By BZ

(Macon, IL) After two consecutive rainout weeks and a race night end prematurely due to rain, Macon Speedway was back in action on the third Saturday of May with six racing classes, spectator drags, CEFCU Kids Club and double features for two divisions. It was a jam packed racing program.

It was a double good night for the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models and Jose Parga. The make-up feature saw Parga start on the pole position and battle along with Dakota Ewing. Ewing led the first 14 laps with Parga trailing but Parga caught on little by little each lap until coming to the fourth turn and lap 15 when he took a chance and went with the slide job pull ahead and the momentum stuck. Parga cleared the first feature.

The second feature started a little more difficult as he began from the third row inside spot and raced behind defending points champion Colby Eller, Ewing, Braden Johnson and Donny Koehler. Luckily for Parga, the race lasted 20 laps and gave him time to work the track and once again slide past the leader in Johnson to overtake the lead and finish the race night going 2-for-2 in the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Model division.

The BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds also had double features. Their race from April 29^th was started and stopped with four laps complete. Of the 15 scheduled starters from that race night only nine of them were at the track to finish the race. From lap eight into nine, Jeremy Nichols slowed allowing Alan Crowder to make the pass and secure the lead. Tim Luttrell restarted fifth and charged to a second place finish.

The second BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds feature saw terrific side-by-side action for the lead with leader Zach Rhodes on the bottom of the track and second place driver Tim Luttrell working the top groove. Rhodes appeared to have enough for Luttrell coming off the corners every lap. The final lap, however, was the fastest lap for Luttrell and he darted past Rhodes for his first Macon Speedway feature in his short racing career.

One of the highlights of the program was the Midwest Big Ten Series 51 Bistro Street Stock race, a 30-lap special paying $750 to the winner that was sponsored by Jayne Excavating & Welding. Terry Reed and Bobby Beiler put on a nice show for the better part of all 30 laps. Andy Zahnd, Reed and Beiler worked the beginning of the race until Beiler looked dominate. With two-thirds of the race complete, Reed came flying past Beiler on the top side of the track but then caught up to a slower car about to be lapped and ran into the back of him creating a caution flag. Officials declared Reed was to be sent to the back of the lineup for creating the caution by spinning out the slower car. Beiler was put back into the lead and finished the race and won.

A great field of cars once again came out in the Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman division. Of the 20 signed in cars, 18 made the start for the 15-lapper that saw Ethan Schnapp go wire-to-wire and win for the first time this season.  Prior to the start of the race, Macon Speedway owner Chris Kearns announced that the top five finishers would receive a bonus of $100. That gave bonus money to Schnapp, Randy Huffman, Jeff Ray, Roy Magee and Barry Bell for their top five results.

Dalton Ewing scored his third feature win in four tries with a 15-lap win in the Pro Modifieds. Zach Taylor raced smart with Ewing but couldn’t manage the pass.

Macon Speedway hosted the KidModz for the first time in 2023 and 12-year-old Gavyn Parmele of Bloomington scored the 8-lap feature win as well as the 6-lap heat race win.

The spring Spectator Drags saw plenty of excitement as spectators brought their own vehicles to the track to run a lap around the historic 1/5^th mile. A Chevy 3500 HD truck along with Chevy Cavaliers, Ford Escapes, a Malibu and Hyundai Sonata were among the vehicles part of the night. The championship race featured familiar racer Jim Eads and newcomer Drey Rees of Clinton. Rees started on the top groove but switched to the bottom and ended up bumping with Eads into the third and fourth turns to the finish line and won his first-ever Spectator Drag race at Macon Speedway.

Macon Speedway returns with a bevvy of activity next weekend with non-wing Micros and Outlaw Karts racing on Friday and Saturday. Practice for the cars will be Thursday evening. Macon Speedway brings back its tradition of Memorial Day racing as Twin 50s action will see two 50-lap features, one of the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models and one for the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds. The Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman, 51 Bistro Street Stocks, Pro Modifieds and Hornets will also run Memorial Day Monday. 

