Indianapolis, Ind. – In his USAC Silver Crown Debut at Lucas Oil Raceway on May 27, Robert Stout scored a top 5 finish in the “Carb Night Classic…The Race Before the 500.” The Brownsburg, Ind. native scored the result behind the wheel of the No. 21 Brad Armstrong owned Lucas Oil Racing TV car that was prepped by Mike Bowman Racing and crew chiefed by Brent Elmore.
“I knew it would be tough pacing with these guys here tonight,” said Stout before the race. “The field was stacked with talent including the 2015 Silver Crown Champion Kody Swanson, my teammate and five-time Carb Night Classic winner Tanner Swanson, multi-time champ Bobby Santos, one of only five ever USAC Triple Crown winners, Jerry Coons Jr., reigning King of the Wing Champion Aaron Pierce and two-time Little 500 winner Jacob Wilson just to name a few. These guys are as good as they come so I was really curious where we’d fall in line. Mike, Brad and Brent have all given me a great car I just need to learn how to drive it.”
Stout ran 40 laps in the 45-minute practice session getting used to the car. The non-winged Silver Crown car is larger and heavier than Stout’s King of the Wing sprint car and drives drastically different. At the end of the practice session Stout was 8th with a best time of 21.9 in the field of 18.
The qualifying order was determined by fastest times in practice and Stout would have two qualifying laps around the 5/8th of a mile oval to secure a top spot on the starting grid. Lap one of two was off the pace as expected with tires coming up to temp, but on the second lap Stout came shooting off of turn 4 hard on the gas with the car in a full drift laying down a 21.53 that at that point topped the charts – an effort that brought cheers from the sold-out crowd. When the checkered flew to end the session, Stout’s time stood as the fifth quickest serving notice that he was a contender for the win.
Top 10 qualifying results by positions, name, car number, team name and time:
1. Bobby Santos, 122, DJ Racing-21.380;
2. Kody Swanson, 63, DePalma-21.449;
3. Jerry Coons Jr., 20, Nolen-21.462;
4. Tanner Swanson, 02, Bowman-21.516;
5. Robert Stout, 21, Bowman/Armstrong-21.533;
6. Aaron Pierce, 26, Pierce-21.546;
7. Chris Windom, 98, RPM/Gormly-21.653;
8. Jacob Wilson, 07, WBR-21.773;
9. David Byrne, 40, Byrne-21.832;
10. Joe Liguori, 99, Gormly-21.978;
“I’m really happy with that effort to be honest,” said an excited Stout after the qualifying session. “I got a little greedy with the throttle coming off of 4 so I think we could’ve been even better but I still have a lot to learn in these cars. I was way over driving it in practice and really just needed to slow down. I’m still using too much brake so I know we can go faster but it seems like we’re close and in this group that’s a big deal.”
The 100-lap “Carb Night Classic…The Race Before the 500” was 60 laps longer than any race Stout had ever been in so the learning curve was steep and the first lesson came right at the start. As the field bunched up for the green flag, Stout placed his No. 21 machine mere inches from the rear bumper of the No. 20 machine driven by 2008 USAC Silver Crown champ Jerry Coons Jr. Stout tapped the brake so as to not hit Coons as the starter simultaneously threw the green flag. Eighteen 800 HP cars roared to life as they all charged across the starting line. By the time the field entered turn one, Stout had lost three spots and was in a battle to not lose more.
Stout eventually settled into 8th behind Wilson. The first three cars broke away with Santos leading the Swanson brothers. Coons Jr. slotted into 4th while behind him a heated four-car battle emerged with Pierce, Windom, Wilson and Stout all vying to grab 5th. It was clear the No. 21 car was the fastest in the group, but passing at Lucas Oil Raceway is no easy task when the speeds of the competitors are within hundredths of a second.
The pack of four cars put on a show for more than half the race as they all went side by side and sometimes three wide trying to gain an advantage. Stout slowly picked away and battled back to 6th. Wilson would hit the wall right in front of Stout and then Windom cleared Pierce. Stout now closed the gap on Pierce in the No. 26 car and the two drivers put on a show with neither backing down to the point that contact was made on a few occasions.
No. 21 Stout and No. 26 Pierce photomymeyer
Stout eventually cleared the No. 26 car and set his sights on Windom in the No. 98 car. Stout closed the large gap and then began to pressure Windom. Time and time again, Stout would pull up beside the No. 98 car, but he just never had enough to clear him to take the preferred high line that would’ve earned him his first podium.
No. 98 Windom and No. 21 Stout photobymeyer
When the checkered flew, Stout, in his first series start, crossed the line in fourth posting his first top 5 finish in the USAC Silver Crown series. The crowd cheered as the top 5 all stopped on the front straightaway to celebrate.
“It was a solid effort for sure,” said Stout after the race. “I have to thank Bowman Racing, Brad Armstrong and Brent Elmore for a great car and my teammate Tanner Swanson on the win, his fifth in the last six starts here! My dad was spotting and Bryan Tyler also helped on the radio. I got hung out on the start, it was just a timing thing but it cost me pretty big. It’s really hard to pass here and I spent the rest of the race making up the ground we lost. Windom was one of the cars that got by at the start otherwise we would have been on the podium and I really think we had the speed to run with the Swanson brothers if I could’ve cleared Windom. Wish we could’ve given Bowman a one, two finish tonight but we have to hold our heads up high with 4th.”
“I’m thrilled to be here on the front straightaway, and our good friend and former race buddy Eric Meyer who is now a photographer extraordinaire was kind enough to shoot some pics for us, it was a really good night. You always wonder how you’ll stack up against the best and now I know I can run with them. Special thanks to Lucas Oil for giving me this opportunity, I couldn’t do it without their support!
Stout will next compete on June 3 for the Diamond Cup at Meridian Speedway and then finishes off the month with a triple-header weekend in the Mid-West King of the Wing series, June 24-26.
Robert Stout thanks:
Lucas Oil Racing TV
Mike Bowman – Bowman Racing
Brad Armstrong – Armstrong Garage Doors
Brent Elmore – Crew Chief
Eric Meyer – Photobymeyer
Impact Race Products
About Lucas Oil Products:
Founded in 1989 by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, Lucas Oil Products, Inc. has established itself as one of the fastest-growing lubrication product lines in the consumer automotive aftermarket, featuring a line of engine oils, greases, gear lubes, problem-solving additives, and car-care products. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil has established itself as a worldwide leader in the lubrication industry. Motorsports has always been part of the Lucas Oil culture and the cornerstone of the company’s marketing strategy. Such passion for motorsports has inspired Lucas Oil to sponsor many race teams, events and series at all levels, including, NHRA, IRL, ASCS, NASCAR, IHRA and many more. Lucas Oil has also taken ownership and operational control of a number of high profile racing properties, such as: Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Lucas Oil Drag Boat Series, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Lucas Oil Modified Series, Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO. and the Lucas Oil I-10 Speedway in Blythe, CA.
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