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.
2002 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
Any profession that provides fun and excitement on a daily basis is one most anyone would love to have. For J.J. Yeley, the 2002 USAC season could easily be described in one word – fun.
Yeley experienced grand success in the USAC National Midget Series and won the most races of any driver in the Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car Series – seven – but came up short in both attempts to capture either title. That would have to wait another year.
However, Yeley's blockbuster success on one-mile dirt ovals in the Weld Racing Silver Crown Series gave him the edge to win his second USAC national title. The 26-year-old native of Phoenix, Ariz. captured three of the four scheduled one-mile dirt races and surpassed fellow competitor Dave Steele with a win at Du Quoin to take the point lead and eventually the championship.
“The dirt has always been my specialty, and working with Bob East and the Ford power, it was obvious that we would succeed,” Yeley said. “We were fast at the fairgrounds (in Indianapolis) with the Pink Chevy, but we obviously weren't as fast as we were in the last three events. The Ford engine was a great combination with the Beast chassis. They've got a ton of horsepower and a lot of torque, and it just turned into one of those deals where I felt really comfortable in the car."
Yeley started out the Silver Crown season with a 10th at Phoenix International Raceway, then gained 30 points in the non-race at Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway in April. He struggled on the first one-mile oval at the Indiana Stale Fairgrounds with a 13th place showing, then grabbed a second-place finish at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track. Yeley suffered his lowest point in the season at Pikes Peak International Raceway when he retired after nine laps, finishing 29th with ignition problems.
Yeley found fourth-place finishes at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway and Indianapolis Raceway Park, finishing the pavement portion of the schedule. That's when Yeley got hot. He dominated the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill., leading all 100 laps of the event, then led the final 52 laps of the Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds, giving him his first point lead of the season. He finished 12th during the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway, but grabbed the win at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, leading the final two laps after leader Rich Tobias Jr. spun out.
In addition to his Silver Crown title, Yeley's runner-up finishes in the midget and sprint car point championships landed him the coveted USAC Super License.
"The season was a lot of fun, and when you can go racing and have fun, it makes it that much easier to give it 110 percent,” Yeley said. "You just go out there and have fun, and when it's fun, obviously you like to do it, and you're going to give it a better effort. When you don't have problems, that helps too, but it was probably one of the most fun seasons I've had in a long time."
Meanwhile, Matt Westfall took Rookie of the Year honors with the series while Rich Tobias Jr. was rewarded as the Most Improved Driver.
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STEELE SETS PIR RECORD, WINS "COPPER WORLD" 100
Avondale, Arizona………Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. captured the Little Trees 100 USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Championship Series opener at Phoenix International Raceway on March 17, part of the track's Copper World Indy 200 weekend.
Steele led all but six laps of the 100-miler in his Northside Propane/Eagle Jet Gaerte/Beast to beat Jason McCord of Anderson, Ind. and A.J. Fike of Galesburg, III. to the checkered flag. Steele's paycheck totaled $25,260 from the total series-record purse of $112,940.
“I couldn't ask for a better weekend,” said Steele, whose victory was his second in two days at the Desert Mile. “This race was a tribute to the cars I get to drive. It was great to finally win here. We're setting out to win the championship.”
Steele won the pole for the race with a track record speed of 141.459 mph and led the first 40 laps before being penalized one position on an aborted restart. Jay Drake led for six laps before yielding to Steele on lap 47.
The race was halted on lap 73 when defending race winner and series champion Paul White of Temple, Texas flipped into the turn one wall. He escaped injury.
Rounding out the top-five at the finish were P.J. Jones of Cornelius, N.C. and Derek Davidson of Lafayette, Ind.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: March 15-17, 2002 – Avondale, Arizona – Phoenix International Raceway – Copper World Classic Little Trees 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Dave Steele, 19, Gratton-25.449; 2. Ed Carpenter, 44, Sinden-25.936; 3. Bud Kaeding, 2, Vance-25.965; 4. A.J. Fike, 39, RFMS-26.048; 5. Mike Bliss, 111, Snider-26.056; 6. Jason Leffler, 11, Snider-26.075; 7. Brad Armstrong, 110, Paternoster-26.100; 8. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-26.109; 9. Kasey Kahne, 9, East/Stewart-26.158; 10. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-26.160; 11. Brad Noffsinger, 34, Curb/Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger-26.162; 12. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-26.164; 13. P.J. Jones, 85, Six-R-26.238; 14. Paul White, 1, Cook-26.275; 15. J.J. Yeley, 67, Zarounian-26.294; 16. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-26.311; 17. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-26.345; 18. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-26.356; 19. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-26.363; 20. Jeff Bloom, 47, Paternoster-26.364; 21. John Starks, 150, Automobeals-26.404; 22. Chet Fillip, 77, Advanced-26.452; 23. Carl Edwards, 27, Wallace-26.467; 24. Tony Hunt, 92, Hoerner-26.481; 25. Aaron Fike, 93, RFMS-26.506; 26. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-26.515; 27. Dane Carter, 7, Carter-26.518; 28. Ryan Scott, 17, Hartman-26.536; 29. Eric Butze, 09, Butze-26.612; 30. Aaron Pollock, 3, Vance-26.658; 31. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-26.672; 32. James Chesson, 222, Chesson-26.689; 33. Jack Hewitt, 21, Six-R-26.711; 34. Brian Paulus, 22, P & P-26.754; 35. Brian Tyler, 69, Dynamics-26.756; 36. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-26.784; 37. Drew Church, 114, Church-26.975; 38. John Nervo, 94, Nervo/Coggin-26.988; 39. Jimmy Kite, 50, Aviators-27.016; 40. Cory Kruseman, 99, Mucci/Matczak-27.095; 41. Tim Connolly, 88, Deuel-27.192; 42. Ronnie Day, 107, Krenn-27.218; 43. Bentley Warren, 29, S & S-27.303; 44. Travis Rilat, 36, Miller-27.444; 45. Dan Drinan, 07, Krenn-27.521; 46. Kevin Kierce, 02, Swann-27.671; 47. Greg Peterson, 57, Dolner-27.992; 48. Kevin Bloomstran, 59, Westcon-28.409; 49. Axel Walker, 81, Bar-D-NT; 50. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-NT; 51. Mike Adkins, 171, Adkins-NT; 52. #51, Gamester-NT; 53. #135, RE Technologies-NT. NOTE: Rick Hendrix also in car #107, Tracy Hines also in car #111 and Michael Lewis also in car #11 and #85.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps) 1. Aaron Fike, 2. Ryan Scott, 3. Russ Gamester, 4. Jerry Coons Jr., 5. Eric Butze, 6. Aaron Pollock, 7. Brian Tyler, 8. Brian Paulus, 9. Jack Hewitt, 10. Jimmy Kite, 11. Dane Carter, 12. Nick Lundgreen, 13. John Nervo, 14. Drew Church, 15. James Chesson, 16. Cory Kruseman, 17. Bentley Warren, 18. Ronnie Day, 19. Kevin Bloomstran, 20. Tim Connolly, 21. Travis Rilat, 22. Kevin Kierce, 23. Dan Drinan, 24. Greg Peterson. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Dave Steele (1), 2. Jason McCord (18), 3. A.J. Fike (4), 4. P.J. Jones (13), 5. Derek Davidson (12), 6. John Heydenreich (16), 7. Mike Bliss (5), 8. Jay Drake (8), 9. Chet Fillip (22), 10. J.J. Yeley (15), 11. Jason Leffler (6), 12. Brad Armstrong (7), 13. Ryan Scott (26), 14. Aaron Pollock (30), 15. Kasey Kahne (9), 16. Tony Hunt (24), 17. Aaron Fike (25), 18. Jeff Bloom (20), 19. Bud Kaeding (3), 20. Dave Darland (19), 21. Ed Carpenter (2), 22. Paul White (14), 23. Eric Butze (29), 24. Russ Gamester (27), 25. John Starks (21), 26. Rich Tobias Jr. (10), 27. Carl Edwards (23), 28. Brad Noffsinger (11), 29. Tracy Hines (17), 30. Jerry Coons Jr. (28). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-40 Dave Steele, Laps 41-46 Jay Drake, Laps 47-100 Dave Steele.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Steele-66; 2-Jason McCord-57; 3-A.J. Fike-54; 4-P.J. Jones-51; 5-Derek Davidson-48; 6-John Heydenreich-45; 7-Mike Bliss-42; 8-Jay Drake-39; 9-Chet Fillip-36; 10-J.J. Yeley-33.
