FARMER CITY, Ill. — For the first time this season, the World of Outlaws CASE Construction Equipment Late Models will rumble into the Midwest for the highly anticipated Illini 100 at Farmer City Raceway.
The quarter-mile bullring will host the series for three nights of action, with a total weekend purse of $136,000.
A practice session kicks off Illini 100 weekend on March 30, before the racing starts on March 31, with a 30-lap sprint paying $8,000-to-win. More money is on the line on April 1, when the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models return for a 70-lap, $25,000-to-win finale.
The Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota will join the World of Outlaws all weekend, along with the DIRTcar Pro Late Models on Friday and DIRTcar Modifieds on Saturday.
Here are the top storylines to keep an eye on entering the weekend:
A Chance to Close
Heading into Farmer City, Chris Madden leads the World of Outlaws CASE Late Models standings by 14 points over Brian Shirley.
For Shirley, it’s a chance to close that gap at a track he’s familiar with.
The Chatham, Ill. driver has two CASE Feature wins at the quarter-mile facility, both coming in the Illini 100 preliminary feature (2017, 2019).
A win for “Squirrel” would be his seventh series win and first since 2019.
Madden has yet to find victory lane at Farmer City but scored a fourth-place finish during the event’s finale in 2021.
Track of Champions
The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models have raced 18 times at Farmer City in its 21-season history. Series champions have won 11 of those 18 races.
Three-time Series champion Billy Moyer has more wins at Farmer City than any other driver with four (’06, ’08, ’10, ’13), followed by New Berlin, Ill.’s Brandon Sheppard with three (’15, ’17, ’19).
Josh Richards scored both of his wins in 2016, while Scott Bloomquist (‘15) and Shane Clanton (‘09) found victory lane once.
Sheppard, Clanton, and defending series champion Dennis Erb Jr., from Carpentersville, Ill., could add to that total this weekend if they grab their first World of Outlaws checkered flag of 2023.
Operating at Home
Farmer City Raceway is a home game for defending Illini 100 champion Bobby Pierce.
The Oakwood, Ill. driver won the 2021 edition of the event with an epic slide job on Cade Dillard in the race’s closing laps. It was also his first career World of Outlaws win.
It was the “Smooth Operator’s” first career series victory—one he celebrated with family and friends.
Pierce already has a World of Outlaws win in 2023, passing Brandon Overton on the last lap at Volusia (Fla.) Speedway Park in February.
A win this weekend would be his sixth career series triumph.
Defending the Prairie State
While many World of Outlaws CASE Late Model drivers call Illinois home, they must contend with a strong regional presence throughout the weekend.
Mike Spatola, from Manhattan, Ill., scored his first career series win at the 2021 Illini 100, and El Paso, Ill. driver Ryan Unzicker finished second. They’ll both be back in action, hoping to replicate that success.
Other drivers to watch this weekend are Jason Feger, who bested the World of Outlaws at Davenport last year, and two-time Farmer City winner Shannon Babb, from Moweaqua, Ill.
A driver from Illinois has won nine of the 18 series races at Farmer City.
Looking to Strike
While Tanner English didn’t get off to the start he hoped for at Volusia, he returns to a type of track where he’s had past success.
The Benton, Ky. driver finished fourth in the Illini 100 opener in 2021.
However, it’s not just Farmer City that’s been good to the reigning series rookie of the year.
In eight races on quarter-mile tracks in 2022, English scored two wins, six top fives, and never finished outside the top 10.
A win for English this weekend would be his fourth career series victory.
Getting Xtreme
The World of Outlaws CASE Late Models will be joined by the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series presented by Toyota at this weekend’s Illini 100.
It’s only the fourth and fifth time the two series have raced at the same track on the same night after meeting up at Jacksonville and Davenport in 2022. On those nights, one of the two series had a first-time winner.
Jade Avedisian scored her first Xtreme Outlaw Series win at Jacksonville, while Davenport produced first-time winners for each series.
English swept the Friday and Saturday portion of the event in the late models, while Chase McDermand and Bryant Wiedeman each grabbed their first checkered flag with the Xtreme Outlaw Series.
Keyword: World Of Outlaws Late Models Ready To Invade Farmer City