Sunday night was going to finally be night number four at Quincy Raceways after two weeks of rainouts. Having not had the chance to visit with most of the local racers during that time, I arrived at the track shortly after 4:00 PM to catch up on the gossip. As I parked along pit road, I saw an ominous sight. Haulers were exiting the pit area. Making my way to the pit shack, I received official word that the water trucks were both down, and there would be no racing after all. After the initial surprise and disappointment, I quickly remembered that the Lucas Oil show postponed Friday night at 34 Raceway was scheduled to start in just under two hours. Calling my traveling buddies, we quickly arranged to meet and carpool the 80 or so miles to West Burlington. After a quick stop for some extra cash, we hit the road, arriving just as hot laps were concluding. Jeff has done a good job of recapping the race, so I will just add that it was easily worth the $25.00 ticket. There are lots of people to be congratulated, including the owners and promoters of 34, especially Jeff and Amy Laue for taking a chance and bringing a national series to our neck of the woods. Rescheduling for a Sunday night was taking another gamble, but the cancellation at Quincy probably added 350-400 people to the crowd. Kudos also go to the local drivers who attempted to run with the big boys, and a special shout out to two talented and personable veterans, Mark Burgtorf and Boone Mc Laughlin, who both made the coveted 25 car starting field. And lastly to race winner Earl Pearson Jr., who has twice visited 34 and twice walked off withe the big prize. It was interesting to hear EPJ mention that he ran the same line as the last time he was at the track, which was something like seven years ago. To say that these guys keep good records would be an understatement.
Meanwhile, back on the homefront, the debacle at Quincy Raceways touched off a bit of a firestorm. Track owners Tony and Paul have since issued a statement apologizing for the late cancellation and assuring all that the equipment is repaired and everything is a go for this Sunday, when 410 Sprint cars will join the regular four classes in a holiday special. this has certainly been an odd start to the racing season, fueled mostly by the miserable weather. Hopefully that is all behind us, and this weekend will allow all the area tracks to get back to regular racing. As I sit here, the forecast for the weekend looks pretty good, so lets all enjoy some holiday weekend racing!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Friday Night Fun
Determination was the theme for the week, and it has paid off twice for me so far this week. Way back in January I scheduled two vacation days from work for Thursday and Friday to take in a St Louis Cardinals game on Thursday and the Lucas Oil race at 34 Raceway on Friday. Of course things began to " go south " last weekend with the ominous forecast for what else but rain. Still Thursday morning, my wife and I took off in the rain for the
2 1/2 hour drive to Busch Stadium, hoping to root my beloved Redbirds back in to first place. Despite a persistent drizzle throughout, the game came off as scheduled, and the Birds rewarded us with a win and a return to the top spot. One down, one to go. While my wife went to work on Friday, I parked in front of the computer and as happened on my last Friday off, I watched the cancellations come up on the websites, with 34 Raceway pulling the plug as I drank my first pot of coffee. But enough is enough, I was going to find a race for my grandson and myself, and so I began poking keys on the computer and the cell phone, and came up with three possibilities, one each in Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. Considering my grandson did not get out of school until 3:15, Davenport,Iowa Speedway looked like our best bet, but it just did not look like the weather might cooperate. The lady at the office in Maquoketa let me know that they were going to race if at all possible, so that was good enough for me, and at 3:40 we rolled out of Canton, Mo. with just enough time to make 6:00 hot laps. Three more calls along the way made by us of little faith were answered in the affirmative, and we exited the car in the fairgrounds parking lot just as announcer Katie summoned the 4 stock cars for hot laps.
As expected, the track was very wet, and was a handful for the drivers in hot laps, which less than half the cars came out for, and the 13 heat races.
Track officials brought the grader to the oval during intermission, and the result was a somewhat smoother surface and a wider area for racing for the six features. One of the negative aspects of the speedway is the quality of the sound system, and while the announcing duo did a fair job of giving lineups, it is very difficult to make out what is being said. As this was my first visit since 2008, I was at a disadvantage trying to figure out who was who, particularly in the " local " classes. I do follow the weekly results from the track to a degree, so the names in victory circle were at least familiar ones, and it was Mike Morrow taking the 4 stock win. The Dwarf car winner was someone I have watched for many years, as late model veteran Ron Boyse climbed in the # 77 and came from the back of the pack to third at the white flag. When the top two cars came together on the final lap with the leader spinning, both were charged with the caution, and Boyse found himself in victory lane. The IMCA modifieds went flag to flag with Jacob Waterman taking the win. Matt Werner survived a couple of cautions to take the street stock main event. The Pro Mods stacked up quickly on the start, and when three cars entered turn three side by side, contact was made, and heat race winner Bob Dominacki found himself upside down. While the veteran was apparently uninjured, his # 5D machine showed signs of heavy damage. The 20 lapper became a test of endurance, as only seven cars were around at the checkers. Doug Crampton collected his second win of the young season, with John Bull in second. I was unsure what the curfew situation was, and as it was after 9:30 when the late models hit the track, I was relived that the portable microphone was not working and on track interviews of the feature winners were not done. Lets be serious, how many times can you hear what the driver says, anyway?
