By Richie Murray
Du Quoin, Illinois (March 4, 2019)………Three more USAC National champs – Logan Seavey, Tyler Courtney and Chris Windom, have entered the fray for this Saturday’s Factory Canopies “Shamrock Classic” USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series race on March 9 at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, where the car count has exploded to close to 60 entries for the fourth annual event.
Seavey, the defending USAC National Midget champ from Sutter, Calif., returns as the reigning “Shamrock Classic” winner, which served as the first USAC win of his career. He leads a group of five from the Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian stable, including Tucker Klaasmeyer, Holley Hollan, Jesse Colwell and Tanner Carrick.
Courtney, the reigning USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champ, is also a USAC Midget victor on the indoor 1/6-mile dirt oval, winning the 2016 “Junior Knepper 55” special event. The Indianapolis, Ind. driver arrives as the point leader after capturing the first two races in February in Ocala, Fla.
Courtney’s Clauson Marshall Racing counterpart, Windom, aims to make his first “Shamrock Classic” start this Saturday. The Canton, Ill. driver has won twice on the adjacent Du Quoin State Fairgrounds mile in a Silver Crown car in 2016 and 2018. Last year’s third-place finisher Zeb Wise and series’ Rookie of the Year contender Andrew Layser make up the rest of the stout CMR lineup.
Justin Grant won the “Shamrock” back in 2017 for his first career series win and hopes to become the first driver to enter victory lane twice in USAC competition at the Southern Illinois Center for RAMS Racing. Chad Boat could be a prime candidate to score his first after finishing seventh a year ago en route to a runner-up finish in the standings for Tucker/Boat Motorsports. C.J. Leary kicked off his FMR Racing debut with a pair of top-fives in Ocala to begin 2019.
Billy Wease was victorious in the 2006 “Turkey Night Grand Prix,” while a little bit of international flavor arrives in Michael Pickens from New Zealand, who has raced to four career USAC National Midget wins. He’ll pilot the RMS LLC #1NZ, the same team which won last December’s Southern Illinois Center Midget race with driver Thomas Meseraull.
Also entered for the “Shamrock Classic” are one-third of the list of USAC Triple Crown title-holders who own championships in Silver Crown, AMSOIL National Sprint Car and National Midget competition have entered, including Dave Darland of Lincoln, Ind. in the RMS LLC No. 36 and Jerry Coons, Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. aboard the Petry Motorsports No. 25. Meanwhile, 2014 and 2016 USAC National Sprint Car titlist Brady Bacon will wheel the Kelly Hinck-owned No. 21H.
Among the other standouts and past USAC National feature winners entered for the “Shamrock” are 2014 USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year Kevin Thomas, Jr. of Cullman, Ala. in the Petry Motorsports No. 5. He finished in the runner-up spot in both his initial outings this season in Ocala, Fla. in February.
San Jose, California’s Meseraull is the most recent winner of indoor USAC Midget racing in Du Quoin, capturing the victory in last December’s “Junior Knepper 55,” driving the RMS LLC No. 7R, with whom he returns to for this race.
Last fall, Tyler Thomas became the first driver to win his first career USAC National Sprint and Midget races in the same season since Kyle Larson in 2011. He won that first midget race in Wayne City, Ill. last October and returns to Du Quoin in his own No. 91T.
Fast Lane Racing Apparel is sponsoring FREE race entry for all USAC NOS Energy Midget National Championship teams competing in the March 9 “Shamrock Classic” at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin.
By using coupon code FASTLANE in the box at the link: https://usacracing.ticketspice.com/2019-shamrock-classic-car-entry?fbclid=IwAR1xBSM-QaldijxzhMhFBLZDBuAOMjxDF9gEGbxHkYk4EJzPu6yJUmuUhwo, teams will be able to enter their midget for FREE until Monday, March 4 at 11pm (Central Time) when the offer expires. Pre-entries will be published on Tuesday, March 5.
The fourth annual event presents a hefty payday of $50,000 up for grabs when the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midgets compete in the 1/6-mile indoor dirt oval located in southern Illinois.
The Factory Canopies “Pot of Gold” Challenge will provide the top-four drivers in passing points throughout the night an opportunity to pad their wallets with a $50,000 bonus. Following the heats and qualifying races, if the top driver in passing points turns down the chance to go to the tail and go for $50K, the option will go on to the next driver and so on, but only the first four in passing points have that option.
The “Shamrock Classic” will offer appearance points only to drivers and their teams, no feature points. That means there’s really nothing to lose in the grand scheme in terms of a championship campaign. With a driver’s finishing position not being a part of the series title race, that creates more enticement for a team and driver to take on the challenge.
With it being the fourth annual event, the base winner’s share is $4000, meaning if a driver could complete the challenge and win from the tail, he or she would collect $54,000, which would be, by far, the richest take-home pay any driver has ever earned for a single race in the history of the USAC NOS Energy Midget National Championship.
Greg and Kim Stewart have been selling event merchandise for over 25 years at racing events across the country. They are proud to sponsor the entry fee portion of the 4th Annual “Shamrock Classic.” As part of their sponsorship, every team who enters will receive a 25% off coupon valid at any 2019 event where Fast Lane Racing Apparel is set up and selling merchandise. Your discount can also be used online at FastLaneRacingApparel.com. Fast Lane Racing Apparel will have a booth in Du Quoin where you can purchase your racing merchandise needs.
