Event to Have Halfway Break at Lap 50

Salem, IN (May 15, 2012) – The JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts will head to Illiana Motor Speedway this Saturday, May 19th for the third event of the 2012 season for the crate motor late model series. The famed Chicagoland race track located in Schererville, Indiana is owned and promoted by local businessman Mike Mikuly, and is the last Indiana asphalt racetrack to have template Super Late Models competing weekly.

The Lisa Thomas Salon 100 Presented by JEGS.com will feature a little different structure that was requested by the event’s sponsor, who has also put up some additional bonus money built around a lap 50 break. The teams will have a 10 minute break at lap 50 to work on their cars for the second 50 laps of the Lisa Thomas Salon 100 Presented by JEGS.com. Teams will not be allowed to change any tires, but they can swap tires on the car to different positions and make setup changes. The teams will set up their pits on the backstretch of the quarter mile track inside the ½ mile oval so the fans attending the event will be able to watch pit stops during the event and watch the teams work on the cars at the break.

Lisa Thomas Salon will award a $200 cash bonus to the leader of lap 50 and a $100 cash bonus to the second place car at lap 50. Lisa Thomas Salon will also award a $200 cash bonus to the driver that advanced the most positions from their starting position during the entire race and a $100 cash bonus to the driver advancing the most positions in the second 50 laps of the race.

Lisa Thomas Salon will also be part of a special race that will determine the invert for Saturday night’s Lisa Thomas Salon 100 Presented by JEGS.com. Six Lisa Thomas Salon girls will each be given a sealed envelope with a number of three to eight prior to a six lap race. The winner’s envelope will be opened after the six lap race and that number will be the invert for Saturday night’s race.

To date 29 teams have already entered the Lisa Thomas Salon 100 Presented by JEGS.com, more are expected between now and race day. Topping that list is veteran Mid-west racer Eddie Hoffman who has won numerous events at Illiana Motor Speedway including last year’s JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts event. Hoffman comes into Saturday night’s event looking to improve upon a tough start to the 2012 season with the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour with finishes of eighth at the season opener at Plymouth Speedway and seventh at the last series event at Winchester Speedway.

11 Josh Nelms - Lockport, Illinois. (Chuck Gonzalez / C.G. Photo)Lockport, Illinois (Tuesday, May 15th, 2012): When the 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts 14-race schedule came out over the winter, Trgovich Racing and driver, Josh Nelms all had Saturday, May 19th marked and circled on their calendar. It may only be the third race of the 2012 JEGS/CRA season, but the team is more than ready for arguably their biggest race of the young season.

The Lisa Thomas Salon 100 Presented by JEGS.com is at Trgovich Racing’s home track of Illiana Motor Speedway, located southeast of Gary in Schererville, Indiana. Nelms has enjoyed a vast amount of success at the ½ (0.500) mile semi-banked paved oval as the Lockport, Illinois driver picked up two Track Championships in the tracks old Mid-American Stock Cars division and he’s also won a Feature there in years past.

“We have some high hopes from testing there earlier this spring. The track has been good to me over the years. We’ve had a lot of success there and this really is a big show for us,” The 36-year-old remarked. “We’re looking to keep up with our good start to the season and a solid finish here will only help our cause. We want the JEGS/CRA championship and I honestly believe that we can win here and that will definitely give us some confidence going into the rest of the season.” He added.

So far in 2012, Nelms has recorded a fourth place finish and an eighth place showing with the latter coming in the tours’ last race at the famed ½ (0.500) mile high-banked paved oval of the legendary Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana back on May 6th for the tours’ second race, of 14; The Winchester 100 Presented by JEGS.com.

“Practice went great as we were fourth quick, but I was disappointed in Qualifying 10th. I thought we would be better than that,” He continued. “So we started on the outside of the fifth row and just rode around for the first half of the race. But then the handling just went away and you don’t want that there, so we pitted twice and the crew worked hard and got the car great at the end and was able to bring home a solid Top 10.”

“This was one of few races my wife had to miss and we sure did miss her at the track. I’m glad she didn't go with all the wrecks that were happening.” Nelms offered. “I was very happy to avoid all of those crashes and that’s what we have to keep doing and with a little luck, we’ll be right there contending every week and hopefully get into victory lane before too long.” He ended.

6 Dave Gentile Jr. - Elwood, Illinois. (Goodwin Motorsports Photo)Joliet, Illinois (Tuesday, May 15th, 2012): After spending the last couple of seasons concentrating primarily on the weekly wars at Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Illinois, as well as limited appearances at Illiana Motor Speedway in Schererville, Indiana, Dave Gentile Jr. is looking to get back into the traveling series frame of mind. What better place to do that than back at one of the tracks in his own backyard?

Gentile Jr. and his Goodwin Motorsports Team will head over to Illiana on Saturday, May 19th, but this time it’s not for the weekly Super Late Model action. The Joliet, Illinois driver will make his debut in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Presented by GM Performance Parts in the running of the Lisa Thomas Salon 100 Presented by JEGS.com.

“I am really looking forward to racing at Illiana this weekend. Not only will I get to see a lot of guys I used to race with, but I live only about 45 minutes from the track. I have a lot of family and friends that plan on coming out to the track Saturday night.” The 35-year-old stated. “We also have a lot of local sponsors that are nearby. It’s just a great overall deal for us to be close enough to home so everyone can come out to the race and cheer us on,” he added.

During the 2011 racing season, Gentile Jr., made limited appearances at Illiana while concentrating primarily on the points chase at Grundy County. He finished third in the season long points chase while collecting two Feature Wins, including the George Appleton Memorial. He also scored three trophy dash victories. In 2010, Gentile Jr. finished 13th in the points chase at Illiana, despite making limited appearances at the ½ (0.500) mile semi-banked paved oval.

Gentile Jr. was the 2008 Series Champion in the now defunct USPRO Late Models Series, a support tour to the old Varney Late Model Series. He also raced in the Varney series for three seasons, so he is no stranger to the traveling series wars.

For the remainder of the 2012 racing season, Gentile Jr., plans on making select appearances in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour. After Illiana, the team plans on making the tour races later in the season at Owosso Speedway in Ovid, Michigan, Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Indiana, and Winchester Speedway in Winchester, Indiana. In addition to the JEGS/CRA events, the team will also continue to make limited appearances at both Grundy County and Illiana.

by Illiana Motor Speedway Media PR
The Illiana Motor will come alive to the roar of engines once again in 2012 on Sat Nite April 21st, which will mark the 65th season of stock car racing, and will mark the fifth year as an ASA sanctioned Member track.

by Tony Baranek
He avoided the mayhem. He held off Jeff Cannon. All in all, it was a good night for long-time veteran Eddie Hoffman, who returned after a one-week absence to score the late-model feature victory during Saturday night’s “Race Fest” at the ASA-sanctioned Illiana Speedway.

by Tony Baranek
To say that Eddie Hoffman struggled in the ASA Midwest Series Elmer Musgrave Memorial on June 18 at Illiana Speedway would be an understatement.