Anothe Successful Season in the Books

     2024 was another exciting year for yours truly and my trusty companions. Although my total races were down a bit, I still managed to log fifty three nights at nineteen different tracks in five states. Adams County, Il. Speedway/ Quincy Raceways led the way with fifteen nights followed closely by Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Ia. at fourteen. Both of these I consider my "home tracks," as I can be standing at the pit shack in about thirty five minutes from home. Davenport Speedway takes more effort, but the quality offering of Late Model specials was an attraction on five occasions this season. Two visits each came at a long time favorite, 34 Raceway in West Burlington, along with Independence Motor Speedway and Cedar County Raceway in Tipton. Single nights were enjoyed at CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction, West Liberty Raceway, Benton County Speedway in Vinton, all in Iowa. East Moline Speedway, Peoria Speedway and Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il., along with Scotland County Speedway, Callaway Raceway in Fulton, Moberly Motorsports Park, and Springfield Raceway in Missouri were also visited once. 

   Thanks to my Positively Racing cohort Jeff Broeg, I was able to add three new to me venues in three different states. Our season opened at Park Jefferson Speedway in Jefferson, South Dakota, and we made a late season pilgrimage to Grain Valley Speedway near Kansas City, Missouri and Tri State Speedway just across the state line near Pocola, Oklahoma. This brought my total tracks to a somewhat modest (compared to my P.R. colleagues) seventy six. 

  Changes are afoot for 2025. Seven nights in 2024 were spent chasing MLRA Late Models, a now defunct wing of the Lucas Oil Racing family. Fortunately it appears the rejuvenated MARS series has picked up several of those events, including the uber popular Slocum 50. As schedules continue to drop, the upcoming season is shaping up to be both varied and busy. For several seasons in the early 2000's our racing would begin and end at the same facility, the long closed  Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway. Now we hope to recreate that scenario. Having wrapped up 2024 at Springfield Raceway, we now look forward to the two night opening extravaganza at the quick quarter mile on February 28 - March 1. That is IF Mother Nature will cooperate! In the meantime, enjoy the holidays. Merry Christmas to all!

Turkey Bowl Puts a Wrap on 2024

    Saturday we wrapped up our 2024 racing season with our annual pilgrimage to Springfield, Mo. Raceway for the final night of the 18th annual Turkey Bowl. B and A mains for the Midwest Mods, B Mods, A Mods, and Legends, plus a full show for open Late Models would make up a very full card of action in front of a large crowd. Only the Late Models would hot lap, kicking things off about 4:15 on what would slowly become anticipated chilly conditions. At least that is what was on the schedule. But checking once more after arriving in town, hot laps had been pushed back one hour. Perhaps the bright sunshine and stiff breeze would have made track prep more challenging, but whatever the reason, we were gifted with a smooth and fast racing surface helped along by several spritzes of water and a couple of somewhat lengthy "farming" sessions. The good news is there was side by side racing all night long with plenty of passing. The bad news is with 277 cars checked in for the evening, the thirty two race program (complete with a fireworks display!) took about eight hours to complete, with the final checkers waving about 1:12 A.M., leaving us well chilled, but happy. And, hey, we were racing in November! With three other classes having wrapped up competition on Thursday or Friday, the forty nine Super Late Models signed in swelled the weekend car count to a record 404 cars in this the eighteenth year of what had became known as the Turkey Bowl!

   If I may be permitted  small criticisms, I do think the twenty two B main qualifiers could have been staged with fewer laps. Twelve circuits for Legends and Midwest Mods, fifteen for the other divisions seemed a bit long, and having qualified only eight feature starters in the five Late Model heats  (as well as the other classes on prior nights) also seemed a bit light. On the plus side, the vastly improved track lighting, upgraded speaker system and parking attendants were steps in a positive direction. 

