By Michael Harker
J.J. Yeley and Michael Lewis never had serious challenges late in their
doubleheader victories Friday night at Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar
Rapids, Iowa.
Yeley passed Teddy Beach for the second straight year to win his third
consecutive USAC National Midget Series race at Hawkeye Downs, while Lewis
won his second consecutive USAC National Sprint Car Series event.
In the sprint race, even a hard hit against the fourth turn wall during his
heat race couldn't damper Lewis' night, as he led 39 of the 40 laps.
The 24 year-old native of Noblesville, Ind., who started from the pole, held
off fierce challenges by Bobby East and Jason McCord for his second career
USAC National Sprint Car win. It was also Lewis' third USAC National victory
of the season and eighth of his career.
"Starting on the pole was pretty nice," Lewis said in victory lane. "McCord
gave me a pretty good run there on the outside, but it's just awesome."
Lewis jumped ahead of McCord in the first turn of the first lap and was
followed at the line by East. East could never seriously challenge Lewis as
McCord fought back on the outside, and regained the second spot on lap nine.
McCord, who won the first sprint car event at Hawkeye Downs in 1999,
preceded to battle Lewis on the outside and got his best chance for the lead
on lap 23. He jumped ahead of Lewis on the outside, just before turn three,
and the two rode side by side for the remainder of the lap. McCord edged
Lewis at the line but had to get out of the gas going into turn one, and was
never a serious contender in the final 17 laps. East, Jay Drake, J.J. Yeley
and McCord, who notched his fourth top five in six starts at Hawkeye Downs,
followed Lewis to the checkered flag.
"This is usually a hard place to pass," Lewis said. "Lapped traffic was
tough, and at the end I got pretty nervous."
Lewis, who started sixth in his heat race, suffered a scare during his heat.
In an attempt to avoid a spinning Jared Fox, Lewis took a sharp right and
went head-on into the soft wall in the fourth turn. To prove the car was
undamaged, Lewis went from seventh to first in 10 laps to win his heat race.
Other heat race winners were Hines and Bud Kaeding. Dave Darland was the
event's fast qualifier.
In the midget event, Yeley claimed his 30th career national USAC victory,
taking the lead from Beach in the fourth turn of lap 17 and winning by
nearly two seconds.
"The Ford was running great there," Yeley said of his winning machine. "We
were able to get a pretty good run on Teddy every time we got into the
corner. The crew did an excellent job."
Yeley, who started fourth, followed Beach around polesitter Jay Drake midway
through the first lap and the two stayed that way for the next 16 circuits.
A four-car battle between Drake, Bobby East, Tracy Hines and A.J. Fike
ensued behind them, and a tangle between Drake and East on lap eight brought
out the first of two cautions.
Beach was able to get a great restart when the cars resumed racing but Yeley
quickly challenged on the bottom of the track. Looking inside in turns three
and four and outside everywhere else, Yeley tried feverishly to duck
underneath Beach on lap 11, but could not complete the pass.
Yeley got his best chance on lap 17. He dived underneath Beach on the entry
to turn three and the two raced side by side through the turn before Yeley
pulled ahead at the line. Hines jumped past Beach on lap 22 to finish
second, trailed by Fike, Beach and East, who came from 16th following his spin.
"When we've come to these short tracks so far this year, the cars have been
awesome," Yeley said. "Bob [East] has done a good job of setting these cars
up, and it's easy for me, the driver, when the crew gives me a good car."
Fike, Beach and Yeley won their respective heat races.
In National Sprint Car Series competition, Hines holds a slim point lead
over Yeley, 238-237, heading into Saturday's "Tony Hulman Classic" at the
Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track. By virtue of his midget feature win, Yeley
took the USAC National Midget point lead, now with a 343-331 advantage over
East. The series will continue with the 58th annual "Night Before the 500"
at Indianapolis Raceway Park May 24 in Clermont, Ind.