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.
2006 USAC SILVER CROWN SEASON REVIEW
The new era of the USAC Silver Crown Series produced some of the best racing the division had seen in its 36-year history.
Bud Kaeding, the series’ leader in victories in 2006, won the championship by 44 points over Brian Tyler. Kaeding won three races while Tyler scored two.
Overall, eight drivers won 14 scheduled events. Among those 14, only twice did the series see a driver lead every lap of a race. Side-by-side racing and frequent lead changes made the series one of the most competitive ever.
Part of that came due to USAC’s new generation pavement cars, which were developed to compete on tracks in excess of a mile. The cars competed nine times, including on five tracks the series had never seen prior to this year.
Two-time reigning champion Dave Steele won his fifth-straight Copper World Classic at Phoenix International Raceway to start the season on a weekend which saw 12 cars compete for the first time. K & N Engineering also announced its intentions for a two-year deal, through 2007, to be the series’ presenting sponsor.
Tyler countered with the series’ first visit to a mile-and-a-half at Homestead-Miami Speedway, a race that featured four leaders and six lead changes, both of which were the most since 2003. The side-by-side passing drivers were looking for in the new cars quickly came.
Another two months went by before the series resumed, and this time on dirt. The Hoosier Hundred was nearly called off due to safety concerns, but the fencing was fixed days in advance and the race returned. Levi Jones led 99¾ of the race before teammate Josh Wise ripped around him as the pair came to the checkered flag. There, Kaeding’s third-place finish gave him the lead.
Kaeding extended the lead over the next two races with victories. The Campbell, Calif. native won by nearly 20 seconds in the debut at Kentucky Speedway, then turned around and won at Richmond International Raceway eight nights later. Each time, Kaeding had to come from mid-pack, dicing through the field before reaching the top.
But his winning streak – and luck – slipped away after that, at least for a while. Ignition problems sidelined him at the next three events – all on pavement – and in two of those, he dropped out. Aaron Pierce, who was fastest in several of the practice sessions in two-day shows, mustered a qualifying record of 174.295 mph at Chicagoland Speedway, then watched as Jay Drake dropped out while leading after 60 laps to take the lead and the win at a race record 145.934 mph. The race featured no cautions.
Then, Pierce nearly went back-to-back in victories at The Milwaukee Mile. He tried to get by leader Brian Tyler as the field came toward the checkered flag, but the pair made contact in Turn 3. Pierce led the field back around and to the checkered flag – two spots ahead of a charging Tyler – but the win was awarded instead to Wayne Reutimann Jr., the second first-time winner in as many races.
Tyler launched his attack the next race at O’Reilly Raceway Park, taking the point when Wise spun while leading, then holding off NASCAR Nextel Cup Series driver and Silver Crown owner Carl Edwards. The Columbia, Mo. native saved his car from spinning on lap 88 when he got his belts tied up in the car.
While Kaeding dropped out after that and lost the point lead, he was ready right away to take it back with a trio of dirt races staring him in the eyes. In an epic battle with rookie Shane Cottle at the Terre Haute Action Track that featured uncountable lead changes lap after lap and 12 official swaps, Kaeding led the final 19 laps to regain the point advantage with his third victory. After that, he and Tyler would have to rely on consistent finishes. And a little luck from each other.
Tyler took the lead back in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds when Kaeding fell out, then Kaeding took it back for the final time in the Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds, a race in which Tracy Hines won.
The series debut at Iowa Speedway went to Steele, but at that point, a start by Kaeding or Tyler wrapped up the title for one of them. They went into the penultimate race – the 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway – separated by only eight points.
The race officially got started around 5 a.m., as persistent rain pushed the preceding National Midget and Sprint races back further. And soon after the green flag flew to start the race, Tyler was involved in a multi-car accident, the second straight second at Eldora. Mat Neely went on to win the race, while a seventh-place finish for Kaeding all but sewed the deal up.
And when Tyler dropped out after completing only 30 laps at Kansas Speedway, Kaeding had no worries. He went on to finish fourth, again behind Pierce, who won both mile-and-a-half races held in conjunction with the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series. Tyler placed 11th, finishing second in the standings by 44 points.
Pierce, Reutimann and Steele – all race winners – rounded out the Top 5. Wise was sixth in points.
Neely was deemed the series’ Rookie of the Year while Pierce corralled the Most Improved Driver honors.
South Americans Pablo Donoso (Chile) and Thiago Medeiros (Brazil) – who also competed in the 2006 Indianapolis 500 for PDM Racing – were the first to compete in USAC Silver Crown competition from that continent and their respective countries. Canadian Pete Shepherd III, driving for Edwards and the RE Technologies team, also scored the best ever finish for a Canuck, landing second at Chicagoland.
Kaeding, Wise and Hines were the only three drivers to win races in all three National divisions.
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STEELE WINS FIFTH CONSECUTIVE COPPER WORLD
Avondale, Arizona………Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. captured the opening event in USAC’s 2006 Silver Crown Championship Series, showcasing the new-generation cars, Sunday afternoon at Phoenix International Raceway. The victory was Steele’s fifth consecutive in the Copper World Classic program, a series record. He also won Sunday’s 25-mile USAC Midget race.
Steele started fourth in the 12-car field but rapidly moved to the front and paced all 50 circuits around the 1-mile paved oval in his Print Express C & R/Chevy. He averaged 113.342 mph and earned $20,550 from the total purse of $79,158.
The “Fastsigns 50” signaled the beginning of a new era in USAC Silver Crown racing and seven of the 12 entries were running at the checkered flag, including pole starter Brian Tyler, who finished third behind runner-up Bud Kaeding. Aaron Pierce and Wayne Reutimann Jr. rounded out the top-five at the finish. Steele’s margin of victory was 3.341 seconds.
Tyler won the pole at 130.823 mph but he and Kaeding trail Steele in the new series standings.
Only one yellow flag interrupted the 50-mile race, to clean up an oil leak in turn three on lap 19.
“The team did an awesome job of getting this car together in a short period of time,” said Steele in victory lane.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: January 21-22, 2006 – Avondale, Arizona – Phoenix International Raceway – 29th Copper World Classic
QUALIFYING: 1. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-27.518; 2. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-27.705; 3. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-27.708; 4. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-27.815; 5. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-27.828; 6. Jerry Coons Jr., 99, Edwards/RE Technologies-28.025; 7. Pablo Donoso, 2, Vance-28.247; 8. Dave Darland, 17, RW-28.307; 9. Greg Furlong, 41, Paternoster-29.154; 10. Tim Barber, 28, Pierson-29.861; 11. Rodney Weesner, 96, Weesner-31.205; 12. Bryn Gohn, 8, Stauffer/Adams-NT.
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Dave Steele (4), 2. Bud Kaeding (6), 3. Brian Tyler (1), 4. Aaron Pierce (3), 5. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (2), 6. Dave Darland (8), 7. Greg Furlong (9), 8. Tim Barber (10), 9. Jerry Coons Jr. (5), 10. Bryn Gohn (12), 11. Rodney Weesner (11), 12. Pablo Donoso (7). 26:28.11
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-50 Dave Steele.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Dave Steele-63, 2-Bud Kaeding-57, 3-Brian Tyler-57; 4-Aaron Pierce-51; 5-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-48; 6-Dave Darland-45; 7-Greg Furlong-42; 8-Tim Barber-39; 9-Jerry Coons-36; 10-Bryn Gohn-33.
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TYLER TAMES THE HOMESTEAD BANKS
Homestead, Florida………Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. won Saturday’s USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K & N Engineering 67-lap, 100-mile Silver Crown 100 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, the first on a track of 1.5 miles in length.
Tyler, who started seventh, made his winning pass of polesitter Aaron Pierce on Lap 60 and held him off to win his 10th series race and first on pavement since 2002.
Tyler averaged 131.602 mph, less than two miles an hour short of the series record.
Pierce jumped in front for the first time in his career on Lap 55 after fighting with Bud Kaeding as the two inched toward the line. But Tyler, whose come-from-behind style has been one of his standard traits over 20-plus years in racing, cut down Pierce’s two-second advantage in less than a handful of laps and took the point as the two approached turn 3.
That became the winning move, but barely. Pierce surged ahead on the backstretch on lap 66, taking the lead unofficially on the inside in turn 3, but slid up the track in turn 4, allowing Tyler to regain the lead.
P.J. Jones and Bud Kaeding, who finished fourth and sixth respectively, battled over the first two-thirds of the race before slipping back with a variety of problems. The two led their first career pavement Silver Crown Series laps before Pierce and Tyler broke ahead.
Tyler owns a six-point advantage in the standings. It’s the first time anyone other than Steele has led the point standings since Syracuse, N.Y. in 2003. Steele finished fifth and is third in points (111), the same total as Pierce.
The race featured six lead changes and multiple passes through the back of the field. The cars displayed two and three-wide racing throughout the event, with drivers having limited problems passing inside and outside.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: March 24-25, 2006 – Homestead, Florida – Homestead Miami Speedway
QUALIFYING: 1. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-30.855; 2. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-30.860; 3. P.J. Jones, 98, Classic Speed-31.421; 4. Pete Shepherd III, 99, Edwards/RE Technologies-31.429; 5. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-31.490; 6. Pablo Donoso, 2, Vance-31.715; 7. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-31.838; 8. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-31.942; 9. Tim Barber, 28, Pierson-31.983; 10. Rich Tobias Jr., 17, RW-32.433; 11. Greg Furlong, 41, Paternoster-32.829; 12. Bryn Gohn, 8, Stauffer/Adams-34.157; 13. Rodney Weesner, 96, Weesner-34.541; 14. Thiago Medeiros, 18, PDM-NT.
