Despite continuing rain in the area, I managed to take in three nights of racing over a long weekend that started on Thursday. Incredibly two special races were scheduled for the final Thursday in June within 1 1/2 hours of my home, albeit in opposite directions. The deciding factor for me came down to a chance to visit a track I had never been to, so I took off work early, picked up my grandson Keagan and buddy Darryl and we headed for Shepps Speedway, just outside Alexander, Il. The event was night number nine of the UMP Summernationals, and my first tour race of 2010. Although the 1/4 mile track has been around for I think three seasons now, their weekly UMP program runs on Sunday nights, the same as my " home " track, Quincy Raceways. I had viewed the track from the interstate, and heard plenty of positive reports, and we were certainly not disappointed. 42 late models made the trip to the track built and owned by veteran driver Steve Sheppard Jr. Three local support classes were also on the card, but as expected for a week night special with increased costs, the car count was a bit light, although there were 17 UMP modifieds checked in. Time trials were split into the group qualifying format with fours groups of cars. The fastest car in group one set the standard for the night, with Michigan ace Jeep Van Wormer tripping the clock at 11.888 seconds. Four heat races, a C main and a B main set the first nine rows for the 40 lap $5,000 to win fianle, with three provisionals filling the 21 car starting grid.
Jason Feger drew the pole position, with Brian Shirley in a car borrowed from Tim Lance to his outside. On the start Feger got out of shape, and although he recovered, he soon went to the infield to change a flat tire, ending his shot at the win. Shannon Babb took over the second spot, and soon raced around Shirley for a lead he would not relinquish. Keagan decided he would pick a dark horse to win, and chose seventh starting Billy Moyer, Jr. As the laps clicked off, he began to look pretty smart, as the third generation driver powered his way to the runner up spot. Van Wormer had been among the early leaders, but faded mid race, nearly falling out of the top ten. After a caution period on lap 25, with the leaders preferring the low groove, Jeep went to the top of the banked oval, and began to go forward. Several times he slapped the turn to concrete wall, rocketing from there down the back chute. He had moved into third and was closing on Moyer Jr. when he suddenly fell in line on the bottom of the track. He way have packed a wheel full of mud, or had a tire going down, but in the last few laps he seemed to be concentrating on holding off Rodney Melvin for third. On the final lap, Tim Lance drove his # 48 around Shirley for fifth. Tim had made an unlikely run from the ninth starting spot to second in heat race number two. Jack sullivan in the GRT house car, defending champion Dennis Erb Jr., hometown favorite Brandon Sheppard, and UMP hot shoe Ryan Unzicker completed the top ten.
Shepps notes: The fourth heat race, with Babb, B. Sheppard, Erb, and local standout Brian Dively taking the transfer spots, was as good a race as I have seen in 2010. Quincian Mark Burgtorf had a seventh and fifteenth place finish at Danville and Highland, Il. on Monday and Tueday. Mark then went home and swapped his " big " motor car for his IMCA ride. The lower horsepower ride worked Wednesday at Belleville, as he made the show, but he was underpowered on the tacky track on Thursday. Part time IMCA hot dog Brian Harris was headed for a transfer in heat two when a broken axle ended his run in the Neltner # 75 ride out of Peoria. Another Peoria driver, Gerry Reeder lost control in turn four and climbed the fence, ending up in a near vertical position. He appeared to suffer heavy damage to his #65. The track is efficiently tucked in a surprisingly small area between the highway and the railroad tracks. The show started about fifteen minutes late, not bad considering the amount of standing water to be dealt with, and even with intermission, still ended before 11:00 PM. I am looking forward to another visit to the track, which is about 15 miles west of Springfield.
Getting home a bit after 1:00 AM on Friday was not a problem, as I had scheduled a vacation day on Friday, and after running a few errands, I was ready to head for the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for some IMCA racing. Keagan joined me again, along with his younger brother Parker, and racing buddy Fred crossed the river to hitch a ride as well. The incredible rains of last week had left the fairgrounds pretty soggy, but as usual, Terry Hoenig had put in the time to make the track as smooth and fast as possible. Another solid field of 24 IMCA late models headlined the card, which also featured make up main events from the week previous, when rain wiped out the hobby stocks and wild things finales. Dean Kratzer, and Bryan Rodefer picked up the early wins, and then it was time for the regualr show. I have to note here that no track I have visited of late does as good a job as Donnellson with the pace of the show. Hot laps started promptly at 7:00, the first race was lined up ready to go before 7:30, and the intermission could not have been five minutes long! Continuing an early night trend, Fort Madison driver Mitch Higdon picked up the sport mod feature, then the late models cam to the speedway. Hannibal, Mo. veteran Terry Gallaher and Quincy youngster Robby Warner shared the front row, but it was Burlingtons Tom Goble who quickly took the lead. " Spiderman " appeared to have things in hand, as the bottom and middle grooves of the track seemed to be the fast ways around. About mid race, eighth starting Justin Reed seemed to have his # 1st come around, and he jumped to the top side and began to pick off cars. By the time JR had rolled in to third, there were only six laps to go and Goble was a long ways ahead, but the caution was just what Reed wanted to see. On the restart, he dispatched both Warner and Goble, picking up his first win of 2010 at LCS. Justin had been on the march at the last late model event at LCS before driver error slowed his run, so this time he stayed cool and notched the win. Keith Pratt and Tony Fraise completed the top five, while points leader Mark Burgtorf, racing for the fifth consecutive night, started fifteenth and could only advance to tenth. Twenty cars finished the event, which was only slowed by the one caution. Visitor Nathan Wood ran off with the IMCA stock car feature, as Jeff Mueller worked his way to the runner up slot. With a sudden deluge of Mayflies occupying a lot of attention in the grandstands, we nontheless held on for an exciting modified finale. Josh Foster took command early and survived a late race caution with Michael Long and Brandon Rothzen nipping at the back bumper of the # 77. Quincy driver Jeff waterman, fresh off the biggest win of his career, the Hawkeye Dirt Tour event at Cresco, Iowa the night before again held off Rich Smith for the fourth slot. With the regular features for the hobby stocks and Wild Things still to go, we headed for the car before the clock struck 11:00.
