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Written by:
Robin Miller
09/21/2008 - 07:06 AM
Rossburg, Ohio
Out of a ride in NASCAR, Yeley shone as he returned to his USAC roots. (LAT Photo) ยป More Photos
J.J. Yeley made a rousing return to his roots, Brad Sweet gave Kasey Kahne his first sprint victory and Dave Darland delivered another command performance. Those were the storylines and the winners in Saturday night's 27th annual USAC 4-Crown Nationals at Eldora Speedway.
Yeley, who left open wheel for NASCAR four years ago only to lose his full-time Sprint Cup ride last month, finally had something to smile about after beating Darland to the checkered flag in the 25-lap midget main event.
It was easily the best race of the night as Yeley and Darland traded first place three times a lap for the first 12 laps before Ricky Stenhouse rocketed by and into the lead only to be collected and spun out by a lapped car.
Stenhouse rejoined the pack at the back and was climbing towards the front when he hit the wall and took a nasty series of flips that sent him to nearby Greenville Hospital for observation.
When the race resumed, Yeley and Darland staged a private duel to the end.
"I won't deny this is good for my confidence and it was fun to race that hard and that close with Dave, he's one of the best," said Yeley, who started fourth in Bob East's Beast/Ford.
"I hadn't been here in a while and this was one of the trickiest conditions I've ever seen here so it took a while to get comfortable. Stenhouse was flying and I may not have had the fastest car tonight but we're taking home the money."
The youth brigade of Sweet (22), Brady Bacon (17) and Cole Whitt (16) finished third through fitth.
"Tonight this was the most awesome car I've ever driven and I don't think I've ever had more fun," said Sweet, whose major USAC wins this season include the Belleville Nationals and Knoxville (both for midgets).
"It was great to get that first win for Kasey because he's given me this incredible opportunity."
Bacon flipped on Lap 10 but escaped injury.
The evening's finale was a 50-lapper for Silver Crown and Darland showed why he's approaching 70 wins in his fabulous USAC career.
Starting third in Galen Fox's car, he stalked Jerry Coons Jr. for 10 laps before he slid into the lead only to tag the wall and immediately fall back to second. His next attempt on Lap 18 was successful and, once in front, Darland handled traffic masterfully to breeze to victory lane.
"It was tricky out there tonight because the groove was up against the wall and I had a couple close calls but everything turned out fine," said the 42-year-old native of Kokomo. "I got a good run on Jerry that second time and, once I got the lead, I felt pretty good about keeping it.
"I love Eldora, it's always been one of my favorites."
Brian Tyler, going for his third consecutive win, had to settle for second place, just ahead of Coons, who takes a slim lead over Darland into the Silver Crown finale at Phoenix on Nov. 11.
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