19 IMCA late models rolled to the track, with Ray Guss Jr. in a car borrowed for the night from Duane Christisen. Not sure if the Roberts Racing crew damage the # 58 at the track, or if it was home in the shop, as I never did see the familiar red machine. Bret Diercks was the opening night winner in his # 29, and he drew the pole on Friday. Lady Luck abandoned him though, as he went pitside while leading on a lap seven caution for Jeff Stevens # 11, who stopped up against the tires in turn three. The man on the move was sixth starting Brian Harris. I was surprised to see Brian, who has been racing an open late model out of Peoria,Il., back in a # 21H IMCA late model. While it has been a while since Harris was a regular at his hometown track, he showed that he still knows his way around the 1/4 mile. He held off the challenges of Cory Goldbeck, before Kevin Blum took over the second slot. The Wildman was a rocket after clearing traffic, and came to the checkers less than half a car length behind Harris, as everyone came to their feet. Goldbeck held on to third ahead of Guss and Mark Preston. Doug Nigh recovered from a last place heat finish to gain 11 spots and finish sixth, ahead of Matt Ryan. Jeremy Gustaf, Eric Sanders, and Mike Garland rounded out the top ten.
The cars counts were less than what one would expect at Davenport, with 19 late models the most of any class, leading a total of about 86 cars. I am sure the threatening weather and the prospect of less than ideal track and pit conditions kept some guys at home. Those who did show up definitely came to race, and I was happy I took the chance and made the 300 mile round trip. While I am a believer in supporting your local tracks, it is a special treat for me to visit different tracks and see cars and drivers I do not normally get to watch race. Thanks to track officials for holding off on the kids bicycle races until after the late model feature, avoiding the curfew and getting us on the road home just after 10:00.
I will not be attending the rescheduled Lucas Oil event at 34 Raceway, now set for Sunday night. I will be in my usual spot at Quincy Raceway for IMCA late models and stock cars, UMP modifieds and track rules hobby stocks, with hot laps scheduled for 5:00PM. Due to wet grounds, Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. was once again forced to postpone their opening night from Saturday May 22, and they are going to try again on Sunday night, as well. There should be plenty of cars for all three venues, I just hope there are plenty of fans, as well. See you at the races!
2 1/2 hour drive to Busch Stadium, hoping to root my beloved Redbirds back in to first place. Despite a persistent drizzle throughout, the game came off as scheduled, and the Birds rewarded us with a win and a return to the top spot. One down, one to go. While my wife went to work on Friday, I parked in front of the computer and as happened on my last Friday off, I watched the cancellations come up on the websites, with 34 Raceway pulling the plug as I drank my first pot of coffee. But enough is enough, I was going to find a race for my grandson and myself, and so I began poking keys on the computer and the cell phone, and came up with three possibilities, one each in Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois. Considering my grandson did not get out of school until 3:15, Davenport,Iowa Speedway looked like our best bet, but it just did not look like the weather might cooperate. The lady at the office in Maquoketa let me know that they were going to race if at all possible, so that was good enough for me, and at 3:40 we rolled out of Canton, Mo. with just enough time to make 6:00 hot laps. Three more calls along the way made by us of little faith were answered in the affirmative, and we exited the car in the fairgrounds parking lot just as announcer Katie summoned the 4 stock cars for hot laps.
As expected, the track was very wet, and was a handful for the drivers in hot laps, which less than half the cars came out for, and the 13 heat races.
Track officials brought the grader to the oval during intermission, and the result was a somewhat smoother surface and a wider area for racing for the six features. One of the negative aspects of the speedway is the quality of the sound system, and while the announcing duo did a fair job of giving lineups, it is very difficult to make out what is being said. As this was my first visit since 2008, I was at a disadvantage trying to figure out who was who, particularly in the " local " classes. I do follow the weekly results from the track to a degree, so the names in victory circle were at least familiar ones, and it was Mike Morrow taking the 4 stock win. The Dwarf car winner was someone I have watched for many years, as late model veteran Ron Boyse climbed in the # 77 and came from the back of the pack to third at the white flag. When the top two cars came together on the final lap with the leader spinning, both were charged with the caution, and Boyse found himself in victory lane. The IMCA modifieds went flag to flag with Jacob Waterman taking the win. Matt Werner survived a couple of cautions to take the street stock main event. The Pro Mods stacked up quickly on the start, and when three cars entered turn three side by side, contact was made, and heat race winner Bob Dominacki found himself upside down. While the veteran was apparently uninjured, his # 5D machine showed signs of heavy damage. The 20 lapper became a test of endurance, as only seven cars were around at the checkers. Doug Crampton collected his second win of the young season, with John Bull in second. I was unsure what the curfew situation was, and as it was after 9:30 when the late models hit the track, I was relived that the portable microphone was not working and on track interviews of the feature winners were not done. Lets be serious, how many times can you hear what the driver says, anyway?
19 IMCA late models rolled to the track, with Ray Guss Jr. in a car borrowed for the night from Duane Christisen. Not sure if the Roberts Racing crew damage the # 58 at the track, or if it was home in the shop, as I never did see the familiar red machine. Bret Diercks was the opening night winner in his # 29, and he drew the pole on Friday. Lady Luck abandoned him though, as he went pitside while leading on a lap seven caution for Jeff Stevens # 11, who stopped up against the tires in turn three. The man on the move was sixth starting Brian Harris. I was surprised to see Brian, who has been racing an open late model out of Peoria,Il., back in a # 21H IMCA late model. While it has been a while since Harris was a regular at his hometown track, he showed that he still knows his way around the 1/4 mile. He held off the challenges of Cory Goldbeck, before Kevin Blum took over the second slot. The Wildman was a rocket after clearing traffic, and came to the checkers less than half a car length behind Harris, as everyone came to their feet. Goldbeck held on to third ahead of Guss and Mark Preston. Doug Nigh recovered from a last place heat finish to gain 11 spots and finish sixth, ahead of Matt Ryan. Jeremy Gustaf, Eric Sanders, and Mike Garland rounded out the top ten.
