DU QUOIN, Illinois - All three Jody Rosenboom Racing Midgets are ready for the ten hour haul to Du Quoin, Illinois for the 4th Annual Junior Knepper 55 at the Southern Illinois Center on the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds. The USAC National Midget tour is hitting the 1/6 mile dirt track inside the Southern Illinois Center on Saturday, December 15, for their final special event of 2018.
The JRR stable consists of three different midget cars that are set to run both the Junior Knepper 55, as well as the 2019 Chili Bowl in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The team consists of three drivers with decades of racing experience between them.
Taking over the #22C DRC Chassis is Conor Daly, a five-time Indy 500 starter from Noblesville, Indiana. Conor is filling the seat thanks to Jonathan Byrd's Racing, as well as America's Best Value Inn, Tilson, The Protien Water, Timothy Plan, Hopegiver's International, and E&K Construction. "I don’t have any great expectations, but I liked trying the dirt and I’ll get some laps at DuQuoin before the Chili Bowl, so that will help," Daly told Robin Miller in November.
Jumping in the #17B BOSS Chassis is Ryan Bickett of Oldham, South Dakota. Bickett is a 360 & 410 Sprint Car racer from the Upper Midwest, and the 2017 MSTS 360's Series Champion. "Du Quoin is a great place to get accustomed to these machines and get ready for the Chili Bowl in January. It's exciting for our guys to have this chance to go Midget racing in a place like Du Quoin," said Bickett. Bickett credits Ryno Trucking, Husman Heating & Plumbing, Poncy Farms, Heitritter Graphix, and Rosy's Raceland for the opportunity to race these two events.
Anchoring the team is the #14X Spike Chassis of Jody Rosenboom from Rock Rapids, Iowa. Jody finished the outdoor sprint car season in 3rd in the MSTS Series points standings, with a race win at Off Road Speedway in Norfolk, Nebraska. "Du Quoin is a blast to drive and you're up on the wheel the whole time! We love indoor racing and have been chomping at the bit ever since we finished with the sprint cars," said Rosenboom. The indoor season could not happen for JRR without Rosy's Raceland, Schure Built Suspensions, and Heitritter Graphix.
Photo Credit: Rich Forman