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Over 50 Cars Entered For DuQuoin's "Shamrock Classic" USAC Midget Opener Saturday

This Saturday, March 19, the inaugural running of the “Shamrock Classic” at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin, Illinois pits the top midget drivers and teams in the United States against each other in the USAC Midget National Championship’s first “points-paying” indoor National Midget race since Kenny Irwin, Jr.’s victory at the Toronto SkyDome in January of 1993.

Fifty-four teams have already pre-entered for the event, including USAC champions Dave Darland, Brady Bacon and “Shamrock Classic” race promoter Bryan Clauson. Past USAC National event winners from the state of Illinois Zach Daum (Pocahontas) and Chris Urish (Elkhart), who won a Silver Crown race on the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds’ mile in 2013 will compete this Saturday night. USAC National series feature winners Chad Boat, Justin Grant, Thomas Meseraull, Bill Rose and Tanner Thorson are among those entered as well.

Thorson, USAC’s 2015 “Most Improved Driver,” leads a five-car Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports brigade into Saturday’s race with teammates Spencer Bayston (2015 USAC National Midget “Rookie of the Year”), and series rookies Carson Macedo, Ryan Robinson and Holly Shelton.

USAC’s indoor racing history dates back to the very beginning of the organization 60 years ago. The first ever racing event conducted by USAC was an indoor midget race won by Gene Hartley at the Fort Wayne (Ind.) Memorial Coliseum on January 8, 1956. The most recent and, thus far, only USAC Midget event at the Southern Illinois Center was a non-points-paying "special event" held last December. Mississippi’s Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. chased down teammate Clauson in the final laps to take the victory.

Sleepy Tripp won the most recent points-paying USAC National Midget race held in Du Quoin, Illinois in 1979, taking a 50-lap feature outdoors on the “Magic Mile” located adjacent to the Southern Illinois Center.

A format rewarding position advancement through the preliminary events, just as what was used in last December’s “Junior Knepper 55” and at the Chili Bowl Nationals, will be utilized throughout Saturday night’s program in which passing points from the heats and qualifying races will form the lineups for the 50-lap feature event.

Contingency awards, over and above those distributed at all USAC National Midget races, include a Simpson Helmet to the feature winner. Other prizes to be distributed will come from Competition Suspensions, Inc. (CSI), Indy Race Parts and All Star Performance.

Dooling Machine has posted unique “pot of gold” cash prizes for random feature finishers while Max Papis Innovations (MPI) will provide a steering wheel for the driver voted the “Wheel Man of the Race,” which will signify an outstanding performance. The feature winner will take home a unique trophy, constructed by Cold Hard Art, topped by a pot containing treasure.

The timetable of events at the Southern Illinois Center for the “Shamrock Classic,” which includes Outlaw Karts presented by Indy Race Parts as part of the program, begins with participant parking on March 18 (Friday) from 4-7 pm. Saturday’s race-day schedule begins with pits opening at 8 am, followed by a “pit sweep” at noon. Spectator gates open at 1 pm. A public drivers' meeting open to all race fans starts at 3:30 pm and hot laps get under way at 4 pm.

Reserved seats are $25.00. Adult general admission tickets are $20.00; kids 6-12 are $10.00 and kids 5 years-old and under are FREE! Pit passes are $35.00. Tickets can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shamrock-classic-at-duquoin-tickets-20089747977.

For fans who are unable to attend the event, coverage of the race will be LIVE on http://thecushion.com/ on Saturday, March 19 and can be purchased for $21.50 ($19.25 for Premium/VIP members).

“SHAMROCK CLASSIC” ENTRY LIST (54 cars pre-entered as of Monday, March 14)

0 JOHNNY MURDOCK/Dallas, TX

0A MIKE McSPARIN/Carrier Mills, IL

0B TBA

1T TONY RONEY/Herculaneum, MO

2 TBA

3N JAKE NEUMAN/New Berlin, IL

4 RYAN GRETH/New Cumberland, PA

4M MICHELLE DECKER/Guthrie, OK

5c COLTEN COTTLE/Kansas, IL

5D ZACH DAUM/Pocahontas, IL

5x JUSTIN PECK/Monrovia, IN

6 BILL ROSE/Plainfield, IN

7 GAGE WALKER/Indianapolis, IN

9K KYLE SCHUETT/Philo, IL

11 TRAVIS BERRYHILL/American Canyon, CA

11A ANDREW FELKER/Carl Junction, MO

11AG DAVE DARLAND/Lincoln, IN

11H CHASE HILL/Redding, CA

13 LARRY KNOWLES/Mt. Vernon, IL

15 TIM SINER/Dupo, IL

15m SHANE MORGAN/Morton, IL

17m CHASE JOHNSON/Penngrove, CA

17w SHANE GOLOBIC/Fremont, CA

19 JOHN CAMPBELL/Belleville, IL

21 TY HULSEY/Owasso, OK

27 TUCKER KLAASMEYER/Paola, KS

31 DAVID BUDRES/Janesville, WI

D33 CHASE BRISCOE/Mitchell, IN

35T TYLER ROBBINS/Collinsville, IL

37x ANTON HERNANDEZ/Arlington, TX

38 JUSTIN GRANT/Ione, CA

41 AUSTIN PROCK/Avon, IN

50 DANIEL ADLER/St. Louis, MO

55 NICK KNEPPER/Belleville, IL

55D NICK DRAKE/Mooresville, NC

57D DANIEL ROBINSON/Ewing, IL

63 BRYAN CLAUSON/Noblesville, IN

66 THOMAS MESERAULL/San Jose, CA

67 TANNER THORSON/Minden, NV

67K HOLLY SHELTON/Sacramento, CA

71 RYAN ROBINSON/Foresthill, CA

71K CARSON MACEDO/Lemoore, CA

71½ ROBERT BELL/Colfax, IA

76 KELLEN CONOVER/St. Louis, MO

76m BRADY BACON/Broken Arrow, OK

77u CHRIS URISH/Elkhart, IL

84 CHAD BOAT/Phoenix, AZ

86 DANNY MEYER/Tuscola, IL

88 TERRY BABB/Decatur, IL

88x SCOTT ORR/Columbia City, IN

91 DERECK KING/Vienna, IL

91A CHRIS ANDREWS/Sandusky, OH

91T TYLER THOMAS/Collinsville, OK

97 SPENCER BAYSTON/Lebanon, IN

UPCOMING USAC MIDGET NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP EVENT

DATE: Saturday, March 19, 2016

SERIES: USAC Midget National Championship

TRACK: Southern Illinois Center (Du Quoin, IL) - 1/6-Mile, Semi-Banked Indoor Dirt Oval

EVENT: “Shamrock Classic” featuring the USAC Midget National Championship and Outlaw Karts presented by Indy Race Parts

STARTING TIMES: Pits open at 8am. Spectator gates open at 1:00pm. Public drivers’ meeting at 3:30pm. Hot laps at 4:00pm. Racing at 5:00pm.

TICKETS: Reserved Seats: $25.00. General Admission: $20.00. Kids 6-12: $10.00. Kids 5 years-old & under: FREE! Pit passes: $35.00. Can be purchased online at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/shamrock-classic-at-duquoin-tickets-20089747977.

TRACK ADDRESS: 655 Executive Drive, DuQuoin, IL 62832

TRACK PHONE: (618) 409-3262

MEDIA COVERAGE: Live on http://thecushion.com/

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