2008illini

www.illiniracingseries.com
Tom Arthur, PR Director
Illini Racing Series (IRS)
(815)730-1960 days (815)485-4959 evenings
victrelane@comcast.net
photos courtesy of IRS Photos....click on picture to enlarge
2007 archives

Midget MAYnia Adds Illini Midgets to Fox Memorial at Slinger

Mokena, IL 3/26/08 Midget MAYnia Tour promoter Dan Thiel announced the addition
of the Illini Racing Series (IRS) Midgets to the May 17th Stan Fox Memorial at
Slinger Super Speedway. The event, presented by Mid States Equipment and
Kubota, will be highlighted by the USAC MOPAR Midget National Championship
Series, which is expected to include the NASCAR development teams of Tony
Stewart Chevy, Kasey Kahne MOPAR, Nine Racing Toyota, Klatt Racing Ford, plus
all the top USAC National Midget starts and cars.

The race will be the 17th season opener for the IRS cars, and their first ever
visit to the high banks of Slinger. The 2008 IRS schedule now features 12
races, with five on pavement at Slinger, Rockford, Grundy, and Hawkeye Downs,
and the rest at Angell Park and Bureau County Speedway.

The USAC cars are part of the Midget MAYnia Tour which will kick off on Friday
May 16th with “The Battle of the Bluffs” at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway in
West Salem, WI, stop at Slinger on Saturday, then finish up the three day
weekend series at Rockford Speedway on Sunday May 18th for “The Open Wheel
Rumble in Rockford”. On May 30th, “The 7th Annual Mid-State Equipment Sue Thiel
Memorial Classic” at Dodge County Fairgrounds in Beaver Dam, WI will rap up the
Midget MAYnia Tour for 2008.

For more information on the Midget MAYnia Tour, contact Dan Thiel at STM
Promotions, LLC at 930-319-0177. For more on the Illini Racing Series, visit
illiniracingseries.com

Illini Racing Series 2008 Schedule Fills in More Dates

Mokena, IL 2/26/08 The IRS (Illini Racing Series) has announced an additional four dates to the earlier published 2008 scheule for the original, and only true sportsman midget club. June 21st has been added to the visits to Bureau County Speedway in Princeton, IL.

The other three dates are all on pavement, visiting Grundy County Speedway, Hawkeye Downs and a return trip to Rockford Speedway. These dates are all part of the ASA (American Speed Asociation) Late Model North events at these tracks.

The Illini season will kick off on the high banked 1/4 mile Rockford Speedway on May 18th as part of the Dan Theil promoted MAYnia Series, a race card which is scheduled to feature the USAC National Midgets. The Illini Sportsman Midgets will headline the five classes on the programs run at Bureau County Speedway 3/8 mile dirt track, beginning on May 24th. The next night, the IRS Midgets join the ASA cars for an assault on the 1/3 mile pavement of Grundy County Speedway. Three totally different tracks, paved and dirt, all a part of what makes the 2008 Illini schedule one of the most diverse in all of motorsports.

June 7th and 21st the Illini head back to the Bureau County Speedway, before joining the Badger Midget Racing Association at Angell Park in Sun Prairie, WI on June 22nd. July 5th will be celebrated at Princeton, with a couple of weeks off before returning to Rockford Speedway with the ASA.

August finds the IRS on the road again, visiting three tracks in three states in the month. On the 2nd, the final trip to Bureau County, on the 10th it’s back to Sun Prairie, and on the 30th it’s off to the pavement at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Negotiations are still underway for two more dates, May 17th and August 31st. There will be a practice day and car show at Bureau County Speedway on April 12th, and Jennifer’s Garden will once again be the site of the Illini Racing Series banquet on November 15th. All dates are subject to change, but it looks like a great season.

The possibility of winning a new body and chassis kit from Zero Motorsports tops the list of contingency prizes up for grabs, from Rod End Supply, Saldana Racing Products, Jaz Products, Hinchman Racing Uniforms, Joe Gibbs Racing Oil, Guts Wear, and Ohlendorf Racing Supply.

More information and rules can be found at illiniracingseries.com.

Illini Racing Series at Bureau County Speedway Swap Meet

Princeton, IL 2/18/08 The Illini Racing Series will be taking part in the 2008 Bureau County Speedway Swap Meet this Saturday, February 23, 2008. Doors open at 8am at the Bureau County Fairgrounds Allen Building located at Rt 6 & 34; West Peru St. in Princeton, IL.

The IRS will have a race car on display to introduce the club and their racing to folks from the area.

Also at the Fairgrounds on February 23rd Ramer Race Promotions will host all drivers, owners, and crews to discuss the 2008 season. This meeting will be at 2pm. Illini competitors will attend to show their support.

Illini Racing Series Brings Midgets Back to Bureau County

Princeton, IL 2/5/08 Paul Ramer announced today that Ramer Race Promotions has reach an agreement to bring midget auto racing back to the Bureau County Speedway in Princeton, IL for the first time since 1992.

The Illini Racing Series will bring their touring group to the fairgrounds for the first time on April 12th for a practice session, with races planned for May 24th, June 7th, July 5th and August 2nd at the 3/8th mile, semi banked, shaped clay oval.

This is as American as apple pie, racing midgets at a county fairground dirt track, on a summer Saturday night, said one of the Illini club owners, LaVerne Spencer. He continued, It was the midgets that made auto racing popular in America, by bringing the races to where the fans are, as opposed to having to go to, say, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, or Chicago to see races?

