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(JANUARY 23, 2005, PERRIS, CA) Indiana open wheel
racing superstar Dave Darland has entered the 2005 Perris Auto Speedway 10th
Anniversary Season Opener featuring the Valvoline USAC/CRA Sprint Cars on
Saturday afternoon, February 5th. Longtime PAS sponsor Temecula Valley Pipe
& Supply will present the race.
Darland, 38, of Lincoln, Indiana, has four USAC National titles to his credit.
The first came in 1997 when he captured the USAC Silver Crown championship. In
1999 he was top man in the USAC National Sprint Car Series and he won
back-to-back championships in the USAC National Midget Series in 2001 and 2002.
Last season Darland again raced in all three of USAC’s top divisions and ended
up third in the Weld Wheels Silver Crown Series, seventh in the Valvoline
National Sprint Car Series and ninth in the National Midget Car Series.
Darland won the USAC/CRA Sokola Classic Preliminary on March 19th, 2004 at
Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix, Arizona. Last November the veteran racer dazzled
west coast fans by coming all the way from a 16th place start in the B main to
5th in the A main at the Budweiser Oval Nationals at Perris before a late race
tangle pushed him back to tenth at the finish of the 50-lap grind.
Darland’s most recent results include a win at the December 30th USAC Midget
Rumble in Ft. Wayne (Indiana) and a third place finish at the prestigious Chili
Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Oklahoma earlier this month.
Darland will be driving for veteran Southern California owner/driver Dwight
Cheney at The PAS season opener and other early season Valvoline USAC/CRA
events.
In addition to his own exploits behind the wheel, Darland’s 17-year old son
Trenton finished second in 2003 Indiana USAC Ford Focus Midget Series points and
was 11th in the 2004 Midwest Ford Focus Series standings.
The longtime Indiana star will have his hands full at the season opener with
tough California competitors like the Yorba Linda duo of Rip Williams & Cary
Faas, Concord’s Damion Gardner, Torrance’s Mike Kirby & “Super
Rickie” Gaunt, Temecula’s Mike Spencer, Cory Kruseman of Ventura, Corona’s
Tony Jones, Troy Rutherford of Ojai, Costa Mesa’s Bobby Cody, Charles Davis
Jr. of Buckeye, Arizona and Indiana’s Jon Stanbrough.
Spectator gates will open at noon and qualifying will get the green flag at 1:00
PM at the season opener. After the races end, the band Euphoria will play in the
infield for fans, race teams and officials.
Perris Auto Speedway is conveniently located on the Lake Perris Fairgrounds,
home of the Southern California Fair, approximately one hour east of Los
Angeles. Take the 215 Freeway, exit at the Ramona Expressway and go east two and
a half miles to the fairgrounds.
For more information on any event at Perris Auto Speedway, please call (951)
940-0134.
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