By Brett Zerfowski

(Macon, IL) Somehow when the Lucas Oil POWRi Midget and Micro Sprint series comes to Macon Speedway, rain follows. All four attempts at open wheel racing at the world’s fastest 1/5^th dirt track have been foiled by Mother Nature so late July was the first chance race fans were treated to the POWRi racing series.

The main event of the evening was the 2^nd Annual Building Systems of Illinois Mini Sprint Nationals, a 33-car field with 40 laps and a $2,000-to-win feature event. 11 rows with 3 cars in each row was bound for disaster. The event in 2010 had 16 laps at the beginning without a yellow; the 2011 race didn’t make it to the first lap. Eight total cautions were used in the race as Andrew Felker won the top prize. The native of Carl Junction, Mo., claimed his second Macon Speedway checkered flag after a victory in July 2009. He was followed by Jacob Patton of Bethalo, Il., and Christopher Bell of Norman, Ok. The race was ran on the bottom and there was very little passing among the top positions. Felker started in the middle of the first row with Patton on the outside of the first row. Bell was on the second row inside spot.

Bryan Klaussen of Noblesville, In., was the best of 34 POWRi Midgets Saturday night with 30 lap victory. The race was riddled with cautions and spinouts and it was obvious from the midpoint of the race that the bottom groove was the best for the POWRi Midgets and the 22-car field ran along the bottom waiting to jump ahead when they could if a driver ahead were to get loose. Klaussen’s victory was his first at Macon Speedway, first of 2011 and seventh career POWRi Midget series feature. He was followed by Brett Anderson, a former Macon Speedway feature winner in September 2009, and Nick Knepper, the current POWRi Midget series points leader. Both drivers are from Belleville, IL.

Stock car racing also accompanied the POWRi racers as Dave Crawley, Jr. found himself in victory lane on two separate occasions with feature wins in both the Touchstone Energy Sportsman and the Billingsley Towing Modifieds. Crawley won the Sportsman division race passing Scott Landers, who fell victim to a broken racecar, and holding off current points leader and six-time feature winner Nick Macklin. For the defending division track champion, it would be his third feature in-a-row. Macklin would get a second place finish ahead of Rick Roedel and Mike Pickering. Danny Smith would take fifth.

His win in the Billingsley Towing Modified division was done on the high groove as he led all 20 laps en route to his first feature win. The track was slick due to the open wheel racing and the humid temperatures and Crawley controlled his car very well along the top. Wes O’Dell from Springfield followed him along the top to take second place from Taylorville’s Jeff Graham, who rode the bottom the entire time. Guy Taylor, another top groove driver, finished in fourth and Danny Smith placed in fifth for the second consecutive stock car race. Crawley and Smith ran double duty in both classes.

Derek Peters edged Kyle Maxwell by a bumper coming out of the fourth turn and to the judge’s stand. A bittersweet moment for Maxwell since he led all the laps until the final lap and turn as Peters took the win. Maxwell has not won a feature since Opening Night in April. For Peters, it was his second feature of 2011.

The next event at Macon Speedway is going to be the Monster Energy Sprint Car Series and Late Model event. It is rather uncommon to have both open wheel cars and Late Model stock cars on the same scheduled evening but Macon Speedway is nothing short of innovative in its race program. On July 30^th, if Herald & Review 100 champion Shannon Babb were to return and win that Late Model feature, SNS Auto Sales of Decatur would throw in an additional $1,000 bonus.

UMP Modified – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 2 37 David Crawley Jr. Decatur , Il 50.00
2 4 87 Wes O’dell Springfield , Il 48.00
3 1 71 Jeff Graham Stonington , Il 46.00
4 5 77 Guy Taylor – 44.00
5 7 9 Danny Smith Argenta , Il 42.00
6 12 01 Jeremy Nichols , Il 40.00
7 3 16H Eric Hamilton Macon , Il 38.00
8 11 5H Randy Huffman Maroa , Il 36.00
9 14 35 Clark Robertson Shelbyville , Il 34.00
10 15 44 Aaron Burcham Decatur , Il 32.00
11 9 37D Nick O Dell Kannapolis , Nc 30.00
12 13 19 James Hankins Taylorville , Il 28.00
13 16 22N Ryan Nettles – 26.00
14 17 1 Josh Robb Blue Mound, Il 24.00
15 8 30G Billy Gibson Girard , Il 22.00
16 10 23 Andrew Barnes – 20.00
17 6 X7 Larry Russell Jr. Harristown , Il 0.00 DNS

UMP Sportsman – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 3 C25 David Crawley Jr. Decatur , Il 50.00
2 2 16 Nick Macklin – 48.00
3 5 11 Rick Roedel Shelbyville , Il 46.00
4 7 9 Mike Pickering Decatur , Il 44.00
5 9 D98 Danny Smith Argenta , Il 42.00
6 4 8J Lance Johnson Kenney , Il 40.00
7 8 07 Phil Moreland Assumption , Il 38.00
8 15 52 Bob Sidener Springfield , Il 36.00
9 12 72 Tom Graham Stonington , Il 34.00
10 6 14C Alan Crowder Elwin , Il 32.00
11 10 7JR Josh Bourland – 30.00
12 1 41 Scott Landers Taylorville , Il 28.00
13 11 4G Cody Wickline Assumption , Il 0.00 DNS
14 13 05 Tom Lambdin Lovington , Il 0.00 DNS
15 14 B99 Tim Bedinger Taylorville , Il 0.00 DNS

UMP Amateur Hornet – Feature
Finish Start Car Driver Hometown Points
1 4 96 Derek Peters Pana , Il 50.00
2 1 38R Kyle Maxwell Pana , Il 48.00
3 6 17 Adam Bray Noblesville , In 46.00
4 2 33K Brady Reed – 44.00
5 8 J4 Jerad Matherly Decatur , Il 42.00
6 3 98 Kenneth Reed Decatur , Il 40.00
7 7 1F Fred Mifflin Mount Zion, Il 38.00
8 5 56Z Zach Perryman Decatur , Il 36.00