Sprint, Midget, FF2000 Reports 98-06-07

STOOPS FREIGHTLINER SPRINT CAR SERIES

TYLER WINS WINCHESTER, EYES RICH "VINCE OSMAN CLASSIC" SUNDAY AT KOKOMO

Brian Tyler scored his third victory of the 1998 Stoops Freightliner/USAC Sprint Car Series Wednesday night at the Winchester (Ind.) Speedway and will go for number four this Sunday night in the "Vince Osman Classic" at the Evans Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway.

Tyler is among drivers hoping to claim over $7,500 in prizes in the Kokomo race, which offers the second largest winner's purse of the 1998 series. Included in the take are bonus awards from McGavic Outdoor Power, Bud's Auto Sales, Stephens Machine Shop, Stephens Fabricating and the Evans Kokomo Speedway.

Practice at Kokomo's 1/4-mile dirt track starts at 5:30 p.m. Qualifying gets under way at 6 and racing starts at 7. A 40-lap feature concludes the action.

Tyler passed series point leader Kevin Thomas on the 17th lap and led the rest of the 30-lap Winchester feature in his Loggers, Inc./Settle Excavation Special. He was also the Turbines, Inc. fastest qualifier. Trailing Tyler to the checkered flag in the feature were Dave Steele, Thomas (who led the first 16 laps), Brad Armstrong and Chet Fillip.

Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car Point Standings: 1-Kevin Thomas-729; 2-Brian Tyler-676; 3-Tony Elliott-629; 4-Tim Cox-617; 5-Jaosn McCord-567; 6-Derek Davidson-549; 7-Brad Armstrong-518; 8-J.J. Yeley-515; 9-Dave Steele-486; 10-Chet Fillip-420.

FORMULA 2000 SERIES BESNARD LEADS F2000 TO MID-OHIO SUNDAY

Australian David Besnard is a heavy favorite to win Sunday's 20-lap USCA/SCCA United States Formula 2000 Championship race on the twisting 2.4-mile Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in Lexington, Ohio.

Besnard has won four of the six 1998 series events to date, including road course victories at Homestead, Fla. and Watkins Glen, N.Y. in his Haase Racing Karts Van Diemen Quicksilver.

Besnard leads Ryan Hampton, winner of the second Watkins Glen race May 30, trails Besnard by 38 points in the standings, with Robby McGehee, a winner at Homestead May 17, another six points in arrears.

Sunday's 20-lap race starts at 10:15 a.m. following Friday and Saturday practice and qualifying.

Formula 2000 Point Standings: 1-David Besnard-180; 2-Ryan Hampton-142; 3-Robby McGehee-136; 4-Andy Lally-115; 5-Jon Herb-88; 6-Marc-Antoine Camirand-75; 7-Mike Johnson & Steve Rikert-74; 9-Bobby Oergel-66; 10-Jonathan Bottoms-62.

NATIONAL/16TH STREET/SPEEDROME MIDGET SERIES LANG, MALONE TAKE INDIANAPOLIS MIDGETS SPEEDROME CONTINES THURSDAY; 16TH HOSTS NATIONAL SATURDAY

Michael Lang and Critter Malone captured USAC "regional" Midget feature victories last week and are looking forward to repeating in two USAC racing series this week in Indianapolis, Ind.

Lang, of Indianapolis, scored his 43rd career Indianapolis Speedrome Midget win Thursday, leading the final 16 laps of the 50-lap race in his Keco/Ad-Tech Floor Care/IFI VW. Daryl Campbell, Mark Dismore, Jr., Mike Hurst and John Sluss rounded out the "top-five" on the 1/5-mile paved oval. Dismore led the first 24 laps, Campbell led 25-34, then Lang took over. A 50-lap feature again caps the program when the series continues this Thursday night.

