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Champions Crowned in 2021 BRANDT Finale at Macon Speedway

By BZ

(Macon, IL) Six division champions were officially named Saturday night in the BRANDT Championship Night of the 2021 Macon Speedway racing season. Five of those divisions had champions already mathematically decided while one division had a feature race to determine the point champion.

The Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman division had Jim Farley III from Springfield leading into the night with a 26-point edge over former champion Scott Landers. When the feature began and Landers wasn't able to make it out on the track, Farley wrapped up his first track championship. However, the feature race was more exciting as former Sportsman champions Dennis Vandermeersch and Wes Odell battled for the checkered flag. Odell took the lead from Vandermeersch on the last lap with some contact coming to the white flag and the contact loosened up Vandermeersch and he lost the lead to Odell. That gave Odell the momentum to continue to lead on to the checkered flag.

Guy Taylor came into the final night with a wrapped-up points championship in the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds but he went out in a blaze of glory. Starting the race from the sixth starting position, Taylor cut up the top side of the track and made moves to pass Rob Timmons, and Danny Smith to make him in the running with leader Alan Crowder. Crowder looked like he was on his way to his second feature win of 2021. Taylor just kept flying and got around Crowder for the lead. With the final laps coming in and Taylor was in a three-way battle for the lead as Crowder and Smith kept close, caution flag laps slowed the action until the final green-white-checkered and saw Taylor victorious.

Taylor also came into the evening already knowing his fate as champion in the Archer's Alley Street Stocks class. He kept the car on the track and managed a top five finish. Terry Reed, a former champion got the feature win. After many close calls and top five finishes, Reed kept moving forward through lapped traffic and stayed ahead of Darrell Dick for the checkered flag.

Kyle Helmick has continued to improve through his racing career and started to win features. His 2021 was nothing short of terrific as the Smithton racer came into the night already knowing he was the Pro Modified track champion but he put the icing on the cake as he won the feature, as well. Billy Knebel, the 2020 track champion, was looking strong through the first half of the race but a yellow flag slowed the action. On the restart, Knebel was bumper-to-bumper with Helmick and within a few laps, Helmick moved for the pass and took on the lead and the victory.

In the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Model division, Colby Sheppard clinched the championship two weeks ago but has continued to show up and race and keep building his points lead. With better than 150 points between him and the second place points holder Donny Koehler, Sheppard came out to race and try to win another feature but Dakota Ewing kept him from doing that. The former Pro Late Model champion took the 20-lap win and Sheppard fell victim to a broken racecar in the final lap. His car would be towed off the track after the race ended but still got to celebrate with the enlarged championship checkered flag at the night's end.

The division championships finished with Allan Harris in the Hornets. Although not winning the final race of the season, Harris was pleased with his top five finish. The checkered flag in the Hornets went to a former Hornets track champion in Brady Reed who was racing for one of the first few times of the Macon Speedway year. Chasing down Billy Mason, Reed used his fast 4-cylinder to speed away from Mason and get the win.

The night would be completed with some fun extra racing with the Mechanics races and Powder Puff race. A combination of BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds and Pro Modifieds were put together on the track and the 10 laps were raced and won by Bobby Fowler. Fowler, a former Modified racer, was racing in the D98 of Danny Smith. Fowler got past Nick Stillwell who was racing in the Cody Stillwell 00S.In the Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman and Archer's Alley Street Stock combo Mechanics race, Sam Parrish ran the Darrell Dick 22 Street Stock to the checkered flag as he held off Justin Curry who was racing in the Sportsman Rick Roedel 11. The night and the season was capped off with Megan Blair taking the first place prize in the Hornets Powder Puff race. Blair was racing in Allan Harris' 3H car. Brittany Stovall put in a close battle for second while running in the 324 Brady Reed/Shelby Beiler car.

The 76th consecutive season of racing at Macon Speedway is complete. Along with Daryn Stark in the Micro Sprints Presented by Bailey Chassis, the 2021 Macon Speedway division champions have been crowned. With more racing coming at Lincoln Speedway next weekend in the DIRTcar Fall Nationals, the spring of 2022 will look to give more hope to drivers and racers for the upcoming summer. 