FEATURE: (67 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Brian Tyler (7), 2. Aaron Pierce (1), 3. Tim Barber (9), 4. P.J. Jones (3), 5. Dave Steele (8), 6. Bud Kaeding (2), 7. Pete Shepherd III (4), 8. Pablo Donoso (6), 9. Greg Furlong (11), 10. Bryn Gohn (12), 11. Rich Tobias Jr. (10), 12. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (5), 13. Rodney Weesner (13), 14. Thiago Medeiros (14). 45:21.699
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-12 Bud Kaeding, Laps 13-15 P.J. Jones, Laps 16-38 Bud Kaeding, Laps 39-41 P.J. Jones, Laps 42-54 Bud Kaeding, Laps 55-59 Aaron Pierce, Laps 60-67 Brian Tyler.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Brian Tyler-117; 2-Aaron Pierce-111; 3-Dave Steele-111; 4-Bud Kaeding-105; 5-Tim Barber-93; 6-Greg Furlong-78; 7-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-77; 8-Pablo Donoso-68; 9-Bryn Gohn-66; 10-Rodney Weesner-58.
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WISE WINS HOOSIER HUNDRED WITH LAST LAP HEROICS
Indianapolis, Indiana………Josh Wise erased any sour taste he developed in last year's Hoosier Hundred on Friday by placing the sour taste on teammate Levi Jones in the same event at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, this time on the final lap, in the 54th edition of the prestigious event.
Wise, who finished second last season to Teddy Beach on the one-mile dirt fairgrounds oval, drove hard around Jones in turn 3 on lap 100, zipping past his teammate and leader until that point for his second career victory in the USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K & N Engineering.
Jones sat comfortably atop the standings throughout the event, leading by more than a second at times as his car kept stuck to the inside of the track. And it was only at the end of the race that Wise got the ability to challenge Jones.
Wise tried for the first time on Lap 94, before a caution came out, setting up a two-lap dash. Jones pulled away on the restart, but another yellow caused by a two-car tangle bunched the field back up. When the green was displayed again, Wise gave it everything he could.
Despite a fairly comfortable jump by Jones - he led by four car lengths at the flag stand - Wise looked inside and out throughout Lap 99, and coming to the white flag, began sizing up his teammate. He pulled to the outside at the exit of turn 2 and the pair drag raced down the straight before Wise took command going into turn 3. From there, he roared to a six-car length lead at the drop of the checkered flag.
"He got a good restart and I didn't think I was going to get a run on him then, but he got really loose there at the end," said Wise, driving the No. 10 Eagle/Mopar. I knew he would try to keep it low, so when he tucked it to the rail, I just gassed it and got it high off the corner. I wasn't going to lift until I saw his car stop on the backstretch."
Kaeding, three-time race winner Dave Darland and Russ Gamester rounded out the top-five.
Nine cautions – including four in the first 20 laps – slowed the pace to 68.500 mph, however, there were no serious incidents. Wise also earned the fastest qualifier award, lapping the track in 32.533 seconds. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the 10-lap semi-feature.
Kaeding was pleased with the run, and rightfully so. That finish landed him the point lead, though his total is equal to that of Brian Tyler's. Both drivers have 159 points.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: May 26, 2006 – Indianapolis, Indiana – Indiana State Fairgrounds – 54th Hoosier Hundred
QUALIFYING: (Top-21 locked into the feature) 1. Josh Wise, 10, Stewart-32.533; 2. Levi Jones, 22, Stewart-32.870; 3. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-32.950; 4. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-33.122; 5. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-33.138; 6. Mat Neely, 27, RW-33.235; 7. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-33.542; 8. A.J. Fike, 32, RFMS-33.571; 9. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-33.657; 10. Cole Carter, 7, Baldwin-33.811; 11. Hud Cone, 91, Harris-33.823; 12. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-33.909; 13. Jerry Coons Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-33.941; 14. Teddy Beach, 15, Beach-33.969; 15. Brad Kuhn, 99, Mucci/Matczak-34.025; 16. Davey Ray, 114, Fattfro-34.045; 17. Rich Tobias Jr., 17, RW-34.141; 18. Ron Gregory, 20, Irvin/Nolen-34.495; 19. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-34.509; 20. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC-34.619; 21. John Heydenreich, 90, Bank-34.627; 22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 35, Edwards/RE Technologies-34.902; 23. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-34.962; 24. Steve Buckwalter, 65, Hartenstine-34.995; 25. Shane Hollingsworth, 48, Irvin-35.157; 26. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-35.291; 27. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-35.514; 28. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-35.592; 29. Brad Davis, 89, Moore-36.000; 30. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-36.001; 31. Chappy Knaack, 36, Miller-36.007; 32. Danny Long, 68, Long-36.055; 33. Alex Shanks, 155, Baker-36.418; 34. Bryan Clauson, 25, BWB-NT; 35. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-NT; 36. Tony Elliott, 33, Loucks-NT; 37. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 2. Hud Cone, 3. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 4. Shane Hollingsworth, 5. Steve Buckwalter, 6. Randy Bateman, 7. Johnny Parsons, 8. Tom Capie, 9. Chris Urish, 10. Chappy Knaack, 11. Brad Davis, 12. Danny Long, 13. Alex Shanks, 14. Aaron Pierce. 5:44.61
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Josh Wise (1), 2. Levi Jones (2), 3. Bud Kaeding (3), 4. Dave Darland (5), 5. Russ Gamester (4), 6. Tracy Hines (7), 7. Brian Tyler (18), 8. John Heydenreich (20), 9. Jerry Coons Jr. (12), 10. Johnny Parsons (27), 11. Kevin Huntley (19), 12. Brad Kuhn (14), 13. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (23), 14. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (21), 15. Tom Capie (28), 16. Brad Davis (31), 17. A.J. Fike (8), 18. Hud Cone (22), 19. Randy Bateman (26), 20. Alex Shanks (33), 21. Dave Steele (9), 22. Aaron Pierce (34), 23. Mat Neely (6), 24. Chris Urish (29), 25. Cole Carter (10), 26. Shane Hollingsworth (24), 27. Chappy Knaack (30), 28. Rich Tobias Jr. (16), 29. Teddy Beach (13), 30. Danny Long (32), 31. Steve Buckwalter (25), 32. Shane Cottle (11), 33. Ron Gregory (17), 34. Davey Ray (15). 1:27:35.484
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-99 Levi Jones, Lap 100 Josh Wise.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Bud Kaeding-159; 2-Brian Tyler-159; 3-Dave Steele-123; 4-Aaron Pierce-122; 5-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-104; 6-Dave Darland-96; 7-Tim Barber-93; 8-Greg Furlong-78; 9-Jerry Coons Jr.-72; 10-Pablo Donoso-68.
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BUD NOT LIGHT IN KENTUCKY BASHING
Sparta, Kentucky………Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Calif. scored the second largest margin of victory in Kentucky Speedway history Friday, winning the USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K & N Engineering Kentucky 100.
Kaeding, who set the event's fast time and was fastest in the preceding practice, took command on lap 31 of the 67-lap race and beat Wayne Reutimann Jr. by 17.576 seconds, scoring his second career series victory and first ever on pavement.
The race came the night before the Meijer 300 Presented by Oreo NASCAR Busch Series race.
"It was just an awesome opportunity to race on a track like this in front of the NASCAR Busch Series owners," said Kaeding, who averaged 140.043 mph in his No. 29 Team ASE/Loan City DRC/Shaver. "That's what we want -- for those owners to see us and maybe pick up a ride."
Tyler zipped into the lead from his third starting position, diving underneath front row starters Kaeding and Reutimann going into turn 1 of the initial lap. Despite two cautions in the first 10 laps, Tyler held the advantage until lap 30, keeping Kaeding at bay after the eventual winner attempted to pass on the outside.
But a caution on Lap 25 -- the final one of the evening -- bunched the field, and Kaeding roared past Tyler on the lap 30 restart, starting his dominance. Lap after lap, Kaeding added second by second. Kaeding's advantage stretched to more than four seconds by lap 40 and entered double digits seven laps later.
The largest margin between Kaeding and second-place runner Reutimann was 21.247 seconds before the crew radioed to him to ease off. Reutimann had taken second from Tyler on Lap 48.
"It's fortunate for our team, because our team has worked so hard all year," said Kaeding, who shares ownership of the car with NASCAR Busch regular Jason Leffler. "I had no clue we had a lead like that. We were fortunate that we could get out of the throttle a bit."
Trailing Reutimann, whose second-place finish is a career best, were Tim Barber, Tyler and Cole Carter. Barber's third matched a career best, while Carter set a career best in his initial pavement series start. Former USAC Silver Crown Series champion Mike Bliss set the track's margin of victory record in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, winning the 2002 Built Ford Tough 225 by 18.197 seconds.
Two of the three cautions were caused by oil leaks on the track; the other was for a bad restart.
