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NAZARETH
TO AFFECT 3 EARL'S STANDINGS THIS WEEK
USAC's National "tripleheader"
racing program at the Nazareth (Pa.)
Speedway this weekend will have an impact on three segments of
the 2003
Earl's Plumbing Fast Qualifier Championship, with the USAC Weld
Racing
Silver Crown, National Sprint Cars and Midgets all competing at
the 1-mile
paved oval.
J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Ariz. continues to lead the Silver Crown
and Western
Midget Earl's points and was the fastest qualifier for Sunday's
night's
National Midget Car race at Mansfield, Ohio. He trails Tracy Hines
by only
seven points in that segment.
Jay Drake was Sunday's fastest Mansfield Sprint Car qualifier
and leads
Yeley by nine points in that segment, while Yeley leads the Silver
Crown
segment by 12 over Dave Steele after his third-fastest qualifying
effort at
Springfield, Ill. Saturday. Dave Darland, Saturday's fastest Springfield
qualifier, also won the "Tony Bettenhausen 100" at the
1-mile dirt Illinois
oval.
This year, each USAC National and Western Series qualifying champion
will
receive a $5,000 bonus from Earl's in recognition of their accomplishment.
Points are earned at each USAC event based on an international
system
awarding the top-six qualifiers with points in the following scale:
1st-9.
2nd-6, 3rd-4, 4th-3, 5th-2, 6th-1.
The current Earl's Plumbing Fast Qualifier standings for each
series are as
follows:
Weld Racing Silver
Crown: 1-J.J. Yeley-48; 2-Dave Steele-36; 3-Tracy
Hines-22; 4-Dave Darland-18; 5-Jay Drake-13.
National Sprint Car: 1-Jay Drake-119; 2-J.J. Yeley-110; 3-Tracy
Hines-103;
4-Boston Reid-50; 5-Jon Stanbrough-26.
National Midget Car: 1-Tracy Hines-76; 2-J.J. Yeley-69; 3-Bobby
East-58;
4-Jay Drake-22; 5-Dave Steele-18.
Western Sprint Car: 1-Tony Hunt-38; 2-Michael Lewis-36; 3-Rick
Hendrix-34;
4-Jeff Gardner-20; 5-Jim Waters-11.
Western Midget Car: 1-J.J. Yeley-37; 2-Josh Wise-27; 3-Bobby East-22;
4-Dave
Steele-18; 5-Rick Hendrix-16.
WATERS
OUT TO PROTECT 37-POINT LEAD AT SLC SATURDAY
Jim Waters of Salt
Lake City, Utah will try for the "hat trick" Saturday
night when the USAC/SLVRA Rocky Mountain Sprint Car Series resumes
at Rocky
Mountain Raceways in the Utah capital.
Waters has won two straight feature events at the 3/8-mile paved
oval and
leads the series point standings over runner-up Dave Fitzgerald
by 37. A
victory in Saturday's 40-lapper is worth 60 points.
Fitzgerald, the winningest driver in Utah racing history, won
the opening
race of the new USAC series but has yet to repeat this year, despite
recording eight "top-10" finishes in nine starts.
Waters also has eight "top-10s" which include a pair
of wins, a second,
third, fourth, fifth and sixth!
Jimmy Wysong, the fastest qualifier for the last series event
at Salt Lake
City, is also looking to challenge the point leader, currently
only 63
behind Waters and 26 behind Fitzgerald.
USAC/SLVRA PORT-O-CALL
ROCKY MOUNTAIN SPRINT CAR SERIES STANDINGS
1. Jim Waters 527
2. Dave Fitzgerald 490
3. Jimmy Wysong 464
4. Jeff Bergener 407
5. Ryan Burdett 394
6. Rick Pardee 331
7. Bryan Shafer 318
8. Mel Andrus 258
9. Mark Bergener 257
10. Jim Campbell 250
MESERAULL
BEATS HUNSAKER AT MADERA
Thomas Meseraull of
Los Banos, Calif. scored his third victory in the USAC
California Ford Focus Midget Car Series in Saturday night's 30-lap
race at
the Madera (Calif.) Speedway. He previously had won at Madera
in June.
