DODSON REPEATS IOWA SILVER CROWN VICTORY; KAEDING PADS LEAD


USAC returns to Oswego (N.Y.) Speedway Thursday for its first National race at that storied track in more than two decades as the K & N Silver Crown cars compete in the inaugural Kasey Kahne “Steel Palace Classic.”


 


Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Calif. will try to protect his 69-point lead over Tracy Hines in the event, the first for USAC’s premier series on pavement in the Empire State. J.J. Yeley won the last Silver Crown race in New York, at the Syracuse dirt mile in 2003.


 


Kahne and Ryan Newman are both expected to compete in Thursday’s race, a 100-lap contest on the 5/8-mile paved oval. Newman competed July 31 at O’Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind., finishing eighth, while Kahne’s last Silver Crown appearance came at the Indianapolis oval in 2005. Newman was the 1999 series champion.


 


Cameron Dodson of Greenfield, Ind. returned to Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa Friday as the defending winner of the “Casey’s General Stores Challenge” and walked off with his second consecutive victory at thje 7/8-mile oval. It was a sweet triumph for the driver who suffered critical injuries in an Indiana highway accident last November.


 


Dodson led the opening lap but slipped behind Jacob Wilson on lap 2. He stayed in contention until late in the race when he ran down the leader and made the winning pass on lap 89, pacing the final 12 laps to put his Carl Edwards/RE Technologies Ford/Red Line Oil Beast/Ford in victory lane.


 


Levi Jones took second ahead of Kody Swanson, Bobby East and Bud Kaeding. Friday night’s race was completed entirely under green flag conditions and Dodson averaged 136.364 mph for the 100 laps.


 


USAC National race winners at Oswego include Mario Andretti, Mike Mosley and Session in Sprint cars in the 1960s and Bob Cicconi in the Midgets in 1988. The USAC Ford Focus series has competed at the track in more recent years.