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Sheppard Scores Modified Win Ahead of Summer Nationals

By BZ

(Macon, IL) Defending BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds track champion Tommy Sheppard, Jr. defended his turf on Air King Night in the 20-lap feature and set his week up for some big events in the coming days at Macon Speedway.Taking the lead from the get-go, Sheppard wheeled high and kept distance between himself and Highland's Jacob Steinkoenig as the green flag laps stretched through the race. Lapped traffic also played a role in the race as Sheppard put some slower cars between him and Steinkoenig and the followers. The stacked field all but sets the stage for this week's exciting racing. Thursday night is the annual Herald & Review 100 with a special $1,500-to-win Modified feature. Next Saturday, the Modified racecars will battle for a first place prize of at least $2,500 in the Diane Bennett Memorial Race. Sheppard has his sights set on both.

The Archer's Alley Street Stocks also featured a stacked field with former feature winners and track champions and through 15-lap A-Main laps, the race was up for grabs. Bobby Beiler, who has won many features and championships, got the start from the pole position and looked solid from the start. Jeremy Nichols, Nick Macklin, Terry Reed, Darrell Dick and Wes Biesenthal were all part of the top three rows and all six of the drivers were in the running for the win. Beiler led Macklin and Dick through the turns but a car lost control in front them and Dick had nowhere to go and blasted into it and the car was never the same. That left Beiler and Macklin to battle and not many can get passed Beiler when he's running the top side and Macklin almost was able to do it.

In the Pro Modified division, Kyle Helmick started from the front row and stayed out of trouble to lead to the checkered flag. Dalton Ewing was closing in but ran out of time after spending the majority of the race chasing down the second place position from Billy Knebel. For Helmick, it was his second feature win of the 2020 season at Macon.

Dennis Vandermeersch claimed the win again in the Sportsman class. Starting behind defending champion Scott Landers in the second row, the multi-time champion got passed Landers and leader Rick Roedel to snatch the lead and nearly coast to another checkered flag. Wes O'Dell made things interesting late, thanks in part to a caution flag that allowed the group to bunch up again as the final flags were waving.

Jake Little was in the winner in the Pro Late Model division. An unusual turnout of cars in the field helped Little race to the lead and stay ahead of the competitors on the track.

Trevin Littleton used his speed and quickness to weave past Molly Day and Hayden Harvey to once again claim victory in the Micro Sprints Presented by Bailey Chassis.

The night closed with a first. A first win ever for Brownstown driver Billy Mason. The racer ran a perfect race in an attempt to keep ahead of 2019 Hornet Track Champion Mike Eskew as well as many-time feature winner Brady Reed. Mason celebrated the evening's final checkered flag with family and friends in victory lane.

Seven exciting divisions and 135 racecars jammed the pits in a great return to racing following a rainout to start August. The next events include the 40th Annual Herald & Review 100, as part of the UMP DIRTcar Summer Nationals on Thursday. Super Late Models and BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds will compete. Returning to racing on Saturday in the Diane Bennett Memorial Night of Racing Presented by Dale's Southlake Pharmacy, six racing classes along with bonus money added from sponsors, drivers and fans have made the night's feature finishes even that more challenging. Over $2,500 to win in both of the Pro Late Models and the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds, plus over $1,000-to-win in the Archer's Alley Street Stocks, better than $350 for the Hornets, plus added money for the Pro Modifieds plus Micro Sprints Presented by Bailey Chassis will be on the program for Saturday night. 

FEATURE RESULTS (Top 10’s)

BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds 

(1) 2 +1 Tommy Sheppard Jr New Berlin, IL T6 (2) 6 +4 Jacob Steinkoenig Highland, IL 24S (3) 13 +10 Shaun Horstmann Highland, IL 54 (4) 3 -1 Brian Diveley Springfield, IL 11D (5) 16 +11 Rodney Standerfer Summerfield, IL 28 (6) 4 -2 Zeb Moake Freeburg, IL 87Z (7) 1 -6 Curt Rhodes Taylorville, IL 10 (8) 10 +2 Willy Myers Collinsville, IL 21M (9) 12 +3 Robert Lee Sorento, IL 88 (10) 5 -5 Rob Timmons Centralia, IL 5T