LCS notes: It was a different sort of night, with two IMCA modifieds getting upside down during heat race action. Although Dustin Fenton was back by feature time, Quincy youngster James Leffew was not so fortunate. He flipped his # 25 hard several times, and the damage to his car appeared to be severe. Taking a break from farming, Tom Darbyshire made his first visit of the year to the speedway. Quad Cities drivers Rob Toland and Nate Beuseling made to trip south with Nate having a new plain black body on his # 46. Thanks to Jeff Guengerich, Derek St Clair, and Rick Barlow, Jr. for taking time to sign autographs before the races.
Although there were a couple of tempting options for Saturday night, I took the night off, and spent Sunday morning watching the radar ahead of the IMCA stock car shootout at Quincy Raceways. With drivers coming from some distance for the $1,000 to win show, track officials made the call before noon to go racing. As it turned out, the weather continued to be an enemy, as the threatening forecast no doubt contributed to a somewhat disappointing car count of 22. In fact, the count was also below average in the IMCA late models, and UMP mods as well. After getting off to a bit of a late start, a light but steady rain began to fall after the first stock car heat. After waiting out the shower, and reworking the track, we got back to racing nearly 1 1/2 hours later. The heats and dashes ran off in quick time, and the first feature out was the 30 lapper for the stock cars. All 22 cars made the call on a track that was smooth and fast. Unfortunately, the race became a marathon, with caution after caution interrupting the pace of the race. Former track champion Jeff Mueller started in the second row, worked quickly to the point, and won going away. Track regular and point leader Terry Houston put his Ford in the runner up spot, with Iowa drivers Sean Johnson and Jason Cook following. John Heinz made the tow from Green Bay,Wi. to finish fifth. The stock cars will be racing for $1,000 to win five straight nights throughout the area. Second up was the UMP modieds, with 14 cars taking the green. Michael Long moved from his fifth row starting spot to the top three, and wasted little time taking the top spot. Michael held on through several cautions, picking up feature win number five in as many visits to the speedway in 2010. Two time winner Jared Schlipman, and points leader Dave Weitholder followed Long. The 13 car IMCA late model 30 lap finale went to the hottest late model driver currently at the track, Denny Woodworth. Denny started in row five and flew to the second spot, then found his way by Dustin Neese after a lap 13 restart. The late model lawyer picked up his second in a row at QR, with Keith Pratt in second, Bill Genebacher third, and Justin Reed ahead of Neese in fourth. Woodworth assumed the point lead with the win. Bobby Anders picked up another hobby stock win to bring an end to a very long evening.
QR notes: After a full week of racing, and with Summernational and Derry Brothers races coming up, Mark Burgtorf took the night off. Vance Wilson picked up two features wins with his IMCA car in the ULMA series Friday and Saturday, and also took Sunday off. Darin Weisinger was a spectator as he puts the engine back together in his # 11 late model. The UMP Pro crate late models will be an addition to the racing lineup this Sunday.
There is lots of good racing all week long and for the upcoming weekend. The wether looks good, so lets go racing!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Monday, June 21, 2010
Finally, Some Racing!
After a total washout weekend last week, this weekend did not hold the promise of a lot of racing. Friday was a late day at work, and just happened to be my 40th wedding anniversary, so no racing was planned, and as the storms rolled through, I was happy to be home. Saturday was the Racers Reunion in Keokuk, Iowa. Armed with a scrapbook full of memories from days gone by, my wife and I arrived about 9:30 and stayed until after the podium interviews concluded after 3:00. It was a great chance to visit with current and past racers, and take a close look at race cars past and present. Although the main focus was on the national stars who put my hometown on the racing map, there was also lots of memorabilia devoted to the local dirt track and the neighboring drag strip, as well as the Lee County Fairgrounds track in nearby Donnellson. I was fortunate enough to get a checkered flag autographed by yesterdays stars Don White, Ernie Derr, Ramo Stott, Lem and Gordon Blankenship, Russ Derr and others. Also in attendance was Davenport, Iowa standout Terry Ryan, who shared the front row of the 1976 Daytona 500 with Stott. The most popular attraction other than the drivers was Ramos' # 7 Plymouth Superbird that he drove to that pole position. This was the third edition of the Reunion, and, and a fourth is already in the planning stages, probably in three years or so. Thanks to former local racer Joe Shuman who works tirelessly to put this special event together.
Saturday night Mary and I enjoyed an anniversary dinner, and as we headed back south, we met my racing companions headed north towards 34 Raceway.
