USAC: Darland, Fike enjoy #1 after Kansas City wins
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
July 10, 2001
ILLIANA HOSTS WEDNESDAY RACE; KOKOMO "REGIONAL" SUNDAY
Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. and Jay Drake of Val Verde, Calif. continue their torrid duel for the USAC WorldCom National Midget Car championship Wednesday night when the series returns to the Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Ind. for the first time in two decades.
Drake trails by seven points entering Wednesday's competition on the 1/2-mile paved oval, which opens with practice at 4:30 pm and qualifying at 5:30. Racing gets under way at 7 and a 30-lap feature is scheduled.
Darland suffered a calf injury in a June 13 Sprint Car accident at Illiana and is anxious to erase that memory. He won Friday night's 20-lap race at Lakeside Speedway in Kansas City, Kans., leading the final seven laps in his Ford/ASE/Beast/Performance Racing Industry machine. J.J. Yeley finished second after leading the first 13 laps and was followed by Tracy Hines, Drake and fast qualifier Steve Paden.
A.J. Fike of Galesburg, Ill., who finished ninth in Friday's race, came back with a stunning last-lap pass of Drake to take Saturday night's 30-lapper, his first victory in series competition! Ironically, A.J.'s brother, Aaron, became USAC's youngest ever Coors Light Silver Bullet Series winner only one week earlier! A.J. drove the McGladrey & Pullen/Azer Clinic/Weld/Hoosier/Pink Racing Engines/Sparco, USA/Bell Helmets Pink Ford/Beast to the win and is now fifth in the series standings going into the race at Illiana.
Fike was trailed at the checkered flag by Drake, fast qualifier Darland, Yeley and Paden. Ryan Scott led the first two laps and Jerry Coons, Jr. led the next eight before Drake moved to the front with what appeared to be a winning pass.
John Wolfe of Winchester, Ind. will try to hang on to the lead in the USAC "Dirt-Track Regional" Midget Car Series Sunday night when Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway hosts a 25-lap race on its 1/4-mile dirt oval. Practice at Kokomo starts at 6 pm. Wolfe has a six-point lead over Shane Hollingsworth, who won the series opener at Putnamville, Ind., while Tony Elliott of Kokomo, who won the July 1 Kokomo "regional" feature, is seventh in the standings.
USAC WORLDCOM NATIONAL MIDGET CAR SERIES STANDINGS
1. Dave Darland 441
2. Jay Drake 434
3. J.J. Yeley 383
4. Jerry Coons, Jr. 370
5. A.J. Fike 357
6. Aaron Fike 348
7. Tracy Hines 312
8. Michael Lewis 208
9. Ryan Scott 202
10. Steve Paden 198
USAC DIRT-TRACK REGIONAL MIDGET CAR SERIES STANDINGS
1. John Wolfe 119
2. Shane Hollingsworth 113
3. Chris Coers 111
4. Clay Klepper 89
5. Matt Sandy 86
6. A.J. Felker 69
7. Tony Elliott 66
8. Marc Dailey 63
9. Critter Malone 59
10. Matt Westfall 55
Text provided by Dick Jordan
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