By virtue of his victory, Kaeding leaves Kentucky with a 15-point lead over Tyler.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: June 16, 2006 – Sparta, Kentucky – Kentucky Speedway – Kentucky 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-31.278; 2. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-31.364; 3. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-31.375; 4. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-31.403; 5. Tim Barber, 28, Pierson-31.479; 6. Pablo Donoso, 2, Vance-31.524; 7. Pete Shepherd III, 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-31.687; 8. Rich Tobias Jr., 17, RW-31.961; 9. Thiago Medeiros, 18, PDM-32.123; 10. Bryn Gohn, 8, Stauffer/Adams-33.453; 11. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-33.453; 12. Cole Carter, 41, Paternoster-NT; 13. Rodney Weesner, 96, Weesner-NT; 14. P.J. Jones, 98, Classic Speed-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Bud Kaeding (1), 2. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (2), 3. Tim Barber (5), 4. Brian Tyler (3), 5. Cole Carter (12), 6. Dave Steele (4), 7. Pablo Donoso (6), 8. Pete Shepherd III (7), 9. Bryn Gohn (10), 10. Rich Tobias Jr. (8), 11. Thiago Medeiros (9), 12. Aaron Pierce (11), 13. Rodney Weesner (13). 43:03.483
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-30 Brian Tyler, Laps 31-67 Bud Kaeding.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Bud Kaeding-225; 2-Brian Tyler-210; 3-Dave Steele-168; 4-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-161; 5-Aaron Pierce-151; 6-Tim Barber-147; 7-Pablo Donoso-110; 8-Bryn Gohn-102; 9-Dave Darland-96; 10-Rodney Weesner-85.
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KAEDING DOUBLES UP AT RICHMOND WITH SECOND STRAIGHT SERIES WIN
Richmond, Virginia………Bud Kaeding won Saturday's Richmond Times-Dispatch 100 USAC Silver Crown race at Richmond International Raceway.
Only five cars, out of a starting field of 14, were running at the end, with just three of those on the lead lap. Only two of the victims of high attrition really mattered to the winner: Josh Wise who dominated the first 19 laps before suddenly fading, and Dave Steele who led the next 60 until his machine lost its edge and eventually fell out. Wise held on for fifth place, albeit seven laps back, while Steele's run ended with just under 20 to go.
Kaeding first took the lead on the 69th lap, forcing his way under Brian Tyler entering turn 1, but the pass was called back when the yellow came out before the lap was scored. When the green came out, he repeated the move and took command for good on lap 77. But he was wary.
"We got the lead, Kaeding said, "and the first thing that went through my head was that the last two leaders - Josh Wise and Dave Steele - seemed to have problems. It seemed to be coming our way. We were just fortunate enough that luck lasted until the end of the race.
"Winning here at Richmond is awesome. You just see some of the great racers who have won here: Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, guys like that. It's a great feeling to leave here today with a win here at Richmond."
The final trio of Kaeding, Jay Drake and Brian Tyler (last night's Sprint winner) were nose-to-tail for much of the final 40 laps, with Tyler leading through lap 76 and Kaeding the remainder. Drake passed Tyler for second with 15 laps to go and set his sights on Kaeding. It looked like Drake had him on a final restart with two laps to go, squeezing low into turn 1 and emerging in front. But Drake was too low and too fast, and slid up into the gray, letting Kaeding reclaim the lead.
"My car was picking up a little bit of a miss that was slowly getting worse and worse as the race went on," Kaeding explained. "The last thing I wanted to see was Jay get by me on that last lap. My motor kind of hesitated and Jay slipped under me. He got up high, real high, coming off sideways there. I just had to turn down and turn off. Of course, I panicked a little bit when my motor didn't take off.
"But our team succeeded, and it did take off and we wound up winning the race, which is phenomenal for the whole Leffler-BK racing team. I can't say enough about them. It's amazing to see these guys putting all their efforts behind me.
This was Kaeding's third win in the USAC Silver Crown series, and his second in a row. He holds the lead in the series standings, with Brian Tyler and Dave Steele second and third.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: June 23-24, 2006 – Richmond, Virginia – Richmond International Raceway – Richmond Times-Dispatch 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Josh Wise, 14, Foyt-20.887; 2. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-21.213; 3. Tim Barber, 28, Pierson-21.275; 4. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-21.292; 5. Pablo Donoso, 2, Vance-21.305; 6. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-21.311; 7. Pete Shepherd III, 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-21.351; 8. Jay Drake, 41, Paternoster-21.507; 9. Rich Tobias Jr., 17, RW-21.778; 10. Thiago Medeiros, 18, PDM-21.915; 11. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-22.182; 12. Bryn Gohn, 8, Stauffer/Adams-22.645; 13. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-24.641; 14. Rodney Weesner, 96, Weesner-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Bud Kaeding (4), 2. Jay Drake (8), 3. Brian Tyler (2), 4. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (11), 5. Josh Wise (1), 6. Pete Shepherd III (7), 7. Dave Steele (6), 8. Pablo Donoso (5), 9. Thiago Medeiros (10), 10. Aaron Pierce (13), 11. Rich Tobias Jr. (9), 12. Tim Barber (3), 13. Bryn Gohn (12), 14. Rodney Weesner (14). 49:41.900
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-19 Josh Wise, Laps 20-59 Dave Steele, Laps 60-76 Brian Tyler, Laps 77-100 Bud Kaeding.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Bud Kaeding-285; 2-Brian Tyler-264; 3-Dave Steele-213; 4-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-212; 5-Aaron Pierce-184; 6-Tim Barber-176; 7-Pablo Donoso-149; 8-Bryn Gohn-129; 9-Pete Shepherd III-126; 10-Josh Wise-114.
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PIERCE FINDS GOOD FORTUNE IN FIRST CAREER WIN AT CHICAGOLAND
Joliet, Illinois………Aaron Pierce turned his bad luck to good Friday at Chicagoland Speedway in the USG Fiberock 100, the fastest USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K & N Engineering race held to date.
Following two DNFs over the last two races, Pierce regained his composure and led the final eight laps of the 67-lap event after leader Jay Drake fell victim to engine problems. By the time the checkered flag fell, Pierce owned more than a straightaway lead over runner-up finisher Pete Shepherd III with his first series victory.
“It feels great; it’s a long time coming,” said Pierce, who averaged 145.934 mph in the No. 26 Sam Pierce Chevy Riley/Chevy.
Front row companions and fellow Riley Technologies chassis pilots Pierce and Drake traded the lead over the first 29 laps before Drake inched Pierce at the line. On lap 30, Drake took the point outright after the pair raced side-by-side thru turn 1.
Drake began pulling away and opened up a three-second margin on Pierce before the eventual winner started reeling him in. The gap was lowered to single digit car lengths as the two weaved through lapped traffic.
On lap 60, smoke began pouring out of the back of Drake’s machine, and he pulled off the track onto the apron and coasted the remainder of the way, leaving Pierce with an insurmountable lead over the final eight laps.
Shepherd, who had stayed out of trouble all evening, benefited from Drake’s misfortune to move to third, then earned second when Wayne Reutimann Jr. bowed out of competition with drive line problems a lap later.
The race was a fitting closure for Pierce at the 1.5-mile track, who led the series’ testing last month and was fastest in both practice and qualifications Friday. He said with another caution, he might have been able to catch Drake anyway.
“I had a lot left in the car at the end,” said Pierce, who also gave Riley its first ever Silver Crown victory. “You could see the distance I could make up on the straightaways, especially through the draft. And that’s what makes this series so fun. You get four, five, six cars together, it’s going to get wild.”
Shepherd’s second-place run was the best ever by a Canadian in the series and best ever for his Carl Edwards/RE Technologies team on pavement. Fellow rookie Bryn Gohn also stayed out of trouble and finished a career-best third. Trailing were two-time defending series champion Dave Steele and Brian Tyler
Only two cautions slowed the pace of the event. Josh Wise spun in turn 4, bringing out a yellow that lasted five laps, and a track inspection prior to the halfway point bought out another five-lap caution period.
Series point leader Bud Kaeding suffered engine problems throughout the event and placed 10th, but still retains a six-point advantage over Tyler.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: July 7, 2006 – Joliet, Illinois – Chicagoland Speedway – USG Fiberock 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-30.982; 2. Jay Drake, 41, Paternoster-31.089; 3. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-31.520; 4. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-31.727; 5. Thiago Medeiros, 18, PDM-31.830; 6. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-31.864; 7. Dave Darland, 17, RW-31.924; 8. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-32.251; 9. Bryn Gohn, 8, Stauffer/Adams-32.351; 10. Tim Barber, 28, Pierson-NT; 11. Pete Shepherd III, 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-NT; 12. Pablo Donoso, 2, Vance-NT; 13. Josh Wise, 14, Foyt-NT; 14. Rodney Weesner, 96, Weesner-NT;
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Aaron Pierce (1), 2. Pete Shepherd III (11), 3. Bryn Gohn (9), 4. Dave Steele (3), 5. Brian Tyler (8), 6. Josh Wise (13), 7. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (6), 8. Jay Drake (2), 9. Thiago Medeiros (5), 10. Bud Kaeding (4), 11. Tim Barber (10), 12. Dave Darland (7), 13. Rodney Weesner (14), 14. Pablo Donoso (12). 41:19.209
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-14 Aaron Pierce, Laps 15-25 Jay Drake, Laps 26-28 Aaron Pierce, Laps 29-58 Jay Drake, Laps 59-67 Aaron Pierce.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Bud Kaeding-318; 2-Brian Tyler-312; 3-Dave Steele-264; 4-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-254; 5-Aaron Pierce-247; 6-Tim Barber-207; 7-Pete Shepherd III-183; 8-Bryn Gohn-183; 9-Pablo Donoso-174; 10-Josh Wise-159.
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REUTIMANN WINS FIRST AT MILWAUKEE AFTER PIERCE PENALIZED
West Allis, Wisconsin………Wayne Reutimann Jr. earned his first USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K & N Engineering victory Sunday at The Milwaukee Mile, taking the event after leading only the final lap.
Reutimann claimed the victory after Aaron Pierce – who originally led lap 100 – was assessed a one-lap penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct, per USAC rule 10.48. Pierce, who was running second on the final lap, made contact with leader Brian Tyler in turn 3.
Pierce led Reutimann and Tyler across the finish line, but Reutimann – who was second across the line – was awarded the victory after the penalty. Pierce finished fifth, one lap down.