Sunday looked like it would be good for racing at Quincy Raceways, but about noon I got the e-mail that racing was on hold, as the pits looked like a quagmire. A final decision was to come at 2:00, and the extra couple hours of wind and sun gave promoter Tony Rhineberger the encouragement he needed to keep going. When I arrived at the track at 4:00, I wasn't sure we could get even 30 cars in the pits, but continued work by track crews made both the track and the pits accessible to the cars. A total of 60 cars in the fours classes signed in on a hot, muggy late Sunday afternoon, led by 17 IMCA late models and 21 UMP modifieds. In the late models, " Superman " Sam Halstead made his first weekly visit of 2010, while Missouri mod standout Rusty Griffaw made the 2 1/2 hour tow from Fenton to compete.
The late model part of the program got off to a bad start, as the first heat took the green, a mixup at the front of the pack resulted in Nick Ingalls getting his # 5 upside down, then rightside up just past the flag stand. Although uninjured, it took several minutes before Nick could exit his machine, and the news took a bad turn in the pit area, when Nick and crew determined that the car was probably not fixable. Hopefully things will change, but the initial decision was that Ingalls is done for 2010. Less serious damage was done to the # 20 of Dustin Griffin and the # 33 of Keith Pratt, although both took the feature green minus the right side sheet metal of there cars, and both retired after a couple of laps. Meanwhile, Denny Woodworth came from a seventh row starting spot, moved quickly into the top five, then ran down Dustin Neese, who led the first half of the 30 lapper. Denny took the lead for good on lap 17 and built a nice lead before the yellow flew with five laps to go. By then, twelfth starting Mark Burgtorf had moved to the runner up slot, but Woodworth was not to be denied, racing to his second win of 2010. Burgtorf held the runner up spot, followed by Bill Genenbacher, points leader Jason Perry, Saturday night winner at 34 Justin Reed, and Neese.
The UMP modified format has the top two from the three heats running a six lap dash to determine the first three rows of the 25 lap finale. The outcome of the preliminaries has Michael Long on the pole, with Griffaw outside. Rusty took the early lead, but a couple caution perods kept the field bunched. On a lap five restart, the front of the pack piled up, and although Griffaw was able to continue, he suffered heavy body damage. When the green waved again, Long took the lead, holding on through a couple more yellows. With time expired, the word came that the next yellow would bring out the checkers, but the cars ticked off the final 12 laps caution free. While Long held on for his fourth feature win of 2010 at the track, Griffaw, Steven Delonjay, Jared Schlipman, James Keffew, and point leader Dave Weitholder swapped positions in entertaining fashion, crossing the stripe in that order.
Only nine IMCA stock cars made the show, but Kevin Tomlinson and Abe Huls swapped the lead back and forth before Kevin took the checkers.
The final feature of the night was the 13 car hobby stock 20 lapper, with Bobby Anders and point leader Steve Carlin coming from deep in the pack to finish in the top two spots.
Next week the IMCA stock cars will compete for $1,000 to win and $175 to start in the annual shootout which last year drew more than 30 cars. The other 3 classes will be on the card as well. Before that, I hope to make my first visit to Shepps Speedway in Alexandria,Il. on Thursday for a UMP Summernationals late model show. It was a tough choice between this show and the MLRA late model event at 24 Raceway in Moberly,Mo. With a vacation day on Friday, I have an eye on the IMCA late model show at Donnellson. And Saturday is the USAC sprint and midget show at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. Something may have to go, although the way this year has been, Mother Nature may make that decision!
Saturday night Mary and I enjoyed an anniversary dinner, and as we headed back south, we met my racing companions headed north towards 34 Raceway.
Sunday looked like it would be good for racing at Quincy Raceways, but about noon I got the e-mail that racing was on hold, as the pits looked like a quagmire. A final decision was to come at 2:00, and the extra couple hours of wind and sun gave promoter Tony Rhineberger the encouragement he needed to keep going. When I arrived at the track at 4:00, I wasn't sure we could get even 30 cars in the pits, but continued work by track crews made both the track and the pits accessible to the cars. A total of 60 cars in the fours classes signed in on a hot, muggy late Sunday afternoon, led by 17 IMCA late models and 21 UMP modifieds. In the late models, " Superman " Sam Halstead made his first weekly visit of 2010, while Missouri mod standout Rusty Griffaw made the 2 1/2 hour tow from Fenton to compete.
The late model part of the program got off to a bad start, as the first heat took the green, a mixup at the front of the pack resulted in Nick Ingalls getting his # 5 upside down, then rightside up just past the flag stand. Although uninjured, it took several minutes before Nick could exit his machine, and the news took a bad turn in the pit area, when Nick and crew determined that the car was probably not fixable. Hopefully things will change, but the initial decision was that Ingalls is done for 2010. Less serious damage was done to the # 20 of Dustin Griffin and the # 33 of Keith Pratt, although both took the feature green minus the right side sheet metal of there cars, and both retired after a couple of laps. Meanwhile, Denny Woodworth came from a seventh row starting spot, moved quickly into the top five, then ran down Dustin Neese, who led the first half of the 30 lapper. Denny took the lead for good on lap 17 and built a nice lead before the yellow flew with five laps to go. By then, twelfth starting Mark Burgtorf had moved to the runner up slot, but Woodworth was not to be denied, racing to his second win of 2010. Burgtorf held the runner up spot, followed by Bill Genenbacher, points leader Jason Perry, Saturday night winner at 34 Justin Reed, and Neese.
