JONES EARNS #1 FOR HIMSELF & #23 FOR STEWART AT TUCSON

Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa hosts the next outing for the USAC Silver Crown Championship Series and Levi Jones of Olney, Ill., fresh from his initial series victory, will lead the series to the 7/8-mile paved oval.

Jones won Sunday afternoon’s 50-lap Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt” feature at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz., passing defending three-time series champion Bud Kaeding on the final lap. The victory in the Tony Stewart Racing Bass Pro Shops/Chevy Maxim/Kistler Chevy was Jones’ first in series competition and a record-tying 23rd for his team, which now stands tied with Team 6R.

Three times previously a runner-up but never a feature winner in Silver Crown, Jones, who earned his third USAC National Sprint Car title last year, finished second to Cameron Dodson in last year’s 100-lap race at Iowa Speedway.

Jones paced Friday’s Silver Crown qualifying at Tucson, then won the “dash” to earn the pole starting position for Sunday’s 50-lap race, which had been postponed from Saturday due to rain. Kaeding led the first 49 laps before Jones made his winning move. Kaeding finished second ahead of Bobby East, Jerry Coons Jr. and Tracy Hines. Coleman Gulick won Sunday’s 12-lap “qualifying race.”


USAC SILVER CROWN SERIES POINT STANDINGS

1-Levi Jones-63; 2-Bud Kaeding-60; 3-Bobby East-54; 4-Jerry Coons Jr.-51; 5-Tracy Hines-48; 6-Shane Hollingsworth-45; 7-A.J. Fike-42; 8-Derek Hagar-39; 9-Brian Tyler-36; 10-Russ Gamester-33.

ONE JACKPOT UNDER HIS BELT, JONES HEADS FOR LAS VEGAS


Defending three-time USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Champion Levi Jones of Olney, Ill. hit the jackpot Sunday in Tucson, Ariz. and now heads for the “home” of jackpots, Las Vegas, Nev., for Thursday night’s “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic” at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dirt track.

Jones, bidding to become USAC’s first-ever four-time National Sprint Champ, moved to within 19 points of series point leader Damion Gardner after winning Sunday afternoon’s 40-lap Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt” feature at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz. Jones trailed Chris Windom for the first 38 laps but took over the lead when Windom’s car ran out of fuel on the white-flag lap!

Jones led the final two laps to post the Tucson victory in his Tony Stewart Racing Bass Pro Shops/Chevy Maxim/Kistler Chevy. Jerry Coons Jr. finished second ahead of Bud Kaeding, Gardner and Robert Ballou as Windom was relegated to a 17th-place finish.

Gardner, who won the two series openers in Tampa, Fla., enters the Las Vegas races as the point leader and seeks to better his 2009 Las Vegas finish of sixth.

Kaeding was the fastest Tucson qualifier, while rain forced Saturday night’s Tucson events to be postponed to Sunday.

Mike Spencer of Temecula, Calif., the defending two-time Amsoil USAC/CRA Sprint Car Champion, holds the 1-lap LVMS track record of 17.015 seconds going into Thursday’s National/CRA competition at the 1/2-mile dirt oval. Spencer finished 12th in Sunday’s Tucson feature. The National track record at LVMS is 17.334 seconds, set last year by Jon Stanbrough.

Thursday’s “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic” events get under way with practice at 3 pm and also includes the USAC Mopar National/Western Midgets. Fans are encouraged to meet their favorite USAC stars during the autograph session on the Dirt Track’s midway from 5:15-6:15 p.m.

USAC AMSOIL NATIONAL SPRINT SERIES POINT STANDINGS

1-Damion Gardner-191; 2-Levi Jones-172; 3-Bryan Clauson-171; 4-Jerry Coons Jr.-167; 5-Robert Ballou-148; 6-Henry Clarke-127; 7-Dave Darland-123; 8-Brady Short-122; 9-Tracy Hines-113; 10-Shane Cottle-88.

USAC AMSOIL CRA SPRINT SERIES POINT STANDINGS

1-Levi Jones-68; 2-Bud Kaeding-68; 3-Jerry Coons Jr.-66; 4-Robert Ballou-56; 5-Damion Gardner-54; 6-Bryan Clauson-53; 7-Henry Clarke-45; 8-R.J. Johnson-43; 9-Casey Shuman-38; 10-Tracy Hines-38.

2009 FQ SWEET HEADS FOR LAS VEGAS AFTER TUCSON VICTORY


Brad Sweet, the fastest qualifier for last year’s USAC Midget race at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway dirt track, is headed back to the 1/2-mile dirt oval for Thursday night’s “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic.” Sunday he won the 30-lap Rosemont Copper “Copper on Dirt” USAC Mopar National/Western Midget race at USA Raceway in Tucson, Ariz.

Sweet finished 14th at LVMS last year and hopes to improve on that as he comes to Las Vegas as the 2010 USAC Mopar National and Western Midget point leader. He led 24 of the 30 laps at Tucson in his Kasey Kahne Racing Ollie’s Bargain Outlets/Auto Value Spike/Mopar, including the last three after passing Tracy Hines on lap 28. Hines slipped to third at the finish behind Bobby East, as Dave Darland and defending USAC National Midget Champion Brad Kuhn rounded out the “top-five” at the checkered flag.

Sweet was Friday’s fastest Midget qualifier at Tucson but rains forced postponement of Saturday’s scheduled events to Sunday.

Thursday’s “Las Vegas Super Sprint Classic” which also feature the USAC Amsoil National/CRA Sprint Cars, gets under way with practice at 3 pm. Fans are encouraged to meet their favorite USAC stars during the autograph session on the Dirt Track’s midway from 5:15-6:15 p.m.

Two-time USAC National Midget Champ and “Triple Crown” titlist Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. is the defending winner of the Las Vegas Midget feature. He finished ninth at Tucson.


USAC MOPAR NATIONAL MIDGET SERIES POINT STANDINGS

1-Brad Sweet-73; 2-Bobby East-63; 3-Tracy Hines-63; 4-Dave Darland-58; 5-Brad Kuhn-52; 6-Bryan Clauson-52; 7-Brad Loyet-49; 8-Darren Hagen-47; 9-Jerry Coons Jr.-44; 10-Tanner Swanson-39.

USAC MOPAR WESTERN MIDGET SERIES POINT STANDINGS

1-Brad Sweet-73; 2-Bobby East-63; 3-Tracy Hines-63; 4-Dave Darland-58; 5-Brad Kuhn-52; 6-Bryan Clauson-52; 7-Brad Loyet-49; 8-Darren Hagen-47; 9-Jerry Coons Jr.-44; 10-Tanner Swanson-39.