34th "Copper World Classic"
Kuhn, Hansen face title Challenges in Thursday’s “Copper World” Midget Race at
Phoenix
Brad Kuhn of Avon, Ind. and Garrett Hansen of Manhattan Beach, Calif. lead their
respective USAC racing series entering Thursday’s 34th “Copper World Classic” at
Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway. Kuhn has a 14-point lead over Brad Sweet
of Alpine, Calif. in the Mopar National Midget Series and Hansen is 89 points
ahead of Alex Schutte of Redding, Calif. in the Western Midget series.
The Midgets share the spotlight with the USAC K & N Silver Crown Series in
Thursday’s race at the Phoenix mile. A 25-mile Midget race precedes the 100-mile
Silver Crown race.
The National point race is actually a four-way affair, with Darren Hagen of
Riverside, Calif. 35 back of Kuhn and two-time series champion Jerry Coons Jr.
of Tucson, Ariz. 95 behind the leader. Both series conclude November 26 with the
69th Lucas Oil “Turkey Night Grand Prix” at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, Calif.
but the Western Midgets also have the “J.W. Mitchell Fall Classic” at Ventura
(Calif.) Raceway November 21. Teams will then stop by Canyon Speedway Park in
Peoria, Az for the Southwest Championships for the final points race of 2009. It
appears that the National Midget Driver Of The Year will be determined at this
inaugural event.
A total of 66 points are available at Phoenix Thursday and drivers will aim for
Dave Steele’s 1-lap track qualifying record of 138.201 mph set back in 2004.
Coons Jr. has added incentive for a win Thursday. His team, Wilke-Pak
Motorsports of Milwaukee, Wisc., is gunning for their 134th career USAC National
race victory (in all series), which would break the tie with Steve Lewis for the
all-time USAC lead.
In terms of 2009 performance, Kuhn has a victory, three seconds and four thirds,
while Sweet has three wins, five seconds and two thirds. Hagen scored two
early-season wins and Coons also has two 2009 victories. Hansen has five wins
and a second so far this season, while Schutte has won twice.
Bobby East of Brownsburg, Ind. is the defending champion of both “Copper World
Classic” feature events.
USAC NATIONAL MIDGET CAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Brad Kuhn-1,175, 2-Brad Sweet-1,161, 3-Darren Hagen-1,140, 4-Jerry Coons
Jr.-1,080, 5-Cole Whitt-952, 6-Bobby East-930, 7-Tracy Hines-903, 8-Bryan
Clauson-818, 9-Chad Boat-729, 10-Kevin Swindell-540.
USAC WESTERN MIDGET CAR SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Garrett Hansen-1,016, 2-Alex Schutte-927, 3-Jerome Rodela-916, 4-Tanner
Swanson-706, 5-David Prickett-699, 6-Scott Pierovich-591, 7-Shannon McQueen-540,
8-Josh Ford-494, 9-Alex Bowman-406; 10-Randi Pankratz-405.
Bud
Kaeding of Campbell, Calif. will conclude his historic drive to a third USAC K &
N Silver Crown championship Thursday when the series partners with the USAC
Mopar National/Western Midget series in the 34th Lucas Oil “Copper World
Classic” at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway.
Kaeding will become only the second driver in series history with three titles,
matching the feat accomplished by Jimmy Sills in (1990, 1994 and 1996).
Kaeding’s first two titles came in 1996 and 1997.
Bud opened the 2009 campaign with a victory in Phoenix, at the half-mile dirt
Manzanita Speedway. His eight starts in his Alviso Rock/High Five Pizza
Beast/Speedway Mopar have produced no finish worse than 10th.
While Kaeding’s point lead is secure, a bevy of drivers will battle for the
number two ranking in Thursday’s series finale. No less than seven drivers are
mathematically still in the hunt for the runner-up spot, with 66 points
available and only 48 points separating positions two through eight.
A.J. Fike of Galesburg, Ill., still seeking his first career win, has an
eight-point margin over Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind. Fike has had a trio of
“top-5s” this year, while Hines has six “top-10s” in eight starts. Levi Jones,
Hines’ teammate, plus Josh Wise, Brian Tyler, Kody Swanson and Shane Hmiel are
the other contenders for the number two ranking.
Dave Steele, who won five straight “Copper World” Silver Crown races from
2002-2006, holds the 1-lap track qualifying record of 142.197 mph.
Bobby East swept last year’s “Copper World” Midget and Silver Crown
“doubleheader” and he is expected to be joined Thursday by former “Copper World”
Silver Crown race winners Jason Leffler (2000), Tyler (1999) and Cameron Dodson
(2007). Dodson’s story is remarkable, recovering from critical injuries in a
highway accident last winter to come back and win in the Silver Crown cars at
Iowa Speedway in July.
USAC K & N SILVER CROWN SERIES POINT STANDINGS
1-Bud Kaeding-363, 2-A.J. Fike-292, 3-Tracy Hines-284, 4-Levi Jones-283, 5-Josh
Wise-278, 6-Brian Tyler-266, 7-Kody Swanson-250, 8-Shane Hmiel-244, 9-Jerry
Coons Jr.-225, 10-Zach Daum-221
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