Lebanon Midway Speedway 2018 Out-Pace USRA B-Mod track champion Sam petty (left) receives his award from promoter Jack Jones.

With over 200 in attendance and a surprise winter storm, the Lebanon Midway Speedway held its 2018 awards banquet with the top five from the Spring/Summer Series and top three from the Fall Series as veteran driver Sam Petty topped the ceremony for the Out-Pace USRA B-Mods by capturing both The 17 race Spring/Summer Series and six-race Fall Series events.

Tracks owners Jack and Dana Jones have always been known to give different types of special awards each season, and Petty walked away with the Driver of the Year Award this time.

The Out-Pace USRA B-Mod class was presented by S&S U-Pull-It Parts of Lebanon and former driver Toby Thompson for the 2018 season.

 For Petty it was his first Midway track championship.

 "It was tough racing week after week with the field of drivers we have,” Petty said. "Chasing Kris Jackson and trying to stay in front of him we really learned a lot. Kris was on a rail each week and it showed with his National Championship.”

Following Petty in the top five final standings were Jackson, Tyler Knudtson, Brian Myers and Rich Reynolds. The Fall Series saw Donnie Jackson and defending track champion Tyler Brown trailing Petty.

Other awards presented in the class included a special presentation to summit USRA Weekly Racing Series National Champion Kris Jackson of Lebanon. Jackson used the Friday night race program as a spring board towards his outstanding  2018 season. Jackson, who normally had to start back around the sixth row, but the Midway winners rule for the regular weekly show helped gather bonus points towards that title.

Jackson’s engine builder, Jim Ruble, was awarded a special Pioneer Award for his outstanding career in local drag racing and circle track engine building which included his willingness to help the racers in the pits even if they didn’t carry a Ruble Racing Engine.

Second-year driver and rookie Out-Pace USRA B-Mod driver Dillion McCowan was awarded the Young Lion Award as his young age shows the way for young racers paving a foot hold to help carry on the Ozarks tradition. Brian Myers was awarded the Best Appearing Car Award from Shonda Grindstaff Photography.

Mike Perry of Bud’s Tire & Wheel was a guest speaker and talked about the making of the Bud Perry Memorial and how things developed with the event.

A special thank you went to Knudtson’s 32 Garage and Oakley Auto Sales for sponsorship in selected USRA events while over $200 in gift cards were drawn as door prizes and an outstanding buffet meal served by Andy’s 417 of Lebanon.

Lebanon Midway Speedway will start the 2019 season on Friday, March 29, with Out-Pace USRA B-Mods, Street Stocks, Midwest Modifieds, Pure Stocks, Hornets and the new Cruiser class designed for the full-sized cars with a beginners young class.

A tentative schedule can be found at midwayspeedway.net and on the track's Facebook page.