59th Allen Crowe 100 IL State Fair ARCA Racing Series @IL State Fair Springfield Mile

The biggest Central Illinois race weekend of the year is coming up Friday-Sunday, August 20-22, 2021. It all begins with MOWA Sprint Cars at Lincoln Speedway on Friday, August 20 before heading to the Illinois State Fair on Saturday and Sunday afternoon for Silver Crown, ARCA, and Sportsman. In addition, don't forget about Macon Speedway with Jack Hewitt Night featuring the Camfield Memorial for POWRi Midgets on Saturday night. Full details below...

Illinois State Fair Racing
Friday-Saturday-Sunday, August 20-21-22

Illinois State Fairgrounds
Springfield, IL

Friday Night, August 20
Midwest Open Wheel Association MOWA Sprints + 5 Classes
Lincoln Speedway

Saturday, August 21
Illinois State Fair
USAC Racing Silver Crown Series
59th Annual Bettenhausen 100
+ 28th Annual Illinois Sportsman Nationals
DIRTcar Racing Sportsman Prelims

SATURDAY, AUGUST 21 SPRINGFIELD TIMES:
7:00 AM Pits & Registration
9:00 AM Ticket Office & Grandstands
9:30 AM Drivers Meetings
10:00-11:10 AM Silver Crown Practice
11:30 AM Silver Crown Qualifying
12:00 PM Sportsman Hotlaps
12:30 PM Silver Crown B-Main
1:00 PM Sportsman Heats
1:30 PM Pre-Race Ceremonies
2:00 PM USAC Silver Crown 59th Annual Bettenhausen 100

Saturday Night, August 21
POWRi Midgets/Micros + 3 Classes
Macon Speedway

Sunday, August 22
Illinois State Fair
ARCA Menards Series
59th Annual Allen Crowe Memorial 100 presented by Lucas Oil
+ 28th Annual Illinois Sportsman Nationals

SUNDAY, AUGUST 22 SPRINGFIELD TIMES:
6:30 AM Pits & Registration
8:30 AM Ticket Office & Grandstands
9:30 AM Drivers Meeting
10:00 AM ARCA Practice
11:00 AM Sportsman Practice
11:30 AM General Tire ARCA Pole Qualifying
12:00 PM 28th Annual Illinois Sportsman Nationals
12:15 PM Driver Autograph Session
1:15 PM ARCA Driver Introduction
1:30 PM National Anthem
1:35 PM 59th Annual Allen Crowe Memorial 100 presented by Lucas Oil

(*Don’t forget our two other local shows the same weekend, Lincoln Speedway Friday, August 20 and Macon Speedway Saturday night, August 21.)

SPRINGFIELD TICKET INFO:
Tickets will be available on raceday or by calling the State Fair office at 217-782-1979. Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200. Discount tickets for Sunday also available at Menards.

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

INFIELD TICKETS
$20 Adults
$5 Children 11 & Under

PIT PASSES
$40 Adults Each Day
$20 Children 11 & Under Each Day
$50 Two-Day Pit Pass

INFIELD PARKING
$5 For Those Parking On Infield With No Infield Or Pit Passes

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

Enjoy Illinois
Visit Springfield

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Clarifying the restrictions, etc when it comes to State Fair races August 21-22...


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The Facebook events for this race is https://www.facebook.com/events/429469255128275

Close Championship Battle Highlights Sunday ARCA Visit to Springfield
Teenagers to Battle for Crowe 100 and ARCA Championship August

By Jay Hardin
Track Enterprises Staff

Springfield, IL (August 16, 2021)-In 100 plus years of racing at the Illinois State Fair never has such a close stock car championship battle come to the last Sunday of the Illinois State Fair. Adding to the interest is the fact that two young men, who are not yet 20 years of age, are fighting for the 2021 ARCA Menard’s Series title. One is the grandson of a prominent NASCAR team owner, the other a Georgia native who drives for a team that hoisted a car owner’s championship in 2019.

