By BZ
(Macon, IL) The final month of Macon Speedway competition started off favorably as surprising finishes closed out the night on Saturday with new visitors as well as returning heroes. A five-division night of racing featured the return of the Built Ford Tough MOWA Sprint Car Series and the first feature checkered flag for Springfield driver Korey Weyant.
Weyant, a former driver in Micro Sprints now running with the 410-cubic engine Sprint Cars, powered his machine from the second row inside starting spot into the lead by lap five. Hitting his spots and powering past Shelby Bosie and Jeremy Standridge, Weyant’s precision was paying off as he distanced himself from others. Joe B. Miller and Zach Daum were closing in thanks to lapped traffic but Miller couldn’t put himself in position to stick the pass on Weyant . Daum, who won the first MOWA Sprint Car Series race at Macon in June, fell back and was racing with the back of the pack when the final laps were completed.
Lapped traffic played a crucial role in the result of the Red’s Place Modified feature. Rob Timmons jumped into the lead and look solid and strong all race long. And then the lapped traffic slowed him down. Tim Luttrell and Austin Lynn closed the gap on the leader and then made a pass to get around both the lapped cars and the leading Timmons. Luttrell ripped the top side of the track and won while Lynn took second place and Timmons finished third.
Landon Miller and Phil Moreland were not able to capitalize on their front row starting assignments in the Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman division. Miller pulled off the track early in the race and Moreland exited the track with a flat left front tire that was changed, however, that put Moreland to the back of the 16-car field. Drivers from the fifth row muscled their way up the field and made it a race. Scott Landers was moving fast on the bottom and took the lead from Wes O’Dell as the final laps were circling. Landers came to the checkered flag from the fourth turn and was passed by O’Dell as the action came to a close.
The Street Stocks were on the slate as part of the Midwest Big Ten Series along with added money from Rocco’s Bar in Decatur which gave drivers an extra edge to race. Rudy Zaragoza pocketed $100 at the start of the night for being fast qualifier. $100 more was given to the winner of the 20-lap race and an additional $100 was spread out from second through fifth finishing positions. And that was music to the ears of Bobby Beiler. Beiler ran a solid race for 20 laps ahead of Zaragoza and a smoking car from Brad Peters.
The Helton’s Custom Exhaust & Powder Coating Mod Lites made their first appearance at Macon Speedway and after two exciting heat races, an 11-car field ran 20 laps that saw Metamora driver Brandon Freeburg take the first checkered flag the Mod Lites had at Macon Speedway. Freeburg got past Jon Padilla with more than half the race finished and cruised to the win, his 12th of the season.
Macon Speedway also brought back the ever-popular Spectator Drags. Spectators brought their own cars onto the track for the right to claim a trophy and be a seasonal champion. The spring season saw a full field of cars while the fall season only brought out four fans to test the high banks in their own vehicle. Stacy Stinson of Mt. Zion was the winner of the bracket challenge with a semi-final win and championship win over a Pontiac Sunfire and a Chrysler 300 while driving a Subaru Impreza.
Macon Speedway thanks sponsors Ripple’s Auto Body in Mt. Zion and Cromwell Media Group radio station 98.1 GRIZ-FM for their sponsorship of the evening’s racing action.
Two more weeks of racing to go in the 78th season of racing at Macon Speedway and next week is the 9th Annual KerbyStrong night with six divisions racing including special events for the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models, Red’s Place Modifieds and Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman, classes raced by Kerby Damery. The Pro Modifieds, Hornets and HART Non-Wing Micros Presented by Bailey Chassis will also compete.
Feature Rundowns (Top 10’s)
Built Ford Tough MOWA Sprint Cars
1. 47-Korey Weyant[3]; 2. 9X-Paul Nienhiser[8]; 3. 51B-Joe B Miller[5]; 4. 3N-Jake Neuman[6]; 5. 3B-Shelby Bosie[1]; 6. 1JR-Steven Russell[9]; 7. 96-Jake Blackhurst[11]; 8. 10S-Jeremy Standridge[2]; 9. 7A-Will Armitage[7]; 10. 56-Mitchell Davis[17]
Red’s Place Modifieds
1. 99-Tim Luttrell[1]; 2. 72A-Austin Lynn[5]; 3. 5T-Rob Timmons[3]; 4. 24Z-Zach Taylor[6]; 5. 11-Zach Rhodes[4]; 6. 36-Nick Justice[7]; 7. 28S-Joe Strawkas[8]; 8. 24M-Matt Milner[11]; 9. 87C-Alan Crowder[9]; 10. 71-Jeff Graham[10]
Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman
1. 17-Bobby Beiler[1]; 2. 67-Rudy Zaragoza[4]; 3. 78B-Brad Peters[3]; 4. 14R-Gene Reed[7]; 5. K67JR-Braiden Keller[2]; 6. 11-Terry Reed[8]; 7. 42-Jesse Simmons[10]; 8. 21-Jaret Duff[11]; 9. 4-Zach Clark[5]; 10. 14-Megan Erwin[6]
Midwest Big Ten Street Stocks
1. 17-Bobby Beiler[1]; 2. 67-Rudy Zaragoza[4]; 3. 78B-Brad Peters[3]; 4. 14R-Gene Reed[7]; 5. K67JR-Braiden Keller[2]; 6. 11-Terry Reed[8]; 7. 42-Jesse Simmons[10]; 8. 21-Jaret Duff[11]; 9. 4-Zach Clark[5]; 10. 14-Megan Erwin[6]
Helton Custom Exhaust Mod Lites
1. 171-Brandon Freeburg[3]; 2. 8Z-John Leahy[5]; 3. 35-Jaggar Beard[9]; 4. 28-Billy Beard[8]; 5. 11P-Jon Padilla[2]; 6. 14M-Brenden McGlothlin[10]; 7. 27-Andrew Tragesser[11]; 8. 17-Jimmy Arthur[4]; 9. 42-Mike Barnhouse[6]; 10. 4-Dave Boyer[7]