News

Illini Racing Series Board Meeting 6/25/09

In Attendance: LaVerne Spencer (Owner), Jerry Murphy (Owner), Joe Knipple (Owner), Glenn Windstrup (Advisor), Loran Critchett (Board member), Doug Orseske (Board member), Mark Morey (Secretary)

Meeting Notes:

A)Penalty for drivers late to qualifying when only one lap is offered?

A driver who is late and misses his spot in qualifying will be put to the back of the line and allowed to qualify. The time counts toward points and which heat race the car is assigned to but the penalty will be that the car must start from the back of the heat. Rookies, who still have their flag, will start behind the penalized driver.

B) Kankakee Speedway called Joe. They will try to reschedule the rained out races. The promoter was happy with the number20of IRS cars that showed up, especially considering the threat of rain. One of the new dates may be on the Kankakee County Fair, July 31. That would be a very good crowd.

C) The Autobahn track in Joliet called Murph. They need volunteer corner workers for their July 23-26 race and are willing to give free passes, parking and will feed any volunteers.

D) Tire issues were discussed next. Topics: should we allow grooving tires and should we allow any left front tire on dirt?

Grooving was discussed and debated and it was unanimously decided to not allow grooving or siping. The rule on this will remain unchanged.

Left front tire – Again after much discussion it was decided to not allow any left front tire that is not an IRS approved American Racer or Mickey Thompson tire. The board realizes there is a time issue with the cars doing double duty at tracks like Angell Park but that no longer will be considered an exception to the rule.

Tire position – The accepted tires are no longer being specified as front or rear tires. Any of the accepted A/R or M/T tires can be used on any corner of the car.

E) Joliet Racefest. Murph will email with more information as it becomes available.

F) Need to email teams that quads at Sun Prairie will require proof of insurance certificate from now on.

G) Tech inspections on unrestricted motors was brought up and discussed. These motors need to have a more stringent inspection. The board will gather compression pressure numbers from known legal motors. Tech on an unrestricted motor will involve checking the compression pressure and comparing it to the stock numbers. If the checked motor is higher than stock, the car owner will be asked to remove the head for further inspection. The motor will be marked/tagged and will be unassembled and inspected at a place to be determined



Illini Racing Series ,Sun Prairie on July 5 interesting, payouts, and bonuses to announce

Kurt Mayhew has used his 35 years of experience to win 5 straight IRS events at Sun Prairie. In fact he has won every IRS feature that he’s entered at that historic track. Now Kurt is a great guy and everyone likes him and likes racing with him but… maybe it’s time to offer some more incentive for the other racers to try to beat him. Spencer’s Jewelry and Task Management have posted a $300 bounty on Kurt for the July 5th feature race. If Kurt makes it 6 in a row then the bounty will be back up for grabs the next time the IRS is up at Sun Prairie on August 9.

In addition to the $300 “Mayhew Bounty” the winner’s payout has been made more interesting. The winner of the IRS midget feature will receive the $100 regular payout plus a winner’s hat and $50 gift certificate from Heroes West Sports Grill in Joliet, plus $20 from Art Peacock of ADM Reality. If that isn’t enough, Spencer’s Jewelry and CITIZEN watch is awarding a limited edition watch valued at $450 to the winner. Wisconsin’s own Matt Kenseth has endorsed this very nice, CITIZEN watch that has all of the “bell and whistles”. This means the winner will receive $620 in cash and prizes plus the $300 bounty if he/she beats Kurt Mayhew. That is a $920 payday for the IRS featur e! Second and third place will receive the regular $100 payout plus a $25 gift certificate from Heroes West Sports Grill, plus $20 from ADM Reality for a total of $145 in cash and prizes for each place. Everyone who starts the feature will receive the regular $100 payout plus $20 from ADM Reality for a total of $120 to start.

Anyone interested in racing with the Illini Racing Series at Sun Prairie, or any of the other tracks we race at, can contact the organization through our website (www.illiniracingseries.com). The website contains IRS news, rule book, schedule and links to our sponsors. And a note to Kurt, I hope you consider the bounty as the compliment it was intended as. You are one heck of a racer and anyone who wins that bounty will have to drive their tail off to get it. Good luck to all of the IRS teams. Happy Fourth of July to everyone.

The Prairie Second Race - June 23rd 2009

Last night we had our second race up at The Prairie. The weather conditions weren't ideal but we still got everything in. We'd like to thank everyone for showing up. We got the full night in and it turned out to be some good racing.