At press time (prior to the August 20 event at Michigan) just 2 markers separated 18-year-old Ty Gibbs and 19-year-old Cory Heim in the ARCA championship chase. The August 22 Allen Crowe 100 at Springfield is the fifteenth event on the 2021 ARCA schedule. Just seven races remain on the 2021 ARCA schedule with five of those contested in the Midwest and two of them on the dirt miles of Springfield and DuQuoin.

Gibbs, the grandson of NFL Hall of Fame coach and NASCAR owner Joe Gibbs is in his third year of ARCA competition. He has thirteen wins and fifteen pole positions during that span with 2021 being the first full-time season in the ARCA series. In 2021, Gibbs has seven wins including Phoenix, Kansas, Charlotte, Mid-Ohio and Winchester. The Toyota driven by Gibbs and wrenched by Mark McFarland has been up front for 989 of the 1661 laps completed in 2021. Even at the tender age of eighteen, Gibbs is a veteran of the Springfield dirt. He started third and led 10 laps in 2019 before encountering problems and finishing 15th. Gibbs qualified second in 2020 but never led and finished 10th.

Heim is also in his third ARCA season and his first full-time ARCA run. Heim has five wins in 2021 including the season opener at Daytona and on the road course at Watkins Glen. Heim has led 318 laps in 2021 and has 13 top 10 finishes. The Georgia native ran a Ford for Chad Bryant in 2019, in 2020 he switched to the Venturini Motorsports team driving the Craftsman sponsored Toyota. Heim ran at Springfield for Bryant in 2019 and battled for the top slot early on with Ty Gibbs, Heim leading 11 laps and finishing 7th. Last year on the Illinois State Fair dirt Heim started and finished 8th after a late race accident ended his day.

In the 2021 season Gibbs and Heim have won all but two pole positions and all but one race to date. On August 22 the two teenagers look to continue their season dominance and championship battle in the 59th running of the Allen Crowe 100 on the Springfield Mile.

Practice begins at 10 a.m. on August 22 for the ARCA Menard’s Series, General Tire Pole Qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and the Allen Crowe 100 at 1:30. The August 22 race will be televised by MAVTV and streamed via TrackPass. Tickets are available by calling Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200, at the Illinois State Fair Box Office or by visiting your local, central Illinois Menard’s store.

The event is all part of a huge racing weekend in Central Illinois featuring Lincoln Speedway with MOWA Sprint Cars on Friday night, Silver Crown Saturday at the Springfield Mile, Jack Hewitt Night featuring POWRi Midgets at Macon Speedway Saturday night, and the ARCA Menards Series Sunday afternoon at the Springfield Mile.

Full information on the events can be found at www.trackenterprises.com.

Allgaier Returns to Springfield Mile to Contest Crowe 100
2006 Winner Substituting for Kelly Kovski

By Jay Hardin
Track Enterprises Staff

Springfield, IL (August 17, 2021)-The field for the 59th Allen Crowe 100 presented by Lucas Oil got very interesting with today’s announcement that 2006 winner and hometown driver Justin Allgaier will return to contest the ARCA Menards Series event on Sunday. After competing in the NASCAR Xfinity event at Michigan Speedway, Allgaier will make the trek to his hometown of Springfield, Illinois and substitute for another hometown driver, Kelly Kovski.

Allgaier has found a home in the Xfinity Series with Dale Earnhardt Junior’s Xfinity team, JR Motorsports. Allgaier has 16 wins, 6 poles and 207 top 10 finishes in 360 starts since 2009 in the Xfinity series. One of his biggest Xfinity wins came in 2018 when he led 41 laps to win the Xfinity race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The victory helped Allgaier secure the 2018 Xfinity Series Regular Season Championship.

