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03-14-2007
Support series for
Sunday nights at Grundy County Fairgrounds
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The Rascal Outlaws have announced they
will be joining the Illini Midgets for all the Illini scheduled
Sunday nights at Morris. Check out their website
Rascal Outlaw Racing.
These winged warriors have been based out of Lake Geneva
Raceway, but lost their home track at the end of last season.
Also joining the Illini Midgets at Grundy
County Speedway once a month on Sunday
nights throughout the summer will be the Formula Indy Racing
Association
Formula Indy Racing.
These winged snowmobile powered racers have been with us before
and they put on a great show. They will with us opening night
May
27th, June 3rd, July 15th at the Illini Speed Weeks finale,
August 19th, and
September 16th.
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Celebration
of life: Michael "Rabbit" Adams Sr. |
Well it has been a
tough off season but I can safely say I cannot wait to get back
to the racing side of things. Sat March 10th will be the date
for the Celebration of Life in IL for my father Michael Adams
Sr. It will be held at Giovan's in Crest Hill from 5 to 10pm. As
my dad wanted, it will be an open house style "celebration" with
music and friends sharing stories. Cool Front will be providing
the music (great blues band and one of Rabbits favorites) so be
sure to stop in and enjoy. After all it's what he wanted.
Thank you all for your support and friendship through all of
this.... It's been a tough road and without the family I have in
the racing community it would have been near to impossible. If
you need any more information please contact me at 608-287-4840
or mouse21a@gmail.com.
Hope to see you there.
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Shreffler
& Albert Motorsports Bowling Fundraiser |
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Badger and
Illini racers Shreffler Motorsports (#21S) and Albert
Motorsports (#21A) have announced their annual bowling
fundraiser to benefit both teams. Saturday, March 3rd has
been set as the date and Shreffler adds, "You don't have to
be a good bowler to have a good time."
Raffle prizes will include grandstand tickets for Illini
Midget Races on Sunday nights at Grundy County Speedway,
donated by the Illini Racing Series (IRS).
Other great prizes include electronic items, food and
beverage certifiicates, apparel and more.
Anyone who would like more information, or to donate a door
prize, give Bob Shreffler or Joe Albert a call at
(815)439-7684 (home) or (815)474-8129 (cell).
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February
16th 2007 - Loss of a loved one |
"Irene I.
Peceniak (nee Kovalcik)died Peacefully on Tuesday, February 13,
2007 at Meadowbrook Manor in Bolingbrook."
Mrs. Peceniak is the mother of Rich Peceniak, the 1992 Illini
Rookie of the Year, the 1993 Illini Driving & Car Owner
Champion, current Illini board member, and one of the founding
fathers of the whole sportsman midget craze that everyone is
suddenly discovering.
The Herald News obituary continues "In lieu of flowers donations
to Alzheimer's Association in Irene's memory would be
appreciated." Those of us who have travelled that road with a
loved one know how much that disease can take away from the
afflicted and those who who care for them.
Visitation is today Friday, February 16, 2007 from 4 - 7pm at
Tezak Funeral Home, 1211 Plainfield Rd., Joliet, IL. (815)
722-0524 (www.tezakfuneralhome.com)
from where services will be held Saturday, February 17, 2007 at
10:30am to St. Mary Nativity Church for a Mass of Christian
Burial at 11am. Interment at Sts. Cyril & Methodius Cemetery.
The entire Illini Racing Series family would like to extend our
deepest sympathy to the Peceniak family.
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Illini
Midgets Announce New Rules and Purses |
The 15 year old
Illini Midgets (“Sportsman” until 2006) today announced a new
rule and purse structure.
Board member Doug Orseske said, “We have had 15 years of
low-cost, yet extremely competitive racing thanks to limiting
horsepower, weight-trimming, and tire expense through stringent
intake area, overall weight, offset and tire rules. We are now
taking a few risks by taking the program to another level.
These risks of modifying a successful program come about through
our desire to increase car-count while emphasizing driver talent
and preparation rather than ‘cubic money’. We were able to
‘pilot’ some changes in several of our dirt shows last year, and
in view of their success, we are building on them for both dirt
and pavement this year.”
Another Director, 1993 champion Rich Peceniak continued, “The
group’s intent is simple – maximize competition and minimize
cost, while respecting traditions. We hope to have a purse that
will make it possible for a competitive racer to meet his
expenses for the night. This has been rare if not impossible in
Midget racing for years. We will attempt this while remaining
in the spirit and intent of our cost-limiting tire, intake
restrictor, weight and offset rules. However, the rules have
been updated to permit most midgets built up to the current day
to run in our programs with minimal, quick, and extremely
inexpensive modifications. By making these changes, it is our
intent to increase car-count by making it easy to run under
other club’s rules, yet be able to quickly change over to our
rules. If we have done our homework properly, even if a “big
buck” midget comes to play, a well prepared and driven local car
with literally a junkyard motor and 15 year old chassis should
be a
ble to put on a show running against such a “cost is no object”
racer.”
A 3rd Director, Rich Spohnholtz added “In combination with this,
we are instituting a major change in our pavement purse
structure. Previously, we used a virtually flat and very modest
pay-out. To make it feasible on a given night, if you run well,
to ‘break even’ on nightly expenses versus purse, we are vastly
increasing our pay-out. We hope to make this financially viable
through minimizing staff expenses in combination with an
aggressive, family oriented spectator program meant to draw some
new as well as many old fans. How feasible this will be over
time is an open question, but we have sufficient sponsorship to
ensure a good start on being able to pay our intended pavement
purse for the season. Rest assured, if it becomes necessary to
lessen the purse, it will be done with at least a full-week’s
advance notice so that no one tows to the show under false
pretenses.”
Glenn Windstrup, consultant to ILLINI MIDGETS said in closing
“So there you have it. We are committed to low cost
competition. We are committed to minimize the advantage of
spending ungodly sums on what should be a test of driver and
preparation skill instead of a test of bank accounts. We may
make a mis-step or two, but we have an excellent track record of
balancing out competition these 15 years, and are ready to react
and change rules to equalize things as shown to be necessary.
Accordingly, some of what we do will be “provisional”, yet we
will be consistent and fair in our management of rule changes,
if necessary, as we go along. We hope to see new faces, and
even some old ones that maybe we’ve riled in the past. It’s a
new time, and a new approach. We will rise or fall on our
ability to deliver on our commitment to driver and mechanic
ability much more than financial ability. That sounds like a
new era to us, and we intend to give it a shot.”
Illini members in good standing for 2006, and new members who
join prior to the start of the 2007 Illini Midget Season
Kick-Off Meeting at Jennifer’s Garden (555 West Gore Road,
Morris, Illinois) Saturday, February 3rd from 7 – 9 pm. There
will be no charge to attend this meeting. Membership forms will
be available prior to the meeting.
