INDIANA SPRINT WEEK OPENS AT 3 VENUES;

COONS WINS “BILL GARDNER SPRINTACULAR”

The 28th Annual “Indiana Sprint Week” debuts this week with three races in the Hoosier state.

Chase Stockon of Elizabethtown, Ind. takes a 12-point AMSOIL USAC National Sprint Car lead over Robert Ballou of Rocklin, Calif. into Friday night’s race at Gas City I-69 Speedway. Saturday night’s venue is Kokomo Speedway and Sunday night’s race is at Lawrenceburg Speedway.

Stockon finished third in last Saturday night’s “Bill Gardner Sprintacular” at Putnamville, Ind. won by Jerry Coons Jr. Coons led all 30 laps in his Edison Motorsports/Crume Evans Insurance Spike/Chevy to beat Kyle Cummins, Stockon, Chad Boespflug and Jon Stanbrough.

Jon Stanbrough won Saturday’s B & W Auto Mart “Hard Charger” award and the ProSource Fast Time Award went to Carson Short.

Bryan Clauson won the 2013 and 2014 Indiana Sprint Week titles, while former champions Dave Darland (1998, 2001 and 2007). Stanbrough (2006 and 2010) and Chris Windom (2011) figure to be in the 2015 title chase.

Indiana Sprint Week will continue July 15-18 with races at Terre Haute (Don Smith Classic), Putnamville, Bloomington and Haubstadt.

The 2015 car owner champion will again receive a specially crafted maple rocking chair donated by longtime Indiana Sprint Week supporter John Youngs of Loogootee, Ind.

One interesting aspect of the upcoming seven-race series will be to see if Darland can reach the 100 plateau in terms of all-time USAC National feature victories. He has 99 and hopes to join Rich Vogler, A.J. Foyt and Mel Kenyon in that exclusive list.