The cars counts were less than what one would expect at Davenport, with 19 late models the most of any class, leading a total of about 86 cars. I am sure the threatening weather and the prospect of less than ideal track and pit conditions kept some guys at home. Those who did show up definitely came to race, and I was happy I took the chance and made the 300 mile round trip. While I am a believer in supporting your local tracks, it is a special treat for me to visit different tracks and see cars and drivers I do not normally get to watch race. Thanks to track officials for holding off on the kids bicycle races until after the late model feature, avoiding the curfew and getting us on the road home just after 10:00.
I will not be attending the rescheduled Lucas Oil event at 34 Raceway, now set for Sunday night. I will be in my usual spot at Quincy Raceway for IMCA late models and stock cars, UMP modifieds and track rules hobby stocks, with hot laps scheduled for 5:00PM. Due to wet grounds, Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. was once again forced to postpone their opening night from Saturday May 22, and they are going to try again on Sunday night, as well. There should be plenty of cars for all three venues, I just hope there are plenty of fans, as well. See you at the races!
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Racin' Down the Road
Despite an ongoing effort all day Sunday of everyone involved in track preparation at Quincy Raceways, promoter Tony Rhineberger had to no choice but to cancel the races for May 15. Rain throughout the week had created less than favorable conditions, and as of 3:00 PM there was more precipitation headed towards the Quincy area. This is the fourth cancellation out of seven scheduled nights of racing so far this year, possibly the most in the long history of the speedway, certainly the most in the last 15 or so years. For yours truly, it is night number nine of no planned racing in 2010, not counting my ill fated trip to the the Quad City Speedway two weeks ago. I commented to my racing companions on the trip home from Donnellson Friday night that I still don't have my " staying out late " legs under me yet, as we have only had a few nights out past the 10:00 hour so far. For race fans in May however, there is always next week, so hopefully I will have something to report from the Lucas Oil late model series at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, set to roll off on Friday night. Wherever you are, I hope the weather is better, guess I will wait for reports of hopefully some racing action up north tonight. See you at the races.!
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Racin' Down the Road
Friday night we were treated to two things that have been in short supply this spring, that being a beautiful sunset and some great racing. As did more than one of the P.R. bloggers, I made my way to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson Friday night for the first night of IMCA late model action in the
" Drive for Five " series. I must admit that I was somewhat surprised when my wife called with the news that the E-mail had come Friday morning that the races were still on. Considering the seemingly continuous deluge of rain this week, I just did not think the pits or parking lot could be made race ready. After talking to promoter Terry Hoenig, it was pretty obvious that he had planned to go the extra mile and then some to put on a show, and fans and drivers alike appreciated the efforts of his employees and volunteers. You can find a recap of the races elsewhere here at P.R., so I will add dome random thoughts about the evening. Although I have lived in Missouri for over 30 years, a trip to Donnellson is still like " going home " , as the fairgrounds was one of the tracks of my childhood, teen , and early married years. There are many old friends whom I see all to seldom but for a trip through the concrete bleachers at Donnellson. Last night I got to spend time visiting with one of those good friends, former racer Larry Larson, who I spent several seasons helping in the pits. With Larry on this night was another former racer from Keokuk, Jack Evans, who I have also known for most of my life. Jack says he is in the long process of putting together a Sport Mod, so we will see where that goes. I also had a chance to visit with another former racer from my hometown Joe Shuman. Joe is the point man for the upcoming third edition of the Keokuk Racers Reunion to be held at the Keokuk Mall on Fathers Day weekend, Saturday, June 19. Joe tells me the Plymouth Superbird club will be on hand, including the " Bird " that local legend Ramo Stott raced from the pole position at Daytona in the mid seventies. Also on display will be a Dodge Charger raced by Ernie Derr, a USAC car campaigned by Don White, and some local race cars from the 1970s. Joe also said he had a Benny Parsons car scheduled to appear. In addition, several of the local drivers are planned to bring their current race cars to the show. Health permitting, the aforementioned drivers should be on hand, and their will be lots of memorabilia, as well. This event has been held twice in the last few years, and should be on the calender of any current or long time race fan withing driving distance of Keokuk.
I also did some bench racing with buddy Bob Litton and his wife, from Iowa City. Bob is a true super fan, and keeps me up to speed on the goings on around that part of the state. I was fortunate to bump into the daughter of Deo Loney, who passed away during the off season. Linda was employed at Lee County at the same time as my son, and it was good to catch up with her. She told me the Ottumwa newspaper had a tribute article to her father which I need to find a copy of. Before the races, Terry Hoenig asked for a moment of silence for three race friends we lost over the off season, Deo
his great friend Keith Allen, and Missouri racer Art Jeffries.
Bench racing aside, there was plenty of good on track action on a track which understandably got a bit rougher than the normal Donnellson track.
The finish to the IMCA modified feature, with Michael Long stalking Josh Foster, and Brandon Rothzen waiting in the wings was a classic made up for a few too many caution flags. As a Quincy Raceways regular, I expected Michael to find a way to the front, but Foster is one tough cookie, and took home a well deserved win. As for Brandon, he came from deep in the pack and picked off Long for a runner up finish. Along with fourth finishing Wyatt Lantz, these young guns represent the good in area modified racing
The same could be said on this night for the IMCA stock cars, as Jeff Mueller and Jason Cook ran an edge of your seat final couple of laps. Again,when Mueeler goes to the front At QR, he stays there, but on the LCS oval, Jason found an opening and snatched the win from the # 77m. Congratulations also to Jason and his wife, former racer Christina (Beggs ), and to grandpa Ned on the arrival of their new baby.
