STRONG ILLINI CONTINGENT EYES “TONY BETTENHAUSEN 100”
Illinois will be well represented in the August 22 “Tony Bettenhausen 100” at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, round eight of the 2015 USAC Silver Crown Championship Series.
Continuing a tradition dating all the way back to 1934, the annual auto racing spectacular unfolds on the one-mile dirt oval with morning practice at 10 am and for the first time in years the event is expected to include a last-chance race due to the influx of entries expected. A 100-mile feature concludes the action.
Chris Windom of Canton, Ill. is the most recent series winner, claiming the 50-lap “Hustle on the High Banks” at Belleville, Kans. July 31. He is sixth in the current standings.
Shane Cockrum of Benton, Ill. won last year’s “Ted Horn 100” at the DuQuoin State Fair and shares the Illinois spotlight for Saturday’s race.
Levi Jones of Olney, Ill., USAC’s 2010 and 2011 Silver Crown Champion, will continue his quest for his initial Illinois Silver Crown victory, although he is a former winner of the prestigious “Hoosier Hundred” in Indianapolis.
Chris Urish of Elkhart, Ill. hopes to rekindle the fire which sparked his victory in the 2013 “Ted Horn 100” at the DuQuoin State Fair.
A.J. Fike of Galesburg, Ill., fourth in the current standings, may be the strongest Illini candidate for victory Saturday. He won the 2012 and 2013 “Tony Bettenhausen 100.”
Other possible Illini hopefuls Saturday include J.C. Bland, Steven Russell and Jim Moughan of Springfield, Tad Roach of Granite City, Terry Babb of Decatur and Patrick Lawson of Edwardsville.
Kody Swanson of Kingsburg, Calif. tops the Silver Crown points ahead of runner-up Jerry Coons Jr. and third-ranking Aaron Pierce. Swanson has been dominant the past two years, claiming the 2014 title and winning six of the last 10 series dirt races, including last year’s “Tony Bettenhausen 100.”
Coons finished second at Belleville and third at Terre Haute this year, while Pierce was second in the “Hoosier Hundred” in Indianapolis and has “top-10s” in six of the seven races so far this season.
America’s most revered dirt-track specialists have excelled in the Springfield race. Former winners include Indianapolis 500 winners Wilbur Shaw, Mauri Rose, Johnnie Parsons, Rodger Ward, Sam Hanks, Jimmy Bryan, A.J. Foyt, Mario Andretti and Al Unser, plus current NASCAR regulars Cole Whitt, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and J.J. Yeley.
ENTRY LIST FOR THE "TONY BETTENHAUSEN 100"
2 PATRICK LAWSON/Edwardsville, IL
Patrick Lawson/Mittler Brothers – Rebel Smokers/DRC/Chevy
3 A.J. FIKE/Galesburg, IL
RFMS Racing/Liberty Village – McGladrey/Eagle/Foxco
5 J.C. BLAND/Springfield, IL
Bland Brothers Enterprises/Sam’s Speed Shop/Drinan/BBE Chevy
7 BRIAN TYLER/Pleasant Garden, NC
Classy Chassy/Club 164/Beast/VanDyne Chevy
8 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA
Chris Carli/Finish Line Racing Equipment - Hinchman Indy/Beast/Chevy
14 CHASE STOCKON/Elizabethtown, IN
Dennis & Dave McQuinn/McQuinn Motorsports – Cashless Racing/JR-1/Chevy
16 REX NORRIS III/Knightstown, IN
Rex Norris III/R.Norris Company – Stoops Freightliner-Truck Country/J & J/Chevy
17 KEVIN THOMAS JR./Cullman, AL
RW-Curb-Agajanian Motorsports/Curb Records – Steele Performance Parts/Beast/Toyota
18 KENNY GENTRY/Henderson, KY
Kenny Gentry/Engler Machine & Tool – KVKK Racing/Beast/Chevy
19 DAVE DARLAND/Lincoln, IN
Marc Longworth/Apple Metal Polishing – S & S Graphics/Beast/Speedway Toyota
20 JERRY COONS JR./Tucson, AZ
Nolen Racing/KECO – Columbus Container/Eagle/Chevy
21 TBA
Swanson Racing/Rosewood Machine & Tool/Beast/Chevy
23 TERRY JAMES/St. Louis, MO
Todd Satterthwaite/Todd’s Machine Shop/Magnum/Chevy
26 AARON PIERCE/Marion, IN
Sam Pierce/Sam Pierce Chevrolet – G & G Oil/Beast/Chevy
29 JOEY MOUGHAN/Springfield, IL
Joey Moughan/Ciltrak – Moughan Electric/Beast/Claxton Mopar
30 C.J. LEARY/Greenfield, IN
Leary-6R Racing/Leary Construction – Claxton Engines/DRC/Claxton Toyota
40 DAVID BYRNE/Shullsburg, WI
Byrne Racing/Stoops Freightliner-Truck Country – Bytec Resource Management/Maxim/Chevy
41 STEVEN RUSSELL/Springfield, IL
McQuinn Motorsports/Cashless Racing/JR-1/Chevy
44 DANNY LONG/Bonne Terre, MO
Danny Long/Farmington Auto Plaza – DMR Motorsports/Beast/Chevy
48 BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK
Paul Martens/Martens Machine Shop – Womak Machine Supply/DRC/Chevy
51 RUSS GAMESTER/Peru, IN
Gamester Racing/JCF Residences/GRP/Toyota
53 STEVE BUCKWALTER/Royersford, PA
SET Racing/Heroes West Sports Grill/Beast/Chevy
55 CASEY SHUMAN/Tempe, AZ
Patty Bateman/Chances Chassis Repair/Beast/Chevy
56 RICKEY HOOD/Memphis, TN
Foxco Motorsports/Jarvis Plastic Express – Fox Construction/Beast/Foxco Chevy
57 LEVI JONES/Swansea, IL
Jack Rogers/Jack Rogers Realtors – Country Financial/Beast/Mopar
63 KODY SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA
DePalma Motorsports/Radio Hospital – Hampshire Racing Engines/Maxim/Chevy
71 SHANE COCKRUM/Benton, IL
Hardy Boys Motorsports/Financial Transportation Services – Four Seasons Ace Hardware/Maxim/Chevy
77 CHRIS URISH/Elkhart, IL
Chris Urish/Elkhart Fertilizer – Hoosier Tire/Beast/Foxco Chevy
81 SHANE COTTLE/Kokomo, IN
Curtis Williams/Roger Williams Precision Engines – QS Components/Maxim/Chevy
84 TAD ROACH/Granite City, IL
Scott Spivey/Mark & Larry Spivey- Schenk Professional Services/Lloyd/Chevy
88 CHRIS FETTER/Troy, MO
Fetter Tile LLC/Fetter Tile – F & S Collision/Beast/Foxco
91 AUSTIN NEMIRE/Sylvania, OH
Hemelgarn Enterprises/Hemelgarn Enterprises/J & J/Ford
98 CHRIS WINDOM/Canton, IL
RPM-Fred Gormly/RPM Auto Enterprise/Maxim/Mopar
00 TERRY BABB/Deactur, IL
Terry Babb/APT Powder Coating – Flat-Out Ministries/Beast/Chevy
07 JACOB WILSON/Crawfordsville, IN
Wilson Brothers Racing/Jet Star – Gott Eyez/Beast/Toyota
117 RICHIE TOBIAS/Lebanon, PA
Richie Tobias/Action Track USA/Tobias/Chevy
153 TYLER COURTNEY/Indianapolis, IN
Tom Capie/Twin Peaks – Elliott’s Custom Trailers/Beast/Chevy