Thornton, Murty, Paris, Reynolds, Ballard and Rick Tops at Benton County

    After inclement weather wiped out their early April edition of the Frostbuster series, Benton County Speedway "The Bullring" began preparations for the opening of their regular season Sunday, April 21. For this opening event, five regular IMCA classes, Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts would be joined by the Pro Late Models. The brainchild of Late Model driver Brandon Davis, this would be the first of several stops for the eastern Iowa based traveling series at the Vinton quarter mile. After heavy rains wiped out much of the racing in the state earlier in the weekend, we were greeted with sunshine and cool temps as we arrived at the fairgrounds, and the line of racers on pit road indicated that we were not the only ones hungry for racing! 

   When the final tally came in, one hundred and nine race teams filled both the regular as well as the overflow pit area! As a result of the line and the late comers, hot laps were pushed back by about fifteen minutes. But track personnel were more than up to the task, and with only one sessions of quick warmups for each class - yes, twenty two late models can all hot lap at once on a quarter mile, thank you very much! - we were racing by 5:15. Only those same late models had more than two qualifying heats, with anywhere from seven to ten cars in a heat making for very entertaining preliminaries including plenty of passing. And with the one spin rule in effect, the yellow flag would wave only four times and at exactly the one hour mark feature lineups were set. 

   The track crew then took about twenty minutes to manicure the facility ahead of the six feature races.

   Sport Compacts would be up first for a dozen laps. After some shuffling of cars and a first lap caution, seventeen would line up for the complete restart. Jake Anderson would have the pole and he would shoot to the lead taking along third starting Lukas Rick. That duo quickly pulled away from the pack with Rick finally nosing to the lead on lap five. For the most part the leaders lined up in the low groove, completing the event with no more cautions. Rick grabbed the first feature checkers of 2024 followed by Anderson and Cristian Grady. Close racing behind the podium finishers saw Spencer Roggentien come from row five to fourth and Stephan Randall finish where he started in fifth. 

   Sport Mods had the smallest turnout with fourteen cars and they all lined up for fifteen laps. Shane Paris would draw the pole position and he would not be seriously challenged throughout the event. Following a lap two caution, cousins Tony and Kyle Olson would race side by side for the runner up spot before a final yellow eleven laps in. Again Paris would drive away while Tony would finally claim the second spot ahead of Kyle. Brady Hilmer was steady in fourth and the aptly named Rayce Mullen would round out the top five. 

   The Late Model lineup would be missing just one car, that of driver/promoter/defending series champion Corey Dripps, who suddenly rolled to a stop coming to the white flag in his heat race while running in a redraw position. Twenty five laps would be the hard fought distance in this one. Veteran Hall of Famer Jeff Aikey and Nick Marolf would take the green flag from row one with Aikey leading third starting Dylan Thornton as lap one was scored. Things were getting interesting as the leaders approached slower traffic on lap eight before the yellow flew for T J Fortmann. Andy Eckrich had lined up eighth, but used the Delaware style restart to climb to fourth. Now Aikey, Thornton and J D Auringer, debuting his sharp looking #00J began to put distance on the field. For several circuits, Aikey and Thornton ran side by side for the lead. The caution came at lap sixteen when Bobby Hansen went up in smoke and again one lap later for a spinning car, then once more on the restart for debris from the #20 of Zach Less. Back under green, Thornton muscled his way to the lead in turns three and four on lap twenty one. This was followed by one more quick yellow, and on this final restart both Auringer and Eckrich cleared Aikey. As Thornton, a Modified and Stock Car ace who is new to the Late Model ranks, pulled away for his second win of the weekend, Auringer held second while Aikey recovered to finish in third. Eckrich and Marolf also scored top fives. Coming all the way from Denison in the western part of the state, Shane DeMay ran sixth ahead of twelfth starting Matt Ryan, Dalton Simonsen, and Logan Duffy. Chad Holladay recovered from an earlier excursion off the track to round out the top ten. 

   This edge of your seat barn burner was followed by another attention grabber as the Stock Cars came to the track, eighteen strong for twenty laps. Gage Neal and Dustin Griffiths paced lap one, with Rowdee Van Genderen moving to second one lap later, while Griffiths retook second on lap three. Now it was the front pair riding in the low line while advancing Kaden Reynolds and John Oliver Jr. worked the middle and high grooves looking for a way to the front. With the top four fighting hard, Griffiths slipped into the lead on lap twelve. Oliver Jr., Reynolds, and Neal were battling three wide for second when the only caution came just five laps from the finish. Back to racing it was Oliver Jr. using the high line to charge to second. Suddenly on lap seventeen Griffiths dove to the infield, his run over. With Oliver Jr. and Reynolds joined by Kyle Olson in a side by side tussle, Oliver took the white flag in first. But coming through the final set of turns, Reynolds found just enough speed to win the drag race to the checkers, picking up a thrilling win. Oliver Jr. and Olson filled out the podium, while Jay Schmidt and Neal also scored top fives.

