MACON, Ill. – Members of the United States Army, as well as the Marine Corps, were present for Armed Forces Night Saturday at Macon Speedway.
Those servicemembers were part of the opening ceremonies with the National Anthem, and then a veteran capped off the night with the final checkered flag of the evening.
The night also started off in a great way for Warrensburg driver Dakota Ewing. In the Decatur Building Trades Pro Late Models, Ewing not only set fast time but also broke his two-year-old track record by .042 seconds.
The former mark of 10.794 was established May 4, 2019 by Ewing, and he eclipsed that with a new time of 10.752 on Saturday night. His night looked even better after a heat race win and Ewing led the 20-lap feature five laps in.
As the drivers were coming around for the ninth lap, Ewing along with racing teammate Jose Parga, got side-by-side out of the fourth turn and the combination nearly collided. Unfortunately, the momentum of the moment sent Ewing’s Pro Late Model into the concrete on the front stretch and his race car slammed the wall. The night was over for Ewing.
Parga, however, continued on to take the rest of the race and win the Pro Late Model feature for the third time in as many tries at Macon Speedway.
Other feature winners on the night included Zach Rhodes (BillingsleyRewards.com Modifieds), Kevin Crowder (Pro Modifieds), Tommy Duncan (Weddle Performance Engines Sportsman), Jeff Reed Jr. (Archer’s Alley Street Stocks), Daryn Stark (Micro Sprints) and Allan Harris (Hornets).
Seven divisions of racing and more than 100 entries were on hand, but the full show was completed in a tidy three hours and 15 minutes.