By Richie Murray
Oregon, Wisconsin (June 23, 2021)………The lone trip for the USAC Silver Crown National Championship to the Badger State in 2021 takes the series on the highway to Madison International Speedway in Oregon, Wisconsin this Friday night, June 25, for the third running of the Bytec Dairyland 100.
The half-mile paved oval begins a rare pavement-dirt, back-to-back night doubleheader weekend with the USAC Silver Crown series Friday at Madison for 100 laps and Saturday, June 26, on the dirt for 50 laps at Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway.
The Dairyland 100 has been mastered by five-time series champion Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.) who has won both series events there in 2018 and 2019. The 2021 opening race winner at Indiana’s Lucas Oil Raceway also possesses the one-lap track record for the series at Madison with a time of 16.852 sec. (106.812 mph), set in 2019. Swanson’s 100-lap time of 36:49.04 set in 2018 is the record for the distance.
Bobby Santos (Franklin, Mass.), a recent sweeper of sprint car and midget events on the pavement of Lucas Oil Raceway last week during the track’s Thursday Night Thunder homecoming, has earned two consecutive top-four results in Silver Crown competition at Madison, finishing 2nd in 2018 and 4th in 2019.
For David Byrne (Shullsburg, Wis.), this is one event he looks forward to all season long. His lone chance to shine in front of a home state crowd with the series, Byrne has had a pair of notable runs in his two shots thus far. The one-time USAC Silver Crown winner earned hard charger honors in 2018, driving from 19th to a 7th place finish. In 2019, Byrne possessed the lead early, running at the head of the pack for 12 laps before finishing 3rd.
Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.) was the first-ever Silver Crown driver to garner quick time honors at Madison in 2018, starting from the pole, leading 42 laps and finishing 3rd. The reigning USAC Silver Crown driving champion, and current second-place driver, was running 4th at the halfway mark in 2019 at Madison when his transmission let go, spelling an early and unfortunate end to his bid for a first career series pavement victory.
Eric Gordon’s (Fortville, Ind.) one USAC Silver Crown win came in the state of Wisconsin via the Milwaukee Mile during his Rookie year of 1990. Gordon started 3rd in the 2018 Madison race and was running 5th when he lost the brakes just 17 laps into the 100-lapper. The nine-time Little 500 winner found a bit of redemption a year later in 2019 when he started 10th and finished 5th.
Travis Welpott (Pendleton, Ind.), the 1993 UMRA TQ Midget titlist, finished 8th in 2018 at Madison and was running 8th again at the halfway point in 2019 when he became entangled in Grant’s transmission fluid and made hard contact with the turn three outside wall, ultimately finishing 18th.
Third in series points, Kyle Robbins (New Castle, Ind.), is coming off a 5th place finish at Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove last Friday. The 2018 Silver Crown Rookie of the Year earned a 10th place Madison result in his first year with the series. In 2019, he earned hard charger honors, finishing 12th after starting 20th.
All making their third appearances with the USAC Silver Crown series at Madison are a number of series veterans. Toni Breidinger (Hillsborough, Calif.), the 2016 Western Pavement HPD Midget champion and recent guest on The Ellen DeGeneres Show and the Today Show, has finished 12th in 2018 and 11th in 2019 at Madison.
At Madison, Patrick Lawson (Edwardsville, Ill.) was 14th in 2018 and 19th in 2019; Mike Haggenbottom (Levittown, Pa.) was 15th in 2018 and 13th in 2019. Derek Bischak (Angola, Ind.), the 2019 Silver Crown Rookie of the Year, was 18th in 2018 and 8th in 2019; while 2014 USAC Midwest HPD Dirt and Pavement Midget champion and fifth in the current points, Austin Nemire (Sylvania, Ohio), was 16th in 2019.
Madison USAC Silver Crown debuts will be turned in by 2021 series point leader Shane Cottle (Kansas, Ill.); Silver Crown Rookie point leader and 2018 USAC National Midget champion Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.); 2020 Silver Crown Rookie of the Year Bryan Gossel (Fort Collins, Colo.) and 2014 USAC Pavement Midget champion Kyle O’Gara (Beech Grove, Ind.).
