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 LAKEVILLE,
IN -- J.J. Yeley continues his trek towards becoming only the second
USAC driver ever to win the USAC triple-crown. Only Tony Stewart has
accomplished that feat and ironically, Stewart is Yeley's car owner in
two of the three series'. After rain forced the rescheduling of
Friday's race in Terre Haute in the USAC National Midget Car Series to
September 6th, the series traveled north on Sunday to Kokomo, Indiana
for a 30-lap feature race which was won by J.J. Yeley. The win was
Yeley's fifth in ten races this season in the series. On Saturday, the
USAC Silver Crown Series contested a marathon 100-lap race also at
Terre Haute. Again it was Yeley capturing the win after leading 98 of
the 100 race laps. Yeley has now won three of the four races contested
to date in the series. Finally, the Indiana Ford Focus Series made a
stop at Plymouth Speedway in Plymouth, Indiana on Saturday. The 20-lap
feature had three different race leaders and was eventually won by
Ryan Hamilton.
USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES
TERRE HAUTE, IN (June 14) -- The USAC Silver Crown Series raced
at the Terre Haute Action Track on Saturday. Hoosier engineer Jon
Huffman attended the race and provided the details for this report.
Jay Drake set fast time with a lap of 20.170 seconds around the
1/2-mile track. Drake used a D12/RD12 (LR/RR) combination. Kevin
Huntley, J.J. Yeley and Tracy Hines were the four fastest in
qualifying. All four drivers were riding on Hoosier tires. In fact, 26
of the 32 hopefuls rode on Hoosiers.
In the 100-lap feature, Kevin Huntley led the first
lap before giving way to J.J. Yeley on the second circuit. Yeley
dominated the race, but was challenged late when Huntley regained the
lead on lap 97, before being overtaken by Yeley who went on to capture
the win. It was Yeley's third win in the series which has contested
four events in 2003.
The Hoosier brand collected the first six spots in the
feature race and seven out of the top ten. Kevin Huntley finished in
second followed by Dave Darland, Paul White, Matt Westfall and Dave
Steele rounding out the top six. Levi Jones (8th) and Jason McCord
(9th) completed the list of top-ten Hoosier-shod drivers.
J.J. Yeley currently leads the point standings in the
USAC Silver Crown Series with 240 points followed by Dave Steele with
178 points.
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CAR SERIES
KOKOMO, IN (June 15) -- The National Midget Car Series competed at
Kokomo Speedway on Sunday. Thirty cars were entered in qualifying with
26 posting times. Tracy Hines set fast time of the event with his lap
of 15.640 seconds around the 1/4-mile oval.
Dave Darland, J.J. Yeley and Shane Hollingsworth were
the three heat race winners.
In the 30-lap feature, Ron Gregory took the early race
lead until lap four. That's when Tracy Hines took a turn out front.
But Hines' lead would be short lived when J.J. Yeley moved into the
lead on the sixth lap. Yeley led the remainder of the way to take the
win--his fifth in the ten races contested to date in the series.
Jay Drake finished in second place followed by Jerry
Coons, Jr., Shane Cottle and Ron Gregory in third through fifth,
respectively.
J.J. Yeley leads the USAC National Midget Car
standings with 542 points followed by Bobby East with 518 points,
while Tracy Hines is third in the rankings with 510 points. Yeley
current leads the USAC Midget, Silver Crown and Sprint Car Series on
his quest to join Tony Stewart as the only driver ever to win all
three championships in the same year.
The USAC National Midget Car Series competes
exclusively on Hoosier tires.
INDIANA FORD FOCUS SERIES
PLYMOUTH, IN (June 14) -- The USAC Indiana Ford Focus Series had
another successful outing over the weekend. This time it was at
Plymouth Speedway in nearby Plymouth, Indiana. Sixteen cars made the
journey to the northwestern Indiana 3/8-mile track located just a few
miles from Hoosier's manufacturing facility.
Brice Kenyon and Bill Jones were the two preliminary
heat race winners to set the field for the night's 20-lap feature.
In the 20-lap feature, there were three different race
leaders starting with Ryan Litt who led the first three circuits. On
lap four, Tate Martz took the lead. Martz led until lap 16, when Ryan
Hamilton moved into the lead for good. Earlier Hamilton finished
fourth in his heat. Robbie Ray took second place, while Tate Martz,
Ryan Litt and Ronnie Wuerdeman rounded out the top five.
Although only a 20-lapper, the race proved to be an
exciting one for all those in attendance.
Robbie Ray currently leads the series in its inaugural
season with 239 points. Ray is followed by young Trenton Darland with
206 points and Tate Martz with 205 points.
The Indiana Ford Focus Series competes exclusively on
Hoosier tires and serves as an entry-level series for drivers wanting
to gain open wheel experience on both dirt and asphalt surfaces.
The exciting new series will next compete at Anderson
Speedway on June 21st.
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