Brian Tyler headed for Gateway

Brian Tyler of Parma, Mich., fresh from his fourth championship in USAC's Stoops "Border Wars" Sprint car events, heads for Gateway International Raceway and Tri-City Speedway this weekend to try to extend his current USAC success. Brian earned his fourth Stoops Freightliner "Border Wars" title in the past five years with "top-5" finishes in races at Rossburg, Ohio and Winchester, Ind. Saturday and Sunday and will be out to extend his lead in the Coors Light Silver Bullet Series this weekend at Gateway. A 100-mile race on ESPN2 at 3:30 pm Sunday concludes the two-day Gateway timetable, which includes qualifying and a "qualifying race" on Saturday. Tyler also hopes to continue his Sprint car success in Saturday night's "Heroes of Sprint Car Racing Classic" Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car race at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, Ill., just a short distance from Gateway. A 30-lap feature is on tap at the 1/2-mile dirt Granite City oval. Tyler will be out to erase the memory of the 1998 Gateway Silver Bullet race when he fought a braking problem to finish 16th and slip behind Jason Leffler in the final series standings. Last year the two-time USAC Sprint Car Champ was forced out after 59 laps at Gateway with tire problems. Tyler's closest pursuers in the Silver Bullet standings also had good weekends in USAC Sprint Car competition. Tracy Hines, the Silver Bullet runner-up, emerged the winner of Sunday's 30-lap Sprint race at Winchester, Ind. when Ryan Newman, third in the Silver Bullet points, blew an engine on the final lap, eventually finishing second! Jason Leffler of Long Beach, Calif., the 1998 Coors Light champion, returns to the Silver Bullet Series at Gateway after missing the April 8 event at Nazareth, Pa. He will drive the familiar #9 Beast co-owned by Bob East and Tony Stewart. The field will be hard pressed to repeat last year's Gateway action, in which drivers Leffler, Kenny Irwin and eventual winner Ryan Newman traded the lead back and forth a series record 16 times <pre> USAC COORS LIGHT SILVER BULLET SERIES STANDINGS

1. Brian Tyler 174 2. Tracy Hines 150 3. Ryan Newman 138 4. Brad Noffsinger 134 5. Paul White 122 6. Dave Darland 116 7. Gary Hieber 116 8. Eric Gordon 103 9. Tony Elliott 83 10. Ed Carpenter 78