Walker takes first Silver Crown win at Nazareth

Tyler Walker passed polesitter Dave Steele with 19 laps remaining in the Bully Hill Vineyards 100 at Nazareth Speedway to capture his first United States Auto Club Weld Racing Silver Crown Series feature win. The win was also the first for Walker's car owner, former USAC standout Kasey Kahne, who won last year's Silver Crown race at Nazareth.

"It feels like it's been forever," said Tyler, whose previous best Silver Crown finish was a pair of thirds. "I feel like I've been chasing Dave forever -- almost two years now. He's the man in these cars, especially on the pavement tracks."

Walker, who started second in the 32-car field, shadowed Steele for much of the early going. Then when Steele swung wide to lap a back marker on lap 81, Walker sensed that it was time to make his move.

"He (Steele) got bunched up by a lap car and I was right there on his tail and I took advantage of it," Tyler said. "Then once I got up front he couldn't do anything with us."

"It was totally my fault," Steele said of his encounter with the lapped car that cost him the lead and the win. "I just tip-toed around some lapped cars and I shouldn't have. I got real close to one of lapped cars, and it took the air off the front of my car and I got loose. And after Tyler got in front of me, he didn't make any mistakes, so I couldn't get past him."

Steele, a two-time winner in 2004, finished second, .362 seconds behind Tyler. Bobby East, Jay Drake and Dane Carter rounded out the top five.