Landen Lewis scored his first ARCA Menards Series victory in his second start on Sunday night at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. Photo: Rette Jones Racing/Twitter
Everybody now understands why Landen Lewis, at just 15, was pinned to run the pair of 2021 ARCA Menards Series dirt races for Rette Jones Racing Development and Austin Theriault Racing Development.
Lewis, the Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina, native who finished seventh in his ARCA debut a couple weeks ago on the Springfield Mile at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, won Sunday’s Southern Illinois 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds.
The rookie’s first win came in just his second ARCA Menards Series start, and it arrived in dominating fashion. Lewis qualified on the General Tire Pole early Sunday evening and proceeded to lead every lap of the race on the one-mile clay oval.
“Right now I’m speechless,” Lewis said. “This wouldn’t be possible without any of my guys. (Crew chief) Mark Rette, (team co-owner) Larry Jones, Austin Theriault — everyone who’s made this possible for me. It’s a dream come true.”
Rette Jones Racing Development and Austin Theriault Racing Development jointly announced last month that Lewis would make his ARCA debut at Springfield, where he finished seventh after qualifying fifth. His opportunity came on the strength of a successful career in Legends Cars, Super Trucks and Dirt Modified competition.
In Legend Car competition, Lewis has roared to 22 wins and 51 top-five finishes. In Dirt Modifieds driving for four-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Ron Hornaday, Jr., Lewis has six wins, eight second-place runs and 27 top-fives.
Lewis banked on his experience in Dirt Modifieds to help ease his transition to stock cars with advice not only from Hornaday, but also from racing icon Ken Schrader, the 66-year-old veteran who was in the field Sunday at DuQuoin and finished third.
“I was trying to get to the checkered as fast as I could,” Lewis said of the closing laps Sunday before an overtime restart that was prompted by a Taylor Gray spin on the final lap of regulation. “My spotter told me there was a wreck in turn 3, and I just automatically started thinking (about) what Ron Hornaday’s taught me.”
Gibbs failed to lead a lap in a race for the second time this season (Springfield), but the 18-year-old driver did clinch the 2021 CGS Imaging Four Crown.
The Four Crown is a four-race series within the ARCA Menards Series that celebrates a diverse schedule with events on a superspeedway (Kansas Speedway), a road course (Mid-Ohio), a short track (Indiana’s Winchester Speedway) and a dirt track (DuQuoin).
“I’m just glad I walked out of here with a working race car,” said Gibbs, who won the first three Four-Crown races of the season. “It was a really difficult race not trying to tear stuff up.
“Tonight was more of a character-building night for me. We had a good points day. Championship racing is a little bit different to me; I want to go win the race. But sometimes you can’t.”
Dirt track ringer Ryan Unzicker, who spent much of Sunday’s race in second place chasing Lewis, finished fourth after a slip on the overtime restart.
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The ARCA Menards Series will take a week off before it returns to action Thursday, September 16 for the Bush’s Beans 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway, the 18th of 20 races on the 2021 schedule.
The Bristol race also serves as the ARCA Menards Series East season finale and Round 9 of the 10-race Sioux Chief Showdown.
ARCA Menards Series
DuQuoin State Fairgrounds – DuQuoin, IL
Southern Illinois 100 – September 5, 2021
1. Landen Lewis
2. Ty Gibbs
3. Ken Schrader
4. Ryan Unzicker
5. Taylor Gray
6. Tim Monroe
7. Corey Heim
8. Zachary Tinkle
9. Will Kimmel
10. Jesse Love
11. D.L. Wilson
12. Toni Breidinger
13. Owen Smith
14. Brad Smith
DNS: Wayne Peterson
DNS: Kelly Kovski
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