Webb Takes Hornet Challenge Win At Lincoln IL Speedway
LINCOLN, ILL. — Lincoln Speedway, in Lincoln, IL opened its gates for the third time in 2016 and did so with the best car count of the season. Fields were full for the $1,000 to win Hornet challenge and the POWRi/Illini D-II Midgets presented by Nutech Seed. The Pro Late Models were also on hand for their Midwest Big 10 Series opener in addition to Street Stocks and the Midwest Technical Institute Modifieds.
Without question, the race of the night was the Hornet challenge. With $1,000 on the line, some thought the race would be extremely rough, seeing a high number of cautions. That was not the case at all. With 23 cars taking the green flag, Adam Webb and Oscar Tipsword raced out front with Kenny Butterfield and Mike Eskew in tow. Butterfield, who started sixth, moved into the second spot on just the second lap. On lap four, Butterfield made one more move and took the lead from Webb. Not to give up easily, Webb took the lead back five laps later. Despite the huge competitive field, the race ran caution free until 14 laps were complete. On the next five lap green flag run, Butterfield grabbed the lead back to set the pace. Unfortunately, the lap 20 caution came out for the leader himself. As Butterfield raced down the front stretch, the powerplant let go on the machine, ending his night and his chance for a $1,000 top prize. While it was the end for Butterfield, Webb had two new challengers by way of Jeremy Reed and Jay Orr. Reed gave it a number of solid tries before a slip up helped Orr slip by. At the checkered, it was Decatur, IL driver Adam Webb claiming the trophy and $1,000 top prize. South Milwawkee, WI driver, Jay Orr took second and the $100 out of state bonus. Reed finished third, while Jay Gordon and Matthew Mackey rounded out the top five. Rounding out the top ten were Jerad Matherly, Derrick DeFord, Bob Sanders, Spencer Pavey, III, and Donnie Modesty. Reed claimed the Good Deal Auto Sales of Lincoln and Clinton dash.
Also on Friday night’s plate was the Midwest Big Ten Series Pro Late Model season opener. When the green dropped on the feature, New Berlin, IL driver, Nick Bauman raced into the lead. Bauman won the opening night feature back on April 15 and is coming off of a track championship at the 1/4-mile oval. On this night, no one had anything for Bauman as he pulled to a comfortable lead during the race which went caution free. Roben Huffman ran second for several laps before Jake Little made a move to get by. Little came from the fifth starting spot and was strong during the feature. Unfortunately for Little, he never got the caution he needed to close the gap and challenge Bauman for the win. At the checkered, the B1 of Bauman was followed by Little, Huffman, Andy Minett, and Brandon Eskew.
Kewanee, IL driver, Ray Bollinger, has been the epitome of success and domination early this season. That continued at the third show of the year, as Bollinger won his heat, giving him an outside row one starting position. Bollinger took the lead at the drop of the green and never looked back, giving him his third feature win of the year. Peoria, IL driver, Allen Weisser, was no slouch, staying within striking distance for much of the event. At the checkered, Bollinger and Weisser were followed by defending champion, Brian Lynn, Cory Daugherty, and Nathan Balensiefen. Curt Rhodes, Kelly Kovski, Collin Alexander, Cody Spirling, and Alan Crowder finished off the top ten.
In the UMP Street Stock class, Oreana, IL driver Kyle Waters raced his #26 out front with Tyler Benson in tow. Greg Osman and Brian Dasenbrock were two cars to watch, coming from the back of the starting field. At the wave of the checkered, Waters picked up the win, becoming the third different driver in three races to win features in the Lincoln Street Stock class. Waters was followed by Benson, Osman, Dasenbrock, and Tyler Gilmour.
