USAC

38 Strong For USAC Silver Crown's Bettenhausen 100 In Springfield

38 Strong For USAC Silver Crown's Bettenhausen 100 In Springfield

Thirty-eight USAC Silver Crown cars and drivers are set to square off Saturday for the 59th Bettenhausen 100 Presented By Hunt Brothers Pizza.

Oct 12, 2022 by FloRacing Staff
38 Strong For USAC Silver Crown's Bettenhausen 100 In Springfield

Thirty-eight USAC Silver Crown cars and drivers are set to square off for a historic battle Saturday during the 59th running of the Bettenhausen 100 Presented By Hunt Brothers Pizza. 

The race will take place at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.

Four past Bettenhausen 100 winners are in this year's field, led by four-time victor Brian Tyler (Parma, Michigan), three-time and defending race winner Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, California) and one-time winners Russ Gamester (Peru, Indiana) and Justin Grant (Ione, California).

Nine Illinoisans will be vying for one of 30 starting positions in the 100-lap, 100-mile event on the historic Springfield mile dirt oval. 

Shane Cockrum (Benton), Shane Cottle (Kansas) and Chris Urish (Elkhart) all have been victorious with the Silver Crown series on the Du Quoin mile in southern Illinois but are seeking their first at Springfield. 

They are joined by fellow Land of Lincolners Mario Clouser (Auburn), Patrick Lawson (Edwardsville), Cary Oliver (Buncombe), Steven Russell (Rochester), Patrick Bruns (Champaign) and Korey Weyant (Springfield).

Four past Bettenhausen 100 pole winners are in the lineup, including Swanson (2014, 2015, 2021), Gamester (1997, 1998), Tyler (2012) and Grant (2020).


USAC national champions Logan Seavey (Sutter, California) and Swanson are involved in a dogfight atop the championship standings heading into the final dirt race of the year in the standings. 

Seavey has won the past three dirt races in the series and is tied with Swanson in the title race. 

Two races remain on the schedule with Springfield on Saturday and at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park's pavement oval Oct. 22.

Fellow USAC national titlist C.J. Leary (Greenfield, Indiana) looks for his dirt mile win this weekend, while reigning USAC NOS Energy Drink Midget National champion and current point leader Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, California) will be making his maiden voyage at the Bettenhausen 100 this Saturday.

Anthony Macri (Dillsburg, Pennsylvania) will make his USAC Silver Crown debut with the same Chris Dyson Racing team that has captured the past two Springfield Silver Crown races with Kyle Larson (2020) and Kody Swanson (2021). 

Macri is fresh off his first two career World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car victories last weekend at Port Royal (Pennsylvania) Speedway.

In Springfield on Saturday, pits and registration will open at 8 a.m. Central, with the infield spectator gates opening at 9 a.m., the ticket office and grandstands opening at 10 a.m., the drivers' meeting at 10:30 a.m., practice from 11 a.m.-12:10 p.m. and Fatheadz Eyewear Qualifying at 12:15 p.m., followed by the qualifying race, pre-race ceremonies and 100-lap main event.

Tickets will be available on race day or by calling the State Fair office at 217-782-6661. Info and tickets also can be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200.

Advance tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children 11 and under. At the gate on race day, adults are $30 and $10 for children 11 and under. 

Infield tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children 11 and under. Pit passes are $35 for USAC members and $40 for non-members. Infield parking is $5 for those who park in infield with no infield or pit passes.

Every lap of Saturday's Bettenhausen 100 will be aired live on FloRacing. Click here to watch.