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USAC: Sills eyes Sacramento after winning Coors Light Silver Bullet '4-Crown'

28 September 1999

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif., the only three-time champion of the USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet Series, led all 50 laps to win Saturday night's 19th Annual "4-Crown Nationals" feature event at the Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. He won the pole starting position Friday night with a speed of 107.771 mph. on the 1/2-mile dirt track, then beat defending race winner Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio to the checkered flag by about a quarter-lap. The win was Sills' second in "4-Crown" action, also taking the 1996 Sprint Car race.

"It was easy to go fast tonight," said an elated Sills in victory lane. "I wasn't 100 percent sure we'd make it to the end but we did. I had a bad vibration after we packed the right rear wheel midway through and bisltered a left rear tire, but I've got a terrific crew and they set up a great car.

It's nice to go home (Sacramento) with this win under my belt. Rounding out the "top-five" behind Sills and Hewitt at the finish were J.J. Yeley, Greg Wilson and Todd Kane. Wilson, of Benton Ridge, Ohio, earned the Turbines, Inc. "Rookie of the Race" Award.

Saturday night's race was red-flagged on lap five when Bill Rose flipped in turn four. He escaped injury.

Ryan Newman of South Bend, Ind. and Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind. finished eighth and 14th respectively, leaving Newman clutching a 35-point lead over Gamester going into the October 9 race at CalExpo State Fairgrounds in Sacramento, Calif.

1999 USAC COORS LIGHT SILVER BULLET SERIES STANDINGS

1. Ryan Newman 540 6. Dave Darland 378
2. Russ Gamester 505 7. Jimmy Sills 369
3. Jack Hewitt 450 8. J.J. Yeley 354
4. Tracy Hines 412 9. Tony Elliott 352
5. Brian Tyler 405 10. Jason Leffler 264

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