   But now, on to the racing. With all qualifying and a brief intermission in the books, twenty four Legend cars would run the first feature, twenty laps around the quick quarter mile. Chance Gilbert would lead the first seven laps after his pole start. Just as Glenn Mitchell grabbed the lead, the first caution came for a spinning Gilbert. Row six starter Jackson Lewis would charge to the front on the restart, while Trenton Simon and Sean Johnson locked in a tight battle for second. A second and final yellow came with five laps to go, but Lewis was not to be denied, making the long tow from Lakeville, Minnesota pay off, collecting the unique Turkey Bowl trophy and getting to set off a firework, as did each feature winner. Simon won the fight for second ahead of Johnson, Mitchell, and Ty Olson. 

   Twenty Midwest A class cars came out next for twenty laps. Mike Striegel started on the pole and was well out front working the inside line. As the race came to the mid point and the leader approached slower traffic, Mark Simon suddenly slowed, bringing out the yellow flag and ending his top five run. Back under green, ninth starting Pete Richardson used the Delaware Style restart to jump from third to the runner up position and began to hound the leader. With the leaders working the low line, Jerad McIntire took his #9X to the cushion, moving quickly to third. As the pack came through the final set of turns to the checkers, McIntire made a final charge, but slipped off the tricky cushion, recovering to cross the line in fifth. However, he apparently did not survive post race tech, earning a DQ. The final rundown had Striegel with the win followed by Richardson, Daniel Anders, Ben Newell, and JC Newell. 

   Track work was followed by the A Mod thirty lapper, twenty cars strong. The star studded field saw Kyle Steffens outrun his row one mate Zack VanderBeek and row two starters Kenny Wallace and Terry Phillips to turn one. On lap six Phillips moved to third ahead of a yellow flag, and he then took second on the Delaware restart. VanderBeek returned the favor following another stoppage with a dozen laps scored. Again the caution came at lap fourteen, and now it was Phillips moving once more to second. California transplant Trevor Fitz was now on the move to fourth after lining up in row six while Chase Holland used the high line to enter the top five. Phillips worked close around the tall inside berm while Steffens preferred a middle groove in the nip and tuck battle. Steffens held the lead by inches with six laps remaining, but Phillips nosed ahead the following trip across the line. In the closing circuits, the second generation hometown star increased his lead, and as the checkers flew it was Phillips scoring his fifth Turkey Bowl crown. Steffens would settle for second in front of VanderBeek, a late charge by Darin Duffy, and Wallace. 

   Another rework of the surface preceded $6,064 to win Late Model headliner. Forty nine entrants had been whittled down to twenty for thirty laps of action. Daniel Hilsabeck and Dillon McCowan brought the field to green. Tony Jackson Jr. followed Hilsabeck as lap one was scored while Justin Zeitner and Ryan Gustin trailed McCowan in the first five. With a lap three restart, McCowan and Gustin took up the chase. Gustin would bring out another yellow as he slowed nine laps in, his run finished. As the green flag waved once again, Jackson Jr. jumped the cushion and was shuffled all the way back to tenth. Logan Martin had started in eleventh, but he powered to third ahead on lap twenty, one circuit before another stoppage for Hilsabeck, who had a tire go down nine laps from payday. McCowan would inherit the lead and survive one more caution on lap twenty three. From there he would cruise to the win, besting Martin, Louisiana driver Clayton Stuckey, Zeitner, and hard charging and row nine starter Dustin Hodges. Hilsabeck was able to bounce back to run sixth, topping Rich Bell, Kylan Garner, Scott Crigler, and John Briggs. 

   B Mods would wrap up the night and the season after seventy six entrants were pared down to twenty for twenty five laps. Pole sitter Ryan Gilmore led early, passed by Glenn Styres ahead of a major pileup that brought out a red flag three laps in. Colson Kirk would grab the front position as racing resumed, pulling well ahead before a second caution with eight in the books. Logan Anderson drove from fifth to second on the restart taking along fellow Iowan Brayton Carter. Talan Willis was working near the front before going over the top of turn four just after the halfway mark to bring a final yellow. Carter would take over the top spot with nine laps to go, pulling away to collect the Turkey in his first visit to Springfield. Kirk finished second, chased by Anderson, Gilmore, and twelfth starting Logan Hickerson from Linden, Tennessee. 

   Before the short trip to our hotel was complete, we were well along with plans for Turkey Bowl XIX in 2025!

