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USAC: Gamester-Newman battle spices Pepsi 'Sumar Classic 100'

14 September 1999

Russ Gamester of Peru, Ind. has not won a USAC championship in 10 years, but he's leading the Coors Light Silver Bullet Championship Series standings going into the September 17 (Friday night) Pepsi "Sumar Classic 100" at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track.

Gamester, who won the 1989 USAC National Midget Car title, has a three-point lead over Ryan Newman of South Bend, Ind. with 66 total points available at the 1/2-mile dirt Terre Haute oval.

Newman is the only driver in 10 previous Coors Light Silver Bullet races to score two 1999 victories, while Gamester, despite the lack of a victory, is the only driver to finish all 10 races in the "top-10!" Newman won at Indianapolis Raceway Park in May and at Madison, Ill. in July and led the standings until finishing 13th at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds Labor Day. Gamester was seventh at DuQuoin.

Defending Pepsi "Sumar Classic 100" winner Tony Elliott of Kokomo, Ind. became the ninth different series winner this year by taking the September 6 100-miler at DuQuoin. Dave Darland, also of Kokomo, finished second at DuQuoin and won the previous race at Springfield, Ill. Aug. 21, so he and Elliott will pose a serious challenge to Gamester and Newman in their efforts for a Terre Haute victory.

Practice at the Terre Haute Action Track starts at 4:30 pm and qualifying is scheduled for 5:45. A "qualifying race" gets the green flag at 7, to be followed by the 100-lap feature.

1999 USAC COORS LIGHT SILVER BULLET SERIES STANDINGS

1. Russ Gamester 465 6. Dave Darland 309
2. Ryan Newman 462 7. J.J. Yeley 285
3. Brian Tyler 377 8. Tony Elliott 271
4. Tracy Hines 339 9. Gary Hieber 255
5. Jack Hewitt 333 10. Jason Leffler 253

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