59th Bettenhausen 100 USAC Silver Crown Sat, Oct 15@IL State Fairgrounds

The USAC Silver Crown Champ Cars return to the Illinois State Fairgrounds Springfield Mile on Saturday, October 15 for the 59th running of the Bettenhausen 100 presented by Hunt Brothers Pizza. Full details below...

Springfield Mile Racing
Saturday, October 15, 2022

Illinois State Fairgrounds
Springfield, IL

Saturday, October 15
Illinois State Fair
USAC Racing Silver Crown Series
59th Running Of The Bettenhausen 100 Presented by Hunt Brothers Pizza

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15 SPRINGFIELD TIMES:
8:00 AM Pits & Registration
10:00 AM Ticket Office & Grandstands
11:00 AM-12:10 PM Silver Crown Practice
12:15 PM Silver Crown Qualifying
....Silver Crown B-Main
....USAC Silver Crown 59th Running Of The Bettenhausen 100 Presented by Hunt Brothers Pizza
(Feature race expected to take the green shortly after 2:00 PM)

SPRINGFIELD TICKET INFO:
Tickets will be available on raceday or by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200.

RESERVED SEATING
Advance Tickets (Presale)
$25 Adults
$10 Children 11 & Under
Day Of Tickets (At Gate)
$30 Adults
$10 Children 11 & Under

INFIELD TICKETS
$20 Adults
$5 Children 11 & Under

PIT PASSES
$40 Adults
$20 Children 11 & Under

HOST HOTELS
Carpenter Street Hotel
888-779-9100 or www.carpenterstreethotel.com

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The Facebook event for the race is https://www.facebook.com/events/1445861955893830

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��October 15th will be here before you know it��

The stars of the USAC Silver Crown series come back to the Historic Springfield Mile for the Bettenhausen 100 make-up!

The rescheduled date moves the Bettenhausen to the next to last race of the Silver Crown schedule!

The Silver Crown stars will roll into Springfield looking to boost their points and have a strong ending to a fantastic 2022 season!

Get your tickets now by calling the Track Enterprises Offices at 217-764-3200!

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Bettenhausen Has Pivotal Role in USAC Title Chase
By Jay Hardin
Track Enterprises


The chase for the 2022 USAC Silver Crown national championship became significantly more interesting after the September 24 Four Crown 50 at Eldora and puts the October 15 Bettenhausen 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in position to be the “tie breaker” at the top. The Bettenhausen 100 is the next to last race on the 2022 series schedule.


On its original date in August, six time national champ Kody Swanson held a 63 point lead over Logan Seavey and a 71 point margin over C.J. Leary. The Bettenhausen 100 was postponed by rain, maintaining the standings going into the Ted Horn 100 at DuQuoin. The Ted Horn 100 was a wild event plagued by rain and attrition. Seavey won while Swanson fought tire issues and soldiered to third, a lap down. Seavey gained 6 points on Swanson, while Leary dropped to 83 back. Swanson’s seventh title appeared to be in sight with just three events remaining.


The opening lap of the Four Crown 50 produced a shocker. Swanson, who normally does not drop out of big car events, got together with Carmen Perigo and slid into the turn one wall. A broken front end ended Swanson’s night, while Seavey won, Leary was second and 2020 national champ Justin Grant third.


Swanson and Seavey are tied atop the standings with 540 each, Leary is third just 29 behind and Grant still mathematically in the race 108 markers behind. As the Bettenhausen is not usually held this late in the Silver Crown season, it has the unique position of taking on a “tie breaker” stance heading into the last race of the season. With just over 70 potential points available at Springfield and the final race at Lucas Oil Raceway Park, none of the title contenders can afford a miscue or misstep.


Swanson has the most experience of any of the top 4, his 37 series wins would tie him for seventh with Sebastien Bourdais for overall victories in championship style machinery. A seventh title in championship style cars would place him one behind A.J. Foyt, the winner of seven USAC national championships and one Dirt Track Division (Silver) crown for a total of 8 in champ cars. Seavey is one of the new generation of series stars, he gained his first 100-mile win at DuQuoin by driving a smart and calculated race, then dueled with Leary at Eldora to a repeat win in the 50 lapper. Seavey also joined Jimmy Bryan and A.J. Foyt as the only driver to win at DuQuoin in a champ car and stock car. Leary has run at the front on the existing dirt miles yet always seems to have victory elude his grasp. He was leading with seven to go at DuQuoin when the driveline gave way. Grant won the 2017 Bettenhausen 100 and took the season opener at Terre Haute. Swanson has three Bettenhausen wins including last year and has led 178 laps on the Springfield Mile.