Meseraull passed defending USAC Ford Focus Midget Car Champion
Todd
Hunsaker on the 17th lap and never looked back, beating Hunsaker,
Bradley
Galedrige, Josh Lakatos and Garrett Hansen. Ryan Kaplan led the
first three
laps and Hunsaker led the next 13 before Meseraull's winning pass.
Meseraull
was also Saturday night's fastest qualifier at the 1/3-mile paved
oval.
Hunsaker emerged from the race with a 49-point lead over Lakatos
in the
South Series standings, while Garratt Boyden, sixth at Madera,
now leads
Lakatos by seven points in the North Series rankings.
The USAC California Ford Focus Midget Car Series is off this week
but
resumes August 30 at the Perris (Calif.) Auto Speedway.
USAC CALIFORNIA FORD
FOCUS MIDGET CAR SERIES STANDINGS
SOUTH SERIES
1. Todd Hunsaker 597
2. Josh Lakatos 559
3. Bobby McGowan 484
4. Ryan Kaplan 476
5. Garratt Boyden 428
NORTH SERIES
1. Garratt Boyden 400
2. Ryan Kaplan 398
3. Josh Lakatos 393
4. Bradley Galedrige 298
5. Todd Hunsaker 261
MARTZ
TOPS SOUTH BEND FOCUSES
INDIANA SERIES RESUMES THIS FRIDAY WITH LIMA RACE
Tate Martz of Rushville,
Ind. apparently has the South Bend (Ind.) Motor
Speedway figured out, winning for the second time this season
at the
1/4-mile paved oval in Friday night's 20-lap Indiana Ford Focus
Midget Car
feature event.
Martz will be among series regulars converging on the Limaland
Motorsports
Park dirt oval this Friday night for a complete program of events,
including
a 20-lap feature. Martz resides in third in the new series standings
following his South Bend triumph.
Trailing Martz in Friday's 20-lapper were Brandon Hartzell, Robbie
Ray,
Derek Crasi and series newcomer John Randall. Crasi led the opening
lap
before Martz moved to the front in his Immke Auto Group/Keith
Kunz
Motorsports machine.
Ray emerged with an expanded series point lead over runner-up
Trenton
Darland, who finished seventh at South Bend.
USAC INDIANA FORD FOCUS
MIDGET SERIES STANDINGS
1. Robbie Ray 722
2. Trenton Darland 597
3. Tate Martz 568
4. Brice Kenyon 566
5. Ryan Litt 531
6. Derek Crasi 522
7. Jim Mills 493
8. Mike Palmer 396
9. Samantha Weakley 353
10. Brent Berry 331
HINES
TOPS MANSFIELD MIDGETS
NAZARETH "TRIPLEHEADER" INCLUDES 30-MILE MIDGET RACE
Tracy Hines of New
Castle, Ind. remained within 35 points of J.J. Yeley in
their battle for the USAC "Triple Crown" with his victory
in Sunday night's
30-lap feature events at Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Speedway.
The win was
Hines' eighth in USAC-sanctioned competition this season.
Hines, who set an all-time speed record of over 138 mph in winning
last
year's USAC Sprint Car race at Nazareth, Pa., returns to the 1-mile
paved
Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway this week to compete in all three of USAC's
"tripleheader" events, part of the track's Indy Racing
League Firestone Indy
225 weekend activities. A 30-mile USAC Midget Car and Sprint Car
feature are
on tap, in addition to a 100-mile USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown
race.
The Nazareth USAC slate calls for Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown
practice
Friday morning and afternoon, followed by Friday afternoon Sprint
and Midget
qualifying. Saturday's timetable has Silver Crown practice and
qualifying in
the morning, plus qualifying races for all three series in the
afternoon.
The 30-mile Midget and Sprint Car feature events are later Saturday
afternoon and the 100-mile Weld Racing Silver Crown race gets
the green flag
at 12:30 pm Sunday.
Hines and his Wilke-Pak Oxi-Clean/Team Mopar Beast started on
the pole at
Mansfield and led all 30 laps around the 1/2-mile paved oval.
He was
followed at the checkered flag by Yeley, Teddy Beach, Cole Carter
and A.J.
