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(Macon, IL) Mother Nature nearly doomed Macon Speedway on Opening Night with storms and rain late Friday into Saturday but the skies cleared and the sun shined on the small town off Route 51. In cooperation with the weather, track officials prepped the track so that the 65^th consecutive season of stock car racing would not have to wait an extra week.

The season began with the Touchstone Energy Sportsman class, which was filled with exciting racing in 2009. Decatur’s Dave Crawley, Jr. began the night and the season perfectly with a heat win. It would become the first of four checkered flags in his evening, which was also his birthday.

Crawley, who is the defending Modified champion, won his modified heat as well as the Sportsman eight-lapper, to put him in prime position to take the features. Starting front row outside in the Sportsman A-Main 15-lap feature, Crawley battled with the likes of the 2009 class champion Rick Roedel and former track champion Dennis Vandermeersch. As the race hit the 13^th lap, lapped traffic became a problem for the leaders as Roedel overtook the top spot from Vandermeersch and into wall was Roedel. Vandermeersch also sustained damage which meant that the top two in the race would be pitted in the infield. That gave the lead to Crawley for the final two laps and he hung on for the win.

He didn’t have much of a chance to relax or enjoy the victory as he needed to jump into his Modified for the next feature event. A little easier a race for Crawley, he motored his way through the traffic en route to the feature win and a statement that he was out to defend his title.

The Late Model class had 24 drivers for Opening Night and the 3^rd Annual Spring Fling. Four different states were represented as drivers from Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Missouri made their way to the 1/5^th mile dirt track. Exciting heat racing put together a feature that put Rusty Schlenk of Jackson, MI., on the pole. Schlenk has raced at Macon Speedway a handful of times in the past but never has achieved much success. From starting in the front, Schlenk had an open lane to where he wanted to drive and held off Jacksonville’s Adam Mefford and Urbana’s Richie Hedrick for the first Late Model feature of 2010.

As the Street Stocks took to the track, there was an added bonus in store for the winner. If the leader after the 12^th lap was a top ten points finisher in 2009, Decatur Used Cars would donate an additional $250. Decatur’s Mike Pickering took the early advantage from the pole position and started coasting through the race. On the eighth lap, Daryl Hellman and Jeremy Reed spun around in the third turn and with no opportunity to get out of the way, Pickering struck the rear of Hellman’s Street Stock and caused some front damage. There was enough damage to end Pickering’s night and that put second-place Larry Russell, Jr. into first place. “Bub” Russell, who was a top ten points finisher in 2009, would take the checkered flag and the bonus from Decatur Used Cars.

In the Pro Hornets class, Joe Reed defended his crown with a feature win and dedicated the victory and the upcoming to a driver who had passed away a few weeks prior to the start of the season.

Jonathan Drake started his Amateur Hornets season with a feature win as he led all eight laps after starting on the front row outside position.

The 2010 season has officially began after what has felt like a long winter break. Much like a bear awakening from hibernation, the Macon Speedway crowd arrived in large numbers to watch the more than 110 racecars circle the track and fling some mud. A full show is in store for Macon Speedway next week with all six racing divisions. The Macon Speedway gates will open at 5pm with racing to start at 7pm.

This article posted by Macon Speedway. Click here for more track information.