1/7/2025
Midget Auto Racing Association
Midget Auto Racing Association (MARA) Releases Their 2025 Schedule
The greater Springfield, Illinois area will be the epicenter of the Midget Auto Racing Association (MARA) schedule for 2025. A glance at the club’s slate of events will make it apparent that Coles County, Lincoln and Jacksonville Speedways will host the bulk of events for the famed Illinois-based midget racing club. Coles County Speedway, 90 miles from the capital city is the longest tow of the three. A strong schedule of 23 total events are planned for 2025 with seven different tracks playing host in all. Of those events, 18 will be held at the aforementioned speed plants.
The action will kick off with a doubleheader the weekend of April 12 with a Saturday night go at Coles County and a rare Sunday tilt at Lincoln Speedway. Along with the MARA stars, this date will be tempting to MARA’s northern cousins, the AFS Badger Midget Auto Racing Association. The two clubs share a rule book and co-sanction several events. While this weekend is not a Badger point race, surely some teams will want to shake down their cars in preparation for May 9 when the clubs will officially meet up at Kankakee Speedway. This event usually brings over 30 cars.
May is the busiest month for the club with six races at five different tracks. The highlight is a doubleheader the last weekend when MARA will race at Lincoln on Friday and make their only appearance in 2025 at Peoria Speedway closing the month of May on Saturday, the 31st.
June opens with another twin bill at Lincoln on the 6th and Coles on the 7th. Teams will then head to Jacksonville to close the month on June 13th. July sees the club at some of the standards and then there’s a “TBA” (To Be Announced) for Sunday the 20th. This is a date MARA and Badger plan to meet on, but the details are still being worked out. More information on this very special race will come as soon as possible.
Racing doesn’t pick up again until August 9th when teams travel to Coles County and then race the next two weekends at Lincoln. The race on August 22nd will be the last appearance at Lincoln for the season. Lincoln Speedway promoter Adam Mackey holds the MARA product in high regard. “This is our third season hosting MARA and we have them at nearly all of our events. They put on a great show with solid car counts. We used to run D2 midgets. MARA costs more, but the extra cost is worth it for the shows they put on,” said Mackey. As an added bonus Mackey noted that the club is professionally run and he enjoys the fact that when MARA hits the track, his staff can take a break as the club has their own officials and runs their own show.
To close out the month MARA travels to contested territory as they’ll clash with Badger on what has become the Wisconsin-based club’s turf at Sycamore Speedway.
September will see the point race tighten at the familiar confines of Jacksonville and Coles County. The other track hosting MARA in September will likely even the playing field as teams invade Spoon River Speedway in Canton, IL. Conditions will be right for a surprise winner at Spoon River’s bullring and this lone visit there. It should be noted that MARA is particularly proud to have signed this date as it is the Tom Knowles Memorial race. According to a Spoon River release for last year’s event, it started in 1985 and has had various midget bodies sanction the race over the years. Kevin Doty is the all-time winner in the midget shows (sprint cars have also been on the card) with five wins while Steve Knepper has three victories.
Unless someone walks away with the title beforehand, fans and drivers alike will have to wait until October 11th for MARA to crown its 2025 champion. Fittingly, the season will end where it began at Coles County Speedway.
Be sure to follow the MARA page on Facebook and their website as the season goes on for updates and race reports.
Article by Bill Blumer Jr.
A special thanks to Roger Corrigan for the graphics.
Submitted By: William Blumer