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USAC: Darland Takes Eldora; Weekend Will be Busy

26 May 1998

Dave Darland of Kokomo, Ind. captured Sunday night's 30-lap Stoops Freightliner/USAC Sprint Car race at the Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio. The win was the first in the 1998 Sprint series for the 1997 USAC Silver Crown Champion and the fifth of his USAC Sprint car career.

Darland trailed Kevin Doty for the first 14 laps, then caught Doty in traffic coming off turn two of the half-mile banked dirt oval. Doty won the last USAC Sprint race at Eldora, on May 2 but had to settle for second this time.

Californian Sills, making a rare USAC Sprint car appearance, broke John Heydenreich's track record during qualifying with a 15.312 seconds clocking but the Turbines, Inc. award winner could only muster a fourth in the feature behind defending series titlist Brian Tyler. Sills also won the first heat race. Todd Kane, Steve Surniak and Terry Pletch won the other heats and Aaron Mosley won the True Value semi.

Tyler's third-place finish boosted him to within just six points of series leader Kevin Thomas going into three back-to-back races this weekend at Terre Haute, Lawrenceburg and Salem, Ind.

Nick Adams, Kent Wolters and Brad Armstrong all escaped serious injury in separate flips during the program.

Terre Haute's 1/2-mile dirt hosts Friday night's 28th running of the Terre Haute First National Bank "Tony Hulman Classic," while the "Danny Milburn Classic" is set for Saturday night at Lawrenceburg's 1/4-mile dirt. Salem's 1/2-mile pavement plays host to Sunday afternoon's event.

Practice at Terre Haute gets under way at 6 p.m., with qualifying set for 7 and racing at 8. J.J. Yeley is the defending winner of the "Tony Hulman Classic." Saturday's "Danny Milburn Classic" Lawrenceburg timetable has practice at 6, qualifying at 7 and racing at 8 and Sunday's schedule at Salem calls for practice at 10 a.m., qualifying at 1:15 p.m. and racing at 2. Brian Tyler won last year's "Milburn Classic."

Stoops Freightliner Point Standings: 1-Kevin Thomas-497; 2-Brian Tyler-491; 3-Tim Cox-438; 4-Jason McCord-423; 5-Tony Elliott-409; 6-Brad Armstrong-389; 7-Dave Steele-376; 8-J.J. Yeley-361; 9-Derek Davidson-357; 10-Chet Fillip-354.