2006 Winner Substituting for Kelly Kovski
By Jay Hardin
Track Enterprises Staff
Springfield, IL (August 17, 2021)-The field for the 59th Allen Crowe 100 presented by Lucas Oil got very interesting with today’s announcement that 2006 winner and hometown driver Justin Allgaier will return to contest the ARCA Menards Series event on Sunday. After competing in the NASCAR Xfinity event at Michigan Speedway, Allgaier will make the trek to his hometown of Springfield, Illinois and substitute for another hometown driver, Kelly Kovski.
Allgaier has found a home in the Xfinity Series with Dale Earnhardt Junior’s Xfinity team, JR Motorsports. Allgaier has 16 wins, 6 poles and 207 top 10 finishes in 360 starts since 2009 in the Xfinity series. One of his biggest Xfinity wins came in 2018 when he led 41 laps to win the Xfinity race at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The victory helped Allgaier secure the 2018 Xfinity Series Regular Season Championship.
Allgaier won the 2008 ARCA Menards Series championship on the strength of six victories. The ARCA title led to a ride at Penske Racing in the Xfinity Series. He was the 2009 Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year and won his first Xfinity race in 2010. Allgaier’s most recent win in the Xfinity Series was the Steakhouse Elite 200 at Darlington earlier this year. He is currently fourth in Xfinity points with 2 wins in 2021. Allgaier finished second in the Xfinity championship last season. He also has 78 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series.
Allgaier made his ARCA debut at the tender age of 16 on his hometown mile dirt track in the 2002 Allen Crowe 100 at Springfield. Already a veteran of UMP late models and midgets, he secured a ride with owner and friend Ken Schrader for the Crowe 100 and finished 17th. He finished 28th in 2003 and 7th in 2004. He also attempted the “Springfield Double” in 2004 but the championship dirt car he was assigned for the Saturday event failed to qualify for the Bettenhausen 100.
Allgaier raised the roof of the 78-year-old grandstand at Springfield in 2005 when he set a track record driving the ARCA car owned by his father Mike. The next year the grandstand nearly came down as Justin passed Bob Strait on the last lap to become the first Springfield driver to win a major auto race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in the (then) nearly 100-year history of such events. He was also the first central Illinois driver to capture the Crowe 100 and at the time the youngest winner of the event.
Allgaier finished 11th and 6th at Springfield in 2007 and 2008. In 7 stock car starts on the Springfield Mile he has 1 win, 1 pole, four top 10 finishes and a total of 9 laps led in competition.
Sunday, August 22, Justin Allgaier reunites with his car owner father, former car chief, and ARCA driver Kelly Kovski and adoring hometown fans as the 2006 winner of the Allen Crowe 100 returns to compete at Springfield, some 13 years after his last race on the mile.
Practice begins at 10 a.m. on August 22 for the ARCA Menard’s Series, General Tire Pole Qualifying at 11:30 a.m. and the Allen Crowe 100 at 1:30. The August 22 race will be televised by MAVTV and streamed via TrackPass. Tickets are available by calling Track Enterprises at 217-764-3200, at the Illinois State Fair Box Office, or by visiting your local central Illinois Menards store for a $10 discount on Sunday tickets.
The event is all part of a huge racing weekend in Central Illinois featuring Lincoln Speedway with MOWA Sprint Cars on Friday night, Silver Crown Saturday at the Springfield Mile, Jack Hewitt Night featuring POWRi Midgets at Macon Speedway Saturday night, and the ARCA Menards Series Sunday afternoon at the Springfield Mile.
Full information on the events can be found at www.trackenterprises.com.