The UMP modified format has the top two from the three heats running a six lap dash to determine the first three rows of the 25 lap finale. The outcome of the preliminaries has Michael Long on the pole, with Griffaw outside. Rusty took the early lead, but a couple caution perods kept the field bunched. On a lap five restart, the front of the pack piled up, and although Griffaw was able to continue, he suffered heavy body damage. When the green waved again, Long took the lead, holding on through a couple more yellows. With time expired, the word came that the next yellow would bring out the checkers, but the cars ticked off the final 12 laps caution free. While Long held on for his fourth feature win of 2010 at the track, Griffaw, Steven Delonjay, Jared Schlipman, James Keffew, and point leader Dave Weitholder swapped positions in entertaining fashion, crossing the stripe in that order.
Only nine IMCA stock cars made the show, but Kevin Tomlinson and Abe Huls swapped the lead back and forth before Kevin took the checkers.
The final feature of the night was the 13 car hobby stock 20 lapper, with Bobby Anders and point leader Steve Carlin coming from deep in the pack to finish in the top two spots.
Next week the IMCA stock cars will compete for $1,000 to win and $175 to start in the annual shootout which last year drew more than 30 cars. The other 3 classes will be on the card as well. Before that, I hope to make my first visit to Shepps Speedway in Alexandria,Il. on Thursday for a UMP Summernationals late model show. It was a tough choice between this show and the MLRA late model event at 24 Raceway in Moberly,Mo. With a vacation day on Friday, I have an eye on the IMCA late model show at Donnellson. And Saturday is the USAC sprint and midget show at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. Something may have to go, although the way this year has been, Mother Nature may make that decision!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Odds and Ends
Although the weatherman has kept me on the sidelines for the last ten days, there is still some news on the local racing scene. This Saturday marks the third Racers Reunion in my hometown of Keokuk, Iowa. The event this year promises to be the biggest yet, with vintage race cars driven by Keokuk legends such as Ramo Stott, Don White and Ernie Derr. Those drivers, as well as many others should be on hand as well. There will also be a Benny Parsons car , and the SuperBird club is scheduled to be on hand with many of the classic machines, including the # 7 hemi that Ramo wheeled at Daytona and Talladega. In addition, there will be cars that competed on the area short tracks over the years, some current cars and drivers, and a healthy display of racing memorabilia. The event begins at 9:00 Saturday June 19 at the River City Mall at 3rd and Main Streets in downtown Keokuk. If you are anywhere near the area, it is an event worth attending.
Quincy Raceways will try once again this Sunday night to get in a night of racing, but there is a host of special events coming up in the near future. Sunday, June 27 will be the third annual IMCA Stock Car Shootout, paying $1,000 to the winner of the main event. Last years show drew over 30 cars from five states, with local driver Aaron Brocksieck besting the strong field. The IMCA late models, UMP modifieds and hobby stocks will also be on the card for regular admission price of $10.
On Sunday, July 11 the UMP Summernationals make a stop at the .29 mile oval for a $6,000 to win show. The 2009 edition at QR was won by Shannon Babb over Billy Moyer.
And with the rain out of the IMCA Derry Brothers Summer Series Titan Wheel Shootout $3,000 to win show last Sunday, the track owners moved quickly to set a reschedule date. In doing so, they secured a coveted date, Friday, September 3. The date precedes by one day the Summer Series show at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa, and should result in a strong car count for both tracks. The series will then have Sunday off to regroup before the Labor Day show at the Boone Supernationals. The Quincy race combines what has been a midsummer points show with a Labor Day weekend Sunday show, and the combination will be a " can't miss " event. It will pay $300 to start, and hot lap time has been moved to 7:00 PM with racing at 7:30. UMP mods and hobby stocks will also be on the card.
So far the forecast for this weekend looks good, so I will start with the Racers Reunion and see where the weekend takes me. If you get the chance, stop and say " Hi, " but for sure, take in some weekend racing!
Quincy Raceways will try once again this Sunday night to get in a night of racing, but there is a host of special events coming up in the near future. Sunday, June 27 will be the third annual IMCA Stock Car Shootout, paying $1,000 to the winner of the main event. Last years show drew over 30 cars from five states, with local driver Aaron Brocksieck besting the strong field. The IMCA late models, UMP modifieds and hobby stocks will also be on the card for regular admission price of $10.
On Sunday, July 11 the UMP Summernationals make a stop at the .29 mile oval for a $6,000 to win show. The 2009 edition at QR was won by Shannon Babb over Billy Moyer.
And with the rain out of the IMCA Derry Brothers Summer Series Titan Wheel Shootout $3,000 to win show last Sunday, the track owners moved quickly to set a reschedule date. In doing so, they secured a coveted date, Friday, September 3. The date precedes by one day the Summer Series show at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa, and should result in a strong car count for both tracks. The series will then have Sunday off to regroup before the Labor Day show at the Boone Supernationals. The Quincy race combines what has been a midsummer points show with a Labor Day weekend Sunday show, and the combination will be a " can't miss " event. It will pay $300 to start, and hot lap time has been moved to 7:00 PM with racing at 7:30. UMP mods and hobby stocks will also be on the card.
So far the forecast for this weekend looks good, so I will start with the Racers Reunion and see where the weekend takes me. If you get the chance, stop and say " Hi, " but for sure, take in some weekend racing!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Where Does the Time Go?
The weekend is almost here again, and I have yet to offer my thoughts on last weekends racing. As it has become somewhat old news, I will be brief.
