JENNERSTOWN’S USAC SILVER CROWN DEBUT

#91 Justin Grant & #98 Bobby Santos (Jack Reitz Photo)

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Jennerstown, Pennsylvania (August 6, 2024)………It’s been 55 years since the United States Auto Club (USAC) last made a visit to Pennsylvania’s Jennerstown Speedway. 

That May 1969 Midget event was captured by Bob Tattersall in a field which featured four present-day USAC Hall of Fame inductees.

However, Jennerstown hasn’t seen anything like what’s on its way this Saturday, August 10, as the USAC Silver Crown National Championship trail makes its maiden voyage to the .522-mile paved oval in the southwestern portion of the Keystone State.

Today’s stars of USAC racing are among the 18 entries for the 100-lap, 52.2-mile debut at Jennerstown. It’s a field that includes a trio of past USAC Silver Crown champs such as seven-time titlist and current point leader Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.), 2020 champion Justin Grant (Ione, California) and defending series king, Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.).

All three champs will be joined by 2024 first-time USAC Silver Crown winners Kaylee Bryson (Muskogee, Okla.) and Dakoda Armstrong (New Castle, Indiana). Bryson scored on dirt at the Belleville (Kan.) High Banks in May while Armstrong defeated the field at Wisconsin’s Madison International Speedway in June.

Fellow Silver Crown winners Bobby Santos (Franklin, Mass.), CJ Leary (Greenfield, Indiana) and Russ Gamester (Peru, Indiana) have all won pavement races with the series. However, all will be vying for their first Silver Crown win of the season.

Series veterans Mike Haggenbottom (Levittown, Pennsylvania) and Dave Berkheimer (Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania) will be representing their home land at their home state track. 

Four others who currently rank inside the top-10 of the Silver Crown standings are hungry to edge up closer to the top of the pylon. Trey Osborne (Columbus, Ohio) is the top Rookie in the series to this point and resides fifth in the standings. Kyle Steffens (St. Charles, Moissouri) stands eighth in points while Taylor Ferns (Shelby Township, Michigan) is fresh off a run with the IndyNXT series. She sits ninth in Crown points at the moment. Gregg Cory (Shelbyville, Ind.), the 2022 series Rookie of the Year, ranks 10th.

Four more will be making their Pennsylvania pavement debuts with the Silver Crown series. Nathan Byrd (Goodyear, Ariz.) has made starts with NASCAR’s Xfinity Series in 2024. Tyler Roahrig (Plymouth, Ind.) is a two-time winner of the Little 500 Sprintcar race at Anderson (Indiana) Speedway. Nathan Moore (Kaufman, Texas) will make the tow up from the Lone Star State. Jackson Macenko (Cincinnati, Ohio) was the 2023 500 Sprint Tour Rookie of the Year.

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RACE DETAILS

A USAC Silver Crown practice will be held at Jennerstown Speedway from 6-8pm on Friday, August 9.

Race day will follow on Saturday, August 10, with the Silver Crown Showdown featuring the USAC Silver Crown National Championship, plus Martella’s Pharmacies Late Models & Integrity Coatings Chargers. Front gates will open at 4pm Eastern with cars on track at 6pm. Tickets are just $20 with admission for kids age 12 and under free!

Advance tickets are available now at https://www.tix.com/ticket-sales/jennerstownspeedway/4946/event/1373982. Tickets will also be available at the gate on race day.

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USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP DRIVER POINTS: 1-Kody Swanson-423, 2-Justin Grant-392, 3-Logan Seavey-373, 4-C.J. Leary-370, 5-Trey Osborne-261, 6-Kaylee Bryson-260, 7-Bobby Santos-250, 8-Kyle Steffens-245, 9-Taylor Ferns-235, 10-Gregg Cory-230.

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USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ENTRANT POINTS: 1-Doran-Binks Racing #77-423, 2-Hemelgarn Racing #91-392, 3-Rice Motorsports/Abacus Racing #22-373, 4-Klatt Enterprises #6-316, 5-BCR Group #81-261, 6-Sam Pierce #26-260, 7-DJ Racing #98-250, 8-Steffens Motorsports #08-245, 9-Taylor Ferns Racing #555-235, 10-Williams-Cory Racing #32-230.

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USAC SILVER CROWN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ROOKIE DRIVER POINTS: 1-Trey Osborne-261, 2-Nathan Moore-205, 3-Daison Pursley-128, 4-Jackson Macenko-127, 5-Briggs Danner-87, 6-Mitchel Moles-74, 7-Chase Dietz-55, 8-Alex Bright-49, 9-Danny Jennings-46, 10-Kip Hughes-33.