Farmer City Raceway
Kennedy teammates roll through Illini 100 prelims
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
A look at the Farmer City oval Friday afternoon. (Jim DenHamer)
FARMER CITY, Ill. (April 5) — Kennedy Motorsports teammates Shane Clanton of Fayetteville, Ga., and Tim Fuller of Watertown, N.Y., shined brightly Friday at Farmer City Raceway, claiming heat-race victories during the qualifying program that kicked off the Illini 100 weekend. | Slideshow | Video
Clanton established himself as the early class of the event’s 40-car field, turning the overall fastest lap in split Ohlins Shocks Time Trials (12.786 seconds) and dominating the first of four 15-lap heat races. He will join Fuller and the evening’s other heat winners and runners-up in a redraw for the top eight starting spots in Saturday night’s $20,000-to-win Illini 100.
The only World of Outlaws Late Model Series regular to capture the Illini 100 in its four previous runnings, Clanton, 37, will attempt to join Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., as a two-time winner of the national tour’s lucrative event at the quarter-mile oval.
“Except for the year I won, I’ve always dug myself a hole here in this race,” said Clanton, whose Illini 100 triumph came in 2009. “Last year we the fastest car hot-lapping and qualified like 33rd, so we had to spend the rest of the weekend digging out of it. This year we were fast hot-lapping, set fast time, got a pole (start) in the heat and capitalized on it. Hopefully we can just keep the momentum running.”
Clanton, who registered the fastest lap during heat competition, had his Capital Race Car firing smoothly after experiencing some trouble during Thursday’s practice.
“I got some (hot) laps last night but not many,” Clanton said. “Every time I went out there the motor was missing and it took us all night to figure out what it was. We finally changed spark plugs and that was the problem.
“Tonight we went off some stuff that Tim learned last night, so it’s good to have a teammate that’s fast and we can rely on his notes.”
Fuller, 45, built up the largest heat-race margin of victory, topping defending Illini 100 champ Jimmy Mars of Menomonie, Wis., by 3.032 seconds in the second heat. He put himself in position for a career-best Illini 100 finish.
“I didn’t make the show last year so I’m happy and looking forward to tomorrow,” said Fuller, who also recorded the second-fastest overall lap in qualifying. “I’m in good stuff now and I feel good.”
Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill., and two-time WoO champ titlist Josh Richards of Shinnston, W.Va., were also triumphant in Friday night’s heat races. Feger will bid to become the first home-state driver to win the Illini 100 while Richards will seek to better his career-best third-place finish in the event.
Moyer and Mars were among the second-place finishers in the heat races, joining Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, and Tim McCreadie of Watertown, N.Y.
Saturday’s program, which begins with hot laps at 5 p.m., includes WoO consolation races and the Illini 100. The UMP modifieds will also run consolations and a 50-lap, $5,000-to-win feature, and the track’s regular street stock class will be in competition.
Illini 100 heat race results
(15 laps; top four transfer)
First heat: Shane Clanton, Brian Birkhofer, Darrell Lanigan, Shannon Babb, Kevin Weaver, Derek Chandler, Morgan Bagley, Scott Bull, McKay Wenger, Mike Benedum.
Second heat: Tim Fuller, Jimmy Mars, Brandon Sheppard, Billy Drake, Bub McCool, Daren Friedman, Jason Jaggers, Kyle Logue, Frank Heckenast Jr. Scratched: Tyler Reddick.
Third heat: Jason Feger, Billy Moyer, Chub Frank, Rick Eckert, Gregg Satterlee, Eric Wells, Chris Dick, Dillon Wood, Mark Burgtorf, Bill Hough.
Fourth heat: Josh Richards, Tim McCreadie, Scott James, Kent Robinson, Brian Shirley, Ryan Unzicker, Eric Smith, Russ Adams, Rodney Sanders. Scratched: Ross Camponovo.
