MADISON, Ill. — The 1997 USAC Silver Crown season was hitting the homestretch when participants and officials got their first glimpse of World Wide Technology Raceway.
Fresh off races on the traditional one-mile dirt tracks at Springfield and Du Quoin, they soon realized this oval, located on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River, was a whole new ballgame. The 1.25-mile track was the largest ever contested by the series.
That alone got everyone’s attention. Then there were those straightaways which seemingly went on forever.
The star-studded field included Tony Stewart, Ryan Newman and the late Kenny Irwin Jr.
The drivers took the necessary steps to feel out a new track and gained more confidence as qualifying loomed. Chuck Leary was not among the favorites to capture the pole but was hardly a series novice.
The past May he captured his first win at the Hulman-Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Now, as Leary crossed the start finish line people sensed something was afoot. By the time Leary reached the first turn those sitting casually on top of their transporters scrambled to their feet. Could he make it safely through the first turn?
When his breathtaking run had concluded his best lap was clocked at an average speed of 141.750 mph. It was the fastest qualification lap in series history.
Many summers have since passed, but with some prodding Leary can recall that moment in his career.
“I remember the first hot-lap session because we had never gone that fast,” he said. “Then when I qualified, I drove into the first turn and the throttle hung.”
Leary recalls that there were countdown markers to warn a driver as they rocketed into the turn. At this critical moment he was forced to go far deeper than he intended. Now he was in trouble.
“The car tried to break loose, so I dirt tracked it around there and it turned out that I had fast time,” he said.
It was a great accomplishment, but one that came at a cost.
“We qualified the day before the race, so I got to be the hero for 24 hours,” he recalled. “But I abused my tires in qualifying and we had to use the same tires in the race.”
Ten laps into the feature he knew the score. While race day did not go as planned when he looks back on the total experience he says, “It was awesome.”
Supermodified ace Pat Abold won for the second time in 1997 and his post-race comments caught some off guard. Abold, who battled Robby Flock early, and passed Dan Drinan to take the lead admitted the draft had been beneficial.
Drafting? In a Silver Crown car? That alone had an odd ring.
Jimmy Sills, a three-time champion, was in that 1997 debut race and remembers it well.
“Oh yeah,” he said. “You could get a tow. Now at Phoenix, you could really feel it with a midget but not as much in the Silver Crown car. But at Gateway (WWTR), I knew it would happen, so you would get behind a guy and see how much of a tow you could get. Tony Stewart and Tracy Hines were good at it.”
Today most understand that drafting is an important facet of competing at World Wide Technology Raceway and savvy racers learn quickly how to use it to their advantage.
It is something you just can’t ignore. Former Silver Crown champion Justin Grant gets right to the point as the series makes its annual visit to the track this Sunday (Aug. 27).
“You must draft,” Grant said. “The first time I was there our car didn’t have a lot of motor and you would get a run on a guy in the draft and pull out and it was like you hit a wall. Now my car has a good motor and you can get a good run on a draft and pull around a guy.”
The question looms, how universal is awareness of the draft and how many participants use it to their advantage?
“I would reckon that most of the good guys understand this,” Grant noted. “Because it is pretty apparent. Like last year I was probably 10 or 12 car lengths back from Kody (Swanson) and Bobby (Santos III) and they got side by side down the back straightaway and punched a big hole in the air. I drove right to their back bumpers. It is a fast place. I love it.”
Given that Kody Swanson owns most of the Silver Crown records, it stands to reason that he is well versed in the art of drafting.
“It isn’t as exaggerated at World Wide Technology Raceway as it is with midgets at Phoenix,” Swanson said. “But suddenly you get a big run for no reason and suddenly you are running right up on somebody. You are able to get great a great run on people even though you are at three-quarters throttle or going the same speed. If you get your timing wrong and pull out of line at the wrong time it feels like you have a big parachute coming out of the back of your car.”
While Swanson recognizes the importance of the draft at WWTR, he still feels he has a lot to learn.
“It is something I am still trying to sort out,” he said. “Because there are people who are better at it than me. I am just trying to catch up.”
Swanson believes Santos has it down to a science. “Bobby is just really good at it,” he said. “He drafts when he races modifieds and he just beats us at this. There is no shame in that. I just have to get better.”
Santos appreciates the accolades offered by one of his chief rivals and admits, “It definitely plays a part in passing at some points during the race.” H
owever, he also tends to downplay how vital it is to your ultimate success. “Personally, I think because it is a long-distance race a better handling car can still break away,” he said. “It isn’t like Daytona where the draft plays a big part in the race. If there is a late restart maybe you can snooker someone and steal a race.”
The common denominator among these three front-runners is a shared excitement that this race track presents. Given his expertise on pavement it is understandable that Santos has circled the WWTR date on his calendar.
“I am excited,” Santos said. “I personally feel this is the kind of track the champ cars should be on. I love Indianapolis Raceway Park, and it is in our backyard. But I think that should be our short track. I would like to be racing at Milwaukee, Iowa, Richmond, and Phoenix.
“This track is not for the meek, and for the uninitiated surprises as await. When it comes to learning to draft in a Silver Crown car nothing beats experience.”