STEELE REPEATS AS SILVER CROWN CHAMPION DARLAND TAKES ELDORA FINALE AGAIN!

SEPTEMBER 26, 2005

             Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. repeated as USAC's Weld Racing 
Silver Crown Champion Saturday, finishing 10th in the series finale at 
Rossburg, Ohio and edging series runner-up Josh Wise by 19 points for the 
championship. Steele and his Bob East/Tony Stewart team will be celebrated 
for the championship at the USAC Champions Night in January in Indianapolis.

             Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. captured Saturday's 50-lap 
"4-Crown Nationals" feature at the Eldora Speedway, leading all 50 laps 
despite a souring engine in the closing laps. His victory in the Jarvis 
Enterprises/Foxco Racing Engines Beast boosted him to sixth in the final 
series points. Mat Neely, John Heydenreich, Kevin Huntley and Rob Chaney 
trailed him to the checkered flag.

             Wise and Brian Tyler, mathematically in the title chase at 
Eldora, were both involved in a four-car incident on lap 42, virtually 
ending their bids to unseat Steele as the champion. Wise restarted and 
finished seventh while Tyler was unable to restart. Wise established a new 
track qualifying record of 117.386 mph on Friday and Mat Neely won the 
15-lap qualifying race.

             "We just thought that we had to stay out there and get the 
best result that we could," Darland said. "We had to keep at a consistent 
RPM as well as keep the lapped cars behind us. We were really lucky to hold 
everybody off."

             "We're really happy tonight," Steele said. "My crew gave me a 
great car and were ecstatic about defending the title."

USAC WELD RACING SILVER CROWN SERIES STANDINGS

1.-Dave Steele-443
2.-Josh Wise-424
3.-Brian Tyler-396
4.-John Heydenreich-322
5.-Jay Drake-284
6.-Dave Darland-271
7.-Wayne Reutimann, Jr.-260
8.-Nick Lundgreen-249
9.-Bud Kaeding-244
10.-Tracy Hines-234