Macon & Lincoln Speedway Racecars Set To Return To Hickory Point Mall

March 17-19 Car Show To Kickstart Season

(Macon, IL) Officials from Macon Speedway and Lincoln Speedway, as well as Hickory Point Mall in Forsyth, IL are pleased to announce the return of the season preview car show. The show is set to return Friday, March 17-Sunday, March 19.

The car show is open to any regular competitors that race at Macon Speedway or Lincoln Speedway, as well as those from traveling series that compete at either of the tracks. The show will be three days long with cars entering on Thursday, March 16 at 8 PM and exiting on Sunday, March 19 at 5 PM.

The show is a great benefit to those who like to display their newly prepared rides before receiving battle scars from on track action. It’s also an additional benefit to sponsors, putting them in front of thousands of sets of eyes over the course of the show. Track Enterprises will also have a booth set up, handing out info including pocket schedules for their special events in addition to Macon Speedway and Lincoln Speedway.

Hickory Point Mall opened in 1978 and is located in Forsyth, IL, the northside of the greater Decatur area. It features Kohl’s, Ross, TJ Maxx, Von Maur, and Hobby Lobby in addition to a number of specialty shops.

Drivers and teams who have highly presentable cars are welcome to enter the show by emailing adam.trackenterprises@gmail.com or by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200. The show will likely feature up to 30 competitors, so registration is first come, first serve. There is no charge to enter the show.

Upcoming Early Season Race Events

Friday-Sunday, March 17-19 – Hickory Point Mall Racecar Show
Saturday, March 25 – Macon Speedway Test & Tune (12:00-4:00)
Sunday, March 26 – Lincoln Speedway Test & Tune (12:00-4:00)
Saturday, April 1 – Macon Speedway Test & Tune (12:00-4:00)
Sunday, April 2 – Lincoln Speedway Test & Tune (12:00-4:00)
Friday, April 7 – Lincoln Speedway Season Opener
Saturday, April 8 – Macon Speedway Season Opener

First Look At 2023 Lincoln Speedway Schedule

BMARA Launches New Illinois Based MARA Racing Series for 2023

Sun Prairie, WI – January 6, 2023) – The Badger Midget Auto Racing Association announced the formation of a new Illinois-based division to begin operations in 2023. The new series will be referred to as the Midget Auto Racing Association and bring the Badger brand to central Illinois.
 
The series will revive the once-famous MARA acronym, but will be owned, operated, and sanctioned by the BMARA and will sport a full 2023 schedule. The MARA Midgets will participate in their own races, crown their own champion and receive their own point fund paid to car owners and drivers at a year-end banquet. All purse money for individual races will be paid out by the BMARA and MARA members will receive benefits afforded to BMARA members including additional insurance.
 
“We saw a need in central Illinois and decided to put a plan into action over the last few months,” stated BMARA President and Illinois native Quinn McCabe, “We feel like we can provide a stable and professional midget series for our central Illinois racers while also giving central Illinois fans exciting and fast-paced racing action.”
 
McCabe also stated that the growth of the new series is extremely important.
 
“Our goal is to grow the series into a self-sustaining operation with healthy car counts. We want to see MARA become a prosperous midget series that race fans will travel to see while also giving the promoters a well-run event from a professional sanctioning body.”
 
The 2023 MARA schedule will be anchored by nine events at the Lincoln Speedway located in Lincoln, IL. Five additional events will be held in conjunction with the BMARA Badger Midgets at the Sycamore Speedway in Maple Park, IL just 150 miles North of Lincoln. The season opener for the MARA Midgets will be April 7 at Lincoln Speedway. The first combined BMARA and MARA event will be held at Kankakee Speedway on May 5th.
 
“We are building a solid schedule for the inaugural MARA season with 17 signed events already,” stated McCabe, “We are continuing to seek partners for the series and hope to find a title sponsor before the season opens.”
 
Additional information and updates on the series can be found on the Badger Midget Auto Racing Association website at BMARA.com or the new MARA Facebook page MARA Racing. An informational meeting for interested car owners and drivers is being planned with a date to be announced.
 

Castrol FloRacing Night To Pay $23,023 At Lincoln Speedway May 11

2023 Castrol® FloRacing Night in America Schedule Unveiled
Thirteen Races at 12 Venues Highlight Action-Packed Slate

AUSTIN, Texas (December 21, 2022) — The details for the 2023 Castrol® FloRacing Night in America schedule have been unveiled. The third year for the mega miniseries will see 13 races at 12 venues in nine states. The tour will visit Lincoln Speedway on Thursday, May 11, 2023.