   Sixteen Modifieds would go at it for twenty trips around. Troy Cordes led Mike Van Genderen through the opening circuit, with Dallon Murty quickly moving up to challenge Cordes. On lap five Murty drove around the leader on the high side, followed by a quick yellow. Tim Ward then moved to second on the Delaware restart before the next stoppage at the halfway mark. As Murty, Ward, and Cordes pulled well ahead, there was a gaggle of about six cars battling hard behind them. One more caution came with five to go, and in the closing laps Ward was all over the Modified rookie, Murty. But Dallon was up to the challenge, driving home for the win. Ward ran second, with Cordes in third. Another Mod rookie, Ben Chapman missed his heat race, started at the tail of the field and charged all the way back to fourth in front of Patrick Flannigan.  

   Hobby Stocks would offer up the fifteen lap finale. After Joren Fisher led lap one, sixth starting Bradly Graham would open a sizable lead ahead of a five car scramble for second. When the yellow flew with five in the books, the hottest driver in the state, Nathan Ballard, was up to fourth. Two more laps were scored before Ballard was locked in a side by side duel with for second with Justin Wacha.  Although Graham had again opened a nice lead, Ballard soon took over the runner up spot and began to quickly close on the leader. Coming to the white flag, Graham was running the middle line rolling into turn three when he was caught momentarily behind a slower car. That was all Ballard needed, as he powered to the front, then raced home for another checkered flag. Graham recovered for second, besting Wacha, Fisher, and Corey VanDerwilt.

   That would put the wraps on a great night of racing that concluded before 8:30, how cool is it to leave the track before dark! Thanks to Corey, Rick, and crew at "The Bullring" for their hospitality, and to Ryan Clark for the kind words towards PositivelyRacing. Hopefully we can make it back to Vinton soon. In the meantime, we will continue to watch the cranky spring weather as we make plans to go Racin' Down the Road!

  

A Full Night of Action at Indee

   After inclement weather wiped out our racing plans for last weekend, we decided to take advantage of  a delightful Saturday with a trip to Independence, Iowa Motor Speedway. The Mike Van Genderen and Dana Benning promoted fairgrounds facility opened their season with a seven class program highlighted by a visit by the Pro Late Models. There would also be points racing in five IMCA classes, Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts. In addition, the always entertaining American Iron Racing Series would make a special appearance. The addition of fresh clay to what was a bit of a sandy surface would make racing something of a new experience for even long time competitors on the three eighths mile oval. With all this in mind, the track held an open practice on Friday. This all came after the first night of the scheduled five night Frostbuster traveling mini series was canceled on Wednesday, April 3 due to wet conditions.

   One hundred and nineteen race teams checked in with twenty two Stock Cars and twenty two Sport Compacts leading the way, meaning no B Mains were necessary. Surprisingly and disappointing I imagine to fans, promoters and the series director, only eight Pro Late Models came to the special non points season opener. 

   Seventeen heat races clicked off in about one hour and five minutes thanks to minimal yellow flags and a rapid fire process from one heat to the next. Track personnel then took around twenty minutes to manicure the surface ahead of the seven main events. 

   So we were feature racing before 8:30. From there, however the pace slowed considerably. In an attempt perhaps to encourage drivers to use the top half of the track and widen the racing groove, a dose of water followed the first five features, requiring the cars to turn multiple laps to run in the moisture. Because of or in spite of, the track took on "character" as the night went on. Still the racing was competitive with side by side action and drivers advancing through the field. 

   Sport Compacts would be up first, twenty one cars came to the track for fourteen laps, although Clayton Loeb would park in the infield ahead of the green flag. After a false start, Jake Anderson would lead the pack as lap one was scored. Korey Lana used a slower car to his advantage, grabbing the point at the halfway mark. Two laps later, Mason City visitor Devin Jones would grab the top spot, then begin to pull away as Tyler Mannion came up to battle Lana for second. As the white flag waved, it was replaced by the caution for debris setting up a green, white, checkers finish. Jones again drove off to pick up the win, while Anderson rebounded to second when Lana had a mechanical issue. Ryan Bryant advanced eight positions to third, followed by Tyler and Christopher Mannion.  

   All but one of the seventeen A.I.R.S. competitors lined up for sixteen laps. Tracy Quigley paced the opening circuit, giving way to hard charging Matthew Hirst and Travis Heier. Heier was able to move to the front as a pair of cautions came at lap nine. As those three battled, Doug Yates began to make his presence felt, and he nosed by Heier at the checkers in what was either a Ford Torino or Mercury Cyclone. Heier was runner up in his Maverick followed by Quigley, Bruce Yoerger and Brian Gade. 

   The Sport Mod count was also surprisingly low at an even dozen, and they ran a caution free eighteen laps. Pole sitter Brandon Tharp would lead this one flag to flag, and was a happy camper in victory lane. Tony Olson, who should probably pay me to stay away, as he always seems to have issues when I am in attendance, suddenly dove to the infield after climbing to second about lap five. Seventh starting Cole Suckow managed to clear traffic and was closing on the leader before running out of laps. Kyle Olson, Curt Smeins, and Brady Hilmer completed the first five. 

