---

Parga Wins KerbyStrong at Macon Speedway

By BZ

(Macon, IL) Jose Parga of New Berlin started sixth and moved through the crowd of cars in front of him to get a chance at the lead not once but twice to score a 50-lap feature win in the Decatur Building Trades Pro late Model class at Macon Speedway. With a solid field of 19 cars, the second-highest total of the season behind Memorial Day's 21 cars for the division, Parga moved around leader Braden Johnson on lap 22 and then again on lap 29 to secure his first 50-lap feature win. Johnson smashed the cushion and the concrete in the second turn on lap 30 when he was trying to regain the lead with an aggressive move through the corners which ended up costing him the chance to regain the lead. Chase Osterhoff, Colby Sheppard and Timmy Dick challenged behind Parga but cautions and wrecks pushed those drivers back in the group. The second place finisher would be Devin McLean, who started 13th.

It was a long 50-lapper with nine caution flags which resulted in the action completing in 42 minutes. There were only two drivers who led laps in the race, Johnson and the winner Parga. The race netted the feature winner $1,010--double 10s, which was Kerby Damery's racecar number. Damery was a two-time track champion at Macon Speedway, winning Sportsman champions in 1990 and the Late Model title in 2004. The evening was dedicated to him as well as the importance of cancer check-ups and examinations.

The second feature as part of the KerbyStrong, the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds was also the final race in the inaugural Midwest Big Ten Series. Rodney Standerfer put the finishing touches on the 10-race circuit with a dominate performance in the 20-lapper that secured him the championship in that series as well as the likely track championship at Macon Speedway, as well. Standerfer was teary-eyed in victory lane as he was proud to win and claim titles during the KerbyStrong event.

The third feature as part of the KerbyStrong was the Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman that saw Dennis Vandermeersch fly past 11 other drivers to win the 15-lap race and take a hold to the checkered flag for the sixth time in 2022. Wes O'Dell would finish second. He was knocked to the back of the field on lap three when he went to the inside of the cone on the restart. The Springfield driver would race back solidly to challenge for the lead but ran out of time as Vandermeersch crossed the line first.

In the Pro Modified division, Guy Taylor was in search of his tenth consecutive feature. Starting fifth place in the third row, Taylor moved his way up to second in the closing laps and chased down the leader Kevin Crowder. Crowder won in the heat race to get the front row starting spot and stayed ahead with a lot of pressure coming from Guy and his nephew Zach Taylor. The veteran driver Crowder did all he could do to slay the beast that is Guy Taylor and did just that to put a stop to the winning streak. The last time somebody other than Guy Taylor got the victory lane speech in the Pro Modified class was July 2nd, Billy Knebel.

The 51 Bistro Street Stocks featured a unique starting field. All 16 scheduled drivers in the group had not yet claimed a feature win in 2022. With clinching champion Terry Reed not racing Saturday, the field was open to all such as Jim Ransom from Williamsport, Indiana, or former division champions Brian Dasenbrock or Gene Reed. But in the end, the race was won by Rudy Zaragoza from Jacksonville. The driver, who is hearing impaired, has tasted victory lane in the past but just not in 2022. His car has been to the winner's circle but with the driving of Jeremy Nichols. Nichols was in the stands cheering on and directing Zaragoza what his driving pattern should be. After following it to the T, Zargoza scored the win.

Tristin Quinlan took another step closer to winning the 4-cylinder Hornet championship with another feature win.

The first championship was claimed on Saturday night as the Micro Sprints Presented by Bailey Chassis saw John Barnard win for the second time in his career. He finished the feature in third place but seasonal points ahead of Aarik Andruskevitch, who won his fourth feature of the 2022 season. The Micro Sprints ran a lot of races at the track in 2022 and brought a great field of cars every week that were on the schedule.

The final six divisions will finish their seasons next Saturday as the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models, BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds, Weddle Performance Engine Sportsman, 51 Bistro Street Stocks, Pro Modifieds and Hornets will wrap up their points championships and close out the 77th season of stock car racing at Macon Speedway. Plus, an added attraction will be the special mechanics race where the wrench turners get their shot to get behind the wheel of the cars they've cared for all season. 

