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TRACK PHONE  217-764-3000
thanks to DoubleJ-Jim Jones and Brett Zerfowski and Jeanne Hill
official results are at www.speednetdirect.com  
 Bob Sargent of Track Enterprises was presented the 2010 DIRTcar UMP Promoter of the Year award

Champions Crowned at Macon Speedway

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) Three divisions crowned champions and two divisions hosted Championship Races Saturday at Macon Speedway. It’s been a wild run for the Touchstone Energy Sportsman division as Argenta’s Nick Macklin hoisted the large checkered flag following the last Touchstone Energy Sportsman feature event of the season. It was not only one of the most exciting finishes for the division this season but for all races held at Macon Speedway for the past 65 years.

With two laps left in the 15-lap event, leader Daniel Flessner of Roberts, IL, lost the top spot to Taylorville’s Scott Landers as lapped traffic started to cause confusion and difficulty among the drivers. Alan Crowder of Elwin also was in the mix for the win. As the race came to the final turn, Flessner regained the lead and the win in his first trip to Macon Speedway. Landers would finish second in both the race and the Touchstone Energy Sportsman points standings. Crowder was third. Rick Roedel, former division champion, took fourth in the race and third in the points. Macklin, the new track champion, would finish fifth.

Brian Diveley took the Chevrolet Late Model championship after the start of a successful evening. He was the fastest of 20 cars and the only driver to hit the 10-second qualifying time. He also won his heat race and started on the pole for the 25-lap feature. But he would not be a deciding factor in the win as he stopped at the top of the second turn to bring out the yellow. But the race was decided by Greg Kimmons and the bottom of the track. Kimmons passed Terry Babb early in the race and hung to the bottom of the track, picking up speed and put distance between him and the field. Joseph Hughes had his best finish of the year as he took second, passing Kyle Logue. Roger Brickler netted fourth place and Matt Taylor would take fifth.

Adam Webb won his seventh Pro Hornet feature and first Pro Hornet Championship Race as that helped lead him to the 2011 Pro Hornet points championship. Coming into the evening with a 12-point lead over Jeremy Reed, Webb made good early in the caution-filled race by passing for the lead and holding off Tony Reed and Ray Watts.

For each of those drivers, it would be their first Macon Speedway track champions. The Billingsley Towing Modifieds, Street Stocks and Amateur Hornets will have their champions crowned next week during the season finale.

As for the Street Stocks, they hosted the 7^th Annual Street Stock Championship Race and it was a frantic 25 laps. It looked like an easy win for Jeremy Nichols early but a caution on lap nine closed the gap for Tyler Blankenship. On the restart, Blankenship held close to Nichols and would take the top spot five laps later. Nichols would appear to regain the lead as they made the move to lap 17 but a caution came out to revert the cars back to the last completed green flag lap, lap 16, where Blankenship was still the leader. Following another restart, Nichols and Blankenship bashed and banged one another for the right to the $600 first place prize. Nichols took over on the backstretch of the final lap and Blankenship tried to cut underneath Nichols and ended up driving through the infield to the judge’s stand and, although Blankenship beat Nichols to the line by mere inches, Nichols would be awarded the race win and Blankenship would be docked a spot and finished second. Argenta’s Kevin Crowder would finish in third.

The Billingsley Towing Modifieds put together a wild finish on their own. Guy Taylor of Springfield made the mistake of hitting the orange cone set up just outside the fourth turn. The idea of the cone is to make the racers stay single file heading to the cone. Drivers cannot pass until reaching the cone and they must race to the right of the cone. If a racer passes another racer or cuts to the left of the cone or hits the cone, the driver must then be forced to the back of the field. Taylor hit the cone. He was leading at the time of that incident on lap 12 and would be put to the tail of the 20-lap race. Norm Wood would be given the lead and he held on for the final eight laps. Dave Crawley, Jr. would finish second with Brian Diveley in third.

Derek Peters was the best of 23 Amateur Hornets and won his third feature race of the 2011 season. The win helped close the gap in the points standings as Jerad Matherly had a modest 38-point lead coming into the night’s action. Kyle Maxwell finished third ahead of Matherly to gain a few points on the leader, as well. Michael Gossett took second in the 8-lap feature evening.

And the High School Hornets was won by Dalton Jacobs, his third of the year. Dalton attends Warrensburg-Latham.

One show remains in the 2011 racing season. After two weeks of rainouts, the racers were in full force as nearly 150 flooded the gates and pits of Macon Speedway. POWRi Midgets & Micro Sprints will headlight the final show of the season. Billingsley Towing Modifieds, Street Stocks and Amateur Hornets will also be apart of the show to end the season.

Hornet World Championships at Macon Speedway This Saturday Night

(Macon, IL) Macon Speedway will host the Hornet World Championship race this Saturday night. The nights UMP Pro Hornet race will include a $500 to win purse. Also on the racing card will be the Billingsley Towing Modified, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, UMP Street Stocks and Amateur Hornets. The action at Macon Speedway will then take place on Saturday, September 17 for the Cromwell Fan Appreciation Night/Bully Dog Triple Crown Late Model Event. Rain checks from the September 3 rain out will be honored either this Saturday, September 10 or Saturday, September 17. September 17 will be the last night of racing at Macon Speedway for the Chevrolet Late Model division, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Pro Hornets and the High School Hornets for 2011. Macon Speedway will host the POWRi Midgets and POWRi Micros along with the Billingsley Towing Modified, Street Stocks and the Amateur Hornets on September 24 to finish out the exciting season at Macon Speedway.

7^th Annual IL State Street Stock Championship Race Plus Chevrolet Hall of Fame Museum Driver Reunion and Fan Appreciation Night

(Macon, IL) Macon Speedway will host the 7^th annual Illinois State Street Stock Championship race during the annual Fan Appreciation Night. The nights UMP Street Stock race will include a $600 to win purse. Many local and Midwest Street Stocks are expected to be in attendance. Also on the racing card for this Saturday, September 3 will be the UMP Chevrolet Late Models, UMP Billingsley Towing Modified, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Pro and Amateur Hornets. Saturday night will also be the Chevrolet Hall of Fame driver reunion event where Macon Speedway will pay tribute to all past drivers of Macon Speedway during intermission.

The Macon Speedway points races are heating up as we enter the final month of racing in 2011 at Macon Speedway. The UMP Late Model Champion title will be decided this Saturday night. The UMP Billingsley Towing Modified points race is still up in the air with Danny Smith in the lead with Jeremy Nichols close behind with only a few points between the two. The UMP Touchstone Energy Sportsman division is also a tight race with Nick Macklin on top with a 100 point lead over Taylorville’s own Scott Landers. The Street Stock drivers will hope to gain ground this weekend especially with the $600 purse on the line. Bobby Beiler leads the other field of drivers edging out Justin Hill with 4 races to go. The Amateur Hornet division is being lead by Jerad Matherly and the Hornet division finds Adam Webb on top driving his number 40 hornet. Don’t miss the racing action in the month of September to see who will be the next driver to be crowned “Macon Speedway Champion of 2011”.

Macon Speedway continues its season into September with the Hornet World Championship races at Macon Speedway on Saturday, September 10. Then Macon Speedway will race on September 17 for the final race of the season for the High School Hornets. After the race on September 17 the school will be announced that had the most participation for the year and that school will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship for a graduating senior next May. Macon Speedway will host the POWRi Midgets and Micros for the season finale on September 24.

Kyle Logue Shines in Shrine 50

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) Kyle Logue has done plenty in his dirt track racing career. He has won track championship in the Late Model and Modified divisions. He claims the fastest laps in both divisions, too. He can now add the 2^nd Annual Shrine 50 to his resume of success. Leading the majority, if not all, of the 50 laps, Logue dazzled the audience with his racing skills and his ability to control the race.

18 Chevrolet Late Models competed in the 50-lapper and Logue dominated but the racing behind him with the spots two-through-six all up for grabs. Joseph Hughes, a 16-year-old racer, from Springfield, made headlines earlier in the week by announcing whatever profits made would go directly to the Shriners and the Children’s Hospitals. He battled back and forth with Ryan Little, Matt Taylor, Rodney Standerfer and Brian Diveley. It was terrific back and forth action as lapped traffic helped decide which driver would race on which groove, either the top or bottom.

As Logue blew away the competition, Hughes stayed down low and Little went high. The high side worked well as Little made the pass for second but Hughes came right back as Taylor challenged for third. As the checkered flag flew, Logue took home the checkered flag and was congratulated by members of the Shriners. Hughes placed second, his best feature finish in his young career. Little would take third. The 50-lapper saw only two cautions during the race and was finished in 14 minutes.

Argenta’s Danny Smith claimed his first Billingsley Towing Modified feature of the season, besting Chevy Miller, Dave Crawley, Jr., Darcey Wey and Andy Bishop. Smith started from the pole position and raced along with Bishop, native of Gas City, Ind., but as the race drew longer, Smith had more than enough to power past Bishop. Crawley, the defending champion, started to make progress along the high groove but would be unable to catch the first and second place cars. Miller, from Clinton, ran the same line as Smith but would be unable to make pass.

Bobby Beiler is quickly becoming a household name if you’re talking about Street Stock drivers. He won his third feature of the season and extended his points lead. He was able to jump out early thanks to a heat victory and a front row starting spot. Blake Shelley of Oakley was second. Justin Hill, who’s been chasing down Beiler in the points race, finished third. Terry Reed of Decatur took fourth and Kurtis Ater of Macon was fifth.

Macon Speedway raced three divisions of 4-cylinder Hornet cars Saturday night. In the Pro Hornet division, Adam Webb grabbed his sixth feature of the season. Justunn Hilton, Bruce Dulgar, Rick Alwood and Sam McCoy finished behind the winner. Kenneth Reed won the Amateur Hornet feature. He was followed by Jimmy Goodrich, Brady Reed, Jerad Matherly and Kyle Maxwell. In the High School Hornet class, Tiffani Graham, a third generation racer, got her first feature win.

A full racing program is on the slate for the first Saturday of September and will be highlighted with the make-up Cromwell Radio Fan Appreciation/Chevrolet Hall of Fame Museum Night. Also scheduled is the 7^th Annual Street Stock Championship Race.

MACON SPEEDWAY AND THE DECATUR SHRINE CLUB ANNOUNCE THE SECOND ANNUAL SHRINE 50 SATURDAY AUGUST 27

(Macon, IL) Macon Speedway is very proud to announce that the very popular Shrine 50 will become an annual event at Macon Speedway. The Decatur Shrine Club and Macon Speedway will hold a huge 50 lap feature event for the UMP Chevrolet Late Model division in hopes to raise more money for the benefit of the Shriners Hospitals for Children® this Saturday night. “We are very excited about the upcoming opportunity to bring back great racing to the fans of Macon Speedway and help such a worthy cause again in 2011,” said track owner Bob Sargent. Macon Speedway with the help of the Decatur Shrine Club was able to donate $17,000 to the Shriners to help support the Shriners Hospitals for Children®, an international health care system of 22 hospitals dedicated to improving the lives of children by providing specialty pediatric care, innovative research and outstanding teaching programs. Children up to age 18 with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care at Shriners Hospitals for Children® and receive all services at no financial obligation to families.

The nights racing card will also feature the Billingsley Towing Modifieds, UMP Street Stocks, and all three divisions of hornets; Pro, Amateur and High School to entertain the fans along with many special activities planned. Don’t miss your chance to help raise money to support the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

There are only 2 nights of racing left in the 2011 racing season for the Chevrolet Late Model series. Saturday nights race will be a key race in the points race for the Late Models. Brian Dively leads the pack right now holding off the challengers for the points race. Rounding out the top five are Rodney Standerfer, Mike Hammerle, Roger Brickler and Kyle Logue.

Gates will open at 5 pm with racing beginning at 7 pm. Adults are $15 and children 12 & under are free. Macon Speedway will run regular weekly racing through the end of September, so bring your family and friends out to the track and experience the hottest ticket in town.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For information, call 217-764-3000 (track), 217-764-3220 (information hotline). Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com for additional information.

POWRi Midgets Make Return to Macon

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) Since 2003, Macon Speedway has paid homage to Dana Godrey, wife of John Godfrey, for all the help and success in racing. A special Friday night event at Macon was on tap for racing fans of both the stock car and open wheel variety.

The event marked only the second time in many attempts to welcome POWRi National Midget & Mini Sprint series racing. Rain has dominated the schedule when POWRi has come to the world’s fastest 1/5^th mile dirt track but for the second consecutive show, clear skies and pleasant conditions helped pave the way for a great event.

Troy Dodson of Cerro Gordo picked up his first Street Stock feature of the season and his first since September 11, 2010. He led all 12 laps and was chased down by Terry Reed but was able to maintain his lead and wave the checkered flag.

Steve Ewing of Decatur got his second Billingsley Towing Modified feature of the season, first since July 9. He appeared quite dominate early but caution flags slowed the traffic and pulled the field closer together and gave Guy Taylor and Jeremy Nichols a closer chance at the victory but Ewing’s engine was too strong and pulled away. Taylor would get second with Nichols in third. Sullivan’s Michael Rauch started 12^th and finished 4^th with Joe Strawkas wrapping up the top five. Sullivan’s Central Wood Products donated an additional $100 to the winner of the 20-lap feature.

43 Mini Sprints signed in for a 22-car, 20-lap A-Main feature. Six eight-lap heat races were run and five of the six were won by drivers from the state of Illinois, including local driver Jeremy Camp, native of nearby Blue Mound, IL. Jacob Patton started the race with the lead but an impressive slide job was applied by current points leader Trent Beckinger to jump into the lead on the fifth lap. Just as soon as Beckinger grabbed the lead, there was no looking back. He blew past the competition and weaved his way through the lapped traffic to cause separation and distance to make it look like an easy win.