   As I type on Monday morning, a pair of phone calls informed me that shockingly Lucas Oil has decided to shut down the iconic MLRA series as of today. This will certainly shake up the mid west Late Model landscape in ways we hesitate to hazard a guess! So grab the popcorn and hold on!

   Although the Racin' Down the Road tour is probably complete for 2024, there is still one major mid west event to go, the indoor Gateway Dirt Nationals at the Dome in St. Louis December 5-7. When that is in the books, we will follow with our 2024 season recap and perhaps a look ahead to 2025. Stay tuned!

Honoring the 2024 Hall of Famers

    Our racing experience this weekend was a bit different. Along with my friend Fred, I was fortunate to be able to attend the annual Iowa Dirt Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremony. This event took place in Webster City, where fourteen very deserving persons received such a special honor. Being present as my good friend and Positively Racing colleague Jeff Broeg delivered his acceptance speech was a highlight of the evening. I have followed and admired Jeffs' media contributions since his teenage days with Hawkeye Racing News, being fortunate to spend the last nearly fifteen years playing a small part on this site, one of his many successful ventures.

   Among the other inductees were a couple of gentlemen for whom I have plenty of admiration. Lynn Richard had a long career as a successful dirt track racer before taking the reins as a co promoter of the struggling dirt track on the Lee County Fairgrounds in Donnellson, Iowa in the 1990s. In short order under his watch, Lynn turned the track into a Saturday night racing destination. Along the way he was a patient and generous employer for many racing enthusiasts, including my son, Brent, who offered up his media skills after working as a writer for Broeg as a teenage racing fan. 

   Doug Haack is likely the most in demand flagman in the state of Iowa, working regular gigs four nights per week in addition to many special events.  More than just waving the sticks, Doug is a no nonsense, take charge field general from his perch above the track, while maintaining respect and friendship from the racers he directs. Although I only met Doug a few years ago, I consider him a part of my racing family. And by the way, he has an awesome collection of photographs from the "old" days of mid west racing.

   Growing up in Keokuk, once known as the "Racing Capital of the World," it is somewhat ironic that I never got to personally know one of my Hometown Heros. Ron Hutcherson was the younger brother of Dick, both being a few years older than yours truly. I spent more than a few nights watching Ron follow in his big brothers footsteps as a force on the Tri State area dirt before heading to the "big time" of ARCA and NASCAR. Ron was inducted posthumously in 2024, having past away just a couple of years ago. 

   Ten other individuals were admitted to the hall on this very special night before a packed house. It was my first time to attend the ceremony, and I look forward to hopefully doing so again. Thanks, Jeff, for the invitation, and congratulations to all the members, past and present.

   Weather permitting, we have one more race on our schedule, the Turkey Bowl at Springfield, Mo. Raceway in two weeks. This is an event we look forward to each season, and if you are so inclined, bundle up and join us there!

Twenty Five Years of Shiverfest in the Books

    With cool temps we felt right at home as the Shiverfest event at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson continued a tradition that began in 1999 as the Grand Millenium Finale before transitioning to Shiverfest the following year. A Halloween celebration for the youngsters as well as a nightcap for Iowa racing, it is a melting pot of competitors from far and wide, including states as far away as Wyoming. Under first year promoters Neal Kohlmorgan and Patrick Profeta, the highly anticipated Hay rack Rides, front stretch Trick or Treating from the gathered race teams, and Box Car Races for the youngsters continued, and oh, by the way, there would be seven divisions of competitive racing!

   One hundred thirty seven cars would be the final tally, a mixture ranging from sixteen Late Models to twenty eight Sport Mods / B Mods.

   Heat race action clicked off in quick fashion, and it was a welcome turn to see qualifying events with as many as ten cars involved, creating some real racing for redraw positions. 

   Intermission included the Box Car Races and some track work, as the late week rain left the three eighths mile oval with a bit of "character," particularly between turns one and two. In fact, most of the caution periods throughout the night began with competitors failing to navigate that set of turns successfully!