The racing universe returned to normal for me and my companions as the IMCA late models rolled out for what was scheduled to be a star studded 26 car feature field. Mark Burgtorf, who already has a handful of feature wins in 2010, including three in the Summer Series , was set to roll off from the sixth starting slot. However, Gary Russell pulled to the infield on the parade lap, moving # 7B to the second row. Following one false start, Burgtorf shot past the front row of Colby Springsteen and Denny Woodworth and was never headed. Denny made an early run for the top spot, but found himself just enough out of shape to allow surprise visitor Rob Toland to slide in to second from his seventh starting spot. " Rocket Rob looked to be on the move for a few laps, but Burgtorf had his Pierce chassis hooked up perfectly, and he eventually lapped up through ninth place, finishing in a different time zone than his nearest challengers, Toland, Woodworth, Springsteen, and Jay Johnson.
Pat of the fun of the trip to LCS with friends is debating who might show up for the late model shows, which run about ten nights during the season. Although Jeff aikey made our list, Andy Eckrich did not. Andy is splitting his season between IMCA racing and his more familiar time on the Simmons promoted tracks in Farley, West Liberty and Dubuque. I think this was the youngest of the racing Eckrich brothers first trip to Donnellson, and after not making the redraw, he went to work and climbed to seventh in the finishing order after starting fourteenth. Meanwhile Aikey managed to turn a bad heat race experience around, starting eighteenth and finishing eighth. Jeff Guengerich made his return to racing in the Richard Realty # 15, looking strong early before fading late in the 25 lapper, while at the same time, Tommy Elston was back on familiar turf in his Elston Automotive # 45. A total of eleven Quincy Raceways regulars made the trip north, including Vance Wilson, all the way from Frankford, Mo. in his # B1, and Keith Pratt, who has been making the weekly pull to the Davenport Speedway the last few seasons.
A former Quincy Raceways hot shoe, who hung up his helmet at his
" home " track to take a job there as an official, Joe Bliven was impressive in the Sport Mod main event, chasing second generation driver Derek Coleman to the checkers, with defending track champion Rodger Dresden lurking in third.
Although there were two features still to run, one of our group had to be to work bright and early, so we headed home as the hobby stocks rolled to the track. Our next planned trip to LCS comes in two weeks, when the late models make their next appearance. As I write this on Saturday afternoon, it is a cloudy, drizzly day, and I have my fingers crossed that I will have some news to report from night number four at Quincy Raceways on Sunday. See you down the road.
" Drive for Five " series. I must admit that I was somewhat surprised when my wife called with the news that the E-mail had come Friday morning that the races were still on. Considering the seemingly continuous deluge of rain this week, I just did not think the pits or parking lot could be made race ready. After talking to promoter Terry Hoenig, it was pretty obvious that he had planned to go the extra mile and then some to put on a show, and fans and drivers alike appreciated the efforts of his employees and volunteers. You can find a recap of the races elsewhere here at P.R., so I will add dome random thoughts about the evening. Although I have lived in Missouri for over 30 years, a trip to Donnellson is still like " going home " , as the fairgrounds was one of the tracks of my childhood, teen , and early married years. There are many old friends whom I see all to seldom but for a trip through the concrete bleachers at Donnellson. Last night I got to spend time visiting with one of those good friends, former racer Larry Larson, who I spent several seasons helping in the pits. With Larry on this night was another former racer from Keokuk, Jack Evans, who I have also known for most of my life. Jack says he is in the long process of putting together a Sport Mod, so we will see where that goes. I also had a chance to visit with another former racer from my hometown Joe Shuman. Joe is the point man for the upcoming third edition of the Keokuk Racers Reunion to be held at the Keokuk Mall on Fathers Day weekend, Saturday, June 19. Joe tells me the Plymouth Superbird club will be on hand, including the " Bird " that local legend Ramo Stott raced from the pole position at Daytona in the mid seventies. Also on display will be a Dodge Charger raced by Ernie Derr, a USAC car campaigned by Don White, and some local race cars from the 1970s. Joe also said he had a Benny Parsons car scheduled to appear. In addition, several of the local drivers are planned to bring their current race cars to the show. Health permitting, the aforementioned drivers should be on hand, and their will be lots of memorabilia, as well. This event has been held twice in the last few years, and should be on the calender of any current or long time race fan withing driving distance of Keokuk.
I also did some bench racing with buddy Bob Litton and his wife, from Iowa City. Bob is a true super fan, and keeps me up to speed on the goings on around that part of the state. I was fortunate to bump into the daughter of Deo Loney, who passed away during the off season. Linda was employed at Lee County at the same time as my son, and it was good to catch up with her. She told me the Ottumwa newspaper had a tribute article to her father which I need to find a copy of. Before the races, Terry Hoenig asked for a moment of silence for three race friends we lost over the off season, Deo
his great friend Keith Allen, and Missouri racer Art Jeffries.
Bench racing aside, there was plenty of good on track action on a track which understandably got a bit rougher than the normal Donnellson track.
The finish to the IMCA modified feature, with Michael Long stalking Josh Foster, and Brandon Rothzen waiting in the wings was a classic made up for a few too many caution flags. As a Quincy Raceways regular, I expected Michael to find a way to the front, but Foster is one tough cookie, and took home a well deserved win. As for Brandon, he came from deep in the pack and picked off Long for a runner up finish. Along with fourth finishing Wyatt Lantz, these young guns represent the good in area modified racing
The same could be said on this night for the IMCA stock cars, as Jeff Mueller and Jason Cook ran an edge of your seat final couple of laps. Again,when Mueeler goes to the front At QR, he stays there, but on the LCS oval, Jason found an opening and snatched the win from the # 77m. Congratulations also to Jason and his wife, former racer Christina (Beggs ), and to grandpa Ned on the arrival of their new baby.
