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“Sunshine” Looking for DuQuoin Redemption
By Jay Hardin
Track Enterprises Staff
DuQuoin, IL-(August 29, 2019)-There are times race fans may have heard a driver remark “this place owes me one” but the sentiment is often hard to justify. The young pilot who is arguably the hottest driver in United States Auto Club competition at the present time might just feel that way about the two dirt miles in the state of Illinois given the 2018 results. Tyler “Sunshine” Courtney of Indianapolis looked like a winner during the races at Springfield and DuQuoin last year but could not find victory lane. He returns this year with a shot at victories on both tracks and a chance to be the final driver to register a historic “triple crown”.
Courtney is a threat to win in all three of USAC’s prime divisions, the Midget series, Sprint Car series and the Silver Crown division. Courtney ran his first race in the big cars a few seasons ago taking over a seat occupied by veteran Tom Capie, eventually moving to a car owned by long time midget car owner Hans Lein of Wisconsin. Courtney and Lein have formed a winning combination, Courtney won his first Silver Crown race in September of 2017 at Eldora and led both at Springfield and DuQuoin in the black machine. The race at DuQuoin may have been the most heartbreaking as Courtney took over the lead from C.J. Leary with 13 miles to go after Leary began to run short on fuel. The same fate befell Courtney within 7 laps as his engine began to sputter and he was forced to the pits on lap 96.
Courtney comes back to the Magic Mile as one of the favorites to win the 71st Ted Horn 100 and a shot at becoming perhaps the last driver on a very exclusive list. Since 1953 just 14 drivers have won 100-mile championship races on the three Midwestern fairground mile race tracks, Indianapolis, Springfield and DuQuoin. With the announcement earlier that the Indiana State Fair was turning the “Track of Champions” into a practice facility for horses, it is possible that no one will be able to claim a victory on all three again. Further, just four men, Jimmy Bryan, A.J. Foyt, Al Unser and Jack Hewitt won all three (Bettenhausen (Springfield) 100, Ted Horn 100, Hoosier Hundred) in the same year.
Courtney won this year’s Hoosier Hundred at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in the same fashion as Chris Windom did at Springfield and DuQuoin in 2018. Courtney started 3rd and bided his time taking the lead from Kevin Thomas Jr. with less than 10 miles to go. His quest for the USAC Silver Crown “triple crown” continues Sunday night in the 71st Ted Horn 100. Practice for the big cars begins at 5 p.m. with the 100-miler beginning around 8.
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