   Feature racing began with the American Iron Racing Series rolling out for fifteen laps. Robin Atkins would grab the lead in the early laps, then hold off first Doak Allen Jr., who retired early, then Bart Miller, to notch the win. Atkins pilots a 1967 Ford Fairlane. In fact, the top five finishers were all wheeling FoMoCo products.

   A solid field of twenty Stock Cars signed in, with all but two lining up for twenty laps. John Oliver Jr. has sold his 2024 machine, but was behind the wheel of the Chad Krogmeier #12. Oliver redrew the pole position, then took off, leading row one mate Andrew Burk in an early two car race. The lone yellow flag came on lap four when Leremy Jackson spun on the back chute and had the nose of his #35LJ ripped apart. Back under green, heat one winner Tony Olson in the Kaden Reynolds #1 charged to the runner up spot as Oliver began to put distance on the field. Dustin Griffiths would drive to third on lap seven before giving way to heat two winner Keegan Wells with four laps remaining. Meanwhile, Oliver Jr. would cruise to the win, besting Olson, Wells, Griffiths, and Burk. 

   Cyle Hawkins claimed heat one in the Compact division, started on the pole of the fifteen lap feature, and drove on to win number one hundred of his 4 Cylinder career. Four yellow flags would slow the action, mostly for debris. Three drivers would trade the runner up spot and take a run at Hawkins, who had built a commanding lead ahead of the final yellow flag with just four laps remaining. Josh Barnes, Spencer Coats, and Chuck Fullenkamp had all held the second position throughout the race, and they would follow Hawkins across the line in that order, with Tim Schnathorst holding off heat two winner Michael Snyder for fifth. Top contender Travis Demint was the only one of the eighteen signed in to miss the feature call. 

   Wisconsin visitor Lance Mish was unable to answer the bell in the Late Model twenty five lapper. The two most dominant drivers at the speedway, pole sitter Austen Becerra and third starting heat two winner Tommy Elston would shoot to the front at the drop of the green. Heat one winner Jeremiah Hurst, wheeling the Joel Callahan #40 would power around rookie Jackson Frankel for third before Frankel looped his ride in turn two on lap three, bringing out the yellow. On the restart, Dubuque hot shoe Ron Klein grabbed third away from Hurst. Elston continued to stalk Becerra, and they crossed the line nearly side by side as lap five was scored. Becerra was still in control, but he smacked the guard rail on lap seven, badly damaging the spoiler on his #22, allowing Elston to take over the top spot. Now Hurst was again on the move, charging to third on lap nine, then second one lap later. With Becerra falling back in his now ill handling car, Klein took third on lap eleven. When the caution came at lap twelve for debris, Becerra decided to call it a night. Back to racing it was Elston and Hurst in a tight battle, with Jeremiah moving to the front on lap fourteen, as eighth starting C. J. Horn advanced to third. One last caution came on the next circuit for a Dustin Smith spin, and Klein retired at that point with front end issues. As the green flag waved once again, Hurst opened a sizable advantage, and with just three laps left Horn cleared Elston for second. Jeremy Pundt drove a steady race to claim fourth, while Frankel rebounded to fifth, nipping veteran Iron Man Darrel Defrance. Smith bounced back to seventh ahead of Austin Poage and Jerry Johnson. Klein was credited with tenth.  

   Fifteen laps would be the distance for the twenty seven Sport Mod / B Mods able to make the call, with Jason Riegel absent. A yellow on the opening lap was followed by four more as several cars had issues on the challenging track. Hazel Green, Wisconsin ace Jason Roth took off from the pole with outside row one starter Brandon Lennox in pursuit. With two laps and three cautions in the books, Dylan VanWyk moved to second. Roth opened a several car length lead, but struggled a bit as he caught a slower car at lap nine. A timely yellow flag created an open track ahead, but Van Wyk powered to the high line and cleared Roth for the lead ten laps in. Dylan then stretched his margin, while Lennox came charging back to second. One final yellow set up a two lap, single file restart, with an excited VanWyk holding on for the win. Lennox claimed second, while double duty Tony Olson ( one of several racing multiple classes), finished third. Tanner Klingele came on strong late, advancing five spots to fourth, topping Jarrett Franzen and a fading Roth. Lennox, Franzen, and Reed Wolfmeyer claimed heat wins. 

