Darland Snags First Turkey Night Grand Prix

By Tim Kennedy

IRWINDALE, Calif. — Dave Darland drove one of three Steve Lewis-owned Performance Racing Industry Beast/Ed Pink Toyota-powered midgets to victory Thursday night in front of about 6,000 fans at Irwindale Speedway.
The 67th running of the prestigious Turkey Night Grand Prix midget race that dates back to 1934 was scheduled for a new distance — 98 laps instead of the usual 100 laps — to honor the memory of the late race organizer J. C. Agajanian. He revived the midget classic in 1955 after an absence of four years. He used No. 98 on his cars from the 1950s until his death in 1984.
Darland, a 41-year old versatile driver and four-time USAC National Series champion, scored his initial TNGP triumph and his most significant paved track victory aboard Lewis’s famed No. 9.
Past TNGP winners for Lewis have been the late Stan Fox (1990-91), Jason Leffler (1999), Tony Stewart (2000) and Bobby East (2004). The race has been held at Irwindale Speedway each year since the track opened in 1999.
Darland’s victory paid $6,000 to the driver who had best TNGP finishes of third (1999) and fourth (1998). Darland became the 45th different TNGP winner.
“This is the best competition you can find anywhere, especially with the addition of Kasey Kahne. Thanks to the Agajanian family for continuing the long (TNGP) tradition. Driving for Steve Lewis is a pleasure. He puts great race cars together. The Beast/Toyota was strong all night,” Darland said.
The 35-car midget feature took the green flag at 10:29 p.m and ran 15 rapid laps with cars three and four wide at times. Pole-starter Kody Swanson led the first two laps in his Steve Lewis No. 19 Beast/Ed Pink Toyota as his third-starting teammate Darland moved into second. Darland took the lead on lap three and paced the balance of the 98-lap race.
At lap 25, Darland led Swanson, Bobby East, Mike Murgoitio, two-time TNGP winner/NASCAR driver Jason Leffler, Josh Wise and defending TNGP winner Billy Wease.
On lap 26, Levi Jones got into oil or water dropped in the first turn groove and skated into the wall. He collected the cars of Tony Stewart Racing teammate Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Zach Schiff. Ron Gregory also slid into the wall behind them.
Yellow flag laps for track clean-up and removal of crashed cars counted from lap 26-40. Second-place Swanson pulled into the infield under caution and exited his cockpit. A broken shock absorber from one of the wrecked cars embedded itself in his belly-pan and dragged on the track.

TURKEY DAY TRIUMPH: Dave Darland and crew celebrate their first Turkey Night Grand Prix Thursday at Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway. (Tim Aylwin Photo)

