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Lebanon I-44 Speedway to Host Summer Shootout and Hardworkin' 50

The 2018 racing season rolls on this weekend at Lebanon I-44 Speedway with the Summer Shootout. The Summer Shootout will feature all five weekly racing classes, and then some! The Midwest Modifieds that compete on the dirt tracks in the area will be in action on the asphalt Saturday night racing for $250 to win. Along with the Midwest Modifieds, the Charger division will be competing for added money and added laps with a 30-lap feature on the inner track paying $250 to win. Finally, the new Big 10 Late Model division will be battling it out around the high-banks for 50-laps and $600 to win! Where else can you find that much action in one night?
The newly revamped Charger division has been the talk of the race track each week. The Charger Championship series that is being held between Lebanon I-44 Speedway and Dallas County Speedway has brought many drivers with dirt background over to the asphalt adding yet another twist to the Charger division. The 1/5-mile bullring track has created a little bit of drama between our top three drivers in the Championship. So far, Crystal Blake is leading the Championship Points Standings while the brothers Will Garner and Shannon Geller move their way up the standings each week. Blake and the brothers are racing hard each week and last week Mollie Eades was able to capitalize on that and pick up her first win. With added money and extra laps this Saturday, there is no telling what will happen!
The new Big 10 Late Model Division Championship battle is coming down to the wire. As of now, Dylan Bates, with two wins, holds onto a slim Championship lead with a two-point gap over Jimmy Fohn, who has four wins on the season. Justin Blake, with one win, sits in 3rd position, only 24 points out of the lead. Out of all the races so far this year we have yet to see the shootout between Blake, Fohn, and Bates as one of them has faced problems or hold ups at one point or another. With a 50-lap feature scheduled for the Big 10s, we will certainly get to see the Championship three group up and go head to head for the $600 pay day. Watching the Big 10 Late Models is like watching Late Model racing from days past with multi-groove, side-by-side, edge of your seat, racing and no one knows old school Late Models like JC Newell. JC has shown a lot of speed the past few weeks after picking up a second-place finish in his heat race last week, will this weekend be the race where we see JC Newell return to Victory Lane on the high-banks?
The Street Stocks and Modifieds are also on-tap this Saturday night. The Street Stocks have been racing very hard the past few weeks as Steve and Alex Shaw continue to fight for their first wins of 2018, along with Trevor Icenhower. After contact was made between Icenhower and Steve Shaw last weekend, the points gap between the two drivers has closed. Jordan Nisbett holds onto a strong lead, but Icenhower sits in second with a one-point gap over Steve Shaw. Will the Rookie out-last the Veteran? This year we have seen complete domination in the Modified division as Fair Grove’s Ricky Icenhower, father of Trevor Icenhower, has won every feature except one. Lebanon I-44 Speedway put up a bounty of $250 to go to the first person to beat Ricky last weekend. No one was able to claim the bounty, but with rumors of the bounty being even larger this weekend we may see a new driver take a big swing at their car setup and find their way to Victory Lane.
The Pro Late Models are the head-lining division here at Lebanon I-44 Speedway and they will not disappoint! We have had eight features with six different winners so far this season. Kennie Dickinson holds onto the points lead over Jimmy Vanzandt by 27 points. Rumors have been saying that Vanzandt dropped in a new motor during the break and he is hoping to make a late-season charge for the Championship. Steve Holt, a two-time winner this season, is looking for two wins in a row this Saturday. Ryu Taggart from Okinawa Japan has put together solid races the past few weeks and is looking for his first career win this Saturday night. Tim Swearengin out of the Carmichael racing camp lost an engine a few weeks ago and watched the Championship drive away from him. Can Swearengin regroup this weekend and fight his way back to the front of the points standings? With many great stories throughout the Pro Late Model Division, this weekend’s Summer Shootout is bound to be a wild one.
From the Midwest Modifieds slipping and sliding around the track to the high-speed Pro Late Models, this Saturday is bound to be one of the most exciting shows of the year! We hope to see all of you at the track this Saturday night for the Summer Shootout! The grandstand gates open at 6:00PM with racing starting at 7:30PM. All emergency personnel, firefighters, police, EMT, etc. with ID will be able to enter the grandstands for free this Saturday and as always kids 10 & under are free! For more information check out our website at i44speedway.net or check us out on Facebook!
By Dylan Bates

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