Posted by Illiana Speedway on 9/13/2004, 9:56 am
Board Administrator

Schererville, Ind.—Illiana Motor Speedway will host its 43rd annual Tony Bettenhausen Memorial 100 Classic late model stock car race on Saturday evening, September 18. The $3,000-to-win, 100-lap contest on the half mile paved oval is sure to attract the “cream of the crop” of area late model racers, in addition to a host of outside-the-area driving talent. Leading the cast of contenders will be Eddie Hoffman, last year’s race winner and now a three-time winner of the Bettenhausen 100 lapper. Hoffman, a second-genration driver from Wheaton, Ill., also won the race in 1998 and 2000 and has now equaled his dad, Ed Sr.’s number of Bettenhausen 100 wins. Another three-time race winner, Dave Weltmeyer of Dyer will be among the entries. Weltmeyer, a veteran of over 25 years of late model competition, captured the Bettenhausen chase in 1995, 1996 and again in 2001. Pat Kelly of Morris, Ill., winner in 2002, is also expected to compete and cannot be counted out as being a race favorite. Other drivers expected to do battle include this year’s Illiana late model champion John Nutley of Midlothian, Ill., three-time Illiana track champion Mike White, Ron Breese Jr., Joe O’Connor, Kevin Moenck, Wisconsin’s Mike Monroe, along with two-time American Speed Association titlist, Gary St. Amant. Illiana Turbo Stox drivers will also be in competition, racing in the $500-to-win Short Track News 50-lap Street Stock Challenge on the speedway’s smaller quarter mile oval. Also on tap will be a 20-lap Pure Stock main event for four-cylinder powered cars. In addition to the night’s feature races, a full card of preliminary races will be on tap. Gates open at 3:00 p.m., with qualifying beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the first race getting the green flag at 7:00 p.m. A rain date of Sunday, Spetember 19, has been set. Illiana Motor Speedway is located on U.S. Highway 30, 2 miles east of U.S Highway 41 or five miles west of Interstate 65. For more information, call the speedway at (219) 322-5311 Web Site- WWW.ILLIANASPEEDWAY.COM