(LEBANON, Missouri) A ‘penny scramble’ for children ages 10 and younger will be a special feature of the ASA-sanctioned stock car racing show this Saturday night, July 9, at Lebanon I-44 Speedway. Spectator gates are set to open at 5:00 pm, with the five-division stock car racing program scheduled to start at 7:30 on the track’s 3/8-mile high banked asphalt oval.
The ‘Kids Penny Scramble’, an annual tradition at the 27 year old facility, will offer qualifying children a chance to pick up over $500 in pennies scattered over the paved infield portion of the racetrack, just inside the backstretch. Participating children will be divided into age groups, and allowed an opportunity to scoop up as many pennies in their age group area as they can find and carry. According to track officials, the ‘Kids Penny Scramble’ will be conducted during intermission between the qualifying Heat races and Feature events.
Headlined by the fast and powerful ASA feature division Late Model stock cars, Saturday’s ‘Kickin’ Asphalt’ show at the only weekly operated paved oval track in the region will also spotlight the Modifieds, which are stock silhouette racecars with open wheel front ends, the full-size Sportsman class stock cars, Road Warriors – big, steel bodied ‘bomber’ type stock cars – and a four-cylinder subcompact class of cars called Chargers. In addition to the I-44 Speedway classes, the travelling Outlaw Mini Stocks will be returning to the Laclede County oval on Saturday night for their fifth appearance of the season.
Lebanon I-44 Speedway features an alcohol-free, ‘family friendly’ grandstand, along with tier parking for cars, pickup trucks and RV’s where patrons may park, tailgate and view the races. Veteran I-44 Speedway fans refer to the tier parking area as the ‘Budweiser Wild Side’, where beer, lawn chairs and grills may be brought in. Full food and non-alcoholic beverage concessions are available in both the grandstands and tier parking, along with ‘Sally’s Souvenir Shack’ – a track apparel and novelty booth. Dogs are welcome at the track, providing that their owners keep them leashed at all times and clean up any pet waste.
Grandstand admission is $10 for Adults, ages 16 and older, while Adult admission in tier parking is $12. Discounted admission for Seniors (ages 65 and older), Military personnel, and Juniors (ages 11-15) is offered in both locations. A grandstand Family Pass for 2 Adults and 2 Juniors plus any number of Kids 10 and younger is available for $25, while six Adults entering in the same vehicle on tier parking will be admitted on the ‘Budweiser Wild Side’ for $60. Following a longstanding track tradition, admission for children ages 10 and younger remains free at I-44 Speedway.
Located just four miles east of the Lebanon city limit on Historic Route 66, Lebanon I-44 Speedway is accessible from anywhere in southern Missouri. The most direct route is Interstate 44 to Exit 135, which is the Sleeper exit, and then one mile west on Route 66 to the track’s main entrance. Additional information about the track’s 2011 ‘Kickin’ Asphalt’ racing schedule and racecar construction rules may be found of the facility’s official website, www.i44speedway.net.