In the Pits- KSR

Schrader wins at historic DuQuoin track

Dale Earnhardt, Inc., already one of the world’s premier racing organizations, has become even Ken Schrader defended his title and earned his 15th career ARCA RE/MAX Series victory on Labor Day by winning the Southern Illinois 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.
     Driving the Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet built by his own Ken Schrader Racing team, Schrader chased race leader Josh Wise for 20 laps before passing Wise on the 85th lap of the 100-lap race. Schrader kept the field at bay the rest of the way to earn his second consecutive victory at the historic fairgrounds oval.
     The race marked the 55th running of the Southern Illinois 100 on the track known as the “Miracle Mile.”
     “I just love coming here, but boy I hate what we put our boys through in the shop,” Schrader said in victory lane. “They put together three cars for this race, and they all ran well. I got a chance to thank them and Federated for sticking with us. I was really worried about the track early on, but once the modifieds ran, the track was awesome. There was no dust; you just couldn’t ask for anything more.”
     Wise led 19 laps before giving up the top spot 15 laps shy of the checkered flag. Josh Richards, with boss Tony Stewart looking on, finished third in his RE/MAX Series debut. Eight-time series champ Frank Kimmel, who led 17 laps, finished fifth after pitting twice.
     Schrader’s strategy included just one stop for fuel and tires on lap 20. From there, the NASCAR Cup star, defending Southern Illinois champion and obvious crowd favorite bided his time as he maneuvered his way toward the front.
     Schrader, a native of Fenton, MO, had been trying to win on the fairground dirt mile close to home since his USAC Stock Car debut at DuQuoin in 1979. Schrader broke through in a big way in 2006 when he captured his first Southern Illinois 100.
     Schrader joins Butch Hartman, Bob Keselowski, Fred Lorenzen, Paul Goldsmith, Bob Hill, Billy Thomas, Kimmel and the late Dean Roper (a Schrader friend and mentor) as the only back-to-back winners since stock car racing began at DuQuoin in 1950.
     William Hayes introduced stock car racing to the one-mile track just off U.S. Route 51 in DuQuoin, IL. Jay Frank won the first 100-mile dirt track stock car race at the DuQuoin State Fair driving a Olds Rocket 88. Stock cars were absent from the fair lineup until 1954 and have remained a part of it ever since. Over the last 50-plus years, hall-of-fame drivers like Hartman and A.J. Foyt visited DuQuoin’s victory lane. In 1979, a future NASCAR champion got what at the time was the biggest win of his career when Rusty Wallace beat Foyt to win the Southern Illinois 100.