News Director 
Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / ALL STAR CIRCUIT OF CHAMPIONS – INDIANAPOLIS, IN – With the first of two Western Pennsylvania swings complete, registering starts at Lernerville Speedway and Mercer Raceway Park on June 2-3, Tony Stewart’s Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will turn their attention back to the Central Time Zone, this time ready to take part in a trio of programs in areas of central Illinois and eastern Iowa for the first and only time in 2017.
“America’s Series” will visit three different facilities during the trek west, two in the Land of Lincoln and one just across the Mississippi River in eastern Iowa, all of which awarding $5,000 top prizes. The weekend will ignite officially on Friday evening, June 9, with a visit to the Lincoln Speedway Lincoln, Illinois; only the second visit in Arctic Cat All Star history.
The weekend will continue a mere 45 miles southeast in Macon, Illinois, where the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions will visit Macon Speedway on Saturday, June 10. The “World’s Fastest 1/5-Mile Clay Oval,” undoubtedly the smallest oval on the 2017 Arctic Cat All Star schedule, will host the Arctic Cat All Stars for the eighth time in Series history, but only the first time since 2004. Former two-time Series champion Greg Wilson is the latest to visit Macon Speedway victory lane during Arctic Cat All Star competition.
In addition, Tony Stewart, a three-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and owner of the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions, will also be in action during competition at Lincoln Speedway and Macon Speedway.
“We cannot wait for this weekend to arrive,” Adam Mackey explained, Track Enterprises Operations Manager at Lincoln and Macon. “This is the biggest back-to-back weekend we’ve ever had at Lincoln Speedway and Macon Speedway. The Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions put on a great show last year at Lincoln. When you throw Macon in the mix for a doubleheader weekend, as well as have Tony Stewart racing a sprint car on both nights, what more could you ask for?”
After action on Saturday evening is complete, Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions competitors will make the near-three hour trip from the smallest oval on the circuit, to the oval furthest west on the 2017 Series map.
34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa, will host the Arctic Cat All Stars on Sunday evening, June 11, to cap off the three-race escapade through the Midwest; only the second Arctic Cat All Star visit in Series history, and a first in nearly 20 years. National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Kenny Jacobs was the first and only Arctic Cat All Star winner at 34 Raceway, taking high honors on May 31, 1998.
Now a two-time Series winner in 2017, Chad Kemenah will lead the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions charge westbound, holding down the top spot in the current Series championship chase. The Alvada, Ohio, native wrapped up the most recent weekend of competition with two podium finishes, one of which resulting in a victory at Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, June 3.
New Castle, Indiana’s Caleb Armstrong will enter the weekend second in the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions standings, qualifying for all 15 contested main events, earning eight top-ten finishes in the process. Armstrong trails Kemenah by 126 points, but maintains a 22-point lead over Findlay, Ohio’s Caleb Helms. Like Armstrong, Helms has qualified for all 15 contested programs, earning five top-ten finishes.
Kunkletown, Pennsylvania’s Ryan Smith and the “Steel City Outlaw” Tim Shaffer, a part-time traveler with the Arctic Cat All Stars in 2017, currently round out the top-five in the championship standings. Smith, in the midst of his second, full-year on the road with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions, but his first since 2015, highlights his season thus far with four top-five finishes, most recently finishing fifth at Mercer Raceway Park.
Lincoln Speedway and Macon Speedway will each open pit gates at 3:00pm on Friday and Saturday, June 9-10, respectively. General admission gates will swing open at 4:00pm, with racing to hit center stage at 7. Those seeking additional news and notes should visit each facility live on the Web at www.lincolnspeedwayil.com and www.maconracing.com.
34 Raceway in Burlington, Iowa, will open pit gates at 2:00pm on Sunday, June 11. General admission gates will open officially at 4:00pm, followed by racing at promptly 7:15pm. Fans should visit www.34raceway.com to learn more.
Current Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions Standings (June 7, 2017):
1. Chad Kemenah: 1864
2. Caleb Armstrong: 1738
3. Caleb Helms: 1716
4. Ryan Smith: 1690
5. Tim Shaffer: 1538
6. Max Stambaugh: 1524
7. T.J. Michael: 1450
8. Brandon Matus: 1356
9. Brandon Spithaler: 1331
10. Brent Matus: 1304
