By Dick Jordan
TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown participants in the September 21 “4-Crown Nationals” at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio will be competing for minimum starting purses matching the record in series dirt-track history!
Last place in the 50-lap feature at Eldora will offer $1,000-to-start, up $300 from last year’s minimum payoff. The victory will be worth $8,000.
The “4-Crown Nationals” will pit five drivers in a last-chance battle for the series crown, which will be determined at the conclusion of the 50-lap race. A total of 66 points are available and just 29 separate drivers Bobby East, Jerry Coons Jr., Tracy Hines, Chris Windom and Kody Swanson. Windom and Swanson are seeking their initial TRAXXAS Silver Crown series championships.
“We are pleased to post this minimum purse increase, which reflects the efforts of all involved to augment this series as we move forward,” says series coordinator James Spink. “We hope this is the first step toward similar increases in the future as we continue to develop the series and re-energize the car counts which have been a challenge during the past season.”
For history’s sake, the $1,000 starting money figure matches the 1989 and 1990 postings for the “Golden State 100” in Sacramento, Calif. The 1971 and 1972 Hoosier Hundreds in Indianapolis also resulted in minimum payouts of at least $1,000 but that was augmented by television money.
The last time the TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown series offered starting prizes of $1,000 or more was in 2009 at Phoenix International Raceway on the pavement.