Fike. Hines and Yeley each own USAC Silver Crown and Sprint Car
titles and a
National Midget Championship would complete the career "Triple
Crown,"
enabling either to join Tony Stewart, Pancho Carter and Dave Darland
in the
prestigious "Triple Crown" category.
Hines will be among drivers aiming at Ron Gregory's 1-lap Nazareth
qualifying record of 135.808 mph and would also like to establish
a new
all-time USAC Midget Car feature race speed record as well. Hines
already
owns the record for the fastest USAC Silver Crown and Sprint Car
races ever
run but Dan Drinan is the all-time Midget race record holder,
winning at
Phoenix, Ariz. in 1995 at a speed of 128.822 mph.
Defending Nazareth USAC Midget race winner Michael Lewis is also
expected
to be in action at the Pennsylvania mile this weekend.
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET
CAR SERIES STANDINGS
1. J.J. Yeley 1,095
2. Tracy Hines 1,060
3. Bobby East 1,015
4. Jay Drake 872
5. A.J. Fike 856
6. Teddy Beach 659
7. Dave Darland 597
8. Aaron Fike 544
9. Tom Hessert 507
10. Ryan Durst 444
EAST
NOTCHES INITIAL SPRINT VICTORY AT MANSFIELD YELEY, HINES &
RUTHERFORD USAC/SCRA STARS SPRINT CARS PART OF NAZARETH'S "TRIPLEHEADER"
Bobby East of Brownsburg,
Ind. was the fourth driver to record a
USAC-sanctioned Sprint car feature victory over the past four
days but his
came in the nationally-sanctioned Sunday night 30-lapper at the
Mansfield
(Ohio) Motorsports Park and was his first ever in the series.
J.J. Yeley, Tracy Hines and Troy Rutherford also posted victories
last week
in the USAC/SCRA "Non-Wing World Championship" Shootout
events at Terre
Haute, Ind., Farmer City and Granite City, Ill. respectively.
Yeley's win
was his 21st in USAC-sanctioned feature events this season, extending
his
new all-time USAC single-season record.
Yeley, of Phoenix, Ariz., leads the National Sprint Car Series
to this
weekend's USAC "tripleheader" at Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway,
being held in
conjunction with the Indy Racing League's Firestone Indy 225 at
the 1-mile
paved oval. The Nazareth USAC slate calls for Midget, Sprint and
Silver
Crown practice Friday morning and afternoon, followed by Friday
afternoon
Sprint and Midget qualifying. Saturday's timetable has Silver
Crown practice
and qualifying in the morning, plus qualifying races for all three
series in
the afternoon. The 30-mile Midget and Sprint Car feature events
are later
Saturday afternoon and the 100-mile Weld Racing Silver Crown race
gets the
green flag at 12:30 pm Sunday.
East led all 30 laps at Mansfield in his Klatt Enterprises Power
Stroke
Diesel Beast/Ford to beat A.J. Fike, J.J. Yeley, Tracy Hines and
Jason
McCord to the checkered flag. Marc Jessup led the first six laps
before
yielding to East, but slipped to 10th at the finish.
J.J. Yeley continues to enjoy a big point lead in the National
Sprint Car
Series entering this week's Nazareth activities. Thursday night
he led the
final 15 laps in his Tony Stewart Racing Twister/Mopar at the
Terre Haute
(Ind.) Action Track to beat Tony Elliott, Jon Stanbrough, Cory
Kruseman and
Tracy Hines. Kruseman and Tony Elliott led the early laps before
yielding to
Yeley.
Hines, of New Castle, Ind., won Friday night's 30-lap USAC/SCRA
"Shootout"
at the Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway in his Dynamics, Inc. Kroger,
Tide,
Pringles, Bounty Twister/Gaerte, beating Kruseman, Jay Drake,
Yeley and Bud
Kaeding. Hines led all 30 laps.
Rutherford, of Ojai, Calif., caught Tony Elliott and Yeley on
the 26th lap
at Tri-City Speedway at Granite City, Ill. Saturday night and
led the final
five laps in his Roy Miller Freightlines/Sander Engineering Kunz/Priestley.
Trailing Rutherford in the 30-lapper were Yeley, Levi Jones, Elliott
and
Kaeding.