Beckinger, from Evansville, IN., has 15 starts with 15 top ten finishes, 12 top five finishes and 3 checkered flags this season for the POWRi Speedway Motors Mini Sprints.

In the Dana Godfrey Memorial 30-lap feature event for the POWRi Lucas Oil Midgets, Dave Darland used the very familiar slide job to take the lead on lap 13 and push forward for the victory. Along with the checkered flag, Darland also would receive a bonus $200 for being the leader at the halfway point. The bonus would come in the memorial of longtime Macon Speedway official Phil Sargent.

Darland, from Lincoln, IN., won in the car that NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Justin Allgaier claimed victory in August 2007. Starting second row outside, Darland won first time in a POWRi Midget at Macon. Tim Siner of Dupo, IL., took second after starting on the pole. Decatur driver Dave Camfield, Jr. finished third and just in time as his engine started to steam on the front stretch during the driver interviews.

Macon Speedway will take Saturday night off due to the action on the Illinois State Fair Springfield Mile Saturday and Sunday afternoon, but will bounce back with a full show to end August, included in that show will be the 2^nd Annual Shrine 50, a 50-lap Late Model feature.

TRACK ENTERPRISES, MACON SPEEDWAY AND

LINCOLN SPEEDWAY HOST HUGE WEEKEND FOR RACE FANS

Macon, IL – Macon Speedway and POWRi are proud to announce that the Speedway National Midget and 600cc Outlaw Micro Sprint Series will take center stage at Macon Speedway for the “Dana Godfrey Memorial” on Friday, August 19. The night will consist of POWRi Midgets and Micros and our UMP Billingsley Towing Modified division plus our UMP Street Stocks. The event celebrates the life of Dan Godfrey, late wife of longtime chassis builder and owner of Spike Chassis, John Godfrey. Dana was a familiar face at the race track and at the speed shop when the couple owned Stealth Chassis.

This weekend is a huge open wheel weekend for Central Illinois as the races at the Illinois State Fairgrounds feature the USAC Silver Crown cars on Saturday, August 20 competing in the Tony Bettenhausen 100. The open wheel action then travels to Lincoln Speedway on Saturday night as the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series and POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series join the UMP Modifieds and UMP Street Stocks for what looks to be an exciting night of racing at Lincoln Speedway. Join us back again at the IL State Fair on Sunday with the ARCA REMAX Car Series battling for the win in the Allen Crowe Memorial along with the Sportsman Nationals, both races begin at 1:00 pm. Don’t miss your chance to cheer on the local Macon Speedway drivers on Saturday in the UMP Modified division, and the Sportsman as they will compete in the Sportsman Nationals on Sunday!

POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series leader Nick Knepper holds an 80-point lead over Brad Loyet going into the eighth annual Dana Godfrey Memorial on Friday (Aug. 19) at Macon (Ill.) Speedway. POWRi’s Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series also race on Friday at Macon and both series are at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway on Saturday (Aug. 20) as well. Trent Beckinger has a 520-point lead over Andrew Felker for the championship in the Micros. Macon and Lincoln are the start of the stretch run for POWRi, which has six events scheduled to run in the Midgets and Micros. Knepper, a 24-year-old from Belleville, Ill., has led the points the entire season. He has 11 top-fives in 17 events including a hometown win at Belle-Clair Speedway in Belleville on July 1. Knepper was third in the previous POWRi Midget race this season at Macon on July 23, trailing Bryan Clauson of Noblesville, Ind., and Brett Anderson of Belleville, Ill. Brad Kuhn of Avon, Ind., has won five of the last eight POWRi Midget races to climb into third in the championship, 310 points behind Knepper. Austin Brown, of Millstadt, Ill., has four straight top-seven finishes and has climbed to fourth in the points, 720 behind Knepper. Kuhn won last year’s Godfrey Memorial.

We have lots still planned for 2011 so be sure to come join Macon Speedway for an action packed end to the summer.

Gates will open Friday at Macon and Saturday at Lincoln at 5:00 and racing will start at 7:00. Adult general admission tickets for both races are $15 and children 12 & under are free.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For information, call 217-764-3000 (track), 217-764-3220 (information hotline). Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com for additional information.

66^th Anniversary of Macon Speedway

Kid’s Castle-Chevrolet Hall of Fame Museum Driver Reunion Night/Cromwell Fan Appreciation Night PLUS Raminator/Bully Dog Triple Crown Event

Macon Speedway is hosting the Chevrolet Hall of Fame Driver Reunion party at Macon Speedway set for Saturday, August 13. We are looking for past drivers of all ages to come and join us. This party will honor all our past drivers of Macon Speedway. Help us spread the word and get as many drivers as possible to help make this event a success. Please direct all past drivers of Macon Speedway to contact us by phone at 217-764-3000, fax 217-764-3201 or by email at [email protected] for more information and to sign up for the event. We will have a pre race BBQ from 3-5 pm; racing begins at 7. All past drivers will be honored at intermission of the night’s events which include the Chevrotlet Late Models, Billingsley Towing Modified, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stocks, Pro and Amateur Hornets. Saturday night’s Late Model race will be the final night of the Bully Dog Triple Crown Series. Also bring the kids out to the track to see the Monster Truck “Raminator” presented by Kid’s Castle. Cromwell is also sponsoring the Fan Appreciation Night this Saturday by distributing $2.00 off coupons for fans to use towards their general admission ticket. Fans may go to the eight Decatur Area Subways, 6 Casey’s Stores, Pop’s Place, Downtown Decatur Firestone Store, Decatur Auto Parts, Donnelly Automotive, Coziahr Harley Davidson, Mid-America Tire, Creekmur Auto Service, Cliff’s Transmission, Tarrant’s Service, World of Powersports, Billingsley B-P in South Shores, Express Lube or the the Wharf for the coupons to bring to Macon Speedway on August 13 for the discounted admission. Saturday night will also be our third event in the Bully Dog Triple Crown Event for the UMP Chevrolet Late Models. Our Macon Speedway Kid’s Club sponsored by Kid’s Castle will also be meeting for a special pizza party at 6:00 pm, so bring the kids out for a fun family night of entertainment at Macon Speedway!

Macon Speedway is one of the Midwest’s premier dirt racing facilities and is one of Illinois’ oldest racetracks which opened its doors on April 7th, 1946. Macon Speedway was built and originally operated by Wayne Webb. Opening night featured midget racing through the mid 50's, then the track went on to feature Super Modifieds which ran into the late 60's. Next, the Super Stock division which later changed their name to Late Models joined the line up along with Modified, Sportsman, and Street Stock divisions. Macon Speedway is in its 66th year in operation in 2011, one of the oldest businesses in Macon County.

Macon Speedway is a fan favorite race track with many fans coming to the acclaimed track since early childhood. The current owners of Macon Speedway; Tony Stewart, Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Bob Sargent are all very excited about this event and hope to continue to make this Driver Reunion a yearly event where we can honor the drivers in the past who have made Macon Speedway what it is today.

Monster Show at Macon Speedway

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) The fourth night of the Illinois Sprint Week for the MOWA Monster Energy Sprint Cars stopped at Macon Speedway Saturday for a terrific show of side-by-side racing. 23 full-sized winged sprints competed for the chance at victory lane.

18 sprints made the show for the 25-lap A-Main Monster Energy Sprint Car feature show. From the 6-lap dash, which consisted of three heat winners and the top three passing point drivers of the night, Jerrod Hull of Missouri was on the pole position and led the way for the exciting feature event. After a win in Jacksonville Friday, Hull made his run along the top of the oval and was chased by Danny Smith, another winner during the first three nights of Illinois Sprint Week. Smith jumped up from the ninth position to the second place spot but was unable to make the pass the win. He was followed by Chris Urish, Mike Hess and Jordan Goldesberry.

Uncommon for many race tracks to have both open wheel sprint cars and UMP Super Late Models but that’s what Macon Speedway did Saturday as 24 Chevrolet Late Models came to the track in search of the checkered flag. The race was seemingly over from the get-go, however, as Brandon Sheppard led the whole way and dominated the field, at one point leading by half a lap over the second place car. The real race eunded up being for second as Matt Taylor, Brian Diveley, Franky Martin and Roger Brickler all were contending for the runner-up position. With Martin running second at the time and putting on a smoke screen, it was difficult for anybody to pass until Martin slowed down and nearly stopped on the track with one lap to go. His top five finish would be lost with the white flag in the air. Sheppard won his third feature of the season at Macon. Diveley followed in second with Matt Taylor in third. Roger Brickler finished fourth ahead of Rodney Standerfer.

Jeremy Nichols took his fourth Billingsley Towning Modified feature of 2011. Running the bottom for the full 20 laps from the front row outside position, Nichols had easy 13 laps. Stretching out his lead over the field, a caution drew everybody bumper-to-bumper and gave Guy Taylor a chance at the lead but couldn’t overcome the speedy Nichols. Taylor, who started 11^th, did place second. Brian Diveley was the third place finisher as Dave Crawley, Jr. took away fourth place in a battle with Mark Tullis, who finished sixth. Randy Huffman would round out the top five.

Bobby Beiler has led the Street Stocks points for the majority of the summer. His points lead would continue and stretch as he picked up his second feature of the year. Starting on the pole, thanks to a heat victory, Beiler would fend off challenges from Kevin Crowder and Justin Hill, who finished second and third, respectively. Mike Pundt, Jr., a heat winner from earlier in the evening, finished fourth and Jeramie Fowler rounded out the top five.

Jeremy Reed took the Pro Hornet feature, his second of the year, on the final turn as he took it away from Adam Webb. Webb was searching for his sixth feature of the year but fell to second as Reed won his first since May 21^st. Fred Reed, Jr. took third with Justunn Hilton placing fourth and Brett Embry clinching fifth.

More than 100 racecars appeared at Macon Speedway Saturday along with a jam-packed bleacher crowd for the special program. Macon Speedway stock car racing will take a scheduled breather next week and prepare to return on August 13^th with a full show including the third attempt for the monster truck Raminator, the second try for the Driver Reunion and the first try for Fan Appreciation Night. Rain plagued the Raminator’s schedule appearances and the Driver Reunion earlier in the season.

MONSTER ENERGY WINGED SPRINT CARS PLUS SUPER LATE MODEL SPECIAL

(Macon, IL)The Monster Energy Sprint Car Series will roll into Macon Speedway in Macon, Illinois this Saturday night, July 30^th as a part of the MOWA Sprint Week that runs from Wednesday through Sunday. The best winged sprint car drivers in the Midwest will try to tame the Macon bullring as winged sprints return to the legendary track for the first time in many years.

Not only is the Sprint Week title on the line, but the series overall points battle has a bottleneck at the top with Jerrod Hull and Robbie Standridge tied and Jimmy Hurly 4 points behind entering Sprint Week. This week’s action will go a long way in determining who is going to be crowned the inaugural Monster Energy Series Champion and get the coveted ride in the Indy Race Parts Midget at the 2012 Chili Bowl in Tulsa Oklahoma.

But the excitement doesn’t end with sprint cars as Macon Speedway has put together a Saturday Night Double Header with UMP Super Late Models sharing the top billing. It’s hard to remember the last time both Sprints and Late Models were on the same card in Central Illinois, and fans are sure to be in for a night of great action. Also on tap are the Billingsley Towing Modifieds, Street Stocks and Pro Hornet divisions.

Drivers have had this night marked on their calendars as a can’t miss event since it was scheduled as a part of the original MOWA schedule. MOWA Co-founder Joey Moughan shares in that excitement, “When we started this series, we wanted to be able to race at the premier tracks within two hours of our home base in Springfield, Illinois and there’s no doubt that Macon is at the top of that list. The action on the track should be incredible, especially with the added drama of it being in the middle of our Sprint Week. I know that I’m coming there planning to win it. The problem is that there are twenty or more other guys who want it just as bad. It should be an awesome night.”

Pit Gates open at 3pm; grandstands at 5pm; racing begins at 7pm. General admission tickets for adults are only $20 and children 12 & under are admitted free with a paying adult.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected]. Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

Crawley Rediscovers the Magic, Wins Two Features

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) Somehow when the Lucas Oil POWRi Midget and Micro Sprint series comes to Macon Speedway, rain follows. All four attempts at open wheel racing at the world’s fastest 1/5^th dirt track have been foiled by Mother Nature so late July was the first chance race fans were treated to the POWRi racing series.

The main event of the evening was the 2^nd Annual Building Systems of Illinois Mini Sprint Nationals, a 33-car field with 40 laps and a $2,000-to-win feature event. 11 rows with 3 cars in each row was bound for disaster. The event in 2010 had 16 laps at the beginning without a yellow; the 2011 race didn’t make it to the first lap. Eight total cautions were used in the race as Andrew Felker won the top prize. The native of Carl Junction, Mo., claimed his second Macon Speedway checkered flag after a victory in July 2009. He was followed by Jacob Patton of Bethalo, Il., and Christopher Bell of Norman, Ok. The race was ran on the bottom and there was very little passing among the top positions. Felker started in the middle of the first row with Patton on the outside of the first row. Bell was on the second row inside spot.

Bryan Klaussen of Noblesville, In., was the best of 34 POWRi Midgets Saturday night with 30 lap victory. The race was riddled with cautions and spinouts and it was obvious from the midpoint of the race that the bottom groove was the best for the POWRi Midgets and the 22-car field ran along the bottom waiting to jump ahead when they could if a driver ahead were to get loose. Klaussen’s victory was his first at Macon Speedway, first of 2011 and seventh career POWRi Midget series feature. He was followed by Brett Anderson, a former Macon Speedway feature winner in September 2009, and Nick Knepper, the current POWRi Midget series points leader. Both drivers are from Belleville, IL.

