David Lee Darland (born September 4, 1966) is an American

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primaril ...

driver from

Kokomo, Indiana Kokomo ( ) is a city in Indiana and the county seat of Howard County, Indiana, United States. It is the principal city of the Kokomo, Indiana Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Howard County, the Kokomo-Peru CSA, which includ ...

. He was the 1997 USAC Silver Crown Champion, 1999 USAC National Sprint Car Champion, and 2001 and 2002 USAC National Midget Champion, making him the third driver to claim all three USAC National Championships. He is nicknamed "The People's Champ".

Background

Darland was born and raised in

Lincoln, Indiana Lincoln is an unincorporated community in Jackson Township, Cass County, Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and ...

. His father was a steelworker and his mother was a housewife.

Racing career

Darland began racing quarter midgets when he was four years old. His father Bob Darland helped build his first sprint car when he was 16 years old. Darland's first sprint car win happened at Kokomo Speedway when he beat

Steve Kinser Steve "The King" Kinser (born June 2, 1954) is a former professional sprint car racing driver. He has won 20 championships in the World of Outlaws (WoO) series. Kinser left the World of Outlaws in 2006 to compete with the National Sprint Tour s ...

's father Bob in 1986. Darland won over 100 features in his own sprint car. Darland's first USAC feature win came in 1993 when he was 26 years old. Darland won the 2001 and 2002 USAC National Midget championships. Race wins include the 2007 & 2013

Turkey Night Grand Prix The Automotive Racing Products Turkey Night Grand Prix is an annual race of midget cars. It is the third oldest race in the United States behind the Indianapolis 500 and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. It has been held on Thanksgiving nig ...

, a Southern California traditional race held on Thanksgiving Day for many years, and three wins at the Oval Nationals, held at Perris Auto Speedway in

Perris, California Perris is an old railway city in Riverside County, California, United States, located east-southeast of Los Angeles and north of San Diego. It is known for Lake Perris, an artificial lake, skydiving, and its sunny dry climate. Perris is wit ...

. As of July 25, 2020, his 20 Indiana Sprint Week race wins are the most in the series history (since 1988). As of September 26, 2020, he is the winningest driver in USAC Sprint Car history. Darland took over as the winningest USAC overall driver (in either midgets, sprint cars, and Silver Crown cars) when he passed Tom Bigelow's 52 total wins in 2014.

Personal life

Darland and his wife Brenda have three children. He suffered a mild stroke on April 23, 2021 and was hospitalized with some confusion.

Awards

*2017 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee *2015 Thomas J. Schmeh Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Sport *2015 Mike Curb Super License Award *2011 Won the King of Indiana Sprint Series title *2008 Won The Bob Darland Memorial Race in honor of his father. *2007 Indiana Sprintweek Champion *2002 USAC National Midget Series Champion *2001 USAC National Midget Series Champion *2001 Indiana Sprintweek Champion *1999 USAC National Sprint Car Series Champion *1999 HARF "Driver of the Year" *1997 USAC Silver Crown Series Champion *1997 HARF Co-"Driver of the Year" with Tony Stewart *1995 USAC Silver Crown Series "Most Improved Driver" *1994 HARF "Driver of the Year"

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Darland, Dave 1966 births Living people Sportspeople from Kokomo, Indiana Racing drivers from Indiana USAC Silver Crown Series drivers