Hines is the defending Nazareth winner, setting a new all-time
USAC Sprint
car race record average speed of 138.306 mph in last year's main
event.
USAC NATIONAL SPRINT
CAR SERIES STANDINGS
1. J.J. Yeley 1,676
2. Tracy Hines 1,403
3. Jay Drake 1,398
4. Bud Kaeding 1,195
5. Boston Reid 1,018
6. Cory Kruseman 950
7. Levi Jones 906
8. Dave Darland 787
9. Jon Stanbrough 694
10. Brian Tyler 634
DARLAND
DOMINATES "TONY BETTENHAUSEN 100" NAZARETH SILVER CROWN
PART OF USAC "TRIPLEHEADER"
Dave Darland of Lincoln,
Ind. scored his third "Tony Bettenhausen 100"
triumph in Saturday's 100-mile USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown race
at the
Illinois State Fairgrounds, leading all but one lap in his Foxco/Jarvis
Enterprises Beast/Foxco Chevy.
Darland's victory left him just nine points behind defending series
champion J.J. Yeley in the new series standings going into this
weekend's
events at the Nazareth (Pa.) Speedway. A 100-mile USAC Weld Racing
Silver
Crown race is among USAC's "tripleheader" activities
at the Nazareth mile in
conjunction with the Firestone Indy 225 IRL weekend.
The Nazareth USAC slate calls for Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown
practice
Friday morning and afternoon, followed by Friday afternoon Sprint
and Midget
qualifying. Saturday's timetable has Silver Crown practice and
qualifying in
the morning, plus qualifying races for all three series in the
afternoon.
The 30-mile Midget and Sprint Car feature events are later Saturday
afternoon and the 100-mile Weld Racing Silver Crown race gets
the green flag
at 12:30 pm Sunday.
"This might have been the best car I've ever had," said
the jubilant
Darland in the Springfield winner's circle. Dave also won at the
Springfield
mile in 1997 and 1999.
Yeley, leading all three USAC National Series standings, fought
an
ill-handling car and finished 17th, eight laps behind the winner
after
making numerous pit stops for adjustments on yellow flags.
Darland won the pole for the race at 119.047 mph. and was trailed
at the
checkered flag by Jerry Coons, Jr., Tyler Walker, Jay Drake and
Tracy Hines.
Coons caught Darland on a restart and led lap 21 but Darland regained
the
lead the next lap and was never again headed.
""It's too bad the day's over," said Darland, who
attributed the win to a
great car. "We weren't good on restarts but once we got the
momentum we were
OK."
The race was halted on lap 90 for a five-car accident at the end
of the
frontstretch but there were no serious injuries. Tom Capie, one
of three
drivers who flipped during the melee, was transported to a Springfield
hospital for a precautionary checkup. Brian Tyler and Rich Tobias,
Jr. also
flipped.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER
CROWN SERIES STANDINGS
1. J.J. Yeley 383
2. Dave Darland 374
3. Dave Steele 370
4. Tracy Hines 330
5. Jay Drake 288
6. Paul White 269
7. Tyler Walker 227
8. Brian Tyler 225
9. Jason McCord 179
10. Rich Tobias, Jr. 172
"HUT
HUNDRED" MIDGET RACE RESCHEDULED FOR SEPT. 25
The 52nd running of
one of America's most traditional auto races - the
Clabber Girl "Hut Hundred" - has been scheduled for
Thursday night,
September 25, at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track.
The 100-lap race is
part of the 2003 USAC National Midget Car Series but
was rained out on its original date of June 13. The race was previously
rescheduled for September 6 but a conflict with scheduled activities
at the
Vigo County Fairgrounds precluded the race from being conducted
on that date.
The race now shares
the fourth week in September with two other traditional
racing events in the Indianapolis area - the "Indianapolis
Twin 25s" USAC
Midget races at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday, September
26 and the
United States Grand Prix Formula 1 race at the Indianapolis Motor
Speedway
on Sunday, September 28.
Mike Hess of Petersburg,
Ill. is the defending champion of the Clabber Girl
"Hut Hundred," which features a three-abreast, 33-car
starting field on the
1/2-mile dirt Terre Haute oval.
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