Racing is back at the Magic Mile at the DuQuoin State Fair Labor Day weekend, Saturday afternoon, August 31 and Sunday night, September 1. The stars of USAC, ARCA, and DIRTcar will be there. Details below...

Saturday-Sunday Aug 31-Sept 1
Du Quoin State Fair
Du Quoin , IL

Saturday, August 31
USAC Racing Silver Crown Series
70th Ted Horn 100
+ UMP Modifieds 30th Annual Bill Oldani Memorial Prelims

Sunday, September 1
ARCA Menards Series
71st Annual Southern Illinois 100
+ DIRTcar Racing Modified 30th Annual Bill Oldani $2,000 To Win Feature

SATURDAY, AUGUST 31 DU QUOIN TIMES:
7:00 AM Pits & Registration
9:00 AM Ticket Office & Grandstands
10:00-11:10 AM USAC Practice
11:30 AM USAC Silver Crown Qualifying
12:15 PM Modified Hotlaps/Qualifying
12:30 PM USAC Silver Crown Last Chance
1:00 PM UMP Modified Heats
2:00 PM USAC Silver Crown Ted Horn 100

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 DU QUOIN TIMES:
11:00 AM Pits & Registration
3:00 PM Ticket Office & Grandstands
3:15 PM ARCA Drivers Meeting
4:30-5:00 PM ARCA Practice
5:15-5:30 PM Modified Practice
6:00 PM ARCA General Tire Pole Qualifying
6:30 PM UMP Modified 30th Bill Oldani Memorial Feature
7:45 PM Pre-Race Ceremonies
8:11 PM ARCA Menards Series Southern Illinois 100

DU QUOIN TICKET INFO:
Tickets will be available on raceday or by calling the Du Quoin Fair office at 618-542-1535. Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200.

RESERVED SEATING
Advance Tickets (Presale)
$25 Adults Per Day
$10 Children 11 & Under Per Day
Day Of Tickets (At Gate)
$30 Adults Per Day
$10 Children 11 & Under Per Day

PIT PASSES
$40 Adults Each Day
$20 Children 11 & Under Each Day
$50 Two-Day Pit Pass

More Information:

For more information, contact Track Enterprises​ by calling the office at 217-764-3200 or by visiting their website at www.trackenterprises.com

Follow Track Enterprises online at https://www.trackenterprises.com/, like them on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/TrackEnterprises), and follow them on Twitter (@TEIRacing)

Follow USAC online at www.usacracing.com, like them on Facebook (http://usacracing.com/), and follow them on Twitter (@USACNation)

Follow ARCA online at www.arcaracing.com, like them on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/ARCARACING)

Bateman’s Long Relationship with Big Cars Ending

By Jay Hardin Track Enterprises

(DuQuoin, IL) The Bateman Racing Team, out of Murphysboro, Illinois, has had a love affair with the big cars of USAC’s Silver Crown Championship Series that goes back over forty years. As all good things must come to an end, so must the relationship the team has with championship dirt car racing. Team principal Patty Bateman announced at Springfield this would be the last season for the team with the Ted Horn 100 at DuQuoin likely the last event for the familiar number 55.

Randy Bateman worked as a pipefitter and built and repaired race cars when he wasn’t driving them. Midgets and sprint cars were part of his stable for some time but he is perhaps best known for piloting one of the long wheelbase, big tail championship machines usually confining his activities to the three dirt miles of the time, Indianapolis, Springfield and the one closest to home, DuQuoin’s Magic Mile.

The first attempt at DuQuoin came in September of 1982. Randy qualified 51st out of 56 entries and wasn’t able to gain entry through the qualifying race. On September 5, 1983 one of the mighty uprights rolled onto DuQuoin’s Magic Mile carrying Murphysboro’s Randy Bateman. He qualified 34th out of 48 cars that day, relegated to one of the two “last chance” races. He finished third ahead of stalwarts such as Billy Vukovich and Joe Saldana, both of whom started in the Indy 500. Bateman made the 1983 Ted Horn 100 starting 25th a considerable accomplishment for a rookie driver. The storybook ending was not to be, however as a faulty clutch sidelined the car after 21 miles. Bateman finished exactly where he started, in 25th.

Bateman’s appearances at the other mile tracks were limited by funding and work. He was a twelve-time starter in the Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds, finishing ninth in 2002. He also made twelve starts in the Bettenhausen 100 with a best finish of 17th. Resources were generally geared toward making the show at DuQuoin. And make the show he did. A total of sixteen starts before the home crowd and an outside front row qualification run in 2008 which brought the house down. Perhaps fittingly his best finish came in his last start, 13th in 2014.

The effects of ALS took Randy out of the cockpit as wife Patty and brother Mark continued the racing team. Randy would attend when he could and watched as Brian Tyler took his car to third in the 2015 Hoosier Hundred. Sadly, the effects of ALS took its toll and Randy passed away in January of 2017.

Patty and Mark soldiered on, hiring Casey Shuman who gave the car several good runs and finally settling on 2008 USAC Silver Crown champ Jerry Coons Jr. Jerry has managed a couple of top 5 finishes at Springfield (including 4th on August 17) and a couple of top ten finishes (6th in 2023) on the Magic Mile.

