USAC: White surprises DuQuoin field, extends Silver Crown lead
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
September 5, 2001Paul White of Temple, Texas scored his second consecutive dirt-track USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet victory Sunday afternoon in the "Ted Horn 100" at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds. He also won the August 18 "Tony Bettenhausen 100" at Springfield, Ill.
White passed Dave Darland at the white flag as Darland spun into the outside wall in turn one. Paul then paced the final circuit in his Builders Electric Chevy/Beast to beat Jerry Coons, Jr., Russ Gamester, Rich Tobias, Jr. and Dave Steele to the checkered flag.
"I thought Dave had a tire problem, but apparently he was running out of fuel at the end," said a surprised White in victory lane. "I wasn't the fastest car in the first half of the race and was losing time in the corners but at the end we were fast. I guess we'll take a win any way we can get it, but I would have been happy with second."
White's victory left him 27 points ahead of Russ Gamester in the new series standings going into the final two races at Rossburg, Ohio Sept. 22 and Indianapolis, Ind. Sept. 28.
Coons earned his first series pole but slipped behind J.J. Yeley at the start. Yeley led the first 76 laps before ignition problems sent him to the sidelines. Darland then assumed command but a yellow flag for Brad Noffsinger, who hit the wall on the backstretch on lap 99, proved to be his undoing.
Darland led on the restart of lap 99 but as White sailed past on the frontstretch Dave ending up spinning and backed into the first turn wall. He was uninjured.
John Heydenreich of Bloomsburg, Pa. won the "qualifying race."
USAC COORS LIGHT SILVER BULLET SERIES STANDINGS
1. Paul White 499 2. Russ Gamester 472 3. Dave Steele 423 4. J.J. Yeley 370 5. Jerry Coons, Jr. 363 6. Tracy Hines 346 7. Jason McCord 342 8. Brian Tyler 340 9. Ed Carpenter 314 10. Dave Darland 310
Text provided by Dick Jordan
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