---

Shane Cockrum Goes for Three-Peat This Saturday at DuQuoin

Shane Cockrum of Benton, Ill. hopes to accomplish something unprecedented this Saturday when the USAC Silver Crown Championship cars visit the beautiful Du Quoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds for the 64th running of the “Ted Horn 100.”

Cockrum could become the first driver to ever win the race in three consecutive years. A.J. Foyt won in 1960-61-63-64 as the 1962 race was rained out, while Tony Bettenhausen won the 1949 race and two races in 1951 after no race was held in 1950.

Although Cockrum will rate among the race favorites Saturday, the spotlight will shine squarely on drivers Kody Swanson and Chris Windom, who are separated by only 13 points in their battle for the 2016 series title.

Windom, of Canton, Ill., finished second while Swanson scored a third-place finish last year at Du Quoin. A total of 76 points are available Saturday, so third-ranked driver Justin Grant hopes a top finish can vault him into title contention going into the September 24 series finale at Rossburg, Ohio. Grant is 76 points behind Swanson.

It’s been an up-and-down 2016 season for Cockrum. His best finish so far has been a seventh in the series opener at the Terre Haute (Ind.) Action Track and was ninth at Lucas Oil Raceway in Brownsburg, Ind.

Swanson, on the other hand, comes into Saturday’s race at Du Quoin having won the two most recent series races, taking the “Rich Vogler Classic” at Lucas Oil Raceway and the recent “Joe James/Pat O’Connor Memorial” at Salem (Ind.) Speedway. He also won the “Hoosier Hundred” at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in May.

Grant, the pole winner at Terre Haute, finished second in the season opener and has added a five-race string of “top-seven” finishes.

Former race winners in addition to Cockrum and Swanson (2010) expected to compete Saturday at Du Quoin are Chris Urish (2013), Brian Tyler (2008), Shane Cottle (2007) and Jeff Swindell (1990).

Back to News