BETTENHAUSEN 100 FIRES OFF SUNDAY AT SPRINGFIELD

By: Richie Murray – USAC Media

Springfield, Illinois (October 15, 2020)………The Illinois State Fairgrounds will stake its claim to a pair of firsts this Sunday afternoon, October 18 – the venerable one-mile dirt oval’s first time as the host of a USAC Silver Crown event in the month of October, and its first time hosting the championship deciding race, the 2020 season finale.

Sunday’s 57^th running of the Bettenhausen 100 presented by Fatheadz Eyewear honors the memory of the famed racing family from Tinley Park, Ill., and features an all-star cast of competitors set for 100 laps on a track that has hosted automobile racing for more than a century.

The cast includes the likes of past Bettenhausen 100 winners and Silver Crown champions Kody Swanson and Chris Windom, plus a 41-time race winner in 2020 named Kyle Larson, Knoxville Nationals winner David Gravel, six-time All Star champion Chad Kemenah, and even a tight championship race coming down to the wire, led by 2017 Bettenhausen winner Justin Grant, just to name a few.

Grant (Ione, Calif.) is in the driver’s seat with a 22-point lead entering Sunday as he pursues his first career USAC national championship.  A veteran of three starts at Springfield, Grant won the Bettenhausen 100 in 2017 and is the lone driver to finish inside the top-three in each of the last two Bettenhausen 100 races, also recording a 3^rd place result in 2018.

Another California-bred driver who’s a veteran of victory lane at Springfield is Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, Calif.), second in the series standings behind Grant.  Swanson won the Bettenhausen 100 in 2014-15, and in nine starts, has also finished 2^nd in 2017, 7^th in 2013, 8^th in 2011 and 9^th in 2008.  His 162 laps led at Springfield leads all active drivers and is 16^th all-time.  His Nolen Racing team captured the Bettenhausen 100 win with driver Chris Windom in 2018.

Kyle Robbins and Matt Goodnight each reside 32 points out of the lead, tied for 3^rd in the standings.  Robbins (New Castle, Ind.) finished a solid 6^th in his Rookie appearance at Springfield in 2018.  Meanwhile, Goodnight (Winchester, Ind.) made his Springfield Silver Crown debut in 2017, finishing 14^th.

Teammate to Goodnight is Chris Windom (Canton, Ill.), the most recent Bettenhausen 100 winner in 2018.  Windom, the 2016 Silver Crown driving champion, is 5^th in the standings, 33 points out of the lead.  Windom has also finished in the runner-up at Springfield in 2013, 5^th in 2014 and 10^th in both 2011 and 2015.

Shane Cottle (Kansas, Ill.) remains in championship contention, sixth in the points, 36 behind Grant, despite missing a race in this shortened, COVID-riddled 2020 campaign.  The Selinsgrove, Pa. season opening winning driver has an impressive Springfield resume, tallying a 3^rd in 2015, 5^th in 2007, 6^th in 2017 and 7^th in 2018.

Seventh in the standings, 48 back, is Aaron Pierce (Muncie, Ind.), who enters Springfield with 99 career Silver Crown starts.  Another start would put him in rarified air with only 18 others who’ve reached the century mark in series starts.  Just four of those 99 starts have come at Springfield since 2004, but he’s had a pair of top-ten finishes, a 7^th in both 2006 and 2017.

Mike Haggenbottom (Levittown, Pa.) is eight in the standings, 50 away from the number one spot.  Haggenbottom finished 12^th in his only previous Springfield experience in 2018.  Bryan Gossel (Fort Collins, Colo.), meanwhile, is one of eight Bettenhausen 100 Rookies entered for Sunday.  Gossel, a 4^th place finisher in his series debut at Selinsgrove in August, is the only Rookie driver involved in the title fight, 63 points behind, in 10^th.

Speaking of Bettenhausen 100 Rookies, this Sunday brings with it one of the most talented freshman classes to debut at Springfield.  Along with Gossel is David Gravel (Watertown, Conn.), a top-three finisher in World of Outlaws Sprint Car points between 2016-2019 and his 57 career wins ranks 16^th on WoO’s all-time list.

Race Rookie Logan Seavey (Sutter, Calif.) finished 3^rd in his first Silver Crown run on a dirt mile in August at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.  The 2018 USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National Champion’s mile dirt track experience has been exceptional at Springfield as well, albeit in ARCA Stock Car competition.  In 2018, he started 3^rd and finished 4^th, and in 2019, he won the pole and finished 4^th again at Springfield.

Kyle Cummins (Princeton, Ind.), a three-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car winner in 2020, will make his first go of it on the Springfield Mile.  Jake Swanson (Anaheim, Calif.), the 2017 USAC West Coast Sprint Car champ, likewise.  Swanson finished 6^th at the Indy Mile in August while Cummins took 9^th.

Six-time Ollie’s Bargain Outlet All Star Circuit of Champions titlist Chad Kemenah (Alvada, Ohio) will make his Springfield debut this Sunday.  On his side is crew chief and father-in-law Bob Hampshire, a four-time Bettenhausen 100 winning crew chief for Jack Hewitt in 1986-87 and Kody Swanson in 2014-15.

