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| DARLAND WINS 67th TURKEY NIGHT GP MIDGET CLASSIC AT IRWINDALE - By Tim Kennedy |
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Irwindale, Calif., Nov. 22 - Dave Darland, from Lincoln, Indiana, drove one of three Steve Lewis-owned Performance Racing Industry Beast/Ed Pink Toyota-powered midgets to victory Thursday night in front of about 6,000 fans at the Irwindale Speedway progressively-banked half-mile. The 67th running of the prestigious Turkey Night Grand Prix midget race that dates back to 1934 was scheduled for a new distance-98 laps instead of the usual 100 laps-to honor the memory of the late race organizer J. C. Agajanian. He revived the midget classic in 1955 after an absence of four years. He used No. 98 on his cars from the 1950s to his death in 1984. His sons--Cary, Jay and Chris--have continued the TNGP tradition since his death. Aggie's No. 98 Indy cars won the Indianapolis 500 twice, in 1952 with Troy Ruttman and in 1963 with Parnelli Jones. Darland, a 41-year old versatile driver and four-time USAC National Series champion (1997 Silver Crown, 1999 National Sprint and 2001-02 National Midget Series) scored his initial TNGP triumph and his most significant paved track victory aboard Lewis' famed No. 9, a multi-time USAC championship car from nearby Laguna Beach. Past TNGP winners for Lewis have been the late Stan Fox (1990-91), Jason Leffler (1999), Tony Stewart (2000) and Bobby East (2004). The race has been held at Irwindale Speedway each year since the track opened in 1999. Track management posted a $33,000 purse for the USAC National/Western Series Midget Classic, the featured race in a three-division USAC event. Darland's victory paid $6,000 to the driver who had best TNGP finishes of third (1999) and fourth (1998). Darland became the 45th different TNGP winner. Following time trials from 6:03 to 7:20 p.m, the 14 fastest qualifiers went directly to the feature for a straight-up start with fastest qualifier Kody Swanson, 19, on the pole. The 15th quickest and slower qualifiers were divided into a pair of qualifying races. The first eight finishers in each 12-lap race would advance to the feature. However, 13th fastest qualifier Ryan Kaplan blew his engine on his second qualifying lap and scratched from the feature. To be fair, USAC officials moved ninth finishers from both "last chance" races into the feature, making it a 35-car race. The field included two provisional starters based on National and Western car owner points. Eligible owners were those in the top 15 in points who had not used their two maximum provisional berths during the season. The first qualifying race had 24 starters with the 15th fastest qualifier on the pole based on the straight-up start. The second qualifier had 23 cars with the 16th quickest qualifier on the pole. Pole starter Ricky Ehrgott, a Florida resident and Ford Focus Midget Series graduate, passed outside front row starter Chase Scott, from North Carolina, on lap two and beat Scott to the finish line by ten yards in the 3:28.44-timed first qualifier. At the finish a car oiled the backstretch and three cars spun into the third turn wall as one car spun into the third turn grass infield. Brad Kuhn led all 12 laps of the second qualifying race and defeated pole starter Darren Hagen by five yards. The race had four cautions flags for spins and took 19-minutes to complete. The 35-car midget feature took the green flag at 10:29 p.m and ran 15 rapid laps with cars three and four wide at times. Pole starter Kody Swanson led the first two laps in his Steve Lewis No. 19 Beast/Ed Pink Toyota as his third-starting teammate Darland moved into second position. Darland took the lead on lap three and paced the balance of the 98-lap race. At lap 25 Darland led led Swanson, Bobby East, Mike Murgoitio, two-time TNGP winner/NASCAR driver Jason Leffler, Josh Wise, 2006 TNGP winner Billy Wease, NASCAR Nextel Cup star Kasey Kahne, two-time TNGP winner Dave Steele, Bryan Clauson and second starter Bobby Santos III, who was fresh from his Western Sprint victory in the prior race. On lap 26, 19th place Levi Jones got into oil or water dropped in the first turn groove and skated into the crash-wall. He collected the cars of Tony Stewart Racing Beast/Chevv teammate Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Zach Schiff at the wall. Ron Gregory also slid into the wall behind them. All four cars were eliminated. Jones took a ride in the ambulance to the pits for evaluation, but he was discharged quickly. Yellow flag laps for track clean-up and removal of crashed cars counted from lap 