Historic Truck Race August 23 at DuQuoin State Fair!!

Trucks Rumble For First Time at DuQuoin!

 

DuQuoin, IL August 18, 2003-For the first time in history a racing truck will take center stage on the DuQuoin State Fair “Magic Mile” dirt oval, as the Automobile Racing Club brings it’s Lincoln Welders truck series to the DuQuoin State Fair for a historic fair time night race on Saturday, August 23.  Also on the card with the truck series will be the Wynn’s Southern Sportsman Nationals, another first time event featuring local short track stock cars and drivers.

 

Oval track truck racing is a relatively new phenomenon in the United States, and really took flight with the first season for the NASCAR Truck Series in 1995.  Since then, various sanctioning bodies have attempted to run different types of truck races, with ARCA starting it’s first season of truck racing in 1999.  Rather than going with a set of rules for the larger, more expensive full size vehicles, ARCA chose the smaller type trucks with four and now six cylinder engines.  In five years the ARCA trucks have done so well they were able to begin a similar series on the west coast, dubbed ARCA West.

 

Most of the ARCA truck series races are held on the shorter paved ovals, only one race prior to DuQuoin has ever been held on a track greater than a half-mile, that at the one mile paved oval at Sportsman’s Park in Chicago.  This will be the first race ARCA’s truck teams have ever contested on a big dirt track and many are looking forward to the opportunity.

 

Leading the ARCA truck teams into DuQuoin is current ARCA point leader Chad Guinn of Erie, Michigan.  The driver of the BFI 2002 Ford Ranger is the defending Lincoln Welders series champion and current point leader, having posted wins at Midvale in the season opener, and in July at the half-mile paved Toledo Speedway.  Guinn is no stranger to the dirt, having won a truck race at the LaSalle, Illinois speedway late last year, one of two dirt tracks on the 2002 slate.  Guinn was the all-time leader in ARCA truck wins coming into 2003 with fifteen.

 

Second in the point standings, just 35 behind Guinn is a newcomer to the ARCA truck series, Brian Rowe of Barboursville, West Virginia driving the Pate Manufacturing Ford Ranger.  Rowe has posted two wins so far in the 2003 ARCA season, those coming at Adirondack, New York and on the tough quarter mile Flat Rock Speedway.   An interesting fact about Rowe is that the ARCA rookie had never competed in anything larger than a legends car (powered by a motorcycle engine) or a go-cart prior to this year.  In addition, he has never seen any of the tracks on the ARCA truck schedule!

 

Kevin Reeb of Baltimore, Ohio is the most current ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck race winner, taking the 100 lap event at Lake Erie Speedway.  The win at Lake Erie propelled Reeb to third in the points, 75 behind Guinn.  Reeb drives the number 98 Ford owned by dave Reeb in the truck series. 

  

Fourth in the ARCA points is the pilot of the Carmens Vacum ford Ranger, two time ARCA truck champion Robbin Slaughter of Columbus, Ohio.  Slaughter is an eight-time winner in the ARCA trucks who has been with the series since it’s inception.

 

Others in the top ten expected to be at DuQuoin on the 23rd are 5th place point man Paul Hahn of Michigan, 17 year old rookie Brandon Knupp of Ohio who is currently sixth, John Kasmierski of Ohio, Ron Wells of Ohio, initial ARCA truck champ Bill Withers of Ohio, and Mark Otting of Michigan.

 

They are slated to be joined by veterans such as the driver of the Pennzoil Ford Ranger, Jeff Speakman of Piqua, Ohio.  Speakman has competed with the Lincoln Welders series since it’s inception, and won the race held at the half-mile Mansfield, Ohio Speedway on July 12.  Another veteran on the list of ARCA truck chauffers is Joe Wormcastle of Fort Wayne, Indiana, aformer winner on the ARCA tour, as is Jack Wethee of Grove City Ohio, and Tully Esterline of Pettisville, Ohio.

One rookie on the Lincoln Welders truck roster has extensive dirt track experience. 19 year old Jeff Smith of Greenville, Ohio raced stock cars for two years at the famed high banked Eldora half mile in Ohio.





Competing on the undercard with the ARCA trucks are the stock cars in the Wynn’s Southern Sportsman Nationals.  The race is designed for area short track cars and stars.  A 20-lap main event is scheduled for the Sportsman Nationals feature event, which will be held prior to the ARCA Lincoln Welders truck event. 

 

Fifty laps is the scheduled distance for the ARCA Lincoln Welders truck series.  Practice for the historic evening event begins at 5:30 p.m., with the Sportsman last chance race at 6:30.  Qualifying laps for the ARCA trucks will be held at 7:00, with main event racing beginning at 8.

 

Ticket information can be found by calling the DuQuoin State Fair box office or by calling Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200.  Sportsman rules can also be obtained by calling Track Enterprises.  Further information is available on the world wide web at www.arcaracing.com, or www.trackenterprises.com.