From Dick Jordan
Tracy Hines and Dave Darland will resume their battle for the all-time USAC National feature victory lead among “active” drivers when the 2012 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car Series opens February 9-11 at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla.
“Bubba’s Winter Dirt Games” will feature three complete nights of sprint car action on the exciting 3/8-mile dirt oval. The races are the first of nearly 50 on the 2012 USAC AMSOIL calendar.
Hines sits atop the “active” lead with 77 total wins (41 in Sprints, 28 in Midgets and eight in Silver Crown). Darland is just one back with 76 (34 in Sprints, 28 in Midgets and 14 in Silver Crown). Hines ranks seventh on the all-time USAC list, while Darland is tied with Jack Hewitt for eighth. They are chasing Bob Wente’s total of 79, then will challenge Tom Bigelow’s total of 81 and Gary Bettenhausen’s total of 82. Mel Kenyon has 111, Rich Vogler 134 and A.J. Foyt 154.
Hines failed to crack the “top-10” in his three Ocala appearances last year. Darland likewise was unable to crack the “top-10” in his two 2011 Ocala starts.
Damion Gardner won twice at Ocala in 2011 and Bryan Clauson also was victorious. Both are expected to be in the field Hines and Darland will face.
Both Hines and Darland are former series champions (Hines in 2002 and Darland in 1999). Hines’ last USAC Sprint win came at Dodge City, Kans. Last August. Darland won at Gas City, Ind. last July.
Defending five-time AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car Champion Levi Jones holds the 1-lap Ocala track qualifying record of 14.758 seconds set last year. He recorded a third, fourth and ninth in last year’s three Ocala events.
A practice session on Wednesday night, followed by a pre-race party for participants and fans at the Ocala WingHouse kick off the activities prior to the Florida openers.