PUTNAMVILLE —
The 25th annual version of Indiana Sprint Week is now officially in the record books and the latest chapter will go down as one of the most successful in recent years.
Solid spectator turnouts at all seven venues, strong car counts and the usual, tight, competitive racing made for a special run in the U.S. Auto Club-sanctioned series.
Storylines abounded on numerous fronts, from Levi Jones’ championship run, a pair of couple first-time winners and seven nights of racing that generated six different winners.
The Wabash Valley was well represented with the strong and consistent runs of Sullivan County native Chase Stockon and the startling but well deserved Terre Haute Action Track win by Ray Morgan Racing – all together, a great 10-day run that survived near-record heat, a pair of rain postponements and a troubling economy that is starting to make its presence felt at short tracks across the Hoosier state.
The big winner of ISW had to be Jones, who once again displayed the canny knack of knowing the ins and outs of championship runs. While going winless in the seven-race stretch, the Olney, Ill., driver was always knocking at the door.
“I think we had a second, two thirds, a fourth and two fifths,” voiced the newly crowned champ.
“We got a lot of things figured out with our motors. Car-wise we just went a little too far on some adjustments at times. At other times, maybe not enough. That’s just part of racing.”
Now a four-time ISW champion, one would think Jones would pretty much take his latest title in stride. Not so for the ultra-competitive Jones, who developed the unrentless trait to win during his high school basketball playing days.
“It never gets old winning championships,” Jones said moments after a memorable victory lane ceremony shared with his young son. “That’s what everybody here tonight started the week trying to do. That last corner it was four wide going for fourth or fifth place.”
It was more than family and friends quick to offer congrats to the newly crowned champ. His car owner Tony Stewart took time from a busy schedule to make it to Putnamville Sunday.
“[Stewart] drove all night after driving a sprint car at Williams Grove [Pa.] to be here, so that made it even more special,” Jones said. “He gives the team what it takes to be here so it’s always nice to have him around.”
For feature winner Dave Darland, it was another well-deserved visit to victory lane at a track he has pretty much ruled over the years.
Like Jones, Darland was taking time to relish the moment. He’s been part of ISW since its creation and although he is now a 17-time ISW feature winner, his latest checkered flag was as special as the first to veteran racer.
“It doesn’t get old,” Darland said. “It’s always fun winning sprint car races. I’ve been fortunate to have won probably 250 sprint-midget or Silver Crown races over the years. If you can win the sprint car races, especially during Indiana Sprint Week, it can be a blast.”
Long considered one of the finest drivers ever to pilot an open-wheel race car, the veteran driver is once again teamed with car owner Jeff Walker.
“I’m very fortunate to be driving a great race car,” voiced the elated Darland in victory lane. “Things are going good for Dave Darland. Too bad we couldn’t have got hooked up with Jeff 25 years ago.”
• ISW newsmakers – After several unsuccessful attempts to land one of the coveted ISW dates, LPS promoter Joe Spiker not only succeeded gaining a show but ended up with the deciding championship race.
His car count was third highest for the series with opening night at Gas City at 47 the highest. The low was at the big half mile at Terre Haute, coming in at 30.
Was there a happier or bigger victory lane celebration than the one locally? Daron Clayton propelled Ray Morgan Racing to the win at the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds. If the name Ray Morgan sounds familiar, yes, it’s the same Fairbanks racer who was a frequent sprint car racer at area ovals a few years back.
The popular former racer is back in the sport after a 15-year hiatus, fielding cars on the World of Outlaws sprint circuit and teaming with Clayton in area non-wing sprint shows. The Action Track visit and resulting win was the third in a row for the pair that joined forces only a week earlier.
The pair hooked up after Morgan learned of Clayton’s financial struggles that were keeping the Illinois driver sidelined.
“He’s one of the finest non-wing drivers around and when I found out he was sitting because he was underfunded I sacrificed my finances to help him out,” beamed Morgan moments after the Wednesday night win. “It’s been worth every penny so far. We’ve been out three times and we have three wins.”
The win couldn’t have come at a better time or place for Morgan, who now calls Terre Haute home.