The racing universe returned to normal for me and my companions as the IMCA late models rolled out for what was scheduled to be a star studded 26 car feature field. Mark Burgtorf, who already has a handful of feature wins in 2010, including three in the Summer Series , was set to roll off from the sixth starting slot. However, Gary Russell pulled to the infield on the parade lap, moving # 7B to the second row. Following one false start, Burgtorf shot past the front row of Colby Springsteen and Denny Woodworth and was never headed. Denny made an early run for the top spot, but found himself just enough out of shape to allow surprise visitor Rob Toland to slide in to second from his seventh starting spot. " Rocket Rob looked to be on the move for a few laps, but Burgtorf had his Pierce chassis hooked up perfectly, and he eventually lapped up through ninth place, finishing in a different time zone than his nearest challengers, Toland, Woodworth, Springsteen, and Jay Johnson.
Pat of the fun of the trip to LCS with friends is debating who might show up for the late model shows, which run about ten nights during the season. Although Jeff aikey made our list, Andy Eckrich did not. Andy is splitting his season between IMCA racing and his more familiar time on the Simmons promoted tracks in Farley, West Liberty and Dubuque. I think this was the youngest of the racing Eckrich brothers first trip to Donnellson, and after not making the redraw, he went to work and climbed to seventh in the finishing order after starting fourteenth. Meanwhile Aikey managed to turn a bad heat race experience around, starting eighteenth and finishing eighth. Jeff Guengerich made his return to racing in the Richard Realty # 15, looking strong early before fading late in the 25 lapper, while at the same time, Tommy Elston was back on familiar turf in his Elston Automotive # 45. A total of eleven Quincy Raceways regulars made the trip north, including Vance Wilson, all the way from Frankford, Mo. in his # B1, and Keith Pratt, who has been making the weekly pull to the Davenport Speedway the last few seasons.
A former Quincy Raceways hot shoe, who hung up his helmet at his
" home " track to take a job there as an official, Joe Bliven was impressive in the Sport Mod main event, chasing second generation driver Derek Coleman to the checkers, with defending track champion Rodger Dresden lurking in third.
Although there were two features still to run, one of our group had to be to work bright and early, so we headed home as the hobby stocks rolled to the track. Our next planned trip to LCS comes in two weeks, when the late models make their next appearance. As I write this on Saturday afternoon, it is a cloudy, drizzly day, and I have my fingers crossed that I will have some news to report from night number four at Quincy Raceways on Sunday. See you down the road.
Monday, May 10, 2010
Racin' Down the Road
After two weeks off due to wet conditions, Quincy Raceways was able to get back to racing on Sunday night, May 9. 74 cars in four classes signed in, including a healthy count of 21 IMCA late models. Dustin Griffin, who also competes in a crate late model made his IMCA season debut, as did Dustin Neese. Modified veteran Tony Dunker has added a late model to his stable, and he was busy moving from car to car. 14 time track champion Mark Burgtorf has indicated that he will not be a regular in 2010, but Mark was on hand for the first points night, which was a draw, redraw show. The driver of the 7B pulled the lowest pill to start on the poll of the first heat. While Joey Gower captured the 10 lapper from the outside poll, Marks runner up finish was good enough to land him on the front row of the dash, which he led from flag to flag. Burgtorf then drew the number two starting spot for the 30 lap feature, and given the slick track condition, which made the top side the place to be, it looked like a runaway in the making. Pole sitter Jason Perry had other plans, however, and he slid up the track coming out of turn two, grabbing the lead and leaving Burgtorf in fourth. It proved to be a temporary set back for Mark, who drove past Nick Ingalls, then outdueled Matt Bailey for second on a Delaware style restart. As the leaders approached lapped traffic on about lap 18, Burgtorf slid under Perry to take the top spot. Bailey also got around Perry until the final lap, when Jason took back the second spot. Robbie Warner came from ninth to grab fourth, with Griffin completing the top five. Jason Frankel badly damaged his # 0F ride at the last Summer Series race, so his car owner, Genenbacher Racing, rolled out a used GRT to get Jason back on track. Not knowing what he had, Jason started 18th on the grid, and charged to a seventh place finish. Justin Jennings, the youngster who is racing the asphalt at Hawkeye Downs on Fridays, and the dirt at Quincy on Sundays, was running mid pack in only his second dirt race before he jumped the cushion in turn one. Justin may give the Lee County Speedway a try on any Friday that the Cedar Rapids track does not race.
25 UMP modifieds signed in, including 11 year old Jake Griffin. Jake is cutting his dirt track teeth with a crate late model, even as he plans to compete regularly at QR in the modified class. While still working to get to the front, he stays remarkably smooth and straight, and it will be fascinating to watch his development. In a rare miscue, Michael Long smacked the front stretch wall coming to the checkers in his heat race while running third. There was more damage to the rear end of the # 18L, and the car was loaded before feature time, leaving a wide open 25 lap finale. Jared Schlipman, son of late model veteran Terry,grabbed the early lead, only to lose it on lap two. The first of many caution flags gave the point back to Jared, and he ran mistake free until the time limit ended the event with just a handful of laps remaining. Veterans Steve Grotz and Dave Weitholder waged a great battle for the runner up spot, until Grotz brought out the race ending caution when he dropped a drive shaft, sending him from second to a disappointing 12th. Shawn Deering captured third, Wyatt Lantz followed a Saturday win at Macomb, Il by taking fourth, and Grotz son Troy rolled home in fifth.
An even dozen IMCA stock cars signed in, and it was an unusually wild night for what is normally a smooth running class. Lots of bumping and banging brought out several caution flags, and the race ended with Iowa hot shoes Jeff Mueller and John Oliver Jr. already pitside. Andrew Griffin took the checkered flag first, then the announcement came that he and fourth place Steve Steinkuhler had failed the post race inspection. Not entirely confident in the rule book, a call to IMCA on Monday morning reversed the DQ and reminded me why I usually wait to put results in print. The final decision gave Griffin the win ahead of Terry Houston, Abe Huls, Steinkuhler, and Jerry Jansen.
