ILLINOIS HOSTS “HUT HUNDRED” & “BELLEVILLE BASH”

A pair of Illinois events this weekend will impact the Honda USAC National Midget Series, with Friday’s “Hut Hundred” at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City and Saturday’s co-sanctioned POWRi “Belleville Bash” at the Belle Clair Speedway in Belleville.

Rico Abreu, who swept the recent “Kokomo Grand Prix,” leads teammate and defending Honda National Dirt Midget Champion Christopher Bell by 14 points entering the two races.

Friday’s “Hut Hundred” at Granite City begins a new tradition for the event which began in 1954 and has visited several venues through the years.

Brady Bacon, who just took over the point lead in the AMSOIL USAC National Sprit Car series this past weekend, is the most recent “Hut Hundred” winner, taking the 2012 race at Haubstadt, Ind. Last year’s Granite City debut for the race which sports a three-abreast 33-car field, was rained out.

Zach Daum, Bryan Clauson, Darren Hagen, Bobby East, Dave Darland and Tracy Hines, like Bacon, have all won the “Hut Hundred” in the past 15 years. Trey Marcham, who leads the 2014 Honda USAC Western Dirt Midget standings, is also expected to compete in Friday’s “Hut Hundred.”

Hagen and Clauson each scored victories at Belle Clair Speedway last year.