“To win at my home track, to win the Don Smith Classic, it couldn’t get much better,” offered Morgan, who survived one of the track’s most spectacular crashes as a driver several years ago. “Don helped us so many times in the past. [Smith] is a good man. It’s a privilege to win a race named in his honor.”
Stockon continues to make his efforts felt in USAC circles. His ISW runs produced four top-10 finishes good enough for sixth place in final points. More on this talented Valley racer, including some high marks given the Sullivan native by his fellow USAC racers in an upcoming column.
Joe Buckles can be reached at jbuckles4@frontier.com.
Trackside
TRACKSIDE: Indiana Sprint Week rises above heat, rain, poor economy
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Trackside: Midgets could be on rise in Wabash Valley
With Indiana Midget Week taking center stage this week at Wabash Valley ovals, it’s time to talk midget racing.
More specifically, it’s time to examine its status in the Hoosier State and what the future might hold for one of open wheel’s most competitive but yet overlooked forms of racing.
It’s no secret the mighty, little midgets have suffered from hard times in recent years. Spiraling engine costs and resulting smaller car counts have led to a sharp reduction in the number of races for the midgets.
Terre Haute Action Track supporters of the midgets know first hand. They lost their popular Hut Hundred a few seasons back and hope of them returning to the local half-mile clay oval remains a question mark. -
TRACKSIDE: Bad weather gives time to reflect
With weather-related issues continuing to plague the Wabash Valley racing scene, the lack of on-track activity presents an opportunity to offer an overall assessment of the 2013 campaign to date.
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TRACKSIDE: Burton’s death shows tragic side of racing
The tragic chain of events that had unfolded the previous night at Bloomington Speedway had cast a pall over what should have been an enjoyable night of racing at LPS.
Word had circulated the Putnam County racing facility that earlier in the day that young Josh Burton had succumbed to injuries from an accident the night before at Bloomington.
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TRACKSIDE: Chase Stockon hopes momentum stays with him in Terre Haute
Momentum, an element that can be as elusive to a race driver as that perfect setup, can spell the difference in winning or running at the rear of the pack.
It’s a force difficult to achieve and maybe even harder to maintain. One learns quickly to make the most of the opportunity when it comes his way.
It’s something Chase Stockon will carry with him coming into today’s Jim Hurtubise Classic at the Terre Haute Action Track.
Only days following the biggest victory of his young and promising career, the $10,000-to-win USAC feature at Lawrenceburg, Stockon followed that up with another rich payday this past weekend at Tri-State Speedway. -
TRACKSIDE: Stanbrough continues points chase after recent skirmish with rival
Veteran sprint car driver Jon Stanbrough has never been one to hide his distaste for chasing point championships. It simply doesn’t bode well with his style of racing.
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TRACKSIDE: Brett Andrew plays role in developing NASCAR's new body styles
The recent announcement from NASCAR regarding the approved body styles for the 2013 Sprint Cup Series follows extensive wind-tunnel testing that was a year in the making.
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TRACKSIDE: Stockon takes giant step forward in USAC
One of the more impressive and welcomed storylines of the recently completed Indiana Sprint Week was the emergence of area driver Chase Stockon on the national sprint car scene.
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TRACKSIDE: Indiana Sprint Week rises above heat, rain, poor economy
The 25th annual version of Indiana Sprint Week is now officially in the record books and the latest chapter will go down as one of the most successful in recent years.
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TRACKSIDE: Late models may have no long-term future in Indiana
Reflecting on what was billed as the biggest week of the summer for dirt-track stock-car racing … while preparing to shift gears for the busiest week of the year for non-wing sprint-car racing in the Wabash Valley.
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TRACKSIDE: Summer heat has made this ‘The Hell Tour’
It is fittingly billed as “The Hell Tour” for many of the Midwest’s leading late model stock car drivers and their crews.
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TRACKSIDE: Retired driver LaJoie spreads the word of safety
In his roles as past driving champion and television analyst, Randy LaJoie has rightfully earned the reputation as a major contributor to the sport of auto racing.
