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Parga Returns to Macon Speedway Victory Lane

By BZ

(Macon, IL) Tough luck has kept Jose Parga from being at Macon Speedway. Whether it was timing and scheduling conflicts or a broken hauler, Parga had yet to appear at a track he won a lot of races. His return Saturday night propelled him to victory lane during the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Model feature.

At the beginning of the race, Dalton Ewing was in control until his car got locked to the backstretch wall like a magnet and pulled his car to a stop in the third turn. When the race resumed, Parga was in the lead. And that turned into the beginning of the end. The closest race was between the second and third place cars, Colby Sheppard and Dakota Ewing. Sheppard managed to stay ahead of Ewing for the final 15 laps riding at the top of the track while Ewing was racing on the bottom groove. The top three separated themselves from fourth place through the end of the field.

Jacob Steinkoenig returned to the winner's circle in the BillingsleyRewards.com Modified feature race. Steinkoenig started fifth and got out to an early lead thanks to Nick Justice's car giving out on him. The race was turning close in the final laps as last week's feature winner Guy Taylor made his move to the front. Taylor started ninth and ran up and down the track to move to the front during the 20-lap feature race. Taylor ran out of time as Steinkoenig turned the laps in quickly and the race made consecutive green flag laps. Tim Luttrell was working towards the leader but ran into some slick spots and lost second place to Taylor. He managed to finish third. Zach Rhodes returned to Macon Speedway for the first time in 2022 and raced his father's #10. Zach's father Curt, a former BillingsleyRewards.com Modified champion, passed away earlier in 2022. Rhodes would finish fourth in the 17-car field.

Austin Seets took top honors in the Pro Modified division Saturday night. Starting from the pole but fending off Zach Taylor and Guy Taylor, the race was all but easy for Seets. Zach Taylor had taken the lead during the white flag lap but a spinout took the race lineup back to the way the drivers were scored on the last completed green flag lap which had Seets ahead of Taylor. Guy Taylor was caught in the spinout and tore up his right side of the car. He would exit the track and came back out. He was no longer able to be third place and had to go to the tail of the field. When the race returned to green, Seets kept his bottom line groove and won over Taylor.

Dennis Vandermeersch took the win in the Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman division. After a dicey beginning and middle, the race calmed down after cars were wrecking and bouncing off the wall and each other.

Bobby Beiler took the top spot in the 51 Bistro Street Stocks. Coming from the third row inside position, Beiler made his move for the lead on the seventh lap and re-positioned Terry Reed to second place. Jaret Duff came the top of the track to score second place in the feature results as Reed came to third place. Zach Reitz from Indiana started third, went to the back for spinning out a driver with two laps complete, and ran up the field to finish fourth. Jordan Smith took the fifth place finishing spot.

A 16-year-old kid graced the Macon Speedway victory lane as Daryn Stark from Springfield was the winner in the Micro Sprint feature presented by Bailey Chassis. Coming from fifth starting place, Stark zinged his way to second place and was running behind Brody Strong, the polesitter. On lap 9, Stark made his move and took off, passing Strong and never looking back as he went on to score the checkered flag.

The 7-division night of racing finished with the Hornets as Jeremy Reed picked up feature win number two at Macon Speedway. Reed got ahead of Jacob Shanks on lap 2 and then took away with the lead. For the final 15 laps of the feature, he was tailed and followed bumper-to-bumper by Mike Eskew. Eskew was not able to make his move for the lead and pass Reed. Last week's feature winner Brady Reed took third as he started tenth place.

The 7-division night of racing was finished a few minutes after 10pm with nearly 100 racecars in the pits. The night was also full with bicycle giveaways during the CEFCU Kids Club Big Bike Giveaway. 25 sponsors donated bicycles for kids to win Saturday night with more than 40 new bicycles going home to lucky race fans.

Lincoln Speedway hosts the Vintage Racing of Illinois Series on Friday night. Pro Late Models, Modifieds, Street Stocks, D-2 Midgets, Hornets and the VRI will make up a great night racing. Saturday night at Macon Speedway is the 95Q Armed Forces Night where active military with proper ID will be admitted for free. Another 7-division night of racing will on hand with the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models, BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds, Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman, 51 Bistro Street Stocks, Pro Modifieds, Micro Sprints Presented by Bailey Chassis and the Hornets will be on the schedule. 