   All twenty two Stock Cars contested a lively battle marked by a false start and three yellow flags, Veteran Vern Jackson shot from the outside pole to lead early, before his row one mate Chris Luloff took over about lap five. Meanwhile, visitor John Oliver Jr. was working his way forward, moving to third after starting in row three. As those three waged a fierce battle, Jarod Weepie and Tom Schmitt closed the gap to make a five car scrum. The caution came as Jackson retook the lead about lap fourteen. On the restart, Oliver Jr. had a tire come apart ending his run and Luloff also had issues as well. Back under green, Schmitt moved to the lead and held on through a caution for debris to take the win after starting in ninth. Jackson followed ahead of Weepie, tenth starting Leah Wroten and eleventh starting Ty Hill. Young hot shoe Kaden Reynolds had problems in his heat race, lined up in row eleven and charged forward as high as third before falling to fifth on the final restart, then slowing in a cloud of smoke in the final corner, dropping to tenth in the final rundown.

   Modifieds would be next, all nineteen on hand for twenty laps. Troy Cordes drew the pole start and shot to a commanding lead. He held on through yellow flags around laps four and six before a multi car pile up culled the herd on lap seven. Clearly the class of the field on this night, Cordes again put his #71C well out front before a final caution set up a green, white checkers finish. Troy would cruise to the win in front of Jeff Aikey, Patrick Flannagan, Brennen Chipp, Jerry King, and Josh Fisher, the only cars still running at the checkers. 

   With the racing surface now particularly challenging, it was decided to forego more water, and "tickle" the surface instead ahead of the sixteen lapper for all but one of the nineteen Hobby Stocks. With the improved surface, only one yellow flag on lap two would slow the action. Quinton Miller would hold serve until Joren Fisher took over on lap seven. Fisher opened a sizable lead in front of an entertaining battle for second between Adam Streeter and Bradly Graham. Graham would see his run come to an end with four laps remaining. But this race belonged to sixth starting Fisher. Streeter held on for runner up honors, besting Miller, Brad Graham, and Tyler Ball. 

  Twenty laps for the Pro Late Models would close out the program. Dalton Simonsen checked in with a sharp looking #60, but he had smoke rolling from under the hood in hot laps, ending his night. Bobby Hansen and local legend Curt Martin drew the front row with Martin powering to the lead. At the mid point, it was Martin, Hansen, Logan Duffy, and heat winner Sean Johnson leading the way. One lap later, the only caution came as a slowing Lance Mish came to a halt over the top of turn one. The first attempt at the Delaware style restart was called back when Duffy charged around Martin too early, but on the next try he still was able to use the outside line to take over the lead. Logan then put distance between his #14 and the field, driving to the win. Rookie Late Model driver Tyler Sommerlot ducked to the infield with two laps to go, leaving a five car finish of Duffy, Martin, Hansen, Johnson, and Brandon Davis. 

   Even with the delays, the final checkers came around 10:30. All in all, a pleasant night with close racing on what looks to be an extremely fast surface. And for sure, Indee is a fine facility with plenty of seating and great sight lines. Unfortunately, at least on this night, the scoreboard was not working, and the P. A. system could use some work, things that I am sure will be addressed as the season gets going. Indee features regular Saturday night racing from here on out, and for those looking for an extra fix, this will be season two for their unique series of Monday Madness races. Thanks to MVG, Dana, and the helpful ladies at the pit shack for an enjoyable Saturday night of racing three hours from home!

   Weather permitting, the upcoming week is chock full of outstanding events at some of our favorite Iowa venues like Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, 34 Raceway in West Burlington, and Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Decisions, decisions!

Ballard, Jackson, Braaksma Double Up While Taft and Jaennette Are Also Scotland County Winners

    After three weeks in dry dock, it was time to restart our 2024 racing season. The plan would be to travel to the Quincy (Il.) Town Center on Saturday morning to preview the upcoming activities of the Adams County, Il. Speedway at their annual car show. Thirty some racing machines turned out, including an encouraging nine Late Models. Modifieds, Sport Mods, Street Stocks, Compacts, Go Karts and even one Sprint Car were also on hand, with drivers and crew members present to answer questions. After a few practice nights, the racing season at the .29 mile oval will begin on Sunday, April 28.

    Now even though the weather might have been more suitable for football, a carload of us headed for Scotland County Speedway for night two of the Memphis (Mo.) Spring Nationals. This is year thirteen for mid west traveling promoter Mike Van Genderen as the front man for the limited schedule of special events at the wide, fast fairgrounds oval, and it seems often as not, this early season extravaganza falls victim to Mother Nature. Indeed, with a forecast of a brief shower on Friday and temps stuck in the 30's or low 40's both days, no one could have blamed MVG and the race committee for pulling the plug once again. But ever the risk takers, they carried on and we were rewarded with some top notch racing!

   After 69 teams signed in on Friday, that number was bumped up to 82 for the Saturday action. Slightly warmer temps with less wind and a start time of 4:00 as well as a natural Saturday bump likely all contributed to the increase. Although I was not in attendance on Friday, multiple people who have been around the track for many years told me it was one of if not the coldest night of racing they could remember!

   Hot laps kicked off just a few minutes past that 4:00 bell, and the program went pretty much rapid fire to its conclusion just after 7:00. There were eighteen total races with a very brief break following the heats as MVG added a bit of water to the oval. 