Two drivers have never come into a Springfield event this late in the season tied for a national championship, dating back to the first event in August of 1934. Fans are likely to have a barn burner event as those chasing a national title mingle among those chasing a big car win on the Springfield Mile. The first step is making the show, and that begins with Pro Source qualifying at 12:15 on October 15, followed by a last chance race (if necessary) and then the Bettenhausen 100.


Tickets are available through Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200 or can be purchased at the Illinois State Fair box office on race day.

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🏁Just 2 weeks away from the 59th running of the Bettenhausen 100 Presented by Hunt Brother!

Below is your complete schedule of events for next Saturday, October 15th!

8:00 AM Pits & Registration
9:00 AM Infield Spectator Gates Open
10:00 AM Ticket Office & Grandstands
11:00 AM-12:10 PM Silver Crown Practice
12:15 PM Silver Crown Qualifying
....Silver Crown B-Main
....USAC Silver Crown 59th Running Of The Bettenhausen 100 Presented by Hunt Brothers Pizza
(Feature race expected to take the green shortly after 2:00 PM)

🎟Get your tickets now by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200 or get your tickets at the gate on Race Day!

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Last year's Bettenhausen 100 Champion, Kody Swanson, heads back the historic Mile to repeat at one of the greatest of the Silver Crown Schedule!

A whole host of other wheelmen stand in his way and we will all be in store for some incredible racing action next Saturday, October 15th!

Who is your pick to pick up the win for the Bettenhausen 100?

🎟Make sure to get your discounted advance tickets by calling the Track Enterprises offices at 217-764-3200🎟

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Rice Using Different Path to Follow Father’s Footsteps
All Set For Bettenhausen 100 October 15
By Jay Hardin
Track Enterprises

Robbie Rice’s dad, the late Larry Rice, was the first two-time USAC / USAC Silver Crown champion, won the Bettenhausen 100 and the Hoosier Hundred, and won the Four Crown 50 at Eldora. Larry Rice had an affinity for the big cars that he passed on to his son, however Robbie’s driving career didn’t have the same success as his dad, the 1978 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year and the 1973 USAC Midget champion. So Robbie followed a different path taking on ownership responsibilities. Robbie’s small team won the Silver Crown owner’s title in 2021 and is on the verge of a second crown in 2022.

Rice chose an up and coming driver named Logan Seavey for 2020, and the combination clicked, as Seavey displayed some of the same qualities behind the wheel as Larry Rice had. The team was slated to run only the dirt and contested three events in 2020 displaying an ability to start and run up front. For 2021 Rice/Seavey planned to run only the dirt but a pavement car came into the picture allowing a full schedule run. Seavey won twice on half mile tracks including Eldora, and finished second on both dirt miles bringing the owner’s championship to Rice’s team.

This season Seavey and Rice have been a threat to win at nearly every event. Top finishes and a win at Port Royal kept Seavey in the title hunt even when six-time champ Kody Swanson got on a roll, winning three straight point races. The Ted Horn 100 run by Seavey would have made the late Larry Rice very proud, as others ran full bore on the Magic Mile Seavey ran his own pace watching as contender after contender dropped out with fuel or mechanical issues. When the 100 miles were over it was Seavey in victory lane, the first 1-mile 100 mile triumph for the team.

Swanson had a substantial point lead headed to Eldora for the Four Crown, but an opening lap shunt opened the door for a stirring title fight. Seavey walked through the door winning the 50 lapper and tying Swanson for the driver’s championship, while Rice and Doran-Dyson now tied for the owner’s title as well.

The 59th Annual Bettenhausen 100 is the next stage for this heavyweight title fight, on Saturday October 15. It is the next to last event on the schedule, the next to last opportunity for a title contender to position themselves for the USAC Silver Crown. Kody Swanson has three wins at Springfield, with 11 of his record 37 series wins coming on the mile dirt tracks. Seavey has two mile dirt track wins, one in an ARCA stock car and the 2022 Ted Horn 100 in the dirt car. Seavey also has Robbie Rice in his corner, who watched as his dad stayed with the line that worked for his Dave LeFevre machine and motored to his lone Bettenhausen win in August of 1977. While everyone else, including Sheldon Kinser, grasped for bite around Springfield’s thin cushion, Rice refused to move off
the rail despite being signaled to move up. He said later “I’d been blowing them away for 80 laps down there and I wasn’t going to change.”