For more information, contact Joe Knippel at (708)751-2227,
Jerry Murphy at (815)529-0137 or LaVerne Spencer at
(815)474-1371. To inquire by email, visit our website at
www.illiniracingseries.com at click on the “contact us” button.
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Coming In
2007! Ozark Mountain Midget Series |
Starting in 2007
will be the Ozark Mountain Midget Series for SPORTSMAN
MIDGETS.The series is a spin-off of the ILLINI RACING SERIES in
the Chicago area. At this point, the series will race strictly
on dirt. Schedule will be limited to tracks no larger than 1/3
mile. 1/4 miles are perfect for us. OMMS is based in Southwest
Missouri. Any 4 cylinder midget or upright mini sprint (13"
wheels, bladder, and no wings) is legal. An engine restriction
formula is in place to keep OEM type engines and older midget
packages competitive with any engine package currently used in
midget
racing. Chassis specs are in place to keep older cars
competitive.
Mickey Thompson sportsman DOT tires are the series spec. The
tires lack of grip balances out the competition to an amazing
level.
With this rules package, 20 year old cars frequently win races/
Quad 4 spec engines frequently win championships.Two tracks are
already on board to provide an 18-25 race schedule in 2007.
Complete schedule coming soon. Waiting to see final schedule for
SMRS, MARA, POWERi, & MOLS. We do not want to schedule on top of
any other groups in this region if at all possible. At this
point we expect 16-22 cars on opening day. This is not an
optimistic
#, this is reality.
IF YOU THINK YOUR EQUIPMENT CAN'T BE COMPETITIVE, WE WILL CHANGE
YOUR MIND!
Here is where to find more info about the newly formed OZARK
MOUNTAIN MIDGET
SERIES.....
Dustin Arnall, President 417-741-7815 djbarnall@centurytel.net
Neil Gamble, Board Member 417-369-3751
Chris Talburt, Board Member 417-861-5992 jatalburt@aol.com
Complete rules and Illini Series history
www.illiniracingseries.com We will use the Illini Series
car/engine rules 100% word for word. Format info and contact
info will be different.
OMMS website coming soon!!!!!
Special Thanks To Bill Allen at Dallas County Speedway in
Urbana, MO and Greg Clemmons at Grand River Speedway in Urich,MO
for providing a place for this series to grow!
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Happy New
Year!! 1/4/2007 |
As the holiday
season comes to a close, it's always a good time to look back on
the year past, and forward to what lies ahead.
2006 was the 15th season for the Illini Midgets and the
traditions of strong car counts, great racing with affordable
cars, and the spirit of sportsmanship continue to flourish.
With 216 races under our belt since 1992, the 2006 season stacks
up very well. Our car count is still above average and more
than most single class groups.
Only minor tweaks to any of the rules pertaining to engines were
required, as has been the case most years. Most of the efforts
in 2006 were to get the Ford Focus powered cars into a
competitive mode. This worked well with eight heat wins, one
feature win, and 21 top five feature finishes among the six
Focus powered cars, and Tony Main only running two events and
Mike Worobey ran only nine.
One of the keys to only needing minor powerplant tweaks has been
the undeniable success of the Mickey Thompson I-block tires.
The spec tire of this class since it's inception, the M/T's have
proved to be the key to affordable racing. Even if someone can
find more horsepower than our formulas allow, the tires are the
great equalizer. The same tire is used for pavement and dirt,
and it is not uncommon to get several race nights on a single
set, with some teams getting a full season on one or two corners
of the car.
The sportsmanship of the teams in this club cannot be ignored.
Perhaps it's because the word "sportsman" was part of the name
of this club up until 2006. Whether it's parts, expertise, or
the loaner tire program, help is always available.
The Illini Competition Board is comprised of current and former
drivers and owners who make all the rule changes and the driver
reps keep the adrenaline in check when a dispute arises. Throw
in a past champion as Race Director and you can see where it is
a team of people that keep the vision alive over a time span
where other clubs have had as many as 5 or 6 different ownership
groups and sets of rules for reasons that are not always clear.
A "look ahead" was promised in the opening lines of of this
piece, and it will come soon in another update to this site.
There is much to tell. The 2007 schedule is being finalized and
much more information on a variety of subjects is all coming
together so we will keep you in suspense for just a little
longer, in the meantime, head out to your shop and get working
on that racecar! You've only got about 10 weeks until our first
Illini event of 2007!
Congratulations to the Illini racers and alum for such an
outstanding presence at the Rumble in the Dome at Ft. Wayne, IN
on December 29th & 30th. Could be the Illini group had the
largest representation of any club at the Rumble of drivers who
ran their first midget race with us. Six (including 3 Rookies
of the Year) on Friday made up over 14.6% of the field, throw in
another driver and two car owners who have raced with our club,
brings it up to 9 participants, or just under 22% of 41 cars on
hand.
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Sad
News Comes to us Today 12/05/2006 |
Rockdale, WI (12/5/06) Sad news comes to us today with the 
passing of Mike Adams, Sr. Adams was the father of Mike
Adams, Jr., driver of (his 40 year friend) Joe Albert’s #21A
Illini Midget. For at least two years, Adams has fought a
valiant battle against A.L.S. (Lou Gehrig’s Disease).
Many of our younger members may only know of the senior
Adams as the proud father of a feature winner this past
season, but his midget racing history was impressive. In
about 12 full seasons he set fast time twice, won 11 heats
(including one in his rookie year), two trophy dashes, two
semis and two features. He did that at 1/4, 1/3, and 1/2
mile tracks, paved and dirt.
And he did it against some of the biggest names in our
sport’s history. In just one race, here are some (not all)
of the competition he ran wheel to wheel with: Bill
Krueger, Mel Kenyon, Dave Strickland, Dick Pole, Tom
Steiner, Jim McClean, Roger West, Henry Pens, Bob Hauck, Bob
Tattersall, (Larry?) Cannon, Jim Gates, Jigger Sirios, Danny
Kladis, George Kladis, Bob Thomlinson, Newt White, Ray
Elliott, and Larry Rice. Other drivers he faced in his
career included Rich Vogler, Tom Corcoran, Bob Magee, Stan
Fox, Kevin Olson, Don Carter, Jr., Ron Eden, Dennis Devea,
Rich Corson, Bruce Field, Dave Fall, and many more.
There will be two celebrations of life to honor Mike, one in
Wisconsin, and one in the Joliet area. Dates and times are
to be determined.
Illini Racing Series would like to express their condolences
to the Adams family.
"God Speed Mike Adams Sr."
