8/23/2011
Brian Tyler returns to Springfield and "Bettenhausen 100" Victory Lane!
Brian Tyler currently sits 2nd in All-Time USAC Silver Crown wins. After his performance on Saturday afternoon, he is now 1 win closer to All-Time Wins leader Jack Hewitt. However this Springfield feat was no easy one, even if BT made it look that way.
After having to change engines during practice, Brian and the Team 6R Racing #21 nearly missed his opportunity to qualify. With very limited practice, Tyler locked himself in to the feature event with a 14th place starting position. At the start of the "Bettenhausen 100," Tyler immediately began moving forward. Using the outside groove, Tyler began passing cars in the first half a lap, quickly moving from 14th into the top 10. Tyler made the outside lane his go-to move for the first half a dozen laps, and made it all the way to 4th before settling in on the bottom side of the racetrack. However, his progress barely slowed, as Tyler passed the Top 3 competitors with skill and determination, and took over the race lead by lap 15!
By the USAC Silver Crown series half-way stop coming out on lap 51, Tyler had distanced himself from the field, and was lapping cars into the top 15! When the race resumed, Tyler continued his dominating performance, stretching his lead to a comfortable margin despite late race cautions on laps 77 & 81. As the checkered flags flew, Brian Tyler was unchallenged in his 17th career USAC Silver Crown win, and first since August of 2009.
Team 6R Racing teammates Kody and Tanner Swanson also competed in Springfield, qualifying 15th and 23rd in the field. While BT was on his way to the lead, the Swanson brothers were quietly making their way toward the Top 10, with Tanner driving from 23rd to 12th in the first 40 laps. However, a fractured oil fitting sent him to the pit area before the half-way point. On the lap 51 restart, Kody passed a number of cars in the first lap to move into the top 10, and propel himself toward an 8th place finish in his 1st dirt Silver Crown race of the season.
Tyler's Win moves Team 6R Racing further into the All-Time Silver Crown Wins lead, upping their total to 27! The series will return to action with the "Ted Horn 100" on DuQuoin Illinois' "Magic Mile" on September 4th, where Team 6R Racing's Kody Swanson is the defending race winner.
Photo Credit: Ken Pamatat - Toyota Motorsports Media
Article Credit: Team 6R Racing