Ronnie Wuerdeman (Cincinnati, Ohio) and Jimmy Light (West Springfield, Pa.) will also make their first ventures to Springfield on Sunday while Dave Berkheimer (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) aims to make his first start after wall contact in practice in 2017 and missing the transfer in 2018 prevented him from cracking the starting field.

Kyle Larson (Elk Grove, Calif.), who’s been sensational on the dirt tracks this summer with 41 victories across various platforms, won the Hoosier Hundred in August after starting 22^nd.  Sunday marks Larson’s first Springfield Silver Crown appearance since a 4^th place finish in 2011.

Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) led 42 laps at the 2018 Bettenhausen 100 before finishing 2^nd.  Recently crowned three-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champion, Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.), finished 10^th at Springfield in his debut run at the track in 2014.

Shane Cockrum, Chris Urish and Jacob Wilson have all won Silver Crown events on the Du Quoin Mile in southern Illinois but are still hunting for their first on the central Illinois dirt mile of Springfield.  Cockrum (Benton, Ill.) won back-to-back at Du Quoin in 2014-15.  His Springfield record includes a 5^th in 2013 and an 8^th in 2015.

Urish (Elkhart, Ill.) won at Du Quoin in 2013, and is the most experienced driver in the field with 11 previous Bettenhausen 100 starts dating back to 2005, earning a best finish of 10^th at Springfield in 2012.

Wilson (Crawfordsville, Ind.) captured his Du Quoin score in 2019, the first win of his Silver Crown career.  Wilson, a two-time Little 500 Sprint Car winner at Anderson (Ind.) Speedway in 2013-14, grabbed a best finish of 4^th at Springfield in 2018.

Casey Shuman (Tempe, Ariz.) returns for his first Springfield Silver Crown appearance since 2017.  He finished 7^th in 2015 and will drive Sunday for car owner Patty Bateman, widow of driver Randy Bateman, a nine-time Bettenhausen 100 starter.  Casey is the son of Ron Shuman, a three-time top-five Silver Crown finisher at Springfield between 1982-83.

Shuman, along with Steven Russell (Springfield, Ill.), are among the two second-generation Bettenhausen 100 starters in Sunday’s lineup.  Russell’s last Silver Crown start came in 2015, while his best Springfield finish came in 2014 with a 14^th.  Steven’s father Jerry Russell made seven Springfield starts, finishing a best of 6^th in his 1984 debut.

Terry Babb of Decatur, Ill. has a Springfield Silver Crown resume that stretches further back than any other driver in Sunday’s field.  Babb made his first Bettenhausen 100 start in 1998, but his first appearance came in 1989.  His best finish among seven Springfield starts is a 13^th in 2002.  Meanwhile, 70-year-old Danny Long is the oldest driver in Sunday’s field.  He finished 28^th at Springfield back in 2015.

Among the Bettenhausen 100 veterans in the field are Du Quoin Modified winner Kyle Steffens of St. Louis, Mo. (13^th in 2005); NASCAR Truck Series vet Patrick Lawson of Edwardsville, Ill., (12^th in 2017); 1993 UMRA TQ Midget champion Travis Welpott of Pendleton, Ind. (17^th in 2018); and 10-time series starter Terry James of St. Louis, Mo. (18^th in 2015).

The event has been graced with the name of Bettenhausen since 1961, shortly after patriarch Tony Bettenhausen lost his life in a practice crash at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway three months prior.  Tony was the 1951 AAA and 1958 USAC National Champion and won thrice in a champ car at Springfield between 1947-51.

Tony’s son, Gary Bettenhausen, twice a USAC Silver Crown champ in 1980 and 1983, won the event initially named in his father’s memory 1978 and 1983.  Tony’s son, Merle Bettenhausen, twice finished inside the top-ten at Springfield in 1970-71 while Tony Bettenhausen Jr. made 103 IndyCar starts and 33 NASCAR Winston Cup starts in his career, including the Indianapolis 500 11 times.

Tickets are still available for fans wanting the opportunity to watch history in the making at an iconic venue.  Pit gates will open at 8am Central, grandstands and ticket office at 11am, practice at Noon, qualifying at 1:15pm, the last chance race at 2:15pm and the 57th running of the Bettenhausen 100 presented by Fatheadz Eyewear will take the green at 3pm.  All times listed are central.

To ensure a ticket, fans are encouraged to order online at www.trackenterprises.com or by calling the office at 217-764-3200.  Advance sale grandstand tickets are $25.  Grandstand tickets bought on raceday are $30.  Grandstand tickets for kids age 11 and under are $10.  Pit passes are $35 for USAC members and $40 for non-members.  Pit passes can be purchased on raceday or in advance at www.TracPass.com.

The Bettenhausen 100 can also be watched LIVE on FloRacing at https://bit.ly/3frPoW6.

USAC SILVER CROWN CHAMP CAR SERIES POINTS: 1-Justin Grant-199, 2-Kody Swanson-177, 3-Kyle Robbins-167, 4-Matt Goodnight-167, 5-Chris Windom-166, 6-Shane Cottle-163, 7-Aaron Pierce-151, 8-Mike Haggenbottom-149, 9-C.J. Leary-143, 10-Bryan Gossel-136.