“If you work hard and are in the right position, sometimes the ball falls your way,” said the Zephyrhills, Fla. native, who averaged 99.502 mph. “It just did for us today.”
Tyler led the race into the final lap and gained a spark when Pierce’s car wiggled coming off turn 2. But Pierce gathered it back up and drove it too deep into turn 3, hitting the rear of Tyler’s car with the front left side of his attenuator.
The yellow flag came out, putting Pierce and Reutimann in first and second and setting up a one-lap sprint to the finish.
Reutimann dived underneath Pierce at the entrance of turn 1, but – with less than two gallons of fuel left – started suffering hiccups and Pierce retook the lead in turn 3. He held it to the stripe and appeared to have his second straight victory in the bag before the penalty was assessed.
Tyler, who earned the lead on lap 87 when leader and teammate Dave Steele blew an engine on the main straightaway, was repositioned to fifth on the restart, but passed Bud Kaeding and Dave Darland before the cars ever got into the first turn. Darland finished third and Kaeding was fourth.
Reutimann, Steele and Tyler were only half of the six leaders in the 100-mile event – tying the mark for the second most in series history (seven, July 11, 1987). Josh Wise led at the start and held the point until Kaeding passed him on lap 14.
Kaeding led until Lap 34, when ignition problems forced him to fall back in the pack. Steele led until then, when his engine blew, setting up four lead changes in the final 13 laps.
Reutimann was elated with the victory, specifically because of those who have stood behind him.
“If it weren’t for my sponsors, I’d be your local parts distributor,” Reutimann said. “By the grace of God, they gave me the support and helped me be a racecar driver.”
“We were absolutely horrible when we unloaded. It was loose; it was tight, so we put the exact same setup we put on it on the one-and-a-half mile tracks, and by God, if it didn’t work. A little bit of luck, but sometimes you just need that. We’ve had our share of bad luck before, but someone had to be running second, and it was us.”
Tyler tied Kaeding’s series leading point total – now with 369 points – but Kaeding, who two victories, is still noted as the point leader.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: July 22-23, 2006 – West Allis, Wisconsin – Milwaukee Mile
QUALIFYING: 1. Josh Wise, 14, Foyt-28.795; 2. Jay Drake, 41, Paternoster-28.879; 3. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-28.990; 4. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-29.041; 5. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-29.129; 6. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-29.282; 7. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-29.391; 8. Pete Shepherd III, 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-29.431; 9. Dave Darland, 17, RW-29.594; 10. Thiago Medeiros, 18, PDM-29.910; 11. Bryn Gohn, 8, Stauffer/Adams-29.937; 12. Rodney Weesner, 96, Weesner-30.921; 13. Tim Barber, 28, Pierson-33.132.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (6), 2. Brian Tyler (4), 3. Dave Darland (9), 4. Bud Kaeding (3), 5. Aaron Pierce (7), 6. Pete Shepherd III (8), 7. Josh Wise (1), 8. Bryn Gohn (11), 9. Dave Steele (5), 10. Tim Barber (13), 11. Thiago Medeiros (10), 12. Jay Drake (2), 13. Rodney Weesner (12). NT
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-13 Josh Wise, Laps 14-34 Bud Kaeding, Laps 35-86 Dave Steele, Laps 87-95 Brian Tyler, Lap 96 Aaron Pierce, Laps 97-99 Brian Tyler, Lap 100 Wayne Reutimann Jr.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Bud Kaeding-369; 2-Brian Tyler-369; 3-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-314; 4-Dave Steele-303; 5-Aaron Pierce-295; 6-Tim Barber-240; 7-Pete Shepherd III-228; 8-Bryn Gohn-222; 9-Josh Wise-204; 10-Dave Darland-179.
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TYLER CRUSHES FIELD AT ORP’S J.D. BYRIDER 100
Clermont, Indiana………Brian Tyler doesn’t worry about points. With nearly half the season left, he doesn’t need to.
But as long as he’s winning races, he’s got a chance at his first USAC Silver Crown Series title. His latest win came Thursday at O’Reilly Raceway Park, as he beat NASCAR Nextel Cup star Carl Edwards to pick up his second series victory of the season and the point lead for the first time since May.
“It’s not time to worry about points,” said Tyler, driving the No. 21 Kroger/Bounty Tide/Pringles C & R/Chevy to the win. “I’m out to win races. The points take care of themselves. If we keep doing what we did tonight, we’ll be on top at the end.”
Tyler picked up the lead on lap 39 when light contact between him and polesitter Josh Wise sent Wise into first a spin and then the wall, leaving Tyler to the lead, one which he wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the way.
But that didn’t mean he wasn’t pressured.
With the second of two yellows – caused by rain from Laps 62 thru 67 – bunching up the field, Tyler and Edwards were separated by only the lapped car of Bryn Gohn. For the next 20 laps, the battle ensued, arguably the best race on the track of the evening.
Both drivers used a different line – Tyler using the bottom and Edwards the higher and preferred stock car groove – with Edwards’ line allowing him to reel Tyler in considerably.
By lap 76, the pair was separated by only five car lengths, and about 10 laps later, Edwards began making his move. He dropped low and ran side-by-side with Tyler through turns 3 and 4 on lap 87, then slid in behind the next lap to try to gather momentum.
Edwards got another run on Tyler, but got his arm restraint caught on his seat, causing him to start spinning in turn 4. With the front of his car pointed toward the inside Turn 4 wall, Edwards steered the car to the right, then nearly spun again before gathering the car up and running the remainder of the way. However, his shot of winning, without a caution or misfortune with Tyler’s car, was gone.
Nothing happened to Tyler though. He kept his foot on the gas and cruised to more than a straightaway lead over Edwards, who earned his best career finish of second and tied a team best second for him and RE Technologies.
Dave Steele, Aaron Pierce and Bryn Gohn rounded out the top-five.
Tyler was never worried about Edwards’ pressure, even when the two ran side-by-side through the turns.
“I knew Carl wasn’t going to run into me or do anything crazy,” Tyler said. “It was good to race with him.”
Wise was a rocket early, establishing a lead of 2.5 seconds over Tyler before slower traffic allowed Tyler to catch up. Tyler shadowed Wise for nearly six laps before trying the low side, then another six laps later, tried the outside as the two crossed under the flag stand.
As the two approached the turn, light contact between their two wheels caused Wise to spin, then hit the outside wall with the tail tank. He was uninjured in the incident, the first of two for cars on the track.
Tyler left the track with a 32-point lead over Bud Kaeding, who fell out of competition due to ignition problems.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 3, 2006 – Clermont, Indiana – O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis – J.D. Byrider 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Josh Wise, 14, Foyt-21.653; 2. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-21.752; 3. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-21.917; 4. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-21.917; 5. Carl Edwards, 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-21.984; 6. Jay Drake, 41, Paternoster-21.984; 7. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-22.106; 8. Mat Neely, 17, RW-22.299; 9. Thiago Medeiros, 18, PDM-22.419; 10. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-22.631; 11. Tim Barber, 28, Pierson-22.815; 12. Bryn Gohn, 8, Stauffer/Adams-22.868; 13. Bobby Santos, 2, Vance-23.101; 14. Rodney Weesner, 96, Weesner-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Brian Tyler (3), 2. Carl Edwards (5), 3. Dave Steele (4), 4. Aaron Pierce (7), 5. Bryn Gohn (12), 6. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (10), 7. Thiago Medeiros (9), 8. Josh Wise (1), 9. Mat Neely (8), 10. Jay Drake (6), 11. Bud Kaeding (2), 12. Bobby Santos (13), 13. Tim Barber (11), 14. Rodney Weesner (14). 42:43.281
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-38 Josh Wise, Laps 39-100 Brian Tyler.
NEW SILVER CROWN STANDINGS: 1-Brian Tyler-432; 2-Bud Kaeding-400; 3-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-359; 4-Dave Steele-357; 5-Aaron Pierce-346; 6-Bryn Gohn-270; 7-Tim Barber-267; 8-Josh Wise-246; 9-Pete Shepherd III-228; 10-Rodney Weesner-189.
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KAEDING OUTLASTS COTTLE AT TERRE HAUTE’S SUMAR CLASSIC
The First Financial Bank Sumar Classic turned into a war of attrition before it was a minute old late Saturday at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Three major stoppages of racing plagued the early portion of the feature with dust and a track equipment malfunction contributing to hard feelings on the part of the crowd and perhaps the racers themselves.
Ultimately, Bud Kaeding outlasted Shane Cottle and avoided a lot of mishaps that had consumed several others late Saturday night at the Terre Haute Action Track, winning the 100-lap event and taking over the USAC Silver Crown point lead in the process.
Either Kaeding or Cottle was the leader for the final 75 laps of the race, but Kaeding stayed in front for the last 19 circuits in taking his third series win of the season.
A smooth qualification process among the 26 cars that entered the race put the 14 fastest of them on the starting grid, and Russ Gamester — driving the First Financial Bank Mopar — won the 10-lap semi-feature that aligned the rest of the field in a thrilling duel with Brian Tyler.
John Heydenreich won the Paul Randall Award — named for a former Paris, Ill., racer — for his first-ever fast qualifying time with the series, and he and Kaeding staged some memorable runs as the race was started, re-started and re-started again.
Kaeding got the jump on Heydenreich as the feature began but couldn’t take advantage of it. A tangle between the third and fourth turns involving Justin Allgaier — in the Bob Bowen Brayton Chevy — and Mitch Wissmiller brought out the first yellow flag before a lap had been completed. Both cars eventually got back in the race — although Wissmiller, in his first-ever Silver Crown start, was penalized for having to go to the pits for repairs — but because a lap had not been completed, the race was restarted in the original order.