Allgaier won the 2008 ARCA Menards Series championship on the strength of six victories. The ARCA title led to a ride at Penske Racing in the Xfinity Series. He was the 2009 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year and won his first Xfinity race in 2010. Allgaier’s most recent win in the Xfinity Series was the Steakhouse Elite 200 at Darlington earlier this year. He is currently fourth in Xfinity points with 2 wins in 2021. Allgaier finished second in the Xfinity championship last season. He also has 78 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Allgaier made his ARCA debut at the tender age of 16 on his hometown mile dirt track in the 2002 Allen Crowe 100 at Springfield. Already a veteran of UMP late models and midgets, he secured a ride with owner and friend Ken Schrader for the Crowe 100 and finished 17th. He finished 28th in 2003 and 7th in 2004. He also attempted the “Springfield Double” in 2004 but the championship dirt car he was assigned for the Saturday event failed to qualify for the Bettenhausen 100.

Allgaier raised the roof of the 78-year-old grandstand at Springfield in 2005 when he set a track record driving the ARCA car owned by his father Mike. The next year the grandstand nearly came down as Justin passed Bob Strait on the last lap to become the first Springfield driver to win a major auto race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in the (then) nearly 100-year history of such events. He was also the first central Illinois driver to capture the Crowe 100 and at the time the youngest winner of the event.

Allgaier finished 11th and 6th at Springfield in 2007 and 2008. In 7 stock car starts on the Springfield Mile he has 1 win, 1 pole, four top 10 finishes and a total of 9 laps led in competition.

Sunday, August 22, Justin Allgaier reunites with his car owner father, former car chief, and ARCA driver Kelly Kovski and adoring hometown fans as the 2006 winner of the Allen Crowe 100 returns to compete at Springfield, some 13 years after his last race on the mile.

Practice begins at 10 a.m. on August 22 for the ARCA Menards Series, General Tire Pole Qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and the Allen Crowe 100 at 1:30. The August 22 race will be televised by MAVTV and streamed via TrackPass. Tickets are available by calling Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200, at the Illinois State Fair Box Office or by visiting your local central Illinois Menard’s store for a $10 discount on Sunday tickets.

The event is all part of a huge racing weekend in Central Illinois featuring Lincoln Speedway with MOWA Sprint Cars on Friday night, Silver Crown Saturday at the Springfield Mile, Jack Hewitt Night featuring POWRi Midgets at Macon Speedway Saturday night, and the ARCA Menards Series Sunday afternoon at the Springfield Mile.

Full information on the events can be found at www.trackenterprises.com.

Unzicker Back to Defend Popular Crowe Victory Sunday in Springfield, IL

By Jay Hardin
Track Enterprises Staff
(Photo By Rich Corbett)

Springfield, IL (August 16, 2020)-If central Illinois didn’t need enough reasons to attend the Sunday stock car extravaganza at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, a really good reason comes in the form of the entry for the defending race winner. Ryan Unzicker Racing, of El Paso, Illinois is slated to make his 12th start on the Springfield Mile on August 22. The difference between 2021 and each previous start is that Unzicker is the defending winner of the annual Menard’s ARCA RACING SERIES Allen Crowe 100 presented by Lucas Oil .

Unzicker is a popular central Illinois driver and a past UMP national driving champion. He’s been paired with equally popular car owner Bill Hendren who has been part of a stock car entry in every Allen Crowe 100 since 1974. Ken Rowley, Bob Strait and even Ken Schrader have all been behind the wheel of a Hendren backed car at one point in time. While Hendren drivers had been able to capture pole positions and lead laps in stock car competition on the Illinois dirt, none were able to find victory lane.

Hendren was contemplating retirement but went ahead and put together a new car for a driver who first ran Springfield in 2003 and finished 6th after starting 20th. Unzicker and Hendren always seemed to be on the cusp of a win and four top 10 finishes from 2015-2019 at Springfield backed the possibility of victory.

In the 2020 pandemic altered ARCA season the Allen Crowe 100 was moved to an early October date and Du Quoin lost. It meant the central Illinois team would have only one shot at victory in front of the home fans and they made the most of the chance. Unzicker was strong in practice, qualified for the pole position and led a record 102 laps (of 103) beating rookie Hallie Deegan to the finish line after a wild overtime restart.

