NATIONAL SPRINT POINT RACE HEADS WEST "RICH VOGLER CLASSIC" IS DARLAND'S 1ST AT WINCHESTER

OCTOBER 17, 2005


             The battle for the 2005 Valvoline USAC National Sprint Car 
Championship heads west for back-to-back tripleheader weekends at Perris, 
Calif. and Phoenix, Ariz. The "Budweiser Oval Nationals" are slated at the 
Perris Auto Speedway Nov. 3-5 and the Checker Auto Parts/Budweiser "Western 
World Championships" will unfold Nov. 10-12 at Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix.

             Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. enhanced his "contender" status 
Sunday afternoon, recording his initial Winchester (Ind.) Speedway triumph 
in the "Rich Vogler Classic" at the 1/2-mile paved oval. The race was the 
first for USAC at the track since 2003.

             Darland grabbed the lead in his Hoosier Race Tires/Weld Wheels 
Beast/Claxton on lap 18, charging beneath Ron Gregory on the backstretch to 
take the lead going into turn three. Gregory had led the first 17 laps of 
the 30-lap race. Dave Steele finished second ahead of Gregory, Levi Jones 
and Josh Wise. Fast qualifier Tracy Hines, who just missed a new track 
record during qualifying, finished sixth.

             Darland cut into Jones' series point lead as a result, 
trailing now by 78 points going into the point-rich California and Arizona 
programs. All six nights of racing at Perris and Phoenix offer Valvoline 
National and CRA points.

             Jay Drake, despite not competing at Winchester, remains third 
in the new series standings and with more than 400 total points up for 
grabs in the western events, continues as a title contender, as does 
teammate Josh Wise, who trails Drake by 27.

USAC VALVOLINE NATIONAL SPRINT CAR SERIES STANDINGS

1.-Levi Jones-1,375
2.-Dave Darland-1,297
3.-Jay Drake-1,188
4.-Josh Wise-1,161
5.-Bud Kaeding-1,112
6.-Mat Neely-940
7.-Jon Stanbrough-872
8.-Jerry Coons Jr.-712
9.-Darren Hagen-684
10.-Tracy Hines-645