7/4/2018
Lebanon I-44 Speedway
Brothers from Lebanon find Victory Lane
Brothers from Lebanon Find Victory
Lane on Asphalt and Dirt Race Tracks
If you have attended a race at Lebanon I-44 Speedway in 2018, you have witnessed the newest spectacle that is the inner track. The new inner track, that is on the inside of the high-banked 3/8-mile oval, was built for our Charger division to make the racing safer and more competitive. When the new track was built, we invited drivers competing in the Hornet division on dirt to come out and try their hand on the asphalt. Two drivers, Shannon Geller from Jerome and Will Garner from Lebanon, who have been competing at the Lebanon Midway Speedway, decided they would give it a go. These two drivers are more than just competitors, they are brothers! They both have already picked up wins on the asphalt this season and are having successful seasons on dirt!
The “little brother”, Will Garner, was the first brother to get a race car. One of his friends got him interested in dirt racing, so he decided to climb behind the wheel of a dirt Bomber division stock car in 2017. In just his first season he was able to pick up a feature win and ended up second in the Championship. After Shannon watched his little brother race, he decided that was something he wanted to do as well. Shannon purchased a Pontiac Grand Prix and started racing Lebanon Midway Speedway’s Fall Survivor series in 2017. Shannon picked up a few wins as well in his Rookie season. As you can see, both drivers have a lot of natural talent when it comes to Stock Car racing.
Fast forward to 2018, Shannon was competing in his Grand Prix in the Hornet division at Midway Speedway and Will was driving a Bomber as well as a Hornet that his father bought him. Shannon had heard through the racing grapevine that Lebanon I-44 Speedway was opening a new small asphalt track and they were inviting dirt drivers to come try it out! Shannon talked with his little brother and convinced him to come try out the asphalt with him. The brothers raced dirt at Midway on Friday night and then came to I-44 Speedway on Saturday night for a double feature night. In the first feature, Will managed to hold off his older brother and the asphalt drivers to pick up the win in his first start on asphalt. In the second feature, big brother Shannon decided it was his turn and he picked up the win in the second feature with Will right on his heels. Now we are deeper into the 2018 season and the brothers are still undefeated on the asphalt and both of them are leading Points Championships in the Hornet and Bomber divisions at Midway Speedway.
The two brothers are very competitive with one another and love to beat each other. “Since I am younger, I always try to out run him. I like racing against him, it’s really fun,” added Will. Sometimes big brother Shannon finds it more difficult to race against his brother than the rest of the field. “It is a challenge because he knows what my car does best. If he gets in front of me at Midway, he runs high because he knows that’s where my car likes to run,” stated Shannon. Will and Shannon are quickly moving up the Championship standings and are hoping to take home the Championships both on dirt and asphalt. While their season have been very successful on both surfaces, the two brothers just race to have fun. “Nothing really motivates me other than going to have fun on the weekends. Racing with my little brother on two fun tracks is a ball,” added Shannon. The brothers will be back in action this week at the Lebanon Midway Speedway on Tuesday night July 3rd, and right here at Lebanon I-44 Speedway on Saturday night, July 7th, for the Salute to 75! On Saturday, July 7th, the gates will open at 6:00PM and racing will start at 7:30PM be sure to come out and cheer on the battling brothers in the Hornet division and stay for the 75-lap Pro Late Model feature and Firework extravaganza! For more information head over to our Facebook page or our website at i44speedway.net!
By Dylan Bates
Article Credit: Dylan Bates
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