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Emerson Copeland Back to School Bash!

This Saturday night, August 10th, the 2019 racing season rolls on at Lebanon I-44 Speedway with Emerson Copeland Back to School Bash! All five weekly racing divisions will be in attendance and each division has extremely close Championship battles that you don’t want to miss! On top of our weekly racing divisions, kart racing will be taking place on the 1/5-mile inner track. This will be close quarter, high-speed racing! Also taking place this Saturday night is the kids bicycle races! At our July 3rd event, the Salute to 75, our drivers teamed up to giveaway around 30 bikes and we encourage each of those kids to bring their bicycles back and try their hand in the bicycle race. The race is for kids 12 and under and there is no charge to race, just bring a helmet and a bike! There will be several age groups, so come one come all.
In our 4-cylinder Hornet class, just eight points separate the Albright brothers who are battling for their first Championship at Lebanon I-44 Speedway. The last race for these cars took place on the new Roval road course and Chris Albright came home with the win after a dicey last lap between Dustin Atkinson and Chris and Jeffery Albright. Dustin Atkinson has two wins so far this season and Chris and Jeffery Albright each have one as the Championship battle is coming down to the wire. Will we see a new winner this Saturday night, or will the big three continue to dominate? So far in our Street Stock division, Trevor Icenhower and Matt Pilant have been the class of the field as Pilant has three wins and Icenhower has two. Icenhower is currently holding a narrow two-point lead over Pilant, but Pilant is carrying the momentum from being the latest winner in the class. Tony Johnson, and the whole Lebanon Johnson clan for that matter, has been showing some serious speed as of late and might be the next to find Victory Lane in the Street Stock class. The Big 10 Late Model class has grown into one of the biggest and best races of the night and so far, it is the class with the closest Championship battle. Just one-point separate Justin Blake and Jimmy Fohn as they enter this Saturday night’s event. There have been four different winners in five races so far this year in this class and the only driver to have two wins is last week’s winner, and point leader, Justin Blake. Since he is the most recent winner, Blake will have to start at the rear of the field this weekend. This gives Jimmy Fohn a chance to regain the points lead this weekend, but Blake will be charging hard from the rear of the field. Dylan Bates has re-joined the Big 10 Late Model class after running the first four Ozark’s Asphalt Late Model Series races. Bates has one win and one second place finish so far and is also looking for some more good fortune this weekend. Nick Cherry and Jordan Nisbett are having a great battle for the third spot in the Championship as only eight points separate them. Both of these drivers are showing a lot of speed as they have led some laps in heat races and are consistently clicking off top five finishes. Look for these drivers to be up front this weekend. In the Modified division, Richard Lewis is currently holding a 33-point lead over Brian Brown after mechanical issues riddled the early part of his season. Lewis and Ricky Icenhower each have two wins, but Icenhower has missed one race taking him out of the points chase. Brian Brown has one win this season which came two races ago at the Salute to 75. Brown is looking to continue to chip into Lewis lead this weekend, but the No. 0 of Michael Juergenson is only three points out of second. Brown will have to play offense and defense this Saturday night. Rumor has it that Jeffery Albright will be making his first asphalt modified start this Saturday night, and another new driver will be making an appearance at Lebanon I-44 Speedway, so be on the lookout! The weekly Pro Late Model Championship is now in full swing as the Ozark’s Asphalt Late Model Series has a few weeks off. Terry Limberopolous currently holds a six-point lead over Brennon Willard who picked up his first win of 2019 last week. Willard is looking to chip away at the point lead, as Limberopolous is looking to bounce back after bad luck and mechanical issues plagued his night on July 27th. Ryu Taggart and Steve Holt have been making noise as of late and are coming on strong in the ladder half of the 2019 season. Each of these drivers are looking for their first win of 2019 this weekend. Lots of other drivers, including a few new drivers, will also be searching for that coveted win this Saturday night. Will Willard make it two in a row, or will we see another new winner?
The gates will open at 5:30PM for the Emerson Copeland Back to School Bash and racing will start at 7:30PM! Don’t forget about the added action with kart racing and bicycle racing! Grandstand tickets are $12 for adults and tier parking tickets are $15 for adults including discounts for juniors, seniors, and veterans and as always kids 12 and under are free! This is going to be an action-packed night on the High Banks of Lebanon I-44 Speedway! For more information check out our website at i44speedway.net or find us on Facebook!
By Dylan Bates

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