FEATURE RUNDOWNS (Top 10’s) 

Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models

6P-Jose Parga[New Berlin, IL]; 2. 27-Colby Sheppard[Williamsville, IL]; 3. 25-Dakota Ewing[Warrensburg, IL]; 4. 34-Eric Doran[Clinton, IL]; 5. 10C-Colby Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 6. 11-Ryan Miller[Lincoln, IL]; 7. 55-Rockett Bennett[Argenta, IL]; 8. 7Z-Michael Maestas[Lincoln, IL]; 9. (DNF) 27E-Dalton Ewing[Decatur, IL]; 10. (DNF) 9B-Brandon Miller[Broadwell, IL]

BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds 

24S-Jacob Steinkoenig[Highland, IL]; 2. 4T-Guy Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 3. 99-Tim Luttrell[Riverton, IL]; 4. 11-Zach Rhodes[Taylorville, IL]; 5. 18-Jarrett Stryker[Breese, IL]; 6. 11D-Brian Diveley[Springfield, IL]; 7. 24M-Matt Milner[Chatham, IL]; 8. 24-Zach Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 9. 98D-Danny Smith[Argenta, IL]; 10. 87C-Alan Crowder[Elwin, IL]

DIRTcar Pro Mods 

67-Austin Seets[Brighton, IL]; 2. 24-Zach Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 3. 15C-Kevin Crowder[Argenta, IL]; 4. 33-Josh Robb[Mt. Zion, IL]; 5. 4T-Guy Taylor[Springfield, IL]; 6. 24M-Matt Milner[Chatham, IL]; 7. 12-Dean Holt[Decatur, IL]; 8. 78-Maxx Emerson[Taylorville, IL]; 9. 4-James Burgess[Riverton, IL]; 10. (DNS) 360-John Seets III [Brighton, IL]

Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman

25-Dennis Vander Meersch[Springfield, IL]; 2. 07-Phil Moreland[Assumption, IL]; 3. 84L-Jim Farley III[Springfield, IL]; 4. 41-Scott Landers[Taylorville, IL]; 5. 11M-Roy Magee[Springfield, IL]; 6. (DNF) 11-Rick Roedel[Shelbyville, IL]; 7. (DNF) 04-Steve Stine[Stonington, IL]; 8. (DNF) 5S-Ronald Bacon[Decatur, IL]; 9. (DNF) 21-Ed Cleeton[Tovey, IL]; 10. (DNS) 14-Cole Landers [Taylorville, IL]

51 Bistro Street Stocks 

17-Bobby Beiler[Blue Mound, IL]; 2. 21-Jaret Duff[Maroa, IL]; 3. 11-Terry Reed[Cerro Gordo, IL]; 4. 55-Zane Reitz[Veedersburg, IN]; 5. J98-Jordan Smith[Argenta, IL]; 6. 67-Rudy Zaragoza[Jacksonville, IL]; 7. 08-Brian Dasenbrock[Decatur, IL]; 8. 95Q-Damon Suddarth[Decatur, IL]; 9. 21E-Eric Boomer[Bethany, IL]; 10. (DNF) 57-Kyle Suddarth[Macon, IL]

DIRTcar Hornets

34-Jeremy Reed[Decatur, IL]; 2. 21-Mike Eskew[Springfield, IL]; 3. 324-Brady Reed[Decatur, IL]; 4. 357-Billy Mason[Farina, IL]; 5. 3H-Allan Harris[Chatham, IL]; 6. 95Q-Tristin Quinlan[Decatur, IL]; 7. 44-Bill Basso[Athens, IL]; 8. 15T-Taryn Page[Decatur, IL]; 9. (DNF) 31-Jacob Shanks[Decatur, IL]; 10. (DNF) 26A-Michael McKay[Springfield, IL]

Micros By Bailey Chassis 

55S-Daryn Stark[Springfield, IL]; 2. 3S-Brody Strong[Arthur, IL]; 3. 8B-John Barnard[Sherman, IL]; 4. 55H-Hayden Harvey[Warrensburg, IL]; 5. 21-Aarik Andruskevitch[Riverton, IL]; 6. 7F-Ryan Frantz[12]; 7. 1X-JB Gilbert[Monticello, IL]; 8. 10-Jacob Tipton[Decatur, IL]; 9. 44S-Jacob Stewart[Jacksonville, IL]; 10. 5W-Jim Burch[Mansfield, IL]

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