An outstanding field of POWRi/Illini D-II Midgets presented by Nutech Seed were pitside for the night’s events. 26 quick and nimble wingless warriors lined up for the 20-lap feature event. After a couple failed opening starts, one of which included a turn one tumble, the field got rolling smoothly. 2015 track champion, Andy Baugh, of Mason City, IL drove out front and into the lead. Baugh turned down the Conklin Agrovantage Front Row Challenge, which awards a driver bonus money by starting at the back and winning. Baugh normally accepts but on this night he felt that starting first was a much better option than dropping to the back of the strong field. That thought was confirmed, as Baugh led convincingly out front. Behind him, Patrick Bruns, Corey Weyandt, and John Heydenreich were shuffling positions in the top five. The final ten laps of the race went caution free, which allowed Baugh to build up a margin of over four seconds to give him some breathing room while working traffic. Baugh crossed the stripe with his first feature win of the year, followed by Bruns, who continues to have a strong season. Weyandt, Heydenreich, and Tyler Vantoll finished off the top five. The rest of the top ten were Gedd Ross, Dave Baugh, Adam Taylor, Max Pozsgai, and Brent Burrows. At intermission, Mitchell Davis did accept the Conklin Agrovantage Front Row Challenge to start at the tail. Unfortunately, he got caught up in one of the early crashes and was eliminated from action.
Three nights are in the books at Lincoln Speedway and racing has been exciting thanks to the strong group of competitors the track is drawing on a weekly basis. Up next will be a huge show for the Logan County Fairgrounds facility, as the Tony Stewart owned-Arctic Cat All-Star Circuit of Champion 410 Sprint Cars will be flying around the 1/4-mile oval. It will be the first visit for the All-Star Sprints to the track and the only Illinois visit for the series in 2016.
Sprint car star, Dale Blaney, leads the current standings after claiming two wins in eight feature events. Chad Kemenah, Sheldon Haudenschild, Ryan Smith, and Cap Henry are currently in the top five. T.J. Michael, Tim Shaffer, Lee Jacobs, Danny Holtgraver, and Caleb Helms round out the top ten. Look for a large number of Central Illinois sprint car stars to battle head-to-head with the visitors.
The UMP Pro Late Models have just been added to the May 20 show in addition to the already scheduled Midwest Technical Institute Modifieds and POWRi/Illini D-II Midgets presented by Nutech Seed. Racing will start around 7:00 on that Friday evening.
For more information, follow Lincoln Speedway online at www.lincolnspeedwayil.com, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/LincolnILSpeedway), and Twitter (@LincolnILSpdwy). Updates are also available by calling the Track Enterprises office at 217-764-3200.
Lincoln Speedway is located at the Logan County Fairgrounds, in Lincoln, IL. The physical address is 1408 Short 11th St., Lincoln, IL 62656. Lincoln Speedway races a number of UMP classes as well as specials on a near bi-weekly schedule of Friday and Sunday evenings.
Lincoln Speedway Feature Results (Top 10’s)
Hornet Challenge – 1) Adam Webb-Decatur, IL 2) Jay Orr 3) Jeremy Reed 4) Jay Gordon 5) Matthew Mackey 6) Jerad Matherly 7) Derrick DeFord 8) Bob Sanders 9) Spencer Pavey, III 10) Donnie Modesty
UMP Big 10 Pro Late Models – 1) Nick Bauman-New Berlin, IL 2) Jake Little 3) Roben Huffman 4) Andy Minett 5) Brandon Eskew 6) Matt Beadles 7) Cody Maguire 8) Melissa Hansmeyer 9) Michael Maestus 10) Matt Taylor
Midwest Technical Institute Modifieds – 1) Ray Bollinger-Kewanee, IL 2) Allen Weisser 3) Brian Lynn 4) Cory Daugherty 5) Nathan Balensiefen 6) Curt Rhodes 7) Kelly Kovski 8) Collin Alexander 9) Cody Spirling 10) Alan Crowder
POWRi/Illini D-II Midgets Presented By Nutech Seed – 1) Andy Baugh-Mason City, IL 2) Patrick Bruns 3) Corey Weyandt 4) John Heydenreich 5) Tyler Vantoll 6) Gedd Ross 7) Dave Baugh 8) Adam Taylor 9) Max Pozsgai 10) Brent Burrows
UMP Street Stocks – 1) Kyle Waters-Oreana, IL 2) Tyler Benson 3) Greg Osman 4) Brian Dasenbrock 5)Tyler Gilmour 6) Chad Sauder 7) Jason Scrimpsher 8) Rudy Zaragoza 9) Phil Taylor
Category: Illinois, Lincoln Speedway
