FORT WAYNE, Ind. — The annual indoor USAC midget doubleheader at the Allen County Memorial Coliseum Expo Center is billed as the Rumble in Fort Wayne.
That title was entirely appropriate to the Dec. 28 opening-night feature, as Billy Wease came from third to first on the final turn when leaders Dave Darland and Derek Bischak made contact.
It was the final chapter of a race that featured as much banging in the corners as you’d expect to see in a Fort Wayne Komets game at the hockey arena next door.
Darland held on for second in the 60-lap event, while Brandon Knupp slipped into third, leaving Bischak fourth. Geoff Kaiser completed the top five.
Wease drove the Randy Burrow-owned Burco Molding Fedorcak chassis with Volkswagen power.
As expected by the near capacity crowd, Tony Stewart set fast time and won his heat to start eighth in the feature, with eventual winner Wease to his inside and the duo of Bischak and Darland ahead of them in row three. Despite an early spin, Stewart was moving into contention when leaders Tim Jedrzejek and Mike Fedorcak tangled on lap 16. Stewart and Wease piled into the melee with Stewart unable to restart.
Bischak, driving the only non-VW powered entry able to put its power to work, led for a dozen laps until Darland completed his run through the field with Wease soon taking second. Darland and Wease came together in turn two on lap 40, handing the lead back to Bischak.
With the 14-car feature now down to eight cars, Darland was soon working Bischak over again and took the lead at the white flag, which was immediately followed by the red when Jacob Wilson’s car erupted in flames.
The resulting dash to the checkers predictably saw Bischak attempt a bump-and-run on Darland in turn four, slowing both enough for Wease to make his move.
New York teenager Erick Rudolph overpowered the field of winged 600 cc micro sprints and Ryan Smith won the slingshot feature.
 The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Tony Stewart, Stewart 2, 7.708 seconds; 2. Billy Wease, Burrow 99, 7.957; 3. Dave Darland, RAD 0, 7.988; 4. Derek Bischak, Bischak 3x, 8.005; 5. Joe Liguori, Sexton 31, 8.014;  6. Matt Estep, Estep 25, 8.076; 7. John Heydenreich, Heydenreich-Gander 92, 8.091; 8. Jacob Wilson, Team WBR 07, 8.098; 9. Mike Fedorcak, Stewart 97, 8.126; 10. Tim Jedrzejek, Williams 7j, 8.134; 11. Brandon Knupp, Knupp 15k, 8.148; 12. Kyle Robbins, Robbins 17r, 8.164; 13. Ryan Miller, Miller 00x, 8.167; 14. Ginny Quinones, Quinones 00, 8.207; 15. Geoff Kaiser, Moore 10, 8.243; 16. Jeff Wimmenauer, Wimmenauer 15x, 8.256; 17. Billy Hulbert, Hulbert 5x, 8.280; 18. Dave Thompson, Engstrom 7, 8.287; 19. Tony Elliott, Williams 5, 8.352; 20. Kyle Hamilton, Hamilton 79, 8.366; 21. Doug Dietsch, 0x, 8.388; 22. Dillon Welch, Welch 14, 8.397; 23. Arin McIntosh, Reed 8, 8.407; 24. Cale Conley, Conley 3, 8.431; 25. Matt Westfall, Ryder 19, 8.449; 26. Dave Fuhrman, Fuhrman 32, 8.454; 27. Drew Charlson, Charlson 21, 8.458; 28. Mel Kenyon, 3-K 61, 8.464; 29. Ronnie Johncox, Gibson 0g, 8.478; 30. Tyler Nuckles, Rencurrel, 56, 8.519; 31. Rod Anderson, Hot Rod Racing 35, 8.540; 32. Rich Corson, Corson-Savage 15, 8.555; 33. Tad Uzzle, Uzzle 69, 8.630; 34. Tyler Cottongim, Cottongim 28x, 8.653; 35. Ronnie Wuerdeman, Wuerdeman 33, 8.689; 36. Adam Schuyler, Schuyler 56x, 8.730; 37. David Gough, Domark 12, 8.738; 38. Jason Dull, Dull 56q, 8.758; 39. Austin Troyer, Troyer 24, 8.845; 40. Daniel Robinson, Meents 4m, 9.080; 41. Paul Crafton, Midwest Ventures 51, 9.365; 42. Gary Bradley, Bradley, 4g, 9.407; 43. Mike Hamilton, Hamilton 28, 9.487; 44. Zach Leeke, Leeke 19x, 10.027; 45. Paul Gray, Benefiel 16b, 10.072; 46. Jeff Bookwalter, Benefiel 16, 10.550; 47. Deano Lennon, Lennon 27, no time; 48. Jessica Iannuzzi, Iannuzzi 96, no time.
First qualifying race (8 laps): Gough, Uzzle, M. Hamilton, Crafton, Gray, Troyer, Wuerdeman.
Second qualifying race (8 laps): Cottongim, Dull, Schuyler, Bradley, Bookwalter, Leeke, Iannuzzi.
First Heat (12 laps): Stewart, Fedorcak, Miller, Westfall, Liguori, Gough, Johncox, Dietsch, Hulbert.
Second Heat (12 laps): Wease, Jedrzejek, Thompson, Nuckles, Quinones, Fuhrman, Uzzle, Welch, Estep.
Third Heat (12 laps): Darland, Heydenreich, Kaiser, Charlson, McIntosh, Cottongim, Knupp, Anderson, Elliott.
Fourth Heat (12 laps): Bischak, Wimmenauer, Robbins, K. Hamilton, Corson, Kenyon, Conley, Wilson, Dull.
First Consolation (12 laps): Liguori, Knupp, Quinones, Conley, Dull, Charlson, Dietsch, Thompson, Nuckles.
Second Consolation (12 laps): Robbins, Kaiser, Westfall, Welch, Kenyon, Estep, Cottongim, Anderson, Elliott.
Third Consolation (12 laps):  Wilson, Hulbert, Corson, Gough, McIntosh, K. Hamilton, Miller, Johncox, Fuhrman.
Feature (60 laps): Wease, Darland, Knupp, Bischak, Kaiser, Jedrzejek, Fedorcak, Wilson, Hulbert, Wimmenauer, Stewart, Heydenreich, Robbins, Liguori.