By Dick Jordan
Four drivers have a mathematical shot at USAC’s 2011 Traxxas Silver Crown Championship entering the “Rollie Beale 150” series finale October 15 in Toledo, Ohio. Levi Jones has a 12-point lead over Jerry Coons Jr. and is 46 ahead of Kyle Larson and 61 ahead of Tracy Hines with 66 points available at Toledo.
Larson, of Elk Grove, Calif., joined Jack Hewitt in the “4-Crown Nationals” record book Saturday night at Tony Stewart’s Eldora Speedway. Kyle’s victory in the 50-lap Traxxas Silver Crown race completed a “clean sweep” of the USAC races at the half-mile oval as he earlier won the 25-lap Midget and 30-lap Sprint races. He thus becomes only the second driver in the 31-year history of the event to complete a USAC “sweep,” matching Hewitt’s feat of 1998 when he won four main events!
The performance earned the 19-year-old driver a $10,000 cash bonus from track owner Tony Stewart, in addition to the $18,000 he raked in for his three feature wins! “I wish I had a modified ride so I could have matched Hewitt’s feat,” said the humble Larson in victory lane.
Starting on the pole, Larson slipped behind series point leader Levi Jones for four laps but he led the last 46 in his IWX Motor Freight/Hoosier Tire Eagle/Speedway Chevy. Jones finished second ahead of Bryan Clauson, Coons and Hines. It was a magical night and one race fans in attendance will not soon forget. Perfection is a word used seldom in open-wheel racing, but Larson exemplified the word Saturday.
USAC TRAXXAS SILVER CROWN POINT STANDINGS
1-Levi Jones-366; 2-Jerry Coons Jr.-354; 3-Kyle Larson-320; 4-Tracy Hines-305; 5-Tanner Swanson-284; 6-Brian Tyler-271; 7-Bud Kaeding-269; 8-Bobby East-258; 9-Bryan Clauson-212; 10-Derek Hagar-185.