(With Springfield notes included)
Labor Day brings out the best fans and competitors to the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds and Monday was no exception as Mother Nature brought out the best temperatures seen in years at DuQuoin with a fall like day at the “Magic Mile”. A strong cold front brought only sprinkles but temps in the 70’s and cloud cover for most of the morning helped keep the mile of dirt relatively moist until the sun came out just before the start. Thirty four machines were on hand with Centralia, Illinois’ Joe Cooksey returning to the ARCA wars and young Sikeston, Missouri driver Austin Retting making his debut.
Texan Chris Buescher did something cousin James could not do, get an ARCA machine to victory lane on the dirt as the eighteen year old unseated 2009 Southern Illinois 100 winner Parker Kllgerman as the youngest major race winner in DuQuoin State Fair history. At 18 years, 10 months and 54 days the Prosper, Texas driver found victory lane after finishing second 5 times in the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. It looks like Chris is just the sixth rookie to win the Federated Southern Illinois 100 since 1979 and possibly just the seventh since 1960!
Practice began at 9 in the morning with very cool temps, cloud cover and a steady 20 mile an hour win from the north. With a little extra water the track was a little slick and it showed on the stopwatch with lap times in the first half hour or so under the 100 mile an hour mark. Once the groove came in laps dipped under the 36 second barrier.
Ty Dillon swept the poles at both Springfield and DuQuoin. His 33.678 lap was about 8 tenths off the track record of Ricky Stenhouse but was about 8 tenths faster than the second fastest qualifier. Dillon lost some points at Springfield but regained them at DuQuoin with a strong second place finish. He graciously shared the podium during the pole award ceremony with the late Dean roper’s brother Dale. Dillon also expressed how much he enjoyed running the dirt at DuQuoin.
Frank Kimmel seemed to come to life during the race at DuQuoin. After a sub par qualifying effort of twenty-third the five time Southern Illinois 100 winner moved toward the front and at one point was in or near the top 5. He ended the day a fine sixth and can adct another record Kimmel owns on the Illinois dirt, he has the most consecutive starts at DuQuoin of any ARCA pilot with 21, having made every race at DuQuoin since 1991.
Springfield’s Kelly Kovski added to his growing fan base Labor Day as his car was fastest in the one hour practice session and he qualified outside the front row. He looked to have the car to beat early on leading five of the first 17 laps and coming back to the front quickly after an early pitstop. He was able to run second and keep leader Buescher in sight for a while and slipped to fourth at the end. Not bad for a driver who runs just twice a year and is also the crew chief for Gran Enfinger.
Canadian Andrew Ranger raised some eyebrows and gained some fans and respect with a tremendous fifth place Monday. It’s doubtful the former Champ Car World Series driver ever drove on the dirt and certainly had not seen the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds before. He wasn’t one of the fastest early on but kept following veterans like Frank Kimmel and ranger came to life the last half of the practice session looking like a dirt track veteran in practice, qualifying and the race. At one point of the 100-miler he appeared to be the fastest car on the track.
For the past ten years drivers with a significant open wheel background have won the pole at DuQuoin. Not this year. While some qualified near the front none were as fast as Ty Dillon.
It appears the ARCA dirt events are becoming a way for drivers to get some notice that might not otherwise be available to them as they look to advance in motor sports. Josh Richards was a well known late model driver and his fine third at DuQuoin in 2007 for Tony Stewart led to some opportunities that saw him in Atlanta for the NASCAR weekend. Chris Windom was well known in his home of Canton, Illinois and in Indiana sprint car circles but his stunning third at Springfield has the eyes of some stock car folk on the young driver. Missouri’s Will Vaught also caught some attention with very good runs at Springfield and DuQuoin
Three drivers pulled ‘double duty’ over the weekend. Chris Windom, Darren Hagen and A.J. Fike all ran Sunday’s Ted Horn 100 USAC Silver Crown championship dirt car event. Windom opened eyes witrh a strong third in the WinTron Dodge at Springfield and was headed for a top 5 when he got shuffled out of the groove and the freight train went by on the inside but he still managed a thirteenth. Hagen’s maiden voyage in Billy Venturini’s machine started sixth and ended twelfth. Fike had a bad weekend losing the engine in the dirt car in practice and then a battery issue relegated him to twenty eighth on Monday after 14 circuits.
Monday’s race was one of the best and most competitive ever seen in stock cars on the DuQuoin dirt. There were eight lead changes (that ties a 100-mile record at DuQuoin) among five drivers including a stint where the lead changed hands four times in four laps early in the going. 2011 was the ninth ‘overtime’ race in DuQuoin history. The nineteen starters completing the distance and twenty five running at the end is not a record but above the average, the seven cautions for thirty two laps just a bit above the average at DuQuoin.
Pit Notes from Spirngfield
Springfield, IL August 24, 2011-by Jay Hardin-Chad McCumbee may have played Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the ESPN movie “3” a few years ago but he looked a lot like Dale Sr. in winning the 49th Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday. It was clear from the grandstand early on that the Supply, North Carolina driver had a strong mount and he proved it by hunting down two time World of Outlaw Late Model champ Josh Richards and taking the lead on lap 17, then pulling away until the first caution came out just prior to the 40th go around.
