Three Former Champs at Top of Title Chase

DuQuoin, IL august 29, 2011-When the crowd filed into the beautiful DuQuoin State Fairgrounds grandstand on September 5, 2010 its doubtful Kody Swanson was one of the favorites picked to win that evening’s Ted Horn 100 USAC Silver Crown race. However, thanks to a new procedure and the Californian keeping his tires under him and his head about him, Swanson walked away with one of the biggest upset wins in DuQuoin championship car history.

Swanson flipped a midget at the Hut Hundred in May and lost several weeks due to injury but returned in time to win the J.D. Byrider 100 at Lucas Oil Raceway Park in July. He will be one of the drivers to watch and one of the former winners on hand as the Traxxas USAC Silver Crown Series visits the picturesque DuQuoin State Fairgrounds for the 60th Ted Horn 100.

Swanson started the 2010 Ted Horn 100 16th of the 31 cars on the grounds and drove a steady pace until the field was stopped on lap 51 under a new USAC procedure. During the ‘intermission’ teams were allowed to work on the cars and refuel but any team that changed tires had to move to the back of the field for the double file restart. Most of the front runners elected to change with the exception of Swanson and Ohio’s Todd Kane. When the field restarted both Swanson and Kane continued the steady pace and did not abuse their remaining rubber. Indiana’s Jon Stanbrough moved through the field and he attempted a banzai pass of Kody Swanson near the end but the Californian regained the lead in the second corner and led the veteran Stanbrough to the checkered flag.

Ironically Swanson’s younger brother Tanner was locked in a duel with 2008 USAC Silver Crown champ Jerry Coons, Jr. for the 2011 crown. Both drivers were tied atop the standings after the Lucas Oil event but Tanner fell victim to an accident in the Tony Bettenhausen 100 and is now fourth in the points. Coons finished third at Springfield after leading early and now has three point lead with three and perhaps four races remaining on the schedule. Tanner is a teammate to Kody and to 2008 Ted Horn 100 winner Brian Tyler while Coons picked up his first 100-mile dirt track win at the Hoosier Hundred in May after over a decade of trying in the big cars. Coons is especially tough at DuQuoin where he has multiple pole positions to his credit and he led the first half of the 2010 event.

At press time just 52 points separated the top 7 drivers with most expected to compete at DuQuoin. Three time USAC Silver Crown champ Bud Kaeding is currently third and on the hunt for an unprecedented fourth title. Kaeding is also in search of his first mile dirt track victory. Indiana’s Bobby East finished seventh in his DuQuoin debut last year and he is currently fourth in the standings with two victories on pavement. 2000 USAC champ Tracy Hines is seventh, followed by Kyle Larson, Bobby Santos and A.J. Fike.

Hines is one of three former winners slated to try for another Horn 100 trophy. Hines won in 2005 and 2006 and is joined by 1997 winner Russ Gamester and 2008 winner Tyler. Tyler may have previewed the Ted Horn 100 for the rest of the field as he started 14th in the Bettenhausen 100 at Springfield . Tyler led by lap 14 and dominated the remainder of the race with the win vaulting him to sixth in points.

The defending USAC Silver Crown champion is one of twelve Illini drivers on USAC’s 2011 dirt track driver roster. Olney’s Levi Jones won the crown last year and returns driving for owner Tony Stewart. He is currently second in the USAC title chase and would like nothing better than to bring home a Ted Horn 100 win before his considerable fan following. Jones finished a strong second in the Bettenhausen 100 moving him within striking distance of point leader Coons. Springfield sends Indy 500 veteran Donnie Beechler and Powri and Badger midget champ Mike Hess to DuQuoin, Elkhart sends Chris Urish, Galesburg sends A.J. Fike, Pocahontas sends Zach Daum and Canton sends Chris Windom.

Two drivers very close to DuQuoin also appear on the entry list as Murphysboro’s Randy Bateman and Benton’s Shane Cockrum suit up for the Ted Horn 100. Bateman qualified on the front row for the 2008 Ted Horn 100 while Cockrum is the son of the late Cliff Cockrum; a standout in Midwest sprint car competition. In 2004 Fike became the first driver in 33 years to drive three different machines on Labor Day weekend at DuQuoin and he should have a stock car ride on Labor Day this year.

Windom is one of the next generation of hungry and fast young pilots currently working their way through the USAC ranks. Windom has numerous sprint car victories in Illinois and Indiana and may join Fike as a stock car driver on Labor Day after his stunning third place finish in the ARCA event at Springfield. The entries of Beechler and Benton, Illinois car owner Ricky Nix are up in the air at press time. Beechler’s car was destroyed in a flip at Springfield. Nix familiar 43 hit the wall at Springfield and the car suffered significant damage.

Indiana’s Byran Clauson is a TSR teammate to Levi Jones and qualified for the front row at Springfield. He currently leads the USAC National Driver standings and made his Indy Lights debut in May. He is one of USAC’s up an coming young drivers, a group that includes Windom, Larson, Daum and Sikeston, Missouri’s Hunter Schuerenberg.

Veteran Dave Darland of Lincoln, Indiana won the1997 USAC Silver Crown title and has three wins each on the miles at Springfield and Indianapolis but has yet to score a win at DuQuoin, coming close in 2001 when he took the white flag while leading but ran out of fuel. Shane Hollingsworth is a second generation driver from Indianapolis who won the Hoosier Hundred in 2009. Jon Srtanbrough moved from Indiana Underground team to a seat as a teammate to Jerry Coons on the RW Motorsports crew.

This mix of veterans, rookies and former winners all join together on Sunday night September 4 at the DuQuoin State Fair for the Ted Horn 100. Practice for the USAC Silver Crown Series begins at 5 p.m. with qualifications at 6:30 and the Ted Horn 100 taking the green flag at approximately 8:00.