The victory celebration was wilder than the overtime restart. A partisan crowd (reduced by COVID restrictions) could still be heard cheering over the engines in the last two laps and the Hendren crew and army of fans celebrated wildly when the checkered flag fell over the blue and yellow machine. Unzicker pulled off the feat of doing a burnout on dirt in front of the south end of the grandstand which drew even more cheers. Unzicker became just the second driver from central Illinois to capture a Crowe 100 trophy, the first being hometown here Justin Allgaier in 2006. It was the first ever ARCA Racing Series for Unzicker and Hendren as well.

Ryan Unzicker will return to the Illinois State Fairgrounds with owner Bill Hendren and an army of fans for the traditional stock car race held on the last Sunday of the Illinois State Fair. Practice begins at 10 a.m. on August 22 for the ARCA Menard’s Series, General Tire Pole Qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and the Allen Crowe 100 at 1:30. The August 22 race will be televised by MAVTV and streamed via TrackPass. Tickets are available by calling Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200, at the Illinois State Fair Box Office or by visiting your local, central Illinois Menard’s store.

The event is all part of a huge racing weekend in Central Illinois featuring Lincoln Speedway with MOWA Sprint Cars on Friday night, Silver Crown Saturday at the Springfield Mile, Jack Hewitt Night featuring POWRi Midgets at Macon Speedway Saturday night, and the ARCA Menards Series Sunday afternoon at the Springfield Mile.

Full information on the events can be found at www.trackenterprises.com.

NFL Coach-NASCAR Owner’s Grandson Leads ARCA Contingent to Springfield
Eighteen-Year-Old Leads ARCA Menard’s Points

By Jay Hardin
Track Enterprises Staff

Springfield, IL (August 19, 2021)-When your grandfather is in the National Football League Hall of Fame for winning three Super Bowls and four NFC Championships, it might be easy to feel a bit overshadowed by that fame. When your NFL Hall of Fame grandfather starts a NASCAR Cup team in his post-NFL career and wins five NASCAR titles, the Daytona 500 and Brickyard 400, that shadow grows bigger. When your grandfather is inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, it would be easy to choose professions other than football or racing to escape the giant shadow.

But Ty Gibbs did choose to pursue his dream of becoming a topflight racing driver and with grandpa’s help is on the verge of adding an ARCA Menards Series title to the family’s five NASCAR Cup and two Xfinity titles. At press time, Gibbs held a slim two-point lead over his closest rival Cory Heim heading into Sunday’s 59th Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

All Ty Gibbs wanted to do when he was younger was race. It didn’t hurt that his grandfather had resources that could help him realize his dream. But his father and car owner Coy Gibbs has taken a measured approach to his son’s career and not rushed his son up the stock car ladder. In 2017 and 2018, Ty was given an opportunity to run short track late models in the CARS series and found modest success. In 2019 he ran selected events in the ARCA Menards Series at age 16 and scored two wins. In 2020 he ran a variety of ARCA Menards East, West, and National events. He won once in the East Series and six times in the National series. It looked as if he was ready to move up.

However, the Gibbs team and family decided not to push the young Gibbs along. He turned 18 during the ARCA Allen Crowe 100 at Springfield in 2020 and while that made him eligible to run the big speedways, the family decided to run Ty Gibbs for the 2021 ARCA crown. Gibbs appears to be laser focused on his drive for a title.

Gibbs has seven ARCA Menard’s victories in 2021, seven poles and has led nearly two-thirds of the laps in the 2021 season. Along the way, he made his NASCAR Xfinity debut on the Daytona road course and won in his first ever NASCAR event. He won two other Xfinity races along the way but remains committed to securing the ARCA title.

A win on the Illinois State fair dirt would help Gibbs in his drive for the ARCA Menard’s championship and add a dirt track victory to the driver’s and team’s resume. Gibbs has two previous starts on the Springfield Mile. In 2019 he started third and finished fifteenth while leading ten laps. Last year Gibbs started second and finished tenth completing 93 of the 103 miles.

If Ty Gibbs can continue his current success, it won’t be long before he joins grandpa in a Hall of Fame. Joining a Hall of Fame list of drivers who won the Allen Crowe 100 certainly couldn’t hurt his chances.

