Bay Darnell
BornWilbur Darnell
(1931-02-04)February 4, 1931
Lake Bluff, Illinois, U.S.
DiedFebruary 28, 2023(2023-02-28) (aged 92)
Waukegan, Illinois, U.S.
NASCAR Cup Series career
3 races run over 3 years
Best finish118th (1967)
First race1954 Willow Springs 200 (Willow Springs)
Last race1967 Atlanta 500 (Atlanta)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
USAC Stock Car
Years active1962–1983
Starts249
Wins4
Best finish2nd in 1979
Previous series
1964, 1982–83
1965–1968
1981–1983		ARCA Series
USAC Indy Car
ASA National Tour

Wilbur Darnell (February 4, 1931 – February 28, 2023) was an American racing driver from Lake Bluff, Illinois.[1] He raced mainly in USAC Stock Cars, but he did have a few Indy Car and NASCAR Grand National Series starts. His grandson Erik Darnell is a current NASCAR driver.

Racing career

Early career

Darnell began racing Modifieds on the dirt tracks in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, especially Waukegan Speedway.[2]

USAC Stock Car

Darnell began racing in USAC Stock Car in 1962.[3] He became the second driver to land in Lake Lloyd at the Daytona International Speedway during a rare appearance in an ARCA stock car.[4] He went into the infield lake during a February 8, 1964 qualifying race for the ARCA 250.[4]

Darnell finished third in the season points in 1973, his first time in the top three.[5] In 1974, Darnell had his first USAC win at the Indiana State Fairgrounds after racing for 13 seasons.[6] He led the final five laps at the one mile dirt oval.[6] Darnell was forced to race his asphalt car after his dirt car was wrecked during the previous week's race at the Springfield Mile.[6] Darnell drove with a broken shoulder from the earlier incident.[6] Darnell's second USAC victory happened on the clay at the 100-mile race at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds Racetrack on August 28, 1976.[3] His third USAC stock car win happened on June 5 in the following year at Texas World Speedway. After starting tenth, he won on the two-mile asphalt superspeedway.[3] He took the lead on lap 148 of 250.[7]

In the middle of the 1978 season he finished fifth at Springfield.[8] The following week he was ruled to have jumped the final restart prematurely at DuQuoin and he was awarded a second-place finish instead of the win.[8] In an interview with the Milwaukee Sentinel, Darnell talked about how he felt that he could win the championship that year. After having mechanical difficulties in the August 17th race at the Milwaukee Mile caused him to lose hundreds of points in the third last race of the season, he said, "If I hadn't fallen out of the Milwaukee 150, I'd be ahead (in points) right now."[8] Darnell finished third in points that season.[5] The following year he earned his career-best second points finish, one position better than Rusty Wallace.[5] He dropped to third in the 1980 season points and tied his career-best second-place points finish in 1982. He earned his final USAC victory on August 15 of that year on the dirt at the Springfield Mile.[3] He raced his final USAC race in the middle of 1983[3] and the series folded after running only two events in 1984.

NASCAR

Darnell made three NASCAR Grand National Series starts in his career.[1] In 1954 he started 17th at the only NASCAR race Santa Fe Speedway in Willow Springs, Illinois. His car overheated and he retired at the 18th lap of the race finishing last in the 23 car field.[9] He made his second start in 1964, starting 23rd for Holman Moody at Atlanta International Raceway. In a race of high attrition, he completed 205 of 334 laps before ending with push rod failure to finish 13th in the 39-car field.[10] His final NASCAR start was in 1967 when he raced in his own car at Atlanta. He started 39th and finished 32nd in the 44-car field.[11]

Indy Car

Darnell raced in three Indy Car races.[1] His first champ car start was at the DuQuoin in 1965.[1] He finished ninth in the 18-car field.[1] Darnell returned for this final two Indy Car races in 1968.[1] He raced at Trenton Speedway, finishing 14th with engine problems.[12] Later that season, he raced at his home race at the Milwaukee Mile. He was involved in a wreck on the second lap and finished 23rd.[12]

