Darland Bests Clauson, East Takes Mansfield
USAC Sprints at Toledo Speedway
PODIUM FINISH: Brady Bacon (left) and Darren Hagen (right) ran third and second to race winner Bobby East Saturday in Mansfield, Ohio. (Paul Gretzinger Photo)
Friday
TOLEDO, Ohio — Dave Darland turned the tables on Bryan Clauson in Friday night’s 30-lap Lucas Oil USAC National Sprint Car Series race at Toledo Speedway.
After finishing second to Clauson in the 30-lap “Hemelgarn Racing/Super Fitness Night” Midget feature, Darland came back to lead all 30 laps of the half-mile asphalt oval in his Pace Brothers Construction/DSR Maxim/Chevy to beat Clauson, Bobby East, Levi Jones and Darren Hagen.
The victory was Darland’s first of the season in USAC competition.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Bryan Clauson, Kunz 67k, 14.860; 2. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 14.919; 3. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Stewart 21, 14.985; 4. Darren Hagen, Kunz 67, 15.078; 5. Eric Gordon, Bowman 51, 15.089; 6. Dave Darland, Pace 44, 15.103; 7. Bobby East, Klatt 5, 15.131; 8. Kevin Swindell, Kahne 9, 15.204; 9. Cole Whitt, CW 29w, 15.206; 10. Jimmy McCune, RAM 50, 15.249; 11. Marc Jessup, Contos 4, 15.256; 12. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 15.264; 13. Ryan Litt, Litt 07, 15.274; 14. Tom Hessert III, Hessert 5h,15.284; 15. Damion Gardner, Leffler 71, 15.284; 16. Jesse Hockett, VKCC 75, 15.307; 17. Mike Murgoitio, Murgoitio 80, 15.314; 18. Bobby Santos III, Santos 98s, 15.385; 19. Cameron Dodson, Kunz 67x, 15.412; 20. Brian Gerster, Davis/Gerster 27, 15.443; 21. Mat Neely, Neely 17n, 15.486; 22. Chris Windom, Windom 17, 15.490; 23. Dustin Morgan, Walker/Guiducci 11, 15.589; 24. Donnie Adams, Jr., Adams 17a, 15.592; 25. Aaron Pierce, Dynamics 69, 15.618; 26. Bob Schaeffer, Wintergreen 93, 15.643; 27. Mike Ling, Burkhardt 84, 15.717; 28. Robert Ballou, MPHG 81, 15.722; 29. Brady Short, 2B Racing 2b, 15.812; 30. Cody Veenstra, Veenstra 07x, 15.912; 31. Bret Sanderson, Sanderson 66, 16.209.
First Heat (8 laps): Pierce, Short, Murgoitio, Neely, Whitt, Litt, Clauson, Gordon.
Second Heat (8 laps): Santos, Hessert, Darland, Jones, Windom, McCune, Veenstra, Schaeffer.
Third Heat (8 laps): Gardner, Ling, Stenhouse, Dodson, East, Sanderson, Morgan, Jessup.
Fourth Heat (8 laps): Swindell, Hockett, Hagen, Gerster, Adams, Bacon, Ballou.
Semi (12 laps): Clauson, Gordon, East, Whitt, McCune, Jessup, Bacon, Litt, Windom, Morgan, Adams, Schaeffer, Ballou, Sanderson.
Feature (30 laps): Darland, Clauson, East, Jones, Hagen, Dodson, Gordon, Swindell, Pierce, Gardner, Neely, Hessert, Bacon, Short, Whitt, Stenhouse, Hockett, Murgoitio, Jessup, Litt, Santos, Gerster, Ling, Windom.
Saturday
MANSFIELD, Ohio — Bobby East passed Darren Hagen on the frontstretch on lap 13 and led the rest of the way to win Saturday night’s 30-lap Lucas Oil National Sprint Car race at Mansfield Motorsports Park.
East piloted the Ford Racing/The Car Lot Beast/Ford to victory over Hagen, Brady Bacon, Bryan Clauson and Kevin Swindell.
Hagen paced the first 12 laps of the half-mile asphalt oval and gained the series point lead in the process. He leads previous leader Levi Jones by two points.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Bryan Clauson, Kunz 67k, 15.054; 2. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 15.121; 3. Bobby East, Klatt 5, 15.127; 4. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Stewart 21, 15.211; 5. Darren Hagen, Kunz 67, 15.225; 6. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 15.282; 7. Aaron Pierce, Dynamics 69, 15.331; 8. Eric Gordon, Bowman 51, 15.353; 9. Kevin Swindell, Kahne 9, 15.374; 10. Mike Murgoitio, Murgoitio 80, 15.397; 11. Tom Hessert, Hessert 5h, 15.446; 12. Damion Gardner, Leffler 71, 15.498; 13. Dave Darland, Pace 44, 15.498; 14. Cameron Dodson, Kunz 67x, 15.551; 15. Jesse Hockett, VKCC 75, 15.615; 16. Donnie Adams, Adams 17a, 15.629; 17. Cole Whitt, CW 29w, 15.670; 18. Brady Short, 2B Racing 2b, 15.727; 19. Mat Neely, Neely 17n, 15.731; 20. Dustin Morgan, Walker/Guiducci 11, 15.742; 21. Jimmy McCune, RAM 50, 15.889; 22. Bob Schaeffer, Wintergreen 93, 16.177; 23. Robert Ballou, MPHG 81, 16.272; 24. Bret Sanderson, Sanderson 66, 16.482; 25. Ryan Litt, Litt 07, no time.
First Heat (8 laps): Neely, Darland, Pierce, Clauson, Stenhouse, Murgoitio, Adams, Schaeffer, Litt.
Second Heat (8 laps): Dodson, Hessert, Morgan, Hagen, Ballou, Whitt, Gordon, Jones.
Third Heat (8 laps): McCune, Short, Gardner, East, Swindell, Bacon, Hockett, Sanderson.
Semi (12 laps): Bacon, Jones, Gordon, Murgoitio, Adams, Whitt, Hockett, Litt, Schaeffer, Sanderson.
Feature (30 laps): East, Hagen, Bacon, Clauson, Swindell, Jones, Stenhouse, Gordon, Dodson, Pierce, Murgoitio, Gardner, Darland, Hessert, Hockett, Morgan, Short, Neely, Whitt, Adams, Litt, McCune, Schaeffer, Ballou, Sanderson.