Last Friday night, I drove through something between a steady rain and a downpour in hopes of seeing some racing at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. I was flying solo, coming straight from work in Quincy, and tow of my racing buddies were about 25 miles ahead of me offering updates via cell phone. They arrived at the track and reported wet grounds but no rain falling, so I forged on. It took the track crew about 30 extra minutes to roll in the heavy track, but it was well worth it when the action got started. The heat races in the six divisions went off quickly, and the features began without delay. Al Johnson captured an entertaining Sport Mod race which saw only one yellow flag, while Jake Wenig came out first in a caution marred hobby stock event. The skies were beginning to darken and some sprinkles fell before the IMCA late models rolled to the speedway, the third feature on the card. The track was still heavy, and the best guess was that the winner would come from the first couple of rows. Gary Russell jumped to the lead, and looked to be in control of the 23 car field in the early laps. However Jeff Guengerich had other ideas, and the veteran driver from Washington powered his way to the front and picked up his first main event win in the Lynn Richard # 15. Pole sitter Tom Goble ran a solid race to come home second, with Tony Fraise third. Colby Springsteen came from ninth to nab fourth ahead of TJ Criss. Points leader Mark Burgtorf started 15th and advanced to eighth. With Davenport rained out, hotshoes Ray Guss Jr. and Nate Beuseling made the trip south, but could not crack the top ten on the tacky track. Before Guengerich could exit his car in victory lane, the rain began in earnest, and the final three features were potponed until this Friday night.
Saturday was pretty much a washout racing wise, so sunny skies on sunday was a welcome sight. It took a tremendous amount of work for the track crew to get Quincy Raceways ready for racing, and the graders were still hard at work in the pits when i arrived. 66 cars in four classes signed in, including 18 IMCA late models and 24 UMP modifieds. Unfortunately, the wet conditions made for a rough racing surface for the heat races and dashes. The grader took to the track again at intermission, and the IMCA stock cars had the best racing conditions of the night, with former late model pilot Kevin Tomlinson grabbing his first main event win of 2010. The hobby stocks were up second, and the smaller tires undid much of the good work done at intermission. Still the trio of Nathan Anders, Bobby Anders, and Steve Carlin waged a good battle, with Bobby Anders taking the win. All 18 cars started the IMCA late model main, although pole sitter Justin Jennings went to the tail after his crew could not make full repairs to his # 56 after a heat race accident. Justin had been dueling with Dustin Griffin for the win coming to the checkers when contact sent Jennings into the concrete wall. Justin was coming off his first ever feature win on the Hawkeye Downs asphalt on Friday night, but his big weekend ended on a sour note. Although several drivers wrestled with track conditions, Justin Reed had little trouble, as he came from the sixth row and did a power move on the top side around second place Lonnie Bailey and leader Nick Ingalls as the field came to the crossed flags on lap 15. Reed then held off Bailey for his first win of the year. Denny Woodworth came on late to take third ahead of Ingalls and point leader Jason Perry. The UMP mods ran the final feature of the night, and after a couple of early cautions and a red flag for an upside down Joe Kindhart, they were able to click off some laps. Michael Long used a heat race and dash win to secure the pole position, and he cruised to the 25 lap win. Jared Schlipman, who was looking for a third straight feature win stayed close, but settled for second ahead of points leader Dave Weitholder, double duty Justin Reed, and visiting Terry Cox. The final checkers flew about 9:30.
This weekend is shaping up as a one race weekend for yours truly, with a homemade ice cream social at my church the top priority on Saturday night. Sunday night the Derry Brothers IMCA late model Summer Series makes stop number two of the year at Quincy Raceways as the feature attraction of the Titan Wheel classic. The main event has an inflated payoff of $ 3,000 to win and $300 to start. The April visit by the series drew a track record 50 cars, so expectations are high for Sunday. Although this race has been on the scheduled for several seasons, this is the first time it will be a Summer Series race. Also, no other IMCA late model tracks will be racing for points this Sunday, so the car count should be strong. The UMP mods, IMCA stock cars and hobby stocks will also be in action. Now if the sun will just shine...
Last Friday night, I drove through something between a steady rain and a downpour in hopes of seeing some racing at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. I was flying solo, coming straight from work in Quincy, and tow of my racing buddies were about 25 miles ahead of me offering updates via cell phone. They arrived at the track and reported wet grounds but no rain falling, so I forged on. It took the track crew about 30 extra minutes to roll in the heavy track, but it was well worth it when the action got started. The heat races in the six divisions went off quickly, and the features began without delay. Al Johnson captured an entertaining Sport Mod race which saw only one yellow flag, while Jake Wenig came out first in a caution marred hobby stock event. The skies were beginning to darken and some sprinkles fell before the IMCA late models rolled to the speedway, the third feature on the card. The track was still heavy, and the best guess was that the winner would come from the first couple of rows. Gary Russell jumped to the lead, and looked to be in control of the 23 car field in the early laps. However Jeff Guengerich had other ideas, and the veteran driver from Washington powered his way to the front and picked up his first main event win in the Lynn Richard # 15. Pole sitter Tom Goble ran a solid race to come home second, with Tony Fraise third. Colby Springsteen came from ninth to nab fourth ahead of TJ Criss. Points leader Mark Burgtorf started 15th and advanced to eighth. With Davenport rained out, hotshoes Ray Guss Jr. and Nate Beuseling made the trip south, but could not crack the top ten on the tacky track. Before Guengerich could exit his car in victory lane, the rain began in earnest, and the final three features were potponed until this Friday night.
