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KAEDING BLISTERS SILVER CROWN FIELD
AT KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
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SPARTA, Ky. - 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 attempt 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's 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 25-point lead over
Tyler heading into the June 24 "Richmond Times-Dispatch 100" at
Richmond (Va.) International Raceway.
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