STEELE EYES ALL-TIME LAP LEADER RECORD AT PIKES PEAK AFTER WIRE-TO-WIRE VICTORY AT RICHMOND

JUNE 27, 2005


             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