Travis Booher was not so fortunate following the 16 car hobby stock finale, as he was disqualified out of a second place finish after a post race protest was lodged. Ironically, it was young Tanner Klingele, and veteran Jim Powell, both victims of the DQ at the last race night, who captured the top two spots. Mike Wiley, defending track champion Steve Carlin, and Jake Powers rounded out the top five.
Quincy Raceways will be back in action next Sunday with an advertised starting time of hot laps at 5:00 with racing at 5:30. See you there, or somewhere down the road.
25 UMP modifieds signed in, including 11 year old Jake Griffin. Jake is cutting his dirt track teeth with a crate late model, even as he plans to compete regularly at QR in the modified class. While still working to get to the front, he stays remarkably smooth and straight, and it will be fascinating to watch his development. In a rare miscue, Michael Long smacked the front stretch wall coming to the checkers in his heat race while running third. There was more damage to the rear end of the # 18L, and the car was loaded before feature time, leaving a wide open 25 lap finale. Jared Schlipman, son of late model veteran Terry,grabbed the early lead, only to lose it on lap two. The first of many caution flags gave the point back to Jared, and he ran mistake free until the time limit ended the event with just a handful of laps remaining. Veterans Steve Grotz and Dave Weitholder waged a great battle for the runner up spot, until Grotz brought out the race ending caution when he dropped a drive shaft, sending him from second to a disappointing 12th. Shawn Deering captured third, Wyatt Lantz followed a Saturday win at Macomb, Il by taking fourth, and Grotz son Troy rolled home in fifth.
An even dozen IMCA stock cars signed in, and it was an unusually wild night for what is normally a smooth running class. Lots of bumping and banging brought out several caution flags, and the race ended with Iowa hot shoes Jeff Mueller and John Oliver Jr. already pitside. Andrew Griffin took the checkered flag first, then the announcement came that he and fourth place Steve Steinkuhler had failed the post race inspection. Not entirely confident in the rule book, a call to IMCA on Monday morning reversed the DQ and reminded me why I usually wait to put results in print. The final decision gave Griffin the win ahead of Terry Houston, Abe Huls, Steinkuhler, and Jerry Jansen.
Travis Booher was not so fortunate following the 16 car hobby stock finale, as he was disqualified out of a second place finish after a post race protest was lodged. Ironically, it was young Tanner Klingele, and veteran Jim Powell, both victims of the DQ at the last race night, who captured the top two spots. Mike Wiley, defending track champion Steve Carlin, and Jake Powers rounded out the top five.
Quincy Raceways will be back in action next Sunday with an advertised starting time of hot laps at 5:00 with racing at 5:30. See you there, or somewhere down the road.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Racin' Down the Road
Finally! As I sit here on Sunday morning awaiting the Mothers Day lunch guests, the sun is shining in northeast Missouri. Although it is still quite cool, we did not have the huge rain totals Friday that plagued southeast Iowa, so I am hopeful that the Quincy Raceways crew will be able to get the soggy pit area ironed out and we can get back to racing this evening. IMCA late models and stock cars, UMP modifieds, and track rules hobby stocks with hot laps at 5:00 and racing at 5:30 is on the schedule. Considering the past two weeks have been washed out, I am looking for a healthy car count. So far this weekend I have been shut out again, as Friday night was a washout at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, and Saturday racing was also cancelled at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, and in West Liberty. Given the 40 degree temps, my racing' buddies and I decided not to venture any further from home, so it was another NASCAR race on tv. With only five full nights of racing in and a less than favorable forecast for next weekend, I spent part of the evening looking at alternate possibilities for next weekend. Due to my work schedule, Friday night racing is pretty much limited to Lee County, and promoters Terry and Jenni Hoenig have cooperated by adding IMCA late models to the card as they are zero for three attempting to get their first point night of 2010 in the books. Saturday night racing could be plentiful, but not so much for late model action. Wayne Messamaker will make his third attempt at kicking off weekly racing at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. after the track sat mostly idle in 2009. A modifieds will be the featured class in a four class program. The same is true at the Eldon, Iowa speedplant, as they kick off a limited 2010 schedule. Hopefully both of these fast tracks can draw a solid group of cars and fans. 24 Raceway in Moberly, Mo. will present a special program featuring non winged sprint cars, and they are also bringing in non sanctioned crate and steel block late models. 34 Raceway has a scheduled night off for late models, adding 4 cylinders and mod lites to their card. And on Sunday, Quincy Raceways will present a regular night of racing.
The red circle on my calender marks Friday, May 21, as the touring Lucas Oil late models are set to invade 34 Raceway for a $10,000 to win show. A show of this magnitude is always a gamble for local promoters, especially with the weather we have had this spring, so hopefully a good night of racing is in the offing at 34. But with a vacation day on the books, I am looking at contingency plans already! Checking the various websites, I see that some tracks to the far north of me, and some to the south in the St Louis area have been able to get in a few more shows than my " local " tracks. Quincy racer Michael Long is working on another outstanding weekend, which began Friday night at Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. Michael captured the make up UMP mod feature win, then ran second in the regular feature. Like Mark Burgtorf before him, Michael has been dominate at his home track, but you are never sure how good these guys are until they begin to travel and race against some of the best in the midwest. And like Mark, Michael is proving that he can race with and win against pretty stiff competition! Way to go, Michael. Until next time, come see us at QR, or check out your local track. See you at the track!