FEATURE RUNDOWNS (Top 10’s) 

Decatur Building Trades Big 10 Pro Late Models

6P-Jose Parga[New Berlin, IL]; 2. 33-Devin McLean[Mt. Vernon, IL]; 3. 59-Aaron Heck[Mt. Vernon, IL]; 4. 32M-Cody Maguire[Carlinville, IL]; 5. 10-Blake Damery[Macon, IL]; 6. 14J-Braden Johnson[Taylorville, IL]; 7. 11-Ryan Miller[Lincoln, IL]; 8. 27-Colby Sheppard[Williamsville, IL]; 9. 19-Chase Osterhoff[Kankakee, IL]; 10. 10C-Colby Eller[Taylorville, IL]

BillingsleyRewards.com Big 10 Modifieds 

28-Rodney Standerfer[Summerfield, IL]; 2. 99-Tim Luttrell[Riverton, IL]; 3. 72A-Austin Lynn[Mason City, IL]; 4. 87C-Alan Crowder[Elwin, IL]; 5. 4T-Guy Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 6. 35-Clark Robertson[Shelbyville, IL]; 7. 8Z-Zach Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 8. 24M-Matt Milner[Chatham, IL]; 9. 78-Maxx Emerson[Taylorville, IL]; 10. 7B-Brian Burns[Bethany, IL]

DIRTcar Pro Mods

15C-Kevin Crowder[Argenta, IL]; 2. 4T-Guy Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 3. 8Z-Zach Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 4. 12-Dean Holt[Decatur, IL]; 5. 7B-Brian Burns[Bethany, IL]; 6. 78-Maxx Emerson[Taylorville, IL]; 7. 27X-Jonathan Hall[Decatur, IL]; 8. 24M-Matt Milner[Chatham, IL]; 9. J13-Justin Coffey[Stonington, IL]; 10. 11-Amanda Adams[Shelbyville, IL]

Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman 

25-Dennis Vander Meersch[Springfield, IL]; 2. 87-Wes O'Dell[Springfield, IL]; 3. 11-Rick Roedel[Shelbyville, IL]; 4. 84L-Jim Farley III[Springfield, IL]; 5. 07-Phil Moreland[Assumption, IL]; 6. 11M-Roy Magee[Springfield, IL]; 7. 5S-Ronald Bacon[Decatur, IL]; 8. (DNF) 41-Scott Landers[Taylorville, IL]; 9. (DNF) 14-Cole Landers[Taylorville, IL]; 10. (DNF) 21-Ed Cleeton[Tovey, IL]

51 Bistro Street Stocks 

67-Rudy Zaragoza[Jacksonville, IL]; 2. R1-Jim Ransom[Williamsport, IL]; 3. 78B-Brad Peters[Stonington, IL]; 4. 21-Jaret Duff[Maroa, IL]; 5. 08-Brian R Dasenbrock[Decatur, IL]; 6. 4-Zach Clark[Illiopolis, IL]; 7. 21E-Eric Boomer[Bethany, IL]; 8. 80-Brian J Dasenbrock[Decatur, IL]; 9. 46-Randy Huffman[Maroa, IL]; 10. 21R-Dustin Reed[Decatur, IL]

DIRTcar Hornets

95Q-Tristin Quinlan[Decatur, IL]; 2. 324-Shelby Beiler[Macon, IL]; 3. 357-Billy Mason[Brownstown, IL]; 4. 41-Jaekob Durbin[Ramsey, IL]; 5. 04-Steve Stine[Stonington, IL]; 6. (DNF) 37-Lukas Robison[Sullivan, IL]; 7. (DNF) 4-Ken Reed[Decatur, IL]; 8. (DNF) 72-Kadien Armour[Mt. Pulaski, IL]; 9. (DNF) 20B-Bridget Fulton[Marissa, IL]; 10. (DNF) 11-Collin Reed[Decatur, IL]

Micros By Bailey Chassis 

21-Aarik Andruskevitch[Riverton, IL]; 2. 40-Devin Feger[East Peoria, IL]; 3. 8B-John Barnard[Sherman, IL]; 4. 55S-Daryn Stark[Springfield, IL]; 5. 55H-Hayden Harvey[Warrensburg, IL]; 6. 92-John Plotner[Decatur, IL]; 7. 17-Molly Day[East Peoria, IL]; 8. 1X-Jacob Tipton[Decatur, IL]; 9. 16W-Hunter Walker[Decatur, IL]; 10. 00-Joe Taft[Dawson, IL]

Back to News