DIRTcar Pro Late Models

(1) 3 +2 Jake Little Springfield, IL 38J (2) 4 +2 Blake Damery Blue Mound, IL 10 (3) 1 -2 Roben Huffman Midland City, IL 33H (4) 5 +1 Jarod Shasteen Macon, IL 21 (5) 2 -3 Brady Lynch Hillsboro, IL 14B (6) 6 - Greg Johnson Taylorville, IL 2 (7) 7 - Derek Smith Decatur, IL 14 (DNS) - - Ryan Little Springfield, IL 38L

DIRTcar Pro Mods

(1) 1 - Kyle Helmick Smithton, IL 27X (2) 4 +2 Dalton Ewing Decatur, IL 27 (3) 2 -1 Billy Knebel Pocahontas, IL 52 (4) 10 +6 Billy Justice Jr Cerro Gordo, IL 43 (5) 6 +1 Maxx Emerson Taylorville, IL 78 (6) 3 -3 Ryan Timmons Centralia, IL 23 (7) 13 +6 Kevin Crowder Argenta, IL 15C (8) 8 - Brian Burns Bethany, IL 7B (9) 16 +7 Tanner King Jackson, MO 9 (10) 11 +1 Cody Ventimiglia Highland, IL 63V

DIRTcar Sportsman 

(1) 3 +2 Dennis Vander Meersch Springfield, IL 25 (2) 5 +3 Wes O'Dell Springfield, IL 87 (3) 2 -1 Rick Roedel Shelbyville, IL 11 (4) 1 -3 Scott Landers Taylorville, IL 41 (5) 6 +1 Terry Myers Buffalo, IL 12M (6) 4 -2 Ethan Schnapp Springfield, IL 2S (7) 8 +1 Phil Moreland Assumption, IL 07 (8) 7 -1 Dustin Reed Decatur, IL 21R (9) 12 +3 Carter Dart Springfield, IL D7 (10) 13 +3 Bill Berghaus Chapin, IL 44

Archers Alley Street Stocks

(1) 1 - Bobby Beiler Blue Mound, IL B26 (2) 4 +2 Nick Macklin Argenta, IL 16 (3) 2 -1 Jeremy Nichols Lovington, IL 67R (4) 5 +1 Terry Reed Cerro Gordo, IL T5 (5) 10 +5 Tommy Pickering Cerro Gordo, IL 199 (6) 7 +1 Zach Taylor Springfiel, IL Z24 (7) 15 +8 Brian Dasenbrock Decatur, IL 08 (8) 12 +4 Javin Coleman Champaign, IL P53 (9) 16 +7 John Bright Jr Long Creek, IL 808 (10) 13 +3 Brian Dasenbrock Jr Decatur, IL 80

DIRTcar Hornets 

(1) 3 +2 Billy Mason Brownstown, IL 357 (2) 5 +3 Mike Eskew Springfield, IL 21 (3) 6 +3 Brady Reed Decatur, IL 32B (4) 2 -2 Jacob Shanks Decatur, IL 31 (5) 1 -4 Ken Reed Decatur, IL 98 (6) 7 +1 Bill Basso Athens, IL 44 (7) 10 +3 Marty Sullivan Decatur, IL 39M (8) 9 +1 Cook Crawford Lincoln, IL 1 (9) 4 -5 Carson Dart Springfield, IL 66D (10) 12 +2 Casey Eskew Springfield, IL 20

Micros By Bailey Chassis 

(1) 4 +3 Trevin Littleton Jacksonville, IL 44 (2) 2 - Molly Day Allerton, IL 17 (3) 8 +5 Alex Midkiff Belleville, IL 11 (4) 11 +7 Paul Day Atwood, IL 84 (5) 9 +4 Aidan Roosevans O' Fallon, IL 1X (6) 1 -5 Hayden Harvey Warrensburg, IL 55 (7) 15 +8 John Barnard Sherman, IL 8B (8) 7 -1 Jacob Tipton Decatur, IL 10 (9) 13 +4 Kyle Barker Cooksville, IL 27 (10) 10 - Daryn Stark Springfield, IL 55S

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