“He’s back”!  That simple phrase would be selling short the story of Springfield, Illinois race driver Kelly Kovski.  Kovski’s racing career, put on hold last February due to injuries from an accident, has re-started and according to the Automobile Racing Club of America today, the Springfield pilot will return to the ARCA series this Sunday in the Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds.  Kovski is a man with two victories on the Springfield mile as part of a crew and he will be undoubtedly one of the most popular drivers in the field.

Kelly Kovski’s career in auto racing has been both as a driver and a crew member/crew chief.  He’s been the crew chief for Mike Allgaier’s ARCA racing team for over a decade helping Mike’s son Justin to a wildly popular victory in the 2006 Allen Crowe 100 at Springfield.  Kovski put ARCA champion Grant Enfinger behind the wheel of his own Allgaier ARCA car last year and all Enfinger did was start second and score another popular victory in the Allen Crowe 100 for the home town team.

As a driver, Kovski’s driven modifieds and stock cars at several local short tracks in central Illinois for well over ten seasons.  He made his first ARCA start on the dirt at Springfield in August of 2005 and finished a respectable 14th completing all 100 miles.  The next year he finished 11th behind teammate Allgaier.  Since 2006 he has 7 top 10 finishes on his home fairground race track with the best a third in 2015.  In 12 starts he’s only failed to finish one race and completed an impressive 1214 out of a possible 1226 miles in that span.

Perhaps most impressive have been his drives from the back of the field.  In 2007 he started 29th and finished 6th.  When rain forced the field to be set by points in 2014 he drove from 27th to 6th at the end, and when rain came back in 2015 he went from 30th to the career best 3rd on the Springfield mile.

Kovski’s streak of 12 consecutive starts in the Allen Crowe 100 came to a sudden halt February of 2017, when he was struck in the pits of a Florida short track by a flipping sprint car.  Serious injuries forced him to remain in a Florida hospital until he was able to be transported closer to home.  Driving a race car was out of the question but by summer’s end Kovski was well enough to return to the Allgaier race shop and joined Enfinger in an emotional celebration in victory lane last year.  Simply returning to run in the Illinois State Fair stock car race for the partisan crowd is a significant step, Kovski winning the Crowe 100 as a driver could set off a celebration that would top Allgaier’s in 2006!

ARCA practice begins at 9:00, ARCA qualifying at 11:00, Sportsman feature at 12:00 noon, an ARCA autograph session at 12:15, and the Allen Crowe Memorial 100 will take the green at 1:35.  It's all part of the State Fair race weekend which will have the USAC Silver Crown Series on Saturday afternoon as well as racing at Lincoln Speedway on Friday night and Macon Speedway on Saturday evening.

Track Enterprises PR

Each year the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program along with its competition arm, Rev Racing, seeks to obtain the highest quality of applicants representing diverse backgrounds and develop them into successful NASCAR drivers. This selection process begins with the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Combine. Drivers will have the opportunity to submit a digital application on RevRacing.net, highlighting racing experience, references and historical success. Ethnically diverse and female drivers have until September 7, 2018 to be considered for the 2019 NASCAR Drive for Diversity program. Youth program participants, ages 12-17, are required to apply by October 30, 2018.
 
Applicants must meet the following requirements:

• Be a female or member of one or more of the following ethnic minority classifications:
American Indian, Alaskan Native or of native/indigenous descent; Asian or Pacific Islander;
Black or African-American; Latino or Hispanic

• Be at least 15 years of age but no older than 26 years of age as of October 15th of the present year
 
• Be legally eligible to work in the United States. Drivers from foreign countries are welcome to apply, however, if the applicant is not already a U.S. Citizen or permanent resident alien, the applicant must be legally capable of traveling to the designated location in the United States to participate in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Combine. Applicants must also be able to obtain necessary authorization to accept employment in the United States if selected to participate in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.

NASCAR Drive for Diversity aligns its drivers with a team of executives, athletic trainers, crew chiefs and mentors helping them achieve professional success, and thus improving their likelihood of reaching one of the three NASCAR national series. Selected drivers will compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, NASCAR Whelen All-American Series or Bojangles’ Summer Shootout Series.

Rev Racing has continued to find success with its current drivers and alumni. In 2018, the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program made a major impact, seeing three of its graduates (Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez and Bubba Wallace) compete at the sport’s highest level in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Since the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program’s inception, Rev Racing has earned 17 wins, 85 top 5s, and 168 top 10 finishes in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, with drivers finishing in the top 10 in points every season. Current NASCAR Drive for Diversity driver Ruben Garcia Jr. made his first trip to victory lane at Memphis International Raceway in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in June.

