USAC : Coors Light Silver Bullets Resume in Phoenix 'Copper World'

2 February 1999

The USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet Series Championship resumes this weekend at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway with round two of the 15-round series serving as the keystone event in the 22nd U.S. Tobacco Company "Copper World Classic."

The three-day Phoenix racing extravaganza features Silver Bullet, USAC MCI WorldCom Midget Car, WSMRA Supermodified and NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series Stock Cars. Practice is slated Friday, qualifying and "qualifying races" Saturday and the four features Sunday. The 50-mile Coors Light Silver Bullet feature is set for a 2 p.m. start.

Defending Silver Bullet Champion Jason Leffler of Long Beach, Calif. is currently eighth in the 1999 series standings after the series opener at Orlando, Fla. January 23-24.

Coors Light Silver Bullet 1999 point leader Mike Bliss, who captured the Orlando opener over Dave Steele and Russ Gamester, is among the more than 50 entries and holds the race record of 130.917 mph, set in 1995. Steele is expected to be a prime challenger at PIR this weekend, setting the PIR 1-lap Silver Bullet qualifying record of 138.450 mph in winning the pole for last year's race, which was won by Tony Stewart.

Other top candidates for victory at PIR include the Hamilton family of Boise, Ida., including Davey, Kenny and Jimmy, 3-time series champion Jimmy Sills of Placerville, Calif., 2-time series king Jack Hewitt of Troy, Ohio, NASCAR veteran and former USAC National Midget Champ Stevie Reeves of Huntersville, N.C., Indianapolis 500 veteran Johnny Parsons of Indianapolis, Ind., 1998 USAC Sprint Car king Tony Elliott of Kokomo, Ind., and 1998 series race winners J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Ariz. and Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich. Former series Champion Dave Darland of Kokomo, Ind. and PIR vet Rebel Jackson, Jr. of Buckley, Wash. are also in the field.

1999 USAC Coors Light Silver Bullet Series Standings

1. Mike Bliss, 63
2. Dave Steele, 60
3. Russ Gamester, 54
4. Robby Flock, 51
5. Ryan Newman, 48
6. Brian Tyler, 45
7. Tracy Hines, 42
8. Jason Leffler, 39
9. Billy Puterbaugh, Jr., 36
10. J.J. Yeley, 33