By Dick Jordan
Jerry Coons Jr. and Tanner Swanson are tied for the 2011 USAC TRAXXAS Silver Crown Championship point lead going into the August 20 “Tony Bettenhausen 100” at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. Swanson finished third and Coons seventh in last Thursday night’s “J.D. Byrider 100” at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, creating the tie for the point lead.
Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif., now fully recovered from a devastating crash during this year’s “Hut Hundred” USAC Midget race in May, made a sensational return to the TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Championship Series Thursday, winning the “J.D. Byrider 100” at Lucas Oil Raceway in his Toyota/Team Six-R Beast/Toyota.
Swanson took the lead from Levi Jones on lap 20 and led the rest of the way despite late-race pressure from pole starter Tracy Hines, who finished a close second. Tanner Swanson was third, ahead of Jones and Bobby Santos III.
NASCAR stars Ryan Newman and Jason Leffler competed, Newman finishing eighth and Leffler leading the first 15 laps before a late-race spin relegated him to 27th in the official finish order.
USAC TRAXXAS SILVER CROWN POINT STANDINGS
1-Jerry Coons Jr.-201; 2-Tanner Swanson-201; 3-Levi Jones-195; 4-Bobby East-184; 5-Bud Kaeding-171; 6-Bobby Santos III-156; 7-Tracy Hines-152; 8-Brian Tyler-142; 9-Kyle Larson-140; 10-Jacob Wilson-107.