PIT BOX: ARCA Menards Title Chase To Get Dirty In Springfield

They’ve battled back and forth all year, so perhaps it’s fitting that before the ARCA Menards Series championship gets decided at the high speeds of Kansas Speedway, Bret Holmes and Michael Self will have one take the title fight to the dirt this weekend.

The penultimate race of the season will be Sunday when the Springfield Mile at the Illinois State Fairgrounds hosts the Illinois Truck & Equipment Allen Crowe 100.

The race will air on MAVTV (2 p.m. CT / 3 p.m. ET) and stream live on TrackPass on NBC Gold.

While not being held during the Illinois State Fair this season, the event has been given the green light to allow Grandstand ticket sales, will be limited to 20% capacity in order to promote a safe atmosphere and will allow for proper social distancing.

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Illinois Truck & Equipment Allen Crowe 100

WHAT TO WATCH FOR:

The last two races have shown how important every last point is in the race between Self and Holmes.

Self stole a point at Winchester Speedway in Indiana when he managed to lead a lap — the only one of 200 Ty Gibbs didn’t lead. Holmes one-upped him at Memphis International Raceway, when he led the most laps for the two bonus points en route to a third-place finish. Self saw a couple positions slip away in a last-lap scramble with Chandler Smith, Thad Moffitt and Hailie Deegan.

Which leads us to this weekend, and Holmes’ two-point advantage.

Self led 47 laps in winning last year in his first start on the Springfield Mile. Holmes, who has a dirt racing background, was third and has two top 10s in three races at the venue.

It’s been seven races since a driver other than Gibbs or Sam Mayer went to Victory Lane. The latter isn’t entered this weekend, while Gibbs finished 15th at Springfield last year.

It may be the other Monster Energy-backed driver, Hailie Deegan, who will take a turn as race winner. The 19-year-old from California, won the West race at The Dirt Track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway last year after winning the pole and finishing second at the track to 2018 ARCA Menards champion Sheldon Creed the year before.

Local favorite Ryan Unzicker will return in the No. 25 RJR Transportation/Hummingbird Winery for Bill Hendren. The 39-year-old from El Paso, Illinois, has 19 career series starts — all at Springfield or DuQuoin — and finished third at Springfield in 2016 and fifth there in 2018.

The race is also the fourth of the CGS Imaging Four Crown Series, which consists of Michigan International Speedway (superspeedway), DAYTONA Road Course (road course), Memphis (short track) and Springfield (dirt track). Self leads the Four Crown Series, while Holmes is the defending champion.

RACING REFERENCE: Previous ARCA Menards Series races at Springfield | ARCA Menards Series drivers’ career stats at Springfield | 2020 ARCA Menards Series Standings 

RACE FACTS

RACE CENTER | ENTRY LIST | RACE EVENT GUIDE

CREW CHIEF HANDOUT: The starting field for the Illinois Truck & Equipment Allen Crowe 100 is limited to 36, including provisional positions. The field will be set by qualifying (1-30) and provisional process per the entry blank (31-36) for the Illinois Truck & Equipment Allen Crowe 100. This event will be run under the 2020 ARCA Menards Series rules, procedures, regulations and specifications.

QUALIFYING: One qualifying lap. Adjustments or repairs may not be made on the vehicle after the vehicle has taken the green flag at the start/finish line. Vehicles will be impounded after qualifying. Vehicle must qualify on race set up.

RACE PIT STOP: No adding or moving tires to or from pit box once race has started. A maximum four (4) crew members may service car. No tires and fuel may be added outside of the break.

The Illinois Truck & Equipment Allen Crowe 100 will be 100 laps (100 miles) and is to be run in three (3) segments. The race will have the first break, at or near the conclusion of Lap 35; and a second break, at or near the conclusion of Lap 70. At the conclusion of the break(s), vehicles will line up in the order they were running at the beginning of the break.

The maximum tire allotment available for this event is as follows: Per ARCA Rulebook, maximum number of tires allowed in pit box for use in race is eight (8).