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NAZARETH SILVER CROWN RACE HALTED BY RAIN
Nazareth, Pennsylvania………Rain forced a halt to the scheduled 100-mile USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Championship Race at the Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway on April 21 after 35 laps were completed.
Lengthy discussions between USAC and track officials regarding resumption of the event resulted in no viable options this year.
Qualifications were conducted on April 20 with Jason Leffler of Long Beach, Calif. winning the pole position at a speed of 137.263 mph. Leffler was leading the race in the George Snider Racing Mopar/Team ASE Dodge/Beast when it was halted at lap 35.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: April 20-21, 2002 – Nazareth, Pennsylvania – Nazareth Speedway
QUALIFYING: 1. Jason Leffler, 11, Snider-26.227; 2. Paul White, 1, Cook-26.361; 3. Mike Bliss, 111, Snider-26.443; 4. Brad Noffsinger, 34, Curb/Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger-26.665; 5. Dave Steele, 19, Gratton-26.715; 6. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-26.716; 7. Brad Armstrong, 110, Paternoster-26.717; 8. J.J. Yeley, 67, Zarounian-26.769; 9. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-26.797; 10. Brian Paulus, 22, P & P-26.816; 11. James Chesson, 222, Chesson-26.825; 12. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-26.839; 13. Michael Lewis, 85, Six-R-26.839; 14. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-26.858; 15. David Gough, 82, Riverside-26.877; 16. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-26.902; 17. Ed Carpenter, 44, Sinden-26.903; 18. Bud Kaeding, 2, Vance-26.904; 19. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-26.931; 20. Jimmy Kite, 59, Westcon-26.934; 21. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-26.953; 22. Jack Hewitt, 21, Six-R-26.962; 23. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-27.024; 24. Aaron Pollock, 3, Vance-27.031; 25. John Starks, 150, Automobeals-27.047; 26. Robby Flock, 95, Randol-27.072; 27. John Nervo, 94, Nervo/Coggin-27.073; 28. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-27.074; 29. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-27.085; 30. Bentley Warren, 29, S & S-27.100; 31. Kasey Kahne, 9, East/Stewart-27.108; 32. A.J. Fike, 39, RFMS-27.124; 33. Aaron Fike, 93, RFMS-27.144; 34. Ryan Scott, 17, Hartman-27.321; 35. Jeff Bloom, 47, Paternoster-27.328; 36. Sammy Swindell, 135, RE Technologies-27.360; 37. Brian Tyler, 69, Dynamics-27.407; 38. Tim Connolly, 88, Deuel-27.479; 39. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-27.514; 40. Eric Butze, 09, Butze-27.752; 41. P.J. Chesson, 767, Chesson-27.854; 42. P.J. Jones, 99, Mucci/Matczak-28.477; 43. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-NT; 44. Dan Meservey, 58, Staas-NT; 45. #31, Mataka-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps) - RAINED OUT AFTER 35 LAPS
Running Order After 35 Laps: 1. Jason Leffler, 2. Mike Bliss, 3. Paul White, 4. Dave Steele, 5. J.J. Yeley, 6. Tracy Hines, 7. Jerry Coons Jr., 8. Brad Noffsinger, 9. Michael Lewis, 10. Rich Tobias Jr., 11. Jason McCord, 12. Russ Gamester, 13. Bud Kaeding, 14. John Heydenreich, 15. Ed Carpenter, 16. Robby Flock, 17. Jimmy Kite, 18. John Starks, 19. David Gough, 20. Tom Capie, 21. Aaron Pollock, 22. Jack Hewitt, 23. Nick Lundgreen, 24. A.J. Fike, 25. John Nervo, 26. Brian Tyler, 27. Bentley Warren, 28. Dave Darland, 29. Aaron Fike, 30. Derek Davidson, 31. Kasey Kahne, 32. Brad Armstrong, 33. Brian Paulus.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-35 Jason Leffler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Steele-96; 2-Jason McCord-87; 3-Mike Bliss-72; 4-Jason Leffler-64; 5-J.J. Yeley-63; 6-John Heydenreich-60; 7-A.J. Fike-59; 8-Derek Davidson-53; 9-P.J. Jones-51; 10-Paul White-41.
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LEFFLER WINS GOLDEN HOOSIER HUNDRED AT INDY MILE
Indianapolis, Indiana………Jason Leffler of Long Beach, Calif. won the Coors Light Golden Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis on May 24.
Leffler put his Mopar/Team ASE Mopar/Beast on the pole for the race, saluting the Hulman-George Family, at 111.300 mph but he trailed Tracy Hines for the first 90 laps. He passed Hines on a restart at lap 91 and led the final 10 circuits around the one-mile dirt track for the victory, his sixth in the series but his first on the dirt.
“I didn't know what happened to Tracy,” said a surprised Leffler in victory lane. "I had a run on him when I passed him but, evidently, he had some sort of problem. I'm really surprised and happy. This is one of my biggest career wins. To come in here and win is awesome.”
Rich Tobias Jr. finished second at the Indy mile ahead of defending race winner Tony Elliott, Steele and Tom Capie. Leffler's take from the $54,000 purse amounted to $10,527, which included lap prizes.
The race was slowed by several cautions and a red flag on lap 60 for a double flip involving Ed Carpenter and Terry Pletch. Neither driver was hurt.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: May 24, 2002 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – Coors Light Golden Hoosier Hundred
QUALIFYING: 1. Jason Leffler, 11, Snider-32.345; 2. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-32.694; 3. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-32.861; 4. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-32.890; 5. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-33.037; 6. Aaron Fike, 93, RFMS-33.111; 7. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-33.236; 8. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-33.317; 9. Dave Steele 19, Gratton-33.398; 10. Roger Rager, 03, TNT-33.409; 11. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-33.569; 12. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-33.597; 13. J.J. Yeley, 9, East/Stewart-33.623; 14. Matt Westfall, 64, DePalma-33.709; 15. Kyle Steffens, 8, Steffens-33.927; 16. Billy Puterbaugh Jr., 73, Qualistar-34.001; 17. Ed Carpenter, 69, Dynamics-34.034; 18. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC-34.067; 19. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-34.080; 20. Paul White, 1, Cook-34.201; 21. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-34.218; 22. Brad Fox, 53, Fox-34.240; 23. Kenny Jacobs, 99, Mucci/Matczak-34.262; 24. John Starks, 98, Blue Dot-34.280; 25. Levi Jones, 83, Sohm-34.335; 26. Cory Kruseman, 2, Vance-34.391; 27. Terry Pletch, 79, Pletch-34.438; 28. Brad Noffsinger, 34, Curb/Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger-34.452; 29. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-34.476; 30. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-34.484; 31. Dane Carter, 7, Carter-34.644; 32. Sport Allen, 89, Moore-35.156; 33. Randy Bateman, 96, T & D-35.412; 34. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-35.538; 35. Michael Lewis, 85, Six-R-36.295; 36. Brian DeFord, 199, Madman-37.153; 37. Brian Tyler, 50, Aviators-NT; 38. Jack Hewitt, 21, Six-R-NT; 39. Tom Davies, 168, Davies-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Jason Leffler (1), 2. Rich Tobias Jr. (11), 3. Tony Elliott (8), 4. Dave Steele (9), 5. Tom Capie (7), 6. Brad Fox (21), 7. Matt Westfall (14), 8. John Starks (23), 9. Randy Bateman (32), 10. John Heydenreich (4), 11. Kenny Jacobs (22), 12. Aaron Fike (6), 13. J.J. Yeley (13), 14. Nick Lundgreen (33), 15. Sport Allen (31), 16. Jason McCord (20), 17. Kevin Huntley (17), 18. Tracy Hines (2), 19. Roger Rager (10), 20. Dane Carter (30), 21. Brad Noffsinger (27), 22. Derek Davidson (29), 23. Jerry Coons Jr. (3), 24. Ed Carpenter (16), 25. Levi Jones (24), 26. Terry Pletch (26), 27. Johnny Parsons (18), 28. Paul White (19), 29. Dave Darland (12), 30. Russ Gamester (28), 31. Michael Lewis (34), 32. Jay Drake (5), 33. Billy Puterbaugh Jr. (15), 34. Brian DeFord (35), 35. Cory Kruseman (25), 36. Tom Davies (36). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-90 Tracy Hines, Laps 91-100 Jason Leffler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Steele-147; 2-Jason Leffler-127; 3-Jason McCord-108; 4-Rich Tobias Jr.-94; 5-John Heydenreich-93; 6-J.J. Yeley-90; 7-Mike Bliss-72; 8-Derek Davidson-64; 9-Tom Capie-63; 10-John Starks-62.