2020 BETTENHAUSEN 100 ENTRY LIST:

06 BRYAN GOSSEL/Fort Collins, CO (Bryan Gossel)

07 JACOB WILSON/Crawfordsville, IN (Wilson Brothers Racing)

08 KYLE STEFFENS/St. Louis, MO (Kyle Steffens)

2 PATRICK LAWSON/Edwardsville, IL (Patrick Lawson)

6 BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK (Klatt Enterprises)

7 KYLE ROBBINS/New Castle, IN (KR Racing)

9 KEVIN THOMAS JR./Cullman, AL (Chris Dyson Racing)

10 JAKE SWANSON/Anaheim, CA (DMW Motorsports)

14 STEVEN RUSSELL/Springfield, IL (Dennis & Dave McQuinn)

15 CHAD KEMENAH/Alvada, OH (Hampshire-Kemenah Racing)

17 CHRIS WINDOM/Canton, IL (Goodnight Racing)

18 TRAVIS WELPOTT/Pendleton, IN (Welpott Racing)

19 KYLE LARSON/Elk Grove, CA (Sean Michael Motorsports)

20 KODY SWANSON/Kingsburg, CA (Nolen Racing)

21 DAVID GRAVEL/Watertown, CT (Mark Swanson Encore Team)

22 LOGAN SEAVEY/Sutter, CA (Prestige Worldwide Motorsports)

23 TERRY JAMES/St. Louis, MO (Todd Satterthwaite)

24 MIKE HAGGENBOTTOM/Levittown, PA (John Haggenbottom)

26 AARON PIERCE/Muncie, IN (Sam Pierce)

31 DAVE BERKHEIMER/Mechanicsburg, PA (Berkheimer Racing)

33 RONNIE WUERDEMAN/Cincinnati, OH (Ronnie Wuerdeman)

39 MATT GOODNIGHT/Winchester, IN (Goodnight Racing)

44 DANNY LONG/Bonne Terre, MO (Danny Long)

53 SHANE COCKRUM/Benton, IL (Five Three Motorsports)

55 CASEY SHUMAN/Tempe, AZ (Patty Bateman)

69 KYLE CUMMINS/Princeton, IN (Pink 69 Racing)

77 CHRIS URISH/Elkhart, IL (Chris Urish)

81 SHANE COTTLE/Kansas, IL (Curtis Williams)

88 TERRY BABB/Decatur, IL (Terry Babb)

91 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA (Hemelgarn Racing)

123 JIMMY LIGHT/West Springfield, PA (Two-Three Motorsports)

AAA / USAC CHAMP CAR WINNERS AT THE ILLINOIS STATE FAIRGROUNDS:

1934: Billy Winn

1935: Billy Winn

1936: Wilbur Shaw

1937: Mauri Rose

1938: Tony Willman

1939: Emil Andres

1940: Rex Mays

1947: Tony Bettenhausen

1948: Ted Horn & Myron Fohr

1949: Mel Hansen & Johnnie Parsons

1950: Paul Russo & Tony Bettenhausen

1951: Tony Bettenhausen

1952: Bill Schindler

1953: Rodger Ward & Sam Hanks

1954: Jimmy Davies

1955: Jimmy Bryan

1956: Jimmy Bryan

1957: Rodger Ward

1958: Johnny Thomson

1959: Len Sutton

1960: Jim Packard

1961: Jim Hurtubise

1962: Jim Hurtubise

1963: Rodger Ward

1964: A.J. Foyt

1965: A.J. Foyt

1966: Don Branson

1967: A.J. Foyt

1968: Roger McCluskey

1969: Mario Andretti

1970: Al Unser

1971: A.J. Foyt

1972: Al Unser

1973: Mario Andretti

1974: Mario Andretti

1975: Al Unser

1976: Tom Bigelow

1977: Larry Rice

1978: Gary Bettenhausen

1979: Bobby Olivero

1980: Pancho Carter

1981: George Snider

1982: Larry Dickson & Bobby Olivero

1983: Gary Bettenhausen

1984: Chuck Gurney

1985: Chuck Gurney

1986: Jack Hewitt

1987: Jack Hewitt

1988: Steve Chassey

1989: Chuck Gurney

1990: Chuck Gurney

1991: Chuck Gurney

1992: Jimmy Sills

1993: Jack Hewitt

1994: Chuck Gurney

1995: Kenny Irwin, Jr.

1996: Chuck Gurney

1997: Dave Darland

1998: Russ Gamester

1999: Dave Darland

2000: Jack Hewitt

2001: Paul White

2002: J.J. Yeley

2003: Dave Darland

2004: Brian Tyler

2005: Brian Tyler

2006: Tracy Hines

2007: Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

2008: Brian Tyler

2009: Cole Whitt

2011: Brian Tyler

2012: A.J. Fike

2013: A.J. Fike

2014: Kody Swanson

2015: Kody Swanson

2017: Justin Grant

2018: Chris Windom