Catchfence

Change abounds in the ARCA Menard’s-RE/MAX Stock Car Series and southern Illinois race fans will get a first hand look at the new faces on Labor Day when the full bodied stock cars make just their second dirt track stop in the 58th Federated Car Care-Southern Illinois 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. A large crop of rookies dots the ARCA point standings and many will get their first look at the unique Magic Mile.

Twenty nine year old Craig Goess of Woodbury, New Jersey and twenty nine year old Justin Marks of Rocklin, California had been waging a battle for the top slot in the ARCA title chase like none seen before coming into August and now a nine time ARCA champ and two newcomers have thrust themselves into the titlefight.. Goess had 1 win and 10 top ten finishes coming into the Springfield event and is just 5 points in the lead. Marks has one dirt track start at DuQuoin in the Menard’s-RE/MAX Series prior to 2010, that coming in 2007 in which he started seventh and finished there completing all 100 circuits. Marks currently has 1 win and 9 top ten finishes and dropped from first to sixth.

The driver second in the ARCA points is something of a surprise considering he has no wins (at press time) in 2010 and is counting on his dirt track experience to propel him to a record tenth ARCA crown. Clarksville, Indiana resident Frank Kimmel has 10 top ten finishes in 13 starts but no victories. Kimmel as a record seven wins on the dirt at Springfield and is a five-time winner of the Southern Illinois 100.

Kimmel had the lead at Springfield insearchof a record eighth win there but crashed while leading. Kimmel is expected to be just one of two former winners at DuQuoin, the other being Fenton, Missouri’s Ken Schrader. A popular NASCAR veteran and two time USAC champion the fifty five year old Schrader shows no signs of slowing down in 2010. Schrader competed in selected ARCA, NASCAR and UMP events in 2010 winning the Indyana Classic for UMP Modifieds at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in May. In 2006 he ended nearly 30 years of frustration picking up his first ever triumph at DuQuoin in the Southern Illinois 100 and backed that up with a second victory in 2007.

Joining Goess, Marks and Kimmel in the top ten after Berlin are Tom Hessert of Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Patrick Sheltra of Indiantown, Florida, Dakoda Armstrong of New Castle, Indiana, Mikey Kile of West Lake, Louisiana, Tim George of New York city, Robb Brent of Shelby Township, Michigan and Joey Coulter of Miami Springs, Florida. Hessert and Sheltra are dirt track veterans, Hessert in USAC Midget and Silver Crown cars and Sheltra in UMP and World of Outlaw Late Models. Sheltra won the race at Springfield in a wild finish and is just ten markers out of the lead. He has two top ten finishes in three starts at DuQuoin including a second to Kimmel in 2008. Hessert got a top five on the dirt at Springfield and is fourth, twenty five points out of first. Brent and Coulter picked up their first ARCA wins in 2010 with Brent’s coming for the Allgaier Motorsports team out of Springfield, Illinois.

Five Illinois drivers made the field at DuQuoin last year and a similar number are expected on the 2010 entry list. Twenty nine year old A.J. Fike will attempt to become the first driver since stock cars began competing at DuQuoin in 1950 to win the Ted Horn 100 USAC Silver Crown race and the Southern Illinois 100 on the same weekend. Springfield’s Kelly Kovski, Arenzeville’s Mark Littleton and Benton’s Rodny Melvin are also possible entrants. Kovski has completed 5 of the 6 DuQuoin events he has started while Littleton has 2 starts. Melvin is a terror in UMP late models in the area and looks to thrill the local fans with an ARCA run 20 miles from his home. Decatur’s Kyle Logue has a former Bill Hendren car at his disposal while forty four year old Joe Cooksey of Centralia could also be an entrant.

Of the top twenty in the 2010 ARCA RE/MAX-Menard’s point standings seven have never started a race at DuQuoin while seven others have three starts or less at the Magic Mile. Add in Littleton, Melvin and Kyle Logue and nearly half if not more of the 2010 DuQuoin entry list would have little to no experience on a track where knowledge may be the key to victory. ARCA rookies include Kile and Armstrong, Nick Igdalsky and Chase Mattioli of Pennsylvania and Jerick Johnson of Minnesota.

Drivers who have more than one start could be considered ARCA dirt track veterans and at least one of two would be a dark horse to take home a Southern Illinois 100 trophy. Canada’s Steve Arpin had a fine debut at DuQuoin in 2009 coming to 9th from 23rd for Bill Venturini. Arpin is a veteran of dirt late models and modifieds in the upper Midwest. Indiana’s Darrell Basham has racing experience that dates back to the USAC Stock Car series while Georgia’s Mark Gibson may return for yet another shot at a mile dirt track win. Tennessee’s Ron Cox is also expected to come back, Cox has several strong runs on the dirt, mostly at Springfield.

Youth was served last year at DuQuoin and unfortunately the defending winner will not return. Nineteen-year-old Parker Kligerman became the youngest race winner in DuQuoin stock car history in 2010 and he did it in dramatic fashion. After crashing in qualifications the youngster started dead last in the 34-car field and by lap 55 took the lead from A.J. Fike and was never headed again, winning his second dirt track event in just his second dirt track start! Kligerman also set a record for the worst starting position by a stock car race winner at DuQuoin since the hard tops took to the Magic Mile in 1950. Kligerman moved on to the NASCAR Nationwide Series for selected races.

The Federated-Southern Illinois 100 shapes up again to be a battle of youth vs. experience with Illinois drivers trying to sneak into victory lane as Frank Kimmel tries to break the tie he has with the late Dean Roper and post a record sixth Southern Illinois 100 win. Menard’s-Ansell Pole qualifying is slated for 11 a.m. following the 9-10 a.m. practice session. Drivers will shoot for the track record set in September of 2008 by Ricky Stenhouse of 32.896 (109.436 MPH). The start of the Federated-Southern Illinois 100 is set for 1 p.m. following the 20-mile Bill Oldani Memorial. The 100-mile ARCA track record of 90.101 (1:06:35.00) was set in September of 1983 by Dean Roper.

- Du Quoin State Fairgrounds Press Release