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TERRE HAUTE'S SUMAR CLASSIC TO ELLIOTT
Kokomo, Indiana………Tony Elliott of Kokomo, Ind. captured the June 1 Sumar Classic 100-lap USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Championship race at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track, leading the final 16 circuits after leader Jerry Coons Jr. spun in turn two.
“I'm not sure I could have caught him if he hadn't had had trouble,” admitted Elliott in victory lane. "The track was great."
J.J. Yeley grabbed the early lead from pole starter Derek Davidson and led the first 48 laps before yielding to Coons. Coons was leading when Kyle Steffens flipped on lap 58 and brought out the race's only red flag. He was uninjured.
Coons led again on the restart but spun while leading on lap 85. He eventually restarted and finished 11th. Paul White and Jason Leffler tangled while leading the qualifying race and started in the back row for the 100-lapper but neither finished.
Michael Lewis of Noblesville, Ind. suffered a broken collarbone in a flip during qualifying and was taken to Terre Haute Regional Hospital for treatment.
The race was presented by Terre Haute First National Bank, Clabber Girl Corporation and the Tetra Haute Convention & Visitors Bureau.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: June 1, 2002 – Terre Haute, Indiana – Terre Haute Action Track – Sumar Classic Presented by Terre Haute First National Bank, Clabber Girl Corporation & the Terre Haute Convention & Visitors Bureau
QUALIFYING: 1. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-20.797; 2. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-20.806; 3. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-21.048; 4. J.J. Yeley, 9, East/Stewart-21.082; 5. Kyle Steffens, 8, Steffens-21.167; 6. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-21.432; 7. Aaron Fike, 93, RFMS-21.439; 8. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-21.448; 9. Dave Darland, 92, Hoerner-21.471; 10. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-21.483; 11. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-21.547; 12. Dave Steele, 19, Gratton-21.584; 13. Michael Lewis, 85, Six-R-21.605; 14. Jonathan Vennard, 99, Mucci/Matczak-21.656; 15. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-21.705; 16. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-21.724; 17. Jason Leffler, 11, Snider-21.734; 18. Matt Westfall, 64, DePalma-21.803; 19. Paul White, 1, Cook-21.893; 20. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-22.131; 21. Jack Hewitt, 21, Six-R-22.203; 22. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC-22.250; 23. Gary Hieber, 12, Galas-22.280; 24. Randy Bateman, 96, T & D-22.350; 25. Dane Carter, 7, Carter-22.352; 26. John Starks, 98, Blue Dot-22.374; 27. Jim Mills, 45, Turbines-23.555.
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps) 1. John Heydenreich, 2. Matt Westfall, 3. Kevin Huntley, 4. Gary Hieber, 5. Randy Bateman, 6. John Starks, 7. Dane Carter, 8. Jim Mills, 9. Jack Hewitt, 10. Paul White, 11. Jason Leffler. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tony Elliott (14), 2. J.J. Yeley (4), 3. Tracy Hines (3), 4. Kevin Huntley (18), 5. Matt Westfall (17), 6. Rich Tobias Jr. (11), 7. John Starks (21), 8. Gary Hieber (19), 9. Jason McCord (6), 10. Jonathan Vennard (13), 11. Jerry Coons Jr. (2), 12. Randy Bateman (20), 13. Dave Darland (9), 14. John Heydenreich (16), 15. Dave Steele (12), 16. Derek Davidson (1), 17. Russ Gamester (15), 18. Kyle Steffens (5), 19. Dane Carter (22), 20. Jay Drake (10), 21. Nick Lundgreen (8), 22. Jack Hewitt (24), 23. Paul White (25), 24. Aaron Fike (7), 25. Jim Mills (23), 26. Jason Leffler (26). NT
**Michael Lewis flipped over the guardrail in turn 1 during qualifying. Kyle Steffens flipped on lap 58 of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-48 J.J. Yeley, Laps 49-84 Jerry Coons Jr., Laps 85-100 Tony Elliott.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Steele-170; 2-J.J. Yeley-150; 3-Jason McCord-144; 4-Rich Tobias Jr.-139; 5-Jason Leffler-134; 6-John Heydenreich-118; 7-Tony Elliott-114; 8-Tracy Hines-108; 9-John Starks-104; 10-Matt Westfall-90.
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TYLER HOLDS OFF DRAKE TO WIN PIKES PEAK 100-MILER
Fountain, Colorado………Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. led the final 62 miles of the 100-mile USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown race at Pikes Peak International Raceway on June 16 to record his fifth career victory.
Tyler averaged 105.616 mph on the one-mile paved oval, driving the Kroger/Pringles/Folgers/ Sunny Delight Gaerte/Beast.
"I thought this place owed me one after we were chasing Dave Steele for second last year and blew a motor," said Tyler in victory lane. "I guess it just paid me back."
Tyler started sixth in the 30-car field and caught leader Jay Drake on lap 39 but had to fight off late-race challenges from Drake to post a narrow win. Drake was second ahead of Chet Fillip and brothers Aaron and A.J. Fike. Tyler's victory was worth $17,100 from a total purse of $86,980.
The race concluded with 34 green-flag laps, which apparently aided Tyler's drive. "We were good on the long green runs,” the winner admitted.
Pole winner J.J. Yeley, who qualified at 141.104 mph, failed to finish, retiring after just nine laps due to ignition trouble.
