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Popejoy Plumbing, Heating, Electric and Geothermal Presents the Illinois Dirt Shootout Powered by Hotrod Septic Treatment Entries #76 - #90

Popejoy Plumbing, Heating, Electric and Geothermal Presents the Illinois Dirt Shootout Powered by Hotrod Septic Treatment Entries #76 - #90

Over the course of the next month, the MARS Modified Championship Powered by Summit Racing Equipment will be spotlighting each of the drivers entered into the upcoming Illinois Dirt Shootout being held at Fairbury American Legion Speedway on May 23 - 25.

Clayton Bryant

Event Car #: 114
Hometown: Yoder, IN
Best MARS finish: Has not competed in a MARS event

One of the best in recent years in the Indiana/Ohio region with a top-50 finish in DIRTcar UMP Modified National points last season. He picked up wins in 2023 at both Montpelier Motor Speedway and Gas City I-69 Speedway. When visiting FALS for the One for the Road event, he bagged a top-10 in his only trip last season. He started his 2024 season at DIRTcar Nationals, where he earned 2 top-5 finishes throughout the week.

Troy Ricketts

Event Car #: 71R
Hometown: Fairbury, IL
Best MARS finish: Has not started a MARS feature

Fairbury Speedway weekly competitor that is excited for a race of this caliber right in his backyard. His best finish last season at FALS was a 12th place finish in weekly action.

Brayden Watson

Event Car #: 93W
Hometown: Bedford, IN
Best MARS finish: Has not competed in a MARS event

A very successful 2023 campaign shows that the sky is the limit for the young Bedford, Indiana driver. Feature wins at Brownstown Speedway, Lincoln Park Speedway, and Circle City Raceway were paired with 10 additional top-5 finishes across Indiana and Kentucky. Look for the 93W to make some noise on a rare appearance to the Land of Lincoln.

Matt Dillon

Event Car #: 389
Hometown: Newman, IL
Best MARS finish: Has not started a MARS feature

Charleston Speedway regular that finished 5th in 2023 track points at the speedway. Dillon may have only raced 17 times last season, but he was strong out of the box nightly. He finished top-10 in 76% of races attended with his best finish of 3rd coming 3 times at Charleston.

Curt Spalding

Event Car #: 5CS
Hometown: Watervliet, MI
Best MARS finish: 9th at Fairbury Speedway

One of the best the Wolverine State has to offer, that has made many laps at FALS in previous years. His best finish at FALS last season, in a handful of starts, was a 5th place finish. Spalding found victory lane at Hartford Speedway, Shadyhill Speedway, and Kokomo Speedway to go along with a many of top-5 and top-10 finishes.

Timmy Hill

Event Car #: 51
Hometown: Pacific, MO
Best MARS finish: 5th at Tri City Speedway

In only 17 starts last season, Timmy Hill was a threat to win on numerous occasions throughout the STL area. He was able to get the job done at both Tri City Speedway and Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 and competed in over a quarter of the MARS events last season. The season has gradually gotten better in 2024 as he has progressed from a 10th place finish, to 3rd, to picking up his first win of the season last night at I-55.

Joshua Hotsinpiller

Event Car #: 5H
Hometown: Twelve Mile, IN
Best MARS finish: Has not competed in a MARS event

Hotsinpiller picked up his lone top-10 finish, in only a handful of starts last season, and the Gas City I-69 Speedway in his home state of Indiana. He will look to enter the biggest event of his career on Memorial Day weekend in hopes of finding his way into the main event on Saturday night for a chance at $20,000.

Kasey Schrock

Event Car #: 83
Hometown: Ashmore, IL
Best MARS finish: Has not started a MARS feature

Charleston Speedway 2023 track champion that had a phenomenal year at the speedway. In 15 point events at Charleston he was able to capture 2 victories, 11 top-5 finishes, and 13 top-10 finishes. The #83 is a strong competitor anywhere he unloads, so don’t expect any different when he hits the track at FALS next month.

Rick Frasure

Event Car #: 71F
Hometown: Lawrenceville, IL
Best MARS finish: 15th at Farmer City Raceway, Red Hill Raceway, Adams County Speedway

One of the two true ironmen of the MARS Modified tour. Frasure is 1 of 2 (Josh Harris is the other) that has been in attendance for each and every MARS Modified event since the debut of the tour in April 2023. With a new car in 2024 the #71 team has been finding speed and hoping to continue to build on that for a solid showing in May at FALS.

Joshua Malott

Event Car #: 57
Hometown: Montpelier, IN
Best MARS finish: Has not competed in a MARS event

A driver with very few DIRTcar UMP Modified starts in the past decade, that will look to take on Fairbury Speedway for the first time in his career for the Illinois Dirt Shootout.

Blaze Melton

Event Car #: 55
Hometown: Hawesville, KY
Best MARS finish: Has not started a MARS feature

Western Kentucky driver that ventured to the Land of Lincoln more in 2023 than most years of his racing career that will be looking for a solid showing in a rare appearance to Fairbury Speedway. Last season Melton picked up top-5 finishes at 5 different racetracks with his best finish of 2nd coming at Cedar Ridge Speedway.

Austen Becerra

Event Car #: 22B
Hometown: Carthage, MO
Best MARS finish: 8th at Adams County Speedway

Becerra is known to be one of the most exciting drivers to watch on track, and Fairbury ought to fit right to his driving style… Ripping around the top. Becerra was 2023 track champion at Adams County Speedway and the Lee County Speedway and raced a heavier schedule than almost anyone in Modified racing. With over 70 nights of competition, Becerra captured 25 wins and 58 top-10 finishes with victories at Northwest Florida Speedway, Southern Raceway, 34 Raceway, Lee County Speedway, Adams County Speedway, CJ Speedway, Moberly Motorsports Park, and East Moline Speedway. In 2024 Becerra has already captured a victory at Davenport Speedway. Look for the #22B to be a contender for the $20,000 at Fairbury as he looks to add a major notch to his belt with a win at FALS.

Steven Brooks

Event Car #: 5B
Hometown: Bourbonais, IL
Best MARS finish: 9th at Farmer City Raceway

With a new Elite Chassis added to the stable, Steven Brooks is looking for big things in 2024. Surprisingly Brooks did not find victory lane in 2023 but had many great finishes and captured top-10’s in over 70% of his starts. He kicked off his 2024 campaign at Kankakee County Speedway where he finished 7th in weekly competition.

Victor Strong

Event Car #: 81
Hometown: Fairbury, IL
Best MARS finish: Has not started a MARS feature

Fairbury Speedway regular that entered the DIRTcar UMP Modified ranks for his first year in competition in 2023. He captured his first career top-10 in the Modified division in August at FALS and will be continuing to try to get accustomed to the division as 2024 progresses.

Jeff Hamby

Event Car #: 15H
Hometown: Lancing, TN
Best MARS finish: Has not competed in a MARS event

East Tennessee driver that will be looking to make his first trip to the Land of Lincoln in 2024 for the Illinois Dirt Shootout. Hamby did not race an overabundance of times in 2023, but he made it count when he did hit the track for action. He picked up feature wins at both Mountain View Raceway and I-75 Raceway.

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