World of Outlaws Notebook
Notes: Can Feger keep Illini 100 title in Illinois?
By Kevin Kovac
World of Outlaws Late Model Series
Jason Feger
Jason Feger wants to keep the Illini 100 trophy where it belongs — in the Land of Lincoln. The Bloomington, Ill., driver is confident that he can write that storyline for his home state's biggest and richest Dirt Late Model event, a 100-lap World of Outlaws Late Model Series race scheduled for April 9-10) at Farmer City Raceway.
"It would just be awesome to pick up that $20,000 check in front of the home crowd," said Feger, who has turned many laps around the demanding quarter-mile clay oval during his career. "All of my family and friends will be there with their Feger shirts on so I'd love to give them something to cheer about. We'll have a great party in the pits if we can pull it off."
Coming off a career season in 2009 that saw him win 23 features and his first UMP DIRTcar points title, the 31-year-old Feger believes this weekend's third annual edition of the Illini 100 represents his best chance yet at a major resume-building victory. He has more experience in long-distance races and feels much sharper than the driver who finished a solid eighth in last year's event.
"We ended up eighth last year, but we broke a lift-bar (under the front nosepiece) about halfway through and that definitely affected my handling for the rest of the race," Feger said. "I think we had a car that could've run in the top five if the lift-bar wouldn't have been getting caught in the frame when I went through the turns, so I know we can run up front.
"Now we'll be going into this weekend with even more knowledge from all the racing we did last year and already this year (at Florida Speedweeks), so I don't see why we can't win the race. I think the field for this year's race is going to be the toughest yet, but if we make the right decisions and our car stays together we'll have a shot."
Feger proved last year that he can get the job done on the World of Outlaws Late Model Series, topping the national tour's regulars for his first career series win at Charter Raceway Park in Beaver Dam, Wis. Now he'd like to add a second triumph on more familiar turf.
"I don't think there could be anything better than having an Illinois driver win the Illini 100," said Feger, who will run a fresh Pierce Race Car this weekend after driving the machine to victory in its debut outing last Saturday night at Peoria (Ill.) Speedway. "I'd love to be that guy."
Another nail-biter?
Two years. Two dramatic races. Is there another one in for Saturday night's Illini 100? All the drivers involved in the memorable endings of the past two seasons will be in action this weekend, including three-time WoO champion Billy Moyer of Batesville, Ark., who won the hold-your-breath inaugural Illini 100 in 2008.
Moyer started third in that event but didn't grab the lead until lap 99 when he slipped by Shannon Babb of Moweaqua, Ill., who was forced to start at the rear of the field because he changed a tire after presenting his car for the starting lineup. Babb led laps 55-72, 74-84 and 86-98 — and came up less a car length short at the checkers.
WoO regular Shane Clanton of Locust Grove, Ga., earned his only victory on the 2009 tour in last year's Illini 100. He started on the pole but spent almost the entire distance chasing leader Brian Birkhofer of Muscatine, Iowa, finally sneaking underneath Birkhofer to assume command on lap 94.
Francis getting closer
Coming into the Illini 100 as the season's most recent WoO winner is Steve Francis of Ashland, Ky., who broke out of an early-season funk with his victory on March 27 at Lone Star Speedway in Kilgore, Texas.
"I told (crew chief) Tim (Logan) when we went to Texas: 'We're close — we're not perfect yet, but we're close,' " said Francis, who entered the March 26-27 doubleheader in the Lone Star State mired in ninth in the points standings with just one top-five finish in four starts. "Then we ran so bad at Battleground (Speedway to kick off the Texas Two-Step weekend) I didn't know what to think, but we came back (at Lone Star) and finally got it all put together. Now I think we might have something."
With Francis back fielding his own equipment this season after spending 2008-2009 driving for Maryland's Dale Beitler, this weekend will mark his first Illini 100 appearance in his familiar No. 15. He was a contender in both previous 100s, finishing third in 2008 (he led laps 51-54 and 73) and running fifth in last year's edition until he tumbled to 15th in the final rundown because a broke left-rear tracking rod caused him to limp around the track at reduced speed for the final circuits.
Odds and ends
There hasn't been a repeat winner in six 2010 races, and if another new driver emerges victorious in the Illini 100, the WoO's modern-era (2004-present) record for most different winners to start a season will be matched. In 2004 the first repeat winner came in the eighth feature. ... WoO rookie sensation Austin Hubbard, an 18-year-old who already has a victory (and the tour's craziest victory lane celebration) to his credit this season, will make his first career start at Farmer City. ... Besides WoO regulars, among top drivers expected at Farmer City are Shannon Babb, Billy Moyer, Brian Birkhofer, Jimmy Mars, Jeep Van Wormer, Dan Schlieper, Don O'Neal and Steve Casebolt.
