Benton racer welcomes return to home track

Joey Mack's racing schedule this season has led him across 10,300 miles of road ranging from interstate highways to narrow two-lanes.

No wonder he's looked forward to this night.

Mack, of Benton, Mo., will race on his hometown track for the first time since 1997 today when Auto Tire and Parts Racepark hosts late models and modifieds in a rare Tuesday event at the track near Benton.

The program will also feature a pair of NAPA-sponsored racers -- Winston Cup's Michael Waltrip and the Craftsman Truck Series' Brendan Gaughan -- signing autographs starting at about 6 p.m. Racing is at 7:30.

For Mack, tonight is about the competition. He last raced at his local track five years ago in a pure stock car and won six times, then moved to limited late models the next season just as the track shut down. By the time it re-opened in 2001, Mack was following the Mid-America Racing Series across the Great Plains and Mid-South.

He's still one of the top racers on the MARS series and leads its rookie-of-the-year standings. But tonight's non-MARS event is a welcome break.

"The track's close enough that when I'm home on a Saturday night, I can hear them racing," said Mack, 25, who lives about five miles from the rural Scott County track. "It's a little different to stay this close to home and race when we're used to driving at least six hours to get to the track."

Mack will be among what track officials hope is a big gathering of late models in its first event of this kind there since 1997. The event will pay its winner $2,000. The night's other division, open-wheel modifieds, will race for $1,200 to win.

The late model event is sanctioned by the United Midwestern Promoters, a series whose season championship is worth $100,000. That could be enough to draw a big field top racers looking for points, said track officials, who expect series points leader Terry English of Benton, Ky., to be among the likely entries.

"Late models have a big following and there are a lot of them in this area," ATPR promoter Doug Friese said. "They put on such a good show. I'm excited to get them on our track. It's something we've wanted to do and maybe this is the start of something here."

It's a rare break in Mack's schedule. He competed in Kentucky over the weekend, and week earlier raced through Oklahoma. He plans to be at two Tennessee tracks later this week.

"We know the competition will be tough, but it's just nice to be close to home," Mack said. "I know a lot of people around town who just don't have the time or money to travel to watch us race, but they'll get to tonight. And I know our sponsors are tickled to death that we'll get to race close to home."

jhall@semissourian.com

(573) 335-6611, extension 174