Taylor Doubles Up at Macon Speedway
By BZ
(Macon, IL) Guy Taylor is at it again. Taylor won championships and point series during the 2021 season with a lot of help and a little luck. 2022 continues to prove that the help and the luck is still there. After taking all 15 laps in the Pro Modified feature race, Taylor wheeled his Pro Modified into the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds A-Modified feature race with a tenth place starting position and looked like a lock for a top five finish. Then things started to happen. On the restart during lap 16, leader Tim Luttrell was challenged by second place driver Jared Thomas. As they got together, Thomas got loosened up and fell midway through the field of 22-starting cars. As the flag laps started to come, Taylor’s car worked its way to the front to take the lead on lap 19 and then be the first across the finish a lap later. Luttrell’s bid for his first Macon Speedway feature win will need to wait one more week, at least, because Taylor stole the show.
Dustin’s Lucky Slots in Taylorville chipped in with a $100 bonus to the winner of both Pro Modified and BillingsleyRewards.com Modified features. The money went to the same guy…Guy Taylor.
The big feature attraction for the night was the Bistro 51 Street Stocks racing in the Bruce Dulgar Classic, a special race in honor of a former champion, official and friend of Macon Speedway and racing in general, Bruce Dulgar. The $750-to-the-winner prize along with the 6-foot trophy went to a familiar face in Macon Speedway’s victory lane during 2022–Zane Reitz. The driver from Veedersburg, Indiana, has won three times already at Macon during the season and he added another win to the total, including back-to-back weeks.
The race also featured the return of “Mr. Excitement,” Al Crawley. Crawley was a Macon Speedway winning regular in the Modified class during the 1980s & 1990s, claiming many championships along the way. After taking his heat race by leading all eight laps, Crawley was positioned in the front row along with Reitz. When the race went green, Crawley spun in the first & second turns and was tagged by another car which popped the radiator and led to a liquid trail coming from his car. Crawley’s night would be over before the first lap would be recorded. Reitz would be fast and strong to the finish.
A couple of champions and long-time drivers matched up toe-to-toe in the Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman division feature. Dennis Vandermeersch and Wes O’Dell were giving it all they had to put on a show and also go for the checkered flag. Vandermeersch looked locked in for the trophy but O’Dell got things together and made a run at the leader. Vandermeersch powered forward and claimed his fourth feature win of 2022.
The Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Model feature was another race that was filled with late passing and a strong finish as Jose Parga made it number four on the year. Colby Sheppard was looking to get the checkered flag once again and was in control for most of the first part of the 20 laps. Sheppard kept trying to run up the track but missed his spots and his line and was bouncing off the cushion of dirt and slowing his car down that allowed Parga to put together the rally he needed to take the lead on lap 13. With seven laps to go, Parga was holding the checkered flag.
Hayden Harvey of Warrensburg has had a tough season but put together a good night in the Micro Sprints Presented by Bailey Chassis. After using a late pass to win his heat race, Harvey started second row inside and after leader John Barnard came off the track after the first lap, Harvey seized the opportunity to lead and took off. Daryn Stark chased him down but couldn’t catch up to Harvey as he claimed his first win of the year.
The night’s racing was capped off with a small field of Hornets but an exciting race was shown as Tristin Quinlan nearly got his first win of 2022. A caution flag brough the action to a slower pace that allowed Brady Reed to get by and take the lead from the top. For the first nine laps, Quinlan did all he could to stop Reed as well as David Lauritson and Billy Mason from taking the lead away. The action was really impressive with those four drivers from start to finish.
Next Saturday night Macon Speedway hosts Church Night as area pastors race to determine who is the Faster Pastor. The Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models will race two features as they make up the rained out feature from June 25th. Plus action from the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds, 51 Bistro Street Stocks, Pro Modifieds, Micro Sprints Presented by Bailey Chassis and the Hornets.