A first-ever USAC Silver Crown appearance of any kind for Madison is Mike McVetta of Grafton, Ohio, who will step into the Dick & Deborah Myers No. 94 driven in recent years by Brian Gerster. Gerster recently stepped away from driving duties for the team, allowing McVetta the new opportunity.
McVetta captured Midwest Supermodified Series (MSS) championships in 2018 and 2019, the Buckeye Super Sprint title in 2011, and owns the supermodified track record at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway. The owner of numerous feature triumphs at Ohio’s Sandusky Speedway over the past two decades, in June of 2020, McVetta scored a dominating MSS victory at Lucas Oil Raceway.
Friday night’s Bytec Dairyland 100 will feature the USAC Silver Crown National Championship, 602 Late Models and Midwest Dash.
Pits open at 2:30pm CDT and the grandstands at 4pm, with the drivers meeting at 4pm and practice starting at 4:45pm in three different segments: 4:45-5:05, 5:25-5:45 and 6:05-6:25, followed by qualifying and racing.
Tickets sold at the gate are $25 for adults, $22 for seniors, $15 for students age 12-17, $5 for kids age 6-11, and free for children age 5 and under. Pit passes are $30 for members and $40 for non-members.
Advance tickets are available at https://misracing.com/tickets/ with adult tickets at $20 and seniors $18. A family ticket plan for 2 adults and up to 4 students/children is just $50.
The Bytec Dairyland 100 will be streamed live on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/3dgONXz.
2021 USAC SILVER CROWN POINTS: 1-Shane Cottle-116, 2-Justin Grant-110, 3-Kyle Robbins-99, 4-David Byrne-91, 5-Austin Nemire-80, 6-Mike Haggenbottom-78, 7-Logan Seavey-75, 8-Eric Gordon-74, 9-Shane Cockrum-73, 10-Bryan Gossel-72.
TRACK RECORD FOR USAC SILVER CROWN AT MADISON INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY:
1 Lap – 6/28/2019 – Kody Swanson – 16.852 – 106.812 mph
100 Laps – 6/29/2018 – Kody Swanson – 36:49.04 – 81.483 mph
MADISON USAC SILVER CROWN WINS:
2-Kody Swanson
MADISON USAC SILVER CROWN WINNERS:
2018: Kody Swanson (6/29)
2019: Kody Swanson (6/28)
USAC SILVER CROWN WINS IN WISCONSIN:
2-Kody Swanson
1-Mike Bliss, Jay Drake, Bobby East, Eric Gordon, Wayne Reutimann Jr., George Snider & Dave Steele
PAST USAC SILVER CROWN RESULTS AT MADISON INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY:
2018 FEATURE: (100 laps – starting position in parentheses) 1. Kody Swanson (2), 2. Bobby Santos (6), 3. Justin Grant (1), 4. Jim Anderson (8), 5. Chris Windom (5), 6. Jerry Coons Jr. (7), 7. David Byrne (19), 8. Travis Welpott (9), 9. Matt Goodnight (11), 10. Kyle Robbins (14), 11. Kyle Hamilton (4), 12. Toni Breidinger (15), 13. Aaron Pierce (18), 14. Patrick Lawson (13), 15. Mike Haggenbottom (17), 16. Dave Darland (10), 17. Austin Blair (16), 18. Derek Bischak (12), 19. Eric Gordon (3). 36:49.04
