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The USAC Silver Crown Series, shown last year at Selinsgrove Speedway, will visit Port Royal Speedway on Saturday night. (Dan Demarco photo)

Silver Crown Heads To Port Royal

PORT ROYAL, Pa. — The USAC Silver Crown Series is scheduled to make its debut Saturday night at Port Royal Speedway.

No drivers in the field of 28 have prior Silver Crown experience at Port Royal, but many have competed in USAC National Sprint Car competition at the half-mile track.

Brady Bacon is the lone driver in the lineup who owns a USAC national feature victory at Port Royal in 2014 and his time of 2:32.57 set in 2019 is the 8-lap USAC National Sprint Car track record at Port Royal. 

His initial Silver Crown triumph came in the Keystone State at Williams Grove Speedway in 2019.

C.J. Leary, the 2015 USAC Silver Crown top rookie, possesses the one-lap USAC National Sprint Car track record at Port Royal of 18.105 seconds and finished third at the track in 2019.

Justin Grant has twice been a fast qualifier in a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car at Port Royal in both 2014 and 2017. The 2020 USAC Silver Crown champ finished a best of 2nd in 2017.

Chase Stockon was the fastest qualifier at Port Royal with the USAC National Sprint Cars in 2016 and finished as the runner-up in the feature during 2015.

Jason McDougal recorded an eighth in his lone USAC National Sprint Car start at Port Royal in 2019 while Pennsylvanian Carmen Perigo scored a ninth in 2016.

Shane Cockrum, meanwhile, took ninth in a USAC Sprint Car during 2014 Eastern Storm at Port Royal and won in June of 2021 during USAC Silver Crown’s visit to Pennsylvania at Williams Grove.

Shane Cottle earned a pair of 10th place finishes at Port Royal with the USAC National Sprint Cars in both 2013 and 2015 and won with the Silver Crown series in PA during the 2020 Selinsgrove trip. 

USAC Silver Crown point leader and six-time series champion Kody Swanson captured a series victory in Pennsylvania at Williams Grove in 2017.

Logan Seavey made a successful last visit with the USAC Silver Crown car to Pennsylvania in 2021, winning at Selinsgrove.

Russ Gamester made his most recent appearance in USAC Silver Crown victory lane on the pavement in Pennsylvania, at Nazareth Speedway in 2001.

Mark Smith will make a rare Silver Crown appearance after finishing fifth in USAC East Coast Sprint Car action this past April while 2002 USAC Silver Crown Rookie of the Year Matt Westfall was earned a best placing of 14th in the sprint car at Port in 2018.

Brian Tyler, the author of a record 202 career USAC Silver Crown starts and 18 victories, will make the trip to Port Royal as will one-time USAC National Sprint Car feature winners Jake Swanson and Dave Peperak and the woman who owns more USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature starts than any other, Kaylee Bryson, who is making her Silver Crown debut for car owner Sam Pierce.

Pennsylvanians make up five positions on the grid with Smith and Perigo joined by Mike Haggenbottom, Dave Berkheimer and Jimmy Light, and are joined in the field by full-timers from the Midwest, Kyle Robbins, Austin Nemire and Travis Welpott.

Silver Crown vets Jake Simmons and Dallas Hewitt are headed to Port Royal alongside top Rookie point leader Gregg Cory, fellow first-year Silver Crown racer Brian Ruhlman and first-time Silver Crown entrant Mark Bitner.