Series point leader Dave Steele finished seventh to maintain a 33-point lead over Jason Leffler, who was sixth at the checkered flag and led one lap. John Starks of Puyallup, Wash. won the 15-lap qualifying race.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: June 15-16, 2002 – Fountain, Colorado – Pikes Peak International Raceway
QUALIFYING: 1. J.J. Yeley, 9, East/Stewart-25.513; 2. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-25.676; 3. Aaron Fike, 93, RFMS-25.691; 4. John Starks, 150, Automobeals-25.739; 5. A.J. Fike, 39, RFMS-25.757; 6. Jason Leffler, 11, Snider-25.800; 7. Brian Tyler, 69, Dynamics-25.804; 8. Ed Carpenter, 44, Sinden-25.805; 9. Dane Carter, 7, Carter-25.861; 10. Dave Steele, 19, Gratton-25.869; 11. Chet Fillip, 77, Advanced-25.933; 12. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-25.993; 13. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-26.021; 14. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-26.075; 15. Paul White, 1, Cook-26.081; 16. Bentley Warren, 29, S & S-26.112; 17. Brad Armstrong, 110, Paternoster-26.114; 18. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-26.155; 19. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-26.168; 20. Mike Bliss, 111, Snider-26.169; 21. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-26.226; 22. Ryan Scott, 17, Hartman-26.241; 23. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-26.302; 24. Jimmy Kite, 59, Westcon-26.314; 25. Brad Noffsinger, 34, Curb/Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger-26.368; 26. Robby Flock, 95, Randol-26.398; 27. Jonathan Vennard, 99, Mucci/Matczak-26.406; 28. Carl Edwards, 50, Aviators-26.479; 29. David Gough, 82, Riverside-26.531; 30. Jack Hewitt, 21, Six-R-26.562; 31. Eric Butze, 09, Butze-26.576; 32. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-26.596; 33. Tony Ave, 2, Vance-26.666; 34. Aaron Pollock, 3, Vance-26.676; 35. Roger Rager, 03, TNT-26.775; 36. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-26.821; 37. Dan Drinan, 07, Krenn-26.920; 38. Jackie Burke, 86, Burke-27.126; 39. Wes Miller, 36, Miller-27.674; 40. Johnny Pickard, 23, Vance-29.244; 41. Jeff Mitrisin, 26, Cahill/Mitrisin-NT; 42. #135, RE Technologies-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps) 1. John Starks, 2. Jonathan Vennard, 3. Robby Flock, 4. Carl Edwards, 5. John Heydenreich, 6. Eric Butze, 7. Tony Ave, 8. Aaron Pollock, 9. Dan Drinan, 10. Roger Rager, 11. Nick Lundgreen, 12. David Gough, 13. Johnny Pickard, 14. Jackie Burke, 15. Wes Miller, 16. Jack Hewitt. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Brian Tyler (6), 2. Jay Drake (2), 3. Chet Fillip (10), 4. Aaron Fike (3), 5. A.J. Fike (4), 6. Jason Leffler (5), 7. Dave Steele (9), 8. Jerry Coons Jr. (22), 9. Tracy Hines (12), 10. Jonathan Vennard (26), 11. Mike Bliss (19), 12. Bentley Warren (15), 13. Ed Carpenter (7), 14. John Heydenreich (29), 15. Ryan Scott (21), 16. Robby Flock (27), 17. Carl Edwards (28), 18. Rich Tobias Jr. (18), 19. Derek Davidson (13), 20. Tony Elliott (17), 21. Eric Butze (30), 22. Brad Noffsinger (24), 23. Russ Gamester (11), 24. Dane Carter (8), 25. Jason McCord (20), 26. Jimmy Kite (23), 27. Paul White (14), 28. Brad Armstrong (16), 29. J.J. Yeley (1), 30. John Starks (25). 56:48.562
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 J.J. Yeley, Laps 2-14 Jay Drake, Lap 15 Jason Leffler, Laps 16-38 Jay Drake, Laps 39-100 Brian Tyler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Steele-212; 2-Jason Leffler-179; 3-J.J. Yeley-157; 4-Rich Tobias Jr.-156; 5-Jason McCord-152; 6-Tracy Hines-144; 7-John Heydenreich-143; 8-Tony Elliott-127; 9-Aaron Fike-113; 10-Jerry Coons Jr.-113.
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STEELE TAKES DOMINIC'S OF NEW YORK 100 AT RICHMOND
Richmond, Virginia………Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. extended his lead in the USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Championship Series on June 29, winning the Dominic's of New York 100 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
The race preceded the Indy Racing League's SunTrust Indy Challenge at the 3/4-mile paved oval. Steele led 60 of the race's final 72 laps in his Northside Propane/Eagle Jet International Gaerte/Beast but had to come from behind with a last-lap pass of Ed Carpenter to post the win.
Carpenter, of Indianapolis, Ind., had led 12 laps after passing Steele on lap 88.
“I hate to have to work that hard,” Steele commented in victory lane. “I was lucky it was 100 laps and not 99. Ed took the wind out of our sails when he passed me, but I think he must have had some problems at the end. My car was consistent, and my tires were good.”
Steele won the pole at 133.888 mph but surrendered the lead at the start to front-row starter Chet Fillip. Fillip led for 28 laps before Steele caught him. Carpenter trailed the leader until lap 88 when he took over, but Steele slipped under him in turns one and two on the final lap for the victory.
Dane Carter, J.J. Yeley and Tracy Hines rounded out the top-five at the checkered flag. The race was slowed only three times for minor cautions and Steele's victory leaves him with a 70-point lead over Yeley in the new standings.
David Gough won the 15-lap qualifying race which preceded the 100-lap feature.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: June 28-29, 2002 – Richmond, Virginia – Richmond International Raceway
QUALIFYING: 1. Dave Steele, 19, Gratton-20.166; 2. Chet Fillip, 77, Advanced-20.193; 3. J.J. Yeley, 9, East/Stewart-20.216; 4. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-20.334; 5. A.J. Fike, 39, RFMS-20.337; 6. Dane Carter, 7, Carter-20.382; 7. Ed Carpenter, 44, Sinden-20.417; 8. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-20.428; 9. Bentley Warren, 29, S & S-20.441; 10. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-20.565; 11. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-20.605; 12. Dave Darland, 92, Hoerner-20.618; 13. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-20.633; 14. Robby Flock, 95, Randol-20.676; 15. Aaron Fike, 93, RFMS-20.707; 16. Paul White, 10, Cook-20.738; 17. Jonathan Vennard, 99, Mucci/Matczak-20.775; 18. Brian Tyler, 69, Dynamics-20.786; 19. Ryan Scott, 17, Hartman-20.786; 20. Tony Hunt, 2, Vance-20.792; 21. Jimmy Kite, 59, Westcon-20.794; 22. Sammy Swindell, 135, RE Technologies-20.815; 23. John Starks, 98, Blue Dot-20.837; 24. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-20.894; 25. Aaron Pollock, 3, Vance-20.976; 26. David Gough, 82, Riverside-21.076; 27. Brad Armstrong, 47, Paternoster-21.077; 28. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-21.185; 29. Eric Butze, 09, Butze-21.217; 30. David Bridges, 40, MB-21.234; 31. Brad Noffsinger, 34, Curb/Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger-21.265; 32. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-21.277; 33. Brian Paulus, 22, P & P-21.397; 34. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-NT; 35. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-NT; 36. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-NT; 37. #31, Mataka-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps) 1. David Gough, 2. Brad Noffsinger, 3. Tom Capie, 4. Nick Lundgreen, 5. Brian Paulus, 6. Aaron Pollock, 7. Brad Armstrong, 8. Eric Butze, 9. David Bridges, 10. Rich Tobias Jr., 11. Jerry Coons Jr. (#31). NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Dave Steele , 2. Ed Carpenter, 3. Dane Carter, 4. J.J. Yeley, 5. Tracy Hines, 6. Jason McCord, 7. Jay Drake, 8. Russ Gamester, 9. Brian Tyler, 10. John Heydenreich, 11. Jonathan Vennard, 12. Chet Fillip, 13. Bentley Warren, 14. Robby Flock, 15. Ryan Scott, 16. David Gough, 17. Sammy Swindell, 18. A.J. Fike, 19. Dave Darland, 20. Tony Hunt, 21. John Starks, 22. Tom Capie, 23. Paul White, 24. Nick Lundgreen, 25. Brad Noffsinger, 26. Aaron Fike, 27. Brian Paulus, 28. Aaron Pollock, 29. Rich Tobias Jr.30. Derek Davidson, 31. Jimmy Kite. 43:45.343
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-28 Chet Fillip, Laps 29-87 Dave Steele, Laps 88-99 Ed Carpenter, Lap 100 Dave Steele.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Steele-278; 2-J.J. Yeley-208; 3-Jason McCord-197; 4-Tracy Hines-192; 5-Jason Leffler-179; 6-John Heydenreich-176; 7-Rich Tobias Jr.-160; 8-Jay Drake-154; 9-Tony Elliott-127; 10-A.J. Fike-124.
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12TH IRP WIN FOR BLISS AT J.D. BYRIDER 100
Clermont, Indiana………Mike Bliss of Milwaukee, Ore. captured the J.D. Byrider 100 at Indianapolis Raceway Park on August 1, leading the final 17 laps of the 100-lap USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Championship race which kicked off IRP's Kroger SpeedFest.
In front of a crowd of 20,000, Bliss overcame a 73rd lap tangle with Chet Fillip to come from behind and pass leader J.J. Yeley.
Yeley, who led the first 83 laps, slipped to fourth at the checkered flag behind runner-up Russ Gamester and third-place finisher Jason Leffler.
“This is the hardest race I've ever run here,” commented Bliss, who owns 12 USAC victories at the .686-mile paved oval, more than any other driver. "The top-five all had pretty good cars. We were all loose at the start but this track changed quickly, and at the end, everybody was really tight. It was a tough race.”
Bliss averaged 91.614 mph for the 100 laps, run in under 45 minutes, driving the IWX Snyder Chevy/Beast entered by George Snider Racing.
Tony Stewart started 22nd in the 31-car field and finished 10th.