   Hobby Stocks turned out sixteen entries. Back to racing after a twenty year layoff, Harley Hill could not make the call for the feature, along with Derek Kirkland, who took a vicious multiple time rollover in his heat race after apparently clipping a tractor tire in turn two. Jason Schutterle led Daniel Campbell early, with undefeated track champion Dustin Griffiths charging to third on lap two. It took just two more trips around the oval for Griffiths to move to the lead and set off on his own. Meanwhile there were good battles behind the leader, as cars raced multiple grooves around the oval. Griffiths held a full straightaway lead before the only stoppage came three circuits short of the fifteen lap distance when a small fire erupted underneath the #H2O of Daniel Wauters. As racing resumed, Griffiths drove on the victory, declaring in the winners' circle it was his fifty second checkers in two divisions this season!Tucker Richardson had the drive of the night, gaining a dozen spots to finish second. followed by Tom Killen Jr., Campbell, and thirteenth starting James Pilkington. Heat winners were Jeremy Dooley and Griffiths.

   The finale of the night and the season was the twenty lap Modified money race for the twenty four car field ( featuring long distance traveler Daniel Miller, Bar Nunn, Wyoming!) Again, the open wheel cars seemed to have extra trouble on the night, with three yellow flags in the first two laps. But the green light would then remain on until the closing laps. Denny Eckrich would lead heat two winner Mark Schulte, then Blaine Webster early, with Schulte back to second and first heat winner Becerra moving from row four to third on lap three. Becerra got a strong run off turn four as lap eight was completed, taking second at the line, then powering to the lead down the front straightaway. Austen was soon in heavy traffic, but was moving through seemingly effortlessly. But four laps from the finish, his #22 showed a broken left front end, with the tire and wheel unable to turn. He was able to muscle the car around the track, but with just three circuits left, the caution flag would wave. Lining up behind the leader, Schulte would take second from Eckrich on the restart, but Becerra remained out front. Then coming to the white flag, Austen nearly lost the handle in turn four, with Schulte and Eckrich making it a three car battle. Somehow Becerra held on for the final lap, a dramatic finish to say the least. Eckrich and Schulte followed, chased by heat three winner Kurt Kile, who came back from an early spin to finish fourth. Garrett Wilson would round out the top five. 

   It was exciting racing, with good turnouts in all classes on a cool but enjoyable Saturday night, made special spent with racing friends from far and wide. Thanks to Neal, Patrick, and everyone at LCS for a seasons' worth of hospitality and a plan for more of the same in 2025!

  Next up, we will journey to Webster City, Iowa to celebrate the much deserved  induction into the Iowa Dirt Racing Hall of Fame of my good friend and Positively Racing, All Iowa Points founder, Jeff Broeg. Then, weather permitting, we have at least one more event on our racing calendar, the Turkey Bowl at Springfield, Mo. Speedway in mid November. If you have not been there, it is worth the trip, but dress warm!

New Tracks a Highlight of Racin' Down the Road

    While the Tri State area race tracks that I have called home, some for sixty years or more, represent my "happy place," every so often it is fun to search out new to me venues. So once or twice per season - often early spring or fall - we take a look at the bucket list and plan an adventure. And when Jeff Broeg offers to do the driving duties, how can I refuse! This spring the road took us to Park Jefferson Speedway, just across the Iowa border into South Dakota, where we were lucky to find a few remaining seats out of the wind in the viewing tower. So after careful consideration the decision was made to head further south this time. 

   With a handful of options available, we decided to make our first stop at Valley Speedway in Grain Valley, Missouri for Heartland Modified Tour action supported by just one class, E Mods. The plan then was to move further south to Tri State Speedway in Pocola, Ok. for night number four of their annual "Spooker" event. While none  of these three tracks, would be new ones for Jeff, they still represent a chance to see a variety of drivers and facilities.