2019 FEATURE: (100 laps, starting position in parentheses) 1. Kody Swanson (1), 2. Kyle Hamilton (3), 3. David Byrne (2), 4. Bobby Santos (5), 5. Eric Gordon (10), 6. Jim Anderson (11), 7. Cody Gallogly (8), 8. Derek Bischak (6), 9. Kevin Thomas, Jr. (13), 10. Russ Gamester (14), 11. Toni Breidinger (15), 12. Kyle Robbins (20), 13. Mike Haggenbottom (17), 14. Chris Windom (12), 15. Cody Gerhardt (18), 16. Austin Nemire (9), 17. Justin Grant (4), 18. Travis Welpott (7), 19. Patrick Lawson (21), 20. Matt Goodnight (16), 21. Chris Dyson (19). NT
MADISON USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRY LIST:
06 Bryan Gossel/Fort Collins, CO
1 Kyle O’Gara/Beech Grove, IN
2 Patrick Lawson/Edwardsville, IL
7 Kyle Robbins/New Castle, IN
16 Austin Nemire/Sylvania, OH
18 Travis Welpott/Pendleton, IN
22 Bobby Santos/Franklin, MA
24 Mike Haggenbottom/Levittown, PA
40 David Byrne/Shullsburg, WI
77 Kody Swanson/Kingsburg, CA
80 Toni Breidinger/Hillsborough, CA
81 Shane Cottle/Kansas, IL
91 Justin Grant/Ione, CA
94 Mike McVetta/Grafton OH
99 Eric Gordon/Fortville, IN
131 Derek Bischak/Angola, IN
222 Logan Seavey/Sutter, CA
2021 USAC SILVER CROWN STAT LEADERS:
Most Wins: 1-Shane Cockrum & Kody Swanson
Driver Point Leader: Shane Cottle
Entrant Point Leader: BCR Group
Leading Rookie in Points: Logan Seavey (7th)
Most Laps Led: 63-Bobby Santos
Most Top-Fives: 1-Brady Bacon, David Byrne, Shane Cockrum, Shane Cottle, Taylor Ferns, Justin Grant, Kyle Robbins, Bobby Santos, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
Most Top-Tens: 2-Shane Cottle & Justin Grant
Most Fast Qualifying Times: 1-Jason McDougal & Tanner Swanson
Most Feature Starts: 2-Dave Berkheimer, David Byrne, Shane Cottle, Matt Goodnight, Eric Gordon, Bryan Gossel, Justin Grant, Mike Haggenbottom, Austin Nemire, Kyle Robbins, Logan Seavey & Travis Welpott
Most Positions Advanced in a Race: May 29: Jun 18: Williams Grove Speedway – Eric Gordon (22nd to 11th)
——————————————————————————
2021 USAC SILVER CROWN SCHEDULE & RESULTS
May 29: (P#) Lucas Oil Raceway – Brownsburg, IN
WINNER: Kody Swanson (Doran Enterprises #77)
Jun 18: (D) Williams Grove Speedway – Mechanicsburg, PA
WINNER: Shane Cockrum (BLS Motorsports #71)
Jun 25: (P) Madison International Speedway – Oregon, WI
Jun 26: (D) Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH
Jul 22 (P) Winchester Speedway – Winchester, IN
Aug 8: (D) Selinsgrove Speedway – Selinsgrove, PA
Aug 14: (P) Lucas Oil Raceway – Brownsburg, IN
Aug 21: (D#) Illinois State Fairgrounds – Springfield, IL
Sep 4: (D) Du Quoin State Fairgrounds – Du Quoin, IL
Sep 25: (D) Eldora Speedway – Rossburg, OH
Oct 10: (P#) Toledo Speedway – Toledo, OH
———————— KEY DEFINITIONS ————————-
(D) represents a dirt event
(P) represents a pavement event
# represents a daytime event
—————————————————————————-
2021 USAC SILVER CROWN DRIVER POINT STANDINGS: (TOP-10)
POS. PTS. DRIVER, HOMETOWN
1 116 Shane Cottle, Kansas, Ill.
2 110 Justin Grant, Ione, Calif.
3 99 Kyle Robbins, New Castle, Ind.
4 91 David Byrne, Shullsburg, Wis.
5 80 Austin Nemire, Sylvania, Ohio
6 78 Mike Haggenbottom, Levittown, Pa.
7 75 Logan Seavey (R), Sutter, Calif.
8 74 Eric Gordon, Fortville, Ind.
9 73 Shane Cockrum, Benton, Ill.
10 72 Bryan Gossel, Fort Collins, Colo.
