By Dick Jordan
Rich Vogler won a record 171 USAC races during his meteoric career and his memory will be honored again Sunday when the AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Series returns to the Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the track’s “Oldtimers Weekend.” Vogler won 10 times in USAC competition at Winchester, five times in the Midgets and five in the Sprints.
Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind. is the defending “Rich Vogler Classic” champion and stands sixth in the current National standings. Former race winner Bryan Clauson is also expected to be among drivers vying for victory at the half-mile high-banked paved oval.
Levi Jones continued to pace the AMSOIL National standings entering Sunday’s race. He is 77 points ahead of Damion Gardner and 89 ahead of Clauson.
Shane Hmiel of Pleasant Garden, N.C. led all 50 laps to win Saturday night’s 51st “Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial” AMSOIL USAC National Sprint race at the Salem Speedway. In his Rotondo Weirich/Benic Enterprises Beast/ITI Performance machine. Trailing Hmiel at the checkered flag were fast qualifier Hines, Clauson, Henry Clarke and Brian Gerster. Jones escaped injury when he hit the wall on lap 29.
Bud Kaeding of Campbell, Calif. raked in the $15,000-to-win prize for winning Tuesday night’s Casey’s General Stores “Ultimate Challenge” AMSOIL USAC National Sprint race at Southern Iowa Speedway. The victory was the second in three nights for USAC’s Silver Crown point leader. He also won last Sunday night’s “Non-Wing Knoxville Nationals” at the Knoxville (Iowa) Raceway. Kaeding wheeled his Alviso Rock/High Five Pizza Maxim/Speedway Chevy past Clauson on lap 10 and led the rest of the way to beat Clauson, Jones, Gardner and Dave Darland.
USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Levi Jones-1,659, 2-Damion Gardner-1,582, 3-Bryan Clauson-1,570, 4-Jerry Coons Jr.-1,433, 5-Chris Windom-1,395, 6-Tracy Hines-1,381, 7-Henry Clarke-1,122, 8-Dave Darland-1,086, 9-Shane Hmiel-989, 10-Jon Stanbrough-773.
USAC NATIONAL SPRINT DIRT POINT STANDINGS
1-Levi Jones-1,404, 2-Damion Gardner-1,287, 3-Bryan Clauson-1,245, 4-Chris Windom-1,169, 5-Jerry Coons Jr.-1,129, 6-Tracy Hines-1,089, 7-Dave Darland-1,086, 8-Henry Clarke-828, 9-Jon Stanbrough-767, 10-Robert Ballou-666.
USAC NATIONAL SPRINT PAVEMENT POINT STANDINGS
1-Shane Hmiel-355, 2-Bryan Clauson-325, 3-Jerry Coons Jr.-308, 4-Damion Gardner-297, 5-Tracy Hines-295, 6-Henry Clarke-294, 7-JoJo Helberg-265, 8-Levi Jones-251, 9-Kody Swanson-238, 10-Chris Windom-227.