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A Big Thank
You |
(L-R) Lamont
Critchett (2nd Place Driver), Joe Knippel (Champion), David
Budres (3rd Place Driver)
Joe Knippel,
LaVerne Spencer and Jerry Murphy would truley like to thank
all of the Drivers, Car Owners, Crews, and family members
for making 2006 a very exciting and successful season. In
addition we would like to thank all of our officals for the
tierless effort they put in in 2006, Diana Orseske ( scorer
), Doug Orseske ( points ), Tom Arthur ( announcer ),
Kimberly Maka ( accountant ), Faron Connor ( push truck ),
Elmer Luebchow ( push truck ), and Roger Bettenhausen ( race
director ). Illini Racing Series would like to thank the
following 2006 Banquet sponsers and 2007 associate sponsers
JJ
sports
Ohlendorf Racing
The
Block Shop
Terry's
Lincoln Mercury-Peotone
Guts
Wear
Saldana
Racing Products
Bell
Helmats
Oakley
Sunglasses and Race Wear
Rod End
Supply
Weiland
Racing Enterprise
Keizer
Aluminum Racing Wheels
3-K
Racing
Murphy
Motorsports
The following
are the special awards and winners for 2006
Bob
Higman Rookie of the year - Billy Hulbert
Most
Improved driver- Freddy Teer
Best
Appearing car- Mike Smith
Perserverance award- Mark Morey
Sportsmanship award- Glen Ohlendorf
Determanation award- Loren Critchett Jr.
Bob
Lockard Mechanic of the year- Teer Racing
Quinn
McCabe Full Throttle award- Danny Drogemuller
Have a happy and
safe holliday and see you all in 2007
Illini
Racing Series
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Knippel Locks
up Illini Midget Championship With Win |
Davenport, IA
(10/14/06) Joe Knippel was crowned the Illini Midget
 Driving
Champion for the 4th time with his narrow win over USAC’s
Tony Main. The feature was shortened to 20 laps after a
violent flip by Lee Beckwith on lap 16. Beckwith clipped a
spinning car out of turn 4 and barrel rolled down the front
straight. He was transported to a local hospital for
observation and released after being treated for a broken
clavicle and a bruised forehead.
With the fairgrounds facing a 10:30 curfew, the decision was
made to knock 5 laps off the feature. Tony Main wishes they
would have given him just one more. Mike Smith led the main
for the first two laps, when Main took over the lead and set
sail. Knippel passed him on lap 10 and Main spun trying to
get the spot back. In one of the best races of the year,
Main charged from the back of the pack on the restart and
was closing on Knippel when the checkers fell, working his
way past Lamont Critchett on the last lap. Eddie Sauer
thrashed on his car all afternoon and found something that
gave him a career high 4th place finish.
Ed Wilson took home 5th place honors, and a plaque for
coming the furthest to race, 753 miles from Tuttle Oklahoma,
almost twice as far as the Main team.
David Budres won heat #1, his 7th heat win of the season, a
club best. Doug Orseske, Knippel, Mike Adams, Jr., and Jason
Dull rounded out the top 5.
Heat #2 was won by Main, the 14th driver to win heat this
season. Jim Fuerst, Wilson, Smith, and Beckwith finished 2nd
- 5th.
RESULTS:
Heat #1(10 Laps): 1. David Budres, Beloit, WI, #31
Quad-4/Bishop; 2. Doug Orseske, Frankfort, IL, #0
Quad-4/Buzzard; 3. Joe Knippel, Mokena, IL, #33
Quad-4/Buzzard; 4. Mike Adams, Jr., Rockdale, WI, #21A Chevy
II/Mislich; 5. Jason Dull, Machesney Park, IL, #56
Fontana/Stealth; 6. Lamont Critchett, Chicago Heights, IL,
#44 VW/Stapp; 7. Eddie Sauer, Loves Park, IL, #74 Ford
2300cc/Edmunds; 8. Loran Critchett, Jr., Alsip, IL, #17 VW/Challenger;
9. Mark Morey, Sugar Grove, IL, #3 Focus/White; 10. Dan
Drogemuller, Frankfort, IL, #76 Focus/Stealth
Heat#2 (10 Laps): 1. Tony Main, Farmland, IN, #3M
Focus/Stealth; 2. Jim Fuerst, Richfield, W, #28F
Fontana/Stealth; 3. Ed Wilson, Tuttle, OK, #33X
Quad-4/Ellis; 4. Mike Smith, Joliet, IL, #88 Ford
2300cc/Hawk; 5. Lee Beckwith, Chanahon, IL, #39
Fontana/Stealth; 6. Scott Koerner, Joliet, IL, #V4
Focus/Bishop; 7. Rich Peceniak, Crest Hill, IL, #99
Focus/Edmunds DNS; 8. Dale Rowe, Newark, IL, #21R VW/White
DNS; 9. Marc Wachter, Yorkville, IL, #28 Chevy II/Edmunds
DNS.
Feature Race (20 Laps): 1. Knippel, 2. Main, 3. Lamont
Critchett, 4. Sauer, 5. Wilson, 6. Adams, Jr., 7. Fuerst, 8.
Orseske, 9. Loran Critchett, 10. Peceniak, 11. Dull, 12.
Beckwith (DNF), 13. Smith (DNF), 14. Morey (DNF), 15.
Koerner (DNF), 16. Budres (DNF), 17. Drogemuller (DNF), 18.
Rowe (DNS), 19. Wachter (DNS).
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KNIPPEL,CRITCHETT,AND BUDRES BATTLE FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP
10/05/2006 |
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Seaon Finale Set
For Davenport
As the 15th season of racing for the Illini Midgets comes to
a close on October 14th at the Mississippi Valley
Fairgrounds in Davenport, Iowa, it will mark the 22nd time
these open wheel racers have run on the dirt. With most
midget clubs running on either paved or dirt tracks, the
Illini Midgets continue to do battle on both surfaces. With
the Davenport race being the 216th race in the clubs
history, well over 10% of the races run have been on the
dirt tracks.
The October 14th date will mark the 2nd time the Illini cars
have taken to the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds track. In
1996 the club put on one of the most exciting races of that
season. Johnny Parsons III took the win in a wild finish
which was followed by a massive pile-up at the finish line
that continued all the way to turn one.
Several of the drivers from that first visit to the Quad
Cities have retired from racing, but it’s kind of
interesting to see what some of the finishers in the A-Main
are up to today. Jim Anderson (2nd) and Nick Fox (3rd)
continue to race UMARA National Midgets, Rich Peceniak (5th)
and Mike Smith (9th) continue to compete with the Illini
Midgets, Bob Sullivan (7th) is now a track videographer in
Indiana, Mike Ohlendorf (11th) works with his dad at their
racing supply company, Brandon Hartsell (14th) went on to
finish high school, got an engineering degree from Purdue,
worked for Goodyear as a tire engineer at NASCAR races, and
is now working for the championship IRL team. Ken Dull
(15th) had a tough day at the track, but will now return
with his son Jason to take another shot at the Iowa clay.