Saturday was pretty much a washout racing wise, so sunny skies on sunday was a welcome sight. It took a tremendous amount of work for the track crew to get Quincy Raceways ready for racing, and the graders were still hard at work in the pits when i arrived. 66 cars in four classes signed in, including 18 IMCA late models and 24 UMP modifieds. Unfortunately, the wet conditions made for a rough racing surface for the heat races and dashes. The grader took to the track again at intermission, and the IMCA stock cars had the best racing conditions of the night, with former late model pilot Kevin Tomlinson grabbing his first main event win of 2010. The hobby stocks were up second, and the smaller tires undid much of the good work done at intermission. Still the trio of Nathan Anders, Bobby Anders, and Steve Carlin waged a good battle, with Bobby Anders taking the win. All 18 cars started the IMCA late model main, although pole sitter Justin Jennings went to the tail after his crew could not make full repairs to his # 56 after a heat race accident. Justin had been dueling with Dustin Griffin for the win coming to the checkers when contact sent Jennings into the concrete wall. Justin was coming off his first ever feature win on the Hawkeye Downs asphalt on Friday night, but his big weekend ended on a sour note. Although several drivers wrestled with track conditions, Justin Reed had little trouble, as he came from the sixth row and did a power move on the top side around second place Lonnie Bailey and leader Nick Ingalls as the field came to the crossed flags on lap 15. Reed then held off Bailey for his first win of the year. Denny Woodworth came on late to take third ahead of Ingalls and point leader Jason Perry. The UMP mods ran the final feature of the night, and after a couple of early cautions and a red flag for an upside down Joe Kindhart, they were able to click off some laps. Michael Long used a heat race and dash win to secure the pole position, and he cruised to the 25 lap win. Jared Schlipman, who was looking for a third straight feature win stayed close, but settled for second ahead of points leader Dave Weitholder, double duty Justin Reed, and visiting Terry Cox. The final checkers flew about 9:30.
This weekend is shaping up as a one race weekend for yours truly, with a homemade ice cream social at my church the top priority on Saturday night. Sunday night the Derry Brothers IMCA late model Summer Series makes stop number two of the year at Quincy Raceways as the feature attraction of the Titan Wheel classic. The main event has an inflated payoff of $ 3,000 to win and $300 to start. The April visit by the series drew a track record 50 cars, so expectations are high for Sunday. Although this race has been on the scheduled for several seasons, this is the first time it will be a Summer Series race. Also, no other IMCA late model tracks will be racing for points this Sunday, so the car count should be strong. The UMP mods, IMCA stock cars and hobby stocks will also be in action. Now if the sun will just shine...
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Holiday Recap
After all the lousy racing weather we have seen in the first two months of the season, we were past due for a pleasant weekend. Experience has taught me that Memorial Day weekend will usually produce plenty of rain, but I should have known that 2010 would be just the opposite - it is that kind of year! Even with a favorable forecast, I was taking no chances, and decided to start the
weekend with Friday night racing, even though Saturday was a work day. Going directly from work, I arrived at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson in plenty of time to do some bench racing before the nights racing began. As always, the first green flag flew at promptly 7:30, and the six classes of cars ran their heat races in quick time. After an intermission that must have been all of five minutes - thanks, Terry - the IMCA stock cars came to the track for their main event. It took Jeff Mueller a few laps to get to the front, but from there he made it look easy in taking the win. Next up the IMCA modifieds rolled to the speedway, and with the point invert in play the racing was fast and furious. On this night it was Michael Long charging to the lead. It was not a runaway, as Brandon Rothzen kept the pressure on, but Michael picked up the win in the 20 lapper, besting the 20 car field. The next race of the night was the 24 car IMCA late model 25 lap feature. As this was the second appearance for the late models, the draw, redraw was in effect. Boone Mc Laughlin pulled the number two pill from the hat, starting on the outside pole. The " Hound Dog ' jumped to the lead, and held it for the first 15 laps through one restart before veteran Jeff Aikey took over. Following the fifth starting Aikey was seventh starting Mark Burgtorf, who grabbed the second spot and set off to run down the Cedar Falls driver. Jeff had his #77 dialed in, and although Mark stayed on his bumper, this race belonged to Aikey. McLaughlin held on for third ahead of Denny Woodworth who made a run early in the race, and Lonnie Bailey who turned his bad luck around with a top five finish. Veteran Lynn Monroe from Memphis, Mo. made his season debut in a familiar yellow # 21, but smacked the turn one guardrail ending his night. Although there were three more features to run, the early start to Saturday made me decide to head for the car as the clock rolled over to 10:00 PM. At that point I was pretty sure I would not be racing on Saturday. But as I left work late Saturday morning, the phone rang...
So Saturday night, grandson Keagan and I joined up with a couple of racing buddies and headed for the " Free For All " at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. With only three classes in action, it reminded me of better times, no offense to the other classes too numerous to mention that make up the various programs around the midwest. Just a side note, if you follow my musings , you know that I am first and foremost a late model fan. After that, I find enjoyment in all classes of competition, I just wish we could keep it at three or four per night. With that said, the 21 IMCA late models, 22 IMCA modifieds, and 25 Sprint Invaders put on a show I would have gladly paid for, and the final checkers fell about 10:00 PM. Josh Foster was the man to beat in the modifieds in a feature that started with a couple of cautions, then ran off quickly, yet with lots of action. For the second night in a row, Brandon Rothzen took the bridesmaid spot, while Scott Hogan came from deep in the pack to claim third. The late model feature may have had the least amount of action, but the 25 laps ticked off caution free in just eight minutes! Veteran Gary Russell pulled the number two pill for the draw, redraw event, and jumped ahead of polesitter Justin Reed at the green. From there the Biggsville, Il. pilot made it look easy, as he built a comfortable lead, even as lapped traffic came in to play. Reed held on for second, while Jeff Guengerich had his best showing to date as the new driver of the Richard Realty and Auction # 15, starting sixth and taking the checkers in third. Colby springsteen and Rob Toland completed the top five. Quad City drivers Duane Christisen # 85 and the " old professor " Leroy Brenner made their first stops of 2010 at 34. The Sprint Invaders feature would have been worth the price of a ticket by itself, as the top three cars spent the closing laps swapping positions non stop. At the checkers, Knoxville, Iowa pilot Wayne Johnson in the Dale Oaks # 41 made a second half charge to claim the win with Jerrod Hull and Matt Sutton breathing his exhaust. Thanks to the owners and promoters of 34 for scheduling and finally staging the free admission night, and I hope the large crowd purchased enough concessions to help out the bottom line!
