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See You At The Races!!! |
| RACING
SCENE by Tim Kennedy |
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USAC Silver Crown |
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Phoenix, AZ., Mar. 23 - Dave Steele, from Tampa, FL, won
another USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series 100-lap Copper World
Classic distinctive trophy Sunday morning in the 26th running of the
prestigious event at the mile, paved Phoenix International Raceway.
The 28-year old winner drove Bob Gratton's Northside
Propane-sponsored Beast/Gaerte and earned $25,025. The race
preceded the Indy Racing League Purex/Dial Indy Car 200-mile race. Speed
Channel taped the S/C race for a two-hour all USAC open-wheel
telecast on Thursday, March 27. As fastest qualifier during time trials on Saturday, Steele started on the pole and led laps three through 20 and 34-100. Outside front row starter J. J. Yeley was in front for the first two circuits and laps 21-33. Yeley drove a Beast/Ford owned by NASCAR Winston Cup driver Tony Stewart and Bob East. Steele, the USAC S/C 100-mile CWC race winner last year in the same car, made his winning pass on the inside of Yeley entering the first turn when racing resumed following a caution period. Yeley remained in second position to lap 40 when he faded to fourth place, where he finished. Tracy Hines started third in the 31-car field aboard a Beast/Foxco and took second on lap 40. Ed Carpenter took third from Yeley on that lap also. Carpenter, driving the Fike family-owned car for the first time, took second place on lap 65 with an outside pass in turn four as the three leaders raced in a pack. Carpenter was only ten yards in back of leader Steele and appeared ready to challenge him for the lead. However, Carpenter slowed on lap 94 in the second turn and pitted because a right-rear tire bleeder valve stuck open and caused a flat tire. He did not rejoin the race. Winner Steele had a decreasing advantage over Hines during the final seven laps after a caution period. Steele's lead was only two lengths at the checkered flag from USAC starter Tony Roberts. Dave Darland, the 1997 S/C champion, started eighth in Bob Hoerner's Beast/Chevy and finished third, 40-yards behind Hines. It matched his third place finish Saturday in a USAC 25-mile Midget Series race. Indianapolis 500 veteran Chet Fillip, started 20th and chased Yeley across the finish line in his self-built Tex-Mex/Chevy. He was in 14th position at lap 50. Jay Drake, Bentley Warren, 2001 S/C champion Paul White, Brian Tyler and Michael Lewis rounded out the top ten finishers. Eighteen of the 31 starters finished the race, with 14 drivers on the lead lap. The one hour and two minute race had three caution flags that consumed 24 laps. High school senior Bobby East, 18, was running ninth on the third lap when his Johnny Vance Beast/Gaerte veered right in heavy traffic and hit the first turn outside wall hard at the right side and stopped. He walked from the car as the 31st finisher. On lap 15 between the first two turns three drivers-Eric Butze, Indy 500 veteran Jimmy Kite and Rich Tobias, Jr-collided and spun out. Only Kite rejoined the race. Bud Kaeding's 15th place J. Vance Beast/Gaerte veered up the track and at speed hit the first turn wall on lap 25 in a crash similar to that of his Vance teammate East earlier. The car impacted the wall at the right front and side and slid about 70-yards along the wall before stopping at the wall in front of the second turn grandstand. He, too, was uninjured. The final yellow flag flew from laps 83-92 after 17th running P. J. Jones, son of 1963-Indianapolis 500 winner Parnelli Jones, blew the engine of George Snider's Beast/Chevy. Jones slowed and moved off the track at the first opportunity, but his car had oiled about 150 yards of the front straight. Track crews spread oil-dry and PIR's truck-mounted jet blower made the track suitable for racing as soon as possible. With 53 Silver Crown cars present for time trials on Saturday afternoon, the 24 fastest qualifiers advanced directly to the 100-mile race Sunday. A late Saturday afternoon 15-lap race had 18 starters. Pole starter Tyler Walker, the World of Outlaws veteran and 2002 Gumout Series champion, led every lap in the RE Ent. Inc.Curb/Agajanian sponsored No. 35. Two multi-car crashes during the consy sidelined several drivers and resulted in four yellows and one red flag. Only nine drivers were running at the finish of the 45-minute event. Track clean-up operations were necessary after a lap seven crash involving Levi Jones and Teddy Beach as they dueled for the final transfer position. Both cars received extensive damage when they hit the first turn wall. Jones complained of discomfort and went to a hospital for treatment of an undisclosed injury. It forced him to miss his scheduled SCRA sprint car race Saturday night at Manzanita Speedway. USAC officials delayed the restart of lap seven after track clean-up work to allow the glare from the sun to end when the sun set behind hills west of the track. Earlier in the race drivers had to race into the first turn and the glare from the setting sun. Sprint car driver Erin Crocker, a 21-year old from Massachusetts, made her S/C debut but she dropped out on lap nine and placed 11th. She qualified 36th fastest of the 44 drivers who posted a time. The top six finishers earned positions 25-30 Sunday in the order of their finish Saturday. Butze, Dane Carter, Aaron Pierce, Matt Westfall and Tobias finished second through sixth. Indy 500 veteran Tyce Carlson finished eighth and his team used the one provisional berth available based on car owner points last season. He started 31st Sunday. The Summary: Pick-up agate. Fast Time - Dave Steele, 25.963. Consolation Race (held Saturday) - Tyler Walker, Eric Butze, Dane Carter, Aaron Pierce, Matt Westfall, Rich Tobias, Jr, John Heydenreich, Tyce Carlson, Roger Rager, Murray Erickson, Erin Crocker, Levi Jones, Teddy Beach, Jason Fuller, Jonathan Vennard, Nick Lundgreen, Brad Armstrong, Mike Ford. Main - Dave Steele, Tracy Hines, Dave Darland, J. J. Yeley, Chet Fillip, Jay Drake, Bentley Warren, Paul White, Brian Tyler, Michael Lewis, Russ Gamester, Ron Gregory, Danny Ebberts, Jimmy Kite, A. J. Fike, Walker, Brad Noffsinger, Donny Schatz, Ed Carpenter, Westfall, Jason McCord, P. J. Jones, Carlson, Carter, Pierce, Bud Kaeding, Tobias, Butze, David Gough, John Starks, Bobby East. |
