By Adam Mackey
(Lincoln, IL) After a long wait, the Built Ford Tough MOWA Sprint Cars presented by Morrow Brothers are finally ready to get their 2020 season underway. The popular tour will race for the first time in 2020, this Friday, July 17 at Lincoln Speedway, in Lincoln, IL. The track’s weekly classes will also be in action.
Last season, Paul Nienhiser claimed the point championship for the MOWA Sprints, while Lincoln, IL’s Cory Bruns was second in the standings. Kyle Schuett, Jacob Patton, and Jeremy Standridge were the rest of the top five in points.
At the 2019 Lincoln Speedway event, popular sprint car driver, Rico Abreu, claimed the win, while Parker Price-Miller, Jason Keith, Jordan Goldesberry, and Austin McCarl rounded out the top five. 27 drivers were on hand.
Abreu, from St. Helena, CA, will be looking to win his second in-a-row at the track this Friday night. Abreu is coming off an Ohio Speedweek win, last week, with the All Star Sprints at Muskingum County Speedway. Abreu will have his work cut out for him against the Central Illinois contingent.
Racing in the DIRTcar Pro Late Model class has been top notch with a handful of drivers racing hard for wins each week. Ashland, IL’s Brandon Eskew and Springfield, IL’s Jake Little are tied at the top of the standings and it looks like one of those two drivers will take this year’s championship, having a 70 point lead on the rest of the pack. Eskew has won two features, while Little has claimed one. Teammates Dakota Ewing and Jose Parga have claimed the other two wins this season. Roben Huffman, Braden Bilger, and Colby Sheppard complete the top five in points.
The fields of Modifieds have been great, averaging 22 per night over the first five nights. Mason City, IL driver, Austin Lynn, leads the standings by 32 over his dad, Brian. While it’s definitely not insurmountable, the elder Lynn will have his work cut out for him as he looks to add to his record number of track championships at the speedway. Ray Bollinger, Donovan Lodge, and Brian Diveley round out the top five in points. Feature winners this year include A. Lynn (1), Bollinger (2), Lodge (1), and Diveley (1).
Mark McMahill leads the standings in the Nutech Seed DII Midget class and has been close to finding victory lane. Will Armitage has found victory lane and is second in the points, while Tyler Roth is third, despite a rollover last weekend. Dave Baugh and nephew, Andy Baugh, are fourth and fifth. Andy Baugh has won three of the four features this year but was not in attendance the other night, which leaves him 40 points behind in the championship chase. This week’s Nutech Seed Front Row Challenge is at $200, after it was claimed two races ago.
Rounding out the weekly contingent of racers is the DIRTcar Hornet class, which has been strong every week. Clinton, IL driver, Erik Vanapeldoorn, is the point leader in the class but by only six over Dallas Strauch. Brady Reed is third, while David Lauritson is fourth and Jimmy Dutlinger fifth. The top four in the standings have each won a feature this year. Part-time Lincoln Speedway racer, Joe Reed has also claimed a feature win. The top three in the standings are within a meager six points of one another.
Rounding out Friday’s busy card will be the KidModz and a special lap from the Abraham Lincoln Quarter Midget kids.
Pits open Friday at 3:00, grandstands at 4:00, local division pill draw will end at 5:50, hotlaps begin at 6:00, and racing will take the green at 7:00. Grandstand admission is $18, while kids 11 and under are free.
About Lincoln Speedway:
For more information on the track, 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 is a proud member of the Contingency Connection’s $150,000 Racer Rewards Program.