Sunday night is supposed to be reserved for Quincy Raceways, but the holiday weekend found me in the St Louis area. Although there was a quick passing shower, the skies cleared and I managed to find my way to Tri
City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. for the $10,000 to win non sanctioned late model Fed-Ex 50. This is the only track I know of that changed towns without moving, as the area was formerly part of Granite City. But that is an entirely different story. At any rate, it was my first visit since the storied half mile track and inside quarter mile was torn up and replaced with a banked 3/8 mile oval. The racing surface, lighting and sight lines are excellent, although the track slicked up on Sunday during time trials, slowing the speeds considerably on the night. Originally a Lucas Oil sanctioned event, the sanction was dropped in case the night was needed to complete the Show Me 100. Although this did not happen, several of the expected drivers headed home, but there was still a quality field of 41 late models, in addition to a 30 plus UMP modifieds, Pro crate late models and a handful of Kidz Modz for youngsters 12-18. Fast time for the evening went to the " Real Deal " Don Oneal is his yellow # 71. Don spent sparks flying off the turn four wall as he posted a lap of 15.264 seconds. Five heat races, a dash and two B-mains, which the annoncers called semi features, just like the old days, set up a 23 car field, with track regular Chad Zobrist getting a provisional starting spot. Billy Moyer is had started outside Oneal in heat number one, taking the 10 lap win. Rolling from the pole in the dash, the native Iowan captured that race as well, and come feature time, he went for the sweep. It may have not been an easy win, but Billy made it look that way, leading all 50 laps. Having a good run in second was Shannon Babb, and I am sure Moyer was just as happy for the third place finisher, his son, the real Billy Moyer, Jr. in his # 21JR machine. Defending UMP national champion Jason Feger garnered fourth ahead of the Bobby Labonte owned # 41 of Brad Neat. Oneal started sixth and finished there, with Dan Schleiper seventh. Jimmy Mars was a victim of a heat race mishap, finished third in his B main, started 21st on the grid and finished eighth. Dennis Erb Jr., and Billy Faust subbing for Randy Korte completed the top ten. Korte has yrt to race in 2010, suffering from back problems. Mark Burgtorf finished 13th in his open car, one lap down to the leader.
Both Jason and Rickey Frankel made the trip from Quincy as well, but encountered problems and did not make the show. With the late model feature running ahead of the modified B mains, and a busy Monday ahead, I made my way to the parking lot as Moyer received his trophy. Michael Long was on hand to compete for the top mod prize of $1,000, but although he has a couple of wins there, Sunday was not his night, as he was scored 19th at the finish. Quincy cousins Dustin and Jake Griffin both raced in the Pro Crate division, with Jake, who is still a ways from being a teenager winning a heat and coming home I believe seventh in the main event. He also ran up front in the Kidz Modz division. Keep that name in the back of your mind as someone to watch in the future.
Congratulations to Jason Perry in late models and Abe Huls in stock cars for their first wins of the season at Quincy Raceways, and to repeat winners Jared Schlipman in mods and Tanner Klingele in hobby stocks, both second generation drivers.
If the rain holds off, next up should be Friday night at Lee County, and Sunday night back at Quincy. See you at the races!
weekend with Friday night racing, even though Saturday was a work day. Going directly from work, I arrived at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson in plenty of time to do some bench racing before the nights racing began. As always, the first green flag flew at promptly 7:30, and the six classes of cars ran their heat races in quick time. After an intermission that must have been all of five minutes - thanks, Terry - the IMCA stock cars came to the track for their main event. It took Jeff Mueller a few laps to get to the front, but from there he made it look easy in taking the win. Next up the IMCA modifieds rolled to the speedway, and with the point invert in play the racing was fast and furious. On this night it was Michael Long charging to the lead. It was not a runaway, as Brandon Rothzen kept the pressure on, but Michael picked up the win in the 20 lapper, besting the 20 car field. The next race of the night was the 24 car IMCA late model 25 lap feature. As this was the second appearance for the late models, the draw, redraw was in effect. Boone Mc Laughlin pulled the number two pill from the hat, starting on the outside pole. The " Hound Dog ' jumped to the lead, and held it for the first 15 laps through one restart before veteran Jeff Aikey took over. Following the fifth starting Aikey was seventh starting Mark Burgtorf, who grabbed the second spot and set off to run down the Cedar Falls driver. Jeff had his #77 dialed in, and although Mark stayed on his bumper, this race belonged to Aikey. McLaughlin held on for third ahead of Denny Woodworth who made a run early in the race, and Lonnie Bailey who turned his bad luck around with a top five finish. Veteran Lynn Monroe from Memphis, Mo. made his season debut in a familiar yellow # 21, but smacked the turn one guardrail ending his night. Although there were three more features to run, the early start to Saturday made me decide to head for the car as the clock rolled over to 10:00 PM. At that point I was pretty sure I would not be racing on Saturday. But as I left work late Saturday morning, the phone rang...
