By Richie Murray
Du Quoin, Illinois (March 5, 2019)………The final entry lists have been set for Saturday’s “Shamrock Classic” with 58 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget and 48 Micro Sprint drivers set to go at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Ill. on March 9.
The midget field includes two past “Shamrock Classic” winners in Justin Grant (2017) and Logan Seavey (2018). Seavey used the victory to springboard him toward a USAC National Midget championship a year ago and is one of three past series champs in the lineup along with Jerry Coons, Jr. and Dave Darland.
Those four are among the 13 past USAC National Midget feature winners entered for the race, alongside Michael Pickens, Kevin Thomas, Jr., Zach Daum, Tyler Courtney, Billy Wease, Brady Bacon, Zeb Wise, Chad Boat and Tyler Thomas.
Thomas Meseraull won the most recent USAC Midget action at Du Quoin last December in a special event, but is looking for the first series points-paying win of his career and become the first driver to win multiple USAC feature events at the indoor, 1/6-mile dirt oval. Meseraull owns nine career USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car victories, though, and along with sprint car standouts Chris Windom and C.J. Leary, is aiming to grab a first career USAC National Midget points win.
Fourteen states and two countries are represented on the entry list with the home state of Illinois leading the way at 13 drivers, followed by Indiana (11), Oklahoma (7), California & North Carolina (5), Arizona & Missouri (3), Arkansas, Kansas & Pennsylvania (2) and Alabama, Florida, Ohio & Tennessee (1) with the lone international representation coming from New Zealand’s Pickens.
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 “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/.
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)