Trailing the top four at the end were Tracy Hines, Carl Edwards, Dave Steele, John Heydenreich, Brian Tyler and Stewart, as 26 of the 31 starters were still running at the finish.
Bliss won the pole and qualifying races went to Kasey Kahne and Stewart.
World of Outlaws star Sammy Swindell escaped injury in a flip during the first qualifying races.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 1, 2002 – Clermont, Indiana – Indianapolis Raceway Park – J.D. Byrider 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Mike Bliss, 111, Snider-21.225; 2. J.J. Yeley, 9, East/Stewart-21.331; 3. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-21.452; 4. Chet Fillip, 77, Advanced-21.460; 5. Aaron Fike, 93, RFMS-21.468; 6. Jason Leffler, 11, Snider-21.505; 7. Brian Tyler, 69, Dynamics-21.507; 8. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-21.520; 9. Aaron Pollock, 3, Vance-21.523; 10. Bobby East, 2, Vance-21.535; 11. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-21.537; 12. Dave Steele, 19, Gratton-21.540; 13. Jonathan Vennard, 99, Mucci/Matczak-21.565; 14. Dave Darland, 92, Hoerner-21.566; 15. P.J. Jones, 85, Six-R-21.579; 16. Carl Edwards, 95, Randol-21.605; 17. Brad Noffsinger, 34, Curb/Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger-21.619; 18. Ed Carpenter, 44, Sinden-21.625; 19. Paul White, 1, Cook-21.638; 20. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-21.651; 21. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-21.727; 22. Johnny Parsons, 21, Six-R-21.732; 23. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-21.750; 24. David Bridges, 40, MB-21.776; 25. Tyler Walker, 23, Vance-21.826; 26. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-21.827; 27. Kasey Kahne, 67, Zarounian-21.831; 28. David Gough, 82, Riverside-21.852; 29. Dane Carter, 7, Carter-21.890; 30. Tony Stewart, 56, Foxco-21.913; 31. Sammy Swindell, 135, RE Technologies-21.923; 32. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-21.957; 33. John Starks, 98, Blue Dot-22.010; 34. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-22.013; 35. Eric Butze, 09, Butze-22.017; 36. Jimmy McCune, 27, Wallace-22.018; 37. Teddy Beach, 47, Paternoster-22.058; 38. Bentley Warren, 29, S & S-22.173; 39. Brad Armstrong, 110, Paternoster-22.203; 40. Jason Fuller, 49, Smith-22.222; 41. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-22.234; 42. Eric Gordon, 41, Bowen-22.279; 43. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-22.318; 44. Jimmy Kite, 59, Westcon-22.353; 45. Gary Penission Jr., 05, GP-22.485; 46. Dan Drinan, 07, Krenn-22.526; 47. Jeff Mitrisin, 26, Cahill/Mitrisin-22.753; 48. #31, Mataka-NT; 49. #19x, Gratton-NT.
FIRST QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps) 1. Kasey Kahne, 2. Rich Tobias Jr., 3. Tyler Walker, 4. Teddy Beach, 5. Jerry Coons Jr., 6. Jeff Mitrisin, 7. Dane Carter, 8. Nick Lundgreen, 9. Brad Armstrong, 10. Tom Capie, 11. Gary Penission Jr., 12. John Starks, 13. Sammy Swindell, 14. Eric Butze. NT
SECOND QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps) 1. Tony Stewart, 2. Jason McCord, 3. Jay Drake, 4. David Gough, 5. Jimmy Kite, 6. Tony Elliott, 7. Bentley Warren, 8. Jason Fuller, 9. Eric Gordon, 10. Jimmy McCune, 11. Johnny Parsons, 12. David Bridges, 13. Dan Drinan. 5:26.68
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Mike Bliss (1), 2. Russ Gamester (3), 3. Jason Leffler (6), 4. J.J. Yeley (2), 5. Tracy Hines (8), 6. Carl Edwards (16), 7. Dave Steele (12), 8. John Heydenreich (20), 9. Brian Tyler (7), 10. Tony Stewart (22), 11. Aaron Pollock (9), 12. Ed Carpenter (18), 13. Tyler Walker (25), 14. Dave Darland (14), 15. Derek Davidson (11), 16. Tony Elliott (31), 17. Paul White (19), 18.. Teddy Beach (27), 19. Jimmy Kite (30), 20. P.J. Jones (15), 21. Aaron Fike (5), 22. Jerry Coons Jr. (29), 23. Brad Noffsinger (17), 24. David Gough (28), 25. Jason McCord (24), 26. Jonathan Vennard (13), 27. Chet Fillip (4), 28. Jay Drake (26), 29. Kasey Kahne (21), 30. Rich Tobias Jr. (23), 31. Bobby East (10). 44:55.65
**Sammy Swindell flipped during the first qualifying race.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-83 J.J. Yeley, Laps 84-100 Mike Bliss.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Steele-320; 2-J.J. Yeley-262; 3-Tracy Hines-240; 4-Jason Leffler-233; 5-John Heydenreich-215; 6-Jason McCord-205; 7-Mike Bliss-166; 8-Rich Tobias Jr.-163; 9-Jay Drake-159; 10-Russ Gamester-152.
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YELEY WIRE-TO-WIRE AT TONY BETTENHAUSEN 100
Springfield, Illinois………J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Ariz. sliced into Dave Steele's USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown point lead with his victory in the August 17 Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
Steele failed to finish at Springfield and was listed 17th in the official finish after suffering fire problems.
“My Ford engine made my job easy,” said Yeley in victory lane. "My hat's off to my crew. The racetrack stayed good all day and tires were never an issue. I just needed to stay out of trouble with lapped cars. This makes up for the loss at Du Quoin last year when I had a big lead late but didn't finish.”
Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson gave Arizona a 1-2 finish with his runner-up finish placing ahead of Tracy Hines, Dave Darland and Matt Westfall.
The race was red flagged on the opening lap when John Heydenreich of Bloomsburg, Pa., winner of the 15-mile qualifying race, flipped in turn two. He was transported to a local hospital for a precautionary check.
A second red flag flew on lap 20 after a tangle between Dane Carter and Tom Capie. Both drivers escaped injury. Yeley won the pole and led all 100 miles to earn a $9,250 paycheck.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 17, 2002 – Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Tony Bettenhausen 100
QUALIFYING: 1. J.J. Yeley, 9, East/Stewart-30.534; 2. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-30.830; 3. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-31.208; 4. Paul White, 1, Cook-31.558; 5. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-31.821; 6. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-32.020; 7. Matt Westfall, 64, DePalma-32.185; 8. George White, 10, Cook-32.223; 9. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC-32.233; 10. Roger Rager, 03, TNT-32.345; 11. Brad Fox, 53, Fox-32.373; 12. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-32.543; 13. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-32.559; 14. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-32.640; 15. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-32.687; 16. Jason Leffler, 11, Snider-32.788; 17. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-32.916; 18. Dave Steele, 19, Gratton-33.200; 19. Carl Edwards, 95, Randol-33.216; 20. Terry Babb, 112, Morford-33.242; 21. Jonathan Vennard, 99, Mucci/Matczak-33.299; 22. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-33.386; 23. Dane Carter, 7, Carter-33.448; 24. Aaron Fike, 93, RFMS-33.513; 25. David Bridges, 40, MB-33.526; 26. John Starks, 98, Blue Dot-33.629; 27. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-33.660; 28. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-33.854; 29. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-33.863; 30. A.J. Anderson, 83, Sohm-34.089; 31. Michael Lewis, 85, Six-R-34.322; 32. Wes Miller, 36, Miller-34.828; 33. Danny Long, 68, Long-35.073; 34. Sport Allen, 89, Moore-35.123; 35. Brad Noffsinger, 34, Curb-Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger-35.233; 36. Gary Hieber, 12, Galas-36.928; 37. Brian Tyler, 50, Aviators-NT; 38. Rod Holshouser, 91, Harris-NT; 39. Randy Bateman, 96, T & D-NT; 40. Kyle Steffens, 8, Steffens-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps) 1. John Heydenreich, 2. Dane Carter, 3. Aaron Fike, 4. Brad Noffsinger, 5. John Starks, 6. Rich Tobias Jr., 7. Michael Lewis, 8. Nick Lundgreen, 9. Derek Davidson, 10. Jonathan Vennard, 11. Sport Allen, 12. Wes Miller, 13. David Bridges, 14. Danny Long, 15. Rod Holshouser, 16. A.J. Anderson, 17. Gary Hieber. NT
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. J.J. Yeley (1), 2. Jerry Coons Jr. (3), 3. Tracy Hines (5), 4. Dave Darland (13), 5. Matt Westfall (7), 6. Kevin Huntley (9), 7. Jay Drake (2), 8. Jason McCord (14), 9. Russ Gamester (6), 10. Carl Edwards (19), 11. Derek Davidson (29), 12. Tony Elliott (17), 13. Terry Babb (20), 14. Michael Lewis (27), 15. Nick Lundgreen (28), 16. Roger Rager (10), 17. Dave Steele (18), 18. Aaron Fike (23), 19. George White (8), 20. Johnny Parsons (15), 21. Jason Leffler (16), 22. Brad Noffsinger (24), 23. Dane Carter (22), 24. Tom Capie (12), 25. Paul White (4), 26. Rich Tobias Jr. (26), 27. Brad Fox (11), 28. John Starks (25), 29. John Heydenreich (21), 30. Jonathan Vennard (30). NT
**A.J. Anderson flipped during the qualifying race. John Heydenreich flipped on the first lap of the feature.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 J.J. Yeley.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Steele-339; 2-J.J. Yeley-328; 3-Tracy Hines-294; 4-Jason Leffler-245; 5-Jason McCord-244; 6-John Heydenreich-219; 7-Jay Drake-201; 8-Russ Gamester-188; 9-Jerry Coons Jr.-181; 10-Rich Tobias Jr.-170.
