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INDIANAPOLIS - Josh Wise erased any sour taste he earned in last
year's "Hoosier Hundred" on Friday by placing a bitter taste in
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 race.
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. Wise 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 5.
Nine cautions - including four in the first 20 laps - slowed the pace to 68.500
mph, however, there were no serious incidents. Defending winner Beach caused one
of those cautions, spinning out on Lap 14 and suffering mechanical failure.
Wise also earned the fastest qualifier award, lapping the track in 32.533
seconds. Rookie Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the 10-lap semifeature.
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, heading into the next race June 16 at Kentucky Speedway in
Sparta, Ky.
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