Kokomo Preview

RAINS HALT WINCHESTER; "KOKOMO MIDGET CAR CHALLENGE" SATURDAY KOKOMO ENTRIES REFLECT DRIVERS WITH 21 USAC TITLES

The MCI WorldCom USAC Midget Car Series makes its midwestern debut this Saturday night at the Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway, following Sunday afternoon's rainout at the Winchester (Ind.) Speedway. Thirty-one cars were prepared for competition at Winchester before persistent rains thwarted extensive efforts to dry the 1/2-mile track. No new date has been set for the event. Saturday night's "Kokomo Challenge" features a number of USAC Midget Car Champions against the best of Kokomo - namely Tony Elliott and Dave Darland, also USAC Champions. Elliott, who won last year's Stoops Freightliner USAC Sprint Car Championship, owns seven USAC victories at the 1/4-mile dirt track, six in Sprint Cars and one in the most recent USAC Midget Car outing, in 1995. A victory by Elliott Saturday would tie him with Rich Vogler for the most USAC Kokomo wins at eight. Vogler won seven Midget Car races and a Sprint race during his remarkable USAC career. Darland, USAC's Coors Light Silver Bullet Champion in 1997, owns one USAC Kokomo trophy, a 1993 Sprint race. Challenging Elliott and Darland in the "Kokomo Challenge" will be USAC Champions Jason Leffler (1997 Midget Car and 1998 Midget Car and Silver Bullet), Brian Tyler (1996-97 Sprint Car), Ted Hines (3-time Indianapolis Speedrome Midget Car), John Sluss (1998 Speedrome Midget Car), Ricky Shelton (1996 TQ Midget Car and 1997 Western Midget Car), Michael Lang (4-time Indianapolis Speedrome Midget Car and 1998 16th Street Midget Car), and Jay Drake (1990-91 TQ Midget Car and 1996 Western Midget Car). The nine aforementioned drivers have amassed 21 USAC championships! Practice at Kokomo gets under way at 5 pm and racing starts at 7. A 30-lap feature caps the program.

MCI WORLDCOM NATIONAL MIDGET CAR STANDINGS

1. Jason Leffler 38 2. Ryan Newman 29 3. Dave Steele 27 4. Ricky Shelton 27 5. Dave Darland 19 6. Tracy Hines 19 7. Andy Michner 15 8. Steve Barth 11 9. A.J. Fike 9 10. John Nervo 8