After an outstanding season opener which saw nearly 100 racecars put on a highly entertaining show, Macon Speedway will be back at it for the second night of the 2019 season this coming Saturday, April 20. Seven divisions of action will be highlighted by the Midwest Big Ten Series Street Stocks and the opener for the Sportsman. Fans will be treated to $1 hot dogs and $2 beers all night long.
Saturday night will mark the first of ten races for the Midwest Big Ten Series Archer’s Alley Street Stocks. The tour will have four events at Macon, three events at Lincoln Speedway, two events at Jacksonville, and one at the Christian County Fair. All of the events pay $500 to win and $75 to start, which is a pretty big raise compared to their normal payouts.
Last year, Lovington, IL’s Jeremy Nichols claimed the championship, winning seven out of the ten races. Terry Reed, Macon’s opening night winner, finished second in points last year, while Justin Crowell, Darrell Dick, and Shawn Ziemer completed the top five in points. The series had 59 different drivers take to the track last season.
Saturday will also mark the first race of the year for the Macon Speedway Sportsman class. Last year’s point battle resulted in a virtual tie at 572 points between Taylorville, IL’s Tim Bedinger and Le Roy, IL’s Scott Williams. Bedinger won the tie-breaker by having a win. Following the duo a season ago were Dennis Vandermeersch, Scott Landers, and Ty Nation. The division will have 12 events at Macon Speedway this year, one at Lincoln, one at the Christian County Fair, and the biggest of all at the Illinois State Fair in August.
The BillingsleyRewards.com DIRTcar Modifieds will be back for their second night of racing, after putting on arguably the best show during the opener. Veteran Rodney Standerfer and last year’s champion, Tommy Sheppard, Jr., put on a show at the front of the pack, swapping the lead a number of times with slidejobs and crossovers. Standerfer ended up in victory lane with Sheppard, Rick Conoyer, Guy Taylor, and Tim Hancock completing the top five. There were 19 Modifieds in the pits on Saturday night and fans are looking forward to seeing a strong field again this weekend.
The Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models had a decent opening night with a new face in victory lane. Catlin, IL driver, Logan Moody, claimed the victory in his first Macon Speedway start. He did so by fending off some good Pro Late Model shoes. Jake Little, of Springfield, IL, took second, while Torin Mettille came home third. Cody Maguire was fourth and Chris Dick finished fifth. While the division has a few veterans, it has a lot of young drivers that will be fun to watch this summer.
The Neal Tire & Auto Pro Mods had a very familiar face in victory lane as Tim Hancock claimed the win. It wasn’t easy for Hancock, though, as Decatur, IL’s Nick Justice followed him closely throughout the event. The class had 15 cars at the opener, with drivers from all over the state of Illinois.
The Micros by Bailey Chassis will be back at it Saturday night, after having 22 in the pits on opening night. Aaron Andruskevitch, of Riverton, IL, came out of the gates strong, claiming the feature win over the large field. In exciting news for the Micros, they will be running for track points and will crown a track champion this year. There are 16 total events for the division this year, four of which will be POWRi National shows. All 16 will count toward the final track standings.
Rounding out Saturday’s racing classes will be the DIRTcar Hornets. Brady Reed claimed the opening night win and will be looking to start the season two-for-two. 15 drivers were on track with many more expected to join over the next few weeks as they get their cars ready to go.
At intermission this week, Spectator Drags will be held. The event is for those who drive their street cars to the track and want to race on Macon Speedway. The first 8 people that sign up will be entered. Each race is one-on-one, one lap. The winner advances, the loser goes back to the parking lot. It’s a tournament style bracket that ends with the winner receiving a trophy. There is no cost to enter. To sign up, call the office at 217-764-3200 or message us on facebook.
Macon Speedway is just a little over a week away from one of the biggest events of the year, the Lucas Oil 100 for the Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series. The stars of the nationally televised tour will be running 100 laps on April 27, making their sixth visit to the track. The BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds will run for $1,000 to win and the Neal Tire & Auto Pro Mods will race for $300 to win.
For more information, visit www.maconracing.com.
Macon Speedway PR
