Kart Races are the Main Attraction in Durand, Illinois’ Hometown Fourth of July Celebration

The Medina Manor Durand Bulldog Sprints headlined the hometown 4th of July Celebration in Durand, Illinois, about a half hour from Rockford. Over 100 kart racers took to the streets with action packed racing, thrilling the crowd who came out for an afternoon of fun, food and entertainment. The Durand Special Event committee worked closely with Medina Manor, Bryden Ford, other area businesses and the Burris Circle Tour to make the race possible. The 30-lap Champions Memorial Race with Jason Birdsell of St. Joseph, IL taking home the $2500 first prize check capped off the event.

The weekend got off to a great start with Karaoke in the town square on Friday night. Racers, crews and residents all took turns at the mike and on the stage. Saturday morning started sunny and bright, but intermittent showers soon dominated the day and the only vehicles on the track were the street sweepers and blowers. After the fourth attempt to get the track dry, everyone decided that the party at Bunger’s 3rd Base Grill, the motel, a trailer or motor home had a lot more potential for a fun evening.

Sunday, with a schedule that was revised to run 2 shows in one day, clearing weather and a festive atmosphere, the karts started rolling. A full program led up to the Champions Memorial Race, honoring Bob Waller, Aaron Anderson and Jay Gough. Other events in the celebration were the 4th of July parade and the Outhouse Race.

The Sr. Medium class was a warm up for the Champions Memorial race with Jason Birdsell crossing the line just ahead of Shane Morrissey and Jake Humphrey. Mike Terrafino made a strong 4th place showing.

Shane Morrissey, who is splitting his time this year between karting and his Late Model ride, earned close victories in the F200 Sr. and Sr. Lite classes. Brandon Eash, hailing from nearby Rockford, IL, got his F200 hooked up and finished 2nd in the class. Nick Chiapetta, hit the setup right to take the second spot in Sr. Lite, with only one round of practice. Eric Freiberg won the 2-cycle Sportsman Class while Brad Plunket and Trevor Raisbeck finished 2nd and 3rd .

The Junior Races were every bit as exciting with Cory Talaska edging out Derrick Gough and Gunnar Sterne for the Jr. 2 crown and Damian Jenks handily winning the Jr. 3 class. Morgan Shissel won the F200 Jr 1 race. Brett Edmunds dominated the Kid Kart field working his way to the front and handling lapped traffic like a champ.

In Champ Kart Action, Jacob Zellmer went the distance to take the top spot in Champ F200 – Jr. 1, Dylan Barbosa was the winner in Jr. Sportsman Champ and Ross Kenseth won his second feature of the year in Champ F200 Jr. 3.

In the final race of the day Birdsell the top qualifier for the Durand State Bank Champions Memorial Race quickly worked his way to the front and jumped out to a sizeable lead. Jake Humphrey gained on the leader but had his hands full with Shane Morrissey and Mike Terrafino as the three drivers ran side-by side for almost 10 laps. A spin brought out the yellow resulting in a 3-lap shootout. Birdsell maintained his lead and Terrafino found the lane on the inside to take command of the second spot. Humphrey and Morrissey finished third and fourth separated by less that 2/10th of a second. Adam Carlson rounded out the top 5.

The skies had cleared, so the racers strapped on their helmets to run the event first scheduled for Saturday.
Box Stock racers showed their stuff with the Jr. Class being won by Jimmy Yurs. Evan Manich, Colton Manich and Clayton Keller finished in second through fourth respectively. Jay Yurs topped the podium in the Box Stock Sr.’s and Kyle Fores and Kiel Keller were second and third.

The day finished with the street dance and fireworks bringing a close to the 2004 Bulldog Sprints. Our thanks go out to all of the local businesses that sponsored the event. Most of the drivers will try their skill on the long track at the Milwaukee Mile over Labor Day Weekend