By Adam Mackey
(Lincoln, IL) One of the most popular events on the Lincoln Speedway schedule, each season, is coming up this Friday night, August 20, when the Morrow Brothers Ford MOWA Sprint Cars come to town. Five other divisions will also race.
The MOWA 410 cubic inch winged sprint cars have had four events so far this season, while weather has wreaked havoc on several other events. Ayrton Gennetten bested a field of 28 cars in the season opener at Tri-City Speedway in Granite City, IL. Gennetten came right back in the second event of the season at Lee County Speedway to start his season two-for-two. The most recent events were at Jacksonville Speedway with Paul Nienhiser and Brandon Hanks claiming the checkered flags.
This Friday’s race will be MOWA’s 15th visit to the Logan County Fairgrounds in Lincoln, IL. Ten different drivers have found victory lane, namely Rico Abreu, who has won three of them including last year’s race. Nienhiser has also won three, while AJ Bruns, Carson Macedo, Christopher Bell, Ian Madsen, Jerrod Hull, Jimmy Hurley, Korey Weyant, and Willie Croft have also found victory lane.
The DIRTcar Pro Late Models have had a lot of solid shows at the track this season and this Friday night should be no different. New Berlin, IL driver, Jose Parga, has been dominant this season anywhere he has gone and that includes Lincoln, where he has won six out of the seven features. Parga leads the standings by 44 over Jake Little. Blaise Baker, Roben Huffman, and Colby Sheppard complete the top five. Dakota Ewing, Parga’s teammate, is the only driver other than Parga to find victory lane.
Ray Bollinger enters Friday’s event atop the DIRTcar Modified points at the track, leading by 62 over many-time champion, Brian Lynn. Typically, Bollinger doesn’t run the full season at the track, missing several events. This year, the Kewanee, IL driver is only two weeks away from claiming the championship. Bollinger and Lynn are followed by Tommy Sheppard, Austin Lynn, and Brandon Roberts.
Peoria, IL driver, Mark McMahill leads the way in the Simplot DII Midget class at the track, claiming three of the six feature wins this year. Tyler Roth is 72 points behind, while Will Armitage, John Heitzman, and Kelli Harter round out the top five. Andy Baugh has claimed two wins, while Jake Neuman has taken one this season. The Simplot DII Front Row Challenge will be up to $700 for this week’s event.
The DIRTcar Hornet championship battle is a tight one entering the final two-point weeks at the track. Kenny Butterfield, of Kingston Mines, IL and Erik Vanapeldoorn from Clinton, IL have each won two of the seven features with Butterfield holding an eight point advantage. Jay Mariuzza, Allan Harris, and Cook Crawford complete the top five.
Rounding out Friday’s action will be the DIRTcar KidModz division with young drivers from age 8-16 competing in Modified division cars.
Pit gates will open Friday at 3:00, grandstands at 5:00, hotlaps will start at 6:00, and racing will take the green at 7:00 PM. Grandstand admission is $20, 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 DIRTcar UMP classes as well as specials on a near bi-weekly schedule of Friday and Sunday evenings. The track is also home to the DIRTcar Fall Nationals.