When Shane Cottle passed under the checkered flag in the 2020 USAC Silver Crown season opener at Selinsgrove (Pa.) Speedway, not only was he putting on absolute show for all to witness by coming from the back of the pack not once, but twice, to win on the final lap, Cottle was also setting records.

In doing so, Cottle became the newest record holder of the longest duration between USAC Silver Crown wins.  It had been 12 years, 11 months and 8 days since the Kansas, Ill. driver last raced to victory at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds in 2007.

Cottle hopes it isn’t as long of a gap between victories number two and three when the series heads to the Indiana State Fairgrounds on Sunday, August 23, for the 65^th running of the Hoosier Hundred where he was a runner-up finisher in 2016 and a 4^th place finisher in 2018.

The record for longest duration between Silver Crown wins prior to Cottle was a tie between George Snider and Ron Shuman, whose gap between wins were, ironically, both exactly 9 years, 11 months and 10 days apart from each other.

Snider captured the third race ever held in USAC’s new, separate dirt only championship trail at the Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds in 1971 en route to the series championship.  Snider finally broke through again nearly a decade later in 1981 with a victory at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

Snider very nearly became the first driver to own two separate gaps of five or more years between Silver Crown wins, winning at Indianapolis Raceway Park in 1990, then initially appearing to capture the victory at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in 1996.  That is, until his car was found to be too light at the scales, forcing his disqualification and the win being awarded to Dave Darland.

Meanwhile, Shuman’s nearly 10-year span between wins started at Eldora Speedway in 1982 then lasted until he finally broke through again at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in 1992.

Joe Saldana went 7 years, 11 months and 24 days between Silver Crown scores in the 1976 Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds and his second and final career series victory at Du Quoin in 1984.

It’s almost hard to fathom that Rich Vogler went nearly eight years between victories in a USAC National division, but that’s just what transpired for the winningest driver in USAC history, with 171 total wins in his illustrious career.  His third career Silver Crown win came during the 1981 season at Du Quoin.  His fourth and final series win arrived in 1989 at the Hulman Hundred held at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Similarly, for Tracy Hines, one of USAC’s six triple crown champions, who won at Gateway Motorsports Park in 2000 then took the Silver Crown title that same year.  He did not reach victory lane again until 5 years, 3 months and 29 days later at Du Quoin in 2005.

Three-time USAC National Sprint Car champion took to the champ cars just fine, winning his first race in just his fourth career start at the New York State Fairgrounds’ Syracuse Mile on July 4, 1975.  He’d next find the promised land of victory lane with the Silver Crown division once again on Independence Weekend five years and one day later at Pennsylvania’s Williams Grove Speedway.

September 5 proved to be Gary Bettenhausen’s lucky day toward the latter stages of his Silver Crown career, taking the win on that date in 1983 for his penultimate series win on the Magic Mile of Du Quoin.  Five years to the day at the very same track, the two-time Silver Crown driving champion raced to the win again for his 10^th and final series win in 1988.

Tickets will be available online for the Hoosier Hundred beginning at 10am ET on Tuesday, August 11 at www.usactickets.com.  Grandstand tickets are $30 apiece, $10 for children age 3-11 and free for kids age 2 and under.  Infield tickets are $20 each, $5 for children age 3-11 and free for kids age 2 and under.

Pits will open at Noon ET on raceday, August 23, grandstands at 2pm, practice at 4pm, qualifying at 5:15, vintage cars at 6:15, qualifying race at 7pm and the 100-lap Hoosier Hundred at 8pm.  Silver Crown cars are the only class featured in the event.

For more ticket information, contact the Track Enterprises office at (217) 764-3200.