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Du QUOIN'S TED HORN 100 & POINT LEAD TO YELEY
Du Quoin, Illinois………J.J. Yeley of Phoenix. Ariz. scored his 12'" USAC National race victory of the season in the September 1 Ted Horn 100 Weld Racing Silver Crown race at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds.
The victory enabled him to snatch the series point lead from Dave Steele, who finished ninth in the 100-mile race sponsored by The Southern Illinoisan.
Yeley's win followed a similar win at Springfield. Ill. two weeks earlier as he again piloted the Team ASE/Ford co-owned by Bob East and NASCAR star Tony Stewart.
“It's nice to get this race back,” said Yeley in victory lane, referring to 2001 when he had ignition failure while leading late. "We had a little power steering leak and I was just hoping nothing would break. There was a lot of rubber on the track and that made us good on the restarts.”
Trailing Yeley at the checkered flag were Russ Gamester, Jay Drake, Dave Darland and defending race winner Paul White.
Yeley emerged from the race with a 16-point lead over Steele in the new standings. A red flag halted the race on lap 73 when Jonathan Vennard flipped in turn four, but he escaped injury.
Ed Carpenter, who won the pole at a track record speed of 119.629 mph., led the first 48 laps but slipped behind Yeley on lap 49, then blew a tire and hit the wall in turn two on lap 59. He was also uninjured.
Brian Tyler won the 15-lap qualifying race which preceded the 100-mile feature.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 1, 2002 – Du Quoin, Illinois – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Ted Horn 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Ed Carpenter, 67, Zarounian-30.093; 2. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-30.244; 3. Jonathan Vennard, 99, Mucci/Matczak-30.665; 4. George White, 10, Cook-30.750; 5. J.J. Yeley, 9, East/Stewart-30.795; 6. Jason Leffler, 11, Snider-30.901; 7. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-30.933; 8. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-31.043; 9. Roger Rager, 03, TNT-31.084; 10. Paul White, 1, Cook-31.120; 11. John Starks, 98, Blue Dot-31.147; 12. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-31.171; 13. Michael Lewis, 85, Six-R-31.288; 14. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-31.299; 15. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-31.357; 16. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-31.384; 17. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-31.506; 18. Dave Steele, 19, Gratton-31.528; 19. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-31.655; 20. Carl Edwards, 95, Randol-31.782; 21. Travis Rilat, 111, Snider-31.829; 22. Brian Tyler, 50, Aviators-31.848; 23. Gary Hieber, 12, Galas-32.057; 24. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-32.129; 25. Brad Noffsinger, 34, Curb/Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger-32.259; 26. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-32.292; 27. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-32.310; 28. Matt Westfall, 64, DePalma-32.603; 29. Dane Carter, 7, Carter-32.691; 30. Wes Miller, 36, Miller-32.763; 31. Terry Babb, 112, Morford-32.899; 32. David Bridges, 40, MB-32.941; 33. Dickie Gaines, 31, Mataka-33.137; 34. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-33.174; 35. Dean Franklin, 89, Moore-33.177; 36. Kyle Steffens, 8, Steffens-33.405; 37. Rod Holshouser, 91, Harris-33.727; 38. Danny Long, 68, Long-34.153; 39. Ronnie Franklin, 63, Franklin-40.685; 40. Jerry Nemire, 76, Nemire-NT; 41. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-NT; 42. Donnie Lehmann, 83, Sohm-NT; 43. Brad Fox, 53, Fox-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps) 1. Brian Tyler, 2. Gary Hieber, 3. Tony Elliott, 4. Johnny Parsons, 5. Matt Westfall, 6. Brad Noffsinger, 7. Travis Rilat, 8. Jason McCord, 9. Terry Babb, 10. Dane Carter, 11. Kyle Steffens, 12. Wes Miller, 13. Dickie Gaines, 14. David Bridges, 15. Rod Holshouser, 16. Dean Franklin, 17. Danny Long, 18. Tom Capie, 19. Ronnie Franklin. 7:53.24
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. J.J. Yeley (5), 2. Russ Gamester (7), 3. Jay Drake (2), 4. Dave Darland (19), 5. Paul White (10), 6. Tracy Hines (16), 7. Jerry Coons Jr. (14), 8. John Heydenreich (15), 9. Dave Steele (18), 10. Derek Davidson (17), 11. Brad Noffsinger (26), 12. Carl Edwards (20), 13. Jason McCord (28), 14. John Starks (11), 15. Nick Lundgreen (12), 16. Dane Carter (30), 17. Matt Westfall (25), 18. George White (4), 19. Rich Tobias Jr. (8), 20. Travis Rilat (27), 21. Johnny Parsons (24), 22. Jonathan Vennard (3), 23. Jason Leffler (6), 24. Michael Lewis (13), 25. Ed Carpenter (1), 26. Brian Tyler (21), 27. Gary Hieber (22), 28. Tony Elliott (23), 29. Roger Rager (9), 30. Terry Babb (29). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-48 Ed Carpenter, Laps 49-100 J.J. Yeley.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-J.J. Yeley-391; 2-Dave Steele-375; 3-Tracy Hines-339; 4-Jason McCord-271; 5-John Heydenreich-258; 6-Jay Drake-255; 7-Jason Leffler-255; 8-Russ Gamester-245; 9-Jerry Coons Jr.-223; 10-Derek Davidson-193.
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TYLER TAKES ELDORA’S 4-CROWN SILVER CROWN
Rossburg, Ohio………Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. captured the 22nd annual 50-lap 4-Crown Nationals USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown feature at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio on September 21.
Tyler led the final 12 laps in his Print Express/Utility Peterbilt Chevy/Beast after passing Jay Drake on lap 39. Drake won the pole starting spot for the race presented by the University of Northwestern Ohio and led the first 38 laps before losing the lead in traffic. Drake finished second, ahead of Tracy Hines, Rich Tobias Jr. and Matt Westfall.
“The car was good right out of the box,” admitted Tyler after the race. “It was tough to pass but I was able to run right up against the wall and that helped. It was a long race, and once I got into a rhythm, I was alright.”