The schedule includes 11 races paying $23,023 to win along with a pair of events during the third annual Peach State Classic weekend, which will respectively post a $20,000 top prize as well as a $54,054 winner’s check for the season finale. In total over $961,000 in purse money will be on the line.

The 2023 campaign opens for the second-straight year with a doubleheader at Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, Ohio) and Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway on Tuesday, April 18 and Wednesday, April 19.

A busy month of May finds the miniseries kicking off the second Illinois Speedweeks on Wednesday, May 10 at Spoon River Speedway (Banner, Ill.) before invading Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway on Thursday, May 11. Notably, the Castrol® FloRacing Night in America doubleheader will be followed by a Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series (LOLMDS) doubleheader at Farmer City (Ill.) Speedway and Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway on May 12-13.

The next week finds Castrol® FloRacing Night in America action thundering into the Hawkeye State for yet another doubleheader. Back by popular demand on Tuesday, May 16 is Marshalltown (Iowa) Speedway followed by the tour’s debut at Davenport (Iowa) Speedway on Wednesday, May 17.

After seeing the miniseries’ scheduled debut at Josh King’s Florence Speedway (Union, Ky.) washed away in 2021, the famed, high-speed oval returns to the 2023 schedule with a $23,023-to-win program on Wednesday, May 31.

After the standard summer break spanning June to August, Castrol® FloRacing Night in America fires back up for the home stretch on Tuesday, Sept. 12 with the fourth annual One For The Road at Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway.

The month of September is wrapped up with a Wednesday, Sept. 27 visit to Tyler County Speedway (Middlebourne, W.Va.) as the ¼-mile oval returns to the tour after a one-year hiatus.

Meanwhile, the miniseries invades the Smoky Mountains on Tuesday, Oct. 10 at the McCarter family promoted, 411 Motor Speedway (Seymour, Tenn.) followed by a Thursday, Oct. 12 visit to Ray Cook’s Tri-County Racetrack (Brasstown, N.C.) for the annual Tarheel 53.

For the second-straight year the curtain will drop on the tour with a doubleheader at the Pollard family-owned Senoia (Ga.) Raceway on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 10-11. The weekend includes a $20,000-to-win opening event followed by a $54,054-to-win finale.

The 2023 Castrol® FloRacing Night in America point fund guarantees the champion at least $50,000 with perfect attendance boosting the champion’s take to $75,000. Full point fund details will be released in the coming weeks.

The 2022 Castrol® FloRacing Night in America campaign saw 11 features contested with 10 different winners and 219 drivers entering at least one event.

For more information on Castrol® FloRacing Night in America sponsors, visit the company websites at www.castrol.comwww.renegaderacefuel.comwww.integrashocksandsprings.comwww.pitstopusa.comwww.k1racegear.com;  www.buzzeracing.comwww.hokertrucking.comwww.rocketchassis.comwww.dirtdraft.comwww.hoosiertire.com; and www.fkrodends.com.

For complete Castrol® FloRacing Night in America details, visit the series website at www.FloSeries.com. For other questions, contact Ben Shelton at msrmafia@gmail.com or 901-335-3037.

Castrol® FloRacing Night in America 2023 Schedule
Tues, April 18: Eldora Speedway (Rossburg, Ohio): $23,023-to-win / $1,000-to-start
Wed., April 19: Brownstown (Ind.) Speedway: $23,023-to-win / $1,000-to-start

Wed., May 10: Spoon River Speedway (Banner, Ill.): $23,023-to-win / $1,000-to-start
Thurs., May 11: Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway: $23,023-to-win / $1,000-to-start
Tues., May 16: Marshalltown (Iowa) Speedway: $23,023-to-win / $1,000-to-start
Wed., May 17: Davenport (Iowa) Speedway: $23,023-to-win / $1,000-to-start
Wed., May 31: Florence Speedway (Union, Ky.): $23,023-to-win / $1,000-to-start

Tues., Sept. 12: Fairbury (Ill.) Speedway: $23,023-to-win / $1,000-to-start
Wed., Sept. 27: Tyler County Speedway (Middlebourne, W.Va.): $23,023-to-win / $1,000-to-start

