 PHOTOS: Bob Costanzo
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DUQUOIN STATE FAIRGROUNDS RACE UPDATE
TOP-TEN FINISH FOR SCOTT SPEED
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2 car on the dirt |
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Lofton -12th; KB3 -19th
DUQUOIN, IL. (September 1, 2008) –Scott Speed started 14th in Monday’s second and last dirt track race with the ARCA RE/MAX Series
and improved six positions over 102 laps around the 1-mile oval. On Aug. 17, Speed also finished eighth on a similar surface in Springfield, Ill.
Justin Lofton started the race from 6th, the best of the three ESR squads but finished back in 12th. Ken Butler, III came in 19th
Full race reports below... |
ESR ARCA RE/MAX Series Southern Illinois 100 Unofficial Results
DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. DuQuoin, IL; September 1, 2008 |
| FIN |
STR |
CAR |
DRIVER |
LAPS |
STATUS |
| 8 |
14 |
2 |
Scott Speed |
102 |
Running |
| 12 |
6 |
20 |
Justin Lofton |
102 |
Running |
| 19 |
16 |
22 |
Ken Butler III |
100 |
Running |
Next Stop: Speed, Butler, Lofton and their ESR teams return to speedway action this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. SIM Factory Pole Qualifying takes place on Friday, September 5th at 6:00 p.m. On Saturday, September 6th, driver introductions will start at 5:30 p.m. and the green flag for the Chicagoland ARCA 200 drops at 6:00 p.m. All times listed are EASTERN. |
ESR DUQUOIN RACE REPORTS |
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2 |
20 |
22 |
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Speed Finishes 8th at DuQuoin
Remains Championship Points Leader
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"I am glad that the dirt races are over. ...Now we can get back to racing on asphalt and try to get those points back that we lost." -Scott Speed |
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DuQuoin, Ill. (September 1, 2008) – Scott Speed endured the second and final dirt race of the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series season on Labor Day at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Speed and his No. 2 Red Bull team battled the Illinois heat and humidity to finish in the 8th position and retain the Championship Points lead.
"I am glad that the dirt races are over, said Speed. "To finish eighth at both of them and hang on to our points lead was great. Now we can get back to racing on asphalt and try to get those points back that we lost.
Speed, in true fashion, arrived at the fairgrounds wearing a pair of camouflage overalls and a straw hat. Wrestling a tight-handling Red Bull Toyota for much of the day, Speed qualified 14th for the Southern Illinois 100. Speed and the Red Bull team battled for 102 laps to take the checkered flag in the eighth position. The finish marks the team’s 11th consecutive top-10 of the season.
Speed lost a little ground but continues to lead the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings by 75 points over second-place Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. |
Lofton Finishes 12th at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds
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"The Lofton Cattle Dodge was 1000 times better than it was at Springfield." -Justin Lofton |
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DuQuoin, Ill. (September 1, 2008) – It was a long, hot and humid Labor Day in DuQuoin, Illinois for Justin Lofton and his No. 20 Lofton Cattle crew. The team worked endlessly from sun-up until the checkered flag dropped for the Southern Illinois 100. Eddie Sharp Racing’s Lofton brought the Lofton Cattle Dodge home in the 12th position.
"I am really proud of everyone on the No. 20 team, said Lofton. "The Lofton Cattle Dodge was 1000 times better than it was at Springfield. It was very hot and humid and they never gave up. We might not have finished where we wanted, but we finished and with a clean car.
Lofton qualified sixth and battled a very tight-handling car at the beginning of the race. As the race progressed, the car’s handling improved slightly. Lofton finished in the 12th-place and on the lead lap. Like many of his fellow competitors, Lofton is looking forward to returning to the asphalt tracks for the remaining five events.
"The dirt tracks were a good experience, but now we can move on to tracks that we excel at, said Lofton. "I am excited for the next five races, and I know that the team is as well. We have really grown as a team and are looking forward to ending the season on a very positive note. |
Long Labor Day for KBIII;
Finishes 19th at DuQuoin
DuQuoin, Ill. (September 1, 2008) – After two rounds in the Illinois dirt, Ken Butler, III can confidently say that he is not a huge fan of dirt track racing. KBIII and his Aaron’s Lucky Dog team struggled in the Labor Day heat and humidity at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds and persevered to bring home a 19th-place finish in the Southern Illinois 100.
