KOKOMO, Ind. — Dave Darland won the Bob Darland Memorial Indiana Sprint Week race in dramatic fashion Sunday night at Kokomo Speedway.
Darland passed Robert Ballou on the final lap, but what transpired before and after the checkered flag in the 30-lap USAC National Sprint Car Series event provided the drama.
Jon Stanbrough jumped out front early, while Darland moved from seventh to second. Ballou took second from Darland on lap seven and chased Stanbrough.
As the white flag waved, Brett Burdette spun in turn one and Chad Boespflug was also involved. Stanbrough was bearing down on the melee and could not avoid clipping Burdette. As a result, Stanbrough flipped and the red flag appeared.
Reverting back one lap created a two-lap race to the finish, with Ballou, Darland, Cole Whitt, Tracy Hines and Darren Hagen in line.
Ballou and Darland raced side by side, with Darland on the low side and Ballou high. As the white flag waved a second time, it remained the same with the entire crowd on its feet.
Coming out of four, Darland gained the slight advantage and Ballou hit the wall, flipping wildly. As Darland took the checkered flag, Levi Jones collided with the disabled Ballou car, and Jones tumbled down the frontstraight. All drivers emerged unhurt.
Darland became the fourth winner in four nights.
Cole Whitt was credited with second spot, while Tracy Hines, Jones and Darren Hagen completed the top five.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Brad Sweet, Kahne 9, 12.932; 2. Damion Gardner, Leffler 71, 13.052; 3. Tracy Hines, Stewart 21, 13.073; 4. Jon Stanbrough, Fox 53, 13.098; 5. Jerry Coons, Jr., Dynamics 69, 13.109; 6. Jeff Bland, Jr., Bland 21s, 13.129; 7. Dave Darland, 2B Racing 2b, 13.146; 8. Robert Ballou, MPHG 81, 13.172;9. Hunter Schuerenberg, Walker/Guiducci 11, 13.179; 10. Cole Whitt, Kunz 67k, 13.326; 11. Neil Shepherd, Shepherd 4n, 13.336; 12. Jesse Hockett, VKCC 75, 13.339; 13. Brady Bacon, Kahne 99, 13.400; 14. Ryan Pace, Pace 44, 13.406; 15. Bryan Clauson, Jones 2, 13.440; 16. Levi Jones, Stewart 20, 13.453; 17. Daron Clayton, R & B 10, 13.483; 18. Brett Burdette, Burdette 17b, 13.486; 19. Thomas Meseraull, R & B 10t, 13.489; 20. Ron Dennis, Dennis 32, 13.531; 21. Dustin Morgan, M & M 93, 13.549; 22. Kyle Wissmiller, Price 0, 13.567; 23. Darren Hagen, Kunz 67, 13.591; 24. Dickie Gaines, Porttoff 11p, 13.594; 25. Blake Fitzpatrick, Fitzpatrick 10f, 13.594; 26. Chad Boespflug, Gatten 98, 13.659; 27. Shane Cottle, Contos 4, 13.698; 28. Scotty Weir, Edison 10e, 13.711; 29. Chris Windom, Triple Crown 1h, 13.746; 30. Bret Mellenberndt, Mellenberndt 97, 13.750; 31. Casey Shuman, Hazen 57x, 13.752; 32. A.J. Anderson, Baldwin 5, 13.793; 33. Austin Mero, Kruseman 71k, 13.803; 34. Chad Boat, Boat 30, 13.816; 35. Cole Carter, Carter 7, 13.819; 36. Zach Martini, Rose 6, 13.832; 37. Josh Spencer, Batcheldor 66, 13.899; 38. Kyle Cummins, Cummins 1c, 13.915; 39. Kyle Robbins, Robbins 17r, 13.922; 40. Ted Hines, Hines 12, 13.959; 41. Cory Kruseman, Kruseman 21k, 13.979; 42. Sammy Imel, Imel 35, 14.000; 43. Kent Christian, Christian 1x, 14.022; 44. Gary Rooke, Concept Motorsports 42a, 14.110; 45. Henry Clarke, Kruseman 5k, 14.122; 46. Kevin Studley, Studley 57, 14.136; 47. Anthony Peterman, Peterman 7p, 14.210; 48. John Memmer, Memmer 4m, 14.260; 49. Craig Dori, Shoestring 38, 14.340; 40. Rex Norris III, Norris 63, 14.352; 51. Chris Urish, Urish 77u, 14.368; 52. Brent Beauchamp, B & B 112, 14.372; 53. Kevin Thomas, Jr., Thomas 9k, 14.380; 54. Casey Riggs, Riggs 37, 14.465; 55. Matt Goodnight, Goodnight 39, 14.561.
First Qualifying Race (8 laps): Kruseman, Clarke, Mero, Robbins, Christian, Peterman, Thomas, Goodnight, Spencer, Urish, Dori, Carter.
Second Qualifying Race (8 laps): Boat, Imel, Te. Hines, Martini, Memmer, Norris, Studley, Rooke, Beauchamp, Cummins, Riggs.
First Heat (10 laps): Morgan, Windom, Schuerenberg, Sweet, Bacon, Clayton, Coons, Fitzpatrick, Kruseman, Mero.
Second Heat (10 laps): Whitt, Boespflug, Gardner, Burdette, Robbins, Mellenberndt, Bland, Pace, Wissmiller, Clarke.
Third Heat (10 laps): Cottle, Darland, Shuman, Meseraull, Tr. Hines, Hagen, Boat, Clauson, Te. Hines, Shepherd.
Fourth Heat (10 laps): Weir, Jones, Gaines, Stanbrough, Hockett, Ballou, Anderson, Dennis, Imel, Martini.
Semi (12 laps): Tr. Hines, Clauson, Coons, Bland, Hagen, Ballou, Bacon, Hockett, Clayton, Boat, Pace, Mellenberndt, Anderson, Dennis, Kruseman, Imel, Robbins, Clarke, Martini, Shepherd, Wissmiller, Te. Hines, Mero.
Feature (30 laps): Darland, Whitt, Tr. Hines, Jones, Hagen, Coons, Bacon, Clauson, Gardner, Morgan, Weir, Bland, Ballou, Stanbrough, Burdette, Boespflug, Cottle, Windom, Shuman, Gaines, Meseraull, Pace, Clarke, Schuerenberg, Sweet.