#5 - Dave Darland (Lincoln, IN)

12th Chili Bowl Appearance

Chili Bowl Main Event Starts: 10

Chili Bowl Main Event Finishes:  13th (1998), 20th (2000), 24th (2001), 5th (2002), 16th (2003), 10th (2004), 3rd (2005), 10th (2006), 16th (2007), 2nd (2008)

2008 Chili Bowl Results:

Friday: 1st in Heat 4; 4th in Qualifier 3; 2nd in A Main

Saturday: 2nd in A Main

For the driver closing in on 200 career feature wins, about the only thing missing from the trophy case is a Golden Driller.

After kicking off the 2008 season with a runner-up Chili Bowl finish, his best placing thus far, Dave went on to notch 14 wins, 49 top-fives and 71 top-tens in 95 overall starts among the wingless Sprint Car, Midget and Champ Car ranks.  With the 14 wins, Dave's career victory total has now reached 193.

Nine of his '08 wins came in Sprint Car action, with three in Midgets and two in Silver Crown.  Sprint Car glory included a $30,000 victory at Southern Iowa Speedway's Non-Wing Ultimate Challenge, a USAC Sprint Week win at Kokomo, a $6,000 win in the Shaheen's Memorial at Jacksonville, IL, and a Sprint Bandits TNT triumph at Nebraska's I-80 Speedway that launched him to the Sprint Bandits TNT championship.

Dave earned a New Zealand Midget win at Springs in February, a Badger Sandbox win in March and a USAC National Midget win at LaCrosse in May, with USAC Silver Crown scores coming in Terre Haute's Sumar Classic and Eldora's Four Crown Nationals.

Dave finished out the season ranked second in USAC Silver Crown points, fifth in USAC Sprint Car points and tenth in USAC Midget points. 

Rejoining the potent stable of Wilke-PAK entries, with Toyota power this time aroud, Dave guns for a tenth consecutive Chili Bowl championship main event and his first Golden Driller.

Car Owner:  Wilke-PAK RAJO

Chassis:  Spike

Engine:  Toyota

Sponsors:  Speedway Motors, Kwik Change, Hoosier Tire, K&N Filters 

Photo: Dave Darland won the I-80 Speedway main event en route to the Sprint Bandits TNT championship. (TWC photo)