Series point leader J.J. Yeley finished 12th and took a 26-point lead over Dave Steele. Steele finished 17th at Eldora and Yeley won the 20-lap qualifying race which preceded the 50-lap feature. Hines' finish boosted him into title contention, just one point behind Steele.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 21, 2002 – Rossburg, Ohio - Eldora Speedway – 22nd 4-Crown Nationals – Presented by the University of Northwestern Ohio
QUALIFYING: 1. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-18.375; 2. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-18.716; 3. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-18.855; 4. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-18.902; 5. Brian Tyler, 85, Six-R-18.974; 6. Aaron Fike, 93, RFMS-19.000; 7. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-19.034; 8. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-19.120; 9. Travis Rilat, 111, Snider-19.131; 10. Matt Westfall, 64, DePalma-19.191; 11. Brad Noffsinger, 34, Curb/Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger-19.229; 12. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-19.325; 13. Jonathan Vennard, 99, Mucci/Matczak-19.328; 14. Rob Chaney, 97, SC-19.342; 15. J.J. Yeley, 9, East/Stewart-19.378; 16. Dickie Gaines, 31, Mataka-19.434; 17. Cory Kruseman, 50, Aviators-19.463; 18. Terry Pletch, 79, Pletch-19.510; 19. Terry Babb, 112, Morford-19.558; 20. Dave Darland, 92, Hoerner-19.569; 21. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-19.856; 22. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-19.884; 23. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-20.014; 24. Dave Steele, 19, Gratton-20.122; 25. Dane Carter, 7, Carter-20.267; 26. John Starks, 98, Blue Dot-20.269; 27. Mike Lauterborn, 18, Lauterborn-20.466.
QUALIFYING RACE: (20 laps) 1. J.J. Yeley, 2. Rob Chaney, 3. Dickie Gaines, 4. Terry Pletch, 5. Cory Kruseman, 6. Rich Tobias Jr., 7. Dave Darland, 8. Nick Lundgreen, 9. Terry Babb, 10. Jonathan Vennard, 11. Dave Steele, 12. Jason McCord, 13. John Starks, 14. Dane Carter. 6:33.23
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Brian Tyler (5), 2. Jay Drake (1), 3. Tracy Hines (8), 4. Rich Tobias Jr. (18), 5. Matt Westfall (10), 6. Russ Gamester (3), 7. Nick Lundgreen (20), 8. Jason McCord (24), 9. John Heydenreich (12), 10. Rob Chaney (14), 11. Brad Noffsinger (11), 12. J.J. Yeley (13), 13. Dave Darland (19), 14. John Starks (25), 15. Terry Babb (21), 16. Derek Davidson (4), 17. Dave Steele (23), 18. Dickie Gaines (15), 19. Cory Kruseman (17), 20. Dane Carter (26), 21. Jonathan Vennard (22), 22. Tony Elliott (2), 23. Terry Pletch (16), 24. Aaron Fike (6), 25. Jerry Coons Jr. (7), 26. Travis Rilat (9). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-38 Jay Drake, Laps 39-50 Brian Tyler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-J.J. Yeley-420; 2-Dave Steele-394; 3-Tracy Hines-393; 4-Jay Drake-318; 5-Jason McCord-310; 6-John Heydenreich-294; 7-Russ Gamester-290; 8-Jason Leffler-255; 9-Rich Tobias Jr.-236; 10-Jerry Coons Jr.-231.
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YELEY WINS SYRACUSE’S SALT CITY 100 & SILVER CROWN TITLE
Syracuse, New York………J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Ariz. captured the USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Championship on October 12 with a thrilling victory in the season finale at the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y.
Yeley led the final three laps of the Little Trees Salt City 100 in his Team ASE/Ford Beast after passing race leader Rich Tobias Jr. exiting turn two on lap 98. Tobias spun entering turn three and hit the outside wall, relegating him to a 17th place finish after leading 83 laps.
Yeley started 14th in the 30-car field and worked his way to the front quickly. He was sixth by lap six, moved into fifth on lap 13 and was fourth by lap 16. On lap 79, he passed front row starters Jerry Coons, Jr. and John Heydenreich to take second.
Tobias admitted in post-race interviews to a driver error costing him the race, although, his car was smoking most of the race from brake usage. Tobias' father Dick, a USAC Sprint Car regular, was fatally injured in 1978 at Flemington, N.J.
“My car was absolutely awesome,” said Yeley in victory lane. “I had no trouble passing on the outside and a couple of drivers made mistakes which helped me. I tried to put pressure on Tobias and was hoping he too would make a mistake, but I have to admit these cars are a handful after having a chance to run a modified here.”
Yeley also competed in the Super Dirt Week Eckerd 200 Modified race at the one-mile dirt oval. Yeley's title pursuers never caught him. Series runner-up Dave Steele finished fifth, while Tracy Hines, who took third in the final standings, retired from the event with a broken driveline after 84 laps.
Yeley's car owners, NASCAR star Tony Stewart and car builder Bob East, also claimed a USAC title, beating Steele's car owner Gratton Racing by three points to win the Weld Racing Silver Crown car owner's championship.
Jerry Coons Jr. started on the pole with a new track record speed of 115.182 mph and led the first 14 laps before yielding to Tobias.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN RACE RESULTS: October 11-12, 2002 – Syracuse, New York – New York State Fairgrounds – Little Trees Salt City 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Jerry Coons Jr., 35, RE Technologies-31.255; 2. John Heydenreich, 90, Duda-31.364; 3. Dane Carter, 7, Carter-31.459; 4. Jonathan Vennard, 99, Mucci/Matczak-31.758; 5. David Bridges, 40, MB-31.886; 6. Rich Tobias Jr., 74, RW-32.017; 7. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-32.109; 8. Aaron Fike, 93, RFMS-32.232; 9. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-32.287; 10. Tony Elliott, 20, Nolen-32.406; 11. Jason McCord, 4, Contos-32.513; 12. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-32.549; 13. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-32.610; 14. J.J. Yeley, 9, East/Stewart-32.729; 15. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-32.811; 16. Brian Tyler, 85, Six-R-32.857; 17. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC-32.906; 18. Nick Lundgreen, 0, Lundgreen-33.092; 19. John Starks, 98, Blue Dot-33.484; 20. Matt Westfall, 64, DePalma-33.497; 21. Derek Davidson, 25, BWB-33.841; 22. Dave Steele, 19, Gratton-33.938; 23. Dickie Gaines, 31, Mataka-34.226; 24. Jerry Nemire, 76, Nemire-34.732; 25. Mike Lauterborn, 18, Lauterborn-35.135; 26. Brad Armstrong, 72, Brown-35.723; 27. Curt Michael, 95, Randol-38.151; 28. Brad Noffsinger, 34, Curb/Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger-NT; 29. Russ Gamester, 46, Gamester-NT; 30. Roger Rager, 03, TNT-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. J.J. Yeley (14), 2. Jerry Coons Jr. (1), 3. John Heydenreich (2), 4. Aaron Fike (8), 5. Dave Steele (22), 6. Nick Lundgreen (18), 7. Dane Carter (3), 8. Tom Capie (13), 9. Jonathan Vennard (4), 10. Russ Gamester (27), 11. Jay Drake (7), 12. Tony Elliott (10), 13. Matt Westfall (20), 14. Kevin Huntley (17), 15. Curt Michael (26), 16. Randy Bateman (15), 17. Rich Tobias Jr. (6), 18. Jerry Nemire (24), 19. Johnny Parsons (9), 20. Tracy Hines (12), 21. Brian Tyler (16), 22. Roger Rager (28), 23. Derek Davidson (21), 24. Dickie Gaines (23), 25. John Starks (19), 26. Mike Lauterborn (25), 27. David Bridges (5), 28. Jason McCord (11). 1:14:50.176
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-14 Jerry Coons Jr., Laps 15-97 Rich Tobias Jr., Laps 98-100 J.J. Yeley.
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2002 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (480) J.J. Yeley, Phoenix, Ariz.
2. (442) Dave Steele, Tampa, Fla.
3. (406) Tracy Hines, New Castle, Ind.
4. (349) Jay Drake, Val Verde, Calif.
5. (348) John Heydenreich, Bloomsburg, Pa.
6. (323) Russ Gamester, Peru, Ind.
7. (315) Jason McCord, Anderson, Ind.
8. (291) Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson, Ariz.
9. (258) Rich Tobias Jr., Lebanon, Pa.
10. (255) Jason Leffler, Long Beach, Calif.