Stock car racing also accompanied the POWRi racers as Dave Crawley, Jr. found himself in victory lane on two separate occasions with feature wins in both the Touchstone Energy Sportsman and the Billingsley Towing Modifieds. Crawley won the Sportsman division race passing Scott Landers, who fell victim to a broken racecar, and holding off current points leader and six-time feature winner Nick Macklin. For the defending division track champion, it would be his third feature in-a-row. Macklin would get a second place finish ahead of Rick Roedel and Mike Pickering. Danny Smith would take fifth.

His win in the Billingsley Towing Modified division was done on the high groove as he led all 20 laps en route to his first feature win. The track was slick due to the open wheel racing and the humid temperatures and Crawley controlled his car very well along the top. Wes O’Dell from Springfield followed him along the top to take second place from Taylorville’s Jeff Graham, who rode the bottom the entire time. Guy Taylor, another top groove driver, finished in fourth and Danny Smith placed in fifth for the second consecutive stock car race. Crawley and Smith ran double duty in both classes.

Derek Peters edged Kyle Maxwell by a bumper coming out of the fourth turn and to the judge’s stand. A bittersweet moment for Maxwell since he led all the laps until the final lap and turn as Peters took the win. Maxwell has not won a feature since Opening Night in April. For Peters, it was his second feature of 2011.

The next event at Macon Speedway is going to be the Monster Energy Sprint Car Series and Late Model event. It is rather uncommon to have both open wheel cars and Late Model stock cars on the same scheduled evening but Macon Speedway is nothing short of innovative in its race program. On July 30^th, if Herald & Review 100 champion Shannon Babb were to return and win that Late Model feature, SNS Auto Sales of Decatur would throw in an additional $1,000 bonus.

Babb’s Dominance Continues, Wins Third Herald & Review 100

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) Although the 2011 UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals series has ended, the ride continues to be prosperous for Moweaqua’s Shannon Babb. Winning nine total races on the 22-race circuit, including the final six, and netting 18 top 5 finishes, Babb’s return to his home track once again allowed him to showcase his talents as one of the Late Models division’s superior drivers.

Starting seventh in the 22-car, 100-lap A-Main feature event, Babb passed leader Brandon Sheppard on the 87^th lap following the fourth and final caution to claim his third Herald & Review 100 championship. It was not as easy as his first one in 2006 when he started in the front row and led all 100 laps, only the second driver to ever win that way (1987’s champion Rick Standridge).

The race started great for Brian Shirley, the 2002 Macon Speedway Late Model track champion. He was starting from the front row pole position and had the lead by the second lap, wrestling it away from front row outside driver Jack Sullivan from Greenbriar, Arkansas.

After a caution on lap 39, it allowed New Berlin’s Brandon Sheppard and Babb to inch closer to Shirley’s lead. Coming into the 44^th lap, all three drivers went from the second turn to the backstretch and into the third turn in a side-by-side-by-side formation with Babb up top, Shirley sandwiched in the middle and Sheppard along the bottom. From the third and into the fourth turn, Sheppard would take over and end up with the lead. The lead held until the 87^th lap when Babb used the high side to overtake Sheppard and his low groove.

The race was completed in 34 minutes, one of the fastest 100-lappers in Macon Speedway history, and was accompanied by merely four cautions. Babb is the fifth driver to win both the Herald & Review 100 race and the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals series. He also accomplished the feat in 2006. He joins the likes of Scott Bloomquist (1990), Billy Moyer (1993) and Don O’Neal (2004).

The Billingsley Towing Modifieds were also apart of the show as Springfield’s Guy Taylor took the 20 laps and his first A-Main feature race. Battling with Decatur’s Jeremy Nichols, the most recent feature winner in the division, for the entire show, Taylor stuck to the high line and Nichols on the bottom. Dave Crawley, Jr. attempted to follow Taylor along the top of the track but didn’t have enough to muster better than a third place finish. Brad Crosby of Decatur raced for fourth and Brian Lynn netted a fifth-place result.

The next show at Macon Speedway will be this Saturday night as open wheel racing invades the track with the POWRi Midget & Micro Sprint series. This will be the make-up event for the 2^nd Annual Building Systems of Illinois POWRi Mini Sprint Nationals from mid-June. Stock cars will also be apart of the program.

A very nice crowd braved tremendously hot and humid temperatures (soaring above 100 degrees earlier in the day) to witness one of the top shows in the state of Illinois, the 31^st Annual Herald & Review 100. Macon Speedway thanks the H&R for their support and the great fans for coming to the track amid the sweltering temperatures.

31st Annual Herald & Review 100 at Macon Speedway

(Macon,IL) One of the most exciting races on the Summer Nationals tour will be held at “World’s fastest 1/5 mile dirt track”, Macon Speedway this Thursday night, July 21^st. The Herald & Review 100 is an annual event that draws the top names from around the region to compete for the winner’s share of one of the season’s largest purses. Originally the race was slated to run earlier this month, but was re-scheduled due to rain. Owner of Macon Speedway, Bob Sargent, believes this Thursday’s running of the Herald and Review 100 will provide fans with some of the best action ever seen at the historic facility.

In addition to the feature event, fans will also be treated to the Billingsley Towing Modifieds that always put on a great show.

Gate will open at 5pm in the grandstands with racing action to begin at 7pm. General admission tickets are only $20, children 12 -6 are just $5 and kids 5 & under are free. Don’t miss out on this historic event at “World’s fastest 1/5 mile dirt track”, Macon Speedway! For more information on this exciting event visit www.maconracing.com or call 217-764-3220

Crawley Brings the Energy

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) Macon Speedway welcomed Touchstone Energy to the 1/5^th mile dirt track Saturday for an evening of exciting night of stock car racing. They have sponsored the Sportsman division each of the last three seasons.

Dave Crawley, Jr. won the topless 40 feature last week in the Touchstone Energy Sportsman class and returned for another night of racing, once again finding victory lane. Crawley took off from the first green lap and led the full 15 laps en route to his second feature of 2011. The real race became the battle for second as Nick Macklin, the current points leader, overtook Dennis Vandermeersch for the spot late in the race. The top three drivers received bonus bucks from Touchstone Energy, including $100 for the winner (Crawley) and $50 each for the second and third place cars (Macklin and Vandermeersch). Scott Landers of Taylorville was fourth and Danny Smith of Argenta was fifth.

Crawley almost won his second feature of the night in the Billingsley Towing Modified division but settled for third behind Jeremy Nichols and Guy Taylor. The bottom groove was the lone groove for this feature but Crawley tried to make things interesting by using the top side. He was unable to run to success as he nearly struck the wall, slowing him down, allowing Taylor to grab second. Nichols led all 20 laps, getting his third feature of the year. Cody Bauman of Eureka took fourth with a great run and Aaron Burcham snatched fifth.

Brian Diveley won the Chevrolet Late Model feature for the second time this season. Running away with the feature, which ran with no cautions for 25 laps, Diveley was untouchable by the field. He weaved his way through the lapped traffic. Former Herald & Review 100 champion Rick Standridge had a second place finish, his best of the year. Rodney Standerfer and John Beck finished third and fourth with Jim Moon placing fifth in the A-Main.

Mike Pickering looks like the same unstoppable monster he was when he was winning track championships in the Street Stock division years ago. He took his third in-a-row for and the Russell Trucking trophy. Although he claims to not be running for points this season, he is making progress for a top ten. Bobby Beiler, who leads the points, was second. Gene Reed finished third with Nick Justice fourth and Mike Pundt, Jr. finishing fifth.

Adam Webb won his fifth Pro Hornet feature and cut into Heidi Hames’ points lead. Hames finished third with Jeremy Reed in second, and then Brett Embry in fourth also putting the defending points champion Fred Reed, Jr. in fifth.

Jerad Matherly was in victory lane for the second time this season. Derek Peters snuck into second place as he passed Brady Reed for third. Jimmy Goodrich was fourth and Kenneth Reed rounded out the top five.

The next program at Macon Speedway is the make-up of the rained out 31^st Annual Herald & Review 100. Top UMP Chevrolet Late Model drivers will be on hand for the 100 laps of mayhem and madness. UMP Billingsley Towing Modifieds will also run Thursday night. That will lead to a night of open wheel racing and the make-up of the 2^nd Annual Building Systems of Illinois Mini Sprint Nationals and POWRi Midgets next Saturday night.

July 12, 2011

THIS WEEK, JULY 16 AT MACON SPEEDWAYTOUCHSTONE ENERGY NIGHT

(Macon, IL) Join us this Saturday night as Macon Speedway hosts Touchstone Energy and 6 UMP divisions; Chevrolet Late Models, Billingsley Towing Modifieds, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stocks and Pro & Amateur Hornets. Rick Roedel, #11 sponsored by Touchstone Energy will try and make it to victory lane this weekend for the first time since his feature win on June 6. The #11 has been a regular at Macon Speedway and Team Roedel has that car back on track. Come out and see if Rick in the #11 can take home the feature win which would be his second for the year at Macon Speedway. This Saturday night receive $2 off an adult general admission when you bring a new toy to donate for the Christmas in July toy drive presented by Macon County Abate. Please help us bring smiles to as many children as we can buy donating a toy.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

July 21st is Macon Speedway’s rescheduled Herald & Review 100 featuring a 100 lap feature event for the Chevrolet Late Models. Join us on July 23 as the rescheduled Building Systems of IL Mini Sprint Nationals will take center stage at Macon Speedway along with the POWRi Midgets, Billingsley Towing Modified, Touchstone Energy Sportsman and Amateur Hornets. To finish off the month of July don’t miss the Midwest Big Ten Series Late Model event on July 30.

Don’t miss your last chance of the season to see Kenny Wallace on Tuesday, August 2 during the Family Farmers Night. If Late Models is what you seek then come out to the track on Aug 27^th for the second annual Shrine 50. We have a lot more racing still in store for the summer so don’t miss out!

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected]. Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

Rain Pushes Macon Speedway Herald & Review 100 to July 21st

MACON, Ill. - July 7, 2011 - Mother Nature wasn't ready for the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Hell Tour Thursday evening as storms saturated the racing surface forcing DIRTcar Racing and Track Officials to postpone the nights event.

(For the latest breaking news from the DIRTcar Summer Nationals Hell Tour, click here to follow along on Twitter.)

The Herald & Review 100 will now be run on Thursday, July 21 and will count towards a drivers DIRTcar Late Model National Points. Shannon Babb continues to lead DIRTcar Summer Nationals points by 125 markers over Scott James of Lawrenceburg, Ind., and 189 points over defending 'Hell Tour' Champion Jason Feger of Bloomington, Ill.

Click this link for more news and information about the DIRTcar Summer Nationals.

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals will return to action Friday, July 8 at Farmer City (Ill.) Raceway.

DIRTcar Summer Nationals Hell Tour Point Standings (Top 20) as of: July 7, 2011

2011 DIRTcar Summer Nationals "The Hell Tour" Schedule

The DIRTcar Summer Nationals is brought to fans by many important sponsors and partners including Hoosier Racing Tires, GM Performance Parts, ASI Racewear, Comp Cams, Intercomp Racing, JE Pistons, QuarterMaster, Superflow, Wix Filters, Wrisco Aluminum, the University of Northwestern Ohio, R2C Competition Series Air Filters, VP Racing Fuels, Racing Electronics, ButlerBuilt, MSD Ignition, Chizmark Larson Insurance, Vicci Apparel, Beyea Custom Headers, Fusion Graphics & Sign Company, Dyer's Rods, and Ohlins Shocks.

Skeff Distributing Presents the Fireman’s Firestone Topless Event

(Macon, IL) Race fans will be treated to a special UMP Touchstone Energy event at the Macon Speedway on Saturday, July 9th, with the running of the Fireman’s Firestone Topless Event presented by Skeff Distributing. This event will feature the Touchstone Energy Sportsman racing with the tops of their cars removed for the top prize of $800. Saturday night will be a Sportsman qualifier night for the Sportsman Nationals at the Illinois State Fair on August 21. More dates for the Sportsman will be announced soon. Macon Speedway with the help of Skeff Distributing and Firestone of Decatur would like to pay tribute to the hard working fireman on Saturday night. All firemen with I.D. will be admitted for ½ price on Saturday night for the night’s festivities to honor them.

Also on the racing card for Saturday night will be the BillingsleyTowing Modifieds, Street Stocks, Pro and Amateur Hornets and the High School Hornets.

So far this summer with 13 races left in the 2011 racing season Nick Macklin leads the Touchstone Energy Sportsman points race followed by Scott Landers, Rick Roedel, Dave Eckel and Tim Bedinger to complete the top five. Bobby Beiler finds himself sitting on top of the Street Stock division leading Justin Hill at this point in the season. Adam Webb leads the Pro Hornet division and Jerad Matherly leads the Amateur Hornet division going into Saturday night’s feature events.

Adult tickets will cost $12 and children 12 & under are free. Pit gates open at 4pm; Grandstands open at 5pm with the racing action starting at 7pm.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Return to the track on July 16 for the annual Touchstone Energy Christmas in July Toys for Kids drive. Saturday, July 23 the Building Systems of IL Mini Sprint Nationals makes its way to Macon Speedway with the POWRi Midgets.

