LINCOLN, Ill. -- Race fans in Illinois will get their first and only taste of the USMTS Casey’s General Stores National Tour powered by Swan Energy as the series gears up for a trio of events in the Land of Lincoln this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 13-15.
All three events will pay $2,000 to win and award USMTS points in the Arnold Motor Supply Central States Region where Ryan “The Reaper” Gustin currently leads the rankings. Others expected this weekend include Johnny Scott, nine-time USMTS National Champion Kelly Shryock, Zack VanderBeek, Rodney Sanders, Colt Mather, Bryan Rowland, Mark Dotson, Rick Beebe, Tommy Myer, Chris Spieker, Jon Tesch and many more.
On Friday, the Lincoln Speedway welcomes the rugged USMTS road warriors to the 1/4-mile semi-banked dirt oval for the first time, and series regulars can expect a fierce field of drivers with home field advantage such as current track points leader Allen Weisser, Butch Weisser, Brian Lynn, Matt Goulden, Tommy Duncan, Guy Taylor, Floyd Jordan, Jackie Willis Jr., Jeff Leka and Jeff Sparks.
Pit gates open at 4 p.m. and spectator gates open at 5 with hot laps set for 7 and the first heat race slated for 7:30 p.m. Also on the racing card will be E-Mods, Street Stocks and Wild Things.
The Lincoln Speedway is located 1.6 miles east of I-55 (exit 126) on SR 10, then left to the north access road (at the Logan County Fairgrounds). For more information, call the track hotline at 217-735-1833 or visit www.lincolnspeedway.org online.
Saturday will find the touring USMTS titans at the Spoon River Speedway in Lewistown for the first time since 2002 when Peoria’s Jim Hibser and veteran Mark Noble each picked up wins during a two-day contest.
Brian Lynn, Allen Weisser, Jason Wagner, Austin May, Matt Goulden, J.D. Beal, Micheal Bantz, Mark Zimmer, Bobby Allen and Butch Weisser are just a few of the track regulars who will be looking to keep the $2,000 winner’s share of the prize money in the local economy. Allen finished second to Chasteen in the inaugural USMTS event at Spoon River on May 3, 2001.
Pits will open at 4 p.m., grandstands open at 5, hot laps are at 6:30 and racing starts at 7 p.m. UMP Pro Crate Late Models and E-Mods will also be on hand for the event.
The Spoon River Speedway is a 3/8-mile high-banked clay oval located 7.5 miles south of Banner on US 24, then west on SR 2465. For more information, contact the Speedway at 309-668-2622 or check out www.spoonriverspeedway.webs.com.
Sunday, May 15, action will take place at the Quincy Raceways for the first time since 2005 when Dirt Knights driver Al Hejna took the checkered flag. Other former winners at the semi-banked 1/4-mile clay oval include Henry Delonjay, Mie Chasteen and another star of the Dirt Knights TV show, Mike Spaulding.
Late Models, UMP Modifieds, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, and 4-Cylinder Wild Things will also be racing. Pit gates open at 3:30 p.m., grandstands at 4:30, drivers meeting and registration ends at 5:30, hot laps are at 5:45 and racing begins at 6:30 p.m.
The Quincy Raceways is located 3.0 miles east of Quincy on SR 104 (Broadway St.). For more information call the track hotline at 217-224-4100 or go to www.quincyraceways.com on the World Wide Web.
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