Tues., Oct. 10: 411 Motor Speedway (Seymour, Tenn.): $23,023-to-win / $1,000-to-start
Thurs., Oct. 12: Tri-County Racetrack (Brasstown, N.C.): $23,023-to-win/$1,000-to-start

Fri., Nov. 10: Senoia (Ga.) Raceway: $20,000-to-win / $1,000-to-start
Sat., Nov. 11: Senoia (Ga.) Raceway: $54,054-to-win / $1,053-to-start

Macon Speedway, Lincoln Speedway, & Big Ten Banquet Date January 7, 2023

(Macon, IL) With the 2022 racing season in the rear-view mirror and drivers looking ahead to 2023, officials from the Track Enterprises office have announced the awards banquet date for Macon Speedway as well as Lincoln Speedway.  This year’s ceremony will include both tracks as well as the three Midwest Big Ten Series. The event will be held on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at the Decatur Conference Center & Hotel.

On the Lincoln Speedway side, Jose Parga, of New Berlin, IL, again took the Pro Late Model championship. In the Modifieds, Ashland, IL driver Brandon Roberts won his second title at the speedway. Springfield, IL’s Daltyn England took the top spot in the Simplot DII Midget class for the first time, while Billy Mason, of Brownstown, IL, garnered the Hornet championship.

At Macon Speedway, Taylorville, IL driver, Colby Eller, grabbed top honors in the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Model division, claiming his first championship at the track. Summerfield, IL driving veteran, Rodney Standerfer, racing in his final season, took the top spot in the BillingsleyRewards.com Modified class. Springfield, IL’s Guy Taylor won the point championship in the Pro Modified division, while Dennis Vander Meersch grabbed the championship in the Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman class.  Rounding out Macon Speedway point champions were Cerro Gordo, IL’s Terry Reed in the 51 Bistro Street Stocks, Tristin Quinlan of Decatur, IL, in the Hornets and John Barnard, from Sherman, IL, in the Micros By Bailey Chassis.

The Midwest Big Ten Series action saw Rodney Standerfer claim the first ever Big Ten Modified championship, while Jose Parga claimed another Pro Late Model title. Andy Zahnd, of White Heath, IL, took his first Midwest Big Ten Street Stock championship.

In addition to the champions, drivers who met the 75% attendance eligibility requirements and finished in the top ten in those classes will also be honored.  Invitations are being sent to those who have awards coming to them at the January 7 affair.  In addition to those being honored, anyone is welcome to attend the banquet including drivers, fans, crew members, officials, and sponsors.

The Decatur Conference Center and Hotel will be hosting the banquet and a buffet style dinner will be served to attendees.  Coffee, tea, and water is also included while other drinks will be available for purchase at the bar.

Cost to attend the banquet is $25 per person.  A block of hotel rooms is also available for any guests wishing to stay overnight following the awards ceremony.  Reservations for rooms must be made directly through the hotel.

Doors will open at 5:30 for cocktail hour, dinner will be served at 6:30, and awards will be handed out at 7:30.

Tickets for the event are available online by clicking HERE . For more information, call 217-764-3200.

THAT’S ALL FOLKS: Spangler, Harrison, Heck, Deal, Johnson Win Fall Nationals Finale at Lincoln

Schwartz clinches first national title, Harrison dedicates win to late announcer Rick Eshelman

The 39th season of weekly DIRTcar Racing is officially in the books. Another stacked roster of 118 cars across five different divisions packed the Lincoln Speedway pit area Saturday night and closed out the regular season with five entertaining Features.

DIRTcar LATE MODEL – Eric Spangler
Making the haul all the way from Lake City, MI, to compete, 2022 DIRTcar East Region champion Eric Spangler came to Lincoln for one reason – win. Time was wearing thin on his quest to move up in the national points standings, and he made the most of the opportunity.

By the end of the 25-lap Feature, not only had he won the race – he dominated. Spangler set the fastest lap of the night in Qualifying, won his Heat Race and led all 25 laps en route to his first career DIRTcar Fall Nationals Feature victory.

