Darland Dominates Banjo 100

By Tom Hammond
Staff Writer

Teammates Dave Darland and Dave Steele scored a 1-2 finish in the 7th Annual Glen Niebel Classic – Banjo 100 USAC National Sprint Car race on Sunday at Anderson Speedway.

Darland took the lead from the get-go and built an early sizeable advantage. He was able to quickly rebuild that lead on every restart in a race slowed by five caution periods.

Steele, meanwhile, got into a furious race-long battle with Josh Wise and Eric Gordon for second. Steele was able to vault into the second spot when Wise slid in turn one on the 91st lap and Gordon had to slow down to avoid a collision. Steele then pressured Darland over the final five laps but couldn’t gain a second-straight classic win. Darland and Steele were followed by Wise, Bobby Santos III and Marc Jessup to round out the top five.

Victories in the non-qualifying USAC sprint car races went to Mat Neely and Marc Jessup. Russ Gamester came out on top of the last chance race. Steele set a new track record in qualifying for the Banjo 100 with a time of 11.325 seconds.

In other racing, the CRA Sportsman division made its first appearance. The division features drivers and race machines from several different divisions. Al Cook Jr. took the lead from the outside of the front row in the 50-lap feature and held a comfortable advantage over the opening 40 circuits.

Keith Sterkowitz steadily made his way through the pack and mounted a serious challenge over the remaining 10 laps. Zack Hulvey also climbed into contention and made it a tight three-car battle to the finish. Cook beat Sterkowitz to the line by 0.364 seconds and Hulvey by 0.580 seconds for the victory. Terry Fisher Jr. and Scott Hinshaw completed the top five.

Jon Conklin scored the win in the first CRA Sportsman heat with Cook taking the checkers in the second heat.

Anderson Speedway returns to racing action on Saturday, April 15 with the first appearance of the CRA Super Series Late Models. They will be showcased in the Anderson 125 presented by Great Deals. The Boss Hogg Catering & Jerky Figure 8’s and Lampco Federal Credit Union Street Stocks will also make appearances next weekend.

For additional information contact Anderson Speedway at (765) 642-0206.