Practice begins at 10 a.m. on August 22 for the ARCA Menards Series, General Tire Pole Qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and the Allen Crowe 100 at 1:30. The August 22 race will be televised by MAVTV and streamed via TrackPass. Tickets are available by calling Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200, at the Illinois State Fair Box Office or by visiting your local central Illinois Menards store.

The event is all part of a huge racing weekend in Central Illinois featuring Lincoln Speedway with MOWA Sprint Cars on Friday night, Silver Crown Saturday at the Springfield Mile, Jack Hewitt Night featuring POWRi Midgets at Macon Speedway Saturday night, and the ARCA Menards Series Sunday afternoon at the Springfield Mile.

Full information on the events can be found at www.trackenterprises.com.

IT IS ALLEN CROWE 100 & SPORTSMAN NATIONALS RACE DAY AT THE SPRINGFIELD MILE!

Full bodied stock cars take center stage on the final day of the 2021 Illinois State Fair. The cars and stars of the Menards ARCA RACING SERIES take center stage. A TIGHT points battle sees the grandson of Joe Gibbs, Ty Gibbs, lead Corey Heim by only 2 points before the start of today's even, and both have limited dirt experience.

Drivers who do not lack that experience include defending race winner Ryan Unzicker, former winner and series champion, hometown favorite and current NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Justin Allgaier, Midget veteran Jesse Love, and Alex Clubb all are no strangers to playing in the dirt and will be ones to watch among this contingent of drivers with dirt experience to potentially beat the leading duo in the championship standings.

For the 28th Illinois Sportsman Nationals, defending race winner, now the oldest in Illinois State Fair motorsports history, Wes O'Dell, looks to add to his stellar record on the mile with a 7th event win. A pair of 5 time winners in Dennis Vandermeersch and Jeremy Nichols will have something to say and look to tie O'Dell in all time event wins.

Other drivers to keep an eye on in this event include 2 time race winner Ethan Schanpp, runner up a year ago Phil Moreland who seeks his first race win, and Ken Schrader who is also entering again this year, along with veteran Steve Adams, Rick Weitekamp, and the duo of Josh and Danny Sissom among others.

Come cap off the 2021 Illinois State Fair and one of the most exciting weekends of racing all season long in Central Illinois with great racing on the legendary Springfield Mile. For those who cannot be here the event will air live on MAVTV and Stream online on TrackPass. LET'S GO RACING! Full details below:

Sunday, August 22
Illinois State Fair
ARCA Menards Series
59th Annual Allen Crowe Memorial 100 presented by Lucas Oil
+ 28th Annual Illinois Sportsman Nationals

Full-bodied stock cars take center stage on the final day of the 2021 Illinois State Fair. The cars and stars of the
6:30 AM Pits & Registration
8:30 AM Ticket Office & Grandstands
9:30 AM Drivers Meeting
10:00 AM ARCA Practice
11:00 AM Sportsman Practice
11:30 AM General Tire ARCA Pole Qualifying
12:00 PM 28th Annual Illinois Sportsman Nationals
12:15 PM Driver Autograph Session
1:15 PM ARCA Driver Introduction
1:30 PM National Anthem
1:35 PM 59th Annual Allen Crowe Memorial 100 presented by Lucas Oil

SPRINGFIELD TICKET INFO:
Tickets will be available on raceday or by calling the State Fair office at 217-782-1979. Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200. Discount tickets for Sunday also available at Menards.

RESERVED SEATING
Advance Tickets (Presale)
$25 Adults Per Day
$10 Children 11 & Under Per Day

Day Of Tickets (At Gate)
$30 Adults Per Day
$10 Children 11 & Under Per Day

INFIELD TICKETS
$20 Adults
$5 Children 11 & Under

PIT PASSES
$40 Adults Each Day
$20 Children 11 & Under Each Day
$50 Two-Day Pit Pass

INFIELD PARKING
$5 For Those Parking On Infield With No Infield Or Pit Passes

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

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