BRANDT Season Championships Coming To Macon Speedway Saturday

Drivers Racing For The Cups; Fans Winning Prizes

(Macon, IL) The engines will roar and the competition will be fierce, one last time in 2017, at Macon Speedway.  It’s BRANDT Season Championship “Racing For The Cup” presented by Decatur Memorial Hospital, this coming Saturday, September 30.  Season and track championships will be decided and fans will have numerous chances to win prizes, as the track gives back to its fans on the final night of the season.

The tightest point battle, entering the night, is in the UMP Sportsman class.  Monticello, IL driver, Timmy Dick, holds a six point lead on Danny Smith, which comes out to only three positions.  If Smith finishes three spots ahead of Dick on Saturday and they end in a tie, the tiebreaker goes to who has the most wins.  They currently each have two.  If that doesn’t break the tie, 2nd place finishes could.  Smith currently has the advantage in that category with one.  When it comes to feature wins, Springfield, IL area veteran, Dennis Vander Meersch is the one to watch, as he has won in back-to-back weeks.

The UMP B-Mod division points are still in doubt, as well.  The difference between point leader, Tim Hancock and second place point man, Cody Stillwell, is 18 points.  That’s a matter of nine feature positions.  To take the championship from Hancock, Stillwell would need to finish 10 positions ahead of him in the feature, since Hancock holds the tiebreaker with 13 wins.  Hancock has been rolling, winning eight features in-a-row at the 1/5-mile.  Saturday’s B-Mod feature winner will receive a prize pack from Richmond Gear, that includes a $200 product certificate, t-shirt, hat, pens, decals, and more.

One that is still up for grabs but is a longshot is the Billingsley Elite Wash UMP Modified championship.  Last year’s champion, Curt Rhodes, of Taylorville, IL, holds a 36 point lead over Mason City, IL’s Austin Lynn.  Lynn would need some bad luck for Rhodes plus a full 20 car field to have a chance to take the championship away, as he would need to finish 19 positions ahead of him for the championship.  The two have both had outstanding seasons but Rhodes has three wins and a second place finish in his last seven starts, enough to keep a comfortable lead.  Saturday’s Modified feature winner will receive a prize pack from Richmond Gear, that includes a $200 product certificate, t-shirt, hat, pens, decals, and more.

In the UMP Street Stock class, it’s been a yearlong battle between Brian Dasenbrock, of Decatur, IL, and Shawn Ziemer, of Boody, IL.  Ziemer picked up a win earlier this season and was looking like the championship favorite.  However, consistency by Dasenbrock over the second half of the year, including a stout second place finish this past Saturday night has given him a 54 point lead.  If Dasenbrock shows up on Saturday night, he will clinch this year’s championship, the first of his career.

The scenario is very similar to the Street Stocks, in the UMP Pro Late Model class.  New Berlin, IL driver Tommy Sheppard, Jr. leads the standings by 58.  If Sheppard is on the property with his racecar on Saturday night, he will clinch this year’s championship.  Jake Little, the Lincoln Speedway and Midwest Big Ten Pro Late Model champion, will likely come up just a little short of the Macon championship, after missing a couple nights this season.  For Sheppard, he came up just short in a Macon point battle in 2015, which means this would be his first career championship.

The only champion that is already declared is in the UMP Hornet class.  Decatur, IL driver, Dustin Reed, who has used a number of different cars to accumulate his points, has clinched the championship, leading by 102, entering the final night.  Reed is followed by Cook Crawford, from Lincoln, IL, who also finished second in the Lincoln Speedway points this season.

In addition to six divisions of racing, Spectator Drags will be held at intermission.  Spectator drags are an event where fans, crew members, or even drivers take their street legal vehicle onto the track and race one lap against one other competitors.  Whoever wins, advances to the next round.  There is no cost to compete.  Those who want to participate can contact the track to sign up.

Throughout the evening, numerous giveaways will take place as it’s also “Give Back To Fans Night”. The prize list is turning out to be huge, with donations from Texas Roadhouse, Walmart, Dale’s Southlake Pharmacy, Pop’s Place, Neal Tire & Auto, Donnelly’s CarQuest, Whit’s End 51, The Bullet Trap, Fisher’s Auto Repair II, ATI Fleet Services, Ok’s Transmission, Coziahr Harley Davidson, O’Charley’s Bar & Grill, Buffalo Wild Wings, Red Lobster, Cracker Barrel, Mathes Therapeutic Massage, Macon Speedway, All About Eyes, O’Reilly’s Auto Parts, & more.  It will all start when fans enter the gates, as the first 500 will receive free apps from the Texas Roadhouse.

Pit gates will open Saturday at 4:00, grandstands at 5:00, drivers meeting at 5:45, hotlaps at 6:00, and racing will begin at 7:00.  Grandstand admission is $15, while kids 11 and under are free.

About Macon Speedway:

For more information, follow Macon Speedway online at www.maconracing.com, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/maconracing) and Twitter (@maconspeedway). It’s easy to join the Macon Speedway text service. Fans can text MSFANS to 74574 to receive fan information. Drivers text MSDRIVERS to 74574 to receive driver information. Message and date rates apply. Updates are also available by calling Macon Speedway at 217-764-3000.

Macon Speedway is located nine miles south of Decatur on U.S. 51, then 0.6 miles west on Andrews Street and south to 205 N. Wiles. Macon Speedway hosts racing every Saturday night, plus many weeknight specials. Macon Speedway is a proud member of the Contingency Connection’s $100,000 Racer Rewards Program.

CURRENT STANDINGS (Top 10’s)

UMP Pro Late Models

Billingsley Elite Wash UMP Modifieds

UMP B-Mods

UMP Sportsman

UMP Street Stocks

UMP Hornets