By Dick Jordan
A five-horse-race for the TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Championship has developed after the series produced its sixth different winner in six races following Saturday’s “Tony Bettenhausen 100” at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
Only 25 points separate the top-five drivers in the standings entering the September 1 “Ted Horn 100” at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds, currently the penultimate race on 2013. The series is currently slated to conclude with the September 21 “4-Crown Nationals” at the Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio.
A.J. Fike, Saturday’s winner, sits seventh in the points, 80 back of leader Tracy Hines, but with 66 available at DuQuoin, any one of the top-six could actually emerge as the leader after DuQuoin.
Hines’ lead over Jerry Coons Jr. is just nine points, while defending series champion Bobby East is 16 behind. Kody Swanson is 17 back and Chris Windom is 25 in arrears. Brian Tyler’s deficit is 49 points in sixth place.
Fike’s victory in his Liberty Village/McGladrey Beast/Foxco repeated his 2012 victory at Springfield as he led the first seven and last eight laps for the win. Windom led 85 laps before Fike charged to the front on lap 93 for good. Trailing runner-up Windom at the checkered flag were Coons, Hines and Shane Cockrum.
Fike also won the pole for Saturday’s race at 112.062 mph.
2013 TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Point Standings: 1-Tracy Hines-298, 2-Jerry Coons Jr.-289, 3-Bobby East-282, 4-Kody Swanson-281, 5-Chris Windom-273, 6-Brian Tyler-249, 7-A.J. Fike-218, 8-Shane Hollingsworth-182, 9-David Byrne-127, 10-Jarett Andretti-118.