By: Richie Murray – USAC Media (Josh James Artwork Photo)
Springfield, Illinois (August 17, 2023)………For the past few years, Shane Cottle was all set with dirt Sprint Car and Silver Crown rides with Hodges Motorsports on the USAC National circuit.
But after a run at Pennsylvania’s Port Royal Speedway this past June, Cottle was blindsided with the news that the New Mexico based team was stepping away from the sport.
Left without a ride, the Kansas, Ill. native briefly thought about hanging up the helmet, but still felt he had a few more wins in him. The 51-year-old gathered himself and forged ahead to the next step in locking down new rides.
“That’s part of racing, I guess,” Cottle said. “You pick yourself up, dust yourself off and go find something else to do. Don’t pout about it.”
Soon, Cottle landed a sprint car ride with Epperson Racing, and then with Five Three Motorsports to finish out the half-mile dirt track portion of the USAC Silver Crown schedule.
Most recently, Cottle was tabbed as the new driver of the Chris Dyson Racing No. 9 for the dirt miles starting this Saturday, August 19, with the 60th running of the Bettenhausen 100 Presented By Hunt Brothers Pizza at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield.
Dyson’s ride was the winner of the 2021 Bettenhausen 100 with driver Kody Swanson. Crew chief Sean Michael turned the wrenches for Swanson that day and was also the winning crew chief at Springfield in 2020 with Kyle Larson. It’s a deal that all came together via social media.
“I saw (Sean Michael) posted on Facebook that he was looking for a mile driver,” Cottle recalled. “I gave them a little jingle and put a name in his ear. He went around asking Justin Peck and Steve Peck, who’s my (sprint car) crew chief now. He gave me good words, and I guess he asked Kyle Larson, and he said I’d be a good choice too. I had a lot of people on my side.”
Cottle, who was raised two hours east of the Springfield Mile and about 2.5 hours north of the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds, grew up going to the miles. One particular memory, in fact, that Cottle vividly recalls is Jack Hewitt’s charge from 18th to 1st at Du Quoin back in 1987 when Shane was just 15 years old.
Cottle is no stranger to winning on a dirt mile in his home state of Illinois. His first career Silver Crown win came at Du Quoin in 2007. A win at Springfield would be just as massive for the veteran racer who finished a career best second at Springfield just last season in October of 2022.
A win on a dirt mile of any kind is special. A triumph at Springfield would put him in rarified air as one of the very few to capture champ car wins at both Illinois miles. He can still recall the night 16 years ago when he won his first, one which remains near and dear to his heart.
“(Du Quoin) was definitely one of the biggest wins for me,” Cottle reminisced. “Hopefully we can put another one in the book. We don’t have very many dirt miles left and a win there is hard to get it, that’s for sure. With this hot rod, I think we’ve got a pretty good chance. A win at Springfield would definitely be cool and we’ve got a lot of people from my hometown who’ll be there.”
After Springfield this Saturday and Du Quoin’s Ted Horn 100 on Saturday, September 2, Cottle will turn his attention to the half-mile dirt Silver Crown races, starting with Rossburg, Ohio’s Eldora Speedway for the 41st running of the 4-Crown Nationals on September 22-23. It’s there that Cottle will make his debut for Joliet, Illinois based Five Three Motorsports, forming an all-Illini team.
“It’s pretty cool. I haven’t met the guys yet, and I’ve just talked to them on the phone. Probably, if I walked up to them right now, I wouldn’t know who they are,” Cottle said with a laugh. “But I’ll have to meet them this weekend to know who I’m talking to. They seem like really nice people, and they’ve got good equipment and I’m really looking forward to it. It’ll be a fun deal.”
Cottle’s 73 career USAC Silver Crown starts rank 36th all-time. He owns two career series victories at Du Quoin in 2007 and at Pennsylvania’s Selinsgrove Speedway in 2020.
RACE DETAILS
Shane Cottle is one of 44 entries for this Saturday’s Bettenhausen 100 field at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on August 19, which is the largest assemblage of USAC Silver Crown cars for a series event since 2005.
On Saturday in Springfield, pits and registration open at 7am Central with the ticket office and grandstands opening at 9am, the drivers meeting at 9:30am, practice from 10am-11:10am, Honest Abe Roofing Qualifying at 11:30am, followed by the qualifying race, pre-race ceremonies and the 100-lap main event at 2pm.
Tickets will be available on race day or by calling the State Fair office at 217-782-1979. Info and tickets can also be obtained by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200.
Advance tickets are $25 for adults and $10 for children 11 and under. At the gate on race day, adults are $30 and $10 for children 11 and under. Infield tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children 11 and under. Pit passes are $35 for USAC members and $40 for non-members. Infield parking is $5 for those parking in the infield with no infield or pit passes.
Every lap of Saturday’s Bettenhausen 100 will be aired live on FloRacing at https://flosports.link/3AMU46z.