"Going into the race I was much more confident in myself as a driver on dirt than I was at Springfield [first career dirt race start], said KBIII. "The guys worked really hard to get my car ready for this weekend so I felt like we had a great shot at being one of the competitive cars.
Butler added, "Despite having a not-so-great qualifying effort, I still felt like we'd have no problem getting to the front with a little patience and teamwork. Unfortunately the car was extremely tight. I fell a lap behind and mistakes were made on my part getting into the pits.
Butler started the Southern Illinois 100 in the 16th position. KBIII fought a very ill-handling No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dodge. A costly mistake getting onto pit road put the Charger two laps down to the leaders. KBIII and his team worked relentlessly in the intense Labor Day heat and ended the day in the 19th position, never able to make up the lost laps.
"All the guys worked so hard today, and as always I want to thank them and Aaron’s for their support, said KBIII. "It wasn't a great weekend for us but I believe Chicago is going to have something special for us. Dirt was fun but I'm ready to get back on asphalt
Butler dropped to tenth in the ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship Point standings with 3170 points. |
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DUQUOIN STATE FAIRGROUNDS
Justin Lofton to Start Sixth
Speed 14th; Butler 16th
DUQUOIN, IL. (September 1, 2008) –He may not have had much fun at his first day on the dirt at Springfield two weeks ago, but ESR's Justin Lofton should be feeling more optimistic after qualifying his #20 Lofton Cattle Dodge 6th for today's ARCA RE/MAX Southern Illinois 100 at DuQuoin
Today's race will be number 16 of the 21-race ARCA RE/MAX Series. the green flag drops at 1 p.m. Central. Live Timing and Scoring and a live audio broadcast of the race will be available on arcaracing.com beginning at 12:30 p.m. Central/1:30 p.m. Eastern. |
ESR ARCA RE/MAX Series Southern Illinois 100 Qualifying
DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. DuQuoin, IL; September 1, 2008 |
| POS |
CAR |
DRIVER |
TIME |
SPEED |
| 6 |
20 |
Justin Lofton |
33.603 |
107.133 |
| 14 |
2 |
Scott Speed |
33.901 |
106.192 |
| 16 |
22 |
Ken Butler III |
34.122 |
105.504 |
MavTV will broadcast the race on September 5th at 8 p.m., with re-airs scheduled for September 6th at 2 a.m. September 7th at 9 p.m., September 8th at 3 a.m., September 10th at 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. and September 13th at 7 p.m. Check local listings for a complete MavTV broadcast schedule. |
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DUQUOIN STATE FAIRGROUNDS
Scott Speed Third in Practice
Lofton 10th; Butler 25th
DUQUOIN, IL. (September 1, 2008) – Scott Speed was third fasted among 40 drivers during a one-hour ARCA RE/MAX Series practice session Monday Afternoon at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Fellow ESR teammates Justin Lofton and Ken Butler, III were 10th and 25th respectively.
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ESR ARCA RE/MAX Series Southern Illinois 100 Practice 1 Results
DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. DuQuoin, IL; September 1, 2008 |
| POS |
CAR |
DRIVER |
TIME |
SPEED |
| 3 |
2 |
Scott Speed |
34.502 |
104.342 |
| 10 |
20 |
Justin Lofton |
35.009 |
102.831 |
| 25 |
22 |
Ken Butler III |
35.889 |
100.309 |
ARCA RE/MAX Series competitors will participate in SIM Factory Pole Award Qualifying at 11 a.m. Central. The Southern Illinois 100 rolls off at 1 p.m. Central. Arcaracing.com will provide live timing and scoring and a live audio broadcast of the race. |
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DUQUOIN STATE FAIRGROUNDS
ARCA RE/MAX Southern Illinois 100 Preview
Speed, Butler and Lofton Return to Dirt at DuQuoin
DENVER, N.C. (August 28, 2008) – Fresh on the heels of their dirt debuts in Springfield, Illinois, Eddie Sharp Racing teammates Scott Speed, Ken Butler, III and Justin Lofton head to the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds this weekend for round two in the heat and dust at the Southern Illinois 100.
