By Jay Hardin Track Enterprises
(Du Quoin, IL) Minnesota’s William Sawalich isn’t in line for the 2024 ARCA Menards season title, yet the 17-year-old from Minnesota has been so dominant in the races he has entered his Joe Gibbs owned entry is the car to beat whenever it unloads in an ARCA pit area. Sunday night at DuQuoin should be no different as the Springfield Mile winner looks to capture the Performance Seed Dirt double and make it a clean sweep of the ARCA dirt track events. If he can win the 70th Southern Illinois 100 the youngster could add $20,000 to his winner’s share of the DuQuoin ARCA purse.
Capturing both Illinois fairground stock car events isn’t as easy as it seems. In the previous 64 years, both ovals have scheduled stock car races in the same year just 16 times the same driver won both at Springfield and DuQuoin. And the feat hasn’t been accomplished since 2009. Only ten drivers can claim a sweep of both dirt tracks in stock cars, Frank Kimmel did so four times between 2001 and 2008. The late Dean Roper, ARCA’s “Dean of the Dirt” did so three times and the “Black Bandit” Bob Keselowski did it twice. Parker Kligerman is the last to sweep the dirt doing so in spectacular fashion in 2009 when he started dead last in the Southern Illinois 100 and came to the front.
Even if Sawalich doesn’t complete the sweep, Performance Seed has put up significant cash for the three drivers with the best finishes between the two Illinois dirt events, the best finisher gets a $7500 bonus with less for second and third best. Jesse Love was a heavy favorite for the bonus in 2022 after dominating Springfield, but a heavy-footed Ryan Unzicker and weather derailed his shot at the big bonus. Brent Crews won at Springfield last year but did not appear at DuQuoin.
Sawalich led all but one of the 105 laps from the pole on August 18 at the Springfield Mile and has seven wins in ten ARCA Menards starts, including this past weekend at Milwaukee. He also has led 1054 of a possible 1525 laps in 2024. Not to mention he also has wins in the ARCA East and West campaigns this season. It’s easy to see why he will be a favorite at DuQuoin Sunday evening.
The 70th Southern Illinois 100 is part of a huge weekend of racing that begins on Saturday afternoon, August 31 with 71st Ted Horn 100 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.
*Mark Funderburk Photo