Earl's Pro-Lite 350 Fast Qualifier update 2002-07-31

Yeley "sprints" to 29-point Earl's lead.

J.J. Yeley of Phoenix, Ariz. has "sprinted" to a 29-point lead in the 2002 Earl's Pro-Lite 350 Fast Qualifier Championship standings after scoring 26 points in races this past week.

Yeley posted the fastest qualifying time for the Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car races at Lawrenceburg Speedway Thursday and Bloomington Speedway Friday and added a second-fast time at North Vernon, Ind. Monday.

Tracy Hines, second in the new standings, posted the fastest qualifying time for Monday's Sprint car race at North Vernon, Ind. He will have a chance to close the gap in National/Western Midget Car races this week at Lincoln, Neb. and Belleville, Kans. as well as in Thursday's Weld Racing Silver Crown race at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

The Lincoln and Belleville race will offer USAC's Western participants an opportunity to regain lost ground. Josh Wise of Riverside, Calif. ranks sixth in the current Earl's standings.

Jerry Coons, Jr. was Saturday's fastest Sprint Car qualifier at Terre Haute, Ind.

A $20,000 bonus will be paid to the driver accumulating the most points during 2002 in five USAC racing series, computed through an international point system utilized specifically for this title.

The system somewhat mirrors the system used for years for determining the World Driving Champion, with nine points for fast qualifying time, six for second, four for third, three for fourth, two for fifth and one for sixth. Series included in the Earl's Pro-Lite 350 Hose Fast Qualifier Championship are the Weld Racing Silver Crown Series, the Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car Series, Western Sprint Car Series, National and Western Midget Car Series.

EARL'S PRO-LITE 350 FAST QUALIFIER POINT LEADERS (As of July 29, 2002)
1. J.J. Yeley-143
2. Tracy Hines-114
3. Dave Steele-88
4. Jay Drake-51
5. Derek Davidson-46

--USAC--