NOTEBOOK: William Sawalich chasing the Performance Seed Dirt Double at DuQuoin

A $20,000 bonus is on the line for William Sawalich if he can win the Southern Illinois 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on Sunday night.

Sawalich became eligible for the Performance Seed Dirt Double’s grand prize by dominating the Springfield ARCA 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for his first ARCA Menards Series dirt victory. With how efficient he has been this year, Sawalich believes he and Joe Gibbs Racing are more than capable of completing a clean sweep of the dirt events in 2024.

“I’m feeling really confident, especially after the Springfield race,” Sawalich said. “We were really dominant there, led all the laps and had a really fast Toyota Camry like always. I’m really proud to always run up front with [Joe Gibbs Racing], so hopefully this weekend will be another good one.”

That stellar performance at Springfield occurred despite Sawalich possessing minimal dirt track experience to his name beforehand.

Not logging more laps prior to Springfield and DuQuoin was not a major issue for Sawalich. He felt comfortable the two fifth place runs tallied in dirt races from 2023 gave him and his team plenty of material to utilize for them to excel at those events this year.

Aside from the setup, a key component that aided Sawalich in his Springfield victory was rain that impacted the facility the day before. With no dust being kicked up because of the damp surface, Sawalich compared the Springfield ARCA 100 to a flat track like the Milwaukee Mile, especially with how much rubber was accumulated.

Sawalich admitted a rainy Saturday would make the Southern Illinois 100 an easier outing since he considers DuQuoin to be a much harder track than Springfield. He said DuQuoin’s abrasive surface poses a greater risk for drivers to tear up cars, requiring more caution and finesse behind the wheel.

To further complicate matters, Brent Crews is also on the entry list Sunday evening. Having seen the cohesion Crews displays on dirt tracks last year, Sawalich knows he will have to stay ahead of him if he wants to leave DuQuoin $20,000 richer.

Sawalich is proud of the progress he and Gibbs have made together on dirt tracks following their flawless afternoon at Springfield. DuQuoin presents its own unique challenges, but Sawalich is ready to tackle the historic track again and claim the Performance Seed Dirt Double.

“We’re going to have to be fast and have good long run speed,” Sawalich said. “We had good long run speed at Springfield and hoping to have the same at DuQuoin. Having good position on restarts is going to be a factor, because you don’t want to be stuck on the outside, even when passing lapped cars. It all comes down to positioning, timing and a little bit of luck.

“[That $20,000] is a little extra motivation for me and the team, so it’ll be up to me to get it.”

The second and final leg of the Performance Seed Dirt Double at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds commences at 7:30 p.m. CT/8:30 p.m. ET on Sunday. FS1 and FloRacing will carry live coverage of the Southern Illinois 100.

Taylor Reimer looks to make more history at DuQuoin

The Springfield ARCA 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds saw Taylor Reimer make ARCA Menards Series history alongside Venturini Motorsports teammate Isabella Robusto.

With Reimer finishing third behind Robusto, the two became the first pair of female competitors to finish inside the top three in the same ARCA Menards Series event. Reimer played her own part in this milestone by following Robusto around Lavar Scott during a one-lap shootout.

On Sunday evening, Reimer will have an opportunity to make more history as the first female winner in the history of the national ARCA Menards Series. She is teaming back up with Venturini Motorsports in what will be her debut appearance at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.

The 2024 season has primarily been a learning curve for Reimer as she branches away from her dirt midget roots. She still actively competes in dirt events, but she has logged plenty of laps in Late Model events in the southeast, obtaining a couple of wins in the process.

Reimer looks to keep a successful year going by improving upon her career-best showing and delivering another dirt track victory for Venturini Motorsports after they swept Springfield and DuQuoin in 2023.

Daylan Hairston honoring Ron Hutcherson in ARCA debut

For his maiden appearance with the ARCA Menards Series, Daylan Hairston will be paying tribute to one of the platform’s greatest competitors.

The late Ron Hutcherson is adorning Hairston’s car in Sunday’s Southern Illinois 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Hutcherson’s career saw him claim three consecutive ARCA Menards Series titles from 1972-74 and 12 career victories before retiring from racing in the late 1970s.

Hairston has embodied many similar characteristics to Hutcherson in his own career. A competitor who races factory stocks in his home state of Mississippi, Hairston got his first glimpse into being an ARCA Menards Series driver when he tested at Daytona International Speedway for Fast Track Racing in January.

DuQuoin is different from Daytona in every aspect, but the familiarity Hairston has with dirt surfaces provides more of a comfort zone for his ARCA Menards Series debut. A strong run on Sunday evening could be crucial for Hairston to earn more starts on the platform soon.

For now, Hairston is focused on leaning from team owner Andy Hillenburg, along with teammates Cody Dennison, Tim Monroe and Michael Maples, to ensure he can properly honor Hutcherson with a clean-but-strong outing at DuQuoin.

NOTES:

• Veteran dirt competitor Kelly Kovski was the only other driver to lead a lap at the Illinois State Fairgrounds amidst William Sawalich’s stellar afternoon. Kovski is back in his own No. 16 for the Southern Illinois 100, where he seeks to finally tally his first ARCA Menards Series win after recording eight top fives on the dirt tracks.
• The 75^th season of competition for Kimmel Racing has seen Will Kimmel record two top-five finishes at Charlotte Motor Speedway and Salem Speedway. With momentum on his side, Kimmel is turning his attention toward the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, a track where he finished third last year.
• All five of Tim Monroe’s top-five finishes in the ARCA Menards Series have been at one of the two dirt tracks, which includes last year’s event at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Monroe is teaming back up with Fast Track Racing for Sunday’s Southern Illinois 100 as he looks to bring home his first career top five.
• Burnsville, Mississippi native Austin Vaughn will make his ARCA Menards Series debut Sunday evening at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. A young dirt racing competitor with a background in Modified Sportsman cars, Vaughn hopes to bring home a solid finish in the No. 06 Toyota for Peterson Motorsports.