Herald & Review 100 and UMP Summer Nationals Set to Invade Macon Speedway

(Macon, IL) Race fans will be treated to a special UMP Late Model event at the Macon Speedway on Thursday, July 7th, with the running of the Herald & Review 100. This event will mark stop 20 in the 28 date Summer Nationals Late Model tour. The Summer Nationals tour pays over three-quarters of a million dollars in prize money with Thursday night’s winner taking home $5000 for their win. The UMP Summer Nationals tour has quickly become one of the most anticipated dirt Late Model tours in the nation that attracts talented drivers like Dennis Erb, Randy Korte, Rodney Melvin, Brian Shirley, Jason Feger, Billy Moyer and Shannon Babb. Last year’s winner of the Macon Speedway Summer Nationals was Dennis Erb Jr. of Carpentersville, IL. In addition to the exciting hundred lap UMP Chevrolet Late Model feature, our UMP Touchstone Energy Modified division will also hit the track.

The Herald & Review 100 came about as a sponsor was needed for a big race that was to become a summertime staple at Macon Speedway. Local Promoter and previous track owner Wayne Webb succeeded in convincing the Herald & Review newspaper to put up part of the money to sponsor the race. The first incarnation of the race saw a record crowd attend to watch local favorite Butch Garner take the first checkered flag. The name "Herald & Review 100" was put on hold for a few years, as they dropped their sponsorship of the race. Recent years have seen the return of the "Herald & Review 100." To date Bob Pierce of Oakwood, IL and Kevin Weaver of Gibson City, IL are only 4-time winners of this race. Only one father-son pair have won the race, that being Dick (1988) and Matt (2000) Taylor of Springfield, IL. Macon Speedway's second generation drivers (drivers whose fathers have raced there) have won the race 4 times. Joe Ross Jr. (twice), Matt Taylor, and Shannon Babb are on that list.

Adult tickets will cost $20 and children 12 & under are $5. Pit gates open at 4pm; Grandstands open at 5pm with the racing action starting at 7pm.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

The Herald & Review 100 is just one of many races still on the action packed July schedule. On July 9 join us for Fireman’s Firestone Topless Event presented by Skeff Distributing. The UMP Sportsman will be racing for $800 to win. Return to the track on July 16 for the annual Touchstone Energy Christmas in July Toys for Kids drive.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected]. Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com.

Macon Speedway Lights up the Night with Spectacular Show

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL)A special event at Macon Speedway is not hard to find on the 2011 schedule and the first Saturday of July was no exception with the 95Q Firecracker 40s. 40-lap features for the UMP Chevrolet Late Models and the UMP Billingsley Towing Modifieds thrilled the crowd with exciting racing action as did the colorful fireworks that lit up the sky following the show.

Brian Bielong of Summerfield, IL., made a terrific showing with his second Billingsley Towing Modified feature at Macon. He led all 40 laps and used the high groove for the entire race. He fought off tough competition throughout the show including the Lite Beer Twin 50s feature winner Shane Tomlin. After Tomlin went to the back of the field following a caution on the tenth lap, Michael Rauch of Sullivan became the new second-place car. Running the bottom side of the track, Rauch caught up to the leader at the end of the race but didn’t have enough time as the bottom groove finally started to come in a few laps too late for Rauch’s liking. Decatur’s Aaron Burcham tailed Rauch throughout the second half of the 40 laps but finished third. Argenta’s Danny Smith finished fourth and Clark Robertson, who started in 17^th place, took home a top-five finish. Amid seven yellow flags, the race was completed in 21 minutes.

Kyle Logue of Cisco, IL., must have paid attention to the Billingsley Towing Modified feature because he found out how well the bottom groove was working. That was his area for the whole 40 laps. Brian Diveley of Springfield started out with the lead but by the 11^th lap, Logue had taken over. Diveley chose the high groove but it didn’t last for him and neither did the lead. Rodney Standerfer followed Logue but was unable to really gather up any momentum and chased the leader for the majority of the race, eventually passing Diveley. Rick Standridge started smoking in the latter stages of the race and was able to avoid blowing up and took home fourth. Greg Kimmons, who was wrecked in the heat race, was able to finish fifth. The Chevrolet Late Model 40-lapper lasted 19 minutes with six caution flags.

It was the same old story in the Touchstone Energy Sportsman feature as Nick Macklin of Argenta had another impressive showing, leading and winning from the pole to take his third feature in-a-row and sixth overall. It was not without competition, however, as Mike Pickering made a strong showing for a second-place finish, Alan Crowder, winner of a heat race, was third, and Scott Landers and Rick Roedel rounding out the fourth and fifth places in the race.

Pickering was able to win in the Street Stock feature and receive his first Russell Trucking Trophy of 2011. Running a limited schedule this year, Pickering had not tasted victory lane in feature racing all season in feature racing. He had fierce competition with Blake Shelley, Nick Justice and Roy Magee barreling down on them. Mike Pundt, Jr. was able to finish fifth.

The Pro Hornet feature would go to Heidi Hames, her second, of the year. She passed Jeremy Reed with only two laps to go. Reed would place second and Jonathan Drake third. Michael Webb and Adam Webb fourth and fifth as the checkered flag flew. In the Amateur Hornet feature, Brady Reed was a winner for the second time this season. Kenneth Reed, Jerad Matherly, Zach Perryman and Michael Gossett rounded out the top five in the Amateur Hornet feature.

The next show at Macon Speedway comes Thursday, July 7^th, with the 31^st Annual Herald & Review 100, which is part of the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals schedule. The UMP Late Models will run for $5,000-to-win and UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals points while the UMP Modifieds will also be apart of the show. Next Saturday night will feature an innovated new race as the Touchstone Energy Sportsman will compete in a 40-lap feature of their own in the Firemen’s Firestone Topless 40. In this race, the drivers will race without their roof for 40 laps.

Macon Speedway wishes to thank 95.1 FM, 95Q, for their sponsorship of the evening as well as the crew who put together a terrific fireworks display after the racing.

Fireworks to Honor Independence Day at Macon Speedway This Saturday Night PLUS The 95Q Firecracker 40’s

(Macon, IL) Plans are underway for the 95Q Macon Speedway Annual fireworks display to be held this Saturday night July 2 during our Firecracker 40’s. Macon Speedway plans a spectacular fireworks display to dazzle the crowd. “We are most grateful to the community and all of our sponsors for ensuring that our annual tradition of the fireworks continues” said track owner Bob Sargent. Macon Speedway knows that families and friends come together every year to watch our display and we are proud to be a part of that tradition. We hope that everyone will join us as we pay tribute to our great country and enjoy an evening of racing and fireworks under the stars. The fireworks display is sure to light up the Macon skyline with stunning visuals and vibrant colors. The fireworks display is set to begin at approximately 9:30 PM.

On the racing card for the night fans will be treated to two 40 lap features, one for the UMP Chevrolet Late Model division and the other 40 lap event will be for the UMP Billingsley Towing Modified division. Also racing will be the UMP Touchstone Energy Sportsman, UMP Street Stocks and Pro & Amateur Hornets. The UMP Chevrolet Late Models will be racing for an increased payout with the checkered flag driver taken home $1,200 and the UMP Billingsley Towing winner will take home $600 for winning their division on July 2. The UMP Chevrolet Late Model division is being led for the points race by Rodney Standerfer from Germantown, IL. He leads Brian Dively of Springfield, IL by a mere 20 points going into this Saturday night’s racing action. The UMP Billingsley Towing Modified division points race is also a close one with Aaron Burcham of Decatur, IL leading Danny Smith of Argenta, IL by 30 points.

Gates are set to open at 5 pm with racing beginning at 7 pm. Adult general admission tickets are $15 and children 12 & under are free with a paying adult. Don’t miss your chance to bring your family and friends and come to the track this Saturday night for our hot weekly racing along with the huge fireworks display.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected]. Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

Macon Speedway Completes Exciting Night Of Nascar Stars....Stewart’s Return Ends with Schrader’s Feature Win

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) After three straight rain-outs at Macon Speedway, the drivers and fans were chomping at the bit awaiting a nice sunny day to get dirty and race again. For the first time since 2007, a NASCAR Night featuring Tony Stewart went by without weather intervening as beautiful conditions were placed by Mother Nature in central Illinois.

Hundreds of fans flocked to the autograph line long before Macon Speedway co-owner Tony Stewart and 2011 Daytona 500 Champion Trevor Bayne arrived for an hour-long autograph session. Fellow co-owners Kenny Wallace and Ken Schrader were also racing during the special Tuesday night event.

The Billingsley Towing Modified feature had plenty of drama with Ken Schrader starting from the front row outside position and taking the glory for 20 laps. The drama was not with Schrader as much as his fellow co-owners Wallace and Stewart.

Wallace fell victim to a broken racecar during his heat race and needed to make the feature out of the B-Main semi-feature. He would win that event and start the A-Main in 17^th place, ninth row inside.

Stewart, on the other hand, finished second in his heat, riding along with Springfield’s Guy Taylor but could not make the pass. The two-time NASCAR Champion would start fourth row inside but would only last two laps and fall into the infield with a broken car. Stewart’s lack of success at his own track would continue as the only checkered flag he has been able to get in five years of racing at his track has been a 2007 semi-feature win in the POWRi Midget series.

Schrader, unlike Stewart, has had incredible success racing in the Billingsley Towing Modified class, marking his fifth feature win in the five-year ownership of the track, and second of 2011, after getting the win on Memorial Day.

Following Schrader to the finish line was Tim Hancock, Mark Tullis, Ryan Blakeman and Kenny Wallace. Wallace advanced 12 places to result with a top-five finish.

The Chevrolet Late Model division was just as dramatic but without any NASCAR superstars being affiliated with the race. Macon regulars went back-and-forth for 25 laps. Kyle Logue was the early race leader but once again lost is bid for the feature with a broken car on the 17^th lap. Logue was side-by-side with Springfield’s Roger Brickler leading up to the end of his night. As Brickler took hold of the lead, another Springfield driver in Brian Diveley began using the high groove to catch the leader and take the top spot with four laps remaining. The race would be side-by-side for the final laps and out of the fourth turn, a drag race that would be won by the driver on the high side, Diveley. Brickler would place second. Rick Standridge was third after a nice run; Ryan Little and Rodney Standerfer rounded out the top five. For Diveley, it would be his first Chevrolet Late Model feature win since August 15, 2009.

The Street Stock class had another quality race and another first-time winner cross the line ahead of the pack. Bobby Beiler, who was tied with the points lead with Justin Hill, snatched his first feature win. It would mark the third-straight Street Stock feature where the driver had won their first feature. Nick Justice won his first on June 4, Hill on June 11 and now Beiler on June 28. Larry Russell, Jr., who has won multiple features at Macon Speedway through the years, took second with Mike Pundt, Jr. in third, Hill placed fourth and Gene Reed was the fifth place finisher.

Michael Gossett won in the Amateur Hornets, his second of the year and the first driver in the class to win multiple features in 2011. Jerad Matherly gave him all he could handle but still placed second. Brady Reed was third as Kenneth Reed followed in fourth and Zach Perryman rounded out the top five.

Michael Tucker, a 16-year-old from Eisenhower High School in Decatur, took away with the feature and the checkered flag in the High School Hornet division. After numerous attempts at the win, he finally was able to take a lead and finish with it in Jeremy Reed’s Pro Hornet car. Tucker outlasted Warrensburg-Latham’s Dalton Jacobs, Taylorville’s Tiffani Graham and Stephen Decatur Middle School’s Dean Holt.

There was plenty of added attraction throughout the evening as another driver claimed his first win as Trevor Bayne took a six-lap victory from Tony Stewart in a one-on-one exhibition in front of the Macon Speedway audience. It is possible that Stewart’s mishap during the exhibition, a near rollover in the third turn, could have led to his misfortunes in the Billingsley Towing Modified feature.

The next event at Macon Speedway is Saturday night with the annual 95Q Firecracker 40s, a night with a huge fireworks display and two 40-lap features, one for the Chevrolet Late Models and one for the Billingsley Towing Modifieds. Also, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stocks, and Pro and Amateur Hornets will be apart of the show this Saturday night.

SUNSHINE IN THE FORECAST -EXCITING RACING ON TAP WITH TREVOR BAYNE AND TONY STEWART

(Macon, IL) Macon Speedway has been plagued by rain lately along with many other Midwest racetractks and track owners, staff and Macon Speedway fans are ready for the show to go on as planned. Finally, it looks as though everyone will get what they are longing for; the forecast is SUNSHINE for tomorrow!!!! On Tuesday, June 28 get ready to welcome Nascar 2011 Daytona 500 winner; Trevor Bayne for the first time ever. Also joining Trevor will be NASCAR stars and track owners Tony Stewart, Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace! Macon Speedway will kick off the Night of NASCAR Stars by hosting an autograph session featuring the NASCAR stars, so come out to the track early to get your chance to meet Trevor, Tony, Kenny and Ken. Racing the night of stars will be the Chevrolet Late Models, Billingsley Towing Modified, Street Stocks, Amateur and High School Hornets. The gates will open at 3:00; The NASCAR stars will be signing autographs from 5:00 to 6:00 so come out early to get your autographs.

Trevor was born on February 19, 1991 and the place he calls home is Knoxville, TN. Trevor currently resides in Mooresville, NC. It’s hard to imagine a young driver with more championships (22) than his age but Trevor has just that. To add to his list of accomplishments, he is your newest, and record breaking youngest, Daytona 500 Champion. Since Trevor Bayne turned five years old, he has been wheeling anything he gets his hands on and making people take note of a natural talent, well beyond his years.

Trevor got his first big break in 2008 when Dale Earnhardt Inc. signed the youngster to its driver development program in 2008. That year he began competing in the NASCAR Camping World East where he grabbed his first NASCAR Series win. Trevor made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut March 21^st at Bristol Motor Speedway where he finished 23^rd. Bayne later ran a part time schedule for Michael Waltrip in the NO 99 Toyota Camry. Trevor grabbed the outside pole at Nashville Speedway and went on to earn two top 10’s and finishing inside the top 15 seven times in 15 races.

