From Dick Jordan
Only 12 points separate defending USAC Traxxas Silver Crown Champion Levi Jones and former champion Jerry Coons Jr. entering Saturday’s “Rollie Beale 150” series finale at the Toledo (Ohio) Speedway. They are the forerunners for the 2011 title but challengers Kyle Larson and Tracy Hines could pose a threat before the final checkered flag falls.
Larson ranks third in the standings, 46 out of the lead, with Hines fourth, 61 back of Jones. A total of 66 points are available at Toledo.
Jones is working on a “double” again this year, hoping to repeat as the USAC Traxxas Silver Crown and AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car king. Those two titles would elevate him to a lofty position in the all-time USAC National Championship category. Not only would he become USAC’s first five-time National Sprint champ, he would own seven USAC National titles. Only A.J. Foyt has more, with a total of 10 during his illustrious career. Rich Vogler and Mel Kenyon also have seven National titles to their credit.
Coons won last year’s inaugural “Rollie Beale 150” celebrating the career of USAC’s 1973 National Sprint Car Champion, a Toledo native. Jones finished seventh in last year’s Toledo race to edge Bud Kaeding for the 2010 title by two points.
Saturday’s race is 150 laps around Toledo’s challenging half-mile banked pavement. Coons won the pole last year with his one-lap track qualifying record of 120.240 mph.
The 2011 Traxxas Silver Crown series has been somewhat unpredictable, with five different winners in seven races. Bobby East and Kyle Larson have “doubled up” but Coons, Kody Swanson and Brian Tyler also have posted victories. Tyler leads in terms of all-time career series starts, with 172.
Saturday’s activities at Toledo also include practice and qualifying for Sunday’s 200-lap ARCA Stock Car race as well as USAC’s Mopar D1 Midget competition.
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.