At lap 50, Darland held a 20-yard lead over fifth-place starter Bobby East in a Klatt Enterprises Beast/Esslinger Ford.
The race ran green from lap 41 to the lap 98 conclusion with the first car being lapped on lap 69. As leaders continued lapping slower cars, Kahne was the fastest car on the track. He took fifth on lap 78, fourth on lap 83, third on lap 89 and made a clean pass of East in turns one and two to take second on lap 96.
Kahne trailed winner Darland, a former teammate in Steve Lewis Beast/Ed Pink Fords, by 2.272 seconds at the checkered flag. He earned $3,200 for his night of racing fun with old friends.
“We came from a long way back (17th) and had a good night. My Mopar engine was fast,” Kahne said. “I think we could have caught him (Darland) if there was a yellow (late in the race). I last raced here in 2002 and finished second (to Michael Lewis) and was second in 2000 (to Tony Stewart). It feels like I’ve been second in this race about four times.”
East collected $2,100 for third. Murgoitio took home $1,500 for fourth and rapidly closing Garrett Hansen bagged $1,200 for fifth.
Nineteen of the 35 starters finished and 16 drivers completed all 98 laps at 11:03 p.m.
The Don Basile Memorial Rookie of the Race award went to Murgoitio.
Jerry Coons, Jr. earned his second-consecutive USAC National Midget Series championship.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Kody Swanson, Nine Racing 19, 16.940; 2. Bobby Santos III, Western Speed 45, 16.980; 3. Dave Darland, Nine Racing 9, 16.980; 4. Dave Steele, Nine Racing 91, 16.990; 5. Bobby East, Klatt 4, 17.000; 6. Mike Murgoitio, Murgoitio 10, 17.050; 7. Bradley Galedrige, Galedrige 29, 17.060; 8. Billy Wease, Western Speed 80, 17.060; 9. Jason Leffler, Leffler 71x, 17.160; 10. Garrett Hansen, Hansen 70, 17.170; 11. Paul Zimmerly, DMS 11d, 17.180; 12. Bryan Clauson, Kunz 67, 17.190; 13. Ryan Kaplan, Kaplan 21x, 17.220; 14. Josh Wise, Pedregon 75, 17.230; 15. Ricky Ehrgott, Ehrgott 10t, 17.230; 16. Darren Hagen, RFMS 32, 17.240; 17. Chase Scott, Western Speed 40, 17.250; 18. Evan Margeson, Margeson 50, 17.250; 19. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 17.260; 20. Brad Kuhn, Quin 43, 17.270; 21. Jerry Coons, Jr., Wilke-Pak 11, 17.270; 22. Brad Loyet, Loyet 05L, 17.280; 23. Dakoda Armstrong, C & A 7a, 17.300; 24. Brad Sweet, Kahne 79, 17.330; 25. Kasey Kahne, Zarounian 67k, 17.370; 26. Zach Schiff, East 5x, 17.380; 27. Johnny Rodriguez, Mitchell 87, 17.390; 28. Travis Young, Young 11y, 17.400; 29. Chad Nichols, Nichols 17x, 17.400; 30. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Stewart 121, 17.400; 31. Ron Gregory, Irvin 22, 17.430; 32. Scott Pierovich, Pierovich 35, 17.430; 33. Chris Windom, Windom 17, 17.440; 34. Stephanie Mockler, East 6, 17.470; 35. Laura Poorter, Western Speed 60, 17.480; 36. Tracy Hines, Stewart 21, 17.490; 37. Matt Mitchell, Mitchell 37, 17.520; 38. Justin Melton, DMS 31, 17.540; 39. Chuck Gurney, Jr., Gurney 51, 17.580; 40. Cole Whitt, Kunz 71, 17.580; 41. Brad Noffsinger, Noffsinger 96, 17.590; 42. Shane Golobic, Walker 10x, 17.600; 43. Robby Josett, Josett 2j, 17.620; 44. Kevin Morris, Morris 17k, 17.620; 45. Cole Carter, Carter 7, 17.620; 46. Daniel Bedford, Bedford 03, 17.630; 47. Ben Petter, Petter 22x, 17.650; 48. Dallas Melby, Melby 09, 17.650; 49. Alfred Galedrige, Jr., Galedrige 26, 17.680; 50. Davey Hamilton, Rosen 4x, 17.690; 51. Brea Lopez, Press 25x, 17.690; 52. Teddy Beach, Beach 125, 17.720; 53. Mike Binswanger, Binswanger 63, 17.720; 54. Spence Gatrell, Gatrell 8, 17.740; 55. Thomas Meseraull, McGerigle 38, 17.750; 56. Michael Faccinto, Scelzi 41, 17.760; 57. Levi Roberts, Roberts 2, 17.790; 58. James Robertson, Robertson 42, 17.850; 59. Brent Beauchamp, Beauchamp 112, 17.850; 60. Richey Jacobs, Jacobs 114, 17.920; 61. Eric Mostin, Mostin 12, 18.070; 62. Scott Pierovich, Pierovich 4r, no time; 63. Jeremy Warren, Beach 15, no time; 64. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, no time.
First Qualifying Race (12 laps): Ehrgott, Scott, Kahne, Coons, Armstrong, Windom, Jones, Mitchell, Gregory, Gurney, Carter, Josett, Rodriguez, Lopez, Beauchamp, Nichols, Mostin, A. Galedrige, Binswanger, Poorter, Roberts, Meseraull, Petter, Noffsinger.
Second Qualifying Race (12 laps): Kuhn, Hagen, Stenhouse, Melton, Margeson, Loyet, Hines, Mockler, Schiff, Beach, Faccinto, Gatrell, Melby, Whitt, Warren, Young, Jacobs, Hamilton, Sweet, Bedford, Pierovich, Robertson, Golobic, Morris.
Feature (98 laps): Darland, Kahne, East, Murgoitio, Hansen, Clauson, Leffler, Margeson, Wease, Scott, Zimmerly, Steele, Sweet, Hagen, Windom, Ehrgott, Armstrong, Kuhn, Whitt, Faccinto, Coons, Santos, Hines, Wise, Melton, Swanson, Jones, Schiff, Stenhouse, Gregory, Mockler, Mitchell, Galedrige, Rodriguez, Loyet.