The unofficial points with the lowest race points dropped
shake out like this: Joe Knippel with 3944 is the leader,
2nd is David Budres with 3847, but he is just 6 points up on
Lamont Critchett's 3841. Dan Drogemuller is 4th at 3481,
Freddie Teer 5th at 3423, Doug Orseske at 3399 in 6th (24
points out of 5th). The battle for a top 10 year-end finish
is a good one. Billy Hulbert is 7th at 3145, Rich Peceniak
in 8th at 3106 (just 39 points out of 7th), Tony Devea at
3096 is 9th (just 10 out of 8th), 10th place is Mark Morey
at 2082, and 11th place Loran Critchett, Jr. is at 2079 (3
points out of the top 10!).
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| Morris, IL
(9/3/06) The 30th Annual Night of Features |
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Morris, IL (9/3/06)
The 30th Annual Night of Features at Grundy County Speedway once
again included the Illini Midgets, as it has since 1992.
Freddie Teer became the first driver to set fast time twice in
the history of this event. Not a surprise, this was his 9th
fast time of the season.
Sean Murphy is one of only two drivers coming in to this race,
who has won the feature more than once, Sue Spencer is the
other. Murphy has been running the National Midgets for the
last few years, but ran Joe Knippel's back-up car to a heat race
win. Loran Critchett, Jr. won heat two, joining Murphy as one
of the 20 different drivers who have won heats at this special
event.
The "Fast Four" 360 Sprints put on an exhibition 14 lap dash in
their 1st appearance at the Night of Features. Teer, doing
double duty, led flag to flag to take top honors over Scott
Koerner, who also competed in his stock car.
Doug Orseske led most of the 25 lap main event, with Lamont
Critchett in hot pursuit. Lapped traffic with just 5 laps to go
caused the leaders to choose a high or low line. Orseske chose
high, but the lapped car moved up enough to cause him to lift
momentarily, allowing Critchett and Teer to slip by on the
bottom. Teer dove into turn three under Critchett to take the
lead, and went on to win for the second straight year, and his
9th win of 2006.
The Illinois Vintage Racing .Com group took to the track to give
our teams a chance to load up to clear the infield. Former
Illini driver Mike Slabenak's uncle won their feature event
(results below).
Results: Qualifying: 1. Freddie Teer #54, 16.219; 2. David
Budres #31, 16.297; 3. Joe Knippel #33, 16.298; 4. Billy
Hulbert#44h, 16.302; 5. Dan Drogemuller #76, 16.305; 6. Sean
Murphy #33x, 16.345; 7. Doug Orseske #0, 16.372; 8. Lamont
Critchett #44c, 16.378; 9. Rich Peceniak #99, 16.463; 10.
Tony Devea #97, 16.475; 11. Basil Hicks #22, 16.677; 12.
Loran Critchett, Jr. #17, 16.703; 13. Marc Wachter #28,
17.379; 14. Mark Morey #3, 17.510; 15. Jon Ruff #81, DNQ;
16. Mike Smith #88, DNQ
10 LAP HEAT #1: 1. Murphy; 2. Drogemuller; 3. Knippel;
4. Budres; 5. Lam. Critchett; 6. Orseske; 7. Teer; 8.
Hulbert.
10 LAP HEAT #2: 1. Lor. Critchett; 2. Devea; 3. Hicks;
4. Peceniak; 5. Smith; 6. Wachter; 7. Ruff; 8. Morey.
25 LAP FEATURE: 1. Teer; 2. Lam. Critchett; 3. Orseske; 4.
Budres; 5. Murphy; 6. Knippel; 7. Drogemuller; 8. Devea;
9. Peceniak; 10. Hicks; 11. Ruff; 12. Morey; 13.
Hulbert DNF; 14. Lor. Critchett, DNF; 15. Smith DNF;
16. Wachter DNF.
360 SPRINTS (14 lap dash)
1. Freddie Teer
2. Scott Koerner
3. Loran Critchett, Jr.
4. Frank Reiss
ILLINOIS VINTAGE RACING (12 lap feature)
1. Frank Slabenak #56, 1961 Studebaker Golden Hawk
2. Mark Fruend #6 1969 Dodge Daytona (Cotton Owens/Buddy Baker)
3. Jamie Schmidt #68, 1972 Dodge Dart (Street Stock regular)
4. Brennan Lewis #28, 1965 Ford Galaxy (Holman-Moody/Fred
Lorenzen)
5. Tim Pasiley #27, 1964 Ford Galaxy (Junior Johnson/Holly
Farms)
6. Ken Gilberts #11, 1960 Ford Starliner (Ned Jarrett
championship car) DNS
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Illinois
State Championship was full of great racing 8-19-06 |
The Illini Division
portion of the Illinois State Championship was full of great
racing. Freddie Teer set fast time for the 7th time this
season, reclaiming the fast time for the year at 16.169 (83.4931
mph). Lamont Critchett held that honor for one week, but came
back time clock in 2nd quick, with Dan Drogemuller 3rd fastest.
Rookie 16 year-old driver Billy Hulbert won heat one, and sixty
something years-old Rich Peceniak took the other. 
The feature race was another dandy, perhaps the best race of the
night, with side by side racing from the drop of the green to
flying of Danny Carter's twin checkers, especially the
checkers. Teer needed all that qualifying speed to overtake Dan
Drogemuller in the feature, trailing by a car length when the
white flag flew, and winning by less than a foot.
Mark Morey was the Pry-Bar Rookie of the Race in the Illini
Division. Last week's winner Hulbert, suffered mechanical
problems and had to pit after just one lap. Congratulations to
Marc Wachter for finally getting the ol' Chevy II to make both
qualifying laps, the heat and the main, everbody knows it's been
a struggle, but we all admire the determination you guys have
shown.
Next race: Night of Features at Grundy County Speedway the
afternoon of September 3rd.
QUALIFICATIONS: 1. Freddie Teer #54, 16.169; 2. Lamont Critchett
#44C, 16.279; 3. Dan Drogemuller #76, 16.285; 4. David Budres
#31, 16.304; 5. Billy Hulbert #44H, 16.345; 6. Joe Knippel
#33, 16.373; 7. Doug Orseske #0, 16.417; 8. Loran Critchett,
Jr. #17, 16.423; 9. Tony Devea #97, 16.451; 10. Mike Adams, Jr.
#21, 16.490; 11. Rich Peceniak #99, 17.283; 12.Mark Morey #3,
17.342; 13. Marc Wachter #28, 17.374; 14. Mike Smith #88.