The next green flag lap had barely been completed before the yellow flag was out again. Brian Tyler, holding a slim 32-point lead over Kaeding in the Silver Crown standings, was finished for the night when his car went across the inside guard rail just past the second turn.
Perhaps attempting to avoid Tyler, Aaron Pierce found himself driving down the backstretch inside the guard rail. In attempting to re-enter the racing surface, Pierce flipped in the third turn and the ensuing confusion also took out Jeff Swindell — making his first Silver Crown start in almost 13 years — and Ricky Stenhouse Jr.
Drivers requested that water be sprinkled along the backstretch to improve visibility there. That was when it was learned that the track’s water truck was disabled by a battery problem and was unable to fulfill that request.
After a delay of more than 15 minutes before the third restart, the leaders — with Shane Cottle, Jerry Coons Jr., Ron Gregory, defending champion Josh Wise, Dave Darland and Mat Neely all trying to move up in a hurry — actually completed two green flag laps.
Then Coons got sideways between the first and second turns, Wise was unable to avoid him and Donnie Beechler — a two-time Sumar champion himself — got upside-down in the melee. As the race neared a third resumption, it appeared only Beechler was going to survive that fracas.
Only 12 cars were running at the finish; a field of 26 qualified, although Steve Buckwalter was sidelined by engine problems prior to the start of the feature.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 5, 2006 – Terre Haute, Indiana – Terre Haute Action Track – Sumar Classic
QUALIFYING: (Top-14 locked into the feature) 1. John Heydenreich, 90, Bank-20.658; 2. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-20.712; 3. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-20.714; 4. Jerry Coons Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-20.740; 5. Mat Neely, 17, RW-20.819; 6. Ron Gregory, 20, Irvin/Nolen-20.943; 7. Josh Wise, 10, Stewart-20.967; 8. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-21.012; 9. Dickie Gaines, 59, S & R-21.043; 10. Shane Hollingsworth, 48, Irvin-21.068; 11. Levi Jones, 22, Stewart-21.117; 12. Donnie Beechler, 45, Williamson-21.168; 13. Jon Stanbrough, 33, Loucks-21.258; 14. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-21.264; 15. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-21.267; 16. Justin Allgaier, 86, Bergfield-21.326; 17. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-21,361; 18. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 35, Edwards/RE Technologies-21.528; 19. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-21.582; 20. Steve Buckwalter, 65, Hartenstine-22.003; 21. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-22.082; 22. Jeff Swindell, 12, Galas-22.343; 23. Cole Carter, 7, Baldwin-22.395; 24. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-22.554; 25. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-22.730; 26. Mitch Wissmiller, 23, Onken-22.960; 27. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC-NT; 28. #1, Six-R-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Russ Gamester, 2. Brian Tyler, 3. Aaron Pierce, 4. Steve Buckwalter, 5. Justin Allgaier, 6. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 7. Jeff Swindell, 8. Mitch Wissmiller, 9. Chris Urish, 10. Cole Carter, 11. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 12. Tom Capie. 3:43.34
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Bud Kaeding (2), 2. Shane Cottle (3), 3. Levi Jones (11), 4. Dickie Gaines (9), 5. Tom Capie (26), 6. Chris Urish (23), 7. Jay Drake (14), 8. Cole Carter (24), 9. Justin Allgaier (19), 10. Shane Hollingsworth (10), 11. Aaron Pierce (17), 12. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (25), 13. Mat Neely (5), 14. Ron Gregory (6), 15. Jon Stanbrough (13), 16. Russ Gamester (15), 17. Jerry Coons Jr. (4), 18. John Heydenreich (1), 19. Dave Darland (8), 20. Mitch Wissmiller (22), 21. Josh Wise (7), 22. Donnie Beechler (12), 23. Brian Tyler (16), 24. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (20), 25. Jeff Swindell (21), 26. Steve Buckwalter (18). NT
**Aaron Pierce flipped in turn three on lap 10.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-8 John Heydenreich, Lap 9 Bud Kaeding, Laps 10-25 John Heydenreich, Laps 26-40 Shane Cottle, Laps 41-45 Bud Kaeding, Laps 46-52 Shane Cottle, Laps 53-56 Bud Kaeding, Laps 57-75 Shane Cottle, Laps 76-78 Bud Kaeding, Lap 79 Shane Cottle, Lap 80 Bud Kaeding, Lap 81 Shane Cottle, Laps 82-100 Bud Kaeding.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Bud Kaeding-460; 2-Brian Tyler-442; 3-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-388; 4-Aaron Pierce-377; 5-Dave Steele-357; 6-Bryn Gohn-270; 7-Tim Barber-267; 8-Josh Wise-258; 9-Pete Shepherd III-228; 10-Jay Drake-203.
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HINES PREVAILS FOLLOWING STEELE DISQUALIFICATION
Springfield, Illinois………Tracy Hines was awarded Saturday’s USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K & N Engineering Tony Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, his fifth career victory and first at the one-mile track.
Hines, who started on the pole, was credited with leading all 100 laps after Dave Steele – who originally crossed under the checkered flags first – was disqualified after failing to pass post-race technical inspection. Steele’s car was weighed too light, giving Hines the victory.
Hines drove the No. 37 Indiana Underground Construction Beast/Mopar.
The New Castle, Ind. native led the first 64 laps before being overhauled by Steele, who rocketed around the track without any trouble. Steele had been ahead of Hines by upwards of two seconds before a late-race caution bunched the field.
On the lap 97 restart, Steele, Hines and two-time reigning race winner and Brian Tyler stayed in file, while Donnie Beechler and Josh Wise traded positions after contact in turns 1 and 2. Wise assumed the fourth position and Beechler the fifth before the repositioning following the race.
Prior to Steele’s pass, Hines dealt with other competitors. For the first 40 laps, he held off repeated attempts by Dave Darland and Shane Hollingsworth. Darland held Hollingsworth at bay for 37 of those laps before Hollingsworth got by. Darland’s efforts to regain second were sliced when he cut a right rear tire on lap 41. His car, and that of Davey Ray’s – who had also just suffered a cut right rear in the same place – stopped on the track, bringing out one of seven cautions.
Hines stretched his lead again ahead of Hollingsworth, Tyler and Steele, before Steele charged thru the field. Hollingsworth slid out of the groove in turn 2 on lap 63, falling back to fifth and giving Steele second.
That helped Steele – who had started 16th – catch Hines, and he took the lead going into turn 3.
Several drivers running high in the pack also found trouble. Hollingsworth hit the turn 2 wall on lap 84. Levi Jones, who started 10th, charged up to fifth in the first 10 laps, but also suffered mechanical failure.
Bud Kaeding, who led the points by 18 going into the event, crashed on Lap 67, hitting the outside wall after his right rear tire exploded. Tyler took over the lead in the point standings by 26.
Wise ended up third, following contact with Beechler after diving underneath the hometown and multiple-time Indianapolis 500 starter. Beechler was credited with fourth, while Jerry Coons Jr. claimed fifth.
Hines said his tires were shot before the halfway mark, and said he had his hands full just trying to keep up with Steele after the pass.
“I felt we had a good car, but with the tires the way they were, I knew it’d be hard to catch him after he passed us,” Hines said. “When he passed me, I tried to run harder, but I couldn’t keep up.”
But he added: “It does feel good in the record book…”
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: August 19, 2006 – Springfield, Illinois – Illinois State Fairgrounds – Tony Bettenhausen 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-29.305; 2. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-29.766; 3. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-29.940; 4. Justin Allgaier, 86, Bergfield-29.962; 5. Josh Wise, 10, Stewart-30.232; 6. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-30.275; 7. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-30.302; 8. Shane Hollingsworth, 48, Irvin-30.346; 9. Mat Neely, 17, RW-30.372; 10. Levi Jones, 22, Stewart-30.486; 11. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-30.515; 12. Jerry Coons Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-30.543; 13. Davey Ray, 114, FattFro-30.631; 14. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-30.804; 15. Donnie Beechler, 45, Williamson-31.040; 16. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-31.064; 17. Jeff Swindell, 12, Galas-31.106; 18. Roger Rager, 33, Loucks-31.183; 19. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-31.212; 20. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-31.236; 21. Paul White, 99, Mucci/Matczak-31.359; 22. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 35, Edwards/RE Technologies-31.400; 23. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-31.650; 24. Chris Urish, 77, Urish-31.687; 25. Dickie Gaines, 59, S & R-32.327; 26. Tim Siner, 62, Siner-32.352; 27. Alex Shanks, 155, Baker-32.479; 28. Dereck King, 91, Harris-32.686; 29. Chappy Knaack, 36, Miller-32.807; 30. Ray Bull, 63, Mega-32.961; 31. John Heydenreich, 90, Bank-NT; 32. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tracy Hines (1), 2. Brian Tyler (6), 3. Josh Wise (4), 4. Donnie Beechler (14), 5. Jerry Coons Jr. (11), 6. Jay Drake (3), 7. Aaron Pierce (10), 8. Paul White (20), 9. Jeff Swindell (16), 10. Chappy Knaack (28), 11. Ray Bull (29), 12. Alex Shanks (26), 13. Tim Siner (25), 14. Dave Darland (2), 15. Roger Rager (17), 16. Mat Neely (8), 17. Shane Hollingsworth (7), 18. Dereck King (27), 19. Johnny Parsons (22), 20. Bud Kaeding (18), 21. Shane Cottle (5), 22. Dickie Gaines (24), 23. Davey Ray (12), 24. Levi Jones (9), 25. Russ Gamester (13), 26. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (31), 27. Tom Capie (19), 28. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (21), 29. Chris Urish (23), 30. John Heydenreich (30). 1:14:27.29 (Dave Steele disqualified due to failing to pass post-race technical inspection after winning race).
