4/16/2023
Macon Speedway
Speedy Show Saved the Macon Speedway Saturday Night
By BZ
The second weekend of the 78th season of Macon Speedway looked sketchy as dark clouds and the likelihood of storms were in the picture for Saturday night with with six racing divisions all looking forward to racing—as they say—the show must go on. And it did. With the green flag at 6:36pm for the first race of the program, the weather wasn’t yet a factor. By the tail end of the features, the sky illuminated with lightning and with literally one minute to spare, the final checkered flag hit the air at 8:28pm before big rain drops started dropping from the heavens. The show was complete, the racers and fans were pleased in knowing that they got in their show and can look forward to the next week in the garage and the next week of racing.
The 51 Bistro Street Stocks were opening up the Midwest Big Ten Series race circuit at Macon Speedway and Bobby Beiler scored first in his heat and then started on the pole position for the 15-lap feature. After making a driver error on Opening Night, Beiler knew he needed to race better in the cockpit to receive the checkered flag by the night’s end. For 15 laps, he did that as he bested Brad Peters, Terry Reed, last week’s feature winner Zane Reitz and last season’s Midwest Big Ten Series tour champion Andy Zahnd. The second place car was lengths behind Beiler as he roared on the top side to the win.
Wes Odell raced a long 15 laps in the Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman division amidst cautions and spinouts to get his first win of the season after missing last week’s action.
The biggest surprise of the night came in the Pro Modified feature. With 13 laps complete without a yellow flag, the action between leader Dalton Ewing and second place car Brayden Doyle was great action. Ewing looked poised for another feature race win but as the drivers were racing to the white flag, a late field car spun out right in front of the leaders which caused Ewing and Doyle to wreck. The accident was extensive to Ewing’s Pro Modified as his left rear tire was flat. He left the race track. Doyle assumed the lead with two laps remaining. Coming out of the backstretch into turn three, Doyle lost power and was out of the lead which saw Zach Taylor, the eighth-place starter, push across the finish line to the win.
POWRi Micro Sprints made a stop at Macon Speedway presented by Bailey Chassis on Saturday night and are taking a new appearance in 2023, non-wing. That helped Hayden Harvey as he was lightning quick around the track and pushed across for the win. POWRi Midgets & Micro Sprints will be coming to Macon Speedway on May 13th.
The Hornets were a step ahead of the final race on this program and Tristin Quinlan moved past Jaekob Durbin to get the lead and go 2-for-2 in the Hornets division for 2023.
The Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models were the main event on the show and Braden Johnson took advantage of his front row inside starting spot to race ahead for the 20-lap feature. Colby Eller, the 2022 division champion, stayed close behind but didn’t have enough time to get around him for the win.
Next Saturday night is the early season Crown Jewel at Macon Speedway. The Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series comes to Macon for a special 100 laps worth $15,000 to the winner. The BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds are also on the show with a Midwest Big Ten Series race for $1,000 to the winner. This race has been scheduled every year since its inception but was last raced in 2019. 2020 was eliminated by COVID-19 and both 2021 & 2022 were washed out by rain. Advanced tickets are available now at maconracing.com.
Feature Rundowns (Top 10’s)
POWRi Engler Machine & Tool Micros By Bailey Chassis
- 55H-Hayden Harvey[Warrensburg, IL]; 2. 16W-Hunter Walker[Decatur, IL]; 3. 11-Alex Midkiff[Belleville, IL]; 4. 18-Steve Finn[Collinsville, IL]; 5. 7F-Nolan Bartley[Hammond, IL]; 6. 101-Tobias Midkiff[Belleville, IL]; 7. K24-Kade Ballinger[Lovington, IL]; 8. 10-Jacob Tipton[Decatur, IL]; 9. (DNF) 21-Aarik Andruskevitch[Riverton, IL]; 10. (DNF) 5-Isaiah Sweitzer[Lincoln, IL]
Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models
- 14J-Braden Johnson[Taylorville, IL]; 2. 10C-Colby Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 3. 11M-Ryan Miller[Lincoln, IL]; 4. X-Curtis Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 5. 64-Donny Koehler[Macon, IL]; 6. 9B-Brandon Miller[Lincoln, IL]; 7. 11-Randy Eller[Taylorville, IL]
DIRTcar Pro Mods
- Z24-Zach Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 2. 10-Adam Rhoades[Clinton, IL]; 3. 4T-Guy Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 4. 42-Chad Ziegler[Oakwood, IL]; 5. 78-Maxx Emerson[Taylorville, IL]; 6. 7B-Brian Burns[Bethany, IL]; 7. 2-Brayden Doyle[Ashmore, IL]; 8. 3J-Jonathan Hall[Decatur, IL]; 9. J13-Justin Coffey[Stonington, IL]; 10. (DNF) 27-Dalton Ewing[Decatur, IL]
Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman
- 87-Wes O'Dell[Springfield, IL]; 2. 15-Josh Hetherington[Fairbury, IL]; 3. 53R-Jeff Reed Jr[Blue Mound, IL]; 4. 46-Randy Huffman[Maroa, IL]; 5. 21M-Dustin Moore[Rochester, IL]; 6. 07-Phil Moreland[Assumption, IL]; 7. 55-Tim Riech[Petersburg, IL]; 8. 17-Barry Bell[Windsor, IL]; 9. 14-Cole Landers[Taylorville, IL]; 10. 21-Ed Cleeton[Tovey, IL]
51 Bistro Big Ten Street Stocks
- 17-Bobby Beiler[Blue Mound, IL]; 2. 11-Terry Reed[Cerro Gordo, IL]; 3. 2Z-Andy Zahnd[White Heath, IL]; 4. 55-Zane Reitz[Veedersburg, IN]; 5. K67JR-Braiden Keller[West Lebanon, IN]; 6. 21-Jaret Duff[Maroa, IL]; 7. T5-Gene Reed[Hammond, IL]; 8. 27-Tim Glenn[Olney, IL]; 9. 187-Korey Bailey[Stonington, IL]; 10. 08-Brian R Dasenbrock[Decatur, IL]
DIRTcar Hornets
- 95Q-Tristin Quinlan[Decatur, IL]; 2. 41-Jaekob Durbin[Ramsey, IL]; 3. DA28-Jimmy Dutlinger[Peoria, IL]; 4. 20B-Bridget Fulton[Marissa, IL]; 5. 58W-Danny White[Villa Grove, IL]; 6. 15-David Lauritson[Normal, IL]; 7. 357-Billy Mason[Brownstown, IL]; 8. 7-John Bright Jr[Long Creek, IL]; 9. 5-Ted Ault[Mattoon, IL]; 10. 10-Collin Reed[Decatur, IL]
Submitted By: Adam Mackey
