<B>$5,000 "RUN FROM THE REAR" BONUS ANNOUNCED FOR BELLE-CLAIR'S MARA MIDGET ARNIE KNEPPER MEMORIAL WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 6TH!!!</b>
By Jon Mooney
BELLEVILLE, IL: In a HUGE announcement, a first for Midwest Auto Racing Association (MARA) midget auto racing, co-promoters Kenny Brown and Brian Thompson have announced a $5,000 "Run from the Rear Bonus" for the Arnie Knepper Memorial to be held at Belle-Clair Speedway during the St. Clair County Fair on Wednesday, August 6th.
Should a heat race winner elect to start at the tail of the 30 lap feature and come up through the field and win, that driver will pocket the standard MARA winner's share of $1,000 plus an additional five grand! The winner who accomplishes this feat will take home an impressive $6,000!
"Before the start of the main event, we'll bring the heat race winners out to the front stretch", Thompson said. "We'll ask the first heat winner if he wants to start at the tail. If that driver declines, we'll then ask the second heat race winner. We'll keep asking until we get a taker amongst the heat race victors. With the hard chargers we've had here, I'm pretty sure will have someone who'll put a show on for the fans! Five thousand dollars is a lot of cash!"
Belle-Clair generally draws its largest crowd and largest field of midget cars for this traditional fair date. The $5,000 "Run from the Rear Bonus" should entice some outsiders to come out on Wednesday to take on a strong contingent of MARA drivers including Mike Hess, Craig Carey, Tim Siner, Donnie Lehmann and Belleville's own Steve Knepper, a winner in Belle-Clair midget competition already this season.
Joey Montgomery of Fredricktown, Missouri won the last MARA show at Belle-Clair. Montgomery started on the pole of the race but was involved in an opening lap accident and was sent to the rear. He worked his way through the field to claim the victory. Should Montgomery win a heat race on August 6th, it's a sure bet he would be an odds on favorite to take the challenge and start from the tail based on his recent performance.
The August 6th race honors the late Arnie Knepper, a respected midget car champion and Belleville resident who competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, from 1965 through 1969. In 1986, Knepper was inducted into the Belleville News-Democrat Sports Hall of Fame. Most recently, Knepper's name was inducted into the Anderson Little 500 Hall of Fame.
In addition to the midgets, a full program of micro sprint racing is on the Wednesday night card. Jacksonville Speedway and St. Francois County Raceway winged sprint car ace, Jeremy Standridge will drive a micro at Belle-Clair fielded by Arnie Knepper's son Art.
Spectator gates open at 5:00. Hot laps begin at 6:30. The first race is scheduled for 7:00.
Grandstand admission is just $10. Children under six will be admitted free of charge.
Come out Wednesday, August 6th to Belle-Clair witness first hand just who will take a chance and start from the tail for a shot at five grand!
Belle-Clair Speedway is a one-fifth mile high banked clay oval located at routes 159 and 13 at the St. Clair County Fairgrounds in Belleville, Illinois, just minutes from downtown St. Louis.
For more information, contact race promoters Kenny Brown at 618-476-7526 or Brian Thompson at 618-473-9512. Or visit the event web-site:
www.bmsinco.com
By Jon Mooney
BELLEVILLE, IL: In a HUGE announcement, a first for Midwest Auto Racing Association (MARA) midget auto racing, co-promoters Kenny Brown and Brian Thompson have announced a $5,000 "Run from the Rear Bonus" for the Arnie Knepper Memorial to be held at Belle-Clair Speedway during the St. Clair County Fair on Wednesday, August 6th.
Should a heat race winner elect to start at the tail of the 30 lap feature and come up through the field and win, that driver will pocket the standard MARA winner's share of $1,000 plus an additional five grand! The winner who accomplishes this feat will take home an impressive $6,000!
"Before the start of the main event, we'll bring the heat race winners out to the front stretch", Thompson said. "We'll ask the first heat winner if he wants to start at the tail. If that driver declines, we'll then ask the second heat race winner. We'll keep asking until we get a taker amongst the heat race victors. With the hard chargers we've had here, I'm pretty sure will have someone who'll put a show on for the fans! Five thousand dollars is a lot of cash!"
Belle-Clair generally draws its largest crowd and largest field of midget cars for this traditional fair date. The $5,000 "Run from the Rear Bonus" should entice some outsiders to come out on Wednesday to take on a strong contingent of MARA drivers including Mike Hess, Craig Carey, Tim Siner, Donnie Lehmann and Belleville's own Steve Knepper, a winner in Belle-Clair midget competition already this season.
Joey Montgomery of Fredricktown, Missouri won the last MARA show at Belle-Clair. Montgomery started on the pole of the race but was involved in an opening lap accident and was sent to the rear. He worked his way through the field to claim the victory. Should Montgomery win a heat race on August 6th, it's a sure bet he would be an odds on favorite to take the challenge and start from the tail based on his recent performance.
The August 6th race honors the late Arnie Knepper, a respected midget car champion and Belleville resident who competed in the Indianapolis 500 five times, from 1965 through 1969. In 1986, Knepper was inducted into the Belleville News-Democrat Sports Hall of Fame. Most recently, Knepper's name was inducted into the Anderson Little 500 Hall of Fame.
In addition to the midgets, a full program of micro sprint racing is on the Wednesday night card. Jacksonville Speedway and St. Francois County Raceway winged sprint car ace, Jeremy Standridge will drive a micro at Belle-Clair fielded by Arnie Knepper's son Art.
Spectator gates open at 5:00. Hot laps begin at 6:30. The first race is scheduled for 7:00.
Grandstand admission is just $10. Children under six will be admitted free of charge.
Come out Wednesday, August 6th to Belle-Clair witness first hand just who will take a chance and start from the tail for a shot at five grand!
Belle-Clair Speedway is a one-fifth mile high banked clay oval located at routes 159 and 13 at the St. Clair County Fairgrounds in Belleville, Illinois, just minutes from downtown St. Louis.
For more information, contact race promoters Kenny Brown at 618-476-7526 or Brian Thompson at 618-473-9512. Or visit the event web-site:
www.bmsinco.com