26-40. Second place Swanson pulled into the infield from turn four under caution and exited his cockpit. A broken shock absorber from one of the wrecked cars embedded itself in his belly-pan and dragged on the track. He joined the growing car park in the infield. Josh Wise, the 14th fastest qualifier in NHRA drag racing star Cruz Pedregon's No. 75 Gerhardt/Toyota, had raced into fourth place by lap 41 when he slowed to sixth and exited to the infield with a blown engine. At lap 50 Darland held a 20-yard lead over fifth-starter Bobby East in a Klatt Enterprises Beast/Esslinger Ford. Leffler's Keith Kunz/Team ASE Beast/Esslinger Ford was third, Murgoitio's Beast/Esslinger Ford fourth, and Clauson's Kunz Beast/Esslinger Ford fifth. Seventh starter Kahne, making his first TNGP appearance since 2002, was sixth in the Zarounian/Kahne Seymour Paint Beast/Mopar. Santos, Wease, Chase Scott and Dave Steele ran 7-10 respectively at the half-way point. The race ran green from lap 41 to the lap 98 conclusion with the first car being lapped on lap 69. At lap 75 the top ten showed Darland leading by 40-yards with East maintaining a 30-yard advantage over Murgoitio. Clauson, Leffler, Kahne, Wease, 22-year old midget/sprint car driver Garrett Hansen, Scott and 2007 WMRA champion Evan Margeson, from Tacoma, the top ten runners. As leaders continued lapping slower cars, Kahne was the fastest car on the track. He took fifth on lap 78, fourth on lap 83, third on lap 89 and made a clean "slide job" pass of East in turns one-two for second position on lap 96. Kahne trailed winner Darland, a former teammate in Steve Lewis Beast/Ed Pink Fords, by 2.272 seconds at the lap 98 checkers and earned $3,200 for his night of racing fun with old friends. The lapped 17th place car of 18-year old rookie Dakoda Armstrong was between the two leaders at the finish. East (3.134 seconds behind the winner) collected $2,100 for third position. Murgoitio took home $1,500 and rapidly closing Hansen bagged $1,200. Clauson, Leffler, Margeson, Wease, and Scott completed the top ten. Nineteen of the 35 starters finished and 16 drivers completed all 98 laps at 11:03 p.m. There were 12 first-time starters in the TNGP feature. The Don Basile Memorial Rookie of the Race award went to Murgoitio who started sixth and ran in the top five all the way. He finished fourth, 3.317-seconds behind Darland. Jerry Coons, Jr., from Tucson, earned his second consecutive USAC National Midget driving championship. He started 19th in the Wilke-Pak Spike/Stanton Mopar and experienced brake problems during the race. He was lapped before he dropped out after completing 85 laps. The top three finishers parked at the finish line following the race along with 2007 champion Coons. Winner Darland addressed the near capacity crowd on the infield PA microphone. "This is the best competition you can find anywhere, especially with the addition of Kasey Kahne. Thanks to the Agajanian family for continuing the long (TNGP) tradition. Driving for Steve Lewis is a pleasure. He puts great race-cars together. The Beast/Toyota was strong all night," Darland added. Runner-up Kahne stated, "We came from a long way back (17th) and had a good night. My Mopar engine was fast. I think we could have caught him (Darland) if there was a yellow (late in the race). I last raced here in 2002 and finished second (to Michael Lewis) and was second in 2000 (to Tony Stewart). It feels like I've been second in this race about four times. Thanks to all the fans for coming out tonight. Have a happy holiday." J. C. Agajanian, Jr., whose family has promoted a record 476 USAC races since the club commenced operations in 1956, took the infield PA microphone and said, "Dad is up there smiling on us right now. Thanks Aggie." He added, "Dave Darland has been a long-time winner and a great race driver." The fan-friendly, popular winner stated, "Lap 1-98 I couldn't ask for a better race car. I'm humble to be standing here talking to you now. It's been a great night." Darland's wife Brenda, a USAC marketing services coordinator, joined him in victory ceremonies. Darland's name will be engraved on a metal tag and affixed to the permanent "Aggie Trophy" that is kept on display at the Irwindale Speedway office. Third place East said, "Darland had the strongest car tonight." Johnny Rodriguez, the 2004 USAC Western midget champion, won the 2007 Western Midget Series driving championship and the car owner title for his Mitchell Motorsports team. Coons and his No. 11 Wilke-Pak team celebrated their national championship and his separate National Midget Driver of the Year point championship in the pits. |