17.385; 15. Dale Rowe #21R, 27.487
FIRST HEAT: (10 laps) 1. Hulbert, 2. Budres, 3. Lam. Critchett,
4. Knippel, 5. Orseske,6. Teer, 7. Drogemuller, 8. Lor.
Critchett, Jr.
SECOND HEAT: (10 LAPS) 1.Peceniak, 2. Devea, 3. Adams, Jr., 4.
Morey, 5. Wachter, 6. Smith
FEATURE: (20 laps) 1. Teer, 2. Drogemuller, 3. Peceniak, 4.
Devea, 5. Budres, 6. Knippel, 7. Lam. Critchett, 8. Adams, Jr.,
9. Lor. Critchett, Jr., 10. Orseske, 11. Morey, 12. Wachter, 13.
Hulbert |
Photos Courtesy
of Phil Rider
Hulbert Wins First Illini Feature, Koerner
Clinches Sprints |
Morris, IL
(8/12/06) The UMARA Pry-Bar Rookie of the Race for the
Illini Midgets went to Billy Hulbert. It has to. The 16
year old
Channahon, IL driver, was the highest finishing rookie, and
Billy "the Kid" made sure nobody else would rob him of the
prize by winning his first career feature race in just his
15th midget start.
Hulbert also picked up a heat win, less than month after
loosing a motor, his team has come back strong. Joe Knippel
won the other heat race and was chased to the checkers by
David Budres and fast qualifier Lamont Critchett.
Scott Koerner clinched the 360 Sprint car title with his
win.
Only two more Grundy races are left on the schedule,
including this weekend's Illinois State (and Hall of Fame)
and the Night of Features on September 3rd. The August 25th
and September 23rd dates will be discussed at this week's
drivers' meeting.
Illini Midget Results:
QUALIFYING: 1. #44c Lamont Critchett 16.202, 2. #31 David
Budres 16.228, 3. #76 Dan Drogemuller 16.399, 4. #0 Doug
Orseske 16.417, 5. #33 Joe Knippel 16.425, 6. #97 Tony Devea
16.474, 7. #44H Billy Hulbert 16.504, 8. #21a Mike Adams,
Jr. 16.627, 9. #99 Rich Peceniak 16.693, 10. #3 Mark Morey
17.455, #17 Loran Critchett, Jr. DNQ,.
10 LAP HEAT #1: 1. Knippel, 2. Budres, 3. La. Critchett,
4. Drogemuller, 5. Orseske, 6. , 7. DNS.
10 LAP HEAT #2: 1. Hulbert, 2. Peceniak, 3. Adams, Jr.,
4. Devea, 5. Morey, 6. , 7. Lo. Critchett.
20 LAP FEATURE: 1. Hulbert, 2. Budres, 3. La. Critchett,
4. Drogemuller, 5. Orseske, 6. Adams, Jr., 7. Lo.
Critchett, 8. Knippel, 9. Peceniak, 10. Morey, 11. Devea.
360 Sprints:
1. Scott Koerner #35, 2. Frank Reiss, #27, 3. Billy
Shoemaker #41, 4. Dale Rowe, #21. |
| Freddie Teer
continues to rewrite the record book 8/10/06 |
n the Illini
Midget Division, Freddie Teer continues to rewrite the
record book, extending his stretch of consecutive fast times
to six,
and his seventh of the season also sets a new mark.
Joe Knippel extended his points lead by winning his heat and
finishing fourth in the feature behind race winner Lamont
Critchett, Teer, and Billy Hulbert. Dan Drogemuller
survived to win his heat and finish fifth in the main. The
Illini Midget Pry-Bar Rookie of the Race was Billy Hulbert.
Illini Midget Results:
QUALIFYING: 1. #54 Freddie Teer 16.244, 2. #44c Lamont
Critchett 16.338, 3. #2 Tyler Baran 16.342, 4. #33 Joe
Knippel 16.371, 5. #0 Doug Orseske 16.470, 6. #31 David
Budres 16.470, 7. #44H Billy Hulbert 16.477, 8. #97 Tony
Devea 16.662, 9. #21a Mike Adams, Jr. 16.693, 10. #14 Mike
Krysiak 16.742, 11. #99 Rich Peceniak 16.764, 12. #3 Mark
Morey 17.418, 13. #88 Mike Smith 17.647, 14. #21r Dale
Rowe 22.964, 15. #17 Tony D'Ambrose DNQ, 16. #76 Dan
Drogemuller DNQ.
10 LAP HEAT #1: 1. Knippel, 2. Teer, 3. Peceniak, 4.
Baran, 5. Critchett, 6. Hulbert, 7. Budres DNS.
10 LAP HEAT #2: 1. Drogemuller, 2. Adams, Jr., 3.
Orseske, 4. Devea, 5. Morey, 6. Krysiak DNF, 7. Smith
DNF, 8. Rowe DNS.
20 LAP FEATURE: 1. Critchett, 2. Teer, 3. Hulbert, 4.
Knippel, 5. Drogemuller, 6. Budres, 7. Baran, 8. Adams,
Jr., 9. Peceniak, 10. Orseske, 11. Devea, 12. Morey,
13. Smith DNS, 14. Rowe DNS, 15. Krysiak DQ'ed, 16.
D'Ambrose DNS.
|
| Tony Main
Tops Main, Takes Money at Illini Midget Kankakee Clash II |
Kankakee, IL
(7/21/06) The Illini Midgets returned to the Kankakeesmall.jpg) Motor
Speedway for the second time this year, with a much different
outcome this time. Only Dan Drogemuller came close to his first
outing outcome by winning the first heat, but heat two was won
by dirt veteran Kurt Mayhew, and the feature, well that was
another story.
USAC Ford Focus Midwest Dirt Series regular Tony Main was
tempted by the $500 to win $100 to start, plus a possible $500
bonus to win with a USAC legal Focus car. A solid 3rd place
finish behind Illini rookie Mike Worobey and repeat heat winner
Drogemuller, gave a hint of what was to come. A strong start
helped Main jump to the top spot, where he held off challenges
from Worobey and then Mayhew, to survive two red flags for
rollovers by Marc Morey and Doug Orseske, and claim the record
setting $1000 prize.
RESULTS:
Heat #1 (8 Lap): 1. Dan Drogemuller, 2. Mike Worobey, 3. Tony
Main, 4. David Budres, 5. Rich Peceniak, 6. Mike Adams, Jr.,
7.Eddie Sauer, 8. Tony Devea, 9. Lee Beckwith DNF.
Heat #2 (8 Lap): 1. Kurt Mayhew, 2. Joe Knippel, 3. Lamont
Critchett, 4. Mike Krysiak, 5. Loran Critchett, Jr., 6. Mike
Smith, 7. Marc Morey, 8. Billy Hulbert DNF, D. Orseske DNS.
