Eldora Speedway | 13929
St Route 118 | New Weston | OH | 45348
For immediate news release e-mail: mail@eldoraspeedway.com
YELEY,
SWEET, DARLAND TAKE USAC VICTORIES
ROSSBURG, OH (Sept. 20) -- A
pair of veterans and a young fresh face graced victory lane
following Saturday's action-filled Chevrolet American Revolution
Weekend at Eldora Speedway. Returning to the podium as USAC
(United States Auto Club) winners were J.J. Yeley in the National
Midget Series finale and Dave Darland in the Silver Crown main
event, while diminutive Brad Sweet graced the stage for the
first time with his triumph in the National Sprint Series feature.
USAC's National Midgets have a reputation
of excitement whenever they attack the clay high-banks of Eldora
and Saturday's 25-lap main event was no exception.
Yeley shot into the lead at the dropping of
the green flag from his fourth potions startling slot, but quickly
found competition in the likes of Dave Darland and pole-sitter
Brady Bacon. Within three laps, Chad Boat joined the quick pace
up front and displaced Bacon for third, while Ricky Stenhouse,
Jr. jumped into the battle by lap six to take over third.
That created a while three-car battle, that
had the huge throng of fans on the edge of their seats and nearly
spellbound, as Yeley and Darland were swapping the lead back
and forth multiple times around the sweeping one-half mile oval.
Often, it was a mere matter of inches between the duo, while
Stenhouse laid back a bit to let them duel.
Finally, on lap 12, Stenhouse decided it was
time to press the issue and shot by both of them to take a lead,
which he soon increased to nearly 20 car lengths.
Clearly the quickest car on the track, Stenhouse
tangled with a lapped car in turn two on lap 16 to spiin and
bring out the caution flag.
That put Yeley back our front, with Darland
again on his tail and Stenhouse at the rear.
A bad night for Stenhouse turned ugly three
laps later. While rapidly progressing through the field in a
march to the front, he climbed the back stretch wall and flipped
violently into the catch fence. Stenhouse was taken to Wayne
Hospital in Greenville for observation.
The remaining distance found classic Midget
racing, as Yeley and Darland resumed their relentless battle
for supremacy. Confidence and respect between the two drivers
led to a wild finish as Yeley inched ahead of Darland for the
checkered flag. Sweet crossed the line third, as Bacon and Jerry
Coons, Jr. completed the top five.
Not to be outdone by the Midgets, the National
Sprint Series cars took to the surface in a similar fashion
for their finale, with breath-taking wall bouncing and classic
slide-job racing.
Fresh from the Midget race, Sweet used his
knowledge of the surface to take the early lead of the 30-lap
affair, and once in front, he never looked back.
It probably was a good thing he didn't have
a mirror as the action was plentiful. Jerry Coons, Jr. and Robert
Ballou were right on his tail battling for the runner-up position,
which intensified as the trio encroached upon lapped traffic
by the tenth circuit.
A quick caution flag on lap 11 bunched the
field up, but it didn't deter the trio from their battle.
Ballou fell off the pace with an apparent
tire problem on lap 12, and was unable to resume the race prior
to the return of the green flag, allowing Dickie Gaines to enter
the fray. As the race continued under the green flag, a new
face was sneaking towards the front. Coming from 13th place
on the grid, Mike Brecht found a groove that no one else was
using and slipped his way forward.
By lap 15 he was up to third to overcome Gaines
and then four laps later, drove past a surpised Coons, Jr. to
take over the runner-up position. That left only one more obstacle
for Brecht in his quest for an upset victory, but Sweet appeared
to have a lead too big to overcome.
Undaunted, Brecht closed in lap after lap,
but time ran out and a highly emotional Sweet emerged with his
first Eldora victory. Brecht rode home second, whle Coons, Jr.,
Gaines and Jesse Hockett completed the top five.
As the mammoth Silver Crown cars took to the
oval, Brian Tyler was pegged the man to watch as he entered
the contest with the two most recent wins under his belt.
Quick timer Coons, Jr. shot into the early
lead, while Darland, amongst the many drivers doing multiple
duty on the night, picked up where he left off in the Midget
chase. Darland quickly chased down Coons, Jr. and the pair ran
nose to tail, often side-by-side. Bud Kaeding watched in third,
as he had his hands full trying to hold back Tyler.
The first move amonst the front runners came
on lap ten, as Tyler displaced Kaeding for third. Lapped traffic
soon came into the picture and that appeared to by the medicine
that Darland was looking for. He set up Coons, Jr. and in a
bold move down the back chute took the lead on lap 18.
Coons, Jr. continued to hold down second place
as a patient Tyler methodically worked his way through the lapped
traffic as well. Unable to reel in Coons, Jr., Tyler got his
break with a lap 44 caution that bunched the field. On the restart,
Tyler shot by Coons, Jr., but with several slower cars between
himself at the leader, it made Tyler's job difficult.
He cleared the lapped traffic by the while
flag, but at that point it was too late, as Darland was able
to sail to yet another Silver Crown win at Eldora. Tyler finished
second, with Coons, Jr., Chane Cottle and Levi Jones completing
the top five.
