Kokomo — In non-wing sprint car racing, there is nothing that quite compares to the action and the atmosphere that surrounds the annual running of Indiana Sprint Week for the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Car Series.

The series consists of seven races in nine days and is as grueling a stretch for teams and drivers that they will face all season. The big thing is, although all those competing would love nothing more than to walk away ISW champion, they realize that there are serious championship implications at stake as well.

The week has put a damper on championship hopes of many drivers in the past but on the other hand, should a driver in the top-five in overall points get hot, it sets the pace for a serious championship run down the stretch.

In the 24-year history of ISW, Lincoln’s Dave Darland is at the top of the list in feature wins with 14. Jon Stanbrough is second overall, claiming 13 wins and heads into this year’s running of ISW as the defending champion.

Darland on the other hand has captured the Sprint Week title three times for three different car owners and with the chemistry building with his No. 21X team, a fourth title isn’t out of the question.

Tony Stewart Racing’s Levi Jones heads into the week holding a 71-point advantage over Stanbrough in the overall points chase and has to be considered among a dozen drivers who could well walk away with the 2011 ISW title.

“I love Sprint Week,” Jones said earlier this year. “You know that each day you get up that you have a race that night and that makes it fun and tough at the same time. The thing is, there are so many good teams out there who are capable of winning any night. All the top teams have as good of equipment that there is out there.”

Though Jones has been considered one of the more dominant drivers in USAC over the last six years, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see a driver like Chris Windom flex some muscle and be in the thick of things next Saturday at Haubstadt in the series’ finale.

California native Damion Gardner, who moved to Indiana just so he could compete against the best non-wing drivers in the country on a regular basis, could well be in the mix until the final checker flag falls.

It will be interesting to see how the new pairing of Shane Cottle and Jeff Walker will fare in the upcoming week. Their first night together saw Cottle pick up a King of Indiana Sprint Series win at the Paragon Speedway. The worst showing the duo have had since joining forces was last Saturday at the Lincoln Park Speedway when Cottle finished 13th, but that was simply because of a suspension failure on the final lap after he had been challenging for the win.

Hunter Schuerenberg, currently third in points behind Jones and Stanbrough, is capable of winning the title, however he needs to finish races if he hopes to do so. The Missouri driver is as exciting as any on the circuit, but often his exuberance sees his night come to a premature end with a wadded up race car hanging from a wrecker. The youngster is a gasser and if he doesn’t tear up too much equipment, he could be a major player in determining the champion.

Expect to see some West Coast drivers in the pits as Matt Mitchell has already been racing in the area as well as Keith Bloom, who won Friday’s show at Gas City and finished second last Sunday at Kokomo.

There are too many drivers capable of making an impact to mention them all but Coleman Gullick has been as fast as anyone the last month and Jerry Coons, Jr. will be wheeling the Edison Motorsports No. 10E, and that is a combination that could be a force to be reckoned with as well.

All in all, this next week promises to be as entertaining as it gets for fans of sprint car racing on dirt. Those lucky enough to witness every show will surely have a good many tales to talk about after the week is over.

The first race of the series will be staged tonight at Gas City followed by a stop at Kokomo tomorrow night. The Lawrenceburg Speedway will host the third leg Sunday night. Last year, Stanbrough picked up the Gas City win while Jones scored the victory at Kokomo and Darland at Lawrenceburg.

After taking a couple days off, the stars and cars will visit the Terre Haute Action Track on July 13, followed on successive nights at the Brownstown Speedway, Bloomington Speedway before wrapping up at the Tri-States Speedway.

Those planning on attending any of the events should make plans to get to the track early as a year ago Gas City was standing room only in what was reported as the biggest crowd in the track’s history. Kokomo’s event was staged before an overflow crowd as well as fans from across the country trek from venue to venue to witness what is considered the most exciting week in non-wing sprint car racing.

For information and ticket information for each event, visit www.usacracing.com.