DEFENDING OVAL NATIONALS CHAMPION DAVE DARLAND IS READY! Perris, CA | Oct. 29, 2014 - Dave Darland is one of the all-time greats in the sport of sprint car racing. Earlier this year he passed Tom Bigelow to become the all-time leading winner in the USAC National Championship Series and his victory total now stands at 53. Only three of those wins have come at Perris Auto Speedway. However, all three of them wins were in the A Main at the Oval Nationals and netted the personable driver $75,000.00. Darland hopes to up that number to four wins and $95,000.00 at next week’s 19th Annual Budweiser Oval Nationals Presented by All Coast Construction. Darland, a 48-year-old who lives in Lincoln, Indiana, never dreamed his career would go like it has and never thought he would become the all-time leader in USAC National Sprint Car main event wins. Appropriately, he tied Bigelow’s record of 52 wins at his home track, Kokomo Speedway, on August 23rd and he set the new record on the same track the following night. “No, I would have never, ever guessed that,” he laughed from his Indiana home on Tuesday afternoon. “Me and my dad started out in a little old sprint car we pieced together. We were just lucky to make it to the local shows. Coming from where we did to where we are now is something I did not see happening in the early stages. I won my first one (USAC main) in 1993 at Terre Haute in the Hulman Classic. We kind of lucked into it, but there was quite a story to it. This little old team winning that race on that track which is a big old half-mile. It was an odd place for someone to win their first one.” The racer, who is affectionately known as “The People’s Champ” by his legions of fans, spends most of the year racing in the USAC National Sprint Car Series and on the local tracks in and around Indiana. Thus far in 2014 the racing grandfather leads the USAC National Series with six main event wins and he estimates he has won 15 main events total this year including those at the local tracks. The USAC National Sprint Car Series is considered to be the toughest traditional sprint car series in the country. However, it reaches its toughest point when it hit the track at the Oval Nationals as that matches all of the top stars in the national series against the top west coast stars in the USAC/CRA Series. And, it only happens once a year. “The Oval Nationals is always tough to win,” Darland said. “It always has 45 to 60 cars entered and all of the best drivers are there. The CRA guys, the Midwest guys along with drivers from Northern California and Arizona. It is a tough competition and a good racetrack. Perris Auto Speedway is a tricky track that you have to drive hard, but you also have to use some common sense. It certainly is hard to win there. I look forward to coming to the Oval Nationals every year.” Dave Darland, on the inside, and Bryan Clauson fight for the lead late in the A Main at the 2013 Budweiser Oval Nationals at Perris Auto Speedway. Media please feel free to publish this photo and please give photo credit to Doug Allen. Darland like his chances heading into next week’s event, but his is anything, but cocky about it. “I will have a great opportunity as I am driving for the same team as I was when I won it last year and we have the same amount of wins heading into it as we did last year,” he said. “We have good equipment and a good team. My confidence is good about that, but like I said, 55 cars and the top drivers from around the country make it a very tough race.” Dave Darland after winning the 2013 Budweiser Oval Nationals at Perris Auto Speedway. Media please feel free to publish this photo and please give photo credit to Doug Allen. Last year’s win for Darland was a like a boxer getting off the canvas after being knocked down in the first round and coming back to win. He had an engine problem in hot laps before the first night of racing. However, the Phillips Motorsports Team pulled there other car out of the trailer and 24 hours later they collected the winner’s check. “It did not slow us down much,” the 1999 USAC National Sprint Car champion chuckled, “We ran another car at Canyon the week before and had to pull it out of the trailer. We did not have any laps on it when we went out to qualify. It set us back just a bit, but that car was just as good and as ready as the other car was. It certainly did not hurt us.” In addition to running the 410 Oval Nationals, just last week Darland picked up a ride for the November 6th 360 portion of the show driving for USAC/CRA regular Chris Gansen. Darland does not know a lot about that car, but he likes what he sees. “I know it is a great looking car, but that is about all I know about it,” Darland laughed. “I do not know much about it, but I do know he has great equipment and some good sponsors on the car. I see he has Trench Shoring. They (Trench Shoring) have been around racing for a long time. I know it is good equipment and he has some good help,” In addition to his racing chores for the three nights, on Saturday Darland will have his new book, “The People’s Champ, A Racer’s Life” available for fans at an autograph session starting when the gates open at 3:00 PM. The book details Darland’s life on and off the track and features a forward written by Tony Stewart. The humble racer is not sure why Bonces Bourcier chose him. “Bones came to me first and I was not really prepared for it as I never thought about doing a book,” laughed the driver who won last year’s USAC Midget Turkey Night Grand Prix at The PAS. “I don’t really see my life outside of racing as very exciting. Three kids and a wife of 25-years. It would be a little bit boring I would think, but it came out great. It has my racing, how I grew up, my heroes and friends throughout the years. It was Bones and the publisher Lew Boyd. They came over six or eight times and we would do a two or three hour session. We would talk and they would ask questions. With their knowledge, it came out great. Everybody enjoys it and we have sold a lot of them.” Advance tickets to see Dave Darland and all of the other stars at the Oval Nationals are available by calling 1-800-595-4849 or online at: tix For more information on The PAS call: (951) 940-0134. Camping the Oval Nationals is available for $25.00 per night. The campground will open at noon on Wednesday, November 5th. Tailgating in the spectator parking lot will begin at 1:00 PM for all PAS events as well. Perris Auto Speedway wants to thank its corporate sponsors for the 2014 season. 1-800LoanMart, 777 Racecars, All Coast Construction, Amsoil, Ayers Hotel and Spa, BlueLine Rental, Budweiser, CamGuard, Champion Towing, City of Perris, Daytona Boat & RV Storage, Edelbrok, Engine Pro, HD Industries, Hoosier Tires, K&N Engineering, Marjon RV, Pacific Coach Works, Pep Boys, P.I.P.E., Pepsi-Cola, Pick-A-Part Auto Salvage, Running Waters Hospice, Scott Sales, Shaver Racing Engines, Sherwin-Williams, Sprint Car Driving Experience, Square H, Swedish Speed, Town and Country Golf Carts, Trench Shoring, United States Army, US Foods and Valley Auto Salvage.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 15:59:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015