The red circle on my calender marks Friday, May 21, as the touring Lucas Oil late models are set to invade 34 Raceway for a $10,000 to win show. A show of this magnitude is always a gamble for local promoters, especially with the weather we have had this spring, so hopefully a good night of racing is in the offing at 34. But with a vacation day on the books, I am looking at contingency plans already! Checking the various websites, I see that some tracks to the far north of me, and some to the south in the St Louis area have been able to get in a few more shows than my " local " tracks. Quincy racer Michael Long is working on another outstanding weekend, which began Friday night at Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. Michael captured the make up UMP mod feature win, then ran second in the regular feature. Like Mark Burgtorf before him, Michael has been dominate at his home track, but you are never sure how good these guys are until they begin to travel and race against some of the best in the midwest. And like Mark, Michael is proving that he can race with and win against pretty stiff competition! Way to go, Michael. Until next time, come see us at QR, or check out your local track. See you at the track!
Monday, May 3, 2010
Racin' Down the Road
With a couple of vacation days lined up, I was planning once again for my first
three race weekend of 2010. Things got of to an ominous start on Friday, however, as I stayed close to the computer and watched my Friday night options decrease quickly, as track after track canceled due to the weather. Finally my original first choice, Lee County Speedway, pulled the plug, and that meant a night at home watching the St. Louis Cardinals on tv. My traveling companions and I had already determined that our planned Saturday jaunt to Paducah, Ky. for the Lucas Oil event was off for the same reason, so it then became a choice between the " free " show at 34 Raceway, or the May Day classic at West Liberty Raceway, with the opener at Independence, Iowa as a fall back option. Heading north towards the Iowa border, the call came that 34 had canceled, and we continued to watch the sky as we headed towards West Liberty. For a change, Mother Nature eased up, and what followed was a fun night of racing. West Liberty has been one of my favorite venues since my first visit there in the early 70's, and I was not disappointed on Saturday. The track was well prepared, and the two class show reminded me of the " good old days. " 40 late models and 26 ( or 27? ) modifieds made for a full night of racing without burning up the track before feature time. Since we did not purchase pit passes, having a dozen or so late models pitted in the spectator parking lot was an added bonus, as we
were able to do some looking and visiting before the show started. the 40 car field was only three less than last years' total, and the quality was very good for a non sanctioned show. Kudos to Lucas Oil rookie of the year candidate Will Vaught, and GRT house car pilot Jack Sullivan for making the grueling drive all the way from Paducah after the rainout Saturday morning! One thing I really like about this non sanctioned race is that it brings together a mix of drivers that don't necessarily race together all that often, and while Birkhofer, Moyer, Babb, etc. help fill the seats, it is fun to see how the locals stack up against them on familiar ground. Certainly the Eckrichs and Simpsons more thanh held their own on this night. Having the " Real Deal " Don Oneal in the field was a bit of a last minute thing, as the Indiana driver who sits in the top five in Lucas Oil points had just taken over the Moring Motorsports ride, replacing Ohio ace Matt Miller, who picked up a full time ride just in the last few days. Normally whoever whelles the Moring car displays his own car number, but Oneal was sporting a # 1 instead of his trademark # 71. In the end, the race was what most had predicted, another notch in the belt for local legend Brian Birkhofer. It seems like Birky all but owns the track where he grew up. but certainly he has to work for every win he gets there. Also, it is not as if he cannot win anywhere else, as he is a contender anywhere he unloads his # 15B. Popular as he is around the country, he surely loves coming to West Liberty, where he receives a heroes welcome from the fans. Babb, Moyer, and Missouri legend Terry Phillips had just enough to keep Birkhofer on the gas, but none of them could mount a serious challenge once Brian wrestled the lead for Denny Eckrich early in the 50 lap finale. It was special to see another local legend, Steve Boley back wheeling a late model at the big 1/2 mile. Unfortunately Boley was a bit short on power, and could not make the cut to the A feature. Freeport, Il. driver Jeff Larson fell one spot short of making the finale as well, but then climbed in to his # B1 mod and covered the field from start to finish in a 25 lap race that had more action than a flag to flag win might indicate. Brad Diercks was flying towards the front from a row six start, but had to settle for the runner up spot. Two drivers from my immediate area were on hand, with Quincy,Il racer Rickey Frankel making the money race from the second B main, while Mendon, Il ace Denny Woodworth cam up short in the same qualifier. The usually strong Woodworth was off a bit in time trials, and simply has too muchy ground to make up from that point. With the final checkers waving just after 10:00 PM, I was home by 12:30, plenty of time to rest up for what was supposed to be a clear and dry Sunday.
The rain that was falling as we made our way home Saturday night was a clear warning sign, and it was before noon on Sunday when the e-mail came the my Sunday night home, Quincy Raceways was washed out for the third time in five tries. Even before that, Steve Shepard Jr. had postponed the Northern All Stars late model event at Shepps Speedway, the Sunday night venue 100 miles to the east that I have yet been able to visit. With another vacation day on monday, I was not ready to give up so easily, so after a couple of conversations with Jeff Broeg, I headed to Mt. Pleasnt, Iowa to hitch a ride to the opening night of the newly refurbished Quad City Speedway. Much like the day before, cloud watching became our preoccupation, and although neither the radar nor the sky looked good, we soldiered on. Word soon came that night two of the May Day classic at Farley Speedway was off, not surprising given the nasty looking radar. With probably a combined 90 plus years of race chasing experience between us and no idea when we could make a return trip to the East Moline speedplant, we decided to wait until race time to head to the grandstand. Soon the sprinkles began, followed by a stead drizzle, and as heat number one headed to the track, the rain began in earnest. With announcement that the show was off, we headed across the river in what was now a steady rain. So whats new about that?!? Having caught a glimpse of what looked to be a healthy field of cars, plus a couple of drivers I have yet to witness wheeling a late model, I am going to have to figure a way to get back to the fairgrounds oval this season. Thanks to Jeff for letting me tag along.