   With the feature lineups set, Hobby Stocks would kick things off, all thirteen cars making the call for fourteen laps. Friday winner Nathan Ballard drew the pole position for the main, and was never headed as he doubled up in the victory column. The race was red flagged early when Jeremy Dooley took flight off turn three. The restart was then waved off as heat two winner Calvin Dhondt saw his night come to an end. As Ballard disappeared from the field, Tom Killen and Dustin Griffiths waged a second place battle. Following a caution at the halfway mark, Dustin used a low side pass to grab the runner up spot. As the laps wound down, David Crimmins and eleventh starting Curt Reed dueled for the fourth position. At the checkers it was Ballard cruising to the win ahead of Griffiths, Killen, Crimmins, and Reed.

   B Mods waited on the track for the brief post race picture taking, then all but one of the nineteen cars on hand prepared to roll off for eighteen laps. However Dakota Girard came to a stop on the front stretch with apparent rear end problems on his #0 machine. Again, it was a Friday winner, Kris Jackson starting in row one and taking another checkers. But his trip to victory lane would be no cake walk. As Kris shot to the lead, Brandon Dale and Chris Spalding made it a trio of Missouri hot shoes leading the way. As Dale and Spalding fought for second, row five starter Brayton Carter was headed to the front, picking off cars until he climbed to second at the mid point of the race. As Shadren Turner joined the challengers for third and the front pair put distance on the pack, the yellow came with ten laps down for a slowing car. Adding a new twist to the weekend, the Delaware restart ( leader out front of a two by two formation), was scrapped in favor of the first and second place cars restarting side by side with the leader choosing inside or out. This put the pair of Jackson high and Carter low in what was shaping up to be an epic battle. But three more laps were scored when Carter slowed and pulled to the infield with front end damage after possibly clipping one of the tire barriers. Jackson then completed his weekend sweep, with Turner claiming second. St. Joseph, Minnesota driver Jake Smith in third was the lone interloper in an all Missouri top six, as he topped Dale, Spalding, and Dawson David.

    The Compact count swelled by eight to twenty two for Saturday, and again all but one lined up for fourteen laps. A grinding crash as the field entered turn one sent Rachel Kile hard into the turn one guardrail, bringing out a red flag. Although she was able to walk away from the carnage, her #13 machine suffered what looked to be terminal damage. Back under green, Brad Mick paced the opening lap before Brandon Reu took command the next time by the flag stand. But it was ninth starting Barry Taft charging through the traffic, as he arrived in the runner up spot just four laps in. By now it was Reu and Taft well ahead, and it took just one more circuit for Barry to put his #57 out front. As a race for third went on between Bryan Vannausdle and Dyllan Bonk, Taft drove off into the chilly evening. Eleventh starting Jeffery Delonjay and Chuck Fullenkamp worked into the top five as Vannausdle faded a bit and at the checkers it was Taft, Reu, Bonk, Delonjay, and Fullenkamp. Interestingly, both Delonjay and Bonk also had taken part in the Quincy car show earlier in the day, Jeffery with his new Late Model, and Dyllan with a shiny new Street Stock. Friday Compact winner Josh Barnes was a no show on night number two.

   Stock Car action saw sixteen of the seventeen signed in line up for twenty laps. Michael Jaennette and David Brandies filled row one, with Michael jumping to the lead. Following a lap three caution for a spinner, fourth starting John Oliver Jr. powered to second. Two more laps were complete when the yellow waved again, and although Oliver Jr. now lined up beside the leader, it was Brandies charging back to the runner up position. The field now mostly migrated to the low line around the track and Jaennette and Brandies began to put distance on the rest of the competitors. Only ninth starting two class star Griffiths was willing to try the high line around the track, but he was unable to improve on his fifth place position. With just a pair of laps remaining, Oliver Jr. and Oshkosh, Wisconsin driver Presley Harrington had closed the gap to the front duo, but it was too little too late, as Jaennette took the flag to flag win over Brandies, Oliver Jr., Harrington, and Griffiths.

   Wrapping up the action, it was ten of eleven Modifieds going at it for twenty circuits. Another Friday winner, Ethan Braaksma, stayed hot, drawing the number one pill to start on the pole with Jarrett Brown to his outside. And the race was pretty much over from the green flag as Braaksma, formerly #111, but now apparently just #11, drove off to a full straightaway lead before the race hit the ten lap mark. However there was plenty of intense racing behind the leader. Brown held second for most of the event but a late charge by Chase Rudolf saw him grab runner up honors as the laps wound down in the non stop finale. Brown held off Zack Rawlins and NASCAR legend Kenny Schrader to complete the top five.

   On a very chilly evening in front of a respectable sized crowd of hearty fans, it was a textbook Mike Van Genderen presentation, crisp and orderly, again coming in right at three hours from the start of hot laps to the final good night, and we were miles down the road before darkness hit! Thanks to MVG, the race committee, and all involved for their hospitality and for giving all a place to race in March!

   Between family commitments and Easter activities, it looks like we will be taking a week off before what is shaping up to be a busy April of racing. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!

A Successful Lid Lifter in South Dakota

    My 2024 race season took off earlier than expected as I hitched a ride to a new to me venue, Park Jefferson International Speedway just across the Iowa border in Jefferson, South Dakota. With an early forecast of temps in the upper sixties, track officials two weeks ago made the unlikely decision to present a Saturday afternoon event dubbed the Spring Kickoff Classic. With the addition just last week of 305 Sprint Cars, six classes of cars would be in action,also including Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks and Compacts. Hot laps were scheduled to hit the three eighths mile dirt oval at 12:30, with heat races beginning at 1:00. Officials were rewarded with a whopping 136 cars through the pit gate along with an announced crowd of 900! Surely this number could have been even larger were it not for the strong south east wind which blew into the open grandstands all afternoon. Fortunately this was not an issue for Jeff, Barry and myself, as we arrived just in time to secure chairs inside the "clubhouse," a leftover from the days when Park Jeff was a dog track with para mutual betting!