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-100 Tracy Hines.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Brian Tyler-499; 2-Bud Kaeding-473; 3-Aaron Pierce-419; 4-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-395; 5-Dave Steele-357; 6-Josh Wise-312; 7-Bryn Gohn-270; 8-Tim Barber-267; 9-Jay Drake-248; 10-Pete Shepherd III-228.
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HINES MILE MASTERY CONTINUES WITH VICTORY AT Du QUOIN
Du Quoin, Illinois………Tracy Hines pushed his USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K & N Engineering winning streak to two Sunday, defending the Ted Horn 100 at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds.
Hines, in the No. 37 Indiana Underground Construction Beast/Chevy, led the final 59 laps to beat Shane Cottle to the stripe by more than a half straightaway for his second series victory of 2006. From there, he was unchallenged, claiming his second straight event at The Magic Mile.
“I can’t say enough about the car,” said Hines, of New Castle, Ind. “We’ve made a lot of changes and adjustments, and those have really helped make this car better. I also stopped being so picky on the tires we chose, and that has helped a lot. Overall, it was a great night.”
Cottle bolted out in front from his third place starting position, and stayed there for the first 41 laps, sitting comfortably at the point for the second time this season despite only making his fourth career start.
But Hines stayed close too. After starting on the pole and losing the lead to Cottle going into the turn 1, he kept within striking distance and by lap 34 had cut into Cottle’s lead – which had spawned to almost two-and-a-half seconds – by converting those seconds into car lengths.
Hines took advantage of a caution on lap 36 – when Tom Capie stopped in turn 2 – and passed Cottle on the backstretch of lap 42. Just a lap later, he was multiple car lengths ahead, and pushed that lead to upwards of four and five seconds by race’s end.
Cottle settled for second, after getting a strong challenge from Josh Wise in the waning laps. Wise took third midway through the race from Mat Neely and conserved the car enough to finish there.
Bud Kaeding turned a frustrating evening into a fairly memorable one. He was unable to practice – instead, changing a rear end in the car – then placed second in the 10-lap qualifying race. However, he had to tag the rear of the field for the start – due to a push start – but sliced through the field and attained fourth. Prior to joining the top-10, he battled point leader Brian Tyler for several laps.
Tyler finished seventh. He started 20th after winning the qualifying race and assumed a 17-point advantage over Kaeding in the series standings.
Two-time race winner Johnny Parsons had the drive of the first half of the race, charging to third from 22nd after only 14 laps. However, he broke on Lap 18.
The race pace was slowed by seven cautions. However, no drivers were seriously injured in any of the light contacts with the wall.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 3, 2006 – Du Quoin, Illinois – Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Ted Horn 100
QUALIFYING: (Top-20 locked into the feature) 1. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-30.612; 2. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-30.973; 3. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-31.048; 4. Josh Wise, 10, Stewart-31.173; 5. Mat Neely, 17, RW-31.247; 6. Jerry Coons Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-31.318; 7. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 35, Edwards/RE Technologies-31.395; 8. Paul White, 99, Mucci/Matczak-31.414; 9. Ron Gregory, 20, Irvin/Nolen-31.429; 10. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-31.503; 11. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-31.511; 12. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-31.560; 13. Roger Rager, 33, Loucks-31.645; 14. Donnie Beechler, 45, Williamson-31.645; 15. Ray Bull, 63, Mega-31.698; 16. Levi Jones, 22, Stewart-31.736; 17. Russ Gamester, 51, Gamester-31.874; 18. Justin Allgaier, 86, Bergfield-31.886; 19. Randy Bateman, 55, Bateman-31.978; 20. Tom Capie, 153, Capie-32.068; 21. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-32.095; 22. Shane Hollingsworth, 48, Irvin-32.133; 23. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-32.146; 24. Jeff Swindell, 12, Galas-32.149; 25. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-32.190; 26. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-32.351; 27. Teddy Beach, 15, Beach-32.357; 28. A.J. Fike, 32, RFMS-32.386; 29. Dickie Gaines, 59, S & R-32.567; 30. Tim Siner, 62, Siner-32.655; 31. Dereck King, 91, Harris-33.238; 32. Alex Shanks, 155, Baker-33.368; 33. Chappy Knaack, 36, Miller-33.405; 34. Davey Ray, 114, FattFro-NT; 35. John Heydenreich, 90, Bank-NT; 36. Justin Marvel, 156, Baker-NT; 37. #00x, Reutimann-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (10 laps, all transfer to the feature) 1. Brian Tyler, 2. Bud Kaeding, 3. Johnny Parsons, 4. Shane Hollingsworth, 5. Teddy Beach, 6. Jeff Swindell, 7. A.J. Fike, 8. Dickie Gaines, 9. Chappy Knaack, 10. Dereck King, 11. Alex Shanks, 12. Wayne Reutimann Jr. 5:27.97
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Tracy Hines (1), 2. Shane Cottle (3), 3. Josh Wise (4), 4. Bud Kaeding (21), 5. Mat Neely (5), 6. Paul White (8), 7. Brian Tyler (20), 8. Jay Drake (2), 9. Russ Gamester (16), 10. Chappy Knaack (28), 11. Dave Steele (10), 12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (7), 13. Aaron Pierce (9), 14. Levi Jones (15), 15. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (#00x) (32), 16. A.J. Fike (26), 17. Dereck King (29), 18. Alex Shanks (30), 19. Roger Rager (12), 20. Jeff Swindell (25), 21. Shane Hollingsworth (23), 22. Justin Allgaier (17), 23. Donnie Beechler (13), 24. Dickie Gaines (27), 25. Tom Capie (19), 26. Dave Darland (11), 27. Jerry Coons Jr. (6), 28. Johnny Parsons (22), 29. Ray Bull (14), 30. Randy Bateman (18), 31. Teddy Beach (24), 32. Tim Siner (31). 1:09:50.78
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-41 Shane Cottle, Laps 42-100 Tracy Hines.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Brian Tyler-541; 2-Bud Kaeding-524; 3-Aaron Pierce-446; 4-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-418; 5-Dave Steele-388; 6-Josh Wise-366; 7-Jay Drake-287; 8-Bryn Gohn-270; 9-Tim Barber-267; 10-Pete Shepherd III-228.
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SENSATIONAL STEELE TAKES SILVER CROWN DEBUT AT IOWA
Newton, Iowa………Dave Steele blasted his fellow USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K & N Engineering competitors Sunday in the series’ inaugural visit to the 7/8-mile Iowa Speedway.
Steele, of Tampa, Fla., who started on the pole and led twice for 66 laps, beat Chilean Pablo Donoso, Canadian Pete Shepherd III and Brazilian Thiago Medeiros as 10 of the 13 starters finished the race.
“This is really cool,” said Steele. “The car really held up all day today. I was pleased with its performance. We really didn’t make any changes in the car throughout the day.”
Steele took advantage of Aaron Pierce’s misfortune on Lap 60, taking the point for good when Pierce slowed with ignition problems. He tried feverishly to reenter the race, but it was to no avail, as he completed only two more laps before falling out in 11th.
Prior to falling out, however, Pierce was on a roll. He had taken the point from Steele a quarter of the way through the event and was running more than two seconds ahead when he broke.
Steele charged out front early, establishing a large gap in front of Josh Wise and Donoso, who drove from sixth to third on the opening lap.
A 2.6-second lead vanished, though, when Pierce worked his way up from seventh.
The race was filled with side-by-side racing, and even a couple of tense moments. Donoso, Medeiros and Shepherd raced three-wide late in the race, and only three cautions slowed the event. Medeiros made his way to second following Pierce’s departure but could not maintain his tires.
Tim Barber and Wayne Reutimann Jr. brought out two of the three cautions at opposite ends of the race. Barber spun in turn 4 early but did not hit the wall, and eventually finished ninth, four laps off the pace.
Reutimann lost a wheel and hit the turn 2 outside wall hard but did not suffer any injuries.
Steele continued to add to his all-time laps led mark, and inches closer to the all-time win record. It was the second of the season and first since the season opener at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz.
Bud Kaeding and Brian Tyler both suffered tire problems, but it was Kaeding who was able to make it back on the lead lap. He unlapped himself late in the race but couldn’t catch Steele at the end. He eventually finished fifth, and now trails Tyler by eight points heading into next Saturday’s penultimate race at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 16-17, 2006 – Newton, Iowa – Iowa Speedway
QUALIFYING: 1. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-23.162; 2. Josh Wise, 14, Foyt-23.203; 3. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-23.311; 4. Jay Drake, 41, Paternoster-23.321; 5. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-23.440; 6. Pablo Donoso, 191, Hemelgarn/Johnson-23.585; 7. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-23.706; 8. Tim Barber, 28, Pierson-23.714; 9. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-23.739; 10. Pete Shepherd III, 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-23.799; 11. Mat Neely, 17, RW-24.018; 12. Bryn Gohn, 8, Stauffer/Adams-24.218; 13. Thiago Medeiros, 18, PDM-NT.
FEATURE: (100 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Dave Steele (1), 2. Pablo Donoso (6), 3. Pete Shepherd III (10), 4. Thiago Medeiros (13), 5. Bud Kaeding (5), 6. Jay Drake (4), 7. Mat Neely (11), 8. Brian Tyler (3), 9. Tim Barber (8), 10. Bryn Gohn (12), 11. Aaron Pierce (7), 12. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (9), 13. Josh Wise (2). 50:22.375
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-26 Dave Steele, Laps 27-59 Aaron Pierce, Laps 60-100 Dave Steele.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Brian Tyler-580; 2-Bud Kaeding-572; 3-Aaron Pierce-477; 4-Dave Steele-454; 5-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-447; 6-Josh Wise-393; 7-Jay Drake-332; 8-Tim Barber-303; 9-Bryn Gohn-303; 10-Pete Shepherd III-282.
