The night opened with E-Mod Heat #1. The #21 of Daryl Barth jumped out front and into the lead on the first lap, opened up a BIG lead for himself by lap #2, and he easily stayed out front all the way to the checkered flag. The #3M of Chris McMahill and the #42 of Tim Bishop both started deep in the field, but they were both moving up in a hurry, taking over the 2nd and 3rd spots by lap #3. Daryl Barth scored the win, followed by Chris McMahill in 2nd, Tim Bishop in 3rd, the #88C of Scott Carlyle in 4th, and the #66 of Rabon Wyatt in 5th.

The driver of the #42 E-Mod, Tim Bishop, was one of the drivers that we had a chance to talk to tonight. Tim races with us from Canton, Illinois, and he is currently 5th in points in the E-Mod Division. Tim's pit crewmembers include his son, Allen, Scott, Darryl, Bryan, and his wife, and his car is sponsored by Superior Wallboard, Inc. Tim says his biggest fan is Phil Johns. When we asked Tim how his car was running, his answer was, "Not too bad". After watching him start in the back and race his way up to a 3rd place finish, "Not too bad" sure seemed like an understatement! Tim's goals for the season are to win some heat races and to win a feature. The driver that Tim looks up to the most is Phil Johns, because Tim likes the way Phil drives. What does Tim like the most about Spoon River Speedway? It's a FAST track! The least? The speakers. Our thanks to time for taking the time to talk with us tonight, and we'll look forward to seeing him in victory lane real soon!

The #25 of Phil Schnarr started on the pole in E-Mod Heat #2, and he easily stayed out front all the way to the end. The #30 of Rob Bauman, Sr., and the #29 of Chad Terwillger were racing side-by-side early in the race, battling for the 2nd position, but by lap #3 the field was pretty spread out and running single file. Phil Schnarr scored a convincing win, followed by Rob Bauman, Sr. in 2nd, Chad Terwillger in 3rd, the #30 Rob Bauman, Jr. in 4th, and the #4 of John Winters in 5th.

The #97P of Phil Johns started on the pole in Modified Heat #1, and he stayed out front all the way to the checkered flag. The #28 of Jimmy Hibser started in 4th, but he quickly moved up into the 2nd spot behind Johns, brining the #26 of JD Beal and the #34 of Bill Anderson along with him. Phil Johns scored the win, followed by Jim Hibser in 2nd, JD Beal in 3rd, Bill Anderson in 4th, and the #5 of Mike Donaho in 5th.

The #71 of George Hall got around the #4T of Tony Hibser and took the lead on lap #1 of Modified Heat #3, but the #11Z of Brian Collins, who started in 4th, was moving up in a hurry, racing his way to 2nd by lap #3. Brian Collins was able to get around Hall and take over the lead on lap #4, and he kept the #11Z out front all the way to the end. George Hall finished in 2nd, followed by Tony Hibser in 3rd, the #17 of Rick Scott in 4th, and the #42 of Matt Smith in 5th.

The #64 of Curtis Link may have started in the back of Hobo Heat #1, but he didn't stay there for long. The #5J of Jim Jorgenson, the #91 of Nick Christian, and the #B17 of Buddy Hopkins were THREE WIDE in turns #3 & #4 fighting for the lead, letting Link close in right behind them. By lap #3, Link made his way up to 2nd spot, and by lap #4, he was in the lead to stay. Curtis Link was the race winner, followed by Nick Christian in 2nd, Jim Jorgenson in 3rd, and Buddy Hopkins in 4th.

The #77 of Cliff Howard started 2nd in Hobo Heat #3, but he got under the #8 of Eric Wisher in turns #3 & #4, and took over the lead on lap #1. Howard opened up a BIG lead, and the entire field got pretty spread out and ran the rest of the laps "single file". Cliff Howard scored another strong win, followed by Eric Wisher in 2nd, and the #35 of Josh Smith in 3rd.

The #11W of Don Wilson jumped to an early lead in Late Model Heat #2, but he soon had LOTS of company from the #M40 of Scott May. Caution came out on lap #1, and May got a GREAT jump on the restart, took the lead at the start/finish line, and stayed out front all the way to the end. The #77 of Jim Hagedorn and the #58 of Virgil Nussel had a good battle going on for the 4th spot, but Hagedorn won the fight, and moved up into a side-by-side race with the #59 of David Slayton. May and Wilson broke away from the rest of the field, and Scott "Scooter" May brought home the win. Don Wilson finished in 2nd, followed by David Slayton in 3rd, and Jim Hagedorn in 4th.

Only three cars started in Pro Street Heat #1, and unfortunately, only 1 car finished. The #51 of Don Cooley was the only car making it through this race, and he scored the win. The #69 of Tim Faulkenberry, who had to pull off the track, finished 2nd, and the #43 of John Heitzman finished 3rd.