Bayne started the first 28 races of 2010 for Michael Waltrip Racing. During the second half of the tenure, he drove to three poles, five top fives and nine top 10 finishes in 14 starts before making the move to Roush Fenway. He joined Roush Fenway Racing in October of 2010 where he completed the balance of the Nationwide Series races in a Roush Fenway Ford. In 2011, Trevor is making a run at the Nationwide Series Championship while also running a limited schedule in the NO 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. His 2011 Daytona 500 win definitely set this year off to a memorable start.

9Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected]. Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

TONY STEWART AND DAYTONA 500 WINNER TREVOR BAYNE APPEARING AT MACON SPEEDWAY JUNE 28!

(Macon, IL) On June 28 get ready to welcome Nascar 2011 Daytona 500 winner; Trevor Bayne for the first time ever. Also joining Trevor will be NASCAR stars and track owners Tony Stewart, Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace! Macon Speedway will kick off the Night of NASCAR Stars by hosting an autograph session featuring the NASCAR stars, so come out to the track early to get your chance to meet Trevor, Tony, Kenny and Ken. Racing the night of stars will be the Chevrolet Late Models, Billingsley Towing Modified, Street Stocks, Amateur and High School Hornets. The gates will open at 3:00; The NASCAR stars will be signing autographs from 5:00 to 6:00 so come out early to get your autographs.

Trevor was born on February 19, 1991 and the place he calls home is Knoxville, TN. Trevor currently resides in Mooresville, NC. It’s hard to imagine a young driver with more championships (22) than his age but Trevor has just that. To add to his list of accomplishments, he is your newest, and record breaking youngest, Daytona 500 Champion. Since Trevor Bayne turned five years old, he has been wheeling anything he gets his hands on and making people take note of a natural talent, well beyond his years.

Trevor got his first big break in 2008 when Dale Earnhardt Inc. signed the youngster to its driver development program in 2008. That year he began competing in the NASCAR Camping World East where he grabbed his first NASCAR Series win. Trevor made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut March 21^st at Bristol Motor Speedway where he finished 23^rd. Bayne later ran a part time schedule for Michael Waltrip in the NO 99 Toyota Camry. Trevor grabbed the outside pole at Nashville Speedway and went on to earn two top 10’s and finishing inside the top 15 seven times in 15 races.

Bayne started the first 28 races of 2010 for Michael Waltrip Racing. During the second half of the tenure, he drove to three poles, five top fives and nine top 10 finishes in 14 starts before making the move to Roush Fenway. He joined Roush Fenway Racing in October of 2010 where he completed the balance of the Nationwide Series races in a Roush Fenway Ford. In 2011, Trevor is making a run at the Nationwide Series Championship while also running a limited schedule in the NO 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. His 2011 Daytona 500 win definitely set this year off to a memorable start.

irth Date: February 19, 1991
Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected]. Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

66^th Anniversary of Macon Speedway ....Kid’s Castle-Chevrolet Hall of Fame Museum Driver Reunion Night PLUS Raminator & Fireworks This Saturday Night!!!!!!

Macon Speedway is hosting the Chevrolet Hall of Fame Driver Reunion party at Macon Speedway set for Saturday, June 25. We are looking for past drivers of all ages to come and join us. This party will honor all our past drivers of Macon Speedway. Help us spread the word and get as many drivers as possible to help make this event a success. Please direct all past drivers of Macon Speedway to contact us by phone at 217-764-3000, fax 217-764-3201 or by email at [email protected] for more information and to sign up for the event. Forms are available online at maconracing.com to RSVP for the event. We will have a pre race BBQ from 3-5 pm; racing begins at 7. All past drivers will be honored at intermission of the night’s events which include the Billingsley Towing Modified, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stocks, Pro and Amateur Hornets. Also bring the kids out to the track to see the Monster Truck “Raminator” and the huge fireworks display presented by Kid’s Castle that will be put on this Saturday night. Our Macon Speedway Kid’s Club sponsored by Kid’s Castle will also be meeting for a special pizza party at 6:00 pm, so bring the kids out for a fun family night of entertainment at Macon Speedway!

Macon Speedway is one of the Midwest’s premier dirt racing facilities and is one of Illinois’ oldest racetracks which opened its doors on April 7th, 1946. Macon Speedway was built and originally operated by Wayne Webb. Opening night featured midget racing through the mid 50's, then the track went on to feature Super Modifieds which ran into the late 60's. Next, the Super Stock division which later changed their name to Late Models joined the line up along with Modified, Sportsman, and Street Stock divisions. Macon Speedway is in its 66th year in operation in 2011, one of the oldest businesses in Macon County.

Macon Speedway is a fan favorite race track with many fans coming to the acclaimed track since early childhood. The current owners of Macon Speedway; Tony Stewart, Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Bob Sargent are all very excited about this event and hope to continue to make this Driver Reunion a yearly event where we can honor the drivers in the past who have made Macon Speedway what it is today.

Track Enterprises Announces Point Fund For UMP Pro Crate Late Models and UMP Billingsley Towing Modified and Nascar Star Ken Schrader Will Be at Macon Speedway on Saturday Night!!

Macon, IL---The UMP Pro Crate Late Models and the UMP Billingsley Towing Modified will compete for a $600 point fund. The UMP Pro Crate Late Model division point fund will take place over three days at three different tracks. Lincoln Speedway, Macon Speedway and Spoon River Speedway have teamed up to bring the point fund for the Pro Crate Late Model division drivers. The Pro Crate Late Models will compete at Lincoln Speedway on Thursday, June 16, then at Macon Speedway on Friday, June 17 and then finish on Saturday, June 18 at Spoon River Speedway. At the end of the three races the points will be tallied for all three events and the top UMP Pro Crate Late Model will be awarded a $300 bonus; second place will receive $200 and the third place point’s winner will receive $100.

The UMP Billingsley Towing Modifieds will compete for a $600 point fund also which will take place over three days at two different tracks. Each track will pay $600 to win each feature. Lincoln Speedway and Macon Speedway have teamed up to bring the point fund for the UMP Billingsley Towing Modified division drivers. The UMP Billingsley Towing Modifieds will compete at Lincoln Speedway on Thursday, June 16, then at Macon Speedway on Friday, June 17 and Saturday, June 18. At the end of the three races the points will be tallied for all three events and the top UMP Modified will be awarded their bonus’ in the same way the Pro Crate Late Models will get theirs.

Nascar star and Macon Speedway co-owner Ken Schrader will be at the track on Saturday to compete in the UMP Billingsley Towing Modified division events. The second annual Building Systems of IL Mini Sprint Nationals will be sure to keep you on the edge of your seats this weekend. The 2011 POWRi National 600cc Micro Sprint Series will compete in a three day event at the Lincoln Speedway on Thursday, June 16, then at the lightning quick Macon Speedway in Macon, IL on Friday, June 17, and Saturday, June 18. The High School Hornet division will lead the way on Friday night as all three divisions of Hornets will compete along with the Mini Sprints and Pro Crate Late Models. The POWRi Midgets will thrill the fans of Macon Speedway on Saturday night along with the Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Billingsley Towing Modifieds and Street Stocks. The POWRi cars should put on quite a display when they roll into both towns; as well over 100 cars each day are expected to battle it out. Bring your friends and family for the ground pounding, wheel to wheel action that the Mini Sprint show will bring to town.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected]. Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com
 

GEORGE MUELLER DISTRIBUTING MILLER LITE BEER TWIN 50’S, SATURDAY- JUNE 11 FEATURING TWO 50 LAP FEATURES!

(Macon, IL)  George Mueller Distributing will be the sponsor for the Lite Beer Twin 50’s.  The evening will consist of two 50 lap features, one for the UMP Chevrolet Late Model division and the other for the UMP Billingsley Towing Modified division.  Macon Speedway is proud to be giving both divisions an increase in their weekly feature payout.  The Late Models will be racing back to the checkered for $1,500 to win, while the UMP Modifieds will battle for $750 to win.  The Lite Beer Twin 50’s will also include our other weekly divisions; Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stocks and Pro and Amateur Hornets.  Donnelly Automotive-CarQuest of Decatur, IL will be the associate presenting sponsor of the night’s events.  

Join us on next week on Friday and Saturday nights as the Building Systems of IL Mini Sprint Nationals comes to town.  Friday night’s show will consist of POWRi Mini Sprints, Billingsley Towing Modified, Pro (Crate) Late Models, Pro & Amateur Hornets.  The Pro (Crate) Late Model feature will be the first time at Macon Speedway.   On Saturday night the Building Systems of IL Mini Sprint Nationals will wrap up the 3 day event with $2,000 going to the top Mini Sprint.  Also joining the Mini Sprints will be the POWRi Midgets, Billingsley Towing Modified, Touchstone Energy Sportsman and the Street Stock division.  On June 25 Macon Speedway will host the Kid’s Castle Night/Hall of Fame-Driver Reunion Night plus feature Raminator and Fireworks!  Next up to heat up the month of June will be the Night of Nascar Stars II featuring Tony Stewart, Trevor Bayne, Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace.   Return to the track for the Firecracker 40’s to celebrate our nation’s birthday, July 2, as we will definitely fire things up for the Independence Day holiday for another spectacular week at the super-fast 1/5 mile.      The action heats up at the track for the Herald & Review 100 in combination with UMP Summernationals on July 7.   

Macon Speedway races every Saturday night from April through September.  Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles.  For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected].  Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

Storms Avoid Macon; Logue Gets Third Feature

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) A nasty line of severe thunderstorms blew through Macon but dropped zero precipitation and only high winds with gusts nearly 40 mph followed before the temperatures dropped and the racing continued. A 15 minute intermission between the Street Stock heat races was all that stood between a perfect evening of exciting racing during Miles Chevrolet Night at Macon Speedway.

Kyle Logue locked up his third Chevrolet Late Model feature of the 2011 season. Though two cautions were mixed in among the 25 laps, Logue, the pole-sitter, blew past the field won by car lengths over second-place finisher Brian Diveley. Rick Standridge made the long drive from Collinsville to place third. John Beck and Rodney Standerfer took fourth and fifth, respectively.

Wes O’Dell of Springfield went back and forth with Joe Strawkas in the Billingsley Towing Modified 20-lap A-Main feature. Eric Hamilton started the race with the lead but fell to O’Dell and then Strawkas used the bottom of the track to take advantage for a short time. O’Dell ran the high groove and regained control and with five laps remaining. Strawkas placed second and Hamilton in third. Andrew Barnes of Assumption came away with a nice fourth place run and Decatur’s Aaron Burcham locked up fifth, ahead of Mark Tullis.

The fourth feature of the year for Argenta’s Nick Macklin took place in the Touchstone Energy Sportsman feature. Starting in the front row opposite to Dennis Vandermeersch, a long-time Sportsman veteran, feature winner and former track champion, did not faze Macklin has he took hold of the race and never looked back. Exciting racing for the runner-up spot finished with Rick Roedel, Vandermeersch edging Alan Crowder for third and Phil Moreland wrapping up fifth.

Nick Justice waited ten years for his moment and it finally happened. A Street Stock feature win for the youngster of Harristown was the end result Saturday night. Passing Bobby Beiler for the lead and running the bottom was all Justice needed to finally pull through with his first checkered flag during an A-Main event. Gene Reed finished behind Justice. Former track champion Blake Shelley was third and then Beiler and pole-sitter and early race leader Justin Hill wrapping up the top five.

Adam Webb won again, his third, in the Pro Hornets, beating Brett Embry, Jonathan Drake, Todd Rush and Bruce Dulgar. Jerad Matherly took the Amateur Hornet feature, besting Brady Reed, Nick Matherly, Brian Rush and Marty Sullivan. 13-year-old Dean Holt from Stephen Decatur Middle School was the best of four drivers in the second night of the High School Hornets class.

The Fifth Annual Faster Pastor race also was apart of the program with Arthur Menonite leader Lamar Miller getting the best of Keith Jenkins, pastor of Boiling Springs Church of God and Hidden Valley Community Church’s Todd Tuggle. Miller ran Limited Late Models at Macon Speedway many years ago and Jenkins, the 2008 Faster Pastor, is also a former driver in the Bomber class. All participants received trophies for their participation. All feature winners got the opportunity to wave around the Chevrolet flag in place of the customary checkered flag.

Despite Mother Nature threatening to overpower the night with storms, the evening was splendid with exciting racing from more than 110 racecars. Another full show is expected next Saturday with the annual Miller Lite Beer Twin 50s, an event started in 1985. 50 lap features for the Chevrolet Late Models and Billingsley Towing Modifieds will highlight the program.

June 1, 2011

Miles Chevrolet Presents Fastor Pastor This Saturday Night at Macon Speedway‏

(Macon, IL) Macon Speedway has an action packed Saturday night for race fans this weekend. Macon Speedway with the help of Miles Chevrolet will present the Faster Pastor event where area pastors will compete against each other in a special hornet feature. Area churches are encouraged to come to the track to support their pastor and all members of racing pastor’s congregations will be admitted into the event for ½ price. All youth members will be admitted for free. Also on hand will be the second race of the year for the growing High School hornet division. Area students will compete in this event and by competing they are helping their high school for a chance at the Phil Sargent Scholarship Award. Whichever high school has the highest attendance in the High School Hornet class throughout the year will be awarded a $1,000 scholarship to be given away to one of that school’s high school seniors. Macon Speedway has already hosted one High School Hornet race and the winner was Dalton Jacobs of Decatur, IL. Dalton attends Warrensburg Latham and was a competitor last season in the newly formed division as well.

