09/02/2026
Championship Battles Headline BRANDT Season Finale Friday at Lincoln Speedway
Bennett Memorial bonuses add extra incentive for Crown Vics; six divisions set for final regular-season event
LINCOLN, Ill. — The 2026 regular season at Lincoln Speedway comes down to one final night this Friday, September 4, as the BRANDT Season Finale brings championship battles, special trophies, bonus money, and six divisions of racing to the Logan County Fairgrounds quarter-mile.
Track championships will be decided in the DIRTcar Pro Late Models, Taco Bell DIRTcar Modifieds, DIRTcar Sportsman, and Crown Vics, while the MARA Midgets continue their overall series championship battle. The DIRTcar Pro Mods will also make a rare Lincoln Speedway appearance as teams begin preparing for the DIRTcar Fall Nationals in October.
Adding even more to Friday’s program is the rescheduled Bennett Memorial for the Crown Vics. Competitors will race for $50 for every lap led, along with an additional $500 spread throughout the field thanks to the Bennett Memorial and Curtis Hartung.
Pro Late Model Championship Goes Down to the Wire
The DIRTcar Pro Late Model battle is led by Lincoln’s Tristan Coleman, who enters championship night with 258 points. Coleman has three top-five finishes and five top-10s in five starts and holds a 26-point advantage over Clinton’s Erik Vanapeldoorn.
Vanapeldoorn has one victory and four top-five finishes in four appearances and sits at 232 points. Lincoln driver Brandon Sweitzer remains close behind with 226 points, just 32 behind Coleman, and has scored two victories this season.
Former point leader Michael Maestas, also of Lincoln, sits fourth with 218 points after four top-five finishes in four starts, while Spaulding’s Jacob Hillyer rounds out the current top five.
Brian Lynn Leads Modified Championship Chase
A familiar name sits atop the Taco Bell DIRTcar Modified standings entering the finale as Mason City’s Brian Lynn leads with 386 points.
Lynn has one victory, four top-five finishes, and six top-10s in eight starts. His advantage is 32 points over Brandon Roberts, who has put together an impressive season of his own with three victories and five top-five finishes. Austin Lynn enters third with 328 points, followed by Springfield’s Brian Diveley at 286 and Taylorville’s Carter Sinkhorn at 274.
Crown Vics Race for Championship and Bennett Memorial Money
The Crown Vic division will have more than one prize to chase Friday night.
Jeff Hall of Peoria Heights leads the standings with 282 points after two victories, four top-five finishes, and five top-10s in five starts.
Springfield’s Tom Eskew is second with 240 points, while Lincoln’s Aidan Crowell is just four points behind Eskew with 236. Justin Miller of Beason sits fourth at 214, followed by Bloomington’s Brian Deavers at 198.
In addition to the season championship, Friday serves as the Crown Vic portion of the Bennett Memorial. Drivers will compete for $50 per lap led, meaning there will be extra incentive to get to the front and stay there.
An additional $500 in Bennett Memorial bonus money will also be distributed throughout the field thanks to the support of the Bennett Memorial and Curtis Hartung.
The originally scheduled Bennett Memorial lap-money portions for the Late Models and Modifieds will not be contested Friday. Those bonuses have been moved to Friday, October 16, during the DIRTcar Fall Nationals.
Just Two Points Separate Sportsman Leaders
Perhaps the tightest championship battle entering Friday belongs to the DIRTcar Sportsman.
Taylorville’s Colby Eller leads with 160 points, but Springfield’s Roy Magee is only two points back at 158.
Eller has one victory and three top-10 finishes in three appearances, while Magee has recorded two top-five finishes in three starts.
Tim Riech of Grove City sits third at 122 points, followed by Springfield’s Wes O’Dell at 110 and Grove City’s Brandon Hamm at 106.
With only two points separating first and second, the Sportsman championship will likely go down to the last lap.
MARA Midgets Return With Roth Leading Standings
The MARA Midgets return to Lincoln Speedway with Springfield’s Tyler Roth leading the overall standings with 631 points.
Roth has three top-five finishes and five top-10s in six starts and enters the weekend with a 67-point advantage over fellow Springfield driver Daltyn England.
England has two victories this season and sits second with 564 points. Jacob Sollenberger of Canton is third with 491, followed by New Berlin’s Mark Chisholm at 441 and Champaign’s Dominic Bruns at 430.
While Friday is not the final MARA points event of the season, the midgets add another strong championship storyline to an already packed Lincoln Speedway program.
Pro Mods Make Rare Lincoln Appearance
The DIRTcar Pro Mods will make their first Lincoln Speedway appearance of the season Friday night.
The class is not a regular part of the weekly program, making Friday an opportunity for drivers to get laps on the quarter-mile before returning for one of the season’s biggest weekends, the DIRTcar Fall Nationals on October 15-17.
Friday Night Information
The BRANDT Season Finale will feature:
• DIRTcar Pro Late Models
• Taco Bell DIRTcar Modifieds
• DIRTcar Pro Mods
• DIRTcar Sportsman
• Crown Vics
• MARA Midgets
Pits open at 4:00 PM, followed by the grandstands at 5:00 PM, hot laps at 6:00 PM, and racing at 7:00 PM.
Grandstand admission is just $15, while children 11 and under are admitted free. Tickets and pit passes will be available at the gates on race day.
Drivers competing for Lincoln Speedway championships will also be racing for special BRANDT Season Championship Finale trophies as the track celebrates another season of weekly competition.
Following Friday night, Lincoln Speedway’s attention will turn toward the season-ending DIRTcar Fall Nationals, October 15-17, which will bring three nights of action to the Logan County Fairgrounds.
For additional information on the BRANDT Season Finale and upcoming events, visit www.LincolnSpeedwayIL.com.
📷Slingin Dirt with Security Photos