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NEELY GETS FIRST WITH BIG PAYDAY AT ELDORA 4-CROWN
Rossburg, Ohio………Mat Neely led all 50 laps of Sunday morning’s USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K & N Engineering race at Eldora Speedway, claiming $25,000 for the Mopar Thunder at the 4-Crown Nationals with his first career series victory.
Neely, in the No. 17 RW Motorsports Rotondo Weirich Beast/HG Chevy, put the hurting on his fellow competitors, leading Mike Brecht by more than a straightaway in the race, which ended around 6am Sunday morning after rain showers delayed the event from Saturday evening.
“It’s great,” said Neely, the eighth driver to win a Silver Crown race this season. “It’s kind of weird to be doing this at six in the morning. I was pretty sure second was right on me the entire time. I kept hearing something. I can’t thank Mopar and the RW Motorsports group enough. They did a great job.”
A year after finishing a career-best second in the series – ironically at the half-mile – Neely was unchallenged in the event after leading Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and Jerry Coons Jr. through the first lap.
Stenhouse’s race ended on the next lap. Racing Davey Ray into turn 1, the cars tangled when Ray spun. With nowhere to go, point leaders Brian Tyler and Bud Kaeding – running fifth and sixth after the first lap – made contact with other cars, sending both spinning. Both drivers surveyed the damage, but only Kaeding’s car came away with minimal damage. His crew worked on the right rear and nerf bar after he came into the pits, and he restarted 20th. He eventually finished seventh, one lap behind.
Unfortunately for Tyler, it was another bad luck night on a half-mile dirt track. Having got caught up in an accident last month at the Terre Haute Action Track in Indiana, Tyler’s car could not be repaired in time to restart. His car left on a wrecker, and he was credited with 23rd.
Stenhouse and Paul White – also involved in the incident – fell out at that point.
Neely’s efforts probably wouldn’t have been thwarted by either Tyler’s or Kaeding’s efforts anyway. He maintained a straightaway lead midway through the race and left his nearest competitors scratching their heads and fighting through slower traffic.
Neely made it looked easy. He lapped Kaeding (second in points coming into the race), Pierce (third), Steele (fourth) and Reutimann (fifth).
While Neely was running away, however, others were looking for their best career finishes. Mike Brecht found his. A year after finishing third behind Neely, Brecht increased his best finish by one, passing Coons in the waning laps after both drivers roared past Shane Cottle in the final laps. Cottle was only five cars behind Neely on a Lap 43 restart – which followed a caution brought out for debris on the backstretch – but never mounted a challenge. He finished fifth, one spot behind two-time defending race winner Dave Darland.
Kaeding’s charge back up to seventh put him 24 points ahead of Tyler.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 23, 2006 – Rossburg, Ohio – Eldora Speedway – Mopar Thunder at the 4-Crown Nationals
QUALIFYING: (Top-12 locked into the feature) 1. Mat Neely, 17, RW-15.607; 2. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., 35, Edwards/RE Technologies-15.658; 3. Jerry Coons Jr., 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-15.739; 4. Davey Ray, 114, FattFro-15.760; 5. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-15.924; 6. Jay Drake, 52, BWB-15.938; 7. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-15.942; 8. Shane Cottle, 4, Contos-15.952; 9. Dave Darland, 56, Foxco-15.966; 10. Mike Brecht, 64, DePalma-16.005; 11. Mitch Wissmiller, 23, Onken-16.032; 12. Josh Wise, 10, Stewart-16.082; 13. Levi Jones, 22, Stewart-16.093; 14. Paul White, 99, Mucci/Matczak-16.121; 15. Tracy Hines, 37, Riggs-16.154; 16. Rob Chaney, 197, SC-16.217; 17. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-16.271; 18. Jon Stanbrough, 38, Shoestring-16.301; 19. Dickie Gaines, 59, S & R-16.313; 20. Teddy Beach, 15, Beach-16.327; 21. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-16.361; 22. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-16.404; 23. Johnny Parsons, 43, Nix-16.441; 24. John Heydenreich, 90, Bank-16.541; 25. Ron Gregory, 20, Irvin/Nolen-16.575; 26. Shane Hollingsworth, 48, Irvin-16.672; 27. Kevin Huntley, 97, SC-16.679; 28. Chappy Knaack, 36, Miller-16.696; 29. Steve Buckwalter, 65, Hartenstine-16.804; 30. Mike Stroehle, 83, Stroehle-16.983; 31. Alex Shanks, 155, Baker-17.512; 32. Roger Rager, 33, Loucks-NT.
QUALIFYING RACE: (15 laps, top-12 transfer to the feature) 1. Paul White, 2. Levi Jones, 3. Rob Chaney, 4. Tracy Hines, 5. Dave Steele, 6. Jon Stanbrough, 7. Teddy Beach, 8. Dickie Gaines, 9. Aaron Pierce, 10. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 11. Ron Gregory, 12. Johnny Parsons, 13. Shane Hollingsworth, 14. Kevin Huntley, 15. Mike Stroehle, 16. Steve Buckwalter, 17. Alex Shanks, 18. John Heydenreich, 19. Chappy Knaack. 4:16.18
FEATURE: (50 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Mat Neely (1), 2. Mike Brecht (10), 3. Jerry Coons Jr. (3), 4. Dave Darland (9), 5. Shane Cottle (8), 6. Dickie Gaines (20), 7. Bud Kaeding (7), 8. Levi Jones (14), 9. Jon Stanbrough (18), 10. Tracy Hines (16), 11. Ron Gregory (23), 12. Rob Chaney (15), 13. Aaron Pierce (21), 14. Dave Steele (17), 15. Johnny Parsons (24), 16. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (22), 17. Mitch Wissmiller (11), 18. Teddy Beach (19), 19. Josh Wise (12), 20. Jay Drake (6), 21. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (2), 22. Davey Ray (4), 23. Brian Tyler (5), 24.Paul White (13). 14:59.56
**Roger Rager flipped during practice.
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Laps 1-50 Mat Neely.
NEW SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Bud Kaeding-614; 2-Brian Tyler-590; 3-Aaron Pierce-504; 4-Dave Steele-479; 5-Wayne Reutimann Jr.-468; 6-Josh Wise-408; 7-Jay Drake-345; 8-Tim Barber-303; 9-Bryn Gohn-303; 10-Pete Shepherd III-282.
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PIERCE CLOSES SEASON WITH KANSAS DOMINATION
Kansas City, Kansas………Aaron Pierce dominated the KansasSpeedway.com 100 USAC Silver Crown Series presented by K & N Engineering race Saturday at Kansas Speedway, leading all but two of the 67 laps on the 1.5-mile track.
Pierce was credited with third in the point standings after Bud Kaeding earned the title by 44 points (665-621) over Brian Tyler to take his first ever USAC title.
Kaeding was fourth in the standings, while Tyler finished where he started, 11th, after suffering problems when a hole developed in the radiator, causing him to drop out after 30 laps.
“I still don’t know how it feels to be a USAC Silver Crown champion,” said Kaeding, who drove the No. 29 BK/Leffler Racing Team ASE/Loan City DRC/Shaver. “This feels really good.”
Kaeding was nearly 16 seconds behind Pierce, though, after the Campbell, Calif. native dropped a cylinder midway through the race.
Pierce, a native of Muncie, Ind. who now resides in the Phoenix, Ariz. area, claimed the pole on Friday, but slipped back to second on the start after Wayne Reutimann Jr. led the first lap, flying by the top-seven cars on the outside after starting eighth.
But Pierce charged back on lap 2, using the outside of the track while Dave Steele dove low on Reutimann as the trio approached turn 3. Pierce led the lap, and the next 52, while trying to hold back at least three other cars.
Pablo Donoso, who started second, stayed in the top-five for the majority of the race, and was Pierce’s only real challenger. He crept in around lap 45, and, with Jay Drake, cut the lead to less than a second. When Pierce wiggled ever so slightly coming out of turn 4 on Lap 52, Donoso was within two tenths of a second.
Donoso kept coming, and finally, on lap 54, tried the outside in turn 1 before Pierce shut the door. Destined to lead his first career lap, Donoso went inside coming thru turns 3 and 4 and led Pierce by only .012 seconds at the line.
But Pierce came back, and in turn 3 was back into the lead. He was never challenged thereafter.
That was partly because Donoso’s car began spewing liquid out of the right rear. He ignored the black flag issued to him on multiple occasions and was stopped scoring on lap 62. He was credited with eighth.
That moved Drake up to second, but he couldn’t catch Pierce, who won his second career race. The first came in July at Chicagoland, a near mirror image of Kansas.
“This season, the team did a great job,” said Pierce, who drove the No. 26 Sam Pierce Chevrolet/Fatheadz Sunglasses Riley/Chevy to victory. The car also incurred sponsorship commitments from Kroger, Bounty, Pringles and Tide for the one race.
“We’re really looking forward to next year. I think we made a statement with our car and proved we could be a top, competitive team. We didn’t have any major problems this weekend, and it feels good to get a victory after being so close much of the year.”
Overall, Pierce averaged a series record 159.211 mph, mainly because no on-track incidents were caused and the yellow never came out.
Kaeding proudly displayed the $250,000 prize fund check in victory lane, which was presented by K & N Filters. He battled with Tyler for several laps before Tyler fell off the pace, then came into the pits.
But Kaeding also suffered problems, and that championship may not have been if they hadn’t made some last-minute changes. Electrical problems were found following Friday’s practice, and the team changed much of the electrical system in the car.