Feature Race (20 Lap): 1. Tony Main, Farmland, IN, Main #3m,
Stealth/Focus; 1. Kurt Mayhew, Roselawn, IN, Mayhew #21k,
Buzzard/Ford; 3. Mike Worobey (R), Bridgeview, IL, Worobey #59,
Stealth/Focus; 4. Dan Drogemuller, Frankfort, IL, Gacke #76,
Stealth/Focus; 5. David Budres, Beloit, WI, Knippel-Spencer
#31, Bishop/Quad-4; 6. Joe Knippel, Mokena, IL, Knippel-Spencer
#33, Buzzard/Quad-4; 7. Lamont Critchett, Chicago Heights, IL,
Loran Critchett, Jr. #44, Stapp/VW; 8. Loran Critchett, Jr.,
Alsip, IL Gass #17, Challenger/VW; 9. Mike Adams, Jr.,
Rockdale, WI, Shreffler #21s, Shreffler/Chevy; 10. Doug Orseske,
Frankfort, IL, Lady Di Racing #0, Buzzard/Quad-4; 11. Rich
Peceniak, Crest Hill, IL, Peceniak #99, Edmunds/Focus; 12.
Eddie Sauer (R), Loves Park, IL, Sauer #74, Edmunds/2300cc
Ford; 13. Lee Beckwith, Channahon, IL, Wilkerbien #39,
Stealth/Pontiac; 14. Mike Krysiak, Peru, IL, Ed Krysiak #14,
White/VW, DNF; 15. Mike Smith, Shorewood, IL, Smith #88,
Hawk/Ford, DNF; 16
. Tony Devea, Joliet, IL, Dan Devea #97, Hawk/Focus, DNF; 17.
Marc Morey (R), Sugar Grove, IL, Knippel-Spencer #3,
White/Focus, DNF; 18. Billy Hulbert (R), Channahon, IL, #4,
Stewart/VW, DNS. |
| Freddie Teer
set fast time in the Illini Midgets |
Union, Illinois
driver Freddie Teer set fast time in the Illini Midgets,
finished 2nd in his heat and racked up his 4th feature winn of
the season. 16 year old Billy Hulbert of Channahon won the
other heat, claiming his first heat race win. What a night for
the Hulbert team, they changed tires and rims to start at the
back of the National Midget feature, but all that work went up
in smoke when the engine literally went up in smoke. Billy
escaped injury.
ILLINI DIVISION MIDGETS:
Qualifications: 1. #54 Freddie Teer 16.277; 2. #33 Joe Knippel
16.325; 3. #31 David Budres 16.401; 4. #44c Lamont Critchett
16.465; 5. #21 Mike Adams, Jr. 16.637; 6. #44h Billy Hulbert
16.674; 7. #76 Dan Drogemuller 16.711; 8. #99 Rich Peceniak
16.718; 9. #14 Mike Krysiak 17.168; 10. #3 Marc Morey 17.618;
11. #17 Loren Critchett, Jr. DNQ.
Heat race 1: 1. Joe Knippel, 2. Freddie Teer, 3. Mike Adams,
Jr., 4. Lamont Critchett, 5. David Budres.
Heat race 2: 1. Billy Hulbert, 2. Rich Peceniak, 3. Dan
Drogemuller, 4. Mike Krysiak, 5. Marc Morey.
Feature race: 1. Freddie Teer, 2. Joe Knippel, 3. Billy Hulbert,
4. Lamont Critchett, 5. David Budres, 6. Mike Adams, Jr., 7. Dan
Drogemuller, 8. Mike Krysiak, 9. Marc Morey, 10. Rich Peceniak (DNF) |
| Freddie Fast
on the Fourth |
The Illini Midget
feature was won by Fred Teer, making it a clean
sweep of the division for the day. His qualifying time of
16.228 (83.19 mph) topped the speed charts, and he won his heat
race in convincing style. Teer also won the 360 Sprint Car
Division over Loran Critchett, Jr., Frank Reiss, Dale Rowe and
Scott Koerner.
Chasing Teer in the heat were Dan Drogemuller, Billy Hulbert,
Doug Orseske, and Lamont Critchett. Hulbert’s car failed to
pass post race tech after the feature (too wide) and the car and
driver were DQed for the day in accordance with the rules and
past precedent.
David Budres won his heat, but after a tough qualifying run and
a DNF in the feature, his points lead may be in jeopardy. Rich
Peceniak got his hot laps “loose” wheel problem solved to finish
2nd in heat two, followed by by rookies Mike Worobey and Ryan
Smith. Jon Ruff brought the #81 straight from the BIDCA/IRS
display at Ribfest in Naperville to take 5th.
Illini Midgets: Qualifying: 1. Freddie Teer #54, 16.228;
2. Lamont Critchett #44c, 16.492; 3. Joe Knippel #33,
16.421; 4. Doug Orseske #0, 16.425; 5. Dan Drogemuller #76,
16.547; 6. Bob Shreffler #21a, 16.57; 7. Tony Devea #97,
16.599; 8. Mike Worobey #59, 16.75; 9. Rich Peceniak #99,
16.766; 10. Jon Ruff #81, 16.954; 11. Mark Morey #3, 17.178;
12. Ryan Smith #23, 17.419; 13. Basil Hicks #22, 17.743; 14.
David Budres #31, 19.509; 15. Reid Ceponis #4, DNQ; DQ. Billy
Hulbert 16.641
Heat #1: 1. Teer, 2. Drogemuller, 3. Orseske, 4. Critchett,
5. Knippel, 6. Shreffler, 7. Devea, DQ Hulbert.
Heat #2: 1. Budres, 3. Peceniak, 3. Worobey, 4. Smith, 5. Ruff,
6. Morey, 7. Ceponis DNF, Hicks DNS
Feature: 1. Teer, 2. Critchett, 3. Knippel, 4. Orseske, 5.
Devea, 6. Shreffler, 7. Worobey, 8. Ruff, 9. Drogemuller DNF,
10. Peceniak DNF, 11. Budres DNF, 12. Morey DNF, 13. Smith DNF,
14. Ceponis DNF, Hicks
DNS, Hulbert DQ |
| Knippel
Captures Kankakee Clash I presented by Ohlendorf Racing Supply |
Kankakee, IL
(6/30/06) Points leader David Budres got a scare
today when his car wouldn’t fire for hot laps. While everyone
else made gear changes and fine tuned to dial in for their
heats, the Budres battalion busted their butts looking for their
problem. Word made it to the announcers’ booth that it was a
fuel pump, and the team made the repair in time to get the car
out for their heat.
Budres would go on to win heat race #1. Heat #2 was won by Dan
Drogemuller, whose extensive experience at Kankakee Speedway
behind the wheel of a modified was put to good use. Dan took to
the high side and drove to the win.