The #31 of Pat Knox started on the pole in Pro Street Heat #3, but he soon had LOTS of company from the #27 of Greg Arnett. Arnett took the lead on lap #3, and opened up a "comfy" lead for himself. The #31K of Ken Gresham, Jr. got a nice jump on a lap #4 restart, and he soon moved around Knox and into the 2nd spot. Greg Arnett scored a strong win, followed by Ken Gresham, Jr. in 2nd, Pat Knox in 3rd, the #00 of Steve Harper in 4th, and the #6H of Brian Harris in 5th.

The #28 of Ron Wilson started 3rd in Thunder Truck Heat #2, but by lap #3 he was around the #55, being driven tonight by Buck Bainter, and into the 2nd spot, and by lap #4 he was challenging the #30 of Gerald Carter for the lead. Ron Wilson made a nice last lap pass to take the lead and bring home the win. Gerald Carter finished in 2nd, followed by Buck Bainter in 3rd, and the #26 of Ryan Wilson in 4th.

The driver of the #28 Thunder Truck, Ron Wilson, was another one of the drivers that we were able to talk with tonight. Ron races with us from Pekin, Illinois, and he currently in 2nd place in the point's standings in the thunder Truck Division. Ron's pit crewmembers include himself, his two sons, Ryan & Eric, Clay, and Joe, and Wilson Towing and Interstate Batteries sponsor his car. Some of Ron's biggest fans are his sons, Ryan & Eric, and his daughters, Sharon & Emily. When we asked Ron how his truck was running. His answer was "Fine". Anybody but me getting the impression that all the drivers are not only very modest, but are also men of very few words? Ron's truck sure looked WAY BETTER than "fine" in tonight's heat race! Ron's personal goal is to take the truck home every night in one piece! The driver that Ron looks up to the most is Jim Carter, because Jim is a straightforward driver, and he's always competitive. What does Ron like the best about Spoon River Speedway? The layout of the track and the banking - it's FAST!! The least? There are no problems at the track. Our thanks to Ron for taking the time to visit with us tonight, and we certainly look forward to seeing him and the #28 Thunder Truck winning a lot more races before the season is over!

The Modified Semi-Feature was next on the agenda, with only the top 4 finishers advancing on to the Feature event. The #42 of Matt Smith started in 3rd, but he jumped to an early lead on the 1st lap, and he stayed out front all the way to the checkered flag. The #292 of Bobby Allen, who started 4th, also picked out his position in a hurry, moving up into the 2nd spot on the 1st lap also. Right behind the race leaders, the #5 of Mike Donaho and the #22B of Richie Biswell were battling for the 3rd & 4th spots most of the race, with the #M21 of Justin Munson, the #88 of Steve David, and the #420 of John Eppers racing close behind them. Donaho & Biswell took the white flag in the 3rd & 4th spots, but the two made contact in turns #1 & #2, loosing spots to Munson, David, and Eppers, and then Donaho & Biswell got together again in turns #3 & #4, spinning both their cars, and collecting David, taking all three cars out of contention. Matt Smith scored a very convincing win, followed by Bobby Allen in 2nd, Justin Munson in 3rd, and John Eppers in 4th.

The driver of the #42 Modified, Matt Smith, was another one of the drivers that we were able to visit with tonight. Matt races with us from Groveland, Illinois, and he is currently 11th in the points in the highly competitive Modified Division. Matt's pit crewmembers include Greg Smith, Everett Phelps, and Chad Unizicher, and his car is sponsored by Dale Smith Auto Sales, PF Flyers Race Cars, and Stetsler Builders. Matt says his biggest fans are his family, especially his girlfriend and his Mom. When we asked Matt how his car was running, his answer was "good". It looked more like "GREAT" in the Semi Feature, Matt! Matt's goal for the season is a feature win, and the way he's been racing lately, I'd bet money that he'll reach his goal before the end of the season. The driver that Matt looks up to the most is Scott May, because Scott is an amazing driver. What does Matt like the most about Spoon River Speedway? The banking & it's FAST!! The least? The mine tires on the inside of the track, and the concrete wall on the outside! Our thanks to Matt for taking time out of his busy evening to talk with us tonight. We'll be keeping our eyes on him, and we'll be watching for him to win a Feature event real soon. By the way, for those of you that didn't know, Matt is only 17 years old, so we're definitely going to be seeing a lot more from this very talented young man in the future!!

If patience is a virtue, then all of us who sat through the E-Mod & Modified Features tonight are sure to go to heaven!! As for the drivers, ………… well, that's another story! It appeared that patience was a concept that most of them left at home tonight, and both races seemed to come down to more of a "survival of the fittest" contest!! Both races were plagued by caution, after caution, after caution, after caution, with everyone trying to win the race on the first lap.

