Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Future wide open for Leffler after USAC run

Friday, Nov. 27, 1998 | 10:49 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand's motor sports notebook appears Friday. His golf notebook appears Wednesday. Reach him at bh@lasvegassun.com or 259-4089.

Jason Leffler's heart may be in open-wheel racing, but the defending USAC National Midget champion and reigning Silver Crown Series champ isn't limiting his opportunities to the Indy Racing League.

Leffler, who hopes to wrap up his second 1998 USAC national championship Saturday night at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, is keeping his options open when it comes to his future.

Although he served as a test driver for Treadway Racing's IRL team this season, Leffler wouldn't mind following former USAC champion Tony Stewart into the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.

"When I first set out, NASCAR was going strong and the IRL hadn't developed yet," Leffler said. "With the IRL coming about, it has opened a lot of doors for guys like myself.

"(Short track veterans) Tony Stewart and Billy Boat and guys like that have done such a great job, we've got them to thank for us getting an opportunity. If they didn't perform very well, I don't think we would ever have gotten a shot."

Leffler hasn't yet received his "shot" as a full-time driver in the IRL, although Arie Luyendyk's recent retirement announcement could open a huge door for the 23-year-old.

"They're looking for sponsorship and if they can put a deal together, I'll definitely be in the car in Orlando," Leffler said of Treadway Racing. "But they're having trouble finding sponsors and if they can't get one, I don't know if we'll be there or not.

"I have been doing Firestone (tire) tests for Treadway and I've got probably 2,500 miles under my belt. We're trying to get there and if everything goes right, we'll be there. I've got some other options going, so we'll see where everything ends up."

Leffler's other options include the possibility of running a limited number of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in a second truck with a front-line team.

Leffler said it is important, no matter which direction he takes, to hook up with an established team with top-notch equipment.

"That's what I'm really concentrating on," Leffler said. "I'm trying to find the right deal in the best equipment I can get into.

"I've seen a lot of good racers go (to NASCAR) or to the IRL and not get good equipment and they haven't looked real good. That just defeats everything you've worked for."

Leffler already has compiled an impressive resume in his brief USAC career. He won the 1997 National Midget championship, clinched the 1998 Silver Crown Series title earlier this year and hopes to repeat as the Midget champion this weekend in the season finale in Las Vegas.

"We've already won the Silver Crown championship and we'd like to add the Midget title, that's what we're working for," he said. "That's what our goal was when we set out at the beginning of the year, to win both titles.

"You dream about doing those things your whole racing career but you don't get a lot of chances to do that. We're this close so we don't want to give it up now."

Add USAC

Sprint Cars, Midgets and TQ Midgets will headline Saturday's USAC tripleheader at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway's half-mile dirt track.

Leffler and Jay Drake are locked in a battle for the National Midget title; Jeff Gardner and Rick Williams will duel for the Western States Sprint Car championship; and Rick Hendrix and will be in search of his second straight Western States Midget title.

Also, Drake and Ricky Shelton, who is third in the National Midget points, are battling for an Indy Racing League test with Pennzoil/Panther Racing. Whoever finishes the highest in the final point standings receives the test.

The Sprints and Midgets will run on the half-mile track while the TQs will use a 1/4-mile circuit within the dirt oval.

Practice begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, qualifying starts at 7 p.m. and the first race is scheduled for 8 p.m. Tickets are priced at $15 for for adults and $10 for military, seniors and children.

Good cause

LVMS is teaming up with two local charities -- the Salvation Army and Child Haven -- during this weekend's USAC tripleheader and the Dec. 4-6 CORR Winter Series Championship.

The Speedway will provide free admission to anyone under 16 years of age who brings a non-perishable food item Saturday, or a toy on Dec. 4 of 5. The Salvation Army will receive all food donations while the toys will be donated to Child Haven.

NASCAR

Tickets for the inaugural Jiffy Lube Miami 400 Winston Cup race at the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex go on sale Tuesday at 6 a.m. (PDT).

Three-race ticket packages, which include the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and Busch Grand National races, are priced from $100 to 175. Two-race tickets, for the Winston Cup and Busch races, are $75 to $150, but priority will be given to fans purchasing the three-race tickets.

Fans wishing to purchase tickets for the Nov. 14, 1999 race can call 1-305-230-7223. Information on ordering by mail can be obtained by visiting the speedway's Internet site at www.racemiami.com.

CART

Although he has been banned from next season's opener at the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports, Las Vegas resident Paul Tracy recently tested his Team Kool Green Reynard/Honda at the 1.5-mile oval.

"Even though we weren't out there trying to set a fast time, it felt great to be back in the Kool car and to get some track time," Tracy said. "But it was mainly a tire test, so we concentrated on helping Firestone get the data they need."

Tracy and team owner Barry Green have indicated they plan to appeal the sanction, which was the result of an incident between Tracy and Michael Andretti during the race in Australia. But CART's rule book does not allow protests or appeals to be filed on such matters.

Chief steward Wally Dallenbach's decision marked the first time in the series' history that a driver has been banned from participating in a race.

Backmarkers

Russ Briney and Susan Schmelig eschewed the customary chapel wedding service when they decided to get married earlier this month during the SEMA automotive convention.

Briney and Schmelig, self-proclaimed classic car enthusiasts, instead opted to tie the knot at the Shelby American headquarters at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway Industrial Park. The couple wore matching Shelby racing suits for the service. ...

The Laughlin Visitors Bureau, a division of the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, announced this week that it has extended its sponsorship of the SCORE Desert Series for the second consecutive year. The resort destination has partnered with SCORE as title sponsor of the 1999 Series, a six-city tour which kicks off Jan. 21-24 with the fifth Laughlin Desert Challenge. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.