorsports #63
2. (162) Gene Nolen Racing #20
3. (157) Byrne Racing #40
4. (144) Gene Kazmark #92
5. (140) DJ Racing #22
6. (133) Sam Pierce #26
7. (129) Gene Nolen Racing #120
8. (105) Bill Rose #75
9. (95) Ted Finkenbinder #03
10. (92) Troy Thompson #15
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2017 USAC SILVER CROWN ROOKIE DRIVER POINT STANDINGS
1. (95) A.J. Russell (Clovis, CA)
2. (90) Toni Breidinger (Hillsborough, CA)
3. (88) Damion Gardner (Concord, CA)
4. (82) Joss Moffatt (Columbus, IN)
5. (68) Joe Axsom (Franklin, IN)
6. (64) Davey Hamilton, Jr. (Boise, ID)
7. (61) Hunter Schuerenberg (Sikeston, MO)
8. (55) Shane Butler (Bushnell, FL)
9. (52) Kevin Studley (Plainfield, IN)
10. (46) Dakota Jackson (Elizabethtown, IN)
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RACE WINS:
1. (1) Bobby Santos (Apr. 29 at Phoenix Raceway)
(1) Kody Swanson (May 26 at Lucas Oil Raceway)
(1) Chris Windom (Apr. 2 at the Terre Haute Action Track)
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LAPS LED:
1. (124) Kody Swanson
2. (69) David Byrne
3. (51) Chris Windom
4. (31) Bobby Santos
5. (18) Shane Cockrum
6. (7) C.J. Leary
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TOP-FIVE FINISHES:
1. (3) Kody Swanson
2. (2) Jerry Coons, Jr., Bobby Santos & Chris Windom
5. (1) David Byrne, Davey Hamilton, C.J. Leary, Aaron Pierce, Hunter Schuerenberg & Tanner Swanson
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TOP-TEN FINISHES:
1. (3) Jerry Coons, Jr. & Kody Swanson
3. (2) David Byrne, Aaron Pierce, A.J. Russell, Bobby Santos & Chris Windom
8. (1) Brady Bacon, Toni Breidinger, Shane Butler, Henry Clarke, Dave Darland, Damion Gardner, Davey Hamilton, Dakota Jackson, Patrick Lawson, C.J. Leary, Joss Moffatt, Hunter Schuerenberg, Kevin Studley & Tanner Swanson
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RACE STARTS:
1. (3) David Byrne, Jerry Coons, Jr., Justin Grant, Aaron Pierce, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
7. (2) Joe Axsom, J.C. Bland, Toni Breidinger, Damion Gardner, Davey Hamilton Jr., Joe Liguori, Joss Moffatt, Bill Rose, A.J. Russell, Bobby Santos & Tanner Swanson
18. (1) Brady Bacon, Patrick Bruns, Steve Buckwalter, Shane Butler, Henry Clarke, Shane Cockrum, Shane Cottle, Dave Darland, Cody Gerhardt, Davey Hamilton, Dakota Jackson, Patrick Lawson, C.J. Leary, Austin Nemire, Johnny Petrozelle, Hunter Schuerenberg, Casey Shuman, Mark Smith, Kevin Studley & Troy Thompson
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TOP “ROOKIE” FINISHER OF THE RACE:
Apr. 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Hunter Schuerenberg (4th)
Apr. 29: Phoenix Raceway – Shane Butler (6th)
May 26: Lucas Oil Raceway – Kevin Studley (7th)
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KSE RACING PRODUCTS “HARD CHARGER” OF THE RACE:
Apr 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Dave Darland (20th to 7th)
Apr 29: Phoenix Raceway – Jerry Coons, Jr. (15th to 5th)
May 26: Lucas Oil Raceway – Kevin Studley (15th to 7th)
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WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER:
Apr 2: Terre Haute Action Track – Patrick Bruns