To find more information about the 2018 NASCAR Drive for Diversity Combine or submit an application, please visit https://revracing.net/combine-application/. For additional information please email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Rev Racing PR

Ferris wheels, elephant ears and race cars will take center stage this weekend when the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards returns to the glorious Illinois Springfield State Fairgrounds dirt mile for the 56th running of the Allen Crowe 100 on Sunday, August 19.

Closing in on the final stretch of her first full season of ARCA competition, 21-year old Natalie Decker will fill the seat of her familiar No.25 N29 Capital Partners Toyota for her first ever start on Springfield’s historic dirt mile.

“This is one of the races I’ve been looking forward to all season long,” said Decker. “This is what makes the ARCA Series so cool. Going to Springfield is definitely exciting. I don’t have much experience on dirt but I look at it and prepare just like any other race. My goals are the same. I'm here to learn and get as much experience as I can."

Decker, who will become just the 10th female to compete in ARCA’s late summer dirt classic, will have plenty of help in her corner with the recent addition of crew chief Frank Kimmel calling the shots. Not surprising, Kimmel is the all-time series leader with 80-victories, also holds the series modern day record for ARCA wins on dirt with 14 – collecting eight checkered flags at Springfield. Kimmel made 503 starts during his decorated ARCA driving career.

“I’ll spend a lot of time reviewing film to prepare for Sunday’s race but I’ll also go to Frank (Kimmel) for some pointers. He’s been really good offering advice all season long. Even when he wasn’t crew chiefing for me he’s always been there helping me along. He’s had so much success driving at Springfield and on the dirt – I’m hoping to pick up on it fast and have a solid race."

The driver / crew chief combination of Decker and Kimmel debuted last month at Elko Speedway. Decker finished fifth.

Springfield will mark Decker's second start on dirt of her racing career. In 2016 she won driving a super stock truck event in her home state at Tomahawk Speedway.

The Eagle River, WI native is currently sixth in the ARCA driver point standings. In fifteen season starts she’s earned two top-5’s and five top-10 finishes. Decker made headlines winning the General Tire Pole and finishing a career high fifth during this year's season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Performing on racing’s biggest stage, she added her name to the record books becoming just the third woman in ARCA’s history and fourth in Daytona’s 59-year track history to start a race from the pole position.

ARCA, considered the most versatile and leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country, has run 357 dirt races since the series’ inception in 1953. Of Venturini Motorsports’ 48 series victories, the longtime series team has earned four wins on dirt, two each at Springfield and DuQuoin since 2010 – Steve Arpin (DuQuoin ’10), Brennan Poole (Springfield ’13), Kevin Swindell (Springfield ’14) and Tom Hessert (DuQuoin ’16).

Noteworthy, the best finishing position for a female driver in the Allen Crowe 100 goes to Taylor Ferns who was just 17 years old when she posted that ninth place finish in 2013 driving for Venturini Motorsports. Ferns also has the best starting position of any female driver in ARCA at the Illinois State Fair, starting fifth in 2013.

The Allen Crowe 100 is coming Sunday, August 19th. The grandstands will open at 8:30 AM, followed by practice at 9:00 AM, qualifying at 11:00 AM and an on-track autograph session scheduled for 12:15 PM. MAVTV will broadcast the race live starting at 1:30 PM. All times local.

VMS PR

A field of 40-plus USAC Silver Crown Champ Car drivers are expected to compete in this Saturday’s “Bettenhausen 100” at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield. 

From top-to-bottom, the list includes seven Silver Crown championships, 13 “Bettenhausen 100” victories and 97 total Silver Crown wins, with 15 states represented. 

One of those past race winners includes reigning “Bettenhausen 100” winner Justin Grant.  The Ione, California native led 79 laps and staved off a hard-charge by Kody Swanson in the final laps, including a green-white-checkered finish, to capture his first career Silver Crown victory.  In the process, he became the first driver to get his first series win at the Springfield Mile since fellow Californian Cole Whitt in 2009. 

Two-time “Bettenhausen 100” winner Kody Swanson arrives as the white-hot talent, one who’s been undefeated in Silver Crown competition since the beginning of May, earning a Silver Crown record five consecutive victories over that span.  Along the way, the Kingsburg, Calif. driver has constructed a 126-point lead over Grant in the standings.  His victory on the paved high banks of Indiana’s Salem Speedway last Saturday was the 24th of his Silver Crown career, breaking Jack Hewitt’s 30-year old record as the winningest Silver Crown driver of all-time. 

