USAC Silver Crown Series Takes to Toledo High-Banks on Sunday
USAC Silver Crown Series Takes to Toledo High-Banks on Sunday
Twenty-five drivers are on the entry list for this Sunday’s Hemelgarn Racing/SuperFitness Rollie Beale Classic for the USAC Silver Crown Series at Toledo Speedway, headlined by Californians Kody Swanson and Logan Seavey, the series’ two championship contenders.
Swanson, already a five-time series champion, has fought hard to stay in championship contention, piecing together a full season – minus the race at Selinsgrove Speedway in Pennsylvania – with three different teams. Through it all, Swanson has extended his all-time series win record with a pair of victories at Lucas Oil Raceway and another on the dirt mile at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, and leads the championship standings by a single point over Seavey headed into Sunday’s finale.
Seavey, the 2018 USAC National Midget Series champion who also has one ARCA Menards Series victory to his credit, cut 25 points off Swanson’s advantage last Saturday night with his second win of the season in the 50-lap sprint at Eldora Speedway. Seavey won earlier in the season at Selinsgrove, one year after making his first career appearance in the Silver Crown division.
Seavey is one of two drivers to have won in all three of USAC’s national series – Silver Crown, Sprint cars, and Midgets – and will be joined at Toledo Speedway by the other. Justin Grant, who won the Silver Crown race at the high-banked Winchester Speedway in Indiana, will pilot event sponsor and 1996 Indianapolis 500-winning car owner Ron Hemelgarn’s potent No. 91 around the fast Glass City half-mile.
The only other time the Silver Crown championship contenders were separated by one point going into the season finale was in 2010, again at Toledo Speedway, with Levi Jones nipping Bud Kaeding by two points – or one position on the track – in the final standings.
Other notable entries include 1990 USAC Sprint car winner at Toledo Speedway Eric Gordon, former Toledo Speedway track record holder Brian Tyler, and former National Midget champion Russ Gamester. Tyler, winner at DuQuoin on Labor Day weekend, and Gamester will both tie Dave Darland for most career Silver Crown series starts by making their 201st appearance. Sylvania native Austin Nemire will also be in the field as he looks to secure his first career series victory in front of his family and friends at his home track.
Sunday’s Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness Rollie Beale Classic features the USAC Silver Crown National Championship plus R & M Recycling Late Model Sportsman and The Vault Factory Stocks. Pits open at 8:30 am ET and grandstands open at 11:15 am with practice set for 11:30 am. Racing will begin at 2pm. Tickets are $25, kids 6-12 are $5, while ages 5 and under are free. Add $1 per ticket for online ticket purchases at http://www.toledospeedway.com/. (Dallas Breeze photo)