Donny Walden crossed in second while another notable figure completed the podium behind him. In only his second race back from a five-year hiatus, Steve Sheppard Jr. crossed the stripe in third after a strong showing up front.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (25 Laps): 1. 27-Eric Spangler[1]; 2. 1W-Donny Walden[3]; 3. 5S-Steve Sheppard[2]; 4. 24-Ryan Unzicker[7]; 5. 11-Jeff Herzog[4]; 6. 01-Billy Knippenberg[19]; 7. 77-Blaise Baker[5]; 8. 11D-Brian Diveley[9]; 9. 51-Steve Fairbanks[10]; 10. 32M-Cody Maguire[18]; 11. 26M-Brent McKinnon[8]; 12. 16W-Tony Wolf[20]; 13. 334-Billy Hough[17]; 14. 248-Brandon Lance[23]; 15. B15-Bob Sidener[24]; 16. 6P-Jose Parga[13]; 17. 38J-Jake Little[16]; 18. 11M-Ryan Miller[14]; 19. 53-Curtis Hobbs[21]; 20. 61-Jammie Wilson[22]; 21. 16-Rusty Griffaw[6]; 22. 9Z-Jayme Zidar[11]; 23. 22-Chris Dick[15]; 24. 4D-Doug Tye[12]

UMP MODIFIED – Mike Harrison
Climbing atop his Hughes Racing Chassis No. 24H in Victory Lane, a somber smile was painted across Mike Harrison’s face as he saluted the crowd, checkered flag waving in the air. He had won the race, and clinched his eighth DIRTcar national championship, but it was not all smiles and high-fives from the crew.

In Victory Lane, Harrison took time out of his interview and dedicated his final points win of the season to the late Rick Eshelman – announcer for the World of Outlaws Late Model Series and countless other DIRTcar-sanctioned events and series – whose passing was announced by the World of Outlaws & DIRTcar Saturday afternoon.

“Rick was a staple in our sport,” Harrison said. “He took care of all of us in the pits. He was always driving around. Not only was he a great announcer, he was a great man and a great friend to all of us in the pit area. It’s a major loss to dirt racing.”

On the track, Harrison dominated, leading all 20 laps for his first Fall Nationals victory at Lincoln. Though he had already clinched the national championship coming into the race, he placed the cherry atop the sundae with his 25th Feature win of the season and took a moment to reflect on the year’s accomplishments.

“We didn’t come into the year racing for points,” Harrison said. “Like I say all the time – we just come to race. We come to race and do our best and try to win races, and just let the results take care of themselves.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (20 Laps): 1. 24H-Mike Harrison[2]; 2. 96M-Mike McKinney[1]; 3. 25-Tyler Nicely[3]; 4. 36-Kenny Wallace[4]; 5. 25W-Allen Weisser[6]; 6. 05-Dave Wietholder[5]; 7. 3L-Jeremy Nichols[10]; 8. 99T-Tyler Loughmiller[12]; 9. 1-Todd Sherman[9]; 10. 11D-Brian Diveley[14]; 11. 14M-Caden McWhorter[7]; 12. 18-Jarrett Stryker[18]; 13. 89-Austin Friedman[11]; 14. 63-Dustin King[20]; 15. 35-Brandon Roberts[15]; 16. 72A-Austin Lynn[17]; 17. 87C-Alan Crowder[22]; 18. 8C-Michael Claeys[19]; 19. 25B-Brayden Bowman[24]; 20. 60-Jim Manka[23]; 21. 34T-Tanner Reed[13]; 22. 21T-Talen Beard[21]; 23. 99-Tim Luttrell[16]; 24. 10K-Kelly Kovski[8]

PRO LATE MODEL – Aaron Heck
It was one heck of a weekend for Aaron Heck, and by sheer willpower and skill, he managed to pull-off a victory.

“Yesterday after Hot Lap/Qualifying, I blew-up a motor, drove back to Mt. Vernon, put another one in with my two uncles and got back here 2:30 in the morning,” Heck said. “If you had told me I was going to do this tonight, I’d have called ‘em a liar.”

The 2020 national champion from Mt. Vernon, IL, claimed his third Fall Nationals Feature win in the last two years Saturday night, taking the lead late after two separate incidents with the first two leaders cost them their spots out front.

Polesitter Devin McLean looped it all by himself while in the lead on Lap 7, sending him retiring to the pits. Six laps later, Fast Qualifier Jose Parga made contact with a lapped car in traffic, spun him around and was sent to the tail for causing the incident.

This handed the lead over to Heck, who drove it the rest of the way for a big win to cap-off the regular season. Though there were 26 other cars to contend with, Heck was only interested in beating his longtime rival, Jose Parga.