Business

Darnell owned a trucking company in the Chicago area.[7] He also built USAC stock cars and in 1977 the St. Petersburg Times called him a "master car builder" who "builds and maintains his own equipment which is considered among the best."[7]

Personal life and death

Darnell was the father of Danny Darnell, a well-known Midwestern short-track driver, and grandfather of NASCAR driver Erik Darnell.[13]

Bay Darnell died in Waukegan, Illinois on February 28, 2023, at the age of 92.[14]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Grand National Series

NASCAR Grand National Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 NGNC Pts Ref
1954 69 Ford PBS DAB JSP ATL OSP OAK NWS HBO CCS LAN WIL MAR SHA RSP CLT GAR CLB LND HCY MCF WGS PIF AWS SFS
23 		GRS MOR OAK CLT SAN COR DAR CCS CLT LAN MAS MAR NWS NA – [15]
1964 Holman-Moody 66 Ford CON AUG JSP SVH RSD DAY DAY DAY RCH BRI GPS BGS ATL
13 		AWS HBO PIF CLB NWS MAR SVH DAR LGY HCY SBO CLT GPS ASH ATL CON NSV CHT BIR VAL PIF DAY ODS OBS BRR ISP GLN LIN BRI NSV MBS AWS DTS ONA CLB BGS STR DAR HCY RCH ODS HBO MAR SVH NWS CLT HAR AUG JAC NA – [16]
1965 Jack Watts Ford RSD DAY DAY DAY
DNQ 		PIF AWS RCH HBO ATL GPS NWS MAR CLB BRI DAR LGY BGS HCY CLT CCF ASH HAR NSV BIR ATL GPS MBS VAL DAY ODS OBS ISP GLN BRI NSV CCF AWS SMR PIF AUG CLB DTS BLV BGS DAR HCY LIN ODS RCH MAR NWS CLT HBO CAR DTS NA – [17]
1967 Bay Darnell Racing 66 Plymouth AUG RSD DAY DAY DAY AWS BRI GPS BGS ATL
32 		CLB HCY NWS MAR SVH RCH DAR BLV LGY CLT ASH MGR SMR BIR CAR GPS MGY DAY TRN OXF FDA ISP BRI SMR NSV ATL BGS CLB SVH DAR HCY RCH BLV HBO MAR NWS CLT CAR AWS 118th 100 [18]
Daytona 500
Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish
1965 Jack Watts Ford DNQ

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Bay Darnell NASCAR and USAC IndyCar Results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  2. ^ "Russ Lake Photographs page #1". Chicagoland Auto Racing. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  3. ^ a b c d e "USAC Stock Car Results". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  4. ^ a b "Swaim wins Florida 200". The Gadsden Times / Associated Press. February 19, 1994. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  5. ^ a b c "The USAC Stock Car Series". Ultimate Racing History. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d "1974 - Darnell upstages USAC vets for Century win". Midwest Racing Archives. Retrieved 5 February 2012.
  7. ^ a b c "Darnell Takes First Big Win in Texas 500". St. Petersburg Times. June 6, 1977. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  8. ^ a b c Rel Bochat (September 8, 1978). "Bay Darnell's Stock Rises at Young 47". Milwaukee Sentinel. Retrieved 13 February 2012.
  9. ^ "1954 NASCAR results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  10. ^ "1964 NASCAR Grand National results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  11. ^ "1967 NASCAR Results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 4 February 2012.
  12. ^ a b "1968 USAC Indy Car results". Racing Reference. Retrieved 9 February 2012.
  13. ^ "Darnell's Mom Will Forever Be Along for the Ride". Roush Fenway Racing. February 25, 2009. Archived from the original on 25 July 2015. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  14. ^ "Wilber "Bay" Darnell". Gurnee Salata Funeral Home. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  15. ^ "Bay Darnell – 1954 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  16. ^ "Bay Darnell – 1964 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  17. ^ "Bay Darnell – 1965 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  18. ^ "Bay Darnell – 1967 NASCAR Grand National Results". Racing-Reference. NASCAR Digital Media, LLC. Retrieved January 20, 2020.

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