The first ADM Realty heat was action packed to say the least. Kurt Mayhew would work his way to the front within the first couple laps putting a slight lead on the field. Allen Gillis would get stuck in traffic while trying to follow Mayhew to the front. Eventually Gillis would run down Mayhew and pass him for the lead. At lap eight the caution would come out bunching up the field. After the restart Lamont Critchett and Doug Orseske would go side by side for position. In the end Mayhew couldn't get back into the lead and Gillis would drive to victory. The final order would be the 39 of Allen Gillis, 21 of Kurt Mayhew, 0 of Doug Orseske, 77 of Lamont Critchett, 76 of Ken Drangmeister, 74 of Tyler Deschaine, 31 of Eric Nitz, and the 4 of Scott Koerner.

In the second Spencer Jewelry heat we had the 7 of Charlie Holt jump into the lead at the start, he would go on to lead the entire heat. Meanwhile the 1 of Scott Dunning and the 17 of Lourne Critchett had an interesting battle going on back in the pack. They were side by side swapping lines for a number of laps and Lourne would eventually come out ahead of Dunning. As they finished it was the 7 of Charlie Holt, 3 of Richard Drangmeister, 2 of Dave Ohlendorf, 17 of Lourne Critchett, 1 of Scott Dunning, 12 of Mike Wallace.

When we lined up for the Hero's West Feature, the 77 of Lamont Critchet would set the pace to the green. Ken Drangmeister would lead the first few laps. Then Kurt Mayhew would take the lead and continue to put some distance on the field. The rest of the field would stay bunched up, side by side, for a number of laps. Our fast qualifier, Allen Gillis, slowly worked his way to the front. Even when Gillis got into second it was apparent that no one was going to get around Mayhew. There were a few people fighting for position through the field. Most notably were the 31 of Scott Koerner with the 31 of Eric Nitz and the 77 of Lamont Critchett with the 0 of Doug Orseske. A caution came out on lap seven bringing the field together. After the restart the 12 of Mike Wallace would get together with the 3 of Richard Drangmeister off turn four. Mike Wallace would end up on his head up by the catch fence. On the restart Lamont Critchett and Doug Orseske would get back to fighting for position. Eventually Orseske would come out ahead. After a few green flag laps the 31 of Eric Nitz would turn around and go over after the left rear dug in, bringing out the red again. On the final restart Kurt Mayhew would put a couple car lengths on the field and head to victory. The results are the 21 of Kurt Mayhew in first, the 39 of Allen Gillis in second, the 0 of Doug Orseske in third, the 77 of Lamont Critchett, the 2 of Dave Ohlendorf, the 4 of Scott Koerner, the 17 of Lourne Critchett, the 74 of Tyler Deschaine, the 7 of Charlie Holt, the 1 of Scott Dunning, the 31 of Eric Nitz, the 76 of Ken Drangmeister, the 12 of Mike Wallace, the 3 of Richard Drangmeister, the 21a of Mike Adams, the 56 of Jason Dull.

Both Mike Wallace and Eric Nitz were ok after each flip. Though the condition of their cars were questionable. Hopefully they can get them back together for our next race which will be back at Angell Park on July 5th. It would be nice to have another good car count.

Written by Ben Gillis

Terr Two for Two - 5-26-2009

Greetings race fans! After our second planned race of the year was canceled at Kankakee due to track conditions, the Hero's West Illini Racing Series put on a show Sunday with ASA at the Grundy County Fairgrounds. Of all the things to be thankful for on this Memorial weekend, we really have to thank all the drivers and teams that came out to show their support. By the time hot laps started there were nineteen cars in the pits. In a way it shows how the philosophy of our club seems to be catching on, or maybe it's just a sign of the times. Either way I think everyone had a great time. I don't think we could have asked for a nicer day this time of year.

During hot laps everyone seemed to have improved since our last outing at Illiana. It could have just been that we were at a track that was more familiar to most of the competitors.

For the first ADM Realty heat race we started with Basil Hicks and Scott Koerner on the front row. Hicks gained the point in the first turn with Koerner close behind. It wasn't long before Sean Murphy would make his presence known when he tried time and time again to take the position from Koerner. Allowing Hicks to slowly pull away. Murphy would eventually get the position from Koerner and try to reel in Hicks. By lap seven Eddie Sauer would drop out due to engine trouble. Then Eric Nitz would spin bringing out a caution. This would tighten up the field for the last two laps. Hicks would get a solid restart followed closely by Murphy, Koerner and Dunning. At the finish the order would be Basil HIcks (88), Sean Murphy (5), Scott Koerner (4), Scott Dunning (1), Frank Reisse (51), Aaron Willis (81), Richard Drangmeister (3), Tyler Deschaine (74), Eric Nitz (31), Eddie Sauer (11).