   Hobby Stocks led the way with thirty two entries, which required four heats and a pair of B mains to set the feature field. The other divisions ranged between nineteen and twenty three cars, with three heat races in each, giving us twenty one preliminary events. With the one spin rule in effect, the qualifying action moved along fairly quickly once racing began, and it was about 3:13 when a fifteen minute intermission was announced. During the break, track officials decided to dump several loads of water on the black dirt surface even though there was multi groove racing and despite the sun and wind, dust never seemed to be an issue. As a result, it was about fifty minutes before the next green flag, and with our five and six hour drive back home, this put us dangerously close to our self imposed 5:00 PM curfew. Once the features kicked off, however the action again moved at a fairly brisk pace. Part of the delay was due to the unlikely front stretch flip of the #22T car of Tyler Smith as he helped to roll in the surface.

   Hobbies would be up first, battling for fourteen laps. Four caution flags slowed the event, with Bo Lundquist using his pole start to lead the first four circuits before a flat tire ended his run. His row one mate Carter Davis then took over, fending off challenges from first seventh starting Matt Rezac, then outside third row starter Corey Black. At the checkers it was Davis, Black, and Rezac.

   Sport Mods would be next, racing for sixteen trips around. Outside pole sitter Willy Kirk, who I believe is a third generation hot shoe powered to the lead followed closely by Brayton Carter in the Carter Vandenberg #7V through an early caution. Back to racing following a final lap seven yellow flag, pole sitter John Rebstock used the Delaware double file restart to beat Carter to turn one. As Kirk opened a comfortable lead, Rebstock and Carter followed to the checkers. 

   Now it would be Stock Cars dueling twenty laps. Daniel Eckblad took off from the pole to lead ahead of a lap two caution. Back under green, row eight starter Levi Feltman methodically worked his way through traffic, moving to the runner up slot at the halfway mark, then used an outside pass to grab the lead with just six laps to go. As the pack migrated to the inside line, Feltman stretched his margin, soon catching the back of the field, with Eckblad and Jason Fisher soon cutting into his lead. With only two circuits remaining, a car spun in front of the leader, bringing a final caution. When racing resumed, Feltman drove on to the hard fought victory chased by Eckblad and Fisher. 

   We were still a few minutes ahead of our curfew, which we decided to extend as Modifieds rolled to the speedway for their twenty lap finale. Following a first lap restart, third starting Jeremy Mills shot to the front, trailed by his row two mate Cody Thompson, and pole sitter Jerry King. Sixth starting Shane Demay climbed to third after a lap five caution, while Nebraska late model standout Justin Zeitner began a march forward to fourth. Just past the halfway mark, Zeitner suddenly rolled to a stop on the front stretch, bringing out a yellow before then driving to the pits. Troy Cordes had lined up ninth in his #71C, but used this last restart to charge to third. That was where he would stay, as Mills cruised to the win while Thompson came home the runner up. 

   As always, it took a while for the Sprint Cars to go through the process of getting to the green flag, but by now we were hooked, and soon they took the green for twenty laps. There would be four yellow flag periods during the race, but fortunately zero reds. Andrew Sullivan would shoot from the pole, and lead throughout. The track appeared to be a "tire eater," as several front runners fell by the wayside with flats during the event. Things were getting interesting up front as the lead pack caught the tail of the field, staying in formation for several trips around before a spin by third running Brandon Bosma reset the field seven laps from the checkers. There was yet one more stoppage with just two laps left, but Sullivan was up to the challenge, taking a flag to flag win. Dusty Ballenger advanced from row three to claim second while Trefer Waller powered all the way from row eight to fill out the podium. 

   We were now nearly one hour past our original curfew, so it was time to hit the road as Sport Compacts prepared to close out the program. A check of the results shows that Kaytee DeVries, a standout performer in the Compacts, took the win over Tyler Thompson and Kaylee Richards.

   It was for this reporter a most enjoyable and unique experience. I cannot remember the last time I attended a scheduled afternoon race, but it quite possibly goes back to the 1970's? Also the diverse field included drivers from eight different states competing, one of the reasons that we so enjoy the early spring and late fall specials. 

   Thanks to the operators of Park Jefferson International Speedway for taking a chance on what appeared to be a successful idea. I would expect to see this on the calendar again in 2025, weather permitting, of course. And who knows, maybe we will be there to cover it once again! In the meantime, where the road takes us next will depend a lot on the forecasts, so stayed tuned. Race season has begun!

   Edit: For whatever reason, Andrew Sullivan was a DQ in the Sprint feature, turning the win over to Dusty Ballenger and moving Lee Goos Jr. to third.