In addition to USAC National Midget entry fees and the aforementioned discount, every fan in attendance at the “Shamrock Classic” will receive a Fast Lane Racing Apparel coupon valid at every major event at Eldora Speedway, Knoxville Nationals, and Knoxville Late Model Nationals. Fans will receive this coupon upon entry to event.
On raceday, the Southern Illinois Center opens for parking at 8am (Central). Front doors/ticket window opens at 10am. Clear the building/check pit passes & tickets at 11am. Micro Sprint drivers meeting at 11am. Micro Sprint hot laps with heats immediately following at 12:30pm. Public midget drivers meeting (front stretch grandstand) at 3pm. Midget hot laps at 4pm. (All Times Central)
General admission tickets are $20 for age 13 and up. Children’s general admission tickets (Age 6-12) are $10. Kids 5 and under are free.
The race will be live-streamed on http://www.FloRacing.com/.
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USAC NOS ENERGY DRINK NATIONAL MIDGET ENTRY LIST:
08 Cannon McIntosh / Bixby, OK (Dave Mac Motorsports)
1 Karsyn Elledge / Mooresville, NC (Tucker/Boat Motorsports)
1NZ Michael Pickens / Auckland, NZ (RMS LLC)
1T Thomas Chandler / Festus, MO (Roney Racing)
2 Chris Baue / Indianapolis, IN (Chris Baue)
3N Jake Neuman / New Berlin, IL (Jim Neuman)
4A Justin Grant / Ione, CA (RAMS Racing)
4J Tim Crawley / Benton, AR (Tim Crawley)
5 Kevin Thomas, Jr. / Cullman, AL (Petry Motorsports)
5D Zach Daum / Pocahontas, IL (Daum Motorsports)
7 Cody Beard / Huntingburg, IN (Cody Beard)
7BC Tyler Courtney / Indianapolis, IN (Clauson Marshall Racing)
7R Thomas Meseraull / San Jose, CA (RMS LLC)
7T Adam Taylor / Dwight, IL (Taylor Motorsports)
8B Kimberly Bradach / Mooresville, NC (Bradach Racing)
8w Chad Wisnicky / Mooresville, NC (Bradach Racing)
9 Braydon Cromwell / Lone Jack, MO (Mounce Motorsports)
9JR Derek Hagar / Marion, AR (Hagar/Proctor Racing)
11 Daniel Robinson / Ewing, IL (Jack Harris)
11B Kaylee Bryson / Muskogee, OK (Dave Mac Motorsports)
11L Aaron Leffel / Springfield, OH (Team Taylor Racing)
11m Kendall Ruble / Vincennes, IN (Martin Racing)
12 Billy Wease / Noblesville, IN (Amanda Wease)
15 Cole Bodine / Rossville, IN (Petry Motorsports)
15m Shane Morgan / Morton, IL (Shane Morgan)
17 Justin Peck / Monrovia, IN (Bus Racing Team)
17BC Chris Windom / Canton, IL (Clauson Marshall Racing)
19 Garet Williamson / Columbia, MO (Mounce Motorsports)
19m Ethan Mitchell / Mooresville, NC (Bundy Built Motorsports)
21H Brady Bacon / Broken Arrow, OK (Kelly Hinck)
21KS Karter Sarff / Mason City, IL (Steve Reynolds Motorsports/Team Ripper Racing)
25 Jerry Coons, Jr. / Tucson, AZ (Petry Motorsports)
27 Tucker Klaasmeyer / Paola, KS (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
27z Zane Hendricks / Stillwater, OK (Zane Hendricks Racing)
35 Sterling Cling / Tempe, AZ (Petry Motorsports)
35T Tyler Robbins / Collinsville, IL (Tyler Robbins)
36 Dave Darland / Lincoln, IN (RMS LLC)
39BC Zeb Wise / Angola, IN (Clauson Marshall Racing)
41 Oliver Akard / Ft. Myers, FL (Dan & Shellie Akard)
41x Howard Moore / Memphis, TN (Chris Chappue)
47BC Andrew Layser / Collegeville, PA (Clauson Marshall Racing)
50 Tony DiMattia / Malvern, PA (Tony DiMattia Motorsports)
55 Nick Knepper / Belleville, IL (Nick Knepper)
55D Nick Drake / Mooresville, NC (Nick Drake)
56AP Colten Cottle / Kansas, IL (Travis Young)
67 Logan Seavey / Sutter, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
67F Kyle O’Gara / Beech Grove, IN (SFH Racing Development)
67K Holley Hollan / Broken Arrow, OK (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
71 Jesse Colwell / Red Bluff, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
71K Tanner Carrick / Lincoln, CA (Keith Kunz Motorsports/Curb-Agajanian)
76m C.J. Leary / Greenfield, IN (FMR Racing)
77w Joe Wirth / Waterloo, IL (Wirth Racing)
84 Chad Boat / Phoenix, AZ (Tucker/Boat Motorsports)
88 Tyler Nelson / Olathe, KS (Tyler Nelson)
88x Terry Babb / Decatur, IL (Terry Babb)
91T Tyler Thomas / Collinsville, OK (Tyler Thomas Motorsports)
95 Chris Andrews / Tulsa, OK (Jim Miller)
127 James Picardi / Mapleton, IL (James Picardi)