Roy Caruthers won when the Midgets last raced at this track, the late Bob Meyers was 2nd, and Allen Gillis 3rd. Gillis is still an Illini competitor and his son Ben has made one start and will be one of the drivers competing for Rookie of the Year with the Illini Racing Series in 2008.

Going back to the 1970's, Dick Akins, Don Vogler and his son Rich Vogler, some of the biggest names of their day, have all won at Princeton with the now defunct United Auto Racing Association.

The Illini Racing Series will have a booth at the track's swap meet on February 23rd, and participate in the preseason race show at the Peru Mall to introduce themselves to the fans from the area.

Illini Racing Series announces two more ‘08 dates

Tulsa, OK 1/29/08 As announced at the Chili Bowl, the 2008 schedule for the legendary Angell Park Speedway in Sun Prairie, WI includes two visits by the Illini Racing Series, the original Sportsman Midget organization formed in 1992.

The touring group will make their first appearance on June 22nd to help celebrate Fan Appreciation Night and return on August 10th for the Summer Sizzle. Both nights will feature 30 lap A-Mains for the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association’s Sunday regulars, some of the best dirt trackers in the country.

Two Illini drivers with “Prairie” experience won the two events run in 2007. Beloit, Wisconsin’s David Budres, a Badger rookie, won with the #1 on the car’s first night on the track. Budres was able to hold off the hard charging Eddie Sauer for the win. The second 2007 race was won by Badger regular, Jason Dull, a crowd favorite. Dull’s win came after a great battle with veteran driver Allen Gillis.

2008 will mark another milestone for the Illini Racing Series. For the first time, the independent club will not be promoting any of their own races. “After the success we’ve had over the years, we’ve been contacted by more promoters than we have available race dates” said Illini Racing Series PR director, Tom Arthur. He went on to say “The most impressive thing is the trust this group has been built on, I mean, they even put their profit and loss statement on the table for all to see at our winter meeting”.

When asked about the support groups who raced with the Illini in 2007, Arthur said “we hope to see them at some of the shows we are signing, in fact it looks like we may see three of the clubs at as many as eight of our events in 2008. Plus, with two races at Angell Park, one at Rockford, and one or two yet to be announced, I wouldn’t be surprised to see some more older midgets come out of storage, just like they did last year. We’re looking great in two thousand and eight”.

Look for up to half a dozen more dates to be firmed up by the end of THIS week!

Illini Racing Series Looking Great for ‘08

Joliet, IL 1/27/08 The IRS (Illini Racing Series) released a tentative schedule to over 50 attendees at their winter meeting today, revealing a diverse mix of venues for the 17th season of competition for the club. 33 current and past car owners were among those on hand to make their plans for the upcoming season.

The season will get off to a fast start when the Illini midgets return to the high banks of Rockford Speedway as part of the “Open Wheel Rumble in Rockford” on May 18th. This is just one of four Midget MAYnia programs planned by SPM Promotions and Dan Theil. The Rockford show is slated to feature the return of USAC’s National Midget tour for the first time since 1979.

Other MAYnia events will take place on May 16th at LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway in West Salem, WI, May 17th at Springer Super Speedway in Slinger, WI, and at Dodge County Fairgrounds Speedway in Beaver Dam, WI.

Bob Shreffler was the last Illini Midget feature race winner in 2001. He joined Joe Knippel (2000). Scott Shilkuski (1999 and 1997), Sue Spencer (1998 and 1993), Johnny Parsons, III (1996 and 1995), and Frank Reiss in the history book.

Eight Illini races for 2008 are already booked, and negotiations are under way for an additional five dates, with an announcement expected soon.

The complete schedule will be available at www.illiniracingseries.com.

01-17-08

Illini Racing Series Winter Meeting Set

The 2008 Winter Meeting for all interested parties is set for Sunday, January 27th at 1 pm. This year’s meeting will be held in the Conference Room of the Best Western at 430 Enterprise, in Joliet (Shorewood), IL, located near the junction of I-55 and Rt. 52 (Jefferson St.), just south of Rt. 52 on the east frontage road.

A variety of topic will be covered, including the 2008 schedule release, new rules and technical updates, new sponsorship packages, and a question and answer session.

The Illini Racing Series is the founding organization of the cars known as Sportsman Midgets, a concept very similar to the “B” midgets dating back to the 1930’s to combat the ever increasing costs of midget racing. 2008 marks the 17th season for the group, which has run 224 races at 17 tracks in five states since 1992.

01-16-08

Tom Arthur, PR Director
Illini Racing Series (IRS)
(815)730-1960 days (815)485-4959 evenings
victrelane@comcast.net

Zero Motorsports has announced an extraordinary sponsorship program for the 2008 midget racing season. Working with Southern States Midget Association, Ozark Mountain Midget Series, and Illini Racing Series, this program will give racers from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border the opportunity to win a brand new Zero Motorsports chassis and body kit.

"I want to support people who just want to have fun racing, but at a reasonable cost to race" Zero Motorsports' president Johnny Murdock said in a recent phone interview. He continued "these three clubs are doing a good job of containing cost". The program will be open to all registered members of the three clubs. The winner of the chassis and body kit will be drawn at the end of the 2008 racing season. For every $50 purchase from Zero Motorsports, a racer will receive one chance at the grand prize.

Zero Motorsports is a proud dealer of Winters Performance Products, Keizer Aluminum Wheels, Fuel Safe Racing Cells, KSE Racing Products and the Auto Meter line of products from their new location at 11012 Lin Valle Dr., Suite C, St. Louis, MO 63123 and can be reached by phone at (314) 416-9376 (or 416-ZERO), by e-mail at johnny@0motorsports.com or visit them on the web at www.0motorsports.com.