(MOORESVILLE, N.C. - August 17, 2012) - As the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards heads to Springfield, Ill. for the first of two dirt tracks on the 2012 schedule, Spencer Gallagher will be testing his dirt track skills for the first time.

After a ninth place finish at Lucas Oil Raceway three weeks ago, Gallagher and his #23 Allegiant Chevrolet race team has experienced some mechanical issues the past two races and look to the one-mile dirt track to regain their momentum.

Last Saturday evening at Berlin Raceway, the #23 Allegiant Chevy suffered a left front shock issue that plagued the performance of the race car all night. The race was not the typical short track race featuring several incidents and long caution periods, which didn’t bode well for the team. With the race only having two caution periods for a total of 14 laps, there wasn’t much time for the Allegiant crew to make repairs to the race car without losing valuable track position. Gallagher was able to salvage a 15^th place finish at Berlin, six laps down to the leaders.

As Gallagher turns his attention to his ARCA Racing Series dirt track debut, he hopes the mechanical issues of the past few weeks are behind him so he can focus in on preparing for the 100-lap event in Springfield, IL. Gallagher currently sit 7^th in the ARCA Series Points Standings.

Practice for the Allen Crowe 100 will begin at 9 a.m. Sunday and last for one hour, with Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell starting at 11. The 100-lap, 100-mile race will take place at 1 p.m. All times are Central. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage throughout the day, and ARCA Racing Network hosts Charlie Krall and Tim Clagg will deliver a live audio call for the race on the site.

Every year, ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards competitors travel to Springfield, Ill. and the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the first of two dirt races which honor the series' long history. With each visit, the series brings to the central Illinois mile many drivers with no prior experience on the famous clay, drivers who have never before heard of the race's namesake, Allen Crowe. The Allen Crowe 100 is one of the longest-standing race titles on ARCA's 20-race schedule this season, standing right next to its sister race on Labor Day in DuQuoin, Ill. Remarkably, the 100-lap, 100-mile affair is named for a driver who never competed in a single ARCA race.

Crowe, born in 1928, found his way into USAC championship cars at Milwaukee and the Illinois State Fairgrounds on the same weekend in 1962. Crowe qualified for the Indianapolis 500 in 1962 and 1963, finding himself on the cusp of becoming a full-timer in USAC's championship ranks. With six top-10s in 15 starts, including a fifth-place run at Syracuse in 1962, Crowe had proven himself a quick study. Crowe died young, however, on June 21, 1963, the result of accidents sustained in a sprint car race at New Bremen Speedway in Ohio. Two months later, on August 26, the first Allen Crowe Memorial 100 was contested.

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