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Bloomington, Ill.'s Jason Feger Looking To Spin Some
Hometrack Magic In 'Illini 100' At Farmer City Raceway
By Kevin Kovac, WoO LMS P.R. Director
FARMER CITY, IL (April 2, 2009) - What would a victory in this weekend's
second annual ‘Illini 100' at Farmer City Raceway mean to rising central
Illinois star Jason Feger?
Well, the first thing that popped into the Bloomington, Ill., driver's mind
when asked that question was purely financial. The blockbuster World of
Outlaws Late Model Series event, after all, pays $20,000 to win from a total
purse of $100,000.
“It means I'd be able to buy a new motor,” quipped Feger, who has carved out
a growing regional reputation campaigning family-owned dirt Late Model
equipment without big-money backing.
Dig a little deeper with the personable Feger, however, and out bursts the
true significance of a triumph in his homestate's biggest dirt Late Model
event, which kicks off with time trials and qualifying heats on Friday night
(April 3) and concludes with B-Mains, a Non-Qualifiers' Race and the Illini
100 on Saturday night (April 4).
“It would be just crazy to win it,” said Feger, shaking his head at the
possibility. “There's gonna be so many great cars and drivers there, and I'm
going to have a lot of family and friends there watching. Feger shirts
should be everywhere, so winning the biggest race of my career in front of
everybody I know would be an unbelievable feeling.”
An outgoing 30-year-old known for his cool race car graphics (his schemes
feature tumbling dice), cutting-edge hip-ness (Feger and his younger brother
Austin wore colorful Mohawk hairdos to UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals events
last year) and hard-charging driving style (he's called the ‘Highside
Hustler'), Feger would be the center of a huge post-race celebration if he
could pull off a win.
“There probably wouldn't be enough beer in Farmer City for the party we'd
have,” Feger said with a laugh. “I think we might just stay in the pits for
a few days.”
Feger's familiarity with the quarter-mile Farmer City oval is certainly his
ace in the hole, but it's not the only reason plenty of observers are
looking at him as a serious contender for glory in the Illini 100. He enters
the weekend riding plenty of momentum, thanks to the strong finish he had to
his career year in 2008 and an impressive $7,500 victory last month in a UMP
DIRTcar-sanctioned event at Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway in Calvert City,
Ky.
The 2008 season ended with Feger's ledger showing 13 feature wins at seven
different tracks, including two victories at Farmer City. He finished third
in the UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model national points standings, placed second
in the Northern Allstars Late Model Series points race and registered a WoO
LMS career-high finish of fourth in September at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo.
– a body of work that made him an easy choice for the 2008 UMP DIRTcar Super
Late Model Most Improved Driver Award.
“Things started clicking real good last year,” said Feger, who launched his
dirt Late Model career in 2001 after spending four years in the Sportsman
division. “I've changed chassis brands quite a few times in the past few
years, but last year we really got settled into Pierce cars and found a nice
baseline setup that's worked for us.”
Feger knows that he'll have to be on top of his game this weekend if he
expects to turn back a cross-section of the country's best dirt Late Model
drivers.
“I always feel like I have something to prove being a low-budget guy,” said
Feger, who works at his family's Absolute Apparel business but hopes to
someday go racing fulltime and chase the WoO LMS. “I know I can run with
(the sport's national stars), but I have to have the same focus as those
guys. These (WoO LMS) guys run every lap like it's their last – they're
always searching for new lines around the track and changing how they drive
if their car starts to not feel right.
“And all these guys know how to be patient in a 100-lap race. That's one of
the things I'm still learning.”
Last year Feger didn't even get a chance to strut his stuff in the inaugural
Illini 100. He failed to qualify after a flat tire knocked him out of a
transfer spot in his heat and he came up two positions short in a B-Main,
though he did win the 25-lap Non-Qualifiers' Race that followed last year's
Illini 100.
“It was really depressing to miss last year's (Illini 100),” said Feger. “We
were running right behind (2007 WoO LMS champion Steve) Francis when we got
the flat in the heat, and Francis went out and finished third in the
feature. And our lap times in the Non-Qualifiers' Race were about the same
as (Billy) Moyer and (Shannon) Babb (the winner and runner-up, respectively,
in the dramatic race).
“I know our car was fast enough last year, but whether I could've done it
for 100 laps, I don't know. Hopefully this year we'll be there at the end.”
The Illini 100 weekend kicks off with an open practice from 6 p.m. to 10
p.m. on Thurs., April 2. Grandstand admission will be free, with pit passes
$20 for adults, $10 for children 4-10 and free for kids 3-and-under.
On Friday night, April 3, time trials and heat races will be contested for
the Illini 100 along with a regular show for Farmer City's UMP DIRTcar
Modified, Pro Late Models and Street Stocks. The finale on Saturday night,
April 4, will include a $750-to-win UMP DIRTcar Modified A-Main plus the
Illini 100 B-Mains, a 25-lap Non-Qualifiers' Race offering Farmer City's
regular weekly UMP DIRTcar Super Late Model purse ($1,000 to win/$150 to
start) and the 100-lap headliner.
Ticket prices for adults are $15 (Friday) and $30 (Saturday), with
children's tickets priced at $5 (Friday) and $15 (Saturday). Two-day adult
tickets cost $40, while pit passes are $30 on Friday and $35 on Saturday or
$60 for a two-day combo.
Reserved seat tickets can be purchased through Thurs., April 2, by calling
TruSpeed Inc. at 217-828-0078. The tickets will be held for pickup at the
racetrack will-call window.
All tickets bought on Friday and/or Saturday will be general admission
seating, which includes a new 1,000-seat grandstand that has been erected on
the track's backstretch off turn two to accommodate more fans.
Gates are scheduled to open at 10 a.m. on both Friday and Saturday. Hot laps
are scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday.
More information on Farmer City Raceway is available at
www.farmercityraceway.net .
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