 Feature Rundowns (Top 10’s)

 Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models

Regular Feature – 1. 6P-Jose Parga[New Berlin, IL]; 2. 14J-Braden Johnson[Taylorville, IL]; 3. 10C-Colby Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 4. 77-Blaise Baker[Clinton, IL]; 5. 11-Ryan Miller[Lincoln, IL]; 6. 61-Jammie Wilson[Hoopeston, IL]; 7. 28-Justin Durbin[Mulberry Grove, IL]; 8. 16-Chase Wilson[Hoopeston, IL]; 9. 11E-Randy Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 10. (DNF) 64-Donny Koehler[Macon, IL]

Make-up Feature – 1. 6P-Jose Parga[New Berlin, IL]; 2. 25-Dakota Ewing[Warrensburg, IL]; 3. 14-Braden Johnson[Taylorville, IL]; 4. 12C-Curtis Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 5. 11-Ryan Miller[Lincoln, IL]; 6. 64-Donny Koehler[Macon, IL]; 7. 11E-Randy Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 8. (DNF) 10C-Colby Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 9. (DNF) 9B-Brandon Miller[Lincoln, IL]

BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds

 Regular Feature – 1. 99-Tim Luttrell[Riverton, IL]; 2. 11-Zach Rhodes[Taylorville, IL]; 3. 36-Nick Justice[Decatur, IL]; 4. 87C-Alan Crowder[Elwin, IL]; 5. J24-Jeremy Nichols[Findlay, IL]; 6. 4M-Clint Martin[Ramsey, IL]; 7. 71-Jeff Graham[Stonington, IL]; 8. 57A-Andrew Hamburg[Dixon, IL]; 9. 7S-Tommy Skinner[Taylorville, IL]; 10. (DNF) 28S-Joe Strawkas[Buffalo, IL]

Make-up Feature – 1. 87C-Alan Crowder[Elwin, IL]; 2. 99-Tim Luttrell[Riverton, IL]; 3. J24-Jeremy Nichols[Findlay, IL]; 4. 72A-Austin Lynn[Mason City, IL]; 5. 71-Jeff Graham[Stonington, IL]; 6. 11-Zach Rhodes[Taylorville, IL]; 7. (DNF) 57-Andrew Hamburg[Dixon, IL]; 8. (DNF) 36-Nick Justice[Decatur, IL]; 9. (DNF) 35-Clark Robertson[Shelbyville, IL]; 10. (DNF) 24M-Matt Milner[Chatham, IL]

DIRTcar Pro Mods

 1. 27-Dalton Ewing[Decatur, IL]; 2. Z24-Zach Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 3. 360-John Seets III[Brighton, IL]; 4. 10-Adam Rhoades[Clinton, IL]; 5. 78-Maxx Emerson[Taylorville, IL]; 6. 15C-Kevin Crowder[Argenta, IL]; 7. 14E-Evan Lynch[Hillsboro, IL]; 8. 14-Brady Lynch[Hillsboro, IL]; 9. 06-Connor Klay[Stonington, IL]; 10. 116-Kevin Rench[Hillsboro, IL]

Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman

1. 7S-Ethan Schnapp[Springfield, IL]; 2. 46-Randy Huffman[Maroa, IL]; 3. 18-Jeff Ray[Springfield, IL]; 4. 11-Roy Magee[Springfield, IL]; 5. 17-Barry Bell[Windsor, IL]; 6. 07-Phil Moreland[Assumption, IL]; 7. 14-Cole Landers[Taylorville, IL]; 8. 53R-Jeff Reed Jr[Blue Mound, IL]; 9. 55-Tim Riech[Petersburg, IL]; 10. (DNF) 4-Matt Reed[Decatur, IL]

51 Bistro Big Ten Street Stocks (Jayne Excavating & Welding 30

1. 17-Bobby Beiler[Blue Mound, IL]; 2. 2Z-Andy Zahnd[White Heath, IL]; 3. 78B-Brad Peters[Stonington, IL]; 4. 80-Brian J Dasenbrock[Decatur, IL]; 5. 21-Jaret Duff[Maroa, IL]; 6. 4-Zach Clark[Illiopolis, IL]; 7. 08-Brian R Dasenbrock[Decatur, IL]; 8. 16JR-Gene Reed[Hammond, IL]; 9. 187-Korey Bailey[Stonington, IL]; 10. (DNF) 24-Aiden Ballinger[Lovington, IL]

KidModz

1. 75-Gavyn Parmele[Bloomington, IL]; 2. 4J-Kaylynn Eskew[Pleasant Plains, IL]; 3. 22-Hudson Dick[Monticello, IL]; 4. 3X-Keatin Lyons[Centralia, IL]; 5. 4-Brenden Heizer[Okawville, IL]

Spectator Drags

Drey Rees