It was a young Robbie Rice who watched his dad start on the pole and fend off a hard charging Rich Vogler and three-wheeling Gary Bettenhausen to win the 1981 Hoosier Hundred. It was yet another example of the philosophy, to finish first you first must finish. It was a quality Seavey displayed at DuQuoin.

Two drivers, two teams tied for a championship. One driver, a six time champ with 37 wins, the other a third year driver hungry for his first championship. Plus for owner Robbie Rice, the chance to tie his father with two Silver Crown championships and the first for a driver of his machine. Someone once said that 100-mile championship racing was akin to playing chess. Two of the best chess players in the series face off at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on October 15. The Bettenhausen 100 presented by Hunt Brothers Pizza on October 15 is likely to be a barnburner of a chess match.

The first leg of the championship battle starts with Pro Source qualifying at 12:15 on October 15, followed by a last chance race (if necessary) and then the Bettenhausen 100. Tickets are available through Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200 or can be purchased at the Illinois State Fair box office on race day. Infield tickets and pit passes will also be available on race day.

For detailed information, visit www.trackenterprises.com

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ENTRY LIST: 38 STRONG FOR USAC SILVER CROWN’S BETTENHAUSEN 100 SATURDAY IN SPRINGFIELD

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Springfield, Illinois (October 11, 2022)………Thirty-eight (38) USAC Silver Crown cars and drivers are set to square off for a historic battle this Saturday, October 15, during the 59th running of the Bettenhausen 100 Presented By Hunt Brothers Pizza at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

Four past Bettenhausen 100 winners are in this year’s field, led by four-time victor Brian Tyler (Parma, Mich.), three-time and defending race winner Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.) as well as one-time winners Russ Gamester (Peru, Ind.) and Justin Grant (Ione, Calif.).

Nine Illinoisans will be vying for one of 30 starting positions in the 100-lap, 100-mile event on the historic Springfield mile dirt oval. Shane (not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)(not a nice word)rum (Benton, Ill.), Shane Cottle (Kansas, Ill.) and Chris Urish (Elkhart, Ill.) have all been victorious with the Silver Crown series on the Du Quoin mile in southern Illinois but are seeking their first at Springfield. They are joined by fellow Land of Lincolners Mario Clouser (Auburn, Ill.), Patrick Lawson (Edwardsville, (Ill.), Cary Oliver (Buncombe, Ill.), Steven Russell (Rochester, Ill.), Patrick Bruns (Champaign, Ill.) and Korey Weyant (Springfield, Ill.).

Four past Bettenhausen 100 pole winners are in the lineup, including Swanson (2014-15-21), Gamester (1997-98), Tyler (2012) and Grant (2020).

USAC national champions Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) and Swanson are involved in a dogfight atop the championship standings heading into the final dirt race of the year in the standings. Seavey has won the past three dirt races in the series and is tied atop the title race with Swanson. Two races remain on the schedule with Springfield on Saturday and at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park’s pavement oval on Saturday, October 22.

Fellow USAC national titlist C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Ind.) looks for his dirt mile win this weekend while reigning USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National champion and current point leader Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, Calif.) will be making his maiden voyage at the Bettenhausen 100 this Saturday.

Anthony Macri (Dillsburg, Pa.) will make his USAC Silver Crown debut with the same Chris Dyson Racing team that has captured the past two Springfield Silver Crown races with Kyle Larson (2020) and Kody Swanson (2021). Macri is fresh off his first two career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car victories last weekend at Port Royal (Pa.) Speedway.

On Saturday in Springfield, pits and registration open at 8am Central with the infield spectator gates opening at 9am, the ticket office and grandstands opening at 10am, the drivers meeting at 10:30am, practice from 11am-12:10pm, Fatheadz Eyewear Qualifying at 12:15pm, followed by the qualifying race, pre-race ceremonies and the 100-lap main event.

Tickets will be available on race day or by calling the State Fair office at 217-782-6661. Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200.

Advance tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children 11 and under. At the gate on race day, adults are $30 and $10 for children 11 and under. Infield tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children 11 and under. Pit passes are $35 for USAC members and $40 for non-members.

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Russ Gamester is the most experienced #Bettenhausen100 driver in this Saturday’s USAC Silver Crown field.

The 1998 race winner ranks 3rd all-time with 25 starts in the race dating back to 1989 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

4-time winner Brian Tyler also ranks inside the top-10 in starts with 17 & plans to add another on Saturday.

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