---

Lebanon Native is Ready to Tackle I-44 Speedway's Newest Challenge

Just a few short weeks ago Lebanon I-44 Speedway announced a new event coming to the race track in 2019. That event is the Show-Me Roval 300. This race will be held on a road course type track that utilizes the inner and outer tracks at I-44 Speedway. It will be a 300-lap Enduro race which means there will be no cautions, unless someone’s safety is in danger. After the announcement of this one-off event lots of pre-entries have poured in and one of those entrants is Lebanon native, Matt Pilant.
Matt Pilant started his racing career in the early 80s and started running at Lebanon I-44 Speedway in the early 90s. Throughout his career, Pilant has raced in every division, dirt and asphalt, that I-44 Speedway has offered except the Modified division. Pilant has been out of a race car for about 10 years, but this new event sparked his interest and he will be making his return on July 27th, 2019 in the Show-Me Roval 300.
Matt Pilant is very excited to get back on the track and turn some laps in July and he feels like this event might start a trend across the United States. “I see this becoming a very well-known event. This is an affordable race that anyone can do,” added Pilant. Matt believes this event will grab racers attention from across the country and from all different disciplines. Pilant will be racing a retired cop car and he feels like he doesn’t need to get too creative with the setup. “I’m going to run my car like it would be from the factory, you’re going to be turning left and right so the car needs to be pretty neutral,” stated Pilant. While Matt is running a street car, you will still see some purpose-built race cars, but he doesn’t feel like he will be at a disadvantage because you still must make the full 300-laps in order to claim the $4,444 Grand Prize. A big motor will not get the best fuel mileage and multiple pit stops will surely slow you down. Although, the car isn’t the only thing that has to last the full 300 laps. “You’ve got to be in good shape to last 3 hours in the middle of July,” said Pilant. This race will test driver’s physical ability along with their creativity and knowledge as they try to assemble the best race car for the job.
While we are still nine months away from this race, it is not too early to start planning. Head over to our website at i44speedway.net and reserve your starting spot today! Only the first 30 entries get a reserved spot, everyone else’s starting spot is decided randomly. If you are not registered at least 60 days before the event, $100 will be added to your entry fee. For more information visit our website at i44speedway.net and continue to watch our Facebook page for updates!
By Dylan Bates

---

Back to News