For Mann, the challenges that came from working with Darland were truly unusual.
“The thing about Dave is that when I ask him about the car, he always says it is good,” Mann noted. “You see Dave Darland can make a subpar car go fast. I just have to stand at the fence and watch. He can make a tight car loose and a loose car tight. He can compensate for my screw ups on chassis set ups. I have seen him do some amazing things.”
This was a bit different, however. Darland had been on the shelf for a long time in the twilight of his career, and the nature of his condition could lend itself to decrements in performance.
As for Darland, he says he enjoyed racing with his old friend.
“It was all right,” Darland said. “I was just out there playing and having fun.”
When you have been at the top of the heap for years, racing for fun isn’t generally the overriding motivation. “I like winning,” Darland said. “That’s what we race for. To win. Just getting out there and playing isn’t what I want to do but it is where I am at right now. I just have to deal with what I have.”
Mann said of last season, “It was both fun and frustrating. I hated it when he struggled, but heck he won a couple of USAC heat races and he shined at times. He still has it. To a point.”
Can Darland knock off the remaining rust and get back to a form where finding victory lane is a realistic possibility?
“I wasn’t as fast as I once was,” Darland said pondering that very question.
To that end he feels winning another USAC National sprint car race may be beyond his grasp. However, when asked if he can come out on top at a local show, he feels that is a real possibility.
After so many years of pounding the highway week after week, things will be different this year.
Mann and Darland will pick and choose between 15 to 20 events at familiar places such as Lincoln Park, Kokomo and Gas City. Time away from the sport has led to a renewed appreciation of simple things in life such as camping or spending time with grandchildren.
However, make no mistake about it, there is a fire that still burns and every effort will be made to be a force again. After destroying a car at the end of last season, Darland took possession of a new DRC chassis.
Mann is relishing the chance to put this new piece together in the offseason and seeing what they can accomplish as a team.
“We’re just two old guys trying to go fast,” Mann concluded.
Darland knows his time has nearly come.
“I have been racing sprint cars for 40 or 41 years and that’s a long time,” he said.
In the end for so many of his supporters, the fact that he even had a chance to back a traditional sprint car into the corner was a good enough payoff. After all, he’s Dave Darland.
Everyone must realize that they must enjoy the remaining time they have to watch this legend because when the end comes, he plans to walk away completely. He has earned the right to decide when to depart, and when he does, he can walk away with his chin held high.
This story appeared in the Feb. 22, 2023 edition of the SPEED SPORT Insider.
