By Dick Jordan
Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa hosts the next outing for the USAC Silver Crown Championship Series and Levi Jones of Olney, Ill., fresh from his initial series victory, will lead the series to the 7/8-mile paved oval.
Jones won Sunday afternoon’s 50-lap Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt” feature at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., passing defending three-time series champion Bud Kaeding on the final lap. The victory in the Tony Stewart Racing Bass Pro Shops/Chevy Maxim/Kistler Chevy was Jones’ first in series competition and a record-tying 23rd for his team, which now stands tied with Team 6R.
Three times previously a runner-up but never a feature winner in Silver Crown, Jones, who earned his third USAC National Sprint Car title last year, finished second to Cameron Dodson in last year’s 100-lap race at Iowa Speedway.
Jones paced Friday’s Silver Crown qualifying at Tucson, then won the “dash” to earn the pole starting position for Sunday’s 50-lap race, which had been postponed from Saturday due to rain. Kaeding led the first 49 laps before Jones made his winning move. Kaeding finished second ahead of Bobby East, Jerry Coons Jr. and Tracy Hines. Coleman Gulick won Sunday’s 12-lap “qualifying race.”
USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Levi Jones-63; 2-Bud Kaeding-60; 3-Bobby East-54; 4-Jerry Coons Jr.-51; 5-Tracy Hines-48; 6-Shane Hollingsworth-45; 7-A.J. Fike-42; 8-Derek Hagar-39; 9-Brian Tyler-36; 10-Russ Gamester-33.