HomeIllinoisDuQuoin State FairgroundsTrackside from the Ted Horn 100 at DuQuoin

Trackside from the Ted Horn 100 at DuQuoin

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DuQuoin State Fair(September 6, 2011-DuQuoin, IL)-by Jay Hardin-With rain threatening all around the Southern Illinois area Mother Nature gave the DuQuoin State Fair, USAC and promoter Bob Sargent a break Sunday evening, bypassing the “Magic Mile” with only a few sprinkles and allowing the 60th Ted Horn 100 to go off without a hitch. Cool temperatures and cloud cover allowed moisture to stay in the clay and produced a pretty good race track on Sunday.

Nineteen year old Californian Kyle Larson appears to be th e’next big thing’ to come out of the USAC ranks and he took his first Silver Crown victory Sunday night, adding his name to the history books alongside Jim Bryan, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and Gary Bettenhausen, just to name a few of the champ dirt winners on the “Magic Mile”. Larson, age 19 years, one month and four days, became the youngest winner of the Ted Horn 100 displacing 2000 winner Kasey Kahne. He missed by about a week displacing Parker Kligerman as the youngest winner of a major race on the DuQuoin State Fair Mile since it’s opening in 1946.

The track and Larson were both spectacular in hot laps as there was a cushion that eventually worked its way to the wall in turns one and two. Larson showed no fear and neither did others such as Darren Hagen, Levi Jones and Bryan Clauson with each driver barely blipping the throttle entering the turns in practice. The cushion held not only during qualifying but three modified heat races and for most of the first 50 laps of the Ted Horn 100 before the track took rubber and the groove moved to the traditional DuQuoin line. The track conditions were a real testament to Bob Sargent and the fairgrounds crew as temps approached 100 in the days leading to the Ted Horn 100 and the only real threat of rain came on race day.

Larson is the second consecutive rookie winner following Kody Swanson last year but just the fourth rookie winner of the Ted Horn 100 since 1949. He gives owner Keith Kunz his first win at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds and by all accounts the first win for an Eagle chassis on the “Magic Mile” Sunday’s win was the thirty first for the chevy small block V8 and DuQuoin and the fourteenth for a car shod with Hoosier rubber. It should be noted Kunz gave another rookie a 100-mile dirt track win when Cole Whitt won the Tony Bettenhausen 100 at Springfield in 2009.

You have to believe Levi Jones will eventually win a 100-mile dirt track event. Between Indy, Springfield and DuQuoin the 29 year old defending Silver Crown champ has three poles, three second place and one third place finish and led 184 miles. He had another fine run Sunday night and the pitch he gave the Tony Stewart Racing machine at the start would have made the late Jud Larson very proud. Unfortunately the initial start was called back when Hagen hit the turn four fence. Jones tried it again but teammate Clauson got the lead and held it until Larson passed on lap 23. Jones was happy with the second as it gave him the point lead going into Eldora but a little frustrated at being a bridesmaid once again. He clearly was the crowd favorite Sunday night as a large contingent from his hometown Olney area made the trek to DuQuoin.

Sunday was Jones fourth top ten finish at DuQuoin in eight starts and clearly his best run on the “Magic Mile”.

Twenty eight cars were on the grounds Sunday night including some new mounts not seen in 2011. Late model driver Jerry Bruce of nearby Benton appears to have purchased a Dynamite formerly used by Patrick Bruns of Champaign and made his USAC debut finishing 23rd. Powri midget regular Kellen Conover of Sumner, Illinois brought out a Beast with a very pretty paint and lettering job and finished20th. Donnie Beechler, thought to be done after the Springfield shunt, was true to his word that he would return. Dennis McQuinn and the team bought a new car complete on Monday (looked like it might be a Stealth Chassis) and painted it in the familiar Poppy Red with a big 14 on the tail.

While the lap 51 ‘intermission’ might not please everyone in the stands or pits it did provide an interesting moment when both RW Motorsports cars elected to change right rear tires, Coons at the very last minute of the eight minute break. Coons and Stanbrough were helped by the two wide restart on lap 52 and while Coons made progress through the field he ran out of time to catch the leader and Levi Jones at the end. Jones has a six point lead over Coons and only two and possible three events remain on the 2011 calendar. Hines is now 52 behind with Tyler 53 and Larson 55 in arrears.

Hagen and teammate Derek Hagar were two of the movers Sunday night, Hagen coming from twelfth to sixth and Hagar from fifteenth to seventh. Hagen hit the turn four wall on the opening lap but the car suffered no apparent damage and he continued.

2000 USAC Silver Crown champ Tracy Hines continues a series of strong runs for the Lightfoot team out of Missouri. Lightfoot racing came on the dirt car scene just a few seasons ago and the team has an outside shot at the 2011 crown this season with one pole (Springfield) already in their pocket.

Springfield winner Brian Tyler suffered mechanical problems again in practice and the crew had to make repairs. At Springfield an oil leak was discovered and a complete engine change was necessary. In face all three 6R teams suffered mechanical issues at one point during the evening. Tanner Swanson, who had led the USAC points earlier in the year managed to finish tenth after spinning while defending DuQuoin winner Kody Swanson lost and engine on lap 11.

Credit Benton, Illinois Shane Cockrum with a fine run at DuQuoin until the fuel system went kaput on lap 89 while under caution. If you get a moment check out the in car videos of Shane and the Hardy Racing machine at both Springfield and DuQuoin courtesy of Ross Wece and his Little Reject Productions. The videos are on You Tube and the high definition shots are spectacular. If you were thinking of driving a champ car and wanted to see what the tracks and the lines looked like from a driver perspective, these videos are a pretty good snapshot of what the pilot sees and does on the big mile tracks.

A.J. Fike, Chris Windom and Darren Hagen were three drivers doing the DuQuoin double over the weekend. Each had an ARCA stock car ride on Labor Day with Hagen looking for his first stock car start for Billy Venturini. Hagen qualified a fine sixth and ended the day in twelfth slot. Windom surprised everyone by running third in the ARCA event at Springfield and appeared to have a top 5 in hand at DuQuoin when he got shuffled out of the groove late and finished thirteenth. Fike had a weekend that gave him headaches, he lost an engine in the dirt car Sunday during practice and had the battery go dead 14 laps into the ARCA race Monday.

Todd Kane and the Depalma 63 made it to DuQuoin after missing Springfield but hit the wall in practice. The Foxco 56 missed DuQuoin for the first time in at least 17 years (and perhaps longer if you count the Gohr/ Hammond entries) as more damage was found after Springfield and the car unable to be repaired. Dave Darland moved to the Riggs 37 where he started 18th and finished12th Mike Martin did not make the trip to DuQuoin after making Springfield. The SC 97, Heydenreich 90 and the Hartenstine 65 all made the Hoosier Hundred but not the remaining mile dirt races.

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