In the second Spencer Jewelry heat, Alen Gillis and Lamont Critchett would bring them to the green flag. Gillis would get a jump on the field with Lamont filing into second going into turn one. They would put some distance on the field as the whole race went green to checkered. Meanwhile Doug Orseske would move up to third from his fifth starting position. Freddie Teer would hold his position while managing the handling of his car. The final rundown would be Alen Gillis (39), Lamont Critchett (77). Doug Orseske (0), Freddie Teer (54), Dave Ohlendorf (2), Mike Wallace (12), Mark Morey (3), Ken Drangmeister (76), Charlie Holt (7).

When the Hero's West "A" Main came around the track had cooled drastically and it was apparent many were fighting an ill handling car. With all that there was still some competitive racing throughout the pack. For the initial start Doug Orseske would lead the field to the green on the pole with Scott Koerner on the outside front row.. When the field came off four for the green Orseske got crossed up and looped it in some oil. After cleaning up the track and lining back up it would be Critchett who would take the field to the green. On the start Critchett would take the top spot with Koerner close behind, giving Critchett all kinds of pressure. Meanwhile Gillis was working his way around Murhpy for third followed by Teer. About halfway through the feature Koerner would lose his brakes and get into Critchett. Koerner would pull off and Critchett would fall back to fifth. Teer and Gillis would take advantage of this and move up to first and second. Basil Hicks would also jeopradize on Critchetts misfortune. But by the closing laps Critchett would gain third back from Hicks. Doug Orseske would come all the way up to fifth after restarting nineteenth! Charlie Holt was also making moves through the field as he came from eighteenth to sixth after twenty five laps. And the final order was Freddie Teer (54), Alen Gillis (39), Lamont Critchett (77), Basil Hicks (88), Doug Orseske (0), Charlie Holt (7), Scott Dunning (1), Dave Ohlendorf (2), Ken Drangmeister (76), Richard Drangmeister (3d), Frank Reisse (51), Eric Nitz (31), Sean Murphy (5), Scott Koerner (4), Tyler Deschaine (74), Eddie Sauer (11), Aaron Willis (81), Mike Wallace (12), Mark Morey (3m).

We want to thank everyone who came out Sunday and hope you will make the drive up to Sun Prairie next Sunday. It's a longer drive for some but it's a nice change of pace and the track has a lot of history. Can't say you raced at the prairie if you don't come up there!

Written by Ben Gillis.

TEER MASTERS IRS AT ILLIANA 4-29-2009

The Heroes West / Illini Racing Series midgets raced at Illiana Speedway on Saturday night to support the ASA Late Model Series race. For their first race of the year, the midgets raced on the tight quarter mile track inside the ½ mile track that the late models ran on. As usual, the Illini cars put on a spirited show starting with the first heat race, which was a preview of later in the night. Allen Gillis, Freddie Teer and Sean Murphy all contended for the lead with Al Gillis coming out on top at the end followed by Freddie then Sean. The second heat race was equally as exciting with Jimmy Anderson taking the early lead but was overtaken by Loran Critchett in the closing laps. Loran Critchett held on for the win followed by Jimmy and Ken Drangmeister.

Fifteen cars started the Illini 20 lap feature with Sean Murphy taking the early lead with Freddie Teer and Allen Gillis pressuring for the front spot. After several laps Murphy’s car started to fade allowing Gillis and Teer to get around and continue their battle for the first and second spots. Gillis’ Ford Focus powered machine was running great and was able to get around Teer’s VW. With just a couple of laps to go Teer used a combination of finesse and muscle to sneak past Gillis. Teer stayed up front to take the win, followed by Gillis, Doug Orseske finished third, Loran Critchett looking strong in forth place.

Complete Feature results:
1- Freddie Teer, 2- Allen Gillis, 3- Doug Orseske, 4- Loran Critchett, 5- Charlie Holt, 6- Jimmy Anderson, 7- Sean Murphy, 8- Eric Nitz, 9- Frank Reise, 10- Richard Drangmeister, 11- Lamont Critchett, 12- Ken Drangmeister, 13- Scott Dunning, 14-Eddie Sauer, 15- Dave Ohlendorf
>
It was a great opening night for the Heroes West / Illini Racing Series midgets and can’t wait to be on the dirt down at Kankakee next Friday night.


The Illini midgets appreciate the support of Heroes West Sports Grill located right off of route 80 and Houbolt road in Joliet.

