Du QUOIN POSTPONEMENT LEADS TO THROWBACK RACE ON MONDAY

By: Jay Hardin – Track Enterprises Staff

Du Quoin, Illinois (September 4, 2021)………This morning’s announcement that the Ted Horn 100 Silver Crown race at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds was postponed to Monday afternoon, September 6, due to rain led race teams and historians scrambling for the last daytime championship race on the Magic Mile.

The Silver Crown event moved under the lights in 2003 because of rain during the fair and has been held at night ever since with spectacular results.  The fact that it’s been nearly 20 years since a daytime USAC event was held on the Magic Mile means a lot of drivers and teams have never run at Du Quoin in those conditions.  Those drivers that have could have an “unfair advantage.”

The last daytime Ted Horn 100 was held in 2002 and the last time the champ car event was held during the day on the traditional Labor Day date was 2000.  Young Kasey Kahne brightened his star with a wire to wire win in 2000 while Ed Carpenter led half the 2002 event before J.J. Yeley took over and went on to victory.

Yet most of the field entered for the 2021 Ted Horn 100 weren’t in high school or junior high when Yeley won in 2002.

Veteran Ken Schrader has the most daytime experience of anyone on the entry list with five Silver Crown starts under the sun in the Ted Horn 100, plus numerous USAC and ARCA stock car races, and competing in the Oldani Memorial modified event.

Brian Tyler of Parma, Michigan is a past USAC sprint car champ who started six Ted Horn 100 races in the afternoon and has a couple of ARCA starts under his belt as well.

Jerry Coons, Jr. has four daytime Horn 100 starts including a pole run in 2001 and a second place finish.  Ohio’s Matt Westfall made starts in the 2001 and 2002 races.  Danny Long and Kyle Steffens both tried to make daytime Du Quoin races but fell short, though Steffens won the Oldani Memorial Modified race in 2000.

Outside of the drivers listed above, no one has much of any experience running a Silver Crown car at Du Quoin during the daytime.  Since 2003, Springfield has generally been the only daytime dirt event on the schedule and both tracks feature a different in layout and surface.

The principle remains similar – adapt to the changes as the fuel load burns off and manage the tires.  However, Du Quoin’s surface tends to take rubber as the day wears on, getting faster and creating more tire wear.  For example, in 1999, Eric Gordon led the first 39 laps and was turning them faster than Dave Darland’s pole speed of over 117 miles an hour.

Monday’s race means a throwback to Silver Crown cars lapping Du Quoin under bright sunshine.  Experience of running the Magic Mile during the day might be enough for Jerry Coons Jr., Tyler, Schrader or one of the others to pull off a win.

The event will feature the USAC Silver Crown National Championship along with the 27th Annual Bill Oldani Memorial Prelims for UMP Modifieds.

Monday pits and registration open at 7am Central.  The ticket office and grandstands open at 9am.  The drivers meeting will be held at 9:15am.  USAC Silver Crown practice takes place from 10-11:10am, with Silver Crown Fatheadz Qualifying at 11:30am, followed by UMP Modified hot laps and feature before concluding with the USAC Silver Crown Ted Horn 100.

Tickets will be available on race day or by calling the Du Quoin Fair office at 618-542-1535.  Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200.

Advance tickets (presale) for each day are $25 for adults and $10 for children 11 and under.  Tickets at the gate on race day are $30 for adults and $10 for children 11 and under.  Pit passes are $35 for members and $40 for non-member adults.  Pit passes are $20 for children 11 and under.

Monday’s Ted Horn 100 will be aired live on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/2ZpafUr.

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TED HORN 100 USAC SILVER CROWN ENTRY LIST: (35 CARS)

08 Kyle Steffens/St. Charles, MO (Steffens Motorsports)

2 Patrick Lawson/Edwardsville, IL (Patrick Lawson)

3 Nick Bilbee/Indianapolis, IN (Tim Simmons)

6 Jason McDougal/Broken Arrow, OK (Klatt Enterprises)

7 Kyle Robbins/New Castle, IN (KR Racing)

9 Kody Swanson/Kingsburg, CA (Chris Dyson Racing)

10 Jake Swanson/Anaheim, CA (DMW Motorsports)

14 Steven Russell/Rochester, IL (McQuinn Motorsports)

16 Austin Nemire/Sylvania, OH (Nemire-Lesko Racing)

17 Chase Johnson/Penngrove, CA (Goodnight Racing)

18 Travis Welpott/Pendleton, IN (Welpott Racing)

21 Ken Schrader/Fenton, MO (Mark Swanson Encore Team)

22 Logan Seavey/Sutter, CA (Rice Motorsports)

24 Mike Haggenbottom/Levittown, PA (John Haggenbottom)

31 Dave Berkheimer/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)

39 Matt Goodnight/Winchester, IN (Goodnight Racing)

40 David Byrne/Shullsburg, WI (Byrne Racing)

44 Danny Long/Bonne Terre, MO (Danny Long)

52 Carmen Perigo/Stoystown, PA (John Stehman)

54 Matt Westfall/Pleasant Hill, OH (Westfall Racing)

55 Jerry Coons Jr./Tucson, AZ (Patty Bateman)

57 Dallas Hewitt/Troy, OH (Dallas Hewitt)

66 Robert Ballou/Rocklin, CA (Bill Rose Racing)

69 Kyle Cummins/Princeton, IN (Pink 69 Racing)

71 Shane Cockrum/Benton, IL (BLS Motorsports)

74 Casey Buckman/Chandler, AZ (C-Buck Racing)

77 Chris Urish/Elkhart, IL (Chris Urish)

81 Brian Tyler/Parma, MI (BCR Group)

88 Chris Fetter/Troy, MO (Sammy & Mouren Fetter)

91 Justin Grant/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)

97 Chris Windom/Canton, IL (Hans Lein)

99 Korey Weyant/Springfield, IL (Scott Weyant)

110 Shane Cottle/Kansas, IL (DMW Motorsports)

123 Jimmy Light/West Springfield, PA (Two-Three Motorsports)

188 Terry Babb/Decatur, IL (Terry Babb)