By Dick Jordan
Three Indiana drivers and one each from Illinois and Arizona will try to rekindle past victory at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track when the “Sumar Classic” USAC Silver Crown Championship opener unfolds Sunday at the half-mile dirt oval.
The five drivers have a combined 15 victories at the storied oval, dating from 1993-2013!
Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. and Tracy Hines of New Castle, Ind., who are battling for numerous all-time USAC records, each have four wins at Terre Haute. Darland won the 1993 Tony Hulman Classic Sprint race, the 1999 and 2003 Hut Hundred Midget races and the 2008 Sumar Classic. Hines won the 1999 and 2003 Jan Opperman Sprint races plus the 2001 Tony Hulman Classic and Hut Hundreds.
Jerry Coons Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. won a 1999 Sprint race, plus the 2010 and 2013 Tony Hulman Classics. Chris Windom of Canton, Ill. took the 2011 Tony Hulman Classic and Jim Hurtubise Sprints. Defending Silver Crown Champion Bobby East of Brownsburg, Ind. was the 2004 Hut Hundred winner and the 2012 Sumar Classic champ.
Darland just surpassed the 1,000 mark in total USAC National starts, while Hines is rapidly closing on that milestone. Darland has 90 total USAC National feature wins to his credit, while Hines is at 88.
Sunday’s 100-lap “twilight” race should get the green at around 7 pm, following practice at 4 pm and qualifying.
A field of 24 cars is slated for the 100-lap race and drivers will be aiming at Josh Wise’s 1-lap track qualifying record of 89.379 mph. Gary Bettenhausen established the 100-lap Terre Haute Silver Crown record of 50 minutes, 37.20 seconds in 1980.
Drivers A.J. Fike, Aaron Pierce and Kody Swanson also have previous USAC Silver Crown victories to their credit, while Sunday’s field will include more than a dozen drivers seeking their initial series start.