Most rookies in the ARCA Menards Series typically have at least a week to debrief and regroup following a debut race. There will be no such rest for Brent Crews.
Once the 15-year-old from Denver, North Carolina completes his first start with Venturini Motorsports in Friday’s General Tire 100 at Watkins Glen International, he will immediately turn his focus to the Dutch Boy 100 on the Springfield dirt at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday afternoon.
While such a task is daunting for even the most experienced drivers, Crews’ experience with road course and dirt track racing is helping him feel at ease heading into the doubleheader this weekend.
“I’m super confident with the team that I have and my crew chief [Monon Rahman], as well,” Crews said. “I’ve worked with him a lot in the past, so I’m confident on that side of things along with myself and the prep that I’ve done. I’ve got some friends in ARCA, as well, so getting some tips from them helps.”
RELATED: Watkins Glen Entry List | Springfield Entry List
Part of Crews’ driver development has seen him become actively involved with the road course-centric Trans Am Championship TA2 class. Crews has shined in two full-time seasons with the series, having amassed six victories and 13 top-five finishes.
When he’s not competing at road courses, Crews is fine-tuning his skills at dirt tracks like North Carolina’s Millbridge Speedway. Being able to best talented drivers like ARCA Menards Series points leader Jesse Love and 2021 NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Larson at Millbridge has helped Crews develop a reputation as a top prospect.
The Springfield Mile at the Illinois State Fairgrounds presents a unique challenge for Crews. With the race taking place in daylight as opposed to nighttime conditions, Crews believes Springfield will take in more rubber from the ARCA Menards Series cars, which he expects will make the track race like a paved oval.
Despite the unknowns, Crews said the resources available at Venturini Motorsports such as simulators and ghost car analysis have allowed him to study past races at Springfield and Watkins Glen. The knowledge obtained from those resources have provided Crews a better idea of what he needs to excel at two different tracks in a short amount of time.
Sturdy physical and mental stamina is also a top priority for Crews in the doubleheader. He wants to learn as much as possible in his first two starts with Venturini Motorsports, but he also stressed the importance of doing his own part to ensure two competitive showings on Friday and Sunday.
“You’re going to have to watch your body,” Crews said. “Making sure to stay hydrated is the main thing, because it’s going to be super hot on both days. I’ve got to keep myself confident. No matter how Watkins Glen goes, you have to start off fresh on Sunday and hope for the best.”
Crews’ busy debut weekend starts Friday at 6 p.m. ET with the General Tire 100 at Watkins Glen before turning around to run the Dutch Boy 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
FS1 will provide live TV coverage of both races.
Dale Quarterley attempting both Watkins Glen and Springfield
At 63, veteran racer Dale Quarterley is still seeking to challenge himself in the ARCA Menards Series.
After his return to familiar territory at Watkins Glen International in the General Tire 100, Quarterley will make his first appearance on a dirt track in any ARCA Menards Series division when he heads to the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday for the Dutch Boy 100.
Quarterley’s entry for the Springfield Mile continues an eventful, part-time 2023 campaign that saw him race at Daytona International Speedway for the first time in his long career. He also made two starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, earning finishes of 28th and 35th at Circuit of the Americas and Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, respectively.
RELATED: Buy tickets for Watkins Glen | Buy tickets for Springfield
With road courses like Watkins Glen, Quarterley is more in his comfort zone. Of the six victories he accumulated in the ARCA Menards Series East, two of them came at the 1.53-mile Lime Rock Park road course, which is also where he claimed a NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour win in 2011.
While Quarterley looks to keep his car in one piece at the Springfield Mile, Friday at Watkins Glen presents an ideal opportunity for him to improve upon a season-best finish of third that he obtained in the ARCA Menards Series West at Portland International Speedway.
Corey LaJoie teams with Paris Wixon Racing for Watkins Glen
For the first time in a decade, NASCAR Cup Series veteran Corey LaJoie is set to take part in an ARCA Menards Series event.
LaJoie will pilot the No. 63 for Paris Wixon Racing in Friday’s General Tire 100 at Watkins Glen International. Wixon’s team has competed in three ARCA Menards Series races during the 2023 season, all of which featured Logan Misuraca behind the wheel.
The most recent ARCA Menards Series season for LaJoie in 2013 was a successful one. In five starts with Roulo Brothers Racing, LaJoie led 107 total laps and scored victories at Chicagoland Speedway, Pocono Raceway and Kentucky Speedway.
RELATED: Event schedule for Watkins Glen | Event schedule for Springfield
LaJoie will look to recapture some of the magic as Paris Wixon Racing prepares for their second attempt at Watkins Glen. The team was entered in the ARCA Menards Series’ return to the storied facility in 2021 with Chase Purdy but were forced to withdraw after Purdy tested positive for COVID-19.
If LaJoie wins Friday, he would improve Paris Wixon Racing’s previous best ARCA Menards Series of second, which Dave Mader III obtained during a spirited final-lap push at Talladega Superspeedway back in 2021.
Performance Seed Dirt Double begins at Springfield
For the second straight season, the ARCA Menards Series and Performance Seed are offering a bonus to any driver who can sweep both dirt races at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.
Any driver who can reach this milestone will bag an additional $20,000. Should no one claim this bonus, the driver with the best average finish between the two events takes home $7,500, with $5,000 and $2,500 being awarded to those with the second and third best average finishes, respectively.
The first year of the Performance Seed Dirt Double saw Jesse Love win the first race at the Springfield Mile. He came close to completing the sweep at DuQuoin until rain prematurely ended the race after 78 laps, giving the win to Ryan Unzicker with Love in second.
Love, who is currently the ARCA Menards Series points leader, is the favorite to take home the Performance Seed Dirt Double with a healthy background in dirt racing on his side. He faces plenty of stiff competition from drivers that include teammates Brent Crews and Taylor Reimer, both of whom have logged plenty of laps on dirt tracks.
If the Performance Seed Dirt Double gets claimed at DuQuoin, it would be the first time a driver has swept both dirt track events in the ARCA Menards Series since Parker Kligerman did so back during the 2009 season.
NOTES:
- NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Parker Retzlaff returns to the ARCA Menards Series for more road course experience piloting the No. 02 for Young’s Motorsports. Retzlaff has made two ARCA Menards Series West appearances with the organization this year, scoring a season-best finish of fifth at Portland International Raceway.
- Long-time ARCA Menards Series driver Bob Schacht is back at Watkins Glen this weekend in his own No. 75 Chevrolet. Schacht ran his first ARCA Menards Series event in seven years at the Mid-Ohio Sports Course in July, where he finished 14th two laps behind the leader.
- Only a few days after earning his first NASCAR Pinty’s Series win at Ohsweken Speedway, Ken Schrader will venture out to the Illinois State Fairgrounds on Sunday driving the No. 10 for Fast Track Racing. Schrader ran both dirt track races last year, with his best finish being ninth at Springfield.
- A staple of ARCA Menards Series dirt track racing since 2004, Kelly Kovski is back in his familiar No. 16 Chevrolet for Sunday’s Dutch Boy 100 in pursuit of his first win. Three of Kovski’s six top fives in the ARCA Menards Series have come at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, his most recent being a fifth in 2020.
![visit Sunoco3c [converted] website - opens in the same window](https://www.arcaracing.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/36/2020/01/Sunoco3c-Converted-291x180.png "visit Sunoco3c [converted] website - opens in the same window")