That high line the Drogemuller used in the heat had a nice
cushion built up, but after four semis, a couple of dashes and
four features, that berm was gone. The beautiful new Neil Gacke
owned #76 disappeared over the banking while challenging for the
lead, but reappeared after losing several positions. Budres’
night was going well as he survived a lap 11 incident and was
able to restart, making a run at leader Joe Knippel. Budres
would suffer mechanical woes in the late stages and dropped back
to 6th. A pair of rookies had great runs, with Billy Hulbert
finishing 3rd and Mike Worobey 4th in their fist dirt races in a
midget.
>> More |
|
Carter/Anderson Classic to Mike Adams, Jr. on a Night of 1st! |
Morris, IL
(6/24/06) Points leader David Budres set out to extend his
points lead by setting fast time at 16.298, becoming the first
driver to be the top qualifieer twice this season. Joe Knippel
picked up his first heat win of the 2006 season, as did Basil
Hicks in the second heat.
Billy Hulbert was the top finishing rookie, scoring a 6th place
finish in the main, after a disappointing 9th place in his heat,
but a great 8th place qualifying run.
David Budres finished 2nd to Knippel in his heat to keep his
drive for maximum points alive, and had to settle for 2nd in the
feature after trying every trick in the book to get around Mike
Adams, Jr. David did make the pass once, but a caution before
the lap was complete sent him back to the 2nd spot. Mike
squeezed everything out of the Chevy II powerplant of the Joe
Albert #21A to hold off the #31 for the win, becoming the 5th
driver in five race to score a win. Dan Drogemuller ran a
strong 3rd, Rich Peceniak kept the JJ Sport ride alive to the
checkers, and Hicks was 5th. Behind Hulbert, Lamont Critchett
was 7th followed by Doug Orseske, Mike Krysiak, and Jon Ruff.
After many frustrating nights with the #81 car, Jon might tell
you a finish is as good as a win, and as happy as they were, it
just can’t compare to the emotion in victory lane. Mike Adams,
Sr. was on hand to witness his son take his first feature win.
With the older Adams going through a tough stretch of medical
issues, it was nice to see such a big smile on his face.
Next Race: This Friday, June 30th, at the Kankakee Speedway for
the Kankakee Clash I. $500 to win, $100 to start, and a $500
bonus is the winner is a USAC legal Kenyon or Ford Focus car!
QUALIFYING:
1. #31 David Budres, 16.298; 2. #99 Rich Peceniak, 16.344;
3. #54 Freddie Teer, 16.346; 4. #33 Joe Knippel, 16.38; 5.
#97 Tony Devea,16.441; 6. #21A Mike Adams, Jr., 16.526; 7.
#76 Dan Drogemuller, 16.532; 8. #44H Billy Hulbert, 16.593;
9. #81 Jon Ruff, 16.694; 10. #14 Mark Krysiak, 16.703; 11.
#22 Basil Hicks, 16.801; 12. #58 Roger Bettenhausen, 16.817;
13. #59 Mark Worobey, 16.883; 14. #33x Scott Koerner,
16.886; 15. #88 Mike Smith. 16.923; 16. #44C Lamont
Critchett, 17.001; 17. #0 Doug Orseske. 17.166; 18. #4 Reid
Ceponis, 17.182; 19. #3 Mark Morey, 17.731.
8 LAP HEAT #1
1. Joe Knippel; 2. David Budres; 3. Rich Peceniak; 4.
Freddie Teer; 5. Dan Drogemuller; 6. Tony Devea; 7. Doug
Orseske; 8. Mike Adams; 9. Billy Hulbert
8 LAP HEAT #2
1. Basil Hicks; 2. Mike Smith; 3. Lamont Critchett; 4. R.
Bettenhausen; 5. Mike Krysiak; 6. Mark Worobey; 7. Mark
Morey; 8. Reid Ceponis DNF; 9. Jon Ruff DNS
20 LAP FEATURE
1. Mike Adams, Jr.; 2. David Budres; 3. Dan Drogemuller;
4. Rich Peceniak; 5. Basil Hicks; 6. Billy Hulbert; 7.
Lamont Critchett; 8. Doug Orseske; 9. Mike Krysiak; 10. Jon
Ruff; 11. Tony Devea DNF; 12. Freddie Teer DNF; 13. Mike
Smith DNF; 14. Roger Bettenhausen DNF; 15. Joe Knippel DNF;
16. Mark Morey DNF; 17. Scott Koerner DNF; 18. Reid Ceponis
DNF; 19. Mark Worobey DNS |
Pictures
courtesy of Phil Rider.
Budres
wins 1st pavement race 6/17/2006
|
|
Morris, IL
(6/17/06) It took a lot of patience on behalf of the fans and
crews, but after a two and a half hour rain delay, the Illini
Racing Series finally got in the Bob Meyers Memorial race.
Already delayed a week by rain, the rescheduled event had to
survive a dust storm, a torrential downpour, nearby lightning
strikes that had the PA system crackling, and a temperature drop
of over 20 degrees. But as the storm passed, an incredible
double rainbow appeared as if to assure everyone that everything
would be just fine.
Qualifying was already in the books before the storm hit, with
Lamont Critchett claiming the top spot in the Illini Midget
Division.
Only the 360 Sprints managed to get a heat race in before the
rain delay, with Freddie Teer leading the way. The most laps
run for the evening had to be by the push trucks and safety
vehicles who got the track back into racing condition by about
9:30 pm.
The decision was made to run just the features for all the
classes to give the fans the best bang for their buck. The
BIDCA Classic Modifieds were asked to take to the track first to
get some heat back into the surface. Naperville’s Joe Mox took
the project seriously, burning up the track on the way to his
first career win.
more > > > |
|
I.R.S. Update.
News, notes, trivia and more! |
** The Bob
Meyers Memorial has been rescheduled for Saturday, June 17th
following the rainout on June 10th.
** Ohlendorf Racing Products will be the presenting sponsor
of the Kankakee Clash I which will be run on Friday, June
30th at the spectacular Kankakee Speedway.
** The $500 to win and $100 to start, plus the possibility
of a USAC legal Ford Focus or Kenyon car claiming another
$500 bonus if they win the Kankakee Clash I presented by
Ohlendorf Racing Products, makes this the richest
race...pavement or dirt in the the 15 year history of this
class.
** Victory Lane Awards has just announced the Long Haul
Award for the Kankakee Clash I for the driver who has made
the longest haul to race. Driver’s license will be used to
determine winner. Rumor mill says it might take more than a
midwest map to verify the winner!
** Trivia questions of the week: What track hosted the
first Illini (then Sportsman) Midget dirt race, in what
year, who won the only heat, and who won the feature. Email
your guessesto victrelane@comcast.net and the 1st person to
get it right will get a..ah...um..special prize!
