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Macon Speedway goes out with a Bang
By Brett Zerfowski 

MACON, IL (June 5) - Another exciting evening with over one-hundred racecars paved the way for a fireworks display from USA Fireworks.  Macon Speedway once again offered three classes of Hornets and the annual Faster Pastor event which brought church congregations near and far to the premier motorsports facility in Illinois. 

The Touchstone Energy Sportsman feature was filled with excitement as the top three cars changed spots throughout the 15-lap feature.  Decatur’s Mike Pickering took the early lead and rode the high side throughout the race and battled Dave Crawley, Jr., also of Decatur, and Springfield’s Dennis Vandermeersch.  Crawley and Vandermeersch stayed low.  Heading out of the second turn of the 12^th lap, Pickering got caught up and that opened the door for Crawley to take over coming to the green of the 13^th lap.  Crawley went up to the high side for the first time in the entire race and fended off Pickering to take his fifth feature in the division.  Pickering, Vandermeersch and defending champion Rick Roedel took fourth. 

That was only the beginning for Dave Crawley, Jr. as he had another battle on his hands, this time with Argenta’s Danny Smith for the Modified feature.  Smith led until the second turn of the seventh lap in which Crawley took over on the backstretch and started to dominate the field.  After Crawley began to stretch his lead over second-place Smith, the real race became the battle for fifth with Aaron Burcham and Darcey Wey.  Both pushing off the inside of the track, Burcham held off Wey until the final lap and the final turn as Wey grabbed enough traction on the bottom to get by Burcham and finish fifth. 

The Best Fan in the Stands finisher for the $100 bonus from All-Service Racing Parts & Sheet Metal was for tenth place, which is where the patriotic All-Service Modified finished, driven by US Army soldier Jason Ritter. 

Decatur Used Cars sponsored another race in the Big Ten Street Stock Series, a $500-to-win event, at Macon Speedway.  This was another race which saw drama and late lead changes.  Terry Reed and Kevin Crowder were the top two cars with less than five laps to go of the 15-lap A-Main feature.  As they hit the front stretch, Reed, the leader, got tangled up with a lapped car and caused him tire damage.  With his car slowing, Crowder drove off and the Argenta native took his first Street Stock feature of 2010. 

Saturday marked the first time the Mini Sprints visited Macon Speedway and were able to race.  All other attempts have been foiled by rain and Mother Nature.  To prepare them for the 1^st ever Building Systems of Illinois Mini Sprints Nationals Sponsored by Hyper Chassis, Hollingsworth Performance, Saldana Racing Products, Horve Builders, Pipeworks Inc. (June 18 & 19), the Mini Sprints ran a 20-lap feature for $300-to-win.  This race only had one caution, sponsored by Agency One Insurance and Real Estate, and the polesitter Colin Voiles won the event.  There was only one lead change as second-place finisher Devon Feger passed Voiles in the second turn of the fourth lap but coming to the fourth turn of the same lap Voiles retook the top spot. 

The High School Hornets were featured for the second time at Macon Speedway and 15-year-old Michael Tucker from Decatur St. Teresa High School took the top prize.  In other Hornet action, Benjamin McChristy grabbed his first Amateur Hornet feature of 2010 and former Amateur Hornet driver Heidi Hames won her first Pro Hornet feature. 

During intermission, seven area pastors raced to find out who was the 2010 Faster Pastor.  BG Nevitt of GT Church started on the pole and dashed off to the lead and ran away with the race.  Hidden Valley Community Church pastor Todd Tuggle finished second. 

Macon Speedway prepares again for the Lite Beer Twin 50s featuring the 50-lap features for the UMP Late Models and the Modifieds.  Touchstone Energy Sportsman, Street Stocks and Pro and Amateur Hornets will be on the slate as well.