   Valley Speedway might generously be described as "rustic," but what happens on the track is what is most important, and the racing on what appears to be something close to a one third mile surface was top notch. Jeff has a detailed recap on the Backstretch, but the A Mod main event made the lengthy evening on a chilly night worth the trip. After a mostly uneventful Valley E Mod thirteen car feature won by Brian Meyer, twenty three of the thirty two USRA Modifieds on hand lined up for thirty laps. Paden Phillips shot from the outside pole to lead the first eighteen laps before fourth starting Tyler Hibner took control ahead of the second and final caution of the race. Hibner appeared to be in charge, but sixth starting Gunner Martin methodically moved to the front, and to the delight of the half dozen or so folks sitting around us, the Sugar Creek, Mo. driver squeezed past Hibner as they passed under the white flag. Martin then pulled away down the backstretch for the surprise win. Hibner, Minnesota visitor Keith Foss, Fulton, Mo. ace Ryan Middaugh, and tenth starting Kansas racer Tad Davis completed the first five. Nice visits with super fan Gary Lee and Heartland promoter Trenton Berry helped fill in the dead time, and we were still headed for our hotel before 10:00 P.M.

   Four hours down the road from Grain Valley I scored my first track in the state of Oklahoma. Tri State Speedway was very different from our Friday venue, a facility spread over many acres, all of which was needed for the two hundred seventeen race teams and thousands of spectators on hand for the final night of the four night 45th annual Spooker. Four of the six classes running on Saturday would race complete shows, while Factory Stocks and Stock Cars would contest only last chance races and features. Six B Modified heats and three heats each for twenty nine A Mods and twenty seven Late Models would click off with few cautions on the fast red dirt three eighths mile oval. Unfortunately we were not so lucky come B Main/LCQ time. By the time the qualifiers were complete, the clock had ticked past 11:00, and my joking comment of "intermission time" became a marathon. Front stretch redraws, a costume contest for the remaining youngsters, and track rework caused us to throw in the towel after thirty minutes or so. So unfortunately we were not around for the six main events, none of which had a lap scored before the bewitching hour. Still it was overall a fun time, even if a bit of time management would have definitely improved the experience on both nights!

   We still have a couple of shows on our 2024 schedule, starting this coming Saturday as the legendary Shiverfest event at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa takes center stage. As of now, the forecast looks great, but pro tip, it chills off fast when the sun goes down, so bring extra layers and say "Hi!" if you see us there!

Chad Simpson Is MLRA Champion, Marrant Wins ROY

   Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. was the site of championship night for the Lucas Oil MLRA Super Late Model series on Friday. Originally scheduled as a two night event, the Saturday finale was canceled by the promoters due to family issues. It has been a tough season for the Gundaker family run facility as they elected to switch from weekly racing to specials only in 2024 only to see many of their events fall victim to wet conditions. And now family illness will force their season to conclude one day early.  Ironically this second week in October would offer an unseasonably warm and dry day followed by a cool evening, great for late season racing. In addition, the points race has tightened considerably during the last few events, creating an exciting atmosphere in both the grandstands and the pits. The concluding race would pay $7,000 to win, with UMP Modifieds filling out the card with a $1,000 winners' share up for grabs. 

   With a modest field of twenty Super Late Models and twenty five Modifieds, we hoped for a quick show, but unfortunately that would not be the case. Heavy rains, remnants of Hurricane Helene created a soggy infield and a track with as they say "character," but other than perhaps a couple extra flat tires, that only made things a bit more interesting. The real culprit, apparently also blamed on the storms, was a malfunctioning timing loop, which caused qualifying to stretch well beyond the one hour mark. Early on in Modified hot lap/qualifying several cars were checked for transponder issues. ( Note to all tracks  that do time trial group qualifying :if you need to pull a car in to check the transponder, please pull the next in line out for time during the process. NO ONE wants dead time watching track personnel crawl under a car to do the check.) After Late Model driver Chris Fetter turned roughly eight qualifying laps it was decided to finish off the Late Models one at a time. Time trials finally wrapped up about 8:19, then three heat races in each division clicked off in just under thirty minutes. The announcement came that the MLRA thirty lap feature would be up first, but with their heat races just complete, we then had a thirty minute plus intermission as the headline class readied their machines.

