BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Dave Darland took advantage of a critical mistake by Brady Bacon to claim his second Indiana Sprint Week victory of the year at the track that has hosted the mini series more than any other.
With the victory at Bloomington Speedway, Darland took a commanding lead in the Sprint Week points over Jon Stanbrough, who failed to qualify for the feature.
Driving the Pace Brothers Construction Maxim, Darland worked his way up from fifth, with Jerry Coons, Jr. leading the first lap. Bacon took the lead from Coons on the second lap. On lap 11, Darland cleared Coons and set his sights on Bacon. However, a caution closed up the field, but at the same time it gave Bacon a clear track to run.
Although Darland was pressing as much as he could, Bacon appeared on the way to his first USAC National Sprint Car Series victory when he slipped over the cushion on lap 25, allowing Darland and Coons to race past. On the final lap, Robert Ballou also overtook Bacon for third, as Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. claimed fifth.
“It seems to be happening to me a lot, especially in the sprint cars,” Bacon explained.  “I can’t seem to shake the monkey off my back in the sprint car. I messed up.”
Defending Indiana Sprint Week champion and a three-time winner this year, Stanbrough suffered through a difficult night. He ran off the track during qualifying and had trouble again in the non-qualifiers race.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Stewart 21, 11.149; 2. Neil Shepherd, Shepherd 4n, 11.375; 3. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 11.400; 4. Dave Darland, Pace 44, 11.456; 5. Cole Whitt, CW 29w, 11.471; 6. Jerry Coons, Jr., Dynamics 69, 11.500; 7. Kevin Thomas, Thomas 9k, 11.521; 8. Brady Short, 2B Racing 2b, 11.535; 9. Chris Windom, Windom 17, 11.566; 10. Daron Clayton, Walker/Guiducci 11d, 11.569; 11. Dustin Morgan, Walker/Guiducci 11, 11.597; 12. Jon Sciscoe, Sciscoe 7s, 11.602; 13. Mike Spencer, Kunz 67k, 11.624; 14. Kevin Swindell, Kahne 9, 11.628; 15. Damion Gardner, Leffler 71, 11.638; 16. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 11.670; 17. Danny Holtsclaw, Holtsclaw 3, 11.670; 18. Jesse Hockett, VKCC 75, 11.676; 19. Shane Hollingsworth, R & B 10, 11.684; 20. Darren Hagen, Kunz 67, 11.709; 21. Robert Ballou, MPHG 81, 11.736; 22. Cory Kruseman, Kruseman 21k, 11.752; 23. Mat Neely, Neely 17n, 11.753; 24. Shane Cottle, Edison 10e, 11.807; 25. Chad Boespflug, Gatten 90, 11.819; 26. Michael Trimble, Alexander 4, 11.860; 27. Bret Mellenberndt, Mellenberndt 97, 11.868; 28. Kyle Robbins, Robbins 17r, 11.881; 29. Dickie Gaines, Pottorff 11p, 11.885; 30. Jeff Bland, Bland 21x, 11.890; 31. Davey Pombo, Crossno 38s, 11.892; 32. Jimmy Light, Light 23, 11.896; 33. Scotty Weir, Crossno 38, 11.902; 34. Hunter Schuerenberg, R & B 10t, 11.908; 35. Danny Williams, Melchi 6m, 11.919; 36. Jonathan Vennard, Yeley 2j, 11.996; 37. Jon Stanbrough, Fox 53, 12.080; 38. Kevin Briscoe, Briscoe 5x, 12.099; 39. Brett Burdette, Burdette 17b, 12.100; 40. John Memmer, Memmer 4m, 12.100; 41. Dakoda Armstrong, C & A 7a, 12.104; 42. Casey Shuman, Hoyer 24, 12.117; 43. Matt Westfall, Westfall 54, 12.143; 44. Derek Franks, Law 77, 12.191; 45. Geoff Dodge, Morgan 7m, 12.199; 46. Kevin Studley, Studley 57s, 12.218; 47. Josh Clemons, Clemons 71c, 12.832; 48. Bobby Stines, Stines 88, 3.657.
First Non-qualifiers Race (10 laps): Weir, Burdette, Armstrong, Westfall, Stanbrough, Dodge, Clemons, Williams.
Second Non-qualifiers Race (10 laps): Schuerenberg, Stines, Memmer, Shuman, Studley, Vennard, Briscoe, Franks.
First Heat (10 laps): Gaines, Holtsclaw, Boespflug, Stenhouse, Whitt, Windom, Weir, M. Spencer, Ballou.
Second Heat (10 laps): Bland, Clayton, Kruseman, Swindell, Shepherd, Trimble, Hockett, Coons, Burdette.
Third Heat (10 laps): Bacon, Pombo, Neely, Gardner, Hollingsworth, Schuerenberg, Morgan, Thomas, Mellenberndt.
Fourth Heat (10 laps): Cottle, Light, Darland, Jones, Sciscoe, Short, Robbins, Hagen, Stines.
Semi (12 laps): Coons, Shepherd, Whitt, Short, Ballou, Windom, Hollingsworth, Morgan, Trimble, Sciscoe, Schuerenberg, Robbins, Hockett, Thomas, M.Spencer, Mellenberndt, Weir, Burdette, Stines.
Feature (30 laps): Darland, Coons, Ballou, Bacon, Stenhouse, Swindell, Hockett, Shepherd, Windom, Cottle, Jones, Gardner, Gaines, Short, Whitt, Holtsclaw, Bland, Kruseman, Hagen, Light, Neely, Boespflug, Pombo, Trimble, Clayton.