“That’s the only guy I wanted to beat, just because he’s the champion this year,” Heck said.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (20 Laps): 1. 59-Aaron Heck[3]; 2. 14-Braden Johnson[6]; 3. 27-Colby Sheppard[5]; 4. 45-Kyle McMahon[10]; 5. $12-Troy Marciniak[12]; 6. 77-Blaise Baker[7]; 7. 33H-Roben Huffman[11]; 8. 17B-Braden Bilger[14]; 9. 01-Billy Knippenberg[19]; 10. 5B-Brandon Sweitzer[16]; 11. BK3-Billy Knippenberg III[17]; 12. 11-Ryan Miller[23]; 13. 25-Rockett Bennett[22]; 14. 32M-Cody Maguire[15]; 15. 37-Derrick Carlson[8]; 16. 248-Brandon Lance[24]; 17. 14S-Derek Smith[18]; 18. 59X-Damon Heck[20]; 19. 6P-Jose Parga[4]; 20. 51W-Scott Wenell[21]; 21. 33-Devin McLean[1]; 22. 19-Chase Osterhoff[2]; 23. 61-Jammie Wilson[9]; 24. 22-Chris Dick[13]

PRO MODIFIED – BJ Deal
In a wild ending to the Chevy Performance Crate-engine powered 20-lapper, BJ Deal walked away with the win after near chaos ensued in the final three laps.

Friday night winner, Guy Taylor, had led since the drop of the green and appeared to have the car to beat once again, until he slowed dramatically coming to the two-to-go signal and spun in Turns 1-2, collecting a few other cars in the process.

Taking advantage of Taylor’s sudden issues, Deal slipped past him into the lead before the melee unfolded and led the field back to the checkers on the ensuing restart to score his first career DIRTcar Fall Nationals Feature win.

“I just tried to take care of the tires and be patient,” Deal said. “I thought, maybe around Lap 5, that I was being too patient, so I picked it up a little bit.

“I was kinda waiting for the flagman to give me the five-to-go [signal] so I could start launching a little bit. When he gave me the signal, it was time to turn on the burners.”

With his runner-up finish and Taylor’s DNF, Deece Schwartz officially clinched his first career DIRTcar Pro Modified national points championship. The third-generation driver from Ashmore, IL, added to his family’s decorated history in UMP-type Dirt Modified racing after grandfather Denny and father Danny’s accomplishments in the 1990s and 2000s.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (20 Laps): 1. 3W-BJ Deal[3]; 2. 121-Deece Schwartz[4]; 3. 2-Brayden Doyle[1]; 4. 52JR-Cole Knebel[9]; 5. 14G-Tommy Gaither[11]; 6. 28-Justin Durbin[18]; 7. 8Z-Zach Taylor[10]; 8. 15C-Kevin Crowder[20]; 9. 29H-Cale Hartnagel[16]; 10. 21JR-Drew Schwartz[15]; 11. 24M-Matt Milner[7]; 12. 74-James Hileman[12]; 13. 8-Ethan Orman[14]; 14. 29-Josh Orman[23]; 15. 6-Billy Adams[24]; 16. 4T-Guy Taylor[2]; 17. 2W-Jason Walsh[6]; 18. 67-Austin Seets[8]; 19. 66K-Kaleb Stephens[21]; 20. 88-Zayden Bolyard[22]; 21. 59-JD Evans Carter[19]; 22. 37-Chad Ziegler[13]; 23. 44-Gabe Menser[5]; 24. 23-Ryan Timmons[17]

SPORT COMPACT – Nick Johnson
For the second-straight year, Nick Johnson is a DIRTcar Fall Nationals Feature winner in the Sport Compact division.

Johnson, of Bartonville, IL, took advantage of an incident between the two leaders in the early going – Allan Harris and Dakota Schmick. He took the lead on Lap 4 and never relinquished it, leading the field back around the checkers to bag the win.

ABBREVIATED RESULTS (view full results)

Feature (10 Laps): 1. 30J-Nick Johnson[5]; 2. 52-Bradley Stanfill[4]; 3. 51-Clayton Stanfill[3]; 4. 01C-Dakota Schmick[2]; 5. 3H-Allan Harris[1]; 6. 14C-Tucker Clark[6]; 7. 8D-Donovan Hamblen[7]; 8. (DNS) 72-Kadien Armour