Lincoln Speedway to bring monster trucks to town Father's Day

[March 14, 2014]  Tuesday evening, Norman and Yvonne Horn, owners of Lincoln Speedway at the Logan County Fairgrounds, appeared before the Lincoln City Council to make their annual request to allow dirt-track racing in the city.

The Horns began with Yvonne passing out the established schedule for this year, then going into a review of the use of extensions and rain dates last season. She noted that last year the council had approved allowing for a total of 90 minutes' worth of curfew extensions for the Horns to use as needed, with limitations.

Horn said that of the 90 minutes allowed, they had used only 27 minutes last year. The longest extension was 17 minutes used at the summer nationals. She said the extension was a great asset for the track owners, as at that particular event they had 102 cars competing on the track. Having the extended time had allowed them to complete the evening of racing.

She went on to say that of the nine Sunday rain dates the council had approved for racing, the track had used only two.

When it was Norman's time to speak, he told the council that 2013 was the 10th year for the track in Lincoln, and it was the best year they have had thus far. He noted that the weather cooperated, allowing them to run their full race schedule.

He said they are planning for a better year yet, and to help them, they have joined with a track promoter named Ken Dobson, who has been with the dirt track in Jacksonville and has recently begun working with the track in Quincy.

Dobson has made arrangements for a television network to be on hand on opening night for a recorded 30-minute show and also again later in the season for a one-hour special.

One big event Horn said they have planned is to bring monster truck shows to Lincoln on Father's Day. He said they would want to do two shows that Sunday, one in the afternoon from 2 to 4 and a second in the evening from 6:30 to 9.

Horn said the Lincoln Speedway would be able to bring the trucks to town because they are also going to be at one of the other tracks. According to website information, the Quincy Speedway will host the trucks on June 13 and 14. The website says the original monster truck, Big Foot, will be part of the program there, along with the Hall Brothers in either Raminator or Rammunition, Greg Adams with the Bars Leaks Eliminator, Zach Adams with the Defender, Larry Quick with Ghost Ryder, and El Chica Loca driven by Shannon Quick.

This year the Lincoln Speedway schedule includes two practice dates, with the first being on March 22. Opening night is scheduled for April 4, and the season will run through Oct. 10. All races are scheduled for Friday nights, with the exception of the monster truck show and the summer nationals, which will both be on Sundays.

The Horns requested the same allowances as last year in regard to breaking curfew. They said they appreciated the 90 minutes last year and would like to have the same this year.

In regard to the rain dates, they asked for fewer of those this year. Their request includes four "makeup dates" at the end of the season that would still be races on Friday nights. Norman Horn said these would be used only if there are races during the season that have to be canceled.

The Speedway operators asked for one official rain date, June 30. This is strictly for the summer nationals, which are scheduled for June 29.

During discussion, Kathy Horn said she appreciated the way the Horns presented their schedule and made their requests easy for the council to understand. She said she felt things were much better with the track now than in the beginning.

Michelle Bauer said she particularly appreciates the efforts of the speedway owners to help local civic and nonprofit organizations with their weekly 50-50 drawings. Yvonne Horn said that was something they would be doing again this year.

At the end of discussion, Melody Anderson, as mayor pro tem, asked if the Horns' requests could be placed on the consent agenda, and by nod of the head all agreed.

Having an item placed on the consent agenda indicates the council is ready to approve it without further discussion. However, the council also reserves the right to remove any item from the consent agenda and vote on it as a separate issue should the need arise.

[By NILA SMITH]