Angell Park Dates Added 3-5-09

The Illini Racing Series is pleased to announce the addition of four race dates at the legendary Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prarie, Wisconsin to our 2009 schedule. The signing of these dates marks the continuation of the successful relationship forged between the Illini Racing Series, Badger Midget Auto Racing Association, and Angell Park Speedway that began in 2007. We look forward to racing with Badger at Angell Park, the home of the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame.

2009 Rules Meeting a Success

On Sunday, Jan. 25th, the Illini Racing Series held it's annual rules and schedule meeting at Hero's West sports bar & grill in Joliet, Il. A standing room only crowd enjoyed the fine food, wonderfull service, and great atmosphere of the club's newest associate sponsor, Hero's West. A big thanks to all who attended, we appreciate everyone stepping up to show support for a new sponsor. They were impressed with our group, and look forward to the future. Thanks also to the staff at Hero's West. The Illini Racing Series also welcomed other associate sponsors, Weiland Racing, ADM Realty and Spencer's Jewelry, who announced will be awarding a Citizen Eco-Drive watch to the feature winner at two select events this year.
In keeping with the club's philosiphy of affordable midget racing and our mission of "Winning with Talent...Not $$$$$$$$" the 2009 rules package was announced. It was well recieved by those in attendance. It is basically the same package that has been proven in the past to create close, affordable, and most of all FUN midget racing. There have been some changes in national type engine restrictions in response to the growing demand and request from those car owners looking for affordable alternatives. For all the details visit the club's web site, www.illiniracingseries.com. Any midget can be used in the IRS with minor, simple, cost effective adjustments.

The 2009 schedule was also announced at the meeting. We will once again offer a diverse schedule with a mix of dirt and pavement, flat tracks and high banks. After a successful partnership started in 2008, we will be expanding our relationship with the ASA stock car series. We also are adding another new track to our schedule this year. We do anticipate adding a few more events, but are unable to confirm them at this time. Watch our web site for updates.

2009 Illini Racing Series Schedule

Sat. 04/04/09 Kankakee Co. Fairgrounds Kankakee, IL. 1/3 Dirt Open Practice
Sat. 05/02/09 Illiana Motor Speedway Schereville, IN. 1/4 Pavement With ASA
Fri. 05/08/09 Kankakee Co. Fairgrounds Kankakee, IL. 1/3 Dirt
Sun. 05/24/09 Grundy Co. Fairgrounds Morris, IL. 1/3 Pavement With ASA
Sun. 5/31/09 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie Wi. 1/3 Dirt w/BMARA
Fri. 06/19/09 Kankakee Co. Fairgrounds Kankakee, IL. 1/3 Dirt
Sun. 6/21/09 Angell Park Speedway Sun Priarie Wi. 1/3 Dirt w/BMARA
Sun. 7/5/09 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie Wi. 1/3 Dirt w/BMARA
Sat. 07/11/09 Plymouth Speedway Plymouth, IN. 3/8 Pavement With ASA
Fri. 07/17/09 Kankakee Co. Fairgrounds Kankakee, IL. 1/3 Dirt
Sat. 07/25/09 Rockford Speedway Rockford, IL. 1/4 Pavement With ASA
Sun. 8/9/09 Angell Park Speedway Sun Prairie Wi. 1/3 Dirt w/BMARA
Fri. 08/28/09 Kankakee Co. Fairgrounds Kankakee, IL. 1/3 Dirt
Sun. 09/06/09 TBA TBA TBA
Sat. 11/14/09 Jennifer's Garden Morris, IL. Championship Banquet

Note: Schedule subject to change...Updates to be posted on www.illiniracingseries.com
Illini Racing Series Annual Rules and Schedule Meeting
Illini Racing Series will hold there annual rules and schedule meeting on January 25th,2009 at Heroes West Sports Bar and Grill.

The meeting will start at 1:00PM sharp.

Heroes West is Illini Racing Series newest associate sponsor. Many of us will be out there at 12:00PM for lunch before the meeting and we encourage everyone to join us to support those who support Illini Racing Series.

Heroes West
1530 Commerce Ln.
Joliet Illinois 60431

Houbolt Rd. and I-80


*Topics of discussion

*2009 Rules Package
*2009 Schedule
*2009 Memberships
Questions and answers

Sincerley
Illini Racing Series

2008 News Has Been Archived
January 11th 2009 - The 2008 news section on the site has permanently founds its new home in the archives. To read the 2008 seasons news please follow this link - 2008 News