Dave Steele, HammerDown!

DRIVERS

Dave Steele

2003 & 2005 - All HammerDown! Team Member

Super Sunday for Steele at Copper World Classic - By Dick Jordan - Avondale, AZ. January 22, 2006 - ...Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. won Sunday afternoon's "Fastsigns 25" USAC National/Western Midget Car race at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway, successfully debuting the brand-new Toyota powerplant. The 2005 USAC Silver Crown Champion, who also won the 2002 "Copper World" Midget race, led the final 12 laps of Sunday's race after leader Bobby East encountered mechanical problems and hit the wall in turn three on lap 14. Steele started on the pole in the ASE/Toyota Beast and trailed East for the first 13 laps around the 1-mile paved oval. Michael Lewis finished second, followed by Jay Drake, Cole Carter and Ron Gregory, while Steele's Toyota teammate Dave Darland finished seventh. "My hat's off to my entire crew today," said Steele in victory lane. "It's obviously a big thing for me to be part of Toyota's debut into Midget racing. To have an engine come out and run really good right out of the box is a tribute to engine builder Ed Pink and his shop and to Toyota. It's a good way to start." The National Midget Car Series is idle until May while the Western Midget Car Series resumes March 25 at the Bakersfield (Calif.) Speedway. (Summary)

Steele wins first 'new generation' USAC Silver Crown event - January 22, 2006 - By Dick Jordan - AVONDALE, Ariz. - Dave Steele put together 50 solid laps in the new generation Silver Crown car to win the inaugural race for the cars and his fifth straight in the "Copper World Classic" at Phoenix International Raceway. Steele qualified fifth quick in the 12-car field, but took advantage of two penalties to start from the outside of the front row, then hid from Bud Kaeding and teammate Brian Tyler for the victory, his second today. The Tampa, Fla. native also won the National/Western Midget Car Series race earlier in the afternoon. "Anytime you win its good," said Steele, who led the field driving a C&R chassis owned by Team Six-R Racing. "It's a special champ car race and I wanted to win this for my crew. They spent all nighters putting this racecar together, and they gave 100 percent. They put a lot into it. Chris Paulsen (President and Owner C&R Racing and chassis constructor) really built a nice racecar. He has smart engineers working on that car. We qualified tight and I ran about as good as I could run that tight." Steele jolted ahead of Tyler in the first turn of the race, and endured a pair of charges from Kaeding, who moved to second after the first lap. But Steele upped his advantage nearly a third of a straightaway by Lap 8, and extended that to a straightaway a handful of laps later. Kaeding, who secured the event's second-fast time in Saturday's qualifications only to start sixth due to qualifying outside his original spot, kept his DRC chassis close to Steele for a while. Following the event' s only caution - which occurred for an oil cleanup in Turn 3 on Lap 18 - Kaeding stayed close for a couple of laps, but Steele inched away to post a margin of victory by 3.341 seconds. Behind, Tyler, Aaron Pierce and Wayne Reutimann Jr. fought each other early before being separated in the closing laps. Dave Darland and Greg Furlong, who finished sixth and seventh respectively in the race, were a part of the toughest battle on the track, running nose-to-tail for the majority of the event. Tim Barber and Jerry Coons Jr., the other half of the C&R Racing stable, suffered mechanical failure and did not finish the race. They finished eighth and ninth. Bryn Gohn, who make wall contact twice in Saturday's took the green flag and took a handful of laps before pulling in, and he finished 10th. Rodney Weesner finished 11th after presenting his car on the grid. Pablo Donoso, who crashed in Sunday morning's practice session, was treated and released in the infield care center. He was credited with 12th in the race. Steele leads the early points standings for the Silver Crown Series presented by K&N Engineering, with the next race scheduled for March 25 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida. (Summary)

Steele passes Swanson late for Turkey Night sprint car win - By Robert Mayson IRWINDALE, Calif. 11/24/05 ...Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. drove Gary Murgoitio's GM Land & Cattle #80 Eagle to an impressive 40-lap USAC Valvoline Western Sprint Car Series victory Thursday Night at Irwindale (CA) Speedway. Murgoitio, of Meridian, Idaho, passed Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, CA, on the final lap of the race for second place, but was unable to prevent Swanson from winning the 2005 Valvoline Western Sprint Car title. Murgoitio's move did put him second in the final point standings ahead of San Francisco, California's Tim Barber. Barber started the race on the pole and led until Swanson put his Keith Willams DDS #75 Eagle into the lead on the sixth lap. Swanson held the lead until Steele, who started ninth, use the low groove in turn to take the lead on lap 37 and the eventual win. Barber went on to finish fourth ahead of Bud Kaeding, of Campbell, CA. (Summary)

Steele peaks at Pikes - HD Staff - Fountain, CO. July 3, 2005 - Dave Steele of Tampa Florida handled the competition in the USAC Silver Crown 100-mile event at Pikes Peak International Raceway Sunday afternoon. The pavement ace outlasted Michael Lewis who won the companion midget event. Steele became the all-time leader in laps led in Silver Crown racing, surpassing Jimmy Sills. J.J. Yeley finished third, followed by John Heydenreich, and Eric Gordon. The top-ten was completed by Jay Drake, Tyler Walker, Bobby East, Tim Barber, and Josh Wise. (Summary)

