Justin Allgaier
Justin Allgaier (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

Justin Allgaier returns to ARCA Menards Series, Springfield Mile for Allen Crowe 100

Track Enterprises August 18, 2021

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The field for this year’s Allen Crowe 100 became even more interesting with the announcement that Justin Allgaier, the 2008 ARCA Menards Series champion and the 2006 Springfield Mile race winner, will return to his home track Sunday.

After competing for JR Motorsports in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Michigan International Speedway, Allgaier, 35, will make the trek to his hometown of Springfield, Illinois. He will substitute for another hometown driver, Kelly Kovski, and drive the No. 16 Schluckebier Farms-Schnapp Sewer Svc-Brandt Chevrolet for Roy Kovski.

ALLEN CROWE 100: Entry List | Schedule | Preview

Allgaier has 16 wins, six poles and 207 top-10 finishes in 360 Xfinity Series starts since 2009. His victory at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2018 helped him secure the series’ regular-season championship.

Allgaier’s ARCA Menards Series championship came on the strength of six victories in 2008, which led to his ride at Penske Racing in the Xfinity Series. He was the 2009 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year and won his first Xfinity race in 2010.

Having won at both Atlanta Motor Speedway and Darlington Raceway earlier this year, Allgaier is currently fourth in Xfinity Series points. He finished second in the Xfinity Series championship standings last season. He also has 78 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series, including a pair of full-time Cup seasons in 2014 and 2015.

Allgaier made his ARCA debut at the age of 16 on his hometown track in the 2002 Allen Crowe 100. Already a veteran of UMP Late Models and Midgets, he secured a ride with car owner and friend Ken Schrader and finished 17th. He finished 28th in 2003 and seventh in 2004. He also attempted the “Springfield Double” in 2004, but the championship dirt car he was assigned for the Saturday event failed to qualify for the Bettenhausen 100.

Allgaier raised the roof of the 78-year-old grandstand at Springfield in 2005, when he set a track record driving the ARCA car owned by his father Mike. The next year, the grandstand nearly came down as Justin Allgaier passed Bob Strait on the last lap to become the first Springfield driver to win a major auto race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in the (then) nearly 100-year history of such events. He was also the first central Illinois driver to capture the Allen Crowe 100 and, at the time, the youngest winner of the event.

Allgaier finished 11th and sixth at Springfield in 2007 and 2008, respectively. In seven stock car starts on the Springfield Mile, he has one win, one pole and four top-10 finishes.

Practice for Sunday’s race begins at 10 a.m. CT with General Tire Pole Qualifying to follow 11:30 a.m. CT. The Allen Crowe 100 will take the green flag shortly after 1:30 p.m. CT. It will broadcast live on MAVTV Motorsports Network with a live stream available on NBC Sports Gold’s TrackPass.

Tickets are available by calling Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200 or at the Illinois State Fair box office. Fans can also “save big money” at Menards by purchasing their Sunday tickets in store.

The event is all part of a huge racing weekend in central Illinois featuring Lincoln Speedway with MOWA Sprint Cars on Friday night, Silver Crown Saturday at the Springfield Mile and Jack Hewitt Night featuring POWRi Midgets at Macon Speedway on Saturday night.

Full information on the events can be found at www.trackenterprises.com.