HAMMOND, IN: Combining two victories and amazing consistency, former USAC Champ Dave Darland captured the 20th annual Indiana Sprint Week title. The Hoosier State’s own “Double D” managed to finish in the top 12 in seven out of eight events to secure the 2007
championship.
Three out of the first five rounds of the series were taken by defending ISW Champ Jon Stanbrough, with Darland and Daron Clayton also scoring wins. And, with the consistent Levi Jones leading the series point standings, the wingless warriors began week two. The
championship was truly up for grabs.
No one was sure what to expect as the series rolled into Kemps Motor Speedway in Boswell on Thursday. The track, a late addition to the ISW schedule, had last hosted USAC in the mid ’70’s; talk about a clean sheet of paper! By the end of the evening, however, it was obvious that the tight, well banked 1/3 mile oval was
well suited to the USAC stars of today.
In the 30 lap feature, first Jesse Hockett, then Dave Darland lead, before defending USAC midget champion Jerry Coons Jr. snuck past with a low pass in turn one to assume a lead he would never loose. It was the second 2007 ISW win for the legendary Hoffman Family sprinter, as Daron Clayton had won the second Gas City race subbing for the absent Coons Jr. the previous Saturday. Trailing Coons Jr. home at Kemp’s were
Darland, Jon Stanbrough, Jesse Hockett and Matt Neely.
The circus rolled into Bloomington the following night for the penultimate round of Indiana Sprint Week. And, on yet another beautiful Indiana summer evening, Dave
Darland took command of the series.
The feature saw young Brady Bacon, wheeling the Kasey Kahne MOPAR, continue his impressive season by leading the first 24 laps before slipping over the edge of the banking in turn four, allowing Dave Darland to blast past into the lead. Darland then held on until the checkered flag, trailed by an impressive Robert Ballou, Bacon and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. in Tony
Stewart’s Chevy.
The following night, everything was on the line at Southern Indiana’s Tri-State Speedway in Haubstadt. It turned out to be another big night for “The Modern Day Cowboy”, as Daron Clayton, recovering from a flip in his heat race, blew by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on lap 23 of the 30 lap feature to score his second victory of the series. Behind Clayton at the finish were Stenhouse Jr., local hotshoe Chad Boespflug, Jon
Stanbrough and Dustin Morgan.
Dave Darland could only manage an 11th place finish at Haubstadt, but that was all the Hoosier Hero needed to secure the 2007 Indiana Sprint Week title. 2006 ISW titlist Jon Stanbrough trailed the new champion by 18 points, followed by Levi Jones, Brady Bacon and Ricky
Stenhouse Jr.
The 2007 edition of Indiana Sprint Week was blessed with fine weather, featuring safe and exciting racing throughout. To those of us who follow Indiana Sprint
Week, these ARE the “good old days”!
John AtlasThe Dirt GuyUSAC