Out Duels Darland On One-Lap Showdown To Notch Memorial Win

DUQUOIN, Ill. — Brian Tyler held off Dave Darland in a frantic one-lap shootout to win Sunday night’s Ted Horn Memorial 100 USAC Silver Crown race at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.
It was Tyler’s second-straight Silver Crown victory on an Illinois dirt mile, following his triumph two weeks ago at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Spingfield. It was also the second-straight series victory for Toyota.
Tyler’s road to the victory was carefully calculated, while Darland’s near miss was a long-shot gamble that nearly paid off.
Pole-winner Shane Cottle picked up where he left off in 2007, when he led all 100 laps, while Tyler quickly moved the 6R Racing Beast-Toyota from sixth on the grid and rode close behind second place Darland. The top three remained unchanged until Tyler passed Darland on the 42nd circuit.
Meanwhile, point-leader Jerry Coons, Jr. was on the move from 23rd after failing to post a qualifying time. Coons cracked the top five when Donnie Beechler pitted from fifth place with ignition woes at the halfway mark.
Tyler closed quickly on Cottle just before a stalled Bud Kaeding brought out the caution at lap 71. The story line of the race changed dramatically as Darland pitted for fresh rubber and Tyler thrust past Cottle for the lead on lap 76.
Helped by the thinning field and a couple of cautions, Darland was fourth by lap 90, third on lap 93, and took second from Cottle with two laps to go.
Tyler had seemingly put down the threat at the white flag, but a spin by Coons brought about the one-lap showdown. Darland drove hard to the inside in turn one and got alongside, but Tyler beat back the final challenge.
“I knew I could go side-by-side with Darland because you can trust him to race you clean,” Tyler explained.
Cottle held on for third, while Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Mat Neely and Tom Capie were the only other drivers to finish on the lead lap.
The Silver Crown point race took several twists during the event, with Coons preserving a 23-point lead over Darland when it was all over.
The race also marked the final event for veteran racer Johnny Parsons and team owner Ricky Nix as the pair decided to retire together.
The summary:
Qualifications: 1. Shane Cottle, Contos 4, 30.997; 2. Randy Bateman, Bateman 55, 31.406; 3. Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., Edwards/RE 199, 31.468; 4. Dave Darland, Foxco 56,31.476; 5. Donnie Beechler, McQuinn 14. 31.580; 6. Brian Tyler, Team Six-R 21, 31.657; 7. Levi Jones, Stewart 10, 31.682; 8. Chris Urish, Urish 77, 31.723; 9. Russ Gamester, Gamester 51, 31.723; 10. Tom Capie, Capie 153, 31.756; 11. Shane Hollingsworth, Nolen 20, 31.760; 12. A.J. Fike, RFMS 32, 31.871; 13. Bud Kaeding, BK 29, 31.980; 14. Mat Neely, RW 17, 31.982; 15. Tracy Hines, Stewart 22, 32.089; 16. Kevin Huntley, SC 97, 32.141; 17. Dustin Morgan, M & M 93, 32.385; 18. Chappy Knaack, Miller 36, 32.433; 19. Johnny Parsons, Nix 43, 32.488; 20. Joey Moughan, Baker 155, 33.004; 21. Patrick Bruns, Quick Draw 81, 33.228; 22. Derek Hagar, RE 35, 33.461; 23. Jerry Coons, Jr., RW 27, no time; 24. J.J. Yeley, Dooling 03, no time; Kody Swanson, Team Six-R 19, no time.
Feature (100 laps): Tyler, Darland, Cottle, Stenhouse, Neely, Capie, Coons, Fike, Hagar, Huntley, Kaeding, Hines, Jones, Bateman, Beechler, Moughan, Gamester, Urish, Knaack, Yeley, Hollingsworth, Morgan, Bruns, Parsons.