   All but one, Adam Tischauser, lined up for the main event. Heat winners Tony Jackson Jr., Chris Simpson, Chad Simpson and fast timer Kayden Clatt would fill out the top two rows. In search of a third straight and fifth overall series championship, Chad would start the night atop the points while brother Chris held a slim five point advantage over Tony for second. All three were still on the hunt for the $20,000 championship payday. Chris would grab the early lead with Tony, Kayden and Chad in pursuit. Following a lap three caution Chad would move to third. Three more yellow flags would slow the action, and after the final restart eleven laps in only a dozen cars remained on the track. The final nineteen circuits saw Jackson Jr. in hot pursuit of the leader, nearly completing the pass on a couple of occasions. But even as Chris would bounce off the turn two concrete in the later laps he was able to slightly increase his margin, taking a flag to flag win. Chad would, by his own words drive a "conservative" race, ensuring the series title. Rickey Frankel gained eight positions to come home fourth, while series Rookie of the Year Aaron Marrant came from tenth to complete the top five. Trevor Gundaker, Jeff Herzog and Steve Stultz rounded out the cars running at the checkers, with Lane Ehlert and Allen Middendorf credited with ninth and tenth. 

   With post race and season ending ceremonies complete, twenty three Modifieds would line up for twenty five laps. Unfortunately, the open wheelers seemed unable to negotiate the tricky surface, and after a half dozen or so yellow flags in the first half of the event we took our leave as the clock ticked past 10:30. Up to that point it had been Danny Ems holding off Kenny Wallace in a battle of #36s', but results show Wallace grabbing the win over Ems, fast qualifier Ryan Hamilton, Jacob Steinkoenig and Rick Stevenson. Ems, Wallace and Hamilton were heat race winners. 

   Several upcoming improvements to the facilities at Tri City were announced for the upcoming off season - they still have a B Modified Bash coming up in two weeks, and a return to weekly racing is also scheduled for 2025.

    Plans for yours truly for next weekend remain up in the air, but be sure and check back to see which direction I will be Racin' Down the Road in search of some dirt track action!

Becerra Times Two, Reitzler, Van Wyk, Griffiths, Delonjay Tops at Harvest Hustle

    Following a cancellation following overnight and early morning rains on Friday, the annual Harvest Hustle event at Lee County Speedway was reduced to a one night show on Saturday. There were no such issues on Saturday as unseasonably warm temperatures and a stiff breeze greeted us at our late afternoon arrival. 

   One hundred and four race teams signed in to do battle in six classes on the super fast three eighths mile D shaped oval. Fifteen heat races clicked off in a timely fashion, and only the hybrid Sport Mod/B Mod division required a B Main to whittle their thirty competitors down to twenty four for the feature.

   Following intermission and the awarding of Junior Fan Club prizes, a short field of seven Hobby Stocks lined up for fifteen laps. Dustin Griffiths lined up outside row two, grabbed the lead on the opening circuit, then led all fifteen caution free laps to continue his 2024 unbeaten streak at the speedway. Shane Richardson cleared James Pilkington for second on lap three, but could not run down Griffiths, who opened a half lap lead by the end. Having returned from a lengthy "retirement," Harley Hill ran fourth after an entertaining top five battle with Aaron Martin. 

   Fifteen laps was also the distance for the Limited Mod main event. Cody Agee and Logan Anderson brought the field to green, running in that order ahead of a lap three caution. Following the Delaware Style restart, Dylan VanWyk charged from fourth to the runner up position with another yellow flag waving one lap later. Back to racing, the leaders ran three wide as Van Wyk grabbed the lead. Agee would go over the treacherous turn four cushion allowing both Anderson and Mexico, Missouri racer Parker Smith to drive by. With the race staying green the rest of the way, VanWyk opened a commanding lead. He would catch the back of the pack with just two laps remaining, but he worked the traffic smoothly to collect the win. Anderson, Smith, Brandon Lennox and Agee would complete the first five. 

