By Jay Hardin Track Enterprises

(Du Quoin, IL) USAC Sprint Car champion Brady Bacon and second generation driver C.J. Leary are among the field of 33 entered for the 70th Ted Horn 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on Saturday.  Both are among the most visible and most popular star drivers of the United States Auto Club.  Yet for all their accomplishments among the three top USAC divisions, midget, sprint and Silver Crown one of the coveted mile track victories has eluded them.  In some cases, it has slipped right from their grasp, both pilots look to fill the gap in their resumes in the final one mile dirt track contest for 2024.

Bacon made his mile track debut almost 10 years to the date at DuQuoin driving for Dennis McQuinn.  He started tenth and finished third for the small budget team, then went to Springfield for the make-up date for the Bettenhausen.  There he started third and finished tenth.  In 2015, he attempted both Springfield and DuQuoin, finishing 23rd in the Bettenhausen and missing the Ted Horn 100.  In 2016 driving for the Martens team, he won the pole at the Hoosier Hundred and finished 6th at DuQuoin as Springfield was a victim of rain.

Bacon did not attempt the miles in 2017 but came back in 2018 driving the Klatt-East machine currently driven by Leary.  A 25th at Indy was followed by an 8th at Springfield, and a 21st at DuQuoin.  A fifth at Indy and a fifth at DuQuoin and it appeared the combination was on the verge of victory.  COVID played havoc with the 2020 Silver Crown schedule, DuQuoin was a no go, Indy ran in August and Springfield in October.  Bacon qualified third at Indy and ran fourth at Springfield.  Prior to Springfield 2 weeks ago, he had not run one of the 100-mile dirt events since 2020.  He picked up a fifth for Chris Dyson at Springfield.

Leary’s story is a bit different than the past USAC Sprint Car champs.  Leary’s dad Chuck won the 1997 Hoosier Hundred and was a frequent midget and Silver Crown competitor.  Leary made his debut at DuQuoin as well in 2014 for 6R Racing finishing 20th.  In 2015, he ran for the family operation and 6R.  A 4th at Indy, and a 6th at Springfield and he appeared on the verge of joining his father as a winner.  He led the 2017 and 2018 Ted Horn 100’s at DuQuoin and led the 2020 Hoosier Hundred before getting passed in spectacular fashion by Kyle Larson.

Leary’s biggest heartbreaks seem to come on DuQuoin’s Magic Mile.  In 2018 he led a with 13 to go before fuel issues caused him to slow.  In 2022 he was leading with 7 laps to go when the driveline conked out and left him stranded on the back stretch.  Last year he led the opening lap before being passed by eventual winner Justin Grant.

Two of USAC’s biggest names continue to chase that prestigious mile dirt track win.  They are joined by six former winners (Grant, Russ Gamester, Kody Swanson, Chris Urish, Logan Seavey and local hero Shane Cockrum) on the entry list, plus some hungry veterans and impressive rookies.  Grant won at Springfield while Bacon got a top 5 and Leady suffered mechanical woes.

The 70th Ted Horn 100 is part of a huge weekend of racing that begins on Saturday afternoon, August 31 with USAC Silver Crown and Modifieds at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, and Sunday evening, September 1 with the 70th ARCA Southern Illinois 100 and the Bill Oldani Memorial for the Modifieds at the Magic Mile.

Advance tickets for the DuQuoin State Fair races are available by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200, by calling the DuQuoin State Fair box office at 618-542-1535, or by stopping by the DuQuoin State Fair box office.

For more information, visit www.usacracing.com, www.arcaracing.com, or www.trackenterprises.com.