So Saturday night, grandson Keagan and I joined up with a couple of racing buddies and headed for the " Free For All " at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. With only three classes in action, it reminded me of better times, no offense to the other classes too numerous to mention that make up the various programs around the midwest. Just a side note, if you follow my musings , you know that I am first and foremost a late model fan. After that, I find enjoyment in all classes of competition, I just wish we could keep it at three or four per night. With that said, the 21 IMCA late models, 22 IMCA modifieds, and 25 Sprint Invaders put on a show I would have gladly paid for, and the final checkers fell about 10:00 PM. Josh Foster was the man to beat in the modifieds in a feature that started with a couple of cautions, then ran off quickly, yet with lots of action. For the second night in a row, Brandon Rothzen took the bridesmaid spot, while Scott Hogan came from deep in the pack to claim third. The late model feature may have had the least amount of action, but the 25 laps ticked off caution free in just eight minutes! Veteran Gary Russell pulled the number two pill for the draw, redraw event, and jumped ahead of polesitter Justin Reed at the green. From there the Biggsville, Il. pilot made it look easy, as he built a comfortable lead, even as lapped traffic came in to play. Reed held on for second, while Jeff Guengerich had his best showing to date as the new driver of the Richard Realty and Auction # 15, starting sixth and taking the checkers in third. Colby springsteen and Rob Toland completed the top five. Quad City drivers Duane Christisen # 85 and the " old professor " Leroy Brenner made their first stops of 2010 at 34. The Sprint Invaders feature would have been worth the price of a ticket by itself, as the top three cars spent the closing laps swapping positions non stop. At the checkers, Knoxville, Iowa pilot Wayne Johnson in the Dale Oaks # 41 made a second half charge to claim the win with Jerrod Hull and Matt Sutton breathing his exhaust. Thanks to the owners and promoters of 34 for scheduling and finally staging the free admission night, and I hope the large crowd purchased enough concessions to help out the bottom line!
Sunday night is supposed to be reserved for Quincy Raceways, but the holiday weekend found me in the St Louis area. Although there was a quick passing shower, the skies cleared and I managed to find my way to Tri
City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. for the $10,000 to win non sanctioned late model Fed-Ex 50. This is the only track I know of that changed towns without moving, as the area was formerly part of Granite City. But that is an entirely different story. At any rate, it was my first visit since the storied half mile track and inside quarter mile was torn up and replaced with a banked 3/8 mile oval. The racing surface, lighting and sight lines are excellent, although the track slicked up on Sunday during time trials, slowing the speeds considerably on the night. Originally a Lucas Oil sanctioned event, the sanction was dropped in case the night was needed to complete the Show Me 100. Although this did not happen, several of the expected drivers headed home, but there was still a quality field of 41 late models, in addition to a 30 plus UMP modifieds, Pro crate late models and a handful of Kidz Modz for youngsters 12-18. Fast time for the evening went to the " Real Deal " Don Oneal is his yellow # 71. Don spent sparks flying off the turn four wall as he posted a lap of 15.264 seconds. Five heat races, a dash and two B-mains, which the annoncers called semi features, just like the old days, set up a 23 car field, with track regular Chad Zobrist getting a provisional starting spot. Billy Moyer is had started outside Oneal in heat number one, taking the 10 lap win. Rolling from the pole in the dash, the native Iowan captured that race as well, and come feature time, he went for the sweep. It may have not been an easy win, but Billy made it look that way, leading all 50 laps. Having a good run in second was Shannon Babb, and I am sure Moyer was just as happy for the third place finisher, his son, the real Billy Moyer, Jr. in his # 21JR machine. Defending UMP national champion Jason Feger garnered fourth ahead of the Bobby Labonte owned # 41 of Brad Neat. Oneal started sixth and finished there, with Dan Schleiper seventh. Jimmy Mars was a victim of a heat race mishap, finished third in his B main, started 21st on the grid and finished eighth. Dennis Erb Jr., and Billy Faust subbing for Randy Korte completed the top ten. Korte has yrt to race in 2010, suffering from back problems. Mark Burgtorf finished 13th in his open car, one lap down to the leader.
Both Jason and Rickey Frankel made the trip from Quincy as well, but encountered problems and did not make the show. With the late model feature running ahead of the modified B mains, and a busy Monday ahead, I made my way to the parking lot as Moyer received his trophy. Michael Long was on hand to compete for the top mod prize of $1,000, but although he has a couple of wins there, Sunday was not his night, as he was scored 19th at the finish. Quincy cousins Dustin and Jake Griffin both raced in the Pro Crate division, with Jake, who is still a ways from being a teenager winning a heat and coming home I believe seventh in the main event. He also ran up front in the Kidz Modz division. Keep that name in the back of your mind as someone to watch in the future.
Congratulations to Jason Perry in late models and Abe Huls in stock cars for their first wins of the season at Quincy Raceways, and to repeat winners Jared Schlipman in mods and Tanner Klingele in hobby stocks, both second generation drivers.
If the rain holds off, next up should be Friday night at Lee County, and Sunday night back at Quincy. See you at the races!
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