Brent Crews survives overtime restart for wire-to-wire ARCA win at Du Quoin
Photo by ARCA Racing photo
DU QUOIN, Ill. — As was the case at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, the dominant car of the evening Sunday at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds had to survive an overtime restart to cap off a perfect evening.
The only difference between the two events was the driver out front, as Brent Crews proved to be in a league of his own from the moment he passed William Sawalich on the opening lap of the Southern Illinois 100. Overtime gave Sawalich one last shot at another win, but Crews remained stalwart to visit Victory Lane for the first time in the 2024 ARCA Menards Series season.
Despite being both physically and mentally exhausted when it came time to settle the race, Crews was confident the speed his No. 20 JBL Toyota displayed all evening would be enough to fend off Sawalich for two extra laps.
“I knew we were going to be alright,” Crews said. “The Lord was guiding and directing me there. I’ve been sick all week and had to race Friday night, too. It’s been a struggle, but I have to thank everyone at Venturini Motorsports for bringing me this hot rod. [Everyone] got to see how fast it was, and I’m blessed to drive it.”
Aside from the overtime restart, Sunday evening’s Southern Illinois 100 bore many similarities to Crews’ other triumph on the ARCA Menards Series platform.
In just his second career start back in 2023 at the Springfield Mile, Crews raced like a veteran by pulling away from the rest of the field. When the checkered flag waved, Crews was 20.72 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher in Andres Perez.
The same maturity that has followed Crews across road course, dirt track and short track racing was present at DuQuoin. With the track surface creating high speeds for competitors, Crews found his comfort zone while facing little resistance in his rearview mirror until Amber Balcaen’s spin set up the final sprint to the finish.
A single-file restart provided Crews some relief, as he would not have to worry about Sawalich disrupting his momentum on his outside or inside. With clear track in front of him, Crews relied on his strong dirt racing background to complete a perfect night at DuQuoin.
By holding on to the lead through all 102 laps, Crews denied Sawalich an opportunity to claim a $20,000 bonus for sweeping both Springfield and DuQuoin as part of the Performance Seed Dirt Double. Entering Sunday, Sawalich had won six of the last eight events on the national ARCA Menards Series schedule.
Crews knew defeating Sawalich was going to be a tall order, but he possessed complete faith in himself and the people around him at Venturini Motorsports to depart DuQuoin with another win. He added key components to consistency on dirt tracks involve being methodical and listening to feedback as the surface evolves.
“A good spotter is crucial [when it comes] to telling me where everyone is at and coaching me through lap times,” Crews said. “Growing up on the dirt path was a big part [of this win] as well, being able to race midgets and stuff like that. It helped a lot, and I’m just grateful to be here.”
Following Crews and Sawalich in third was Perez, with Kris Wright and dirt veteran Kelly Kovski completing the top five. The rest of the top 10 finishers consisted of Lavar Scott, Taylor Reimer, Christian Rose, Toni Breidinger and Tim Monroe.
Next up for the ARCA Menards Series will be the second and final road course event on the calendar, Watkins Glen International on Sept. 13. The General Tire 100 at the Glen will commence at 5 p.m. ET with FS1 providing live coverage.
RESULTS
Pos No. Name Sponsor Laps Diff
1 20 Brent Crews * JBL Toyota 102
2 18 William Sawalich * Starkey/Sound Gear Toyota 102 0.177
3 2 Andres Perez Max Siegel Inc Chevrolet 102 0.755
4 15 Kris Wright FNB Corportation Toyota 102 1.968
5 16 Kelly Kovski Brandt/Schluckebier Farms Chevrolet 102 2.219
6 6 Lavar Scott * Max Siegel Inc Chevrolet 102 2.885
7 55 Taylor Reimer * Buzzballz Toyota 102 8.384
8 32 Christian Rose West Virginia Department of Tourism Ford 101 1 Lap
9 25 Toni Breidinger SunocoToyota 100 2 Laps
10 12 Tim Monroe Riverside Chevy/Illinios Trucking Assoc. Chevrolet 100 2 Laps
11 22 Amber Balcaen Icon Toyota 100 2 Laps
12 11 Cody Dennison * Timcast.com Toyota 96 6 Laps
13 31 Brayton Laster * AC/Cages.com/Goat Locker Racing Chevrolet 95 7 Laps
14 99 Michael Maples * Don Ray Petroleum LLC/Maples Motorsports Chevrolet 80 22 Laps
15 03 Alex Clubb Race Parts Liquidators Ford 77 25 Laps
16 06 Austin Vaughan * Peterson Motorsports Toyota 46 56 Laps
17 8 Sean Corr Necso Bus Sales Chevrolet 38 64 Laps
18 69 Will Kimmel Kimmel Racing Ford 31 71 Laps
19 4 Dale Quarterley Van Dyk Recycling/Motul Chevrolet 25 77 Laps
20 0 Nate Moeller * Peterson Motorsports Ford 10 92 Laps
21 10 Daylan Hairston * Memory of Ron Hutcherson Ford 5 97 Laps
22 48 Brad Smith Copraya.com Ford 4 98 Laps
23 86 Brian Clubb * Race Parts Liquidators Ford 3 99 Laps
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