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USAC: Yeley wins '4-Crown'; Heads for Sacramento this Saturday

3 October 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Ariz. captured Saturday night's 50-lap "4-Crown Nationals" Coors Light Silver Bullet race at the Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. Yeley's victory was the second in a row for the Snider/Foyt Racing Team, who put Jimmy Sills in victory lane in this race last year.

Yeley will also try to win this Saturday night's 100-miler at CalExpo State Fairgrounds in Sacramento, Calif. for the Snider/Foyt team, who won last year's Sacramento race with Sills.

Sills was pressing Yeley for the lead at Eldora when he flipped on the backstretch on the 44th lap. He was uninjured and is also entered for this Saturday's race at Sacramento.

Practice for the CalExpo event, round 12 of this year's 14-round Coors Light Silver Bullet campaign, begins at 4:15 pm and the program of racing also includes invitational sprint cars, which have a 25-mile feature on tap on the 1-mile dirt oval. A 15-mile Silver Bullet "qualifying race" will precede the 100-lap main event.

Trailing Yeley to the checkered flag at Eldora was new series point leader Dave Darland, who emerged with an eight-point lead over Tracy Hines in the new standings. Hines finished fifth in the 50-lap race. Greg Wilson, Brad Noffsinger and Hines rounded out the "top-five" at the checkered flag.

"I knew Darland was behind me, but I knew he couldn't get by me without a great slide job," said Yeley in victory lane. "I didn't know Jimmy (Sills) crashed, but I figured I could stay ahead of him if I held my line. It's nice to win this race, it's a big one."

Brad Fox, who finished 12th, earned the Oliver Trucking "Rookie of the Race" Award. Russ Gamester won the 20-lap "qualifying race" and Yeley was the fastest qualifier in his True Value Special.

Winners of the other "4-Crown Nationals" events were; Kasey Kahne of Enumclaw, Wash. (Midget Cars), Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind. (Sprint Cars) and Jim Shereck of St. Charles, Mo. (Modifieds).

USAC COORS LIGHT SILVER BULLET SERIES STANDINGS

1. Dave Darland 452
2. Tracy Hines 444
3. Brian Tyler 422
4. Brad Noffsinger 398
5. J.J. Yeley 388
6. Jack Hewitt 364
7. John Heydenreich 360
8. Tony Elliott 339
9. Russ Gamester 306
10. Kasey Kahne 302

Text Provided By Dick Jordan

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