Darland finally wins Turkey Night
Dave Darland is the poster boy for USAC.
He's won in nearly every type of car the organization sanctions. In 21 years of racing Midgets, Sprints and Silver Crowns, he has won more than 50 national events and four USAC championships. But one thing missing from the 41-year-old's resume has been a major victory on pavement.
He finally did it late Thursday in the 67th running of the Turkey Night Grand Prix for Midget cars at Irwindale Speedway.
Darland, from Kokomo, Ind., driving the famed No. 9 car owned by Laguna Beach's Steve Lewis, led all but two laps to win the prestigious 98-lap race in front of approximately 6,400 on a cold night.
Darland took the lead from teammate and pole-sitter Kody Swanson of Kingsburg on the third lap. NASCAR Nextel Cup's Kasey Kahne of Enumclaw, Wash. took second place on a pass with three laps to go.
Bobby East, the 2004 Turkey Night winner from Brownsburg, Ind., finished third.
Darland's only other Midget win was in July in Mansfield, Ohio. He won four Sprint races.
"Finally," Darland's wife, Brenda, said.
The main event did not start until late Thursday because of a problem with the track's timing system, which led to the program starting 20 minutes late and a 22-minute red flag for a damaged attenuator, a water barrel system that protects the track exit in the first turn.
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