Dave Darland fired up Team Mopar’s efforts in the 21st annual Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, leading the more than 20 Mopar-powered entries with a win in Friday night’s Oklahoma Dodge Dealers Qualifying feature and a spot on the pole for the Saturday night A-Main.

Darland wowed a crowd that braved the cold and icy conditions in Oklahoma to pack the Tulsa Expo Raceway, leading all 25 laps of the Friday A-Main in his No. 5 Wilke-PAK car on his march to victory lane. Darland won the draw for the pole, but his luck ended in the Saturday A-Main event finale, as he tangled with Donnie Ray Crawford, causing a collision with his Wilke-PAK teammate Jerry Coons Jr. Darland finished the night in the 16th spot, with Coons Jr. taking 21st place in his No. 11 car.

Other Mopar-powered cars in Saturday’s event finale were the No. 52s car of Casey Shuman, who came home 13th; the No. 71x car of Brad Kuhn, who finished 23rd; and the No. 91x car of Ryan Durst, who took 24th place. Both Kuhn and Shuman scored podium finishes in the Wednesday night A-Main qualifying feature to lock in their spots for the Saturday finale.

Rounding out the Wilke-PAK team’s efforts, Josh Wise drove his No. 11w car to the first C-Main on Saturday, finishing sixth, one spot out of the last transfer position to the B-Main. NASCAR Nextel Cup star Kasey Kahne, owner of Kasey Kahne Racing, recently named Mopar’s factory team in World of Outlaws Sprint and USAC National Sprint and Midget Car, made it to Saturday’s F-Main in his No. 11k Wilke-PAK car before retiring early.

The Swindell Motorsports father and son team of Sammy and Kevin Swindell also saw Chili Bowl action, with Sammy advancing to the second C-Main in his No. 1 car. Kevin piloted the No. 39 car, finishing fifth in the first E-Main, one spot away from the D-Main. Both Swindell Motorsports midget cars, as well as the four Wilke-PAK cars, sported the Team Mopar blue camo paint scheme and were powered by Stanton Racing Engines.

For event info and complete night-by-night results from the 2007 Chili Bowl Midget Nationals, log on tochilibowl.com.

Team Mopar and Kasey Kahne Racing’s Joey Saldana tasted victory overseas, as the "Brownsburg Bullet" corralled a win in sprint action at Australia’s Parramatta City Raceway (PCR).

Saldana had been solid in action at PCR over the last two weeks, with a recent runner-up outing in the $50,000 Classic at the track. He took the checkered flag first on Wednesday after a tough battle with Steve Kinser and Jason Meyers.

Saldana, a native of Brownsburg, Ind., drove his No. 9 Kasey Kahne Racing machine past 20-time World of Outlaws Champion Kinser on the first lap to take the lead. The pair traded spots, with Saldana reclaiming the lead for good on lap 11 and fending of challenges from both Meyers and Kinser to power his way into victory lane for the first time in ’07.

Saldana returned to Parramatta City Raceway on Saturday, but saw his night end prematurely after suffering rear end damage. He will next compete at PCR in the Outlaws Down Under IV event, set for January 18-20. Saldana will open the 2007 World of Outlaws season on February 9 at Volusia Speedway Park with the 36th Annual DIRTcar Nationals Presented By Mopar Speedshop.

For info on the World of Outlaws Sprint Car Series, log on to theworldofoutlaws.com

By Roger Meiners

Dick Landy, the most famous of the legion of Dodge drag racers of the 1960s and 1970s, died January 11. He was 69.

The name Dick Landy meant "Mopar" to a generation of drag racing fans. He started back in 1962 when Chrysler offered him factory support by supplying him with a series of Max Wedge Plymouths. In 1964 he switched to Dodge and the legend truly began, first with a Max Wedge, and then with the new 426 Hemi. With one of the first factory lightweights, he proceeded to dominate West Coast super stock racing. Along the way he acquired the name "Dandy," because he was always well-dressed and his cars were show quality.

In 1965 Landy campaigned one of the 12 factory altered-wheelbase A/FX Hemi Funny Cars in the American Hot Rod Association. When Chrysler decided to exit the Funny Car class, Landy hit the road again, this time hosting Dodge Performance clinics at dealerships across the country, playing to capacity crowds of grassroots racers and enthusiasts. It was all part of a Mopar marketing plan that eventually introduced the Direct Connection performance parts business, the forerunner of Mopar Performance Parts.

Meanwhile, Landy and teams such as Sox & Martin were running match races and competing in all the national championships. Landy was there when Pro Stock was created in 1970. Dodge and Plymouth dominated the class for years, until rules changes made them uncompetitive. After he retired, he kept close to racing by means of his company, Dick Landy Industries.

Landy said he owed a lot to the Chrysler people who helped him, including Bob Cahill, whom he called, "the best of the whole product planning bunch." Also high on Landy’s list was Dick Maxwell, the racing manager, and Tom Hoover whom he described as, "just the best engineer there was." Landy also cited Dale Reeker, who was a Chrysler racing manager in the 1960s.

Mopar people everywhere will miss this tough, cigar-chewing, drag racing legend. But he will not be forgotten.