By Jon Mooney
BELLEVILLE, IL: Midget car racing returns to Belleville Illinois' Belle-Clair Speedway this Sunday, June 8th. The event will be the first of four midget shows held this summer at the popular St. Louis area dirt track.
Sanctioned by the Midwest Auto Racing Association (M.A.R.A.), the midgets' summertime visits to Belle-Clair have become the highlight of the area's open wheel racing calendar.
"Next to the Chili Bowl, Belle-Clair is one of my favorite tracks to see the midgets compete," said Brian Thompson, co-promoter of the Belle-Clair races. "The shows we had last year were very well received among fans and competitors alike".
Racers have likened the Belle-Clair track to a high-banked version of the Chili Bowl, a wildly popular indoor venue in Oklahoma which holds a midget event each January. Both tracks are similar in size (under a quarter-mile) but big in regards to action.
"This is exciting, bullring-style auto racing. No doubt about it. A driver is in traffic all the time here. The racing can get pretty wild!"
Defending M.A.R.A. champion Steve Knepper will be back in competition as will crowd-favorite Joey Montgomery who has a midget ride again this year. Montgomery, a local winged sprint car driver, won an M.A.R.A. race at Belle-Clair last season.
M.A.R.A. will be completing a special three day race weekend at Belle-Clair after racing in the region on Friday in Jacksonville, Illinois and Saturday in Farmington, Missouri. A strong field is expected on Sunday night as all Belle-Clair midget shows award points to the crowning of the Gateway Short Track Regional Series Championship. The series is sponsored by Hoosier Tire Midwest.
In addition to the midgets, the winged 600 cc micro sprints will be in action as well. Grandstand tickets are $10. Children under six will be admitted free. Race time on Sunday is 7 pm.
Belle-Clair Speedway is located at Routes 159 and 13 at the St. Clair County Fairgrounds in Belleville, Illinois.
For more information on the Belle-Clair midget races, contact co-promoters Kenny Brown at 618-473-9512 or Brian Thompson at 618-473-9512. Or, visit the official web-site of the Gateway Short Track Regional Series/Brown Management, Inc. at: www.bmsinco.com
BELLEVILLE, IL: Midget car racing returns to Belleville Illinois' Belle-Clair Speedway this Sunday, June 8th. The event will be the first of four midget shows held this summer at the popular St. Louis area dirt track.
Sanctioned by the Midwest Auto Racing Association (M.A.R.A.), the midgets' summertime visits to Belle-Clair have become the highlight of the area's open wheel racing calendar.
"Next to the Chili Bowl, Belle-Clair is one of my favorite tracks to see the midgets compete," said Brian Thompson, co-promoter of the Belle-Clair races. "The shows we had last year were very well received among fans and competitors alike".
Racers have likened the Belle-Clair track to a high-banked version of the Chili Bowl, a wildly popular indoor venue in Oklahoma which holds a midget event each January. Both tracks are similar in size (under a quarter-mile) but big in regards to action.
"This is exciting, bullring-style auto racing. No doubt about it. A driver is in traffic all the time here. The racing can get pretty wild!"
Defending M.A.R.A. champion Steve Knepper will be back in competition as will crowd-favorite Joey Montgomery who has a midget ride again this year. Montgomery, a local winged sprint car driver, won an M.A.R.A. race at Belle-Clair last season.
M.A.R.A. will be completing a special three day race weekend at Belle-Clair after racing in the region on Friday in Jacksonville, Illinois and Saturday in Farmington, Missouri. A strong field is expected on Sunday night as all Belle-Clair midget shows award points to the crowning of the Gateway Short Track Regional Series Championship. The series is sponsored by Hoosier Tire Midwest.
In addition to the midgets, the winged 600 cc micro sprints will be in action as well. Grandstand tickets are $10. Children under six will be admitted free. Race time on Sunday is 7 pm.
Belle-Clair Speedway is located at Routes 159 and 13 at the St. Clair County Fairgrounds in Belleville, Illinois.
For more information on the Belle-Clair midget races, contact co-promoters Kenny Brown at 618-473-9512 or Brian Thompson at 618-473-9512. Or, visit the official web-site of the Gateway Short Track Regional Series/Brown Management, Inc. at: www.bmsinco.com
