[Bloomington Speedway]

The 5th Annual Josh Burton Memorial is less than two weeks away and it is shaping up to be huge night for racers and fans at Bloomington Speedway. This year’s edition headlines the Midwest Sprint Car Series (MSCS) racing for $2,500 to win, with UMP Modifieds, Super Stocks and Hornets also on the Friday, May 25th program. As they have done every year in preparation for this event, the Burton family has been busy raising additional awards for the drivers and planning for the many fans that will attend.

As a starting point of what is in store that night, MSCS officials have made a special accommodation for this event to allow single car qualifying for the sprint cars. Eddie Gilstrap Motors in Salem has posted a $1,000 bonus for the fast qualifier, in honor of the late Calvin Gilstrap. Additionally, if the track record is broken during qualifying, B&B Auto Brokers in Bedford has posted an additional $500 bonus. If the feature winner’s car has a halo bar welded to the cage, the driver will receive an additional $1,000. Another bonus, posted by B&B Auto Brokers, is a $1,000 bonus to the fourth place finisher. In addition, both the UMP Modifieds and the Super Stock features have been increased to $1,000 to win, and the Hornets have been boosted to $250.

This is just the starting point for bonuses that will be paid to the racers, more will be announced in the week ahead. There will also be many souvenirs for the fans as raffles will be conducted throughout the evening. Josh Burton Memorial shirts will be for sale, with all proceeds going back into the Memorial race. There will also be a number of surprises announced during the night.

The grandstand gates will open at 5:30 for the Josh Burton Memorial, with hot laps at 6:30 and racing at 7:30. General admission is $20 and kids 12 and under are free with an adult. The pit gate will open at 4:30 and pit passes are $30. This is a scheduled MSCS event.