The 2023 Bill Bigley Sr. Memorial 128 marks a historic return to the iconic Freedom Factory in Florida with a record-breaking 51 SLM cars entering the event. But that’s not all. There’s $100,000 up for grabs on the 24th and 25th of November. In an action-packed event that aims to honor Bill Bigley Sr’s love for stock car racing, there are several heavy hitters eager to hunt down the $30,000 reward for winning, with the previous seven winners added to the mix.

A star-studded cast filled with SLM drivers, Ty Majeski is aiming to lead the 14-member strong, out-state cohort’s efforts to displace the 37 hometown heroes lining up in Florida. However, there’s another Wisconsin native who could trouble Majeski and Co. The winner of the Dale Earnhardt Jr-owned CARS Tour in 2022 under the Pro-Late Model class, Luke Fenhaus is looking to cause trouble at the eighth installment of the memorial.

Ty Majeski finds himself in the clutches of Luke Fenhaus and Co.

Those looking for a thrilling Thanksgiving weekend with the family should not miss the eighth edition of the Bill Bigley Sr Memorial. After all, the number of drivers competing for a grand prize could tip the scales in anyone’s favor. No driver has experienced the renamed Desoto Speedway since 2017. But after the YouTuber, Cleetus McFarland restored the track to its glory days, the participants are in for a surprise when tweaking their setups for the race.

Including the award to win, the prize distribution for the weekend adds up to $70,000, with the runner-up taking away $10,000 with $1200 as the payout for starting the feature race. The event also offers an astonishing $4,000 as a bonus for the pole-sitter, with an additional $1,000 if they win the race. While Bubba Pollard has sealed the deal with $79,650 to his name in the championship, the battle for runner-up is brewing between 10 drivers with approximately $20,000 separating them.

Given that this weekend would award $30,000 to the winner, Ty Majesky, who has earned $13,500 so far in the earnings system, is holding on dearly to the fourth position and fending off other Super Late Model stars such as Johhny Sauter, Jeremy Doss, and Luke Fenhaus. And they’re not the only challengers! Previous edition winners such as Steve Dorer, Anthony Sergi, and Michael Atwell also round out the list.

WATCH THIS STORY: Kyle Larson’s Glimpse Into the Future

Earlier this year, Luke Fenhaus was bested by Ty Majeski at Slinger Speedway in July. Whilst Fenhaus had been the dominant force on track, it was Majeski who crossed the checkered flag first, with only 4-tenths of a second splitting the pair. The Bill Bigley Sr Memorial could be the perfect opportunity for Fenhaus to enact his revenge on the man sitting not-so-comfortably amongst the top five. However, the two feisty drivers are sidelined by the fans to favor the man of the moment, Dylan Bigley.

It’s an emotional weekend for the Bigley family

There’s nothing that could make an event in Bigley Sr’s honor better than if his grandson, Dylan Bigley, could win under the Freedom Factory lights. Although the young gun has come close on multiple occasions with top-five finishes, a win continues to elude him in this event series.

The third-generation talent reflected on Bill Bigley Sr’s impact and was quoted by ShortTrackScene, “My father, eight years ago, started this memorial race just to honor my grandfather. To see where it has come in such a short time is incredible. It keeps getting bigger and bigger and I cannot wait to see where it goes from here on out. My grandfather influenced my career in so many ways. He was the first in our family to start racing.”

READ MORE:  Craftsman Truck Series Championship Pushed Into 4th Overtime As Jesse Love’s Ambitions Jeopardize Ty Majeski & Matt Crafton

Dylan Bigley also reflected on how big of a supporter Bill Bigley Sr was, and his passion for working on cars was evident throughout his life. With 128 laps around, whether it’s Fenhaus who bests Majeski or Dylan Bigley who wins, one thing’s for certain – the 2023 Bill Bigley Sr Memorial is set to deliver an exciting weekend for fans of die-hard racing.