Bacon Wheels to Winchester Win; Coons Claims Sprint Points Lead
Team Mopar® driver Brady Bacon was the man of the hour when the United States Auto Club (USAC) National Sprint Car Series took to the high-banked turns of Indiana's Winchester Speedway on Sunday, Sept. 28. Bacon led a one-two Mopar sweep on a day when Mopars took three of the top six spots, five of the top 10, and Mopar-powered driver Jerry Coons Jr. claimed the USAC Sprint points lead.
It was the first USAC Sprint Car victory of the season for Bacon, driver of the Kasey Kahne Racing (KKR) No. 99 car, and the second straight for KKR, which won at Ohio's Eldora Speedway on Sept. 20 with driver Brad Sweet. Bacon took the lead on the 11th trip around the historic half-mile paved oval, and was still out front when the checkered flag brought the 30-lap main event to a close.
Darren Hagen brought his Keith Kunz Motorsports machine home in the runner-up spot. The Mopar engines in both the Bacon and Hagen cars were built by Speedway Engines in Indianapolis. Cole Whitt placed sixth in another Kunz Sprinter, with fellow Mopar men Jerry Coons Jr. (for Hoffman Auto Racing) and Dakoda Armstrong (C&A Racing) placing eighth and ninth. Damion Gardner brought his Leffler Racing mount home 11th, with Sweet 14th in the second Kahne entry.
There were hints early on that the Winchester program would have a distinct Mopar feel, with Sweet, Coons and Bacon winning the three Sprint Car qualifying heats. Coons' top-10 finish vaulted him into the lead in the USAC National Sprint Car Series standings. The popular two-time USAC Mopar Midget National champion is searching for his first title in the Sprint Car division.
The Winchester event marked the final asphalt race of the 2008 season for the Mopar-powered USAC Sprint Car teams. They will now prepare their dirt-track equipment for the prestigious "Oval Nationals" at Southern California's Perris Auto Speedway, which runs from Oct. 30–Nov. 1. For more info on the USAC Sprint Car Series, visit http://www.usacracing.com.
