Earl's Pro-Lite 350 Hose Fast Qualifier - early leader

Dave Steele early leader in Earl's Pro-Lite 350 Hose Fast Qualifier Championship.

Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. has his eyes set on a $20,000 cash bonus which awaits one USAC driver at season's end as the winner of the Earl's Pro-Lite 350 Hose Fast Qualifier Championship. The bonus will be paid to the driver accumulating the most points during 2002 in five USAC racing series, computed through an international point system utilized specifically for this title.

The system somewhat mirrors the system used for years for determining the World Driving Champion, with nine points for fast qualifying time, six for second, four for third, three for fourth, two for fifth and one for sixth. Series included in the Earl's Pro-Lite 350 hose fast qualifier championship are the Weld Racing Silver Crown Series, the Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car Series, Western Sprint Car Series, National and Western Midget Car Series.

Steele, by virtue of fast qualifying performances in the Midget and Silver Crown cars at Phoenix, Ariz. in March, got an early jump on the competition. He added a fast qualifying time in the April 7 Anderson Sprints, plus a third in the Nazareth Midgets, fourth in the Anderson Midgets and fifth in Nazareth Silver Crown to amass 36 points.

Steele's nearest challenger following the April 21 weekend was Riverside, Calif.'s Josh Wise, who had amassed 24 points by virtue of Western Midget Series fast qualifying efforts at Bakersfield and Madera, Calif. and a second-fast qualifying time at Stockton, Calif.

The $20,000 cash bonus will be presented in January at the USAC National Awards Dinner in Indianapolis, Ind.

--USAC--