By Jay Hardin
Track Enterprises
Growing up as the son of a Midwestern racing legend and being just 20 minutes from a famous racing venue, it’s hard not to take notice of the Magic Mile at the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. Fall in love with open wheel race cars and it’s almost inevitable that someday, you’ll race on the big mile track. Work to make yourself one of the best dirt track drivers in the Midwest, and you’ll likely secure good rides in the USAC Silver Crown Series. Follow those steps and you could become a winner in the series, including on the mile of clay you call home in nearby Perry County, Illinois. Those are the steps Shane Cockrum took and it led him to two wins in the Ted Horn 100 at Du Quoin, and the “Flyin’ Fireman” appears primed and ready for a third win Saturday night.
Also known as “The Chief”, Cockrum generally limits his appearances in the Silver Crown series to the dirt venues. He finished 21st in the season opener Sumar Classic at Terre Haute (where he’s a past winner) and 7th in the event at Port Royal, Pennsylvania. He and his BLS Motorsports team were chomping at the bit for the two-race mile dirt track swing, but plans were interrupted by the postponement at Springfield. That leaves Du Quoin, a track where Cockrum and crew have visited the infield lake twice after back-to-back wins in 2014 & 2015. Winning on the Magic Mile was a dream come true for Cockrum. A third win would add another chapter to the dream.
Shane followed his dad, the late Cliff Cockrum to racetracks all over the country. As Cliff picked up victory after victory, Shane decided to follow his father’s path and become a racing driver. One goal was to race on the big mile track at Du Quoin, a second goal was to race one of the mighty uprights. Shane took the first step in 1998 competing in the Bill Oldani Memorial UMP Modified event but it would be three years before he would make the Oldani feature event. Several additional Oldani appearances would come before an opportunity to move into the big cars.
Former USAC Stock Car owner Dave Hardy of Decatur was a familiar face in the Du Quoin pit area. His driver, Butch Garner, was very popular in central and southern Illinois, including at Du Quoin. Over the winter of 2010, Hardy picked up a Stealth Silver Crown car from the Siner family in Dupo, Illinois and the named driver was Shane Cockrum. A large contingent of Cockrum followers bought tickets for the 2011 Ted Horn 100 and watched as Shane finished 17th completing 89 laps before running out of fuel. Since his rookie year Cockrum has won twice, never finished lower than fifth and completed 699 out of 700 miles. Based on that record it is a fair bet Shane will be in contention Saturday night.
MiteXstream comes on board as a new presenting sponsor of the championship event. It’s all part of a Labor Day weekend full of racing which also includes the ARCA Menards Series on Sunday night and DIRTcar Modifieds both nights.
Practice for the USAC Silver Crown championship cars begins Saturday, September 3 at 5 p.m. with qualifying slated at 6:30 and the Ted Horn 100 presented by MiteXstream at 8:15 p.m. Sunday, September 4 event schedule will begin with practice at 4:15, qualifying at 6:00, and feature racing at 6:30.
Tickets will be available on race day or by calling the Du Quoin Fair office at 618-542-1535. Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200.
For more info, visit www.trackenterprises.com.