  

Racing is Just Around the Corner

    If you are like me, the sunshine and warm weather brings thought of racing in the mid west, in my case more specifically, the Tri State area of Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. Perhaps more so in 2024 than previous years, many changes are afoot. New promoters and changing race nights will make for interesting scenarios playing out at several tracks. For purposes of this blog, I will mostly be highlighting tracks within a three hour drive of my home base in Canton, Missouri, however there are a few notable updates on the fringes of  that region.

   Beginning in southeast Iowa, it is somewhat remarkable that the longest tenured weekly program will be at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, where owner/operators Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt will kick off their seventh season with 410 sprint shows on April 5 and 6 followed by the MLRA Late Model sanctioned Slocum 50 weekend on April 19 and 20 before settling in to their weekly Saturday night racing. There will be a healthy dose of Sprint specials during the season as well as the annual visit by the Lucas Oil Late Models.

   Thirty plus miles down the road, veteran racers Neal Kohlmorgan and Patrick Profeta will assume the reigns at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Opening weekend at the three eighths mile facility will be April 19 and 20 with the Spring Hooray event featuring five classes lead by UMP Crate Late Models. Due to some previous commitments at the fairgrounds, the early season will see a mix of Friday and Saturday race nights before the program shifts to regular Saturday night racing. Hobby Stocks will also be making a comeback at LCS as a weekly division. 

   C J Speedway in Columbus Junction will also have new leadership in 2024. After eight and a half seasons during which he built a thriving program, Larry Richardson has stepped away with former racer Dan Keltner becoming Race Director. C J will continue with weekly Friday racing beginning on April 26. Also kicking off in June, there will be a four division combo points challenge with Lee County Speedway. 

   Moving on north, the Kile family will no longer be in charge at the legendary West Liberty Raceway. At this time, the only event on the schedule will be July 17 during the Muscatine County Fair, with the Darkside Promotions team of Ryan Duhme and Timmy Current leading the program. 

   The Darkside group will be quite busy, however, as they will be hosting several events at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton. The fairgrounds quarter mile will come to life with a two day special on April 5 and 6 followed by a visit by the MLRA Late Models on Thursday, April 18 in advance of the Slocum 50 weekend in West Burlington. 

   Also Darkside will be in charge at Jackson County Speedway in Maquoketa. Although this is one of the tracks a bit out of range, I would be remiss to not mention the Nippy 50 event on March 29 and 30. As of now, this open Late Model show will feature a $10,000 to win preliminary on Friday followed by a whopping $20,000 finale on Saturday. With well known folks like Jeff Hoker of Hoker Trucking and promoter Ricky Kay also heavily involved, this looks to be a top notch program. 

   Following the departure of Kay Promotions, well known Street Stock racer Jeff Struck will don the promoters cap at Davenport Speedway. As of today, I have not seen a final schedule for the quarter mile facility, so stay tuned.

   The Dripps family will continue their top flight action at Benton County Speedway in Vinton. Racing will start with an April 7 special followed by regular Sunday events on April 28.

   Moving west, the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa will begin Wednesday racing on April 24, and Sprint Car fans likely already have April 20 penciled in for opening night at Knoxville, while Eldon, Iowa will again host several events beginning on May 18.

   Mike VanGenderen is well known not only in the mid west, but is fast becoming much in demand around the country for his expertise in track prep as well as promotion. Still, in addition to his self owned track in Stuart, he will be expanding the race program at Bloomfield Speedway starting off with a pair of dates on March 29 and 30. VanGenderen is also part of team at Independence Motor Speedway where in addition to Saturday night racing they will again host a series of Monday Madness programs following an April 3 Frostbuster.

   Crossing the border into Missouri, MVG will again be the point man at Scotland County Speedway in Memphis. Racing at this popular facility is set to kick off the Tri State season with two nights of action on March 22 and 23. Down the road at Moberly Motorsports Park, owner (and Super Late Model driver) Reid Millard along with Race Director Galen Hassler will fire off season two of their unique but successful Trophy Tuesday racing on May 28, leading up to another one of a kind event, the MLRA sanctioned "Weiner Nationals" on Labor Day weekend.

  Callaway Raceway outside Fulton will open the gates on April 5and will host a visit by MLRA on April 26. The MLRA series will then open the season for Lake Ozark Speedway near Eldon the following night.

   I also want to mention that the Bethany Fairgrounds Speedway will reopen after a few seasons of inactivity with Saturday night racing. A firm schedule has not yet been released. 

   On the Illinois side of the mighty Mississippi, there remains a pair of long time promoters. Kevin and Tammy Gundaker will begin their twentieth season as owner/operators at Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach. MLRA will kick things off there on April 5 and 6. 

   Kenny Dobson has been at the helm of Jacksonville Speedway for many years, and his 410 Sprint Car heavy schedule will begin on April 19.

   The track closest to my front door in terms of miles is the Adams County ,Il. Speedway east of Quincy. After two dormant seasons, long time track employee Jim Lieurance and his wife Tammy took over the former Quincy Raceways as J T Promotions. This will be their third season, with an agressive schedule starting on April 28. The exciting news from the track is the formation of a Crown Vic division. Extremely popular "down South", this will be a stock class consisting of Ford Crown Victorias, Mercury Marquis, and Lincoln Continentals from bygone days.

