MACON, Ill. – There’s a swarm of high-powered mini-sprints ready to invade Macon Speedway for the 2014 season. Shaped like a midget, the micros are slightly smaller and powered by a 600cc engine, and the class of winged dirt cars really handle well around the fifth-mile banked oval to electrify the crowd.The micros are scheduled to race 11 times at Macon Speedway in this season.

“The mini-sprints have developed into an exciting and entertaining class of open-wheel racers,’’ Macon Speedway promoter Bob Sargent said. “We’re proud to have such a talented group of drivers putting on an exciting show for our loyal fans.’’

The mini-sprints will race on all five nights when POWRi series come to Macon, providing more competition to an already thrilling class. The mini-sprints fly around the Macon Speedway banked corners to bring the crowd to its feet.

Macon Speedway is one of the Midwest’s most famous dirt racing facilities. Co-owned by Sargent and NASCAR stars Tony Stewart, Ken Schrader and Kenny Wallace, the track is a fan favorite for the layout that creates plenty of wheel-to-wheel action with great sight lines for fans. Macon Speedway hosts racing every Saturday night, plus many weeknight specials.

Macon Speedway is located nine miles south of Decatur on U.S. 51, then 0.6 miles west on Andrews Street, then south to 205. N. Wiles. For more information, call 217-764-3000 or follow Macon Speedway at www.maconracing.com , Facebook (www.facebook/maconracing) and Twitter (@maconspeedway). Be watching for the Macon Speedway Club.

Macon

We always called them little cars (Micros) sidewinders, sidewinder midgets, Multi Midget or 600cc sidewinders. We always went by the name Mini Sprint, 600cc upright , 1200cc Mini sprint 1000cc mini sprint. Then during the age of enlightenment some people changed the name to Lightning Sprint, denoting something in the subconscious of these people. I still like 1000 cc Midget, or even DivII Midget which much better describes our cars and engine size that we chose to race.

Honest Dad himself

Me i always went by uprights as Mini Sprint and the cars that have motor sticking out side i always called a Micro Sprint and i know lot of my friends do to.

Just to clarify, these are micro sprint races Macon is promoting. Powri style. Not mini sprints as they continue to advertise. Its confusing the hell out of people.

I think its mainly because the "mini Sprints" as we know them there calling them lightning sprints as thats what ILSS goes by and they have 8 races there this year

Buckshot

This discussion goes back several years. Probably to when Al Gore first invented the midget chassis automobile powered by motorcycle engines. This was also the time when the World of Outlaws were just starting to become popular way back in the late1980's. The racing was good, the price tag affordable, and I guess being wana be big time racers the term "Outlaw Mini Sprint" was first coined. I can remember 4 abreast parade laps, starting on the back straight and racing back to the yellow flag, just the way the World of Outlaws did things back then. We wanted to be associated with the outlaws and who could blame us they were the hot ticket.

My problem with the name "Mini Sprint" was not because the term "Mini" was demeaning BUT that the term "Sprint" did not describe our cars very well. We have always used a "Full Midget" frame as a platform to start our race cars from. That was the Magic of why we could start racing and not have the developmental problem that the 600cc sidewinders did when they were first developed. They was plum "Squirrel y" when the first brought them out and we were plum afraid of them too.

Up until about 4 or 5 years ago Midget framed Motorcycle engine powered race car were uniformly known as "Mini Sprints" and most racers could live with the fact. Along comes this "Canuck". He knew very little about racing, (like that new guy up at the Indy 500) and he thinks "Mini" is demeaning and a bad choice of words to use to describe a class of race car that we had been racing for years. He writes an article in a magazine somewhere saying that "Lightning" was a much better adjective to use. Heck he couldn't even speak American. Well a bunch of people read his article and the newer guys just starting clubs bought into his "Kool Aid". Thus many of us threw the term "Mini Sprint" in the garbage can. A few purist still clung to the term "Mini Sprint" but the term was out there ready to be scavenged by whomever wished to use it. I never once questioned the adjective "MINI" but I did question the Object "SPRINT".

I for one think perhaps "Mini Sprint" better fits the "Multi Midget" or "Sidewinder" type race cars and their form of racing much better than it fits ours because, they are really "MINI", they are using a chassis designed specifically for their form of racing and they share nothing with a "Full Midget". We on the other hand still use a "Full Midget" chassis with very little modification. Full Midget wheels and tires. Full Midget Shocks, Full Midget tail tanks and bladders, almost everything in fact on my car came from a Full Midget except the motor and drive system.

Was perhaps "Midget" considered a demeaning term also by this self proclaimed politically correct expert that decided "LIGHTNING" as the perfect description for our cars?? To me "Lightning" Is a flash of bright white light followed by a loud and protracted "Thunder Noise". If you were to develop a Thursday night racing series for TV, Would you call it "Thursday night Lightning" Sure doesn't help me visualize what they are talking about.

I think it is high time that we as racers have the courage of conviction to admit that we are actually racing "Midgets" powered by very high performance 4 valve dual overhead cam electronic injected engines, be they from Motorcycles or late model Automotive engines or if you wish Snow mobiles or Jet Skis. That is how the "True Midgets" did it back in the days before the all- mighty many chaptered rule books were conceived, and Midget racing for some reason became too expensive for average racers. Pages and pages of rules and regulation do not make anything less expensive. Look at the regulations and rules placed on your every- day driver, did any of those regulations make your car less expensive to own or drive?

We race to improve the breed, the best choice and combination will rise to the top the others will fall by the way side.

Give the sidewinder racers the name "Mini Sprint" or even "Lightning Sprint" if they can stomach it. Why don't we start out with the correct "object" of "MIDGET" and then debate the adjective , "METRIC" > 1000CC>1200cc> DIVISION II or What ever!!

Honest Dad himself