TED HORN 100 IS BACK ON THE MAGIC MILE OF Du QUOIN SEPT. 3RD
After a highly successful weekend at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, USAC Silver Crown teams now prepare for a huge Labor Day weekend of auto racing at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in southern Illinois. The Magic Mile will be hosting the USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series presented by TRAXXAS on Sunday night, September 3.
Racing begins on Sunday, September 3, as the Silver Crown Series heads to the “Magic Mile” for the “Ted Horn 100.” The resurgence of the Silver Crown Champ Cars was again evident at the “Bettenhausen 100” in Springfield last weekend as 40 cars were trackside. A similar strong contingent is expected to compete at Du Quoin.
Justin Grant claimed his first ever Silver Crown win in Springfield and will again be one of the favorites at Du Quoin. The “Bettenhausen 100” saw several lead changes and great field parity. Drivers like Grant, Kody Swanson, Jerry Coons, Jr., Brian Tyler and Jeff Swindell who finished 3rd from his 28th starting position, were all threats to capture to win throughout the 100-miler.
Swindell nearly won at Du Quoin a year ago, but defending series champion Chris Windom stole the lead from the veteran with just a couple laps remaining to take his first Du Quoin victory.
Adding to the mix on Sunday, September 3 will be USAC Hall of Famer inductee Ken Schrader. The Fenton, Missouri driver will take the wheel of the McQuinn Motorsports #14 in addition to his duties in the Federated Auto Parts #9 DIRTcar Modified for the weekend. It will be Schrader's first start in a Silver Crown car on dirt since 1985, also at Du Quoin.
The DIRTcar UMP Modifieds will be racing for the $2,000 top prize in the 24th edition of the Bill Oldani Memorial. Last year, 22 Modifieds were pitside for the popular event. The Modifieds practice/qualify, and run their heats on Sunday and compete in the feature on Monday afternoon. Last season, Schrader won the event with a hard-charging Jesse Snyder finishing second. Josh Sissom, Terry James, and Jason Beaulieu completed the top five. All 22 drivers took the green but a first lap melee eliminated a few strong contenders.
On Labor Day Monday, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards are trackside for the 64th edition of the General Tire Grabber 100. Last year's race was won by Tom Hessert on Sunday night but this year, the race is back to its traditional Monday afternoon date. The last five laps were spectacular last year, with Schrader, Chase Briscoe, and Kelly Kovski battling hard for the win.
Pit gates are scheduled to open on Sunday, September 3 at 1:00 PM, with the grandstands at 4:00, hotlaps at 5:00, and racing at 7:00 with Modified heats followed by the Ted Horn 100. The ARCA Racing Series, presented by Menards comes to town on the following day for the General Tire Grabber 100 presented by Federated Car Care.
Monday pits will open at 6:30 AM, with grandstands opening at 9:00. ARCA practice will be on track at 10:45 with Modifieds trackside for hotlaps at 12:00 noon. General Tire pole qualifying will take place at 12:30 with the Modified feature to follow at 1:30. The green flag is scheduled to drop on the General Tire Grabber 100 presented by Federated Car Care at 3:00 PM.
Advance discount tickets are available, reserved and general, for $25 each day through the DuQuoin State Fair box office or through the Track Enterprises office. Tickets for children 11 and under are $10. Day of race purchases at the gate are $5 more at $30 per person. The Du Quoin State Fairgrounds ticket office can be reached by calling 618-542-1535, while the Track Enterprises number is 217-764-3200.