MACON, Ill. –Â After missing two consecutive shows due to rain, Macon Speedway jumped back into high gear with the 95Q/Dynagraphics Firecracker 40s on Saturday night.
The program featured 40-lap features for the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models as well as the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds. Both of these 40-lappers saw an insane amount of drama and surprise over who would take the checkered flag.
Dakota Ewing got off to a rocky start in the Pro Late Model feature and started to fall backwards in the field of cars, while Jake Little cruised ahead with the lead.
As the race got off to a solid green-flag start, running 26 consecutive green-flag laps to start the race, Ewing was able to close the gap and took advantage of the caution.
As the race got bumper to bumper on the restart, Ewing made the pass for the lead two laps later. Jake Little tried to make a return, but slid up into the backstretch wall and slammed into the concrete.
With the green flag waving, Little was finished. Ewing held on and won.
The BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds not only raced a 40-lap feature, they did it topless. The battle of the night was definitely an exciting one, with Tommy Sheppard Jr. and Rodney Standerfer going at it.
Sheppard and Standerfer were matched up in the heat race, which saw Sheppard win with the help of the slide job in the fourth turn. Sheppard and Standerfer were mixing it up again in the feature and were on pace for another exciting who-can-win event.
Sheppard appeared dominant through the first 34 laps on the bottom of the track.
Following a restart, Sheppard tried the top groove and allowed Standerfer to close the gap and eventually pass for the lead. Sheppard came fighting right back and retook the lead with two laps remaining.
Standerfer gave Sheppard all he could handle with a slide job attempt for the lead and win coming out of the fourth corner, but it didn’t hold and Sheppard’s car went blasting into the wall and down the straightaway into victory lane.
As Standerfer’s modified was spinning out of control, 13th-starting Tim Hancock made the most of the opportunity and took the runner-up position away from Standerfer, who finished third.
Rudy Zaragoza took the win in the Archer’s Alley Street Stocks. Starting sixth and running strong, Zaragoza got the lead after some issues with Brian Dasenbrock, Terry Reed and Wes Biesenthal.
Once the cars were placed either off the track or at the tail of the field, Zaragoza ran away to take his first Macon Speedway feature of the season.
Zaragoza, a hearing-impaired racer, dedicated the race to his sister through sign language during the victory lane interview.
Scott Landers was game to take on Dennis Vandermeersch in the Sportsman division Saturday evening. Unfortunately, Vandermeersch had a little more working for him than Landers did and came out with another feature victory.
Tim Hancock started up front in the Neal Tire & Auto Pro Modified class, and when that happens, he usually takes the checkered flag. And it did indeed happen on the final Saturday of June.
Hancock got out ahead of Rob Timmons and Nick Justice and stayed that way for the full 15 laps.
The evening was capped off with the Hornets and Mike Eskew took the victory.
Eskew took on all comers in this 15-lap feature. Brady Reed, Anthony Sunshine and Steven Stine were all over the chance for the lead, but Eskew put on the blockers and kept everybody behind him for the the finish.