In her spare time Patty Bateman has managed to raise championship show dogs including one named “Indy Jo”. She plans to sit on the beach with her family once the race team is done. Southern Illinois fans are encouraged to come to the Ted Horn 100 on August 31 and say goodbye to one of the enduring race teams from the region.

The 71st Ted Horn 100 is part of a huge weekend of racing that begins on Saturday afternoon, August 31 with USAC Silver Crown and Modifieds at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, and Sunday evening, September 1 with the ARCA Southern Illinois 100 and the Bill Oldani Memorial for the Modifieds at the Magic Mile.

Advance tickets for the DuQuoin State Fair races are available by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200, by calling the DuQuoin State Fair box office at 618-542-1535, or by stopping by the DuQuoin State Fair box office.

For more information, visit www.usacracing.com, www.arcaracing.com, or www.trackenterprises.com.

All you need to know about the DuQuoin State Fair race weekend, including detailed times, pricing, and entry lists for USAC, ARCA, and DIRTcar Modifieds.
Join us for a great weekend, starting Saturday afternoon with USAC Silver Crown and the Ted Horn 100 and culminating Sunday night with the ARCA Menards Series in the Southern Illinois 100. The DIRTcar Modifieds will also be on track.

Tickets and more info available by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200. Tickets will also be available at the gate on race day.

My weather app shows chance of showers in the morning. Hopefully they’re wrong, but also hope there’s some flexibility in the schedule to allow for some track work

Bacon, Leary Look for First Mile Track Win Saturday at DuQuoin

By Jay Hardin Track Enterprises

(Du Quoin, IL) USAC Sprint Car champion Brady Bacon and second generation driver C.J. Leary are among the field of 33 entered for the 70th Ted Horn 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on Saturday. Both are among the most visible and most popular star drivers of the United States Auto Club. Yet for all their accomplishments among the three top USAC divisions, midget, sprint and Silver Crown one of the coveted mile track victories has eluded them. In some cases, it has slipped right from their grasp, both pilots look to fill the gap in their resumes in the final one mile dirt track contest for 2024.

Bacon made his mile track debut almost 10 years to the date at DuQuoin driving for Dennis McQuinn. He started tenth and finished third for the small budget team, then went to Springfield for the make-up date for the Bettenhausen. There he started third and finished tenth. In 2015, he attempted both Springfield and DuQuoin, finishing 23rd in the Bettenhausen and missing the Ted Horn 100. In 2016 driving for the Martens team, he won the pole at the Hoosier Hundred and finished 6th at DuQuoin as Springfield was a victim of rain.

Bacon did not attempt the miles in 2017 but came back in 2018 driving the Klatt-East machine currently driven by Leary. A 25th at Indy was followed by an 8th at Springfield, and a 21st at DuQuoin. A fifth at Indy and a fifth at DuQuoin and it appeared the combination was on the verge of victory. COVID played havoc with the 2020 Silver Crown schedule, DuQuoin was a no go, Indy ran in August and Springfield in October. Bacon qualified third at Indy and ran fourth at Springfield. Prior to Springfield 2 weeks ago, he had not run one of the 100-mile dirt events since 2020. He picked up a fifth for Chris Dyson at Springfield.

Leary’s story is a bit different than the past USAC Sprint Car champs. Leary’s dad Chuck won the 1997 Hoosier Hundred and was a frequent midget and Silver Crown competitor. Leary made his debut at DuQuoin as well in 2014 for 6R Racing finishing 20th. In 2015, he ran for the family operation and 6R. A 4th at Indy, and a 6th at Springfield and he appeared on the verge of joining his father as a winner. He led the 2017 and 2018 Ted Horn 100’s at DuQuoin and led the 2020 Hoosier Hundred before getting passed in spectacular fashion by Kyle Larson.

Leary’s biggest heartbreaks seem to come on DuQuoin’s Magic Mile. In 2018 he led a with 13 to go before fuel issues caused him to slow. In 2022 he was leading with 7 laps to go when the driveline conked out and left him stranded on the back stretch. Last year he led the opening lap before being passed by eventual winner Justin Grant.

Two of USAC’s biggest names continue to chase that prestigious mile dirt track win. They are joined by six former winners (Grant, Russ Gamester, Kody Swanson, Chris Urish, Logan Seavey and local hero Shane Cockrum) on the entry list, plus some hungry veterans and impressive rookies. Grant won at Springfield while Bacon got a top 5 and Leady suffered mechanical woes.

The 70th Ted Horn 100 is part of a huge weekend of racing that begins on Saturday afternoon, August 31 with USAC Silver Crown and Modifieds at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, and Sunday evening, September 1 with the 70th ARCA Southern Illinois 100 and the Bill Oldani Memorial for the Modifieds at the Magic Mile.

Advance tickets for the DuQuoin State Fair races are available by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200, by calling the DuQuoin State Fair box office at 618-542-1535, or by stopping by the DuQuoin State Fair box office.

For more information, visit www.usacracing.com, www.arcaracing.com, or www.trackenterprises.com.