Twenty cars started the 30 lap Modified Feature, with the #26 of JD Beal leading the field to the green flag. The #17W of Jackie Willis jumped to the lead on lap #1, but he soon had LOTS of company. The #28 of "Jammin'" Jimmy Hibser started the race from the 5th position, but he was up to 2nd by lap #2, and he was around Willis and into the lead by lap #3. Jimmy pretty much "checked out" on the rest of the field from there! Another car on the move was the #4T of Tony Hibser. Tony started in the 11th spot, but by lap #5 it was the "Hibser & Hibser" show, with the two brothers out front, Jimmy leading the race and Tony moving into the 2nd position. The #25 of Butch Weisser, who has been strong all year, somehow got sent to the back on a lap #4 caution, but by lap #14, he was back up front and battling for the 5th position. Weisser, along with the #17 of Rick Scott, Jr., the #192 of Brian Allen, and the #292 of Bobby Allen kept moving up through the traffic lap after lap. By lap #22, Weisser and the Allen brothers were THREE WIDE battling for the 3rd spot. With all the racing going on behind him, Jimmy Hibser was able to open up a HUGE lead and he scored a very convincing win. Brian Allen finished in 2nd, followed by Rick Scott in 3rd, Butch Weisser in 4th, and the #31 of Mark Anderson in 5th.

Even the Late Model Division, which is usually a fairly "caution free" race, had numerous yellow flags before the 30 lap Feature was over. The #29J of Lindell Jewell seems to be "jinxed" so far this year if he starts from the pole, but that was NOT the case tonight. Jewell started the race out front, and that's where he stayed from green flag to checkered flag. The #11 of Brad Denney, who started in 4th, moved up to 2nd in a hurry, and he kept pressure on Jewell, trying to challenge for the lead every lap of the way. Up to this point, the only groove that seemed to be working well was around the bottom of the track, but Jewell did a GREAT job proving to the crowd, as well as the competition, that the "coveted" inside line wasn't the only way around the track tonight! Denney tried both high & low to get around Jewell, but Jewell clicked off lap after consistent lap, and held onto the lead all the way to the end. There was a lot of great door-to-door racing farther back in the pack as well. The #19 of Tim Morris, who started way back in 12th, was up into a top 5 battle with the #11W of Don Wilson, the #14 of Brent Nelson, and the #59 of Morey Denney by lap #5. The #45 of Dwayne Walters was also having a great run, moving his way up from a 10th place starting position into the top 5 by lap #25. Lindell Jewell certainly had his hands full most of the race, holding off some awesome drivers behind him, but he got the job done and brought home the Feature win. Brad Denney finished in 2nd, followed by Tim Morris in 3rd, Don Wilson in 4th, and Dwayne Walters in 5th.

Tonight's Feature winner, the driver of the #29J Late Model, Lindell Jewell, was another one of the drivers we had a chance to talk with tonight. Lindy races with us from Germantown Hills, Illinois, and he is currently 2nd in the point's standings in the Late Model Division. Lindy has been racing for a few years, but this is his first full season in the Late Model Division, so needless to say, he's having an AWESOME year so far! Lindy's pit crewmembers include Mark DeSantis, Mike Grigsby, Dean & Marcey Hunt, Cameron & Nancy Jewell, and Les Davis, and his car is sponsored by Bartonville Autobody, Hunt Brothers Construction, Carpenters Local #183, Mathis Kelley Construction Supply, Ace used Truck & Auto Parts, David Holts - State Farm Agent, and Kniep's Service Center. Lindy's biggest fans are his Mom, his wife, Nancy, and their children - their 12-year-old son, Cameron, and their 6-year- old daughter, Alexis. When we asked Lindell how his car was running tonight, his answer was "Excellent!" He certainly "hit that nail on the head", because his car looked AWESOME in tonight's Feature event! Lindy's goal is to finish high in the points and to win a couple of features, and it looks like he and his team are exactly where they need to be to meet those goals. The driver that Lindy looks up to the most is Mark Ross, because Mark is a nice guy and a clean driver. What does Lindy like the most about Spoon River Speedway? The track is wide, and there is NO alcohol in the stands. The Least? Rough drivers. Lindy's closing comment was "We just enjoy coming here!" Our thanks to Lindy for taking the time out of his busy evening to visit with us, and we'd like to congratulate him on his first Late Model Feature win! It certainly was a GREAT one, and we hope it was the first of many more to come!! To learn more about Lindell, his team, and his racing career, be sure to check out his page on the "Driver Profile" section of the website - IT'S REALLY COOL!!!!!!

The #81K of Mark Ross started in 2nd in the Pro Street Feature, but he moved into the lead on the 1st lap, and he stayed out front all the way to the finish. The #27 of Greg Arnett quickly moved in to the 2nd spot, and the #27C of Jim Carter was right behind him, moving up to the 3rd position. The #12 of Tim Turnbull and the #31K of Ken Gresham had a great side-by-side battle going on for the 4th spot, with the #18 of Terry Pratt closing in behind them. This race, like all the others, was "caution-ridden" also, keeping the entire field all bunched up throughout the entire race. A very scary caution came out on lap #11 when the #69 of Tim Faulkenberry lost a drive shaft, and his car burst into HUGE flames on the backstretch. Hats off to the track official that was working on the backstretch tonight. Within seconds, he was able to grab a fire extinguisher, rush to the #69 car, and put out the fire. Thanks to the quick thinking, and the even quicker actions of the official, Faulkenberry was able to climb from his car uninjured. I know we don't say it enough, but the track officials at Spoon River Speedway work very hard week after week keeping all these drivers safe