From his home town in Wyoming, DE, Kevin Darling has been a long time competitor on the Rislone URC Sprint Series tour, traveling to many if not all the tracks on the URC schedule. With the change in URC’s handicapping procedure in the coming year, Darling feels this will work to his advantage, and time will tell, and he’s ready!
Darling started go-kart racing at the young age of eight and in 1993, he helped as a crew member on the Jimmy Martin #7 URC sprint car. The following year, Kevin had the opportunity to drive one of the Martin back-up cars at a URC event. Without a doubt, he loved it and wanted to go further. In 1994, Kevin won his first URC heat race and also experienced his first flip after a tangle with another competitor while racing with URC in Canada.
Kevin prepared his own URC sprint car in 1995, competing on and off as he was on a very limited budget. “My best race back in the day was probably at Rolling Wheels where I won the heat race, the Cash Dash and finished second in the feature event, it was an awesome night for our team”. Kevin added, “ I remember there being so many cars that day that Greg Coverdale had to start in the back of the “E” Main after wrecking in his heat”.
For a short period time, Kevin ran a limited sprint at the Bridgeport Speedway and won the championship there in 2007. “In 2008, I came back to URC and used a Lou Eckrich motor for many of the races”, said Darling.
“2011 was when we started getting serious about URC racing”. Darling continued to say, “In 2012 we took it up a notch with the addition of Andy Anderson, Dave Parker and Kevin Scott as part of our team”. This was also the year Kevin Darling earned the name, “The Sheriff”, as a result of his sudden hold on URC. He was a contender on almost every race night, the new shining star and did it with style, usually racing high and wide and right up on the outside wall. “We finished every feature and ended up winning my first URC feature at the Big Diamond Raceway also ending the season fourth in point”, said Darling.
In 2013, Kevin Darling and his Ken Darling & Sons INC sprint car won a feature at the New Egypt Speedway, this win being the first victory for crew chief Dave Parker. Darling was again a threat during the season, but ran a limited schedule because of the work demands of the family business which is now forty-five years old.
The 2014 season is going to be a watch out season, that’s right, watch out for Kevin “The Sheriff” Darling because he’s coming with a very serious approach.
“We will have an HG Racing Engine which will give us some additional horsepower, which in my opinion, is the only thing we’ve been lacking at the track in the past”, said Darling. The plans for the 9D sprint car is to run the full URC season but as always, the business needs will have to come first.
Sponsors are important to every race team and for Kevin Darling, he would like to acknowledge Aqua-flo Pumps & Supply, Anderson Performance, Al Darling Appraisals, HG Race Engines, RB Baker & Sons, House of Hair, Bay to Beach Builders, Best Boarding Kennel, Delaware Propane and KL Vincent Welding.
And what about winning the URC Championship? “To win a championship, you need to run every race. You need to first finish races, then you need to try to be a consistent top five car”, Darling added. “If you can do that, the wins will come and eventually, so will a championship, but let’s remember, URC drivers are tough!”
“With URC, there are no easy nights, as you have to work hard for every position. We concentrate on being strong at the end, the last lap is the only one that counts”, said Darling. Kevin has just two feature drop outs in the last two years with URC and neither were from mechanical issues. Kevin was quick to add, “I credit that totally to the crew and all their hard work maintaining and preparing the car”.
“The luck of the draw handicapping should attract a few more cars, never-the-less, it’s gonna be tough to win races when you’re competing against drivers like Andy Best, Robbie Stillwaggon, Chad Trout, Art Liedl and Randy West”. Kevin added, “These guys are tough on the track but will help you out in the pits any way they can. I guess that’s the biggest difference racing with URC, everybody tries to get along, although there is still an occasional disagreement in the pits, but let’s face it, it’s racing, fueled by adrenaline”
The Rislone URC Sprint Series will open with a two race weekend in the Carolina’s followed by the first point race of the season at the Selinsgrove Speedway on Saturday night, April 19.
Please visit the URC website for additional information. www.urcsprints.com.
2014
RISLONE URC Sprint Series Schedule
Friday, April 11 Carolina Speedway/Gastonia, NC (NP)
Saturday, April 12 Lancaster Speedway/Lancaster, SC (NP)
Saturday, April 19 Selinsgrove Speedway
Friday, April 25 Big Diamond Raceway
Friday, May 2 Big Diamond Raceway (Rain Date)
Saturday, May 10 Selinsgrove Speedway Jack Gunn Memorial $3,500 To Win
Friday, May 16 Bedford Speedway
Saturday, May 17 Delaware International Speedway Kramer Williamson Memorial
Sunday, May 25 Grandview Speedway (2 Features)
Monday, May 26 Grandview Speedway (Rain Date)
Wednesday, June 4 Lincoln Speedway MACH 1 Super Series
Friday, June 6 Williams Grove Speedway MACH 1 Super Series
Friday, June 13 Potomac Speedway
Saturday, June 14 Winchester VA Speedway
Saturday, June 21 Grandview Speedway
Friday, June 27 Bedford Speedway
Saturday, June 28 Selinsgrove Speedway
Saturday, July 26 Selinsgrove Speedway
Friday, August 1 Williams Grove Speedway Rislone Nationals $4,000 to win
Saturday, August 9 Selinsgrove The Kramer Cup
Friday, August 22 Williams Grove Speedway
Saturday, August 23 Port Royal Speedway
Friday, August 29 Hagerstown Speedway
Saturday, August30 Delaware International Speedway
Saturday, September 27 Selinsgrove MACH 1 $8,000 to Win
Friday, October 3 Carolina Speedway/Gastonia, NC
Saturday, October 4 Cherokee Speedway/Gaffney, SC
Saturday, October 18 Grandview Speedway Feature Only
(NP) Non-Point Races
For more information, please visit our website at: www.urcsprints.com
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