FEATURE RESULTS (Top 10’s)
Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models
- 6P-Jose Parga[New Berlin, IL]; 2. 27-Colby Sheppard[Williamsville, IL]; 3. 122-Timmy Dick[Monticello, IL]; 4. 10-Blake Damery[Macon, IL]; 5. 10C-Colby Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 6. 55-Rockett Bennett[Argenta, IL]; 7. 11-Ryan Miller[Lincoln, IL]; 8. 14-Derek Smith[Decatur, IL]; 9. 64-Donny Koehler[Macon, IL]; 10. 17-Ian Logan[Petersburg, IL]
BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds
- 4T-Guy Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 2. 99-Tim Luttrell[Riverton, IL]; 3. 28-Rodney Standerfer[Summerfield, IL]; 4. 3L-Jeremy Nichols[Lovington, IL]; 5. 4M-Clint Martin[Ramsey, IL]; 6. 28S-Joe Strawkas[Buffalo, IL]; 7. 00S-Cody Stilwell[Godfrey, IL]; 8. 43-Jared Thomas[Edinburg, IL]; 9. 71-Jeff Graham[Stonington, IL]; 10. 69L-Jim Lafferty[Gillespie, IL]
DIRTcar Pro Mods
- 4T-Guy Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 2. 360-John Seets III[Brighton, IL]; 3. 15C-Kevin Crowder[Argenta, IL]; 4. 78-Maxx Emerson[Taylorville, IL]; 5. 12-Dean Holt[Decatur, IL]; 6. 7B-Brian Burns[Bethany, IL]; 7. (DNF) 24M-Matt Milner[Chatham, IL]; 8. (DNF) 24Z-Zach Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 9. (DNF) 27X-Joel Irvin[Harristown, IL]; 10. (DNS) 15-Aiden Page
Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman
- 25-Dennis Vander Meersch[Springfield, IL]; 2. 87-Wes O’Dell[Springfield, IL]; 3. 41-Scott Landers[Taylorville, IL]; 4. 84L-Jim Farley III[Springfield, IL]; 5. 11-Rick Roedel[Shelbyville, IL]; 6. 07-Phil Moreland[Assumption, IL]; 7. 12M-Terry Myers[Buffalo, IL]; 8. 55-Tim Riech[Petersburg, IL]; 9. 21-Ed Cleeton[Tovey, IL]; 10. 5S-Ronald Bacon[Decatur, IL]
51 Bistro Big Ten Street Stocks
- 55-Zane Reitz[Veedersburg, IN]; 2. R1-Jim Ransom[Williamsport, IN]; 3. 11-Terry Reed[Cerro Gordo, IL]; 4. 16-Nick Macklin[Argenta, IL]; 5. 2Z-Andy Zahnd[White Heath, IL]; 6. 67-Rudy Zaragoza[Jacksonville, IL]; 7. 17-Bobby Beiler[Blue Mound, IL]; 8. 80-Brian J Dasenbrock[Decatur, IL]; 9. 4-Zach Clark[Illiopolis, IL]; 10. J98-Jordan Smith[Argenta, IL]
DIRTcar Hornets
- 324-Brady Reed[Decatur, IL]; 2. 95Q-Tristin Quinlan[Decatur, IL]; 3. 15-David Lauritson[Normal, IL]; 4. 357-Billy Mason[Brownstown, IL]; 5. MJ3-Mark Burgess Jr[East Peoria, IL]; 6. 20B-Bridget Fulton[Marissa, IL]; 7. (DNS) 15T-Taryn Page
Micros By Bailey Chassis
- 55H-Hayden Harvey[Warrensburg, IL]; 2. 55S-Daryn Stark[Springfield, IL]; 3. 17-Molly Day[East Peoria, IL]; 4. 92-John Plotner[Decatur, IL]; 5. 20M-Mattison Lienemann[Granite City, IL]; 6. 88-Billy Lieb[Hammond, IL]; 7. 16W-Hunter Walker[Decatur, IL]; 8. 11-Alex Midkiff[Belleville, IL]; 9. 00-Joe Taft[Davison, IL]; 10. 30R-Lance Rockwell[Jacksonville, IL]
Category: Illinois