11. (232) Matt Westfall, Pleasant Hill, Ohio
12. (225) Derek Davidson, Lafayette, Ind.
13. (222) Tony Elliott, Kokomo, Ind.
14. (219) Brian Tyler, Parma, Mich.
15. (218) Dave Darland, Lincoln, Ind.
16. (209) Aaron Fike, Galesburg, Ill.
17. (184) Nick Lundgreen, New Berlin, Wisc.
18. (166) Mike Bliss, Milwaukie, Ore.
19. (166) Jonathan Vennard, Vincennes, Ind.
20. (164) Dane Carter, Brownsburg, Ind.
21. (160) Ed Carpenter, Indianapolis, Ind.
22. (157) John Starks, Edgewood, Wash.
23. (149) Brad Noffsinger, Huntington Beach, Calif.
24. (147) Paul White, Temple, Texas
25. (140) Kevin Huntley, Bloomington, Ind.
26. (126) Carl Edwards, Columbia, Mo.
27. (125) Chet Fillip, San Angelo, Texas
28. (124) A.J. Fike, Galesburg, Ill.
29. (122) Tom Capie, Trevose, Pa.
30. (86) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
31. (76) Aaron Pollock, Troy, Ohio
32. (73) Ryan Scott, Concord, N.C.
33. (67) Michael Lewis, Noblesville, Ind.
34. (64) P.J. Jones, Torrance, Calif.
35. (61) Bentley Warren, Kennebunkport, Maine
36. (51) Brad Fox, Avon, Ind.
37. (50) Roger Rager, Pequot Lakes, Minn.
38. (46) Robby Flock, Murrieta, Calif.
39. (46) Johnny Parsons, Indianapolis, Ind.
40. (45) David Gough, Machesney Park, Ill.
41. (45) Gary Hieber, Langhorne, Pa.
42. (40) Jimmy Kite, Stockbridge, Ga.
43. (39) Brad Armstrong, New Palestine, Ind.
44. (34) Tony Hunt, Fair Oaks, Calif.
45. (33) Tony Stewart, Columbus, Ind.
46. (32) Kasey Kahne, Enumclaw, Wash.
47. (32) George White, Fort Worth, Texas
48. (30) Bud Kaeding, Campbell, Calif.
49. (26) Jack Hewitt, Troy, Ohio
50. (26) Terry Babb, Decatur, Ill.
51. (26) Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, Ind.
52. (22) Eric Butze, Memphis, Tenn.
53. (20) Travis Rilat, Texas City, Texas
54. (19) Sammy Swindell, Germantown, Tenn.
55. (18) Cory Kruseman, Ventura, Calif.
56. (17) Jeff Bloom, Bangor, Mich.
57. (17) Kyle Steffens, St. Charles, Mo.
58. (17) Teddy Beach, Donnelsville, Ohio
59. (17) Terry Pletch, Frankfort, Ind.
60. (11) Brian Paulus, Mechanicsburg, Pa.
61. (8) Levi Jones, Olney, Ill.
62. (8) Jim Mills, Marshall, Ill.
63. (7) Mike Lauterborn, Rochester, N.Y.
64. (6) David Bridges, Speedway, Ind.
65. (5) John Nervo, Akron, Ohio
66. (3) Brian DeFord, Frankfort, Ind.
67. (3) Billy Puterbaugh Jr., Brownsburg, Ind.
2002 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (445) Bob East & Tony Stewart, Indianapolis, Ind. (#9)
2. (442) Bob Gratton, Homosassa, Fla. (#19)
3. (406) Indiana Underground Construction (Terry Riggs), Shelbyville, Ind. (#37)
4. (354) BWB Racing, Terre Haute, Ind. (#52)
5. (348) Sharon Duda, Sewickley, Pa. (#90)
6. (323) Gamester Racing, Peru, Ind. (#46)
7. (315) Contos Racing, Anderson, Ind. (#4)
8. (291) RE Technologies, Bartlett, Tenn. (#35)
9. (258) RW Motorsports, Annville, Pa. (#74)
10. (255) George Snider Racing, Bakersfield, Calif. (#11)
11. (232) DePalma Motorsports, Lima, Ohio (#64)
12. (222) Nolen Racing, Greenwood, Ind. (#20)
13. (219) BWB Racing, Terre Haute, Ind. (#25)
14. (209) RFMS Racing, Galesburg, Ill. (#93)
15. (203) Team Six-R Racing, Zionsville, Ind. (#85)
16. (197) Mucci-Matczak Racing, Hartford, Conn. (#99)
17. (191) Mike Randol Motorsports, York, Pa. (#95)
18. (186) George Snider Racing, Bakersfield, Calif. (#111)
19. (184) Dean Lundgreen, Franklin, Wisc. (#0)
20. (173) SC Racing, Carey, Ohio (#97)
21. (164) Carter Racing, Brownsburg, Ind. (#7)
22. (157) Foxco Engineering, Avon, Ind. (#56)
23. (149) Dynamics, Inc., Milford, Ohio (#69)
24. (149) Curb-Agajanian/Daugherty/Paulsen/Noffsinger, Concord, N.C. (#34)
25. (140) Sinden Racing Service, Indianapolis, Ind. (#44)
26. (137) Paul Cook Racing, Mansfield, Texas (#1)
27. (131) Western Racing-Dean Starks, Portland, Ore. (#98)
28. (125) Advanced Racing Suspensions, Indianapolis, Ind. (#77)
29. (124) RFMS Racing, Galesburg, Ill. (#39)
30. (122) Capie Racing, Browns Mills, N.J. (#153)
31. (115) Bob Hoerner, Crest Hill, N.J. (#92)
32. (78) Zarounian Motorsports, Visalia, Calif. (#67)
33. (76) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#3)
34. (73) Robert Hartman, Brownsburg, Ind. (#17)
35. (65) T & D Motorsports, Bethalto, Ill. (#96)
36. (61) S & S Racing, Marlboro, Mass. (#29)
37. (53) Ken Morford, Carterville, Ill. (#112)
38. (51) Steve Fox, Avon, Ind. (#53)
39. (51) TNT Motorsports, Maple Grove, Minn. (#03)
40. (49) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#2)
41. (46) Ricky Nix, Benton, Ill. (#43)
42. (45) Riverside Associates, Riverside, Ill. (#82)
43. (45) Galas Motorsports, O’Fallon, Ill. (#12)
44. (42) Paul Cook Racing, Mansfield, Texas (#10)
45. (41) Aviators Racing, Chicago, Ill. (#50)
46. (40) Westcon Racing, Lebanon, Ohio (#59)
47. (39) JP Autosport (Jim Paternoster), Oswego, N.Y. (#110)
48. (34) JP Autosport (Jim Paternoster), Oswego, N.Y. (#47)
49. (27) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#23)
50. (26) Team Six-R Racing, Zionsville, Ind. (#21)
51. (26) Automobeals & More, Fairview, Ore. (#150)
52. (26) Mataka Motorsports, Lebanon, N.J. (#31)
53. (23) Richard Moore, Clearwater, Fla. (#89)
54. (22) Butze Racing, Memphis, Tenn. (#09)
55. (21) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill. (#55)
56. (19) RE Technologies, Bartlett, Tenn. (#135)
57. (17) Steffens Motorsports, St. Charles, Mo. (#8)
58. (17) Terry Pletch, Frankfort, Ind. (#79)
59. (17) Jerry Nemire, Erie, Mich. (#76)
60. (11) P & P Motorsports, Mechanicsburg, Pa. (#22)
61. (8) Gus Sohm, St. Louis, Mo. (#83)
62. (8) Turbines, Inc., Terre Haute, Ind. (#45)
63. (7) Mike Lauterborn, Rochester, N.Y. (#18)
64. (6) Bobby Wallace, Granite City, Ill. (#27)
65. (6) MB Racing, Indianapolis, Ind. (#40)
66. (5) Nervo-Coggin Racing, Tallmadge, Ohio (#94)
67. (3) Qualistar Racing, Brownsburg, Ind. (#73)
68. (3) Madman Motorsports, Frankfort, Ind. (#199)
69. (3) Tom Davies, Elkhart, Ind. (#168)