Iowa: Series event preview

"CASEY'S GENERAL STORES 100" SUNDAY AT IOWA SPEEDWAY

Jerry Coons Jr. leads the USAC K & N Silver Crown Championship Series to Iowa Speedway this Sunday for the "Casey's General Stores 100;" round five of the 2008 series. He leads Levi Jones by 23 points and neither has won the title previously.

Coons, of Tucson, Ariz. won the series opener at Phoenix, Ariz. and added second at Terre Haute, Ind. Last year he finished 12th at Iowa Speedway and he'll be seeking his third series victory in Sunday's race.

Jones, of Avon, Ind., did not compete at Iowa last year but he's had consistent "top-10" finishes in all four 2008 races. He also leads the 2008 USAC National Sprint Car standings and teams with Tracy Hines of New Castle driving cars owned by Tony Stewart Racing.

Coons' RW Motorsports teammate Sunday will be Shane Hmiel, who has had a successful 2008 USAC campaign, winning the pole for last month's Silver Crown race at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, Ind. as well as posting a victory in USAC's Western Sprint Car Series at Roseville, Calif.

Dave Darland rests third in the current Silver Crown points and won at Terre Haute, Ind. last month. He also did not compete in last year's Iowa Silver Crown event.

Bobby East is the defending champion of the "Casey's General Stores 100" and he won the July 24 100-lapper at O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis, his only 2008 outing to date.

Chet Fillip of Speedway, Ind. also bears watching at Iowa. He won at Richmond, Va. in June and is the only entered driver to have competed in both the Indianapolis 500 and the Daytona 500.

-credit: usac