KANKAKEE, Ill. — With uncertainty in the air regarding the future of the raceway, Kankakee County Speedway hosted its final stock car racing program of the season with John Provenzano and Steven Brooks among feature winners Friday night.
Current promoter Billy Knippenberg has announced that he would not be renewing his contract with the Kankakee County fair board regarding promoting racing at the third-mile dirt oval next year and beyond. The fairgrounds facility has been the scene of stock car racing since 1949.
Provenzano, nephew of hall of fame dirt track racer, John Provenzano, captured the 25-lap feature race for DIRTcar Pro Late Models.
Provenzano’s victory, his first of the year, was not an easy one as he battled with Austin McCarty most of the way to the checkered flag. With a second-place finish, McCarty wrapped up his second consecutive Kankakee track championship.
Chad Osterhoff, Billy Knippenberg III and Dan Kuhn rounded out the top five.
“It would be a shame to see this place go (close),” said Provenzano. “It’s a great track and hats off to Billy (Knippenberg). He’s a great guy. I hope someone takes over.
“He (McCarty) is fast. Running with him – he’s one of the fastest guys in the Pro Late Models.”
A seven-time feature winner this season, McCarty, who lives only a 15-minute drive or so from the speedway, commented about the race and the future of the speedway.
“We tried something different to see if it would work,” said McCarty. “The track was slicker than most nights. He (Provenzano) ran me clean, and I ran him clean. He gave me a run for my money, and I couldn’t do it.
“It’s very convenient to race here. It’s a fun track to race at. It would be a shame if it didn’t open (next year). We’d have to figure out where to go and race if it doesn’t open. A 15-minute drive is better than a two-hour drive.”
Brooks was the winner of the 20-lap headliner for DIRTcar Modifieds after starting inside front row of the 15-car field. Brooks was in command pretty much the entire race with the likes Nick Allen, Jason Hastings, Lyndon Whitfill and Brad DeYoung battling for a top spot finish.
It was Allen, Hastings, Whitfill, DeYoung and Adam Pockrus chasing Brooks, now a four-time feature winner, at the finish. Brooks nailed down his fourth Kankakee modified crown including his second in a row.
“Any time Nick Allen is starting on the outside of you at Kankakee you know it’s going to be a battle,” said Brooks. “The car has been a hot rod all year. We were able to mash it and go tonight.”
Other feature winners during the evening included Braiden Keller, who was victorious in both Pro Mods and Factory Stock competition. Additional winners were Ryan Petrukovich (Crown Vics), Mike Cunz (Sport Compacts), Cody Clubb (Vintage) and Nick Seplak (Stock Cars).
