USAC: Elliott, Yeley close on point leaders
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
July 10, 2001
"BEALE NIGHT" AT TOLEDO, "TURBINES CLASSIC" AT IRP
Dave Darland leads a tightly-bunched group of point leaders into this weekend's back-to-back Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car Series events at Toledo, Ohio and Indianapolis Raceway Park. Only 24 points separate Dave and Jay Drake atop the list.
Defending series champion Tony Elliott and J.J. Yeley closed ground slightly on the leaders with victories in 30-lap races at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kans. Friday and Saturday nights respectively. Elliott, of Kokomo, Ind., won Friday night's 20-lapper, while Drake, of Val Verde, Calif., won Saturday's 30-lapper on the 1/2-mile dirt track. They reside in third and fourth place respectively in the standings.
This Friday's Hemelgarn Racing "Rollie Beale Night" at Toledo Speedway showcases the series on ESPN and offers the feature winner an Indy Racing Northern Light Series test with the Hemelgarn Racing Team. Hemelgarn, last year's IRL champion, is sponsoring the night which also includes a reunion of former USAC drivers and car owners. Practice at the 1/2-mile paved oval starts at 5 pm, with qualifying at 6:45 and racing at 8. The feature is 30 laps.
Saturday's Turbines, Inc. "Indiana Sprint Classic" at Indianapolis Raceway Park offers Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind. an opportunity to improve his fifth-place point ranking. Hines has won six of the last 11 USAC Sprint Car races at the .686-mile paved oval, but his teammate, Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla., has won the other five! Practice gets under way at 6 pm, followed by qualifying at 7 and racing at 8. A 30-lap feature is on tap.
Elliott passed Darland on the seventh lap of Friday night's Kansas City race and led to the checkered flag in his Stealth/Hoosier Tire/KECO/Lamers Claxton/Stealth to beat Drake, Bill Rose, Robbie Rice and Jerry Coons, Jr. as Darland slipped to eighth. Tracy Hines and Dave Darland led laps before yielding to Elliott.
Yeley led the first 11 laps and the final 10 laps of Saturday's Kansas City feature in his ABC Sand & Rock/GMS/Red Line Oil/Hoosier/AFCO Shocks Snyder/Twister. Hines, Rose, Darland and Bud Kaeding followed at the checkered flag, while Drake encountered problems while leading and failed to finish. Hines also led a lap before slipping behind Drake on lap 13.
Turbines, Inc. fast qualifiers were Drake on Friday and Levi Jones on Saturday.
STOOPS FREIGHTLINER USAC SPRINT CAR SERIES STANDINGS
1. Dave Darland 685
2. Jay Drake 661
3. J.J. Yeley 627
4. Tony Elliott 598
5. Tracy Hines 568
6. Robbie Rice 503
7. Bill Rose 459
8. Bud Kaeding 445
9. Derek Davidson 422
10. Levi Jones 303
Text provided by Dick Jordan
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