Brian Tyler owns four “Bettenhausen 100” wins.  In last year’s race, the Pleasant Garden, N.C. driver shot to the front in a hurry and led 21 laps through the middle portion of the race before a gear issue halted his spectacular ride.  In the last mile dirt race at the “Hoosier Hundred” on the Indy Mile, Tyler led 27 laps, and was leading, before a massive accident in turn one ended their night. 

Lincoln, Indiana’s Dave Darland, a three-time winner on the Springfield Mile, has teamed up with Illinois car owner Gene Kazmark to compete in the “Bettenhausen 100.”  Darland leads all drivers in series history with 198 career starts entering the event and has made five starts in 2018 with a best finish of 9th in May’s “Hoosier Hundred” at the Indiana State Fairgrounds after charging from the 28th starting spot.

Peru, Indiana’s Russ Gamester, the 1998 victor, aims to make his 25th “Bettenhausen 100” start.  The 1989 USAC National Midget champ owns victories in all three USAC national divisions throughout his decorated racing career as he guns for Springfield win number two in the familiar red No. 51. 

A.J. Fike is a familiar face in Illinois State Fairgrounds’ victory lane, earning back-to-back Silver Crown victories in 2012 and 2013 as well as an ARCA Stock Car triumph in 2015.  The Galesburg, Illinois driver makes his return to Springfield behind the wheel of Dave and Dennis McQuinn’s No. 41 alongside teammate and 1982 Silver Crown champ Ken Schrader of Fenton, Missouri, who’s among five past Silver Crown titlists in the field, including Dave Darland (1997), 2017 pole sitter Jerry Coons, Jr. of Tucson, Ariz. (2008), Swanson (2014-15-17) and Chris Windom of Canton, Ill. (2016).  Two-time USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champion Brady Bacon is looking for Silver Crown victory number one. 

Drivers who’ve broken into victory lane in year’s past, but are seeking to get their first triumph at Springfield include C.J. Leary of Greenfield, Ind., who will debut Mickey Meyer’s new hand-lettered No. 10.  Germantown, Tennessee’s Jeff Swindell charged from 28th to 3rd last year at Springfield will be joined by David Byrne (Shullsburg, Wisc.), Shane Cottle (Kansas, Ill.) and Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, Ind.). 

Windom and Fike are among the nine Illini entered to run along with two-time Du Quoin Silver Crown winner Shane Cockrum (Benton), one-time Du Quoin winner Shane Cottle (Kansas), Patrick Lawson (Edwardsville), J.C. Bland (Springfield), Joey Moughan (Springfield), Terry Babb (Decatur), Chris Urish (Elkhart) and Korey Weyant (Springfield). 

Weyant is one of 11 series Rookies entered, along with leading series Rookie Travis Welpott (Pendleton, Ind.), Kevin Thomas, Jr. (Cullman, Ala.) Neil Shepherd (Warsaw, Ind), Kyle Robbins (New Castle, Ind.), Johnny Petrozelle (Denton, N.C.), Chris Dyson (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.), Keith Burch (Farmington, MO), Dave Berkheimer (Mechanicsburg, Pa.), Austin Mundie (Dallas, Texas) and Mike Haggenbottom (Levittown, Pa.). 

The Rookie crop is complemented by a competitive group of veterans racing into Springfield such as Jacob Wilson (Crawfordsville, Ind.), Joe Liguori (Tampa, Fla.), Austin Nemire (Sylvania, Ohio), Jackie Burke (Houston, Texas), Matt Goodnight (Winchester, Ind.), Steve Buckwalter (Royersford, Pa.), Casey Shuman (Tempe, Ariz.), Bill Rose (Plainfield, Ind.), Chris Fetter (Troy, Mo.) and Danny Long (Bonne Terre, Mo.). 

On Saturday, registration and pits will open at 7am, grandstands and ticket office at 9pm, Silver Crown practice at 10am, two-lap qualifying at 11:30am, Sportsman hot laps at noon, Silver Crown semi at 12:30pm, Sportsman heats at 1pm and the “Bettenhausen 100” at 2pm. 

Advanced adult tickets are $25.  Day of Race Adult 12 and older tickets are $30.  Children 11 and under are $10.  Pit passes are $35.  Children pit passes (11 and under) are $20.  Infield tickets for adults are $20.00.  Children 6-11 are $5.  Children under 5 are FREE! 

Track Enterprises PR