Thankfully, Kaeding said, they got everything right.
“My dad has won a lot of championships out in California, and I’ve learned a lot from him, chasing points and not letting that get to you,” Kaeding said. “Today, before the race, I was as nervous as heck, just because we’ve had problems all weekend. I tried to stay near Brian when he passed me, but when he fell out, I just laid back.”
Reutimann was fourth in the standings and two-time defending series champion Dave Steele – who also dropped out due to engine problems – ended his reign by finishing fifth in points.
K & N USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES RACE RESULTS: September 29-30, 2006 – Kansas City, Kansas – Kansas Speedway – KansasSpeedway.com 100
QUALIFYING: 1. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-32.296; 2. Pablo Donoso, 191, Hemelgarn/Johnson-32.335; 3. Bud Kaeding, 29, BK/Leffler-32.363; 4. Dave Steele, 1, Six-R-32.618; 5. Thiago Medeiros, 18, PDM-32.645; 6. Jay Drake, 41, Paternoster-32.857; 7. Pete Shepherd III, 199, Edwards/RE Technologies-32.959; 8. Wayne Reutimann Jr., 00, Reutimann-33.091; 9. Tim Barber, 28, Pierson-33.282; 10. Mat Neely, 17, RW-33.466; 11. Brian Tyler, 21, Six-R-33.466; 12. Bryn Gohn, 8, Stauffer/Adams-33.852; 13. Rodney Weesner, 96, Weesner-38.985; 14. Josh Wise, 14, Foyt-NT.
FEATURE: (67 laps, starting positions in parentheses) 1. Aaron Pierce (1), 2. Jay Drake (6), 3. Wayne Reutimann Jr. (8), 4. Bud Kaeding (3), 5. Thiago Medeiros (5), 6. Tim Barber (9), 7. Pete Shepherd III (7), 8. Pablo Donoso (2), 9. Mat Neely (10), 10. Bryn Gohn (12), 11. Brian Tyler (11), 12. Dave Steele (4), 13. Rodney Weesner (13). 37:52.457
FEATURE LAP LEADERS: Lap 1 Wayne Reutimann Jr., Laps 2-53 Aaron Pierce, Lap 54 Pablo Donoso, Laps 55-67 Aaron Pierce.
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2006 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINTS
1. (665) Bud Kaeding, Campbell, Calif.
2. (621) Brian Tyler, Parma, Mich.
3. (570) Aaron Pierce, Muncie, Ind.
4. (522) Wayne Reutimann, Jr., Zephyrhills, Fla.
5. (508) Dave Steele, Tampa, Fla.
6. (408) Josh Wise, Riverside, Calif.
7. (402) Jay Drake, Val Verde, Calif.
8. (348) Tim Barber, San Francisco, Calif.
9. (336) Bryn Gohn, Malabar, Fla.
10. (324) Pete Shepherd III, Norval, Ont.
11. (286) Mat Neely, Robinson, Ill.
12. (277) Dave Darland, Lincoln, Ind.
13. (275) Thiago Medeiros, Sao Paulo, Brazil
14. (270) Pablo Donoso, Santiago, Chile
15. (216) Rodney Weesner, Portland, Ind.
16. (210) Tracy Hines, New Castle, Ind.
17. (199) Jerry Coons Jr., Tucson, Ariz.
18. (187) Levi Jones, Olney, Ill.
19. (178) Shane Cottle, Kokomo, Ind.
20. (116) Dickie Gaines, Mitchell, Ind.
21. (113) Russ Gamester, Peru, Ind.
22. (100) Rich Tobias Jr., Lebanon, Pa.
23. (95) Cole Carter, Brownsburg, Ind.
24. (93) Paul White, Temple, Texas
25. (85) Tom Capie, Trevose, Pa.
26. (80) Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Olive Branch, Miss.
27. (78) Greg Furlong, Oswego, N.Y.
28. (76) Johnny Parsons, Indianapolis, Ind.
29. (71) Shane Hollingsworth, Indianapolis, Ind.
30. (66) Chappy Knaack, Linthicum, Md.
31. (62) John Heydenreich, Bloomsburg, Pa.
32. (61) Donnie Beechler, Springfield, Ill.
33. (59) Alex Shanks, Marion, Ill.
34. (58) Chris Urish, Elkhart, Ill.
35. (57) Carl Edwards, Columbia, Mo.
36. (57) Ron Gregory, Noblesville, Ind.
37. (51) P.J. Jones, Torrance, Calif.
38. (49) Jeff Swindell, Bartlett, Tenn.
39. (47) Justin Allgaier, Riverton, Ill.
40. (40) A.J. Fike, Galesburg, Ill.
41. (36) Dereck King, Vienna, Ill.
42. (36) Jon Stanbrough, Avon, Ind.
43. (35) Ray Bull, Bloomsburg, Pa.
44. (32) Mitch Wissmiller, Saybrook, Ill.
45. (31) Kevin Huntley, Bloomington, Ind.
46. (29) Bobby Santos, Franklin, Mass.
47. (29) Rob Chaney, Wooster, Ohio
48. (28) Tim Siner, Dupo, Ill.
49. (23) Teddy Beach, Donnelsville, Ohio
50. (22) Davey Ray, Davenport, Iowa
51. (18) Randy Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill.
52. (15) Roger Rager, Pequot Lakes, Minn.
53. (7) Steve Buckwalter, Royersford, Pa.
54. (3) Danny Long, Bonne Terre, Mo.
2006 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRANT POINTS
1. (875) Leffler-BK Racing, Indianapolis, Ind. (#29)
2. (831) Team Six-R, Zionsville, Ind. (#21)
3. (790) Carl Edwards-RE Technologies, Bartlett, Tenn. (#199)
4. (780) Sam Pierce, Muncie, Ind. (#26)
5. (718) Team Six-R, Zionsville, Ind. (#1)
6. (714) RW Motorsports, Lederach, Pa. (#17)
7. (709) Reutimann Motorsports, Zephyrhills, Fla. (#00)
8. (524) Jim Paternoster, Oswego, N.Y. (#41)
9. (483) Ken Pierson, Elk Grove, Calif. (#28)
10. (471) Stauffer-Adams Racing, Malabar, Fla. (#8)
11. (420) PDM Racing, Indianapolis, Ind. (#18)
12. (336) Weesner Motorsports, Portland, Ind. (#96)
13. (315) A.J. Foyt Enterprises, Waller, Texas (#14)
14. (293) Johnny Vance Racing Team, Dayton, Ohio (#2)
15. (273) Tony Stewart Racing, Indianapolis, Ind. (#10)
16. (262) Tony Stewart Racing, Indianapolis, Ind. (#22)
17. (224) Foxco Engineering, Avon, Ind. (#56)
18. (214) BWB Racing, Terre Haute, Ind. (#52)
19. (210) Indiana Underground Construction (Terry Riggs), Indianapolis, Ind. (#37)
20. (208) Contos Racing, Anderson, Ind. (#4)
21. (182) Mucci-Matczak Racing, Liverpool, N.Y. (#99)
22. (176) S & R Racing, Springfield, Ill. (#59)
23. (173) Gamester Racing, Peru, Ind. (#51)
24. (155) RE Technologies, Bartlett, Tenn. (#35)
25. (146) Irvin Motorsports, Noblesville, Ind. (#48)
26. (136) Lindquist-Loucks Motorsports, Maple Grove, Minn. (#33)
27. (132) Dodie Miller, Seabrook, Texas (#36)
28. (126) Hemelgarn-Johnson Motorsports, Indianapolis, Ind. (#191)
29. (122) Sharon Bank, Sewickley, Pa. (#90)
30. (121) Ricky Nix Goodyear Tire Service, Benton, Ill. (#43)
31. (117) Irvin-Nolen Motorsports, Greenwood, Ind. (#20)
32. (104) Baker Auto & Truck, Marion, Ill. (#155)
33. (102) Donnie Beechler, Springfield, Ill. (#45)
34. (102) Galas Motorsports, O’Fallon, Ill. (#12)
35. (98) Harris Racing, Vergennes, Ill. (#91)
36. (88) Urish Racing, Elkhart, Ill. (#77)
37. (85) Capie Racing, Indianapolis, Ind. (#153)
38. (77) Ebby Bergfield, Arcola, Ill. (#86)
39. (77) Baldwin Brothers Racing, West Lafayette, Ind. (#7)
40. (70) RFMS Racing, Galesburg, Ill. (#32)
41. (68) Beach Boys Motorsports, Donnelsville, Ohio (#15)
42. (66) Classic Speed, Indianapolis, Ind. (#98)
43. (65) Mega Motorsports, Reading, Pa. (#63)
44. (62) J.R. Onken, Easton, Ill. (#23)
45. (58) Jim Siner, Dupo, Ill. (#62)
46. (57) DePalma Motorsports, Lima, Ohio (#64)
47. (51) Shoestring Racing, Speedway, Ind. (#38)
48. (48) Patty Bateman, Murphysboro, Ill. (#55)
49. (46) SC Racing, Carey, Ohio (#97)
50. (39) Charles Hartenstine, Douglassville, Pa. (#65)
51. (36) Moore Racing, Largo, Fla. (#89)
52. (29) SC Racing, Carey, Ohio (#197)
53. (25) RW Motorsports, Lederach, Pa. (#27)
54. (23) Reutimann Motorsports, Zephyrhills, Fla. (#00x)
55. (22) FattFro Motorsports, Hoffman Estates, Ill. (#114)
56. (18) Danny Long, Bonne Terre, Mo. (#68)
57. (15) BWB Racing, Terre Haute, Ind. (#25)