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Trackside: Stanbrough on track at midseason
When veteran driver Jon Stanbrough ushered in a new season in Florida back in February, he found himself facing a pair of unfamiliar challenges.
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TRACKSIDE: Clauson bucks the IndyCar trend
On the surface, the distance from the dirt oval at Lincoln Park Speedway to the massive, paved Indianapolis Motor Speedway may appear only a few miles apart.
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TRACKSIDE: USAC Midget Classic not nearly as revered as it once was
It might be three years removed from its birthplace but the Hut Hundred USAC Midget Classic still holds a special place in the hearts of Wabash Valley racing buffs.
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TRACKSIDE: What could have been: Indy’s folklore got richer this week
It’s a question that will linger for years and only add to the folklore of the Indianapolis 500.
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TRACKSIDE: Sprint car event could generate close racing
One of the hottest and most competitive weekends of the 2012 motorsports season gets under way tonight at the Terre Haute Action Track with the scheduled running of the Tony Hulman Sprint Car Classic.
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TRACKSIDE: Mulling over the biggest weekend in motorsports
We’re approaching what has traditionally become one of the busiest and most prestigious weekends in all of motorsports.
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TRACKSIDE: Helfrich: Short-track racing has good future
When questions arise regarding the current state of sprint car racing, whether they be at the local or national level, one doesn’t have to search much further for the answer than veteran promoter Tom Helfrich.
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TRACKSIDE: Near-capacity crowd turns out for opening night of racing
Opening night at one of the midwest’s premier short track operations can be like no other time of the year.
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TRACKSIDE: Racing season has promise
With several “test and tunes” sessions and season openers having already taken the green flag, it’s a sure sign the Wabash Valley racing campaign is shifting into high gear.
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TRACKSIDE: Valley racing showed best, worst of times in 2011
A look back on the 2011 Wabash Valley auto racing season reveals the best and worst of times the sport has to offer.
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TRACKSIDE: Menard's victory at Brickyard momentous for family, race fans
Who says one of those familiar bright fluorescent-colored Menards race cars can’t find its way to victory lane at Indianapolis?
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TRACKSIDE: After a delayed start, the Terre Haute Action Track gets season cranked up
Its arrival may have been delayed by several months — for a host of reasons — but the 2011 Terre Haute Action Track season is finally out of the blocks.
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TRACKSIDE: Changes come up on Indiana racing scene
With the highly anticipated USAC Indiana Sprint Week sprint card on tap at the Terre Haute Action Track tonight and the Tony Hulman/Don Smith Classic and a host of events leading up to the Brickyard 400 looming on the horizon, it would appear that it’s the best of times for Wabash Valley racing buffs.
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TRACKSIDE: Fortunes of dirt track racing at Action Track can be written in the dust
In the 40 plus years of covering motorsports, it would appear the process of writing this weekly race column would come together rather routinely.
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TRACKSIDE: Auto racing in May in Indiana runs on history and tradition
Possibly nowhere in the sports world does history and tradition play such a key role in an event’s success and future as that found in auto racing.
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TRACKSIDE: Wabash Valley racing ready to take green flag — even Action Track
Despite having already lost several bouts to the elements, the 2011 Wabash Valley motorsports season has taken the green flag and will soon be shifting into high gear on several fronts.
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TRACKSIDE: Fitzpatrick on track to continue impressive start to racing career
One of the top stories on the Wabash Valley motorsports stage last season was the emergence of Blake Fitzpatrick as a legitimate front-runner on the national sprint-car scene.
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Frightening finish to season at Terre Haute Action Track
The 2010 Terre Haute Action Track season came to a climactic close over the weekend. Unfortunately, the campaign closed on a near-tragic note for the second consecutive year.
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Trackside: Attractive USAC sprint car card this weekend
With the area circle track season rapidly drawing to a close, fans will have a pair of attractive USAC sprint car cards to attend this weekend. Back-to-back shows at Lincoln Park Speedway and Terre Haute Action Track not only offer fans a final opportunity to see the sprints in action one final time, but they also serve as pivotal stops in the chase for the USAC sprint car drivers championship.
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