By: Jordan Kuehne

Loves Park, IL (Tuesday, April 14, 2009) – Two-time defending Big 8 Series Champion Jeremy Miller, defending Spring Classic champion Michael Bilderback, two-time National Short Track Champion Jeremy Lepak, 2008 Big 8 Series Rookie of the Year Ross Kenseth, and the 2005 National Short Track Champion for the Big 8 Series, Tim Noble, have all entered the 32nd annual Spring Classic on Sunday afternoon April 19th at the Rockford Speedway.

Rockton native Jeremy Miller will be attempting to three-peat as the Big 8 Series champion in 2009, following a fantastic finish to the 2008 campaign that saw him edge out the series runner-up, 17-year-old Michael Bilderback, by one point. Miller, who finished fourth in the ASA Late Model Northern Division as a rookie in 2008, will be looking to get over the hump in the Spring Classic after a 2nd place finish in 2007 to Mike Ehde and a 3rd place finish last year.

Bilderback, a South Beloit native and the 2008 Big 8 Series runner-up, is looking forward to defending his 2008 Spring Classic win and getting an early edge over his stiff competition for the 2009 championship. “Winning back to back at Rockford in that event (the Spring Classic) would definitely be something to be proud of,” Bilderback stated. “There’s definitely a lot of competition in the Big 8 Series so it’ll be hard to do but we’re definitely going to try for it.”

15-year-old Ross Kenseth, the 2008 Big 8 Series Rookie of the Year, will look to build upon his outstanding rookie season that ended with Kenseth earning his second Big 8 Series feature win during LaCrosse Fairgrounds Speedway’s Oktoberfest weekend. Kenseth, the son of 2003 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion and 2009 Daytona 500 winner Matt Kenseth, will be one of the top threats in 2009 to end Miller’s reign as Big 8 Series champion.

Two-time National Short Track Champion Jeremy Lepak will also be in the field at the 32nd annual Spring Classic. Lepak brought home victories in 2006 and 2007 at Rockford’s National Short Track Championships. He will once again attempt to cross the finish line first at the high-banked oval.

Another driver who has tasted success at Rockford, 2005 National Short Track Champion Tim Noble, has also entered the event. Noble also won the 2004 Pepsi State Championship at Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, Wisconsin, has spent the last two seasons behind the wheel of an open wheeled machine in the Badger Midget Series. Noble will be looking for a strong start to the season as he returns to the Big 8 Series and sets out on his first full year of competition during Rockford’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series season.

The SPYDER 108 will kick off the BRP Big 8 Series presented by Gandrud Chevrolet 2009 campaign. The series headlines the 32nd annual Spring Classic at the Rockford Speedway on Sunday, April 19th. The Mid-American Stock Car Series will also take on the high-banked oval in a 50 lap feature. Racing gets underway at 1 p.m. with qualifying at 11:15 a.m.

Tickets for the 32nd annual Spring Classic are available now at the track’s website, www.rockfordspeedway.com, or by calling the track office at (815) 633-1500. General admission tickets are $20.00 for adults and $5.00 for kids ages 6-11. All kids five and under are free.