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USAC: Third 'Hulman/Hoosier Hundred' win would aid Darland in quest for title

19 September 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

Dave Darland of Kokomo, Ind. will try for a third victory in A.J. Foyt's True Value "Hulman/Hoosier Hundred" at the Indiana State Fairgrounds Friday night. The "Salute to the Grand Prix" 100-miler will showcase USAC's Coors Light Silver Bullet Series in its first September appearance on the 1-mile dirt oval since 1995.

Darland, who won the 1995 "Hoosier Hundred" as well as that year's "Hulman Hundred," trails Brian Tyler by only 24 points going into Friday's race, with 66 available. Dave won USAC's 1997 Silver Bullet crown and last year's USAC Stoops Freightliner Sprint Car championship.

After winning in his first two starts at the Fairgrounds mile, Darland has added a ninth in 1997, a fourth in 1998 and a front-row start last year before engine problems sidelined him halfway through the race. A week ago he completed an Indy Racing League test with the Hemelgarn Racing Team at Texas Motor Speedway which he earned in July by winning the Sprint car feature event at the Toledo (Ohio) Speedway.

Dave will face a formidable field of challengers in Friday night's race, including defending 2-time winner Jimmy Sills, 1998 winner Donnie Beechler, 1997 winner Chuck Leary and 2-time winner Jack Hewitt. Defending series champion Ryan Newman, USAC point leaders Tony Elliott (Sprint Car) and Kasey Kahne (National Midget Car), 1999 Western Sprint Car Champ Bud Kaeding, 17-time 2000 USAC feature winner Jay Drake, 1990 "Hoosier Hundred" winner Gary Hieber, former USAC Midget Car Champ Russ Gamester, plus track record holder Tracy Hines, who won Saturday night's Sprint Car race at Indianapolis Raceway Park, are also entered.

Indianapolis 500 veteran J.J. Yeley, a 2-time winner in the 1998 Coors Light Silver Bullet series, will pilot the A.J. Foyt/George Snider entry in search of a repeat victory for that team, who put Jimmy Sills in victory lane last year.

Practice gets under way at 4:30 pm, followed by qualifying at 5:30 and the 15-mile "qualifying race" at 7. A.J. Foyt's True Value "Hulman/Hoosier Hundred" is set for an 8 pm start.

USAC COORS LIGHT SILVER BULLET SERIES STANDINGS

1. Brian Tyler 383
2. Dave Darland 359
3. Tracy Hines 342
4. J.J. Yeley 307
5. Brad Noffsinger 299
6. John Heydenreich 273
7. Jack Hewitt 262
8. Ryan Newman 262
9. Russ Gamester 254
10. Kasey Kahne 252

Text Provided By Dick Jordan

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