   Sixteen Stock Cars would go at it for twenty laps. Derrick Agee outgunned Todd Reitzler as the green flag flew, but a yellow flag would set up an original restart. This time it was Reitzler gaining the advantage from the outside pole. Racing around the top of the track, Reitzler opened a lead before he also went over the cushion in turn four allowing Agee to erase his advantage. As the race hit the half way mark, Johnny Spaw began to close on the top two. Two more times the caution flag would be displayed with six then four laps remaining. On the final restart Reitzler appeared to pick up the pace, and he drove on to a flag to flag victory. Agee and Spaw were trailed by a back and forth battle between Abe Huls and Jason See to round out the first five positions. 

   The rules were also relaxed in the 4 cylinder Compact division, and eighteen cars checked in. Outside row one starter Jaden Delonjay and fourth starting Travis Demint would pace the opening circuit before the red flag would fly for an accident on the front stretch. Harrison Horn clipped the guardrail, then did a complete rollover in his #58 machine. He was uninjured, and soon it was back to racing. Delonjay would open up a lead as the next five cars battled side by side and nose to tail behind him. A final stoppage came at lap five as Joey Laws and Kimberly Abbott got together, eliminating both cars from the action. Brandon Reu would join the leaders in third as racing resumed, now chasing Jeffery Delonjay in second. While Jaden again extended his lead Jeffery would dart to the infield on lap ten of the fifteen lapper. Jaden would drive off for the win ahead of a close battle for second between Reu and Demint. Cincinnati, Ohio visitors Jack and Joe Pflum would bookend fifth place Barry Taft at the checkers.  

   A solid field of eighteen Late Models lined up to contest twenty five laps. Dustin Smith in the Leroy Brenner #53 and Freeport, Il. driver Mike Fryer paced the field. Smith would lead lap one ahead of track regular Darin Weisinger Jr., but fifth starting Quad City ace Evan Miller would pick up the chase on lap two. Miller would move to the front out of turn four as lap five was scored, and one lap later Austen Becerra would drive to third while Jackson Frankel powered his new ride to fourth. Those three soon gained separation from the pack, and on lap eleven Becerra cleared Smith for second. Miller was working the inside line as Becerra pounded the cushion. The first yellow came at the mid point as Weisinger Jr. saw his #11 go up in smoke. Back under green the top three again pulled ahead and Becerra began to hound Miller lap after lap. With just five laps left Becerra worked a partially successful slide job exiting turn two with Miller making contact with the left rear of his car. Both maintained control as the yellow waved a final time one lap later. With a final wave of the green by starter Kevin Eggleston Becerra drove away for the win. Miller would take the runner up spot in front of Frankel. Sport Mod hot shoe Logan Anderson made I believe his first Late Model start wheeling the Travis Denning #56D and turned in an impressive run coming from row six to fourth at the checkers. Denny Woodworth gained four positions to complete the top five. C. J. Horn advanced seven spots to sixth besting Tommy Elston, Jeffery Delonjay, Gary Webb, and first time visitor Fryer. 

   Modifieds would round out the action, fifteen strong for twenty laps. Becerra redrew the outside pole position, and as the saying goes, "that was all she wrote." He would open a sizable lead over pole sitter Dakota Simmons and former track promoter Mike Van Genderen ahead of a caution period with three in the books. As the green flag again waved, Becerra pulled away and seventh starting Kurt Kile charged to second. By the halfway nark, Austen had caught slower traffic, but he was now working with a full straightaway advantage. He would extend that lead to a full half lap before the yellow would wave a final time as Van Genderen tagged the turn one guardrail flattening a tire during a close battle with Robbie Reed for third. This yellow would replace the white flag to set up a green, white, checkers finish. It was no issue for Becerra, who collected win number two for the night. Reed cleared Kile for second in the closing laps, Simmons outran Jesse Belez for fourth. 

   The final checkers on the crisp, well run show waved just past 10:00 P.M. Thanks as always to Neal, Patrick and the LCS crew for their hospitality. We now await one final show at the track for 2024, the highly anticipated Shiverfest event on Saturday, October 26. The now legendary program, drawing cars from several states features trick or treating and hay rack rides for the youngsters and exciting racing for all, so don't miss out! In the meantime, there is still plenty of racing throughout the mid west, so check back to see where we show up next!