Feature Results (Top 10’s) 

Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models

25-Dakota Ewing[Warrensburg, IL]; 2. 122-Timmy Dick[Monticello, IL]; 3. 14J-Braden Johnson[Taylorville, IL]; 4. 134-Chuck Mitchell[Jacksonville, IL]; 5. 27-Colby Sheppard[Williamsville, IL]; 6. 11-Ryan Miller[Lincoln, IL]; 7. 14-Derek Smith[Decatur, IL]; 8. 64-Donny Koehler[Macon, IL]; 9. F15-Bob Sidener[Springfield, IL]; 10. (DNF) 55-Rockett Bennett[Argenta, IL]

BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds

77-Guy Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 2. 87C-Alan Crowder[Elwin, IL]; 3. 98-Danny Smith[Argenta, IL]; 4. 5T-Rob Timmons[Centralia, IL]; 5. 27X-Kyle Helmick[Smithton, IL]; 6. 10R-Curt Rhodes[Taylorville, IL]; 7. 00S-Cody Stilwell[Godfrey, IL]; 8. 52-Billy Knebel[Pocahontas, IL]; 9. 88-Robert Lee[Sorento, IL]; 10. 4G-John Goveia[Riverton, IL]

DIRTcar Pro Mods

27X-Kyle Helmick[Smithton, IL]; 2. 52-Billy Knebel[Pocahontas, IL]; 3. 67-Austin Seets[Brighton, IL]; 4. 15C-Kevin Crowder[Argenta, IL]; 5. 10-Adam Rhoades[Clinton, IL]; 6. 24-Guy Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 7. 7S-Jeremy Sebens[White Heath, IL]; 8. 81-Garett Schumacher[Pocahontas, IL]; 9. 116-Kevin Rench[Hillsboro, IL]; 10. 14E-Evan Lynch[Hillsboro, IL]

Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman

87-Wes O'Dell[Springfield, IL]; 2. 25-Dennis Vander Meersch[Springfield, IL]; 3. 11-Rick Roedel[Shelbyville, IL]; 4. 71-Joel Ortberg[Fenton, MO]; 5. 84L-Jim Farley III[Springfield, IL]; 6. 4-Matt Reed[Decatur, IL]; 7. 44-John Lewis[Cerro Gordo, IL]; 8. 5S-Ronald Bacon[Decatur, IL]; 9. (DNF) V8-James Farley[Springfield, IL]; 10. (DNF) 7S-Ethan Schnapp[Springfield, IL]

Archers Alley Street Stocks

11-Terry Reed[Cerro Gordo, IL]; 2. 22-Darrell Dick[Monticello, IL]; 3. X7-Guy Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 4. 08-Brian Dasenbrock[Decatur, IL]; 5. Z24-Zach Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 6. 3J-Jonathon Hall[Harristown, IL]; 7. 16-Nick Macklin[Argenta, IL]; 8. 78B-Brad Peters[Stonington, IL]; 9. J98-Jordan Smith[Argenta, IL]; 10. 21R-Dustin Reed[Decatur, IL]

DIRTcar Hornets

324-Brady Reed[Decatur, IL]; 2. 357-Billy Mason[Brownstown, IL]; 3. J13-Justin Coffey[Stonington, IL]; 4. 3H-Allan Harris[Chatham, IL]; 5. 1-Cook Crawford[Lincoln, IL]; 6. 26A-Michael McKay[Springfield, IL]; 7. 20-Casey Eskew[Springfield, IL]; 8. 98-Ken Reed[Decatur, IL]; 9. 313-Anthony Rusher[Stonington, IL]; 10. XX-Nick Lowe[Springfield, IL]

Mod/Pro Mod Mechanics Race 

98 Bobby Fowler, 2. 00 Nick Stilwell, 3. 27x Randy Brown 4. 24 Tim Schomidie, 5. 52 Cole Knebel, 6. 78 Tom Graham 7. 10 Donnie Rhodes, 8. 4 Codey Fernandez

Sportsman/Street Stocks Mechanics Race

22 Sam Parrish, 2. 21 Tony Reed, 3. Anthony Crist, 4. 98 Brandon Young, 5. 11 Justin Curry, 6. 7 Brad Dart, 7. 5s Jason Abbott, 8. x7 Blake Lowe 9. 24 Everett Crowell

Hornet Powder Puff

1. 3h Megan Blair, 2. 324 Brittany Stovall, 3. 26a Cindy Dick

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