All 6 divisions of cars will be racing this Saturday night. Memorial Day’s special Night of Nascar stars had thrilling features, the checkered flags were seized by Ken Schrader in the Billingsley Towing Modified division, Brandon Sheppard for the Northern Allstar Late Model race and Tyler Blankenship in the Street Stock division. Rodney Standerfer leads the point’s race in the Chevrolet Late Model division and Mark Tullis in his T2 Modified are at the top of the Modified division so far this season. With the first 2 months of the 2011 racing season behind us Blake Shelly, Nick Macklin, Heidi Hames and Zach Perryman all hold the lead in their respective divisions.

Don’t miss the Miller Lite Beer Twin 50’s on June 11 for 2 - 50 lap features, one for the Chevrolet Late Models and the other for the Billingsley Towing Modified. The Building Systems Mini Sprint Nationals event makes its way to Macon Speedway on June 17 & 18 featuring the Midgets on Saturday night and a Crate Late Model special on Friday night. Don’t miss the return of Raminator the monster truck on June 25 for our Kid’s Castle/Hall of Fame-Driver Reunion Night plus Fireworks!! Our second night of NASCAR stars on June 28 will feature track owners Tony Stewart, Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Daytona 500 winner; Trevor Bayne.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected]. Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

Sheppard Shines on All-Star Monday in Macon

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) Brandon Sheppard of New Berlin has quickly risen to the top of the Late Model circuit in the Midwest. Following in his father’s (Steve Sheppard, Jr.) footsteps, Brandon has finished many nights with checkered flag in hand and the victory photo. On Memorial Day, he would once again claim the top honor in front of NASCAR stars Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Justin Allgaier.

As those three signed autographs for their fans, Sheppard led an uncautioned 30-lap feature and picked up the $2,000 top prize. Although he led the entire race, Mark Voigt of Marine finished by a matter of inches. Along with the feature, Sheppard was also the fastest of 28 Northern All-Star Late Model Series competitors and a heat winner, finishing ahead of his father. The feature sealed the sweep, his second sweep at Macon Speedway in 2011 with the first coming in the season’s second week (April 9).

Steve Sheppard, Jr. would enjoy watching his son win his second Northern All-Star Late Model Series feature in as many attempts from the infield as he pulled off on the 13^th lap. Ryan Unzicker, native of El Paso and feature winner during the Spring Fling 2011 Opener, took third with Dillan White from Kentucky in fourth and Donny Walden of Towanda placing in the top five.

Macon Speedway co-owner Ken Schrader would lay claim to the Billingsley Towing Modified 20-lap feature, having first place for the entire race. Fellow co-owner and racing buddy Kenny Wallace ran second to Schrader for the majority of the race before Springfield’s Guy Taylor jumped between the two and would finish ahead of Wallace. Danny Smith of Argenta was fourth and Brian Diveley, doing double duty in both of the Chevrolet Late Models and Billingsley Towing Modifieds, was the fifth place finisher.

The Street Stock 12-lapper would go to Tyler Blankenship. Outdueling Larry Russell, Jr. for the race and checkered flag, Blankenship would lead them all and cruise to the victory. During the Street Stock heat race, Mike Pundt, Jr. won the race and opted not to carry the checkered flag on Memorial Day. Instead, Pundt requested the much larger American flag to wave during his parade lap. “I’ve always wanted to win on Memorial Day or the 4^th of July so I could carry the American flag. Nobody’s every done that before.” Very patriotic and well deserved.

Macon Speedway will bounce back with a full show this Saturday, June 4, with the annual Faster Pastor race with area church leaders behind the wheel of racecars in the attempt to be the Faster Pastor. Also, High School Hornets are slated to be apart of the full show.

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Mother Nature Washes Out Racing At Macon Speedway‏

Due to the rain, Macon Speedway has cancelled it's racing program for tonight. Don't miss our Night of Nascar Stars I featuring Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Justin Allgaier on Monday. Racing begins Monday at 6 pm; an autograph session is scheduled from 4:30 to 5:30. Bring your family out to the track and celebrate the Memorial Day Holiday. For more information 217-764-3000 or maconracing.com.

May 28, 2011

MACON SPEEDWAY HOSTS FIRST NASCAR NIGHT OF THE SEASON THIS MONDAY

(Macon, IL) Macon Speedway has an action packed Memorial Day for race fans. On Monday come to the track for our Bully Dog Night of NASCAR Stars I presented by Contingency Connection featuring track owners Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace and NASCAR star and local hero Justin Allgaier. Track officials are working long hours to prepare the track for the huge Memorial Day race.

The Northern Allstar Late Model Series will race for $2000 to win along with the Billingsley Towing Modified and Street Stock divisions. The fans will have the chance to meet and greet the NASCAR Stars with an autograph session from 4:30 to 5:30. NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Justin Allgaier is in 5^th place with only 18 points separating him from being the point’s leader. Macon Speedway is proud to have Bully Dog as a sponsor for 2011 and we have designated three events for the Bully Dog Triple Crown Series. NASCAR star Ken Schrader picked up his second win a row at the 58^th Hoosier Hundred which took place this past Friday in Indianapolis ant the Indiana State Fairgrounds. Kenny Wallace is excited to be coming to the track for the first time in 2011. The first will be our Memorial Day special followed by our Bully Dog Night of Nascar Stars II on June 28. The third event will be the Family Farmers Night/Bully Dog Triple Crown Finale. There will be contingencies available to our drivers at the end of the Bully Dog Triple Crown Series courtesy of Bully Dog. Grandstands will open at 3 pm: with racing beginning at 6 pm.

Don’t miss the Miller Lite Beer Twin 50’s on June 11 for 2 - 50 lap features, one for the Chevrolet Late Models and the other for the Billingsley Towing Modified. Our second night of NASCAR stars on June 28 will feature track owners Tony Stewart, Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Daytona 500 winner; Trevor Bayne.

Bring your family Monday night to watch the Northern Allstars light up Macon Speedway. Kids 11 & under will be $5 and adult seats will be $20.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles. For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected]. Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

MACON SPEEDWAY DOUBLE HEADER WEEKEND!!

FEATURING NASCAR STARS, FIREWORKS, RAMINATOR AND

EXCITING DIRT TRACK RACING!!

(Macon, IL)  Macon Speedway has an action packed weekend for race fans this weekend starting the weekend off by racing on Saturday night, then fans will want to return to the track on Monday for our Bully Dog Night of NASCAR Stars I presented by Contingency Connection featuring track owners Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace and NASCAR star and local hero Justin Allgaier.  This will be the first of four weeks throughout the summer that the track will host two events a week.  Track officials are working long hours to prepare the track for the huge Memorial Day weekend. 

Macon Speedway will kick off the double header weekend with Armed Forces night on May 28 where all Military personnel will be admitted into the races for free with a military I.D.  Also on hand Saturday night to thrill fans of all ages will be the monster truck “Raminator.”  If that wasn’t enough excitement Macon Speedway will also be hosting the first of two night of FIREWORKS for the year.  The Billingsley Towing Modified, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stocks and Hornet divisions will race with two added bonus’ for the drivers.  SnS Auto Sales, Decatur, IL will sponsor a $500 to win Street Stock feature.  The Billingsley Towing Modified division will have a $1,000 first place prize up for grab in their respective division.  Grandstands will open at 5 pm.

Up next in the double header will be the Northern Allstar Late Model Series racing for $2000 to win along with the Billingsley Towing Modified and Street Stock divisions.  The fans will have the chance to meet and greet the NASCAR Stars with an autograph session from 4:30 to 5:30.  NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Justin Allgaier is in 5^th place with only 18 points separating him from being the point’s leader.  Macon Speedway is proud to have Bully Dog as a sponsor for 2011 and we have designated three events for the Bully Dog Triple Crown Series.  The first will be our Memorial Day special followed by our Bully Dog Night of Nascar Stars II on June 28.  The third event will be the Family Farmers Night/Bully Dog Triple Crown Finale.  There will be contingencies available to our drivers at the end of the Bully Dog Triple Crown Series courtesy of Bully Dog.   Grandstands will open at 3 pm: with Late Models qualifying at 6 pm.

Don’t miss the Miller Lite Beer Twin 50’s on June 11 for 2 - 50 lap features, one for the Chevrolet Late Models and the other for the Billingsley Towing Modified.  Our second night of NASCAR stars on June 28 will feature track owners Tony Stewart, Kenny Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Daytona 500 winner; Trevor Bayne.    

Macon Speedway is hosting the two day event on May 28 and May 30.  Come out to Macon Speedway on May 28 for an action packed night of racing, the tickets are $12 for adults kids 11 & under are free.  Then, come back to the track on Monday night to watch the Northern Allstars light up Macon Speedway.  Kids 11 & under will be $5 and adult seats will be $20. 

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles.  For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected].  Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

Fast Track Leads to Close Finishes

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) The night at Macon Speedway Saturday could be described as fast but most importantly, it could be described as the best racing of 2011. Many heat races of the evening came down to not only the last lap but also the last turn to the straightaway and the judge’s stand. With multiple racing grooves available, drivers were able to compete side-by-side; race cars were definitely on the edge of their seats from the start of the night.

Of the six UMP sanctioned features, the Touchstone Energy Sportsman class provided the most drama as two lead changes over the 15 laps got the feature portion of the night going on the right foot. Although the race was plagued with cautions, the green flag racing was incredible as Taylorville’s Scott Landers, Argenta’s Nick Macklin and Shelbyville’s Rick Roedel went back and forth. Landers had control of the race but Macklin stayed close running on the bottom groove. Roedel looked like a third-place finisher but found momentum on the high side and caught up to the top two drivers. Including Decatur’s Mike Pickering come the 11^th lap, the checkered flag was up for grabs between the four drivers. A caution followed and set up a single-file restart which saw four frantic laps to the finish and it would be Roedel again taking the high side to pass both Macklin and then Landers in the second turn of the 14^th lap to claim his first Touchstone Energy Sportsman feature since September 12, 2009, the year Roedel won the division’s track championship. Landers finished runner-up with Macklin in third, Pickering took four and Bob Sidener was the fifth place finisher.

Jeremy Nichols from Decatur used the bottom groove in the Billingsley Towing Modified feature to claim his second feature of 2011. Chased by Aaron Burcham and Guy Taylor, Nichols wasn’t giving away the lead and set up his car similar to the way he did for a feature win in 2010. Burcham was able to hold off Taylor for second. Buffalo’s Joe Strawkas was fourth and Macon’s Eric Hamilton was able to finish fifth.

Kyle Logue, native of Cisco, also was a second-time feature winner Saturday as he used his patience to ease past Cory Daugherty and Roger Brickler. Starting behind the pole-sitter Brickler, Logue held back and let the race begin and once the cars started to separate, he made his move atop the high banks of the speedway and by the ninth lap of 25, Logue was leading. Daughtery from Blue Mound raced along the top side for the majority of the race but couldn’t catch up to Logue and took second. Springfield’s Brian Diveley also ran high and took third ahead of fast qualifier Brickler. Collinsville’s Rick Standridge was able to snatch fifth.

Another driver to win his second feature of the year was Street Stock driver Larry Russell, Jr. Feature winless since Opening Night, Russell was able to lead all 12 laps and starve off the fierce competition in Blake Shelley, Terry Reed and Bobby Beiler. In the end, Russell was the faster car, ahead of Shelley, Mike Pickering, Justin Hill and Mike Pundt, Jr.

The Hornet classes saw close racing as well it came down to the final lap in the Pro Hornet feature. Jeremy Reed won his first feature since 2007. He managed to stop Heidi Hames, Fred Reed, Jr. and Adam Webb from stealing his spotlight. Hames’ car would fall apart late in the race which opened up the door for Jeremy Reed to win. Fred Reed, Jr. came second with Adam Webb, who flipped his car during the heat race, came out to a strong third place, Todd Rush was fourth and Steven Stine was fifth.

Another eventful feature, the Amateur Hornet feature, had Derek Peters win. Coming in a close second was Garrett Lewis and Jared Matherly took third. Jenny Clinton was able to get fourth and Kenneth Reed was the fifth place car.

The stage is now set for a monster of a show next week with the Raminator monster truck, fireworks and big-money features for the Billingsley Towing Modifieds and Street Stocks. A full show is on the card to help lead to Memorial Day’s Night of NASCAR Stars and Northern All-Star Late Model show.

Macon Speedway Welcomes Boy & Girl Scouts

 (Macon, IL)This week join us for our annual Boys & Girls Scout Night on Saturday, May 21.  All boy and girl scouts are encouraged to wear their uniforms to the race and their parents will be admitted for ½ price.  Join us as the Chevrolet Late Models,  Billingsley Towing Modifieds, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stocks and hornets also take center stage for the evening’s festivities. 

Macon Speedway will host “Raminator” the Monster truck the following Saturday, May 28 which will include FIREWORKS!!!  Macon Speedway’s exciting summer schedule includes the Memorial Day special featuring the Northern All-Star Late Models plus NASCAR Stars on May 30 which includes Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace, and local favorite Justin Allgaier.  The Night of Nascar Stars racing action is then followed by the Lite Beer Twin 50’s on June 11 and NASCAR Night II on June 28.  Return to the track for the Firecracker 40’s on our nation’s birthday, July 2, as we will definitely fire things up for the Independence Day holiday for another spectacular week at the super-fast 1/5 mile  The action heats up at the track for the Herald & Review 100 in combination with UMP Summernationals on July 7.

Two time NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart will be the Grand Marshall for the second Night of NASCAR Stars at Macon Speedway on June 28.  Also joining Tony will be Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Daytona 500 Winner Trevor Bayne. 

Our gates will open at 5 pm, with racing beginning at 7 pm.  Adults are $12 and children 12 and under are admitted for free.

