MACON, Ill. — Three different leaders took their shot at winning the 7th Annual John Osman Memorial at Macon Speedway, but it was Terry Reed who emerged victorious.
The 47-lap race at $2,000-to-win provided more than enough drama and destruction for race fans to get their fill. The destruction started early with Jeremy Nichols getting tangled with Zane Reitz early. Nichols, initially one of the favorites for the win, left the track broken and mangled.
Reed began the race from the front row with Reitz. However, Friday night’s race winner Tanner Sullivan pulled ahead on lap five and looked to be solid enough to keep it. That changed in a puff of smoke.
As Sullivan was running with the lead, his 51 Bistro Street Stock started smoking from the back of the car. He began slowing, which allowed Reed and Bobby Beiler to pull ahead. Soon, the two Macon Speedway stars were battling for the lead in a seesaw, back-and-forth situation.
Beiler ran over an infield tire that messed up his steering and drifted back in the field which allowed Reed to once again take the lead back. All the while, Reitz was directly behind him, looking for a single opportunity to capitalize on the current points leader.
That opportunity never came and Reed came through the finish line with the Midwest Big Ten Series event win.
Andy Zahnd finished third after having a restart begin him at the back for creating a caution earlier in the race.Â
That leads right into the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models where Colby Sheppard carried the checkered flag after a grueling 20-lap feature. It didn’t look good for Sheppard early when he was sent to the back for creating a wreck within the first few laps.
But Sheppard got through the traffic and on the white-flag lap, made two passes to get from third to first to secure his third feature win of the year at Macon Speedway. The passes were against two solid drivers, Chase Osterhoff and Braden Johnson.
Jacob Steinkoenig went back-to-back with feature wins in the BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds class. Steinkoenig waited out Nick Justice from the open and then raced solidly in front of Rodney Standerfer and Guy Taylor for his fourth checkered flag feature win of the year.
Kevin Crowder notched his eighth-straight checkered flag in the division and 12th overall in the Pro Modified class.
John Barnard climbed out of his Micro Sprint to get his second win of the year. The young driver has led the division points for much of the season, and is up for Rookie of the Year in the POWRi Micro Sprint series.
Pro Late Model Feature (47-Laps)
1. 27-Colby Sheppard[Williamsville, IL]; 2. 130-Chase Osterhoff[Kankakee, IL]; 3. 14J-Braden Johnson[Taylorville, IL]; 4. 10C-Colby Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 5. 11-Ryan Miller[Lincoln, IL]; 6. 27E-Kyle Mixon[Alton, IL]; 7. T22-Curtis Eller[Taylorville, IL]; 8. 64-Donny Koehler[Macon, IL]; 9. 18CC-Cameron Reynolds[Farmer City, IL]; 10. (DNF) 10-Blake Damery[Macon, IL]