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| Scott Speed leads all major standings in ARCA: Lap Leaders, Superspeedway Challenge, Rookie of the Year, R.E. Lighting Challenge, Fast Track Award and SIM Factory Poles. |
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Speed continues to lead the ARCA RE/MAX Series championship points over second-place Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Stenhouse and Matt Carter flip-flopped their positions following the Allen Crowe Memorial 100. The three SunTrust Rookies are locked in a battle for the title as the final six events of the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series season approach. Speed has a solid 110-point lead as he heads to DuQuoin. Speed qualified and finished in the eighth-place at Springfield and is looking to repeat or better that success for his second and final round on dirt this year.
Lofton is ready to make a fresh start on the dirt at DuQuoin this weekend. His 24th-place finish at the Illinois State Fairgrounds was not satisfactory to the competitive Westmoreland, California-native. Lofton is ready to take another shot at the dirt and dust and then enjoy a few days back in California with his family.
KBIII had a very eventful turn in the dirt two weeks ago. Spinning during his qualifying lap, Butler made hard contact with the wall resulting in heavy damage to the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota. The team rallied to repair the Camry and started the race in the 33rd position. KBIII finished in a very impressive 13th-place. KBIII is looking forward to running hard again this weekend.
2008 AT A GLANCE --
Scott Speed (No. 2 Red Bull Toyota):
1st in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points
(3715 points; 110 points ahead of second place)
Best Start: First (four times) at Pocono, June 2008;
Michigan, June 2008; and Pocono, August 2008
Best Finish: First (four times) at Kansas, April 2008;
Kentucky, July 2008; Berlin, July 2008; Nashville, August 2008
Ken Butler, III (No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine Dodge):
9th in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points
(3035 points; 680 out of 1s)
Best Start: First at Kansas, April 2008 and Nashville, August 2008
Best Finish: 4th at Kentucky, May 2008
Justin Lofton (No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge):
14th in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points
(2545 points; 1170 out of 1st)
***note: has made 14/15 starts
(Lofton's first race was at Salem)
Best Start: First at Cayuga, June 2008
Best Finish: First at Michigan, June 2008 |
| DRIVER QUOTES: All three ESR drivers are ready to work on Labor Day, Monday in event 16 on the ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. |
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Scott Speed (No. 2 Red Bull Toyota):
"We ran well at Springfield a couple of weeks ago, starting eight and finishing eighth. I just want to do the same at DuQuoin and leave there with the points lead."
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Justin Lofton (No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge):
"I really didn't have a lot of fun at Springfield. It was a disappointing weekend all around. I'm hoping this weekend goes much better and we can get our momentum back to head to Chicago."
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Ken Butler, III (No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine Dodge):
"I'm looking forward to heading to DuQuoin this weekend. We have had great momentum lately. Despite a rough day at Springfield, we still managed a strong finish. My team worked really hard and I appreciate all their effort. They put us back on track with a competitive car and I was able to drive 20 places to a top-15. I'm confident we can start the Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota a lot closer to the front and have a strong run."
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| TRACK FACTS |
| DUQUOIN STATE FAIRGROUNDS |
| Location |
DuQuoin, IL |
Address |
Route 51, DuQuoin, IL |
| Phone: |
(217) 764-3200 |
Length |
1-mile clay |
Turns |
Flat track |
| First ARCA Race |
1983 |
ARCA RE/MAX Series practice runs from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on Monday, September 1, 2008, with SIM Factory Pole Qualifying at 12:00 p.m. Driver Introductions begin Monday at 1:45 p.m. and the green flag for the Southern Illinois 100 flies at 2:00 p.m. All times listed are EASTERN.
Catch all the action at arcaracing.com offering LIVE Timing & Scoring of all on-track activities as well as LIVE flag-to-flag streaming audio coverage of the race through the ARCA Racing Network exclusively on arcanation.com presented by Team Glock. |
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