Macon Speedway races every Saturday night from April through September.  Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles.  For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected].  Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

Mother Nature Forces Cancellation of POWRi Debut  at Macon Speedway

Macon, IL---The anticipation of the Midgets and Micros racing at Macon Speedway will have to continue.  Due to the weather, the races have been canceled.

There will be a full show of racing next Saturday night with gates opening at 5 and races starting at 7.  Next weekend Macon Speedway will host the Boy & Girl Scouts with the annual pinewood derby starting at 1:00pm.  All Scouts and all children are invited to participate in the events. On the racing card will be the Chevrolet Late Models, Billingsley Towing Modifieds, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stocks and Pro & Amateur Hornets.

For more information please visit our website at www.maconracing.com or call us at 217-764-3000. On race day our hotline is open at 217-764-3220. Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews St., then south on Wiles. We hope to see you at the Macon Speedway soon.

May 10, 2011

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

   POWRI MIDGETS AND MICROS MAKE FIRST STOP OF THE SEASON AT MACON SPEEDWAY

(Macon, IL)  Macon Speedway is proud to bring open wheeled action to the track this weekend to keep you on the edge of your seats.  The 2011 POWRi National Midget and 600cc Micro Sprint Series will thrill fans this weekend at the lightning quick Macon Speedway in Macon, IL on Saturday, May 14.  Three top-four finishes has carried Nick Knepper into the lead of the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series championship. Knepper, of Belleville, leads Dereck King, of Vienna. Brad Kuhn, of Avon, IN, is third, followed by Tim Siner, of Dupo, and Zach Daum, of Pocahontas rounding out the top five.  Knepper was fourth in the POWRi Midget championship in 2010.

Ryan Langston, of Greenfield, IN., leads the POWRi Speedway Motors 600cc Outlaw Micro Series. Langston won the season opener at Du Quoin. He has a 200-190 advantage over King. Devon Piper, of Springfield, Il., is third with 180, followed by Joe B. Miller, of Millersville, Mo., in fourth with 160 and Kara King, of Vienna, Il., fifth with 150.

The POWRi cars should put on quite a display this Saturday night; as well over 100 cars are expected to battle it out on the super fast 1/5 mile oval.  Saturday night will also be featuring our Billingsley Towing Modified, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stock and Pro & Amateur Hornet divisions in conjunction with the POWRi sanctioned events. 

It will be flag night at the track so the first 300 fans in the gate will receive an American flag to commemorate the event. 

Macon Speedway offers fun family entertainment every Saturday night from April to September.  With many fan favorite events on the schedule, including two “Night of NASCAR Stars;” May 30 and Night of Nascar Stars II on June 28.   The famous Herald and Review 100 will be held on July 7 which is UMP’s premier Summer National event, 2011 is stacking up to be a memorable year.  Be sure to come join Macon Speedway for an action packed summer. 

Macon Speedway will open their pits at 3:00pm with driver registration from 3:00pm to 5:00pm.  National Midget drivers’ meeting is at 5:15pm with the 600cc Outlaw Micro drivers meeting at 5:30pm.  Hot laps are at 6:00pm with racing at 7:00pm.  Adult general admission tickets are $15 and kids 12 & under are still free.  Pit gate admission will be $30 for the event.

May 21 is the Boy and Girl Scout night at Macon Speedway where all scouts and all children are welcome to attend the annual pinewood derby at 1:00 pm before the races.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles.  For more information, call 217-764-3000(track), 217-764-3220(information hotline), or contact us via email at [email protected].  Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com .

Macon Celebrates Mothers, America with Frantic Night

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) Earlier in the week, the United States of America celebrated in the taking down of Osama bin Laden, and Macon Speedway celebrated America’s victory with a ceremony releasing red, white and blue balloons into the sky.  Macon Speedway also celebrated the mothers on the evening prior to Mother’s Day with carnations, courtesy of Zips Flowers by the Gate.

The evening consisted of frantic and hectic racing mainly due to a super-fast race track. The track’s features cars saw a full roster of cars. 19 cars made it through the entrance for the Billingsley Towing Modified feature and Wes Odell took the feature as Jeremy Nichols and Joe Strawkas led early in the race but Nichols got caught up in lapped traffic and lost the lead and then the race as he got tangled and mangled. Strawkas lost the lead and Steve Ewing and Odell raced for the leadership. Odell came through the line first and then Ewing. Strawkas came in third and was followed by Eric Hamilton from Macon took forth and then Dave Crawley, Jr. placed fifth. Odell started 12^th.

The Chevrolet Late Model feature was quick and furious. Steve Sheppard, Jr. won the race as he went down to the wire with Roger Brickler. After a restart, Brickler’s left rear tire flattened and then shredded down the front stretch to open up Sheppard’s lead. Terry Reed, who had a broken racecar during hot laps, came back to finish second. Rick Standridge finished third with Zack Bunning in fourth and Mike Hammerle in fifth.

The Touchstone Energy Sportsman feature was over from the get-go as Scott Landers led from the pole and took off for 15 laps. He was able to dethrone the only other winner in the division, Nick Macklin, who took second. Defending champion Dave Crawley, Jr. finished third behind Macklin, Bob Sidener and Dennis Vandermeersch rounded out the top five.

Another feature that was seemingly over from the drop of the green lap was the 12-lap Street Stock feature. Steve Ewing made it two in-a-row with his second feature of 2011. Bobby Beiler beat Blake Shelley for second. Coleman Scott was fourth and Nick Justice was the fifth place finisher.

The Hornet divisions had exciting racing throughout the show and the features were no exception. Heidi Hames whipped through eight laps of the Pro class and finished in front of a former feature winner in Adam Webb. Jeremy Reed had a third place finish, Jonathon Drake and Matt Maier rounded out the top five.

The Amateur Feature went down the final turn as Michael Gossett took first place ahead of Zach Perryman in the closest race of the evening. Derek Peters, formerly of the high school class, was the third place finisher. Kyle Maxwell and Jenny Clinton finished up the top five.

With the fun of Mother’s Day, the traditional Crazy Chicks N Cars race hit new highs with a record number of entrants. So many entrants that two races were needed. Stephanie Hilliard and Chelsea Lappin were dubbed the craziest as they survived the five lap races in the fourth annual event.

And also with the fun of Cinco de Mayo came another traditional event, the jalapeno eating contest. This year’s winner was Jason Taylor. With his mouth blazing of fire, he could not be reached for comment.

Another fun evening fulled with more than 100 cars to help honor the mothers and our country came to an end shortly after 10pm. Next week will feature a make-up of the April rain-out POWRi Midgets and Micro Sprints. Macon Speedway’s stock cars will also be on hand with the Billingsley Towing Modifieds, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stocks and Pro and Amateur Hornets.

Special Weekend Planned to “Celebrate America” & “Celebrate Moms”

Macon, IL –Macon Speedway would like to “Celebrate America” this Saturday night by having a special balloon release during a special intermission.  Every fan who would like to participate in “Celebrating America” should bring a red, white or blue balloon to be released and they will receive $2 off the general admission price.  In light of the recent events concerning the capture of Osama bin Laden Macon Speedway would like to pay tribute to all of the Americans who lost their lives on September 11 and pay tribute to all the service men and women who have lost their lives or who have protected our country against terrorism.  Please help us by bringing your balloons!  Macon Speedway will also be giving out American flags to the first 500 fans in the gate on Saturday night to help commemorate the special event.  

We would also like to pay tribute to our Mom’s that support our track on a regular basis.  All Moms will receive a flower upon entry on Saturday evening.  Macon Speedway will be hosting their annual Cinco de Mayo Fiesta with a jalapeno eating contest during intermission.

Saturday night’s schedule will feature six UMP divisions, including the Chevrolet Late Models, Billingsley Towing Modifieds, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stock, Pro Hornets and Amateur Hornets. 

Macon Speedway offers fun family entertainment every Saturday night from April to September.  With many fan favorite events on schedule, including two “Night of NASCAR Stars” nights planned and the famous Herald and Review 100, UMP’s premier Summer National event.  The first Night of Nascar Stars event will be held on Memorial Day, May 30 featuring Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Justin Allgaier.  Then Macon Speedway will host the second Night of NASCAR stars on June 28 when Tony Stewart, Kenny Schrader and Kenny Wallace will be in attendance to introduce a new face to Macon Speedway, Trevor Bayne, the 2011 Daytona 500 winner. 

Gates will open this Saturday at 5:00 and racing will start at 7:00.  Adults are $10 with a balloon and $12 without balloon; kids 11 and under get in for free with a paying adult. 

Macon Gets Taught a Lesson

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) After two weeks of rain and more rain, Macon Speedway was able to open its gates again for stock car racing but not without the threat of more of the wet stuff. However, no precipitation fell and Teacher Appreciation Night sponsored by The Teacher’s Lounge went off without a hitch.

With thoughts on the teachers and educators of our youth, Macon Speedway premiered the second season of High School Hornets. Another season filled with young drivers ranging from ages 12-18 from junior high schools or high schools controlled the four-cylinder Hornets and the first night brought seven drivers with ages ranging from 13-17 years of age. The feature race would be won by Warrensburg-Latham student Dalton Jacobs, a 13-year-old from W-L Junior High School.

Kyle Logue took advantage of a late-race miscue by racing leader Cory Daugherty to seal the deal on his first Chevrolet Late Model feature. The race was led by Roger Brickler from Springfield until the 11^th lap when he would fall victim to a flat right rear tire. That would put Daugherty into the driver’s seat of the race with Logue trailing behind and Brian Diveley creeping up on the inside. On the 19^th lap into the second turn, Daugherty had troubles and lost the lead to Logue. Following a yellow flag and restart on lap 23 to set up a green-white-checkered flag situation, it would be Logue grabbing the A-Main in the Chevrolet Late Model feature.

Nick Macklin has had quite a journey in 2011. From beating defending Touchstone Energy Sportsman champion Dave Crawley, Jr., in consecutive weeks, Macklin extended his streak to three after Crawley’s car fell apart with five laps to go. A smoking drive shaft and a cloud of smoke fell onto the backstretch. Crawley was leading the race and being chased by Macklin and Scott Landers. Landers took second as 2009 division champion Rick Roedel placed third.

Aaron Burcham of Decatur claimed his first Billingsley Towing Modified feature of the season as he led all 20 laps. Mark Tullis and Dave Crawley, Jr. put up a fight for the lead but Burcham was too quick on the bottom groove. Crawley would take the runner-up spot from Tullis as the drivers came out of the final turns.

It felt like old times in the Street Stock class with Steve Ewing in the “Lightning McQueen” car taking the checkered flag in run-away style. His dominance in the division through the years was once again showcased as he ran the table for 12 laps. A caution with three laps to go tried to make things interesting but Blake Shelley couldn’t get enough momentum as placed second. Bobby Beiler was followed by Larry Russell, Jr. for third and fourth, respectively, and Mike Pundt, Jr. grabbed a top five finish.

Adam Webb was the winner of the Pro Hornets class, his second feature of 2011, and dedicated the win to a late family member. Garrett Lewis, son of former Bomber champion Gary Lewis, took top honors in the Amateur Hornet class. It came down to the wire as Jerad Matherly made things close into the final lap.

Macon Speedway gathered another car count into the hundreds with seven racing divisions, including Chevrolet Late Model qualifying, and still managed to finish the show before 10pm CDT.

Next week brings the month of May and the Mother Dear program headlined by the Crazy Chicks in Cars ladies race. Also on the show is the Cinco de Mayo Festival.

Mother Nature Forces Cancellation of POWRi Debut at Macon Speedway

Macon, IL---The anticipation of the Midgets and Micros racing at Macon Speedway will have to continue.  Due to the weather, the races have been canceled. We have rescheduled the POWRi Series to race on May 14.

There will be a full show of racing next Saturday night with gates opening at 5 and races starting at 7.  Next weekend Macon Speedway with the help of the Teacher’s Lounge located at 2828 N Main St Ste 101 Decatur, IL will present teacher appreciation night where all teachers with ID will be admitted into the races for free.  The Easter Bunny will also be in attendance, High school hornets will be making their debut for 2011 on the 30 as well. 

For more information please visit our website at www.maconracing.com or call us at 217-764-3000. On race day our hotline is open at 217-764-3220. Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews St., then south on Wiles. We hope to see you at the Macon Speedway soon.

Driver-Sponsor Appreciation Night, Along With First Kids Castle Kid’s Club Event of the Year

Macon, IL – Macon Speedway will be hosting their first Driver-Sponsor Appreciation Night of the season this coming Saturday, April 16th.  Fans will have the chance to enter onto the track to obtain autographs and photos with their favorite local heros.  It will also be the first of five Kid’s Club events of the year with exciting new activities planned for all of Macon Speedway’s youngest fans to participate in.   The Kid’s Club sponsored by Kid’s Castle will have pizza in the pavilion at 6:00PM.   

Saturday night’s schedule will feature all six UMP divisions, including the Chevrolet Late Models, Billingsley Towing Modifieds, Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stock, Pro Hornets, and the Amateur Hornets.   

Macon Speedway offers fun family entertainment every Saturday night from April to September.  With many fan favorite events on schedule, including two “Night of NASCAR Stars” nights planned and the famous Herald and Review 100, UMP’s premier SummerNational event, Thursday, July 7.   2011 is stacking up to be a memorable year.  Be sure to come join Macon Speedway for an action packed summer. 

Saturday, April 16 gates will open at 5:00 and racing will start at 7:00.  Adults are $12 and kids 12 and under get in for free with a paying adult. 