Despite another call for rain, I am planning to make the opening points night for late models this Friday at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Saturday night may have to be reserved for some Mothers Day activity, and on Sunday we will try for the opening night of IMCA late model points racing at Quincy. Don't let the weather get ya down, and maybe I will see you all down the road!
three race weekend of 2010. Things got of to an ominous start on Friday, however, as I stayed close to the computer and watched my Friday night options decrease quickly, as track after track canceled due to the weather. Finally my original first choice, Lee County Speedway, pulled the plug, and that meant a night at home watching the St. Louis Cardinals on tv. My traveling companions and I had already determined that our planned Saturday jaunt to Paducah, Ky. for the Lucas Oil event was off for the same reason, so it then became a choice between the " free " show at 34 Raceway, or the May Day classic at West Liberty Raceway, with the opener at Independence, Iowa as a fall back option. Heading north towards the Iowa border, the call came that 34 had canceled, and we continued to watch the sky as we headed towards West Liberty. For a change, Mother Nature eased up, and what followed was a fun night of racing. West Liberty has been one of my favorite venues since my first visit there in the early 70's, and I was not disappointed on Saturday. The track was well prepared, and the two class show reminded me of the " good old days. " 40 late models and 26 ( or 27? ) modifieds made for a full night of racing without burning up the track before feature time. Since we did not purchase pit passes, having a dozen or so late models pitted in the spectator parking lot was an added bonus, as we
were able to do some looking and visiting before the show started. the 40 car field was only three less than last years' total, and the quality was very good for a non sanctioned show. Kudos to Lucas Oil rookie of the year candidate Will Vaught, and GRT house car pilot Jack Sullivan for making the grueling drive all the way from Paducah after the rainout Saturday morning! One thing I really like about this non sanctioned race is that it brings together a mix of drivers that don't necessarily race together all that often, and while Birkhofer, Moyer, Babb, etc. help fill the seats, it is fun to see how the locals stack up against them on familiar ground. Certainly the Eckrichs and Simpsons more thanh held their own on this night. Having the " Real Deal " Don Oneal in the field was a bit of a last minute thing, as the Indiana driver who sits in the top five in Lucas Oil points had just taken over the Moring Motorsports ride, replacing Ohio ace Matt Miller, who picked up a full time ride just in the last few days. Normally whoever whelles the Moring car displays his own car number, but Oneal was sporting a # 1 instead of his trademark # 71. In the end, the race was what most had predicted, another notch in the belt for local legend Brian Birkhofer. It seems like Birky all but owns the track where he grew up. but certainly he has to work for every win he gets there. Also, it is not as if he cannot win anywhere else, as he is a contender anywhere he unloads his # 15B. Popular as he is around the country, he surely loves coming to West Liberty, where he receives a heroes welcome from the fans. Babb, Moyer, and Missouri legend Terry Phillips had just enough to keep Birkhofer on the gas, but none of them could mount a serious challenge once Brian wrestled the lead for Denny Eckrich early in the 50 lap finale. It was special to see another local legend, Steve Boley back wheeling a late model at the big 1/2 mile. Unfortunately Boley was a bit short on power, and could not make the cut to the A feature. Freeport, Il. driver Jeff Larson fell one spot short of making the finale as well, but then climbed in to his # B1 mod and covered the field from start to finish in a 25 lap race that had more action than a flag to flag win might indicate. Brad Diercks was flying towards the front from a row six start, but had to settle for the runner up spot. Two drivers from my immediate area were on hand, with Quincy,Il racer Rickey Frankel making the money race from the second B main, while Mendon, Il ace Denny Woodworth cam up short in the same qualifier. The usually strong Woodworth was off a bit in time trials, and simply has too muchy ground to make up from that point. With the final checkers waving just after 10:00 PM, I was home by 12:30, plenty of time to rest up for what was supposed to be a clear and dry Sunday.
The rain that was falling as we made our way home Saturday night was a clear warning sign, and it was before noon on Sunday when the e-mail came the my Sunday night home, Quincy Raceways was washed out for the third time in five tries. Even before that, Steve Shepard Jr. had postponed the Northern All Stars late model event at Shepps Speedway, the Sunday night venue 100 miles to the east that I have yet been able to visit. With another vacation day on monday, I was not ready to give up so easily, so after a couple of conversations with Jeff Broeg, I headed to Mt. Pleasnt, Iowa to hitch a ride to the opening night of the newly refurbished Quad City Speedway. Much like the day before, cloud watching became our preoccupation, and although neither the radar nor the sky looked good, we soldiered on. Word soon came that night two of the May Day classic at Farley Speedway was off, not surprising given the nasty looking radar. With probably a combined 90 plus years of race chasing experience between us and no idea when we could make a return trip to the East Moline speedplant, we decided to wait until race time to head to the grandstand. Soon the sprinkles began, followed by a stead drizzle, and as heat number one headed to the track, the rain began in earnest. With announcement that the show was off, we headed across the river in what was now a steady rain. So whats new about that?!? Having caught a glimpse of what looked to be a healthy field of cars, plus a couple of drivers I have yet to witness wheeling a late model, I am going to have to figure a way to get back to the fairgrounds oval this season. Thanks to Jeff for letting me tag along.
Despite another call for rain, I am planning to make the opening points night for late models this Friday at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Saturday night may have to be reserved for some Mothers Day activity, and on Sunday we will try for the opening night of IMCA late model points racing at Quincy. Don't let the weather get ya down, and maybe I will see you all down the road!
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