Full Throttle

I’m sure NASCAR star Kenny Schrader eventually got to the traditions of Labor Day. Steaks, corn on the cob, ribs, tater salad. The works.

But he had a championship to defend. The Labor Day/tailgate fixin’s had to wait.

After being stymied by Du Quoin’s “Magic Mile” for more than a dozen races, Ken Schrader, a four-time winner on the NASCAR circuit, won his first ARCA RE/MAX Southern Illinois 100 last year.

10,000 fans packed the stands at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds for the 55th running of the Southern Illinois 100. Schrader didn’t disappoint them as he made it two in a row Monday, nipping Josh Wise of by less than a half-second.

Schrader took the lead for good with 15 laps to go, slipping beneath Wise on the last turn. However, a late caution flag turned the 100-mile race into a two-lap sprint and Schrader was able to hold off Wise to take the checkered flag.

“It was just a matter of not doing anything wrong,” Schrader said of the final two laps. “They were going to have to drive around the outside.”

Schrader and Wise noted that although the track was dry and dusty, it wasn’t really an issue.

“It actually started building up more grit at the end because it laid more rubber,” Wise said. “We got real tight at the end. You had to be real careful. It gets interesting when the track changes that much.”

“If you got out of the black, you were in big trouble,” Schrader said. “I just didn’t do that.”

And, that was enough to get him into victory lane for the second straight year.

After an all-night flight from the Left Coast Tony Stewart put on his ARCA RE/MAX Series owners hat. Smoke supplied the #20 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet (image above) with young, Shinnston, WV driver Josh Richards at the wheel.

The long trip was apparently worth it, Stewart, acting as Richards spotter watched as the kid brought his dirt track Chevy home in third place.