** The Kankakee Clash I will be the third event of U.M.A.R.A.
/ I.R.S. Speedweeks. U.M.A.R.A. / I.R.S. Speedweeks will
kick off with a car show and cruise night at Mr. B’s on
historic Rt. 66 (just south of the Chicagoland Speedway) on
Thursday, June 22nd.
** Event #2 of U.M.A.R.A. / I.R.S. Speedweeks will be on
Saturday, June 24th for the Carter/Anderson Classic at
Grundy County Speedway! One of the biggest events of last
season!
** After the Kankakee Clash I, on the following Sunday,
July 2nd, is the Mazon Speed Bowl Memorial, where the Illini
Midgets will headline at Grundy for event #4 of U.M.A.R.A. /
I.R.S. Speedweeks
** An American Tradition! Open wheel races at the county
fair will be the venue for the 5th event of U.M.A.R.A. /
I.R.S. Speedweeks. Tuesday, July 4, the 103rd Grundy County
Fair Auto Races! Featuring all four classes, National
Midgets, Illini Midgets, 360 Sprints, and BIDCA Classic
Modifieds.
** Event #6 of the 2006 U.M.A.R.A. / I.R.S. Speedweeks comes
on Thursday, July 6. The Race Fan Rally (formerly known as
RaceFest) in downtown Joliet. Biggest show of the year!
Displays, souvenirs, race show cars, all on the NASCAR
weekend!
** Event #7 on Saturday, July 8: USAC-WOWMS-UMARA
Tri-Sanctioned Race! The cars and stars from 10 states were
at the June race! Seven U.M.A.R.A. / I.R.S. Speedweeks
events (so far) in 17 days!
** Rumor has it that National Midget driver Sean Murphy may
be driving the #33x at the Kankakee Clash I. Sean is one of
the top vote getters in the “Racin’ for a Livin” ballotting
on the web. If he stays where he is in the voting, he can
go on to participate in a reality TV show that could end up
with Sean getting a shot at a NASCAR ride.
** Sean made the long haul to Macomb a while back to drive
the 33x (Joe Knippel’s 2nd car), but the x-car was needed by
Joe after a practice session which saw a rare motor problem
for the Quad-4. No time to try to fix the problem though,
as the front axle of the #33 was needed by David Budres
after another practice mishap. Sean’s day of driving became
a day of thrashing on other people’s cars. That’s probably
one of the reasons Sean is one of the drivers who looks like
they will make the final cut of "Racin' for a Livin".
** Sean is no stranger to the Illini cars. Although he
moved to the National Midgets a few years back and was their
Most Improved Driver in 2003, he still ranks high in the
all-time Illini Midget record book. Since the division’s
inception in 1992, Sean is 12th in race starts with 59, he
is 14th in total points, ranks 6th in the Top Qualifier
category, is 10th in heat race wins with 9, and his 15
feature wins ranks him 4th.
** Sean held the track record of 14.398 at Hawkeye Downs
for two years, until Joe Knippel clocked in at 14.125.
Murphy’s 16.600 time at Illiana Motor Speedway still stands.
** Sean’s first win came at the Fair race in 1999 and he
went on to win the Night of Features the same season...and
in 2000 and 2001. In 2002 he claimed another marque event,
the Bob Meyers Memorial.
** Sean still
needs our help . Please take a second and vote for Sean at "Racin'
for a Livin"
|
|
Morris. IL
(06/03/06) Saturday night’s Tribute to Mel Kenyon |
Saturday night’s
Tribute to Mel Kenyon was a great success for
 UMARA
and midget racing in general. With a large field of cars and
some great racing in all divisions, maybe we can draw some of
that near record crowd back on a regular basis. Congrats to Jim
Anderson on winning the Tribute to Mel Kenyon 50 lapper for the
National Midgets. Jim was the Illini Rookie of the Year in
1995, and last year’s Illini Rookie of the Year, Josh Lane,
finished 5th.
The Illini Midgets helped bring the number of midgets in the
pits to nearly half a hundred! Freddie Teer would become the
third different driver to set fast time (16.227) and to win a
feature in 2006. Points leader David Budres took heat #1 over
Rich Peceniak, Freddie Teer, Joe Knippel and Dan Drogemuller,
all driving inline motors, filled out the rest of the top 5.
The last four positions were powered by motors from the old
Volks home.
Heat two was won by Tony Devea with Reid Ceponis chasing him to
the finish. Basil Hicks, Doug Orseske and Mike Adams, Jr.
rounded out the top 5. A couple of Focus’, Chey II’s, and Quad
4’s, a Saturn, a V-Dub and a Pontiac. Six kinds of motors in a
9 car field. Now THAT is Illini Midget Racing! Close racing
with a variety of ways to get there.
Lamont Critchett chased Freddie to the checkered flag, but it
was all Teer. Drogemuller took his new ride to a third place
finish, and is looking forward to the 1st dirt race of the
season at Kankakee Speedway on June 30th to make up some ground
in the points, and maybe collect the bonus for USAC legal Focus
and Kenyon cars. Tyler Baran was once again the Pry-Bar Rookie
of the Race, after Billy Hulbert was part of a three car
incident that eliminated he and Loran Critchett, Jr.
NEXT RACE: SATURDAY, JUNE 10TH AT GRUNDY COUNTY SPEEDWAY! |
|
Largest Field in 7 years
5/27/2006 |
|
The Illini Midgets car count of
21 was outstanding, and included no
less than seven rookies. in order of car numbers they are: #2
Tyler Baran, Plainfield; #3 Mark Morey, Sugar Grove; #23 Ryan
Smith, Racine, WI; #28 Marc Wachter, Yorkville; #44H Billy
Hulbert, Channahon; #59 Michael Worobey, Bridgeview; and #74
Eddie Sauer, Loves Park. If you want to offer a little help to
any of these teams, I’m sure they would be happy to have the
help, but this is a strong group of newcomers. Their racing
experience shows, as they all seem to watch Danny Carter’s
instructions and hold their lines when asked to, even if they
are not all sure just where “their” line is.
Defending Champion Joe Knippel set fast time, took 5th in the
1st heat and won the main to cap off a good night. David Budres
was the 1st heat winner, with Freddy Teer 2nd, Danny Drogemuller
debuting his Ford Focus powered car in 3rd and Doug Orseske took
4th with his new Quad 4 powerplant.
Roger Bettenhausen’s comeback was highlighted by a win in heat
#2, holding off a strong running Mike Adams, Jr. in Joe Albert’s
Chevy II powered car. Reid Ceponis drove the Klaus Wever #4 car
to third, just ahead of Basil Hicks in the Lucas Oil car.
full story>> |
|
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