The field for this Saturday’s Shamrock Classic has risen to 45 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget drivers set for battle at the Southern Illinois Center in Du Quoin.

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The 5^th annual event includes two past Shamrock Classic winners in Justin Grant (2017) and reigning victor Cannon McIntosh (2019).  Grant (Ione, Calif.), the 2017 “Shamrock” winner, will pilot a car for RAMS Racing with whom he captured victory one year ago during the Indiana Midget Week round at Gas City I-69 Speedway.

Meanwhile, McIntosh (Bixby, Okla.) will compete as one of four entries from the Keith Kunz/Curb-Agajanian Motorsports team alongside five-time series winner Zeb Wise (Angola, Ind.) and standout Rookie of the Year contenders Buddy Kofoid (Penngrove, Calif.) and Daison Pursley (Locust Grove, Okla.).

Each of this year’s two USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget feature winners are entered for the Shamrock Classic.  Hayward Motorsports will field drivers Tanner Thorson (Minden, Nev.) and Gage Rucker (Bellflower, Mo.).  Thorson, the 2016 USAC National Midget champion, was victorious in the 2020 season opener at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla. in early February.

Chris Windom (Canton, Ill.) leads the USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget standings entering the event following a victory on the second night of the Winter Dirt Games in Ocala on February 8.  The 2016 USAC Silver Crown and 2017 National Sprint Car champ took 9^th in his first career Shamrock Classic start a year ago.

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Reigning series champ Tyler Courtney (Indianapolis, Ind.), a 7^th place finisher in last year’s event after starting 21^st, is entered.  He is also a past victor in USAC Midget competition at the 1/6-mile indoor dirt oval, capturing the non-points special event Junior Knepper 55 in December of 2016.

Petry Motorsports has filed Shamrock Classic entries for Kevin Thomas Jr. (Cullman, Ala.), who scored the team’s first two triumphs with the series in 2019 at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway and Arizona Speedway.  He’ll be joined by 2017 USAC National Midget Rookie of the Year and 2019 USAC National Most Improved Driver Tanner Carrick (Lincoln, Calif.).

Brady Bacon (Broken Arrow, Okla.), the 2014 and 2016 USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car champion, is undefeated thus far in USAC National features in 2020, sweeping both nights in a USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Fla. in mid-February.  He’s one of just two drivers to have started in the feature event of all four previous editions of the Shamrock Classic with 4th place finishes in both 2016 and 2017 serving as his best.  He also took 14th in 2018 and 18th in his most recent start in 2019.

Collinsville, Oklahoma’s Tyler Thomas, a winner in both USAC AMSOIL National Sprint Car and National Midget competition during his career, will drive his familiar No. 91T, entered by Brian Thomas.

Andrew Layser (Collegeville, Pa.), the 2019 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Rookie of the Year, comes into the event off his best career series result of 3^rd in Ocala and finished 8^th in his Shamrock debut in 2019.  Tyler Nelson (Olathe, Kans.), a USAC Regional Midget winner at Gas City (Ind.) I-69 Speedway in 2019 and a Shamrock Classic starter in 2018 is entered and will be joined by last year’s USAC Western States Midget titlist Robert Dalby (Anaheim, Calif.), five-time USAC Western States Midget champion Ronnie Gardner (Corona, Calif.) and 2017 USAC Gulf Coast Midget champ Kyle Jones, all of whom are vying their first Shamrock Classic starts.

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Chris Urish (Elkhart, Ill.) was victorious in dramatic fashion at the adjacent Magic Mile of the Du Quoin State Fairgrounds in 2013, capturing his lone career USAC Silver Crown Champ Car Series triumph during the Ted Horn 100 in 2013.

A slightly different format will greet competitors at the Shamrock Classic.  No qualifying will be held and officials will set heat race lineups with a “draft,” similar to that used previously at Du Quoin’s “Junior Knepper 55” in 2018 and the 2019 “BC39” at the IMS Dirt Track.

Winged micro-sprints will complete their program on Saturday after competing in preliminary events on Friday night, March 6th.  Micros will complete the majority of their program on Friday night, starting at 6:30pm Central and culminating with dashes to set up Saturday’s events.  Only last chance races and the feature will be mixed into a full program for the National Midget Series, which will feature a passing-points format with both heat races and qualifying races.