   Another Quincy businessman, Cloyed Barden will head up a very aggressive program at Spoon River Speedway near Banner. Switching from the traditional Saturday to a Friday program, Barden will bring back Super Late Models vying for a $2,000 top prize while Modifieds will compete for $1,500. Barden will open the gates on April 19, with the first SLM show one week later. 

   The change at Spoon River will open things up for a strong season at Peoria Speedway, and they will pay Super Late Models $5,000 as part of their April 6 opener. 

   Lincoln, Il.Speedway will hit the ground running with a diverse schedule on April 5.

   IMCA Late Model hot shoe Chuck Hanna will be the man in charge for his second season at East Moline Speedway. Chuck and his team made numerous improvements ahead of his 2023 debut at the always exciting quarter mile. Opening night will be Sunday, April 7. 

   As mentioned, I have tried to cover the tracks within an evenings drive of home, and I apologize for anyone I may have missed. And of course, always check with the track for any changes before leaving home. For more complete schedules, I encourage you to check the calendar offered here at Positively Racing. As always, we will also plan trips outside the region, as we continue to be blessed with many great tracks and programs in the mid west. My wish for all promoters, race teams, and fans is for a fun and enjoyable 2024 that leaves everyone with a little jingle in the pockets. See you at the races!

 

 

Closing the Books on Another Season

    With the conclusion of Dirt in December at the Dome in St. Louis, another mid western racing season has come to an end. Before I offer up my modest stats for 2023, I feel a need to comment on the Dome extravaganza. First of all, I will concede that the apparent record crowds this year put me in the minority. But I have been asked countless times this fall if I was going to the event, and often given incredulous looks when I said "No." I will admit to having attended the Saturday night portion for three years running before my change of heart. And it would seem that the promoters have since solved the issue of nine and ten hour championship night marathons. Perhaps I have simply reached the "get off my lawn" stage of life, but the (mostly) unscripted weekend seems to me to more closely resemble an All Star Wrestling spectacle than a legitimate racing event. Torn up cars by the dozens, bruised egos (drivers apparently told to settle their issues on the track!?!), over the top concession and parking prices for me just does not make up for the possibility of a couple of  decent features to wrap things up. I will admit that it is an opportunity to see drivers in action  that only come around once a year ( a treat for me), as well as plenty of time to visit with old and new friends along the concourse. So for those of you who look forward to it each year, good for you, and enjoy! And perhaps after a few seasons at home, I will try it again. If you have not heard, the 2024 dates will be December 5-7. It would seem after this many years the promoters would be able to secure the same weekend each year, but I realize that bookings for a venue like this are stretched out years in advance... *( For those of you who think they should spend more time building the track, or add an extra weekend featuring your favorite class!)

   Now to the matters at hand. In 2023, I was able to attend sixty events at eighteen different venues. Adams County Il. Speedway in Quincy led the way with eighteen nights, followed by Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Ia. with fourteen. There were four trips to Davenport, Ia. Speedway, and three to Moberly, Mo. Motorsports Park. Two visits each were recorded at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, West Liberty Raceway, Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Benton County Speedway in Vinton, Marshalltown Speedway, all in Iowa, and Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, and Springfield Raceway in Missouri. It was one night each at CJ Raceway in Columbus Junction, Knoxville Raceway, Shelby County Speedway in Harlan, Clay County Fairgrounds in Spencer, Hamilton County Speedway, Webster City, all in Iowa, and Jacksonville, Il Raceway, and finally Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. 

   As always, we tried for a nice mix of series and sanctions, and personally I was able to add two new venues this season, an April visit to Harlan and an October trip to Webster City, bringing my total to seventy three different tracks during my sixty eight years of chasin' racin'. I am in awe of my racing friends whose totals far eclipse my own, and it is fun to be able to continue to wander to new tracks every so often. 

   As we speed towards the New Year, I am excited for the many changes taking place at area tracks and eagerly await all the schedules to fall into place so we can begin to plot our 2024 adventures. To this point I am also in the minority as far as joining the streaming crowd, but never say never, right?

  Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and prosperous New Year, thanks for reading, and we look forward to seeing everyone in the Spring!

Turkey Bowl XVII Headliners to Stevens, Berry Jr., and Jackson

    This weekend I was fortunate to feed my desire for November racing with nights two and three of the Larry Phillips Memorial Turkey Bowl at Jerry Hoffmans' Springfield, Missouri Raceway. A change in format this year drew us to the extra night, with A Modified double heat races determining passing points for the first few rows of the Saturday main event. However, along with five heats for the fifty one late models on Saturday, it seems a bit less than charitable to only advance eight drivers to their respective "money race." As an example, Iowa racer Ryan Gustin and Missouri hot shoe Logan Martin started in row one and captured their ten lap late model heat, but were forced to a B main. I guess I can challenge the process, but a three night total of 350 plus race cars and a big Saturday night crowd perhaps puts me in the minority. 

   If you followed this special weekend of racing, you are likely well informed concerning the issues with the safety crew, if not my Positively Racing and travel mate Jeff Broeg detailed it elsewhere on this blog site. But with all this being said, it was a solid two nights of racing which serve as a great season ender, and I will once again be marking it on my personal list of events to attend in 2024. 

