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.