Race cars took over Fairbury on Saturday with a parade of cars, driver meet and greet and fan appreciation night.
The east parking lot of Dave’s Supermarket was the place to be during the afternoon as drivers signed autographs and fans enjoyed a pork burger lunch served by the Dave’s crew.
“What an awesome turnout this afternoon for the meet and greet,” said Fairbury Speedway owner Matt Curl. “We’ve got to thank Dave’s Supermarket for being a great partner for us to get the fans here and the town of Fairbury to come out.”
Mark Steffen of Dave’s believes the turnout was among the best he has seen for an event like this. He said everyone must see a picture inside the store above the frozen food case of the Fairbury Speedway.
“It was taken by Ryan Bachtold. The population of Fairbury is 3800 and the population in this picture is 6500,” Steffen explained.
Late model driver Ryan Unzicker of El Paso was among those mingling with fans.
“What more could you ask for – you’ve got the good smelling Dave’s Supermarket food there and a lot of participants in the race show.”
Local driver Jeff Curl was signing autographs next to his car. He just donated a kidney to his sister a couple of weeks ago and both are doing well.
“I feel fantastic,” Curl said. “Everything has been great so far.”
Curl currently has lifting restrictions but should be able to race again in the coming weeks. His goal is to be 100 percent ready by the Summernationals race.
The High Octane Show and Shine took place just across the railroad tracks along Locust Street with a car show and live entertainment. Also, the Specialty Shops of Fairbury held sales to welcome race fans to town.