Malone, of Plainfield, Ind., led all but the first eight laps of Saturday night's 30-lap race at the 16th Street Speedway 1/4-mile dirt track in Indianapolis. He passed A.J. Felker on lap nine in his Red Top Equipment Rentals Chevy and held on to beat Ron Smoker, Lang, Andy Pierce and Tony Reed. Felker led the first eight laps. Four drivers escaped injury in separate flips during the program.

Lang and Malone are the respective series point leaders in the Speedrome and 16th Street series.

Saturday night's race at the 16th Street Speedway also awards "National" points, with Ricky Shelton of Huntington Beach, Calif. leading those standings going into the program, which includes a 40-lap feature. Practice starts at 5 p.m., qualifying follows at 5:30 and the first race is at 7.

National Midget Standings: 1-Ricky Shelton-200; 2-Jay Drake-170; 3-Tracy Hines-170; 4-Jason Leffler-164; 5-Jimmy McCune-138; 6-Ronnie Johncox-117; 7-Jerry Coons, Jr.-117; 8-Dave Steele-104; 9-Ted Hines-92; 10-Chris Shultz-82. 16th Street Midget Standings: 1-Critter Malone-96; 2-Andy Pierce-94; 3-Michael Lang-82; 4-Roy Caruthers-79; 5-Ron Smoker-68; 6-Jeff Hampton-65; 7-Steve Knepper-63; 8-Ricky Shelton-60; 9-Donnie Beechler-55; 10-Johnny Parsons III-48. Speedrome Midget Standings: 1-Michael Lang-2,000; 2-John Sluss-1,245; 3-Dean Franklin-765; 4-Daryl Campbell-684; 5-John Mount-660; 6-Mike Hurst-450; 7-Mark Dismore-440; 8-Gregg Cory-430; 9-Mark Longworth-364; 10-Jerry McPherson-340.

WESTERN STATES SERIES KINGS REBELS RAINED OUT; MIDGETS/TQs SATURDAY AT VENTURA

Rains forced cancellation of Saturday night's scheduled USAC Regional Rebel Sprint Car race at Kings Speedway in Hanford, Calif. That series resumes with another event on the 3/8-mile Kings dirt oval June 12.

The USAC "Western States" and TQ Midget Series resume this Saturday night at Ventura (Calif.) Raceway, with a 20-lap TQ and 30-lap Midget feature on tap. Alex Harris and Rick Hendrix of Simi Valley, Calif. are the respective series point leaders and Harris will try to maintain his "undefeated" status in the fifth race of the 1998 TQ campaign.

Western States Midget Standings: 1-Rick Hendrix-227; 2-Wally Pankratz-187; 3-Bryan Stanfill-171; 4-Shane Scully-169; 5-Bobby Boone-161; 6-Clay Klepper-161; 7-Nick Mitchell-130; 8-Sleepy Tripp-125; 9-Davey Hamilton-112; 10-Dwayne Marcum-103. Western States Sprint Standings: 1-Jeff Gardner-316; 2-Rick Williams-239; 3-Kirk Wartman-151; 4-Tony Hunt-141; 5-Dave Fitzgerald-118; 6-Monte Faccinto-110; 7-Ray Evans-110; 8-Kevin Urton-105; 9-Davey Pombo-93; 10-Ken Hamilton-91. TQ Midget Standings: 1-Alex Harris-176; 2-Randi Pankratz-118; 3-Josh Lakatos-110; 4-Paul Krueger-91; 5-West Evans-77; 6-Joe Bishop-69; 7-Gene Godepski-68; 8-Steve Parke-65; 8-Ron Ahrendt-61; 10-Greg Edenholm-60. Regional Rebel Sprint Standings: 1-Monte Faccinto-338; 2-Davey Pombo-329; 3-Mark Barroso-220; 4-Craig Stidham-210; 5-Lawrence Edlund-202; 6-Larry Brown-175; 6-Shane Travioli-149; 8-Tim Worth-102; 9-Tyler Haylett-99; 10-Jonathan Allard-98.