AUTO RACING DUQUOIN and ILLINOIS STATE FAIRS

Ken Schrader, USAC, ARCA, WoO and UMP Highlight Auto Racing at Illinois and
DuQuoin State Fairs

The appearance of NASCAR’s Ken Schrader highlights a busy year of auto
racing at both of the state fairgrounds in Illinois, a schedule that kicks
into high gear during the month of August, according to promoter Bob Sargent
of Track Enterprises in Macon, Illinois.  Corporate America also becomes
involved at both fairs as Best Western Hotels takes on sponsorship of the
Allen Crowe Memorial at Springfield, as well as an associate sponsorship for
the remaining events.

Sargent, the promoter at both the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield
and the DuQuoin State Fair in Southern Illinois, has released a six race
slate that features variety, tradition and speed in the motor sports
entertainment lineup of both fairs. The six races are split evenly among the
two fairground dirt miles, with Springfield hosting two days of racing
during the Illinois State Fair and one in September, while DuQuoin has two
nights and one day of racing during the run of the DuQuoin State Fair.

Traditional one mile dirt track auto racing gets underway in Springfield on
Saturday, August 20 with the 45th Tony Bettenhausen 100 for the USAC Weld
Racing Silver Crown Series.  Springfield drivers Justin Allgaier and Donnie
Lehmann could be part of a strong Illinois stable of drivers that attempts
to make the Illinois State Fair championship race, an event that celebrates
it’s 7lst anniversary.   Leading the USAC stars is three time and defending
Bettenhausen 100 winner, Dave Darland, and current USAC Silver Crown point
leader Dave Steele.  The forty plus drivers expected for the 2005 running of
the Bettenhausen 100 will be trying for a place alongside names like Foyt,
Mays, Bettenhausen, Andretti and Unser as championship race winners on the
Springfield Mile. Interest in the 2006 Bettenhausen 100 perked up in the
past two weeks with the announcement that the entire 2006 USAC Silver Crown
Series schedule would be televised on the Outdoor Channel!  Such a telecast
would mark the first time in over twenty years that the Bettenhausen 100
would be on national television.

Stock cars invade Springfield’s gumbo clay the very next day, with the ARCA
RE/MAX Stock Car Series stars ready for battle in the 43rd Best
Western-Allen Crowe Memorial 100. Best Western Hotels comes on board as
title sponsor of the Crowe Memorial as Justin Allgaier of Springfield tries
to become just the second driver in the 95 year history of motor racing at
the Illinois State Fairgrounds to win both the championship and stock car
events on the same weekend, the other driver being Hall of Fame member Al
Unser. Allgaier will face stiff competition, as defending ARCA champ Frank
Kimmel attempts the impossible, winning five Crowe trophies and breaking the
tie between himself, Bob Keselowski and the late Dean Roper. And, defending
Crowe 100 winner Bill Baird, the oldest race winner in Illinois State Fair
history, is expected to shun retirement once again to run the 100 mile
distance.

Accompanying the ARCA stock cars on the last Sunday of the Illinois State
Fair will be the 12th annual Wynn’s Sportsman challenge, the big event for
the local sportsman cars. The defending winner is Steve Sheppard, Jr. of New
Berlin, Illinois.

The auto racing world shifts 150 miles to the south one week later, to the
beautiful park like setting of the fairgrounds in DuQuoin, Illinois. The
annual DuQuoin State Fair starts it’s first weekend with racing on the
“Magic Mile”, in the form of the Lincoln Welders ARCA Truck Series on
Saturday night, August 27. Last year’s 50-mile truck event fell victim to
Mother Nature, the event was a complete washout and unable to be
rescheduled. Brian Rowe, winner of the truck race at DuQuoin in 2003, is
expected to compete.  Running with the trucks on the night of the 27th will
be local and area late model stock cars,with drivers who compete regularly
at Mt. Vernon, Highland, Kentucky Lake and Paducah expected to compete.

Labor Day weekend is traditionally known for picnics, boating, fishing and
auto racing in the heart of Southern Illinois. Nothing is more traditional
than national championship dirt track racing, as the Weld Racing USAC Silver
Crown cars take to the DuQuoin “Magic Mile” on Sunday night, September 4 for
the 55th running of the Ted Horn 100. Nighttime racing at DuQuoin, with the
lights shimmering off the infield lakes and the cool night air has
rejuvenated DuQuoin into one of the premier stops on the national
championship schedule. The night has also allowed the Silver Crown cars to
reach speeds previously unimagined, as a new world record was set in
qualifying each of the last two years. Defending champion Tyler Walker and
one lap track record holder Tyler Walker may be at DuQuoin, if his NASCAR
commitments allow. USAC stars expected at the Ted Horn 100 include Dave
Darland, Dave Steele and Brian Tyler. They will be set to battle a strong
Illinois contingent which could include Alex Shanks of nearby Marion,
Illinois, Randy Bateman of Murphysboro and Tim Siner of Waterloo.

NASCAR star Kenny Schrader arrives in DuQuoin on Labor Day for the 53rd
Federated Auto Parts Southern Illinois 100 for the ARCA RE/MAX Stock Car
Series.  The interest in DuQuoin by some of the NASCAR contingent has peaked
in recent years, with drivers like Jeremy Mayfield, Joe Ruttman, Mike
Wallace and former Federated 100 winner Tony Stewart taking to the DuQuoin
clay.  It is entirely possible that other NASCAR drivers may decide to come
to DuQuoin with Schrader, which means that defending Southern Illinois 100
winner Frank Kimmel has his work cut out in defending his crown.
Seventy-something Red Farmer is also expected to compete with the ARCA
series, as is nearby Kentucky resident Bill Baird, possibly coming out of
retirement once again.

UMP Modifieds race both days on Labor Day weekend, capped by the 20 mile
Oldani Memorial on Labor Day.  Robinson, Illinois’ Brian Shaw is the
defending Oldani Memorial winner.

Racing on the dirt miles wraps up in Springfield, Illinois with the 14th
annual Turbo Blue Illinois Fall Nationals on the Springfield Mile Sunday,
September 18th.  In a deal recently consummated, the late model portion of
the Illinois Fall Nationals will be co-sanctioned between UMP and the World
of Outlaws, which means that the biggest stars in late model racing should
be present to challenge many of the local and area drivers who frequently
compete in the Fall Nationals event.  Last year’s late model portion saw
Darren Miller set a new track recxord in qualifying, then Brian Birkhofer
win his third Fall Nationals late model feature race.  UMP Modifieds
complete the Fall Nationals program, St. Charles, Missouri driver Jim
Shereck has won the last three modified events at Springfield.

Tickets are on sale now at the Illinois and DuQuoin State Fair box offices,
as well as at Ticketmaster outlets and through Track Enterprises at
217-764-3200.  Additional information can be found at www.arcaracing.com,
www.usacracing.com, and www.trackenteprises.com.