Why Labor Day Weekend Is One Of The Biggest In Motorsports

Why Labor Day Weekend Is One Of The Biggest In Motorsports by Alex Herbst

Tom Hessert held off a hungry trio of racers in the first nighttime dirt race at DuQuoin Raceway to earn his sixth career ARCA Racing Series win.

The ARCA Racing Series took their first crack at dirt racing under the lights at DuQuoin Raceway on Sunday night, yet the winner of the Grabber 100 was a familiar face.

After the Springfield dirt-track event produced a first-time winner in Justin Haley, Tom Hessert decided not to let Haley have all the fun and nabbed his first win of 2016 and sixth overall at DuQuoin. But it wasn’t easy.

Matt Kurzejewski spun with two laps to go setting up a one-lap shootout with Hessert in the lead, but three determined drivers chomping at his heels. Ken Schrader, Chase Briscoe, and Kelly Kovski would all have a shot at the victory in the closing lap. On the restart Hessert managed to hold the top spot, while Briscoe moved up to second and was right on his bumper until the very end.

Unfortunately for Briscoe, ARCA determined after the race that he had jumped the restart and he would be penalized two places in the final standings. With Briscoe’s demotion, Kovski was elevated to second and Schrader finished third.

Here are the full results from the General Tire Grabber 100:

Tom Hessert, Toyota, Venturini Motorsports Kelly Kovski, Chevrolet, Allgaier Motorsports Ken Schrader, Toyota, Venturini Motorsports Chase Briscoe, Ford, Cunningham Motorsports Ryan Unzicker, Toyota, RJR Racing Mason Mitchell, Chevrolet, Mason Mitchell Motorsports Tyler Speer, Chevrolet, Fast Track Racing Joe Cooksey, Chevrolet, Hixson Racing Thomas Praytor, Ford, Max Force Racing Trista Stevenson, Toyota, Venturini Motorsports Will Kimmel, Ford, Kimmel Family Racing Brad Smith, Ford, Hylton Racing Matt Kurzejewski, Toyota, Ken Schrader Racing Michael Lira, Ford, Williams Family Racing Mike Basham, Chevrolet, Darrell Basham Racing A.J. Fike, Ford, RFMS Racing Grant Enfinger, Ford, Cunningham Motorsports Dale Shearer, Ford, DS Racing Con Nicolopoulos, Dodge, Wayne Peterson Racing Ed Pompa, Ford, Fast Track Racing Wayne Peterson, Chevrolet, Wayne Peterson Racing Bradley Frye, Chevrolet, Wayne Peterson Racing Richard Doheny, Ford, Max Force Racing

The ARCA Racing Series will be back on track in less than a week with a throwback event celebrating the 100th race at Indiana’s Salem Speedway. The Eddie Gilstrap Motors Fall Classic takes place on Sep. 10 at 8 p.m. ET.