April 23 features Lucas Oil National Midget Series POWRi racing. Make plans to see the best Midget racing in the Midwest. Pits open at 4:00PM, front gates at 5:00PM and racing at 7:00PM.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles.  For information, call 217-764-3000 (track), 217-764-3220 (information hotline). Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com for additional information.

Sheppard Completes Sweep at Macon

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) Brandon Sheppard has won plenty of races in his very young career. His father Steve Sheppard, Jr., a former Macon Speedway Late Model track champion, has helped lead his racing career to one of the elite drivers in central Illinois.  Saturday night, Sheppard was simply the best.

Of the 19 qualifying Chevrolet Late Models, Brandon Sheppard set the fastest time of the night (10.365), which has been the closest to reach the track record, established on May 10, 2008, by Kyle Logue (10.311). Sheppard came out and blew through the heat race and set himself in position to take the feature.

The competition was strong early for the top spot of the Chevrolet Late Model feature as Springfield’s Roger Brickler had the early lead but by the third lap of the 25-lap A-Main Sheppard was in control. Through the race, which featured four Agency One Insurance and Real Estate caution flags, Sheppard would not be denied his destiny of carrying the checkered flag and claiming his first feature of 2011.

Brian Bielong of Summerfield, in southern Illinois, made the long trip to north to Macon Speedway in search of a feature win and he impressed the full grandstands with a terrific display in his Billingsley Towing Modified heat race. With former track champion Jeff Leka leading the way, Bielong pulled a slide job reminiscent of the POWRi Midgets in the fourth and final turn of the race to claim the heat and the pole for the feature. His pole position for the feature would continue to let him stay in the lead and take the victory as Mark Tullis finished a distant second and Leka placed third. 

It felt like déjà vu for the Touchstone Energy Sportsman class as Nick Mackin of Argenta once again took first place in the feature, besting Dave Crawley, Jr. A one-lap dash to the finish provided excitement for all fans as Macklin held on to become the only back-to-back feature winner of the early season.

Blake Shelley, a former Street Stock track champion, once again found victory lane on a wild and unfortunate finish for Roy Magee. Magee was leading the race for the entire 10 laps of the show and then suddenly smoke poured from the car and the engine blew up to open the spot for Shelley.  He was being chased by Justin Hill, who took second, and Gene Reed finished third.

The Pro Hornets class was finished with Fred Reed, Jr., the defending Pro Hornet track champion, taking the feature. Jeremy Reed beat out Cory Ballinger for second and Heidi Hames placed fourth.

The second night of 2011 ended with Zach Perryman winning the Amateur Hornet feature. Perryman was a winner in the High School Hornets class in the inaugural 2010 season.

Another night of over 120 racecars piled onto the Speedway grounds for a beautiful and warm night of racing. A special evening involving the Kid’s Kastle Kid’s Club and driver autographs highlight the evening with another full show of racing.

The Second Action Packed Night of Racing at Macon Speedway

Macon, IL – Macon Speedway will be back in action after a very exciting season opener again this Saturday night.  Last week’s Spring Fling saw large car counts and Macon Speedway hopes to once again bring back another thrilling night of entertainment for the fans of Macon Speedway.  Our new division sponsors this year are Chevrolet and Billingsley Towing. Touchstone Energy will once again be back as a division sponsor.  Last Saturday night El Paso’s Ryan Unzicker took home the checkered flag in the UMP Chevrolet Late Model division.  Jeremy Nichols edged out last year’s track champion Dave Crawley for first place in the UMP Billingsley Towing Modified division while Nick Macklin, Larry Russell Jr, Kyle Maxwell and Adam Webb took home the checkered in their divisions.

Saturday night’s schedule will feature all six UMP divisions, including the Chevrolet Late Models, Billingsley Towing Modifieds, Touchstone Energy Sportsmen, Street Stock, Pro Hornets, and the Amateur Hornets. 

Macon Speedway offers fun family entertainment every Saturday night from April to September.  With many fan favorite events on schedule, including two “Night of NASCAR Stars” nights planned and the famous Herald and Review 100, UMP’s premier SummerNational event, 2011 is stacking up to be a memorable year.  Be sure to come join Macon Speedway for an action packed summer. 

Gates will open at 5:00 and racing will start at 7:00.  Adults are $12 and kids 12 and under get in for free with a paying adult. 

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles.  For information, call 217-764-3000 (track), 217-764-3220 (information hotline). Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com for additional information.

Macon Gets Exciting Start to Season

By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) The weather was warm much through Saturday with abundant sunshine and temperatures in the 60s. Yes, spring was here. Another sign of spring was the return of the roaring engines at the 66-year-old dirt track, Macon Speedway. Six racings classes gave both fans and drivers an incredible show and a hopeful sign that 2011 will be an exceptional racing season.

Nearly 130 cars and packed grandstands welcomed the 4^th Annual Spring Fling and the start of dirt track racing season. Past and defending champions made their presence felt at the 1/5^th dirt track on Opening Night.

Following the opening with qualifying of Late Models, this season sponsored by Chevrolet, there were multiple heat races among the six classes (UMP Late Models, UMP Modifieds, UMP Sportsmans, UMP Street Stocks, UMP Pro Hornets and Amateur Hornets) to set-up six very exciting features that had race fans on the edge of their seats.

Touchstone Energy Sportsman opened the feature events with a dazzling display of 15 laps of racing. Though the race yielded many cautions, the action during green flags made things very fast-paced. Nick Macklin of Argenta started behind Dennis Vandermeersch, native of Springfield, but after a spinout by Vandermeersch to put him to the back of the field, Macklin took control and never let up. Chasing him down the entire race was the defending champion in the class, Dave Crawley, Jr. Both drivers, along with Mike Pickering of Decatur, ran the low groove of the track but no errors were made by Macklin as he took the first feature of the year.

Crawley made another exciting race in the Billingsley Towing Modified feature. But again, fell second to another tough driver. Jeremy Nichols took top honors leading the entire 20 laps.  Former track champion Jeff Leka gave it a good run but finished third as Mark Tullis netted fourth and Steve Ewing held off Aaron Burcham for the fifth place spot.

The last Late Model feature of 2010 saw Ryan Unzicker win in the Lite Beer Twin 50s 50-lap make-up race. Unzicker would end 2010 with a win and start 2011 the same way. Running along with Cory Daugherty through the majority of the show, Unzicker weaved his way through lapped traffic and took control. The race would get close again following a caution flag as Unzicker had separated himself from the second-place Daugherty and gave Daugherty a second chance to get close enough to take control. Unfortunately, Unzicker’s car was too fast and too quick and ended up in victory lane.

Larry Russell, Jr. started the year where he finished 2010, as well, and grabbed his first feature of the year. The veteran of the Speedway and multi-time Street Stock track champion claimed that he was running a limited schedule in 2011 but the win still felt nice. Troy Dodson of Cerro Gordo challenged Russell for the full 12 laps but was unable to take home the top honors in the Street Stock class.

Adam Webb won three Amateur Hornet features in 2010 and moved up to the Pro class. He showed he was capable of competing in the class with an 8-lap feature win, beating out 19 other cars. His main competition was David Lauritson, who was his first row partner.

The evening wrapped up with Kyle Maxwell getting the Amateur Hornet feature. He finished 2010 with four features and built momentum to 2011 by not touching or adjusting his car all winter long. Jerad Matherly took second in the Amateur class.

Opening Night is in the books and the 66^th consecutive season got off to a tremendous start. Possibly the only complaint would be the weather after the sun went down; it was chilly. But it is April and it is expected. A full show is expected again next week with more great racing action. 

MACON SPEEDWAY ANNOUNCES FOURTH ANNUAL SPRING FLING/OPENING NIGHT SATURDAY, APRIL 2 AND SPECIAL RACING EVENTS

(Macon, IL)  Macon Speedway gears up to roar into action for the 2011 racing season.    Opening Night on April 2 will kick off an exciting season of racing at Macon Speedway, Macon, IL, featuring UMP Chevrolet Late Models, UMP Billingsley Towing Modifieds, UMP Touchstone Energy Sportsman, UMP Street Stocks and UMP Pro and Amateur Hornets. 

Macon Speedway’s exciting summer schedule includes a Memorial Day Special featuring the Northern All-Star Late Models plus NASCAR Stars on May 30, followed by the Lite Beer Twin 50’s on June 11.  Two time NASCAR Champion Tony Stewart will be the Grand Marshall for the second Night of NASCAR Stars at Macon Speedway on June 28.  Return to the track for the Firecracker 40’s to celebrate our nation’s birthday, July 2, as we will definitely fire things up for the Independence Day holiday for another spectacular week at the super-fast 1/5 mile.  The action heats up at the track for the Herald & Review 100 in combination with UMP Summernationals on July 7. The POWRi Series will make several stops at Macon Speedway this year on April 23, June 17, June 18, July 23, August 19 and September 24.

Fans won’t want to miss any of the action at Macon Speedway with a full summer of hot weekly racing action every Saturday night combined with an exciting mix of special events.  Macon Speedway will run regular weekly racing through the end of September, so bring your family and friends out to the track and experience the hottest ticket in town.

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles.  For information, call 217-764-3000 (track), 217-764-3220 (information hotline). Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com for additional information.

Macon Speedway Set for Three Busy Days--Friday, Saturday, Sunday
 
Macon Speedway has 2 Big Car Shows scheduled; Friday, March 25 @ Chevrolet Hall
of Fame Museum located at 3635 E. State Rte 36 Decatur, IL. From 4:00PM- 7:00PM.
And Saturday, March 26 @ Auto Zone located at 3050 N. Brett Ave Decatur, IL.
From 12:00PM – 4:00PM. Fans are welcome to attend to see the cars up close that
will be racing at Macon Speedway each Saturday. Prizes and drawings during these
two shows to be given away. The third busy day will be practice at the speedway
on Sunday.
 
Macon Speedway opened for practice on Sunday, March 20.  Approximately 60 cars
took to the track with added new dirt that was added in the off season.  A large
crowd of spectators took advantage of the free admission on the grandstand side
to get a sample of what the speedway has to offer for 2011. All in attendance
were pleased with the continued improvements that Bob Sargent has made to the
1/5 action track of the Midwest.  Drivers were impressed with the improved
banking and the overall track condition.  Grandstand spectators commented that
changes were noticeable almost from the moment they stepped through the gates.
Our second Test-N-Tune will be Sunday, March 27. Pits open at 11:00AM. Practice
from 12:00-4:00PM. There will be free grandstands once again.  Reminder to all
drivers and pit crew members that attended March 20 Test-N-Tune there will be a
discount admission price this coming Sunday. $10.00 for the driver and $10.00
for (up-to) 2 pit members that attended last weeks practice.   
The new, improved Macon Speedway opens for the 2011 racing season on Saturday,
April 2.    Gates will open Saturday at 5:00 PM and racing will start promptly
at 7:00 PM.  Fans are encouraged to come early April 2 to our Fourth Annual
Spring Fling.   
 
Fans visiting Macon Speedway will experience some of the fastest, action-packed
short track racing in the region.  Weekly racing at Macon Speedway features five
UMP sanctioned divisions:  Chevrolet Late Model, Billingsley Towing Modified,
Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stock, Pro Hornets and Amateur Hornets. Our
exciting High School Hornets will also make their debut on April 30.  Macon
Speedway has been home to many of the top racers in the country today. 
 
 
NASCAR Stars Kenny Wallace, Ken Schrader, Tony Stewart and Promoter Bob Sargent
once again welcome the fans and drivers this year. Many special dates are on the
schedule and don’t miss any of the action at Macon Speedway each and every
Saturday night starting  April 2  running through the end of September.  Macon
Speedway is proud to be part of the $100,000 Contingency Connection program for
the 2011 season.  Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US
51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles.  For information,
call 217-764-3000 (track), 217-764-3220 (information hotline), or visit us at
www.maconracing.com
 

RESERVED SEATING AREA MAKES COMEBACK AT MACON SPEEDWAY

(Macon, IL)  Race fans may save their seat well in advance of the race season at Macon Speedway.  The popular reserved seating program will be available again starting February 14 for the 2011 racing season.  Reserved seats in a special viewing section can be purchased for $75.00.  Fans will still purchase admission tickets for each race, but their chosen seat is guaranteed every race night for the entire 2011 season.  The reserved seating section boasts the best seats in the house and is the only section that has backs on for added comfort.

“With the hectic schedules of today, it is so handy to be able to select your seat for the racing season way ahead of time and know it will be waiting every week.  We are thrilled to bring back the reserved seating option for the convenience of our fans,” states Bob Sargent from Macon Speedway.

Reserved seating for Macon Speedway is limited and can be purchased by calling Macon Speedway at 217-764-3000. 

Macon Speedway is located 9 miles south of Decatur, IL on US 51 then .6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south on Wiles.  For information, call 217-764-3000 (track), 217-764-3220 (information hotline), or via email at [email protected].  Also visit www.maconracing.com or www.trackenterprises.com for additional information.

January 24, 2011
 
MACON SPEEDWAY’S 2011 DRIVERS MEETING IS SCHEDULED!
 
(Macon, IL)  The Macon Speedway Drivers meeting for 2011 racing season will be held on Sunday January 30, at the Civic Center in Macon, IL.  Macon Speedway is gearing up for a very exciting racing season. All divisions, drivers and owners are welcome: the meeting will start at 12:00 p.m. and conclude at 2:00 p.m. The Civic Center is located off Rt 51 four lane, south of Macon (1039 S. Woodcock St. Macon Il.) The meeting will address rules and schedules for participating divisions as well as a question and answer session for competitors. This will be a good time for all drivers and owners to ask questions regarding the 2011 season. Hope to see you there.

.
He operates the Macon (Ill.) Speedway and Paducah (Ky.) International Raceway.