Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. needs only two leading laps in this Sunday’s “Rocky Mountain Classic” to pass Jimmy Sills for the all-time lead in career laps led in the Weld Racing Silver Crown Series. Sills’ record is 1,584 and Steele has 1,583.
Steele leads the series standings as a result of his wire-to-wire victory in Saturday night’s “Richmond Times-Dispatch 100” at the Richmond (Va.) International Raceway. He piloted the Bob East/Tony Stewart Beast/Ford to the win over Brian Tyler, Michael Lewis, Bud Kaeding and Bobby Santos III, averaging 99.321 mph for the 100 laps around the 3/4-mile paved oval. The victory was Steele’s 50th in USAC National competition.
Jay Drake, who is fifth in the current series standings, is the defending Pikes Peak winner, but drivers will be aiming for Dane Carter’s 1-lap track qualifying record of 142.062 mph. The ultimate series qualifying record is 143.093 mph set by Brad Noffsinger at Gateway International Raceway in 2000.
Sunday’s “Rocky Mountain Classic” also includes the USAC National/Western Midgets on the 1-mile paved oval.
Teddy Beach of Donnelsville, Ohio and Josh Wise of Riverside, Calif. join Steele as 2005 USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown race winners in Sunday’s field. Steele also won the opener at Phoenix, Ariz., while Beach and Wise won dirt-track races at Indianapolis and Terre Haute, Ind. respectively.
Steele’s point lead stands at 15 over Wise and Tyler, with Kaeding only 16 behind the leader.
Sunday’s event will conclude with a special concert by Hootie & The Blowfish followed by southern Colorado’s largest fireworks display, saluting America’s Independence.
USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES STANDINGS
1. Dave Steele 183 2. Brian Tyler 168 3. Josh Wise 168 4. Bud Kaeding 167 5. Jay Drake 136 6. Russ Gamester 134 7. Wayne Reutimann, Jr.133 8. Teddy Beach 113 9. Tracy Hines 108 10. Dave Darland 107