Apr 29: Phoenix Raceway – Chris Windom
May 26: Lucas Oil Raceway – Troy Thompson
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PROSOURCE FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
1. (2) Kody Swanson
2. (1) Bobby Santos
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QUALIFYING RACE WINS:
1. (1) Mark Smith
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ALL-TIME USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMPIONSHIP RACE WINS:
1. [23 wins] Jack Hewitt
2. [17 wins] Brian Tyler
3. [16 wins] Dave Steele & Kody Swanson
5. [15 wins] J.J. Yeley
6. [14 wins] Dave Darland & Chuck Gurney
8. [12 wins] Jimmy Sills
9. [11 wins] Bobby East
10. [10 wins] Gary Bettenhausen & Mike Bliss
12. [9 wins] Tracy Hines
13. [7 wins] Jerry Coons Jr., Rick Hood, Bobby Santos, George Snider & Tanner Swanson
18. [6 wins] Tom Bigelow, Russ Gamester, Kenny Irwin Jr., Jason Leffler, Ken Schrader, Al Unser & Chris Windom
25. [5 wins] Mario Andretti, Donnie Beechler, Pancho Carter, Jay Drake, Tony Elliott, Bud Kaeding, Sheldon Kinser, Larry Rice
33. [4 wins] Jeff Swindell & Rich Vogler
35. [3 wins] Steve Butler, Shane Cockrum, Cameron Dodson, A.J. Fike, Levi Jones, Kasey Kahne, Jim Keeker, Steve Kinser, Bobby Olivero, Johnny Parsons, Aaron Pierce, Ron Shuman, Tony Stewart, Tyler Walker, Paul White
50. [2 wins] Pat Abold, Steve Chassey, Bryan Clauson, Larry Dickson, Bill Engelhart, A.J. Foyt, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman, Joe Saldana, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Cole Whitt, Josh Wise & Doug Wolfgang
64. [1 win] Teddy Beach, Christopher Bell, Jeff Bloom, David Byrne, Marvin Carman, Shane Carson, Bob Cicconi, Herb Copeland, Shane Cottle, Bruce Field, Aaron Fike, Chet Fillip, Bob Frey, Eric Gordon, John Heydenreich, Gary Hieber, Shane Hmiel, Shane Hollingsworth, Jimmy Horton, Jackie Howerton, Kevin Huntley, Kenny Jacobs, Bubby Jones, Keith Kauffman, Jimmy Kite, Chuck Leary, C.J. Leary, Eddie Leavitt, Jason McCord, Jim McElreath, Lealand McSpadden, Mat Neely, Brad Noffsinger, Stevie Reeves, Wayne Reutimann Jr., Danny Smith, Kevin Thomas, Rich Tobias Jr., Chris Urish & Billy Vukovich
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ALL-TIME USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER CHAMPIONS:
1971: George Snider; 1972: A.J. Foyt; 1973: Al Unser; 1974: Mario Andretti; 1975: Jimmy Caruthers; 1976: Billy Cassella; 1977: Larry Rice; 1978: Pancho Carter; 1979: Bobby Olivero; 1980: Gary Bettenhausen; 1981: Larry Rice; 1982: Ken Schrader; 1983: Gary Bettenhausen; 1984: Dave Blaney; 1985: Rick Hood; 1986: Jack Hewitt; 1987: Jack Hewitt; 1988: Steve Butler; 1989: Chuck Gurney; 1990: Jimmy Sills; 1991: Jeff Gordon; 1992: Steve Butler; 1993: Mike Bliss; 1994: Jimmy Sills; 1995: Tony Stewart; 1996: Jimmy Sills; 1997: Dave Darland; 1998: Jason Leffler; 1999: Ryan Newman; 2000: Tracy Hines; 2001: Paul White; 2002: J.J. Yeley; 2003: J.J. Yeley; 2004: Dave Steele; 2005: Dave Steele; 2006: Bud Kaeding; 2007: Bud Kaeding; 2008: Jerry Coons Jr.; 2009: Bud Kaeding; 2010: Levi Jones; 2011: Levi Jones; 2012: Bobby East; 2013: Bobby East; 2014: Kody Swanson; 2015: Kody Swanson; 2016: Chris Windom