(LEBANON, Missouri) A return of the Pro National Series ‘Baby Grand’ cars – 2/3-scale replicas of full-body stock cars – will highlight Saturday night’s ‘Kickin’ Asphalt’ show at Lebanon I-44 Speedway. Spectator gates will open at 5:00 pm, with the five-division ASA-sanctioned stock car racing program scheduled to start at 7:30 on the track’s 3/8-mile high banked asphalt oval.
“The ‘Baby Grand’ cars are where NASCAR superstar Carl Edwards got his start in stock car racing,” said I-44 Speedway promoter Craig Armstrong. “Race fans may know he’s from Columbia, Missouri, but most don’t know that he won many ‘Baby Grand’ races at Lebanon I-44 Speedway, as well as a track championship in the series. The Pro National ‘Baby Grand’ Series puts on a heck of an entertaining show every time they race at our track, and it’s always exciting to see kids as young as 11 years old competing successfully against guys in their 40’s and 50’s.”
While Saturday’s racing card at the only paved oval track in the region will feature the ‘Baby Grand’ cars, the fast and powerful ASA Late Model stock cars will also race in a 30-lap feature event. Filling out an expanded racing program will be the open-wheel Modified stock cars, full-body Sportsman stock cars, Road Warriors – ‘bomber-type’ pure stocks – and a four-cylinder subcompact class of cars called Chargers.
Unlike most weekly operated short tracks, Lebanon I-44 Speedway features an alcohol-free, ‘family friendly’ grandstand, along with tier parking for cars, pickup trucks and RV’s where patrons may park, tailgate and view the races. Known by race fans as the ‘Budweiser Wild Side’, beer may be brought into the tier parking areas, while full food and non-alcoholic beverage concessions are available in both the grandstands and ‘Wild Side’, along with a Souvenir and track apparel booth.
Despite featuring the special ‘Baby Grand’ event this Saturday night, grandstand admission remains $10 for Adults, ages 16 and older, while Adult admission in tier parking is $12. Discounted admission for Seniors (ages 65 and older) and Juniors (ages 11-15) is offered in both locations, and Children ages 10 and younger are always free. A grandstand Family Pass for 2 Adults and 2 Juniors plus any number of Kids ages 10 and younger is available for $25, while six Adults entering in the same vehicle on tier parking will be admitted to the ‘Budweiser Wild Side’ for $60. For those race fans seeking an upscale experience at the track, premium seating in the just-completed VIP Suite tower will be offered for $25 per person, and will offer access to one of nine, climate-controlled luxury suites.
Located just four miles east of the Lebanon city limit on Historic Route 66, Lebanon I-44 Speedway is very accessible from anywhere in southern Missouri. The most direct route for patrons travelling on Interstate 44 is to use Exit 135, and then proceed one mile west on Historic Route 66 to the track’s main entrance. Additional information about Lebanon I-44 Speedway’s 2011 ‘Kickin’ Asphalt’ racing schedule and racecar construction rules may be found of the facility’s official website, www.i44speedway.net.