Even with the pit stop shuffle it did not take long for McCumbee to reassert himself and once he took the lead there was little anyone could do with him except try to get by him on a restart then hold him back. Not even a late caution on lap 99 derailed the leader and he was able to give long time ARCA participant Andy Belmont his first ARCA win as a car owner. A wild celebration ensued in the Belmont pit area and in victory lane.
This was McCumbee’s third start on the Springfield Mile, the first coming in 2005. Chad has completed all but one lap run in those three races and despite never having dropped out of an Allen Crowe 100, Sunday’s victory was his first top ten finish at Springfield. His 72 laps led now places him 25th on the all-time laps led list in stock cars at the Springfield Mile.
Speaking of laps led, in an unusual occurrence the four lap leaders Sunday, Ty Dillon, McCumbee, Josh Richards and Tim George all were first time lap leaders at Springfield.
Ty Dillon came to Springfield with a huge point lead and left with one despite a flat right rear tire which sent him two laps down in the early going. The 19 year old became one of the youingest pole sitters in Allen Crowe history (19 years, 5 months 25 days) with the seventh fastest pole speed since 1950. Dillon led the first lap before being overtaken by Josh Richards. By the way Justin Allgaier, 19 years 2 months and 15 days remains the youngest pole winner (2005) in Allen Crowe history.
Frank Kimmel continues to climb the Illinois State Fairgrounds statistical ladder with regard to stock car racing. Cemented as the all-time money winner in stock cars at Springfield (we are still working on the exact total) and the all-time lap leader (614) plus having seven Crowe 100 trophies, Kimmel made his
start on the Springfield mile which ties him for second in Allen Crowe 100 starts with Bay Darnell. His 20th consecutive start is also tied for second with Darnell behind leader Kenny Rowley who retired with 25. With a seventh Sunday Frank has 16 top ten finishes at Springfield in those 20 starts. That is tied for top 10’s in the Allen Crowe 100 with Don White however White has more overall top 10’s at Springfield with 19. Frank has also completed 1897 miles in the Allen Crowe 100 which is tops among all drivers but still behind all time Springfield stock car mileage leader Don White (2191).
Several dirt late model standouts ran the Crowe 100 Sunday with mixed success. Two ran for Bill and Billy Venturini. Josh Richards led early on and finished ninth in his Springfield debut while fellow rookie Will Vaught of Missouri made quite an impression. The Lucas Oil late model standout got a lucky dog pass to come from one lap down to finish fifth. Current UMP late model point leader Ryan Unzicker of El Paso, Illinois was strong early but hit the wall in turn three on lap 62 and significantly shortened Bill Hendren’s new Chevy. Former UMP national champ Rodney Melvin’s car overheated on lap 90 putting him on the sideline.
Open wheeler’s AJ. Fike and Chris Windom also had mized results Sunday. Fike finished 12th in Saturday’s Bettenhausen 100 champ car event then qualified his Ford fifth for the Crowe 100. The car dropped out on lap 6 after overheating. Windom ran tenth on Saturday and had picked up the ARCA ride in the Win Tron Dodge only a few days before. In his ARCA debut the youngster was impressive qualifying eighth and finishing a very strong third. Open wheeler Tom Hessert had a strong second for owner Ken Schrader and moved to a tie for fifth in ARCA points.
Locals Kelly Kovski (Springfield), Mark Littleton (Arenzville), Joe Mueller (Brighton) and Dale Shearer (Alahambra). Shearer’s car overheated on lap 35, Mueller’s on lap 56. Littleton had his best Springfield finish with a fifteenth. Kovski, the crew chief for ARCA regular Grant Enfinger, turned in yet another top ten at Springfield coming home sixth. It is his fourth top ten finish in seven starts and his third sixth place finish.
Centralia native Joe Cooksey was spotted in the pit area and apparently has a car ready for his return to ARCA racing at DuQuoin.
James Harvey Hylton added to his legacy as the oldest driver ever to start a Springfield stock car race at age 76 years, 11 months and 26 days.
Twelve cars completed the 100 miles with seventeen running at the end. The thirty one starters tied last year’s field for the fewest in an ARCA event at Springfield since 1985 though last year there were cars that were unable to start after practice and qualifying. Such was not the case this year.
This was the seventh time the winner came from the third position and the 18th time in the 58 stock car events at Springfield the pole sitter finished out of the top 10. This was the fourth time a car with the number 1 won a stock car race at Springfield, the last was Ramo Stott in an exciting duel with Butch Hartman in August of 1976! There were 6 lead changes among 4 drivers with 5 cautions for 30 miles. This was the tenth time the event exceeded the 100 mile distance with each of the last four going overtime. Sunday’s purse easily pushed the total stock car payout to participants at Springfield over the 3 million dollar mark. Sunday’s attendance means that well over half a million people have filed through the turn styles over the years to watch stock cars on the Springfield dirt.
The 49th Crowe 100 was on an unofficial record pace for the first 50 miles. On the watch the first lap was run at 34.76 (103.567), the first 25 in 14:17.24 (104.988) and the first 50 in 31:42.63 (89.882). The first caution did not fly until lap 36 and had the remainder of the race been caution free it’s pretty clear that every recognized race record (Marshman’s 1:03:18.11 in 1964, Don White’s 1:06:30.14 in 1966 or Bowsher’s 1:08:00.00 in 1991) at Springfield would have fallen by the wayside.