Steele captures Copper World Classic Silver Crown again - By Dick Jordan - January 30, 2005. Avondale, CA. ...Defending USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series champion Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. ran his "Copper World Classic" victory streak to four Sunday, winning the 100-mile "FastSigns 100" at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. Steele led all 100 laps for the second straight year, pushing his total in the event to 267 straight laps on the point. He was challenged by runner-up Tracy Hines in the final quarter of the event but led Hines to the checkered flag for the third straight year. Trailing the lead duo were Tyler Walker, J.J. Yeley and Brian Tyler. "I've got to give credit to my team," said Steele, who won the event by .224 seconds. "Those guys know what setup to use on the car, and it stayed consistent throughout the race." Steele, who started on the outside of the front row, darted to the front and was unmatched throughout the event, which featured eight cautions for 42 laps, including three yellows in the final 10 laps. The stoppages in competition made Steele uneasy at times, however. His best runs came during long periods of green. "I think on short runs, he was better," Steele said, "so it would have been better for us if we had longer green-flag periods. I hated to see those cautions, especially the last one, but we were able to hold on to win." Russ Gamester won the 15-lap qualifying race on Saturday. Bobby East ended Steele's three-race polesitter streak at the one-mile track, lapping the track at 139.147 mph. The series will continue action in the "Hoosier Hundred" May 27 at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. (Summary)

Steele on Pole as Little 500 Field is Set - HD Staff - Anderson, IN. 05/28/04 - Dave Steele's best effort from Thursday qualifying held up as time trials resumed for the 56th Little 500. Anderson Speedway's 'Big Event' will run Saturday night featuring 33 USAC sprint cars starting three-wide on the high banked quarter mile. (MORE)

Steele Runs Away with USAC Silver Crown Memphis Go - By Dick Jordan - Memphis, TN. 05/08/04 ...Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. continued his winning ways in the USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series Saturday afternoon, winning the “USAC Mid-South 100” at Memphis Motorsports Park. Steele is now two-for-two in the series, also having won at Phoenix, Ariz. in March. Steele earned his 14th career series pole in the Ford/Power Stroke Diesel Beast co-owned by NASCAR star Tony Stewart and Bob East and proceeded to lead every lap of the 100-lap race on the 3/4-mile paved oval. The race, presented by Brim’s Snack Foods, completed the complex’s “Big M Motorfest” weekend of racing. “Our car was pretty good,” commented Steele in victory lane. “My hat is off to Bob East and the whole crew. We unloaded and were not very good but we kept fighting it and made a lot of changes. I guess we went the right way.” (More)

Steele Untouchable in Copper World Silver Crown - 03/21/04 ...Avondale, AZ. ...Tampa Florida's Dave Steele continued his dominance at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday with a wire-to-wire victory in the the 27th Annual "Copper World Classic", leading all 100 laps in the USAC Weld Racing Silver Crown Series' opening event. It was his third consecutive victory in the event. (more)

STEELE GOES FOR THREE-PEAT SUNDAY AT PIR! Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. will try to do something Sunday only one other driver has ever done in 102 USAC races at Phoenix International Raceway since the track opened in 1964! (more)

Steele Builds Pavement Legend, Scores Turkey Night for Tomassi - HD Staff, 11/27/03 Irwindale, CA. Tampa Florida pavement driving ace, Dave Steele stomped the competition in the 63rd annual Turkey Night Grand Prix. Driving the Dino Tomassi owned #29 MOPAR Midget, Steele whipped around the paved 1/2 mile Irwindale Speedway for the 100 lap victory in front of a huge crowd and a national television audience. (More midgets) (Also see the sprint car summary)

Dave Steele Wins Record $59 G's in IRP Midget Sweep - HD Staff, - Claremont, IN. September 27, 2002 - ...Dave Steele continued his legend as one 'bad' pavement pilot Friday night at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Steele won both 'Twin 25' USAC National Midget features, earning a $50,000 bonus for the sweep. Steele raked in $59,780 in awards including the $50,000 bonus posted by Prolong Super Lubricants for winning both races! The payout is the largest winner's share in the history of the sport of Midget racing! (read the summary)

Steele on Pole for Little 500, Hunt Locked In - HD Staff Anderson, IN. 05/23/02 ...Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. captured his third PayLess/Delco Remy "Little 500" Pole stating position during Thursday's first round of qualifications for Saturday's 54th running of the race. He previously won the pole in 1996 and 2000 and won the race in 1996. California driver, Tony Hunt qualified Ken Pierson's #1, ninth fastest to guarentee a starting spot outside of row three. The Little 500 will start with 11 rows of three, and go for 500 laps on the high-banked, paved, quarter-mile oval Saturday night. (provisional line-up)

Steele Proves Pavement Prowess Again - HD Staff, 03/17/02, Avondale, AZ. - Dave Steele made it a sweep of major USAC races this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. Steele, who won Saturday's USAC National Midget Copper World event, dominated the Silver Crown race this morning. Anderson Indiana's, Jason McCord finished second after starting 18th! A.J. Fike, P.J. Jones, and Derek Davidson completed the top five finishers. (read more)

Steele(y) Dave, Copper Midget Master - By Dick Jordan, Avondale, AZ. - 03/16/02 - Dave Steele of Tampa, Fla. captured Saturday's 25-mile "Little Trees" Twin 25s USAC National Midget Car opener at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway. The race offered points toward both the National and Western Midget Car Series championships. Steele piloted the Dino Tomassi Mopar Parts/Finish Line Towing/Penske Shocks/Northside Propane Mopar/Beast to victory. (read the whole deal)