—————————————————————————-
2021 USAC SILVER CROWN OWNER POINT STANDINGS: (TOP-10)
POS. PTS. ENTRANT, TEAM LOCATION
1 116 BCR Group, Springfield, Ohio (#81)
2 110 Hemelgarn Racing, LaSalle, Mich. (#91)
3 99 KR Racing, Greenfield, Ind. (#7)
4 91 Byrne Racing, Shullsburg, Wis. (#40)
5 80 Nemire-Lesko Racing, Toledo, Ohio (#16)
6 78 John Haggenbottom, Bristol, Pa. (#24)
7 75 Rice Motorsports, Brownsburg, Ind. (#222)
8 74 Brad & Tara Armstrong, New Palestine, Ind. (#99)
9 73 BLS Motorsports, Benton, Ill. (#71)
10 72 Bryan Gossel, Fort Collins, Colo. (#06)
—————————————————————————-
2021 USAC SILVER CROWN ROOKIE DRIVER POINT STANDINGS: (TOP-10)
POS. PTS. DRIVER, HOMETOWN
1 75 Logan Seavey, Sutter, Calif.
2 58 Jason McDougal, Broken Arrow, Okla.
3 52 Carmen Perigo, Stoystown, Pa.
4 39 Casey Buckman, Chandler, Ariz. & Kyle O’Gara, Beech Grove, Ind.
6 29 Annie Breidinger, Hillsborough, Calif.
7 27 Jake Day, Abilene, Texas
8 25 Kyle Cummins, Princeton, Ind.
9 22 Nathan Byrd, Goodyear, Ariz. & Charles Davis Jr.
—————————————————————————-
RACE WINS:
1-Shane Cockrum (June 18 at Williams Grove Speedway)
1-Kody Swanson (May 29 at Lucas Oil Raceway)
—————————————————————————-
LAPS LED:
63-Bobby Santos
37-Kody Swanson
28-Shane Cockrum
26-Jason McDougal
24-Justin Grant
22-Logan Seavey
—————————————————————————-
TOP-FIVE FINISHES:
1-Brady Bacon, David Byrne, Shane Cockrum, Shane Cottle, Taylor Ferns, Justin Grant, Kyle Robbins, Bobby Santos, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
—————————————————————————-
TOP-TEN FINISHES:
2-Shane Cottle & Justin Grant
1-Jim Anderson, Brady Bacon, Robert Ballou, David Byrne, Shane Cockrum, Taylor Ferns, Mike Haggenbottom, Patrick Lawson, Jason McDougal, Austin Nemire, Carmen Perigo, Kyle Robbins, Bobby Santos, Logan Seavey, Kody Swanson & Chris Windom
—————————————————————————-
FEATURE STARTS:
2-Dave Berkheimer, David Byrne, Shane Cottle, Matt Goodnight, Eric Gordon, Bryan Gossel, Justin Grant, Mike Haggenbottom, Austin Nemire, Kyle Robbins, Logan Seavey & Travis Welpott
1-Jim Anderson, Brady Bacon, Robert Ballou, Annie Breidinger, Casey Buckman, Nathan Byrd, Shane Cockrum, Kyle Cummins, Charles Davis Jr., Jake Day, Taylor Ferns, Patrick Lawson, Jason McDougal, Kyle O’Gara, Carmen Perigo, Bobby Santos, Kody Swanson, Tanner Swanson, Matt Westfall, Chris Windom & Brent Yarnal
—————————————————————————-
FATHEADZ EYEWEAR FAST QUALIFYING TIMES:
1-Jason McDougal & Tanner Swanson
—————————————————————————-
TOP “ROOKIE” FINISHER OF THE RACE:
May 29: Lucas Oil Raceway – Logan Seavey (7th)
Jun 18: Williams Grove Speedway – Jason McDougal (6th)
—————————————————————————-
KSE RACING PRODUCTS “HARD CHARGER” OF THE RACE:
May 29: Lucas Oil Raceway – Patrick Lawson (17th to 9th)
Jun 18: Williams Grove Speedway – Eric Gordon (22nd to 11th)
—————————————————————————-
WILWOOD BRAKES 13TH PLACE FINISHER:
May 29: Lucas Oil Raceway – Bryan Gossel
Jun 18: Williams Grove Speedway – Austin Nemire