Brent Crews survives an overtime restart for a wire-to-wire ARCA Menards Series victory at DuQuoin Fairgrounds in the Southern Illinois 100.
DUQUOIN, 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.
Brent Crews Survives an Overtime Restart for a Wire-to-Wire ARCA Victory at DuQuoin
The only difference between the two events was the driver out front. 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 physically and mentally exhausted Crews was confident in the speed his No. 20 JBL Toyota displayed all evening. He felt it 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.”
Similarities Between DuQuoin and Springfield for Crews
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 his second career start since 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, 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. He was facing little resistance in his rearview mirror until Amber Balcaen’s spin set up the final sprint to the finish.
A single-file restart and the thought of not worrying about Sawalich disrupting his momentum on his outside or inside brought Crews some relief. With a clear track in front of him, Crews relied on his strong dirt racing background to complete a perfect night at DuQuoin.
The Southern Illinois 100 Results
By holding on to the lead through all 102 laps, Crews denied Sawalich an opportunity to claim a $20,000 bonus for sweeping Springfield and DuQuoin races 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 a tall order. But, he had 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 by 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 remaining top ten finishers were Lavar Scott, Taylor Reimer, Christian Rose, Toni Breidinger, and Tim Monroe.
The ARCA Menards Series Point Standings
Andres Perez leads the series point standings with Lavar Scott in second place. Kris Wright, Christian Rose, and Toni Breidinger complete the top five.
Next Up
The ARCA Menards Series’ next race is the second and last road course event of the season. The series will race at Watkins Glen International on Sept. 13th in the General Tire 100 at the Glen. The race starts at 5 p.m. ET with FS1 providing live coverage.