Brian Tyler is a badass.On a sunny Labor Day afternoon at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds for the Ted Horn 100, Tyler climbed aboard the BCR Group/Flint Trucking No. 81 to make his first USAC Silver Crown start in two years.
Brian Tyler is a badass.
On a sunny Labor Day afternoon at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds for the Ted Horn 100, Tyler climbed aboard the BCR Group/Flint Trucking No. 81 to make his first USAC Silver Crown start in two years. It was his debut ride in the car, somewhat of a last-minute choice after the team parted with longtime driver Shane Cottle just two weeks earlier.
It would have been easy to overlook Tyler in the pre-race accounting of the contenders. Sure, he brings a tremendous history in Silver Crown racing into any event: 198 starts over three decades, and 17 wins. But it had been 13 years since his most recent win, coming here at DuQuoin in 2008. And Tyler didn‘t qualify all that well; 11th out of 30 cars, putting him in the sixth row of the starting grid.
Never mind all that. When the race had finished Tyler beat ‘em all, scoring a hugely popular victory and beating a bunch of young racers who weren‘t even born when he began his Hall of Fame-worthy driving career 30-plus years ago.
“I needed to show the kids that this ol‘ dog ain‘t ready to lie down just yet,” Tyler said as he savored the win.
It was a classic Silver Crown race on a dirt mile, with the afternoon sun blazing overhead. The event was originally scheduled for Sunday night under the lights, but was bumped to Monday afternoon by rain, the first daytime Silver Crown race at DuQuoin since 2002.
Polesitter and contemporary Silver Crown master Kody Swanson led early, and Tyler wasted no time working his way forward, carefully slipping past cars that hugged the inside rail.
By lap 16 he was fifth, and coming.
He moved into third on lap 18 by passing Jake Swanson and Logan Seavey in a deft couple of moves. He then passed Shane Cockrum for second on lap 22.
Tyler then focused on the rear bumper of leader Swanson. And he waited.
His patience was rewarded at the midway point when Swanson checked up for a slower car, leaving the inside lane open. Tyler motored past
and said goodbye.
This would be the classic story of old age and patience overcoming youth and enthusiasm…but that‘s not exactly right. Tyler has spent his career as an aggressive, skilled racer, with two USAC National Sprint Car Series titles to boast about. Yes, he has mellowed a bit with the passing of time, but he can still gas it up when needed.
At the end, 24-year-old Logan Seavey was chasing Tyler, applying the pressure. But Tyler refused to yield, and led by several lengths at the finish.
One of Tyler‘s trademarks through the years is a direct, honest way of putting things. That was on classic display after the race. “I‘ve raced at DuQuoin when it was a day show probably before most of these kids were born…so I think I might‘ve had the upper hand on ‘em.”
It was Seavey who offered the biggest understatement of the day: “He‘s (Tyler) an experienced racer and he‘s really good at Silver Crown racing.”
The victory makes Tyler the oldest winner in Silver Crown history: 53 years, 10 months, and 10 days.
“It was just a cool day,” Tyler reflected. “Whenever I walk into the pits at a mile track, I feel confident that I can win. But there is no pressure. I just relaxed and got into the zone with the car, and everything came together.
“It‘s hard to explain but winning this one almost feels bigger and better than all my other (Silver Crown) wins. It just made for a really fun day.”
In recent years Tyler has cut his racing activity down to the Little 500 in May and a busy stint driving a “next generation” Silver Crown car on road courses. So does his DuQuoin win get Tyler fired up to do more Silver Crown racing?
“I‘m not interested in racing 40, 50 times a year,” he said flatly. “I still love racing on the miles, that‘s what Silver Crown racing is all about. As long as I‘m competitive, I‘ll be there.”
Badass. That‘s Brian Tyler.