Friday morning, I received a text from buddy Lane Evans asking if I was going to the UMP Summernationals race at Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach,Il. I responded that getting off work even on time on Fridays was a dicey proposition for me, and even if I managed a 5:00 exit, I could not make it in time for the advertised 7:15 start. But he said he could leave Mt Pleasant, Iowa at 4:00 and meet me along the way if I wanted to go, and we would get there when we could. An offer I couldn't refuse! So even though a bit ill prepared for a night at the track, I left the office about 5:20 and hooked up with him in Missouri about 20 minutes later. It was to be his first ever visit to Kevin and Tammy Gundakers 3/8 mile facility, so he relied on me for directions. Having been there many times, I still managed to point him towards the wrong exit, but we followed the sound of the high horsepower engines, and walked through the ticket gate about 8:00, just as the final three UMP super late models were taking their time trial laps. After securing some of their good quality and reasonably priced concession offerings, we found seating amongst a very large crowd. The 45 UMP modifieds