   Seven total classes participated over the three nights with all but the late models running heat races one night, B mains and Turkey Bowl features another. For all but the Legends, those nights came back to back, and with the one day gap in their program, three extra Legend racers rolled in on Saturday and were allowed to tag the tail of their twenty lap finale, swelling the starting field to twenty seven. For all other divisions, it was twenty car mains, plenty on the quick quarter mile.  

   Allen Thompson claimed the unique Turkey Bowl trophy for the Pure Stocks on Friday, and as the evening progressed and the temperatures plummeted through the forties, we made the decision to head for our hotel ahead of the Midwest B Modified headliner, which went to Tyler Pearish. 

   Although the Saturday program was set to kick off  near 4:00 PM, about two hours earlier than Friday, the 248 race teams combined with fireworks during intermission, multiple cars wanting hot laps, end of season B main action, etc., produced another marathon evening. 

   The tone may have been set in the first late model heat when outside pole sitter Carl Murphy got crossed up at the exit of turn two and collected a fair portion of the field. The contact resulted in Murphy getting upside down, with top contender Tony Jackson Jr. also nearly toppling over before coming down atop the Murphy #X2M. The result left both drivers sidelined for the night. 

   Young Sawyer Crigler was racing his #11 with a 525CT crate engine, which allowed him to employ a spoiler about twice as tall as his competitors. He was running a strong second in the first of three B mains when a cloud of smoke ended his run.

   Austin Vincent was out front in the final B when he suddenly ducked to the pit area. 

   Legend cars would kick off feature racing, and it quickly devolved into a three car battle. The first half of the twenty lapper clicked off caution free, then three more yellows came in the next four circuits. But through it all, it was Jay Reynolds out front, and he took home the hardware, besting Tyler Garretson and Trenton Simon. 

   B Mods would line up for twenty five laps. Second generation driver Damien Kiefer and wily veteran Ken Schrader would fill the front row. That duo would swap the lead early before the hottest B Modder around, Kris Jackson arrived from row three to join the party. Pulling away from the field, the front three battled ahead of a lap eleven caution. On the restart Jackson powered to the lead, and from there stayed in command. Schrader stayed in range but failed to score his second Turkey. Ryan Gilmore charged all the way from row six to third, followed by Kiefer and Dalton Keith. 

   In another unique sideshow, as Hoffman reworked the racing surface, a decorated barrel was set up in front of the bleachers and the top eight A Mod qualifiers were trotted out and challenged to toss a football into the barrel from several feet away. The first to sink the shot would start on the feature pole, and the rotation would continue until the lineup was determined. While Schrader elected to not participate and start in eighth in his second main event, another double duty driver, Sawyer Crigler  grabbed the pole on the opening toss. The veteran standout from my neck of the woods, Mark Burgtorf would line up alongside Crigler. Even with his somewhat under powered IMCA engine on the regroomed surface, Burgtorf paced the first seven laps before giving way to Crigler. Meanwhile, sixth starting Terry Phillips, top contender son of the honored driver, drove to the runner up slot on lap ten. Following a caution flag, Iowa standout Tom Berry Jr. worked his way to second on lap fifteen after lining up seventh. Berry then grabbed the lead on lap twenty two. As the halfway point of the fifty lapper was scored, a slowing Dakota Sproul caused Berry to check up and as he made contact with that car, Crigler eased to the front to be scored the leader for the restart. Unfazed, Berry quickly moved back to the front as racing resumed, setting a quick pace as he "catfished" around the bottom of the oval. One more caution came thirty eight laps in, but Berry remained in control. He collected the Turkey and the $7,575 payday in his first ever trip to the facility. Crigler took the runner up spot, but failed post race tech, turning second over to tenth starting Dylan Thornton. Phillips would be scored third, followed by Schrader and row seven starter Shawn Knuckles. Sixth through tenth went to Anthony Roth, Austin Rettig, Darron Fuqua, Ohio star Rusty Schlenk, and Burgtorf.

   Thirty laps would be the distance for the $5,075 to win Late Model main event. Up and coming Arkansas racer Tyler Stevens and MLRA Rookie of the Year Dillon McCowan would fill out row one, pulling out in a two car breakaway. Meanwhile tenth starting Logan Martin was on the move, entering the top five on lap six. Slower traffic became a factor about lap ten, as Stevens was able to pull away a bit and Martin advanced to fourth. Now it was Nebraska ace Justin Zeitner moving in to challenge for second, followed closely by Martin. Continuing his charge, Martin then drove around Zeitner for third. Gustin, who started alongside Martin after their heat race debacle, came to fifth on lap eighteen, then fourth two laps later. But by now Stevens was cruising, and with zero cautions during the thirty laps, the #2 drove off to the win. McCowan gained some separation in second, while Martin, Gustin, and Zeitner crossed the line nose to tail. Scott Crigler led the second five in front of Caney, Kansas driver Jacob Magee, Jace Parmley, Dustin Hodges, and Jim Greenway. 

   There was one race remaining when we elected to call it a night and a season. Reporting shows Anthony Ferrara topping the Midwest A Mod finale. 

    On track racing in this area is down to the Gateway Dirt Nationals in December which will go on without me the season. But I will still be manning the keyboard with an end of season wrap up to come, and it seems as if this off season may be legendary for "news!" So stayed tuned and be sure and keep up with all of us here at Positively Racing as we navigate all the changes. Happy Thanksgiving, and we will be back soon!