Unfinished Business

After traveling six hours round trip on St Patricks Day and having nothing more to show for it than a partial list of who was in the pits at the Highland Speedway and some spectacular lightning, we were not in the mood for another rainout. So it was pretty much decided early in the week that the questionable forecast for this past Saturday precluded another attempt to see some green flag racin'. Then Saturday morning while my wife and I enjoyed a Hy Vee buffet breakfast with my racing buddy Darryl, My wife mentioned that I was otherwise commited on Saturday the 31st. So we took another look at the radar and decided to take the chance. As grandson Keagan and buddy Fred had other plans, Darryl and I headed south and east for another shot at the rescheduled $ 1500 to win " Lucky 40." Soon after arriving at the quaint facility on the Madison, Il fairgrounds, the clouds started to build and there was talk of rain up the road in Granite City. On this night, however, the wet stuff held off, and our 2012 season officially got under way. 22 UMP late models signed in, and we counted at least five that did not make the return trip from the week before. A scheduled UMP modified special at Belleville, Il for this night was cancelled due to wet grounds, and as a result, 36 mods jammed the pit area to race for the $750 top prize. 22 factory stocks and 25 sport compacts swelled the field to 105 cars in the four classes running on this night. Even though pit road was still jammed as the drivers meeting began, the show started close to the advertised time, and as Highland only hot laps late models and mods, we were racing shortly after 6:30. The show was originally part of back to back nights at Belleville and Highland, each paying $1500 to win, plus a $1000 bonus for a sweep. If each night had a different winner, the bonus would be split between the top three combined finishers. " The Flatland Flash, " Kevin Weaver was victorious at Belleville, and he put himself in a good position for the sweep by capturing the third heat ahead of young Brandon Sheppard. Springfield,Il driver John Beck outlasted Michael kloos in heat one, while local favorite Brent Helmkamp held off UMP national champion Ryan Unzicker in heat two, much to the delight of the large crowd. Following ten support class heat races, those six moved on the the dash to set the first three rows of the 40 lap finale on the tight 1/4 mile. Weaver again outlasted Sheppard, and the field was set. A mod dash and two consys at up some valuable time, and then the lowlight of the night occured, a 20 plus minute " non itermission " starting at about 9:40. As the track sets in a residential area, this did not seem like a good plan to me, but I may have been thinking more about the three hour drive home. Still we were plenty excited when the feature hit the track, with 20 cars set to do battle. Missing from the line up was Kerry Gaultney, who was jammed into the front stretch concrete wall at the start of heat one, and Dan Jacober, who was never able to take the green flag with possible engine problems. Most of the heat race action had been contested in the inside and middle grooves, and despite an inch of rain on Friday, there was only one rough spot on the track, that being in turns one and two, where 4 cylinder driver David Berry had taken a hard spill earlier. As the main event began, Weaver took off in the middle groove and looked to be on his way to a sweep. Young Sheppard had other ideas, however, and began running the cushion, making another groove for himself. about five laps in, Brandon put his # B5 out front and began to stretch out his lead. Weaver stayed in the hunt, and eventually regained the top spot, only to have Sheppards overtake him again. Only two caution periods slowed the event, and when the first came after 22 laps, all 20 starters were still running, although three dropped out at that time, including defending track champion Chad Zobrist, who was running sixth and moving forward. Caution number two came for third running Unzicker, who came to a stop on the backstretch. On the restart, Weaver bobbled slightly, and that was all Sheppard needed to collect the win. Wever recovered to grab the runnerup spot, with Kloos third. Kevin Cole wheeled a Riggs Motorsports entry to a fourth place run, with Mark Voigt fifth. The next five spots went to local hotshoe Frankie Martin, veteran Bobby Martinoni who has moved up from the crates, Nike Manville, Mike Schulte and Mike Hammerle. Only the top six remained on the lead lap. While Sheppard took the win, Weaver collected $ 500 of the bonus money, Kloos $300, and Sheppard $200. Although the mod main event was shaped up to be agood one, the clock showed 10:30, and we decided to head for the car.
As we drove through town, it began to rain, and we wondered if the show would be completed. The mod feature, at least did run, as former late model driver Aaron Kleine backed up his Belleville win by outlasting Brian Bielong and Rusty Griffaw to the flag. Griffaw elected to leave his new late model at home and bring a sharp looking mod to Highland.
All in all, it was a great way to start the new season.
This coming Sunday, Quincy Raceways will begin the new season, and they kicked things off on Sunday with the first of three practice nights.
As I sat down at the computer, I received word that B47 promotions, headed by racer Brandon Savage will not be promoting the special events he had mapped out for the season at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. Brandon has been working very hard since his sucessful
" Fall Nationals " last October, but apparently has run into contract issues and has suspended his plans for the time being.
There is plenty of racing this weekend, so if you have not been to the track yet, now is the time. See you down the road!

Rainout Number One

Although our plans were to start the 2012 season at Quincy Raceways on opening night April 1, the continued beautiful weather proved too nice to ignore. After reading the results of the Friday night opener at Bell Clair Speedway in Belleville,Il., we decided it was time to go racing. Saturday was to be night two of a double header combo, with the UMP late models moving down the road to Highland,Il. Each night featured a $ 1500 to win 40 lap main event with a $1000 bonus to sweep both shows. If no driver won both nights, the bonus would be split among the top three points finishers. Plus the UMP modifieds were running for $750 to win each night, and each track had two weekly support classes. Belleville had a healthy late model count of 29, with the mod count seemingly a bit low at 15. Veteran Kevin Weaver, defending UMP champion Ryan Unzicker and St Louis area hot shoe Michael Kloos topped the Shamrock 40, with many other big dogs in the field, enough to make the 170 plus mile trip to Highland look attractive. The forecast Saturday morning looked less than perfect, and as we prepared to leave, it was literally changing by the minute. The besr guess looked like we would drive through some showers, but it should all be out of the Highland area by 5:00PM. So if the showers were not too heavy...Sure enough, the rain began north of Troy,Mo, and was coming down in sheets as we drove through St Louis. A pair of calls to the speedway were answered with the good news that it was not raining and indeed had not. And we could see clear skies in their direction. By the time we arrived at the track - way too early, as usual,- the sky looked good. But as we scoured the pits from the hillside high above, the clouds began to build in the west. By 5:00PM, when the rain should have been coming to a close, it was obvious the track was going to get wet and the question became how soon and for how long. I'm not sure of the answer to either question, but I do know it was enough to force postponement of our first action of the 2012 season. Heavy rain and sharp lightning was still present as we started the drive home. For those who have never been to the Madison County track, both the pits and the track set in something of a canyon, and although there is a paved road up the hill from the pit area, it looks a bit challenging to get everyone out in those conditions. Even as the weather worsened, cars continued to roll in and I was able to identify a dozen late models including the top finishers from Friday night. Plus there were several big rigs who never bothered to unload, and I would guess the actual count was two or three higher when the rains came. It also looked as though the mod count would easily surpass that of Friday night. Although not totally unexpected, it was still a disappointing start to the season, especially in light of current fuel prices, which could very well curtail our traveling as the summer arrives. Indeed, the race has been rescheduled for next Saturday, March 24, and although we likely won't be able to return, it should be a good show for someone looking for a March race. One big name that probably won't return is Randy Korte, who will be taking some time off as he fights a blood disorder and some residual spinal issues, presumably from his back surgery a while back. " King Kong " anticipates a full recovery, but will not be behind the wheel of his # 00 for a period of time.
Although we were not able to see any action, we want to offer thanks to these tracks for taking a chance on March racing within reasonable driving distance, and we wish Highland success next week and throughout 2012.

Showin' Off the New Rides

The weekend marked the annual Quincy Raceways show at the Quincy,Il Mall. A record 38 cars spread out through the six classes jammed the mall, with lots of fans checking out the machines and talking to the competitors. The top preseason story of 2012 is the switch to UMP sanction for the late model class. Ten teams had their machines on display, and as expected there were some interesting story lines. Defending point champion Justin Reed was quick to mention that the open rules package was new to him, and he would likely have a learning curve. Justin has mapped out a 50 odd race schedule he would like to undertake in 2012. Conversely, point runner up Denny Woodworth has done a lot of open racing for several seasons, and should have a bit of a comfort level. Matt Bailey will begin the season with an IMCA spec engine, competing on Saturdays at 34 Raceways, then swapping out wheels and tires to run at his hometown track on Sundays. Dustin Griffin will be back on his hometown dirt after capturing the UMP Pro Crate national championship in 2012. Meanwhile, his 13 year old cousin, Jake Griffin, back from Speedweeks racing has mapped out an ambitious schedule. Jake will be racing Friday nights with the asphalt late models at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, with an assist from veteran driver Johnny Spaw. Plans are to race modifieds, perhaps both A and B, at Spoon River Speedway on Saturday, then the youngster will hit the QR bullring on Sundays with both his UMP late model, and UMP modified. Vance Wilson is back in a late model for this season after spending 2011 in the modified division.
A nice group of 15 modifieds, split between UMP A's, and IMCA sport mods were on hand. Veteran Tony Dunker displayed a car for each division, although he has traded his trademark # 4 for #3 in the sport mods. Dave Weitholder is already on his second body after a couple of weeks of hard racing in Florida! Points champ Steven Delonjay will be back to defend his A mod title.
The big story in the IMCA stock car class was the appearance of a car unfamiliar to many QR fans. Ty Hill, who is a regular at the Boone Speedway had his # 3H ride in the show. Ty is originally from the Quincy area, and has raced in Quincy during stock car specials. With his parents still living just a few miles from the track, Ty has made tentative plans to be at QR for at least half the shows in 2012.
Those who read this column know that I am a big late model fan, but it was a hobby stock that stole the show for me. Rounding a corner at the far end of the mall from where I started, I came upon the # 1 of Richie Wagy. Richie has been an off and on racer for many seasons at QR, but his new ride will make him a legend among us old timers. Richie spent the winter putting together a 1957 Chevy to compete with hobby stocks. Seeing this machine took me back to the days when my hair was black, and guys I knew actually made money racing. It would not be appropriate for me to root for Wagy to win every Sunday, but i will sure be rooting for him to do well enough to keep the old Bel Air on the track all season!
Racing in the area kicked off Saturday with Jack Sullivan taking the checkers ahead of 29 other late models at Springfield,Mo Raceway. This weekend, the UMP cars will battle, weather permitting in a two night combo series at Belleville and Highland, Il. Quincy Raceways will drop the green flag on April 1 with a full program. Let's hope the weather holds!