From Dick Jordan
Five drivers enter Saturday night’s 33rd “4-Crown Nationals” at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio with a mathematical chance of winning the 2013 TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Championship.
Defending Champion Bobby East leads the parade, holding a five-point lead over 2008 champ Jerry Coons Jr. Tracy Hines, the 2000 champ, sits third in the standings, only 16 back. Chris Windom and Kody Swanson, each seeking their initial Silver Crown titles, are 21 and 29 behind respectively, with a total of 66 points available Saturday.
It’s been 23 years since an entire Silver Crown series had all different winners, but that could end this year since seven different drivers have won in the seven races held to date. In 1990 there were 10 winners in 10 events.
East and Hines have found victory lane this season but Coons, Windom and Swanson could complete the diversified winners list for 2013 with an Eldora win. Coons won the “4-Crown” Silver Crown race in 2007.
The 50-lap Silver Crown race completes Saturday’s USAC lineup at the half-mile oval, which includes a 25-lap Honda National Midget race and a 30-lap AMSOIL National Sprint race.
Added incentive Saturday will be the record-tying $1,000-to-start minimum purse for a dirt-track Silver Crown race.
2013 TRAXXAS USAC Silver Crown Point Standings: 1-Bobby East-339, 2-Jerry Coons Jr.-334, 3-Tracy Hines-323, 4-Chris Windom-318, 5-Kody Swanson-310, 6-A.J. Fike-272, 7-Brian Tyler-249, 8-Shane Hollingsworth-182, 9-Taylor Ferns-162, 10-David Byrne-127.