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"Tony Bettenhausen 100" Attracts Biggest Silver Crown Car Count in 8 Years

The biggest USAC Silver Crown car count in eight years is expected to converge at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield Saturday for the “Tony Bettenhausen 100.”

Nearly 40 cars and drivers are already pre-entered for the event, which gets underway with practice at 10 am and concludes with a 100-mile race on the spectacular one-mile oval which first hosted National Championship racing 81 years ago!

Dedicated to the memory of one of America’s most revered motorsports icons, the “Tony Bettenhausen 100” is round eight of the 2015 series and could be pivotal in determining the champion. Kody Swanson, last year’s race winner and series champion, stands atop the points, 64 ahead of Jerry Coons Jr. entering Saturday’s competition.

A.J. Fike and Chris Windom, who finished fourth and fifth in last year’s 100-miler, lead a strong contingent of Illinois drivers, but the entry list also includes drivers from Alabama, Arizona, California, Indiana, Kenticky, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pensylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin.

Former race winners Swanson, Fike (2012 and 2013), Brian Tyler (2004, 2005, 2008 and 2011), Dave Darland (1997, 1999 and 2003) and Russ Gamester (1998) are all entered Saturday. Tyler could become the race’s second five-time winner, joining Chuck Gurney, who won seven “Tony Bettenhausen 100s” between 1984 and 1996.

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