MACON, Ill. – Jeremy Nichols led wire-to-wire to take a special 30-lap Archer’s Alley Street Stocks feature win on Saturday at Macon Speedway.
Jayne Exvacating & Welding in Oblong sponsored the race and added some bonus money to the purse prize to bump up the first place prize to $750.
Nichols was chased the entire race by Bobby Beiler on the top side of the slick speedway. Nichols started the night setting fast time in the qualifying time trials with a 12.640-second lap. Nichols owns the track record of 12.393 seconds, which he established in 2018. He received a $75 bonus for the top qualifier spot. Beiler was fast enough to win the heat race ahead of Nichols but it was Nichols at the end of the night with the big check in hand as well as the trophy. The race was a fast-moving event with three caution flags and was completed in 14 minutes.
Guy Taylor raced a few races at Macon Speedway Saturday night. He competed in six races during the night in the Pro Modifieds, the Archer’s Alley Street Stocks as well as the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds and Taylor tasted victory in the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds class with a 20-lap victory.
Getting the front row outside starting assignment, Taylor coasted to the lead and easily hit his marks on the top side of the track to pull away from Billy Knebel, Curt Rhodes and Robert Lee. Taylor was pleased with his starting position because he knew it needed to be on the high side to run the race with the way the car was set up for him.
Braden Johnson took his first Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models feature as he battled to hold off Dakota Ewing, Colby Sheppard and Jose Parga. Parga, who has won all of the Pro Late Model features so far in this year at Macon, got aggressive from his third place racing position and tried to slide in front of Ewing to try to contend for the lead but the move didn’t work out his way and he banged into racing teammate Ewing which spun Ewing out on the front stretch outside of the fourth turn.
As the caution flag came out, Parga became upset with his impatient decision and was visibly angry banging his hands on the steering wheel. The decision cost him his third-place position and dropped him to the back of the group. Ewing would be allowed to return to second place and battle for the lead but Johnson was too quick and too much for the drivers on this night and would take the victory.
Dennis Vandermeersch took advantage of a miscue during the Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman heat race to take the checkered flag and that allowed him the pole position for the feature. After battling his new car, Vandermeersch started to get comfortable in it with the help of the 15-lap feature. He would move quickly around the track and hoist his first checkered flag of the season.
Nick Justice won his first Pro Modified feature win Saturday night. Taking advantage of an opening by Kevin Crowder, Justice moved fast atop the track and ran a solid race. Justice, a former Street Stock champion, knew the jump to the division would be difficult knowing of all the competition would make for challenges night in and night out. At least on this night, Justice was up for the challenge.
Seventeen-year-old Warrensburg driver Hayden Harvey won the Micro Sprint feature presented by Bailey Chassis. For the youngster with blue dye in his hair, it would be his first Micro Sprint feature win of his career. It wasn’t an easy 15-lapper. Trailing Jeff Beasley and Devin Feger out of the open, Harvey would work his magic for the pass on the bottom to get the lead.
Despite him leading, many eyes were on Jeremy Camp, a usual lock for feature wins when he comes to Macon Speedway. Camp was set to win his heat race before losing power and slowing on the heat’s final lap. That would have him starting 15th in the 18-car field and he roared to the front and challenged Harvey for the lead but ran out of time and laps as Harvey was scored first crossing the finish line.
The night was completed with Billy Mason winning in the Hornets. Mason ran a tough feature with Brandon Miller before Miller’s right rear tire left the car and forced a yellow flag. On the restart, Allan Harris, the previous week’s feature winner – who starts 10th the next week by way of the Macon Speedway Hornet rules – flew up to the second place position. As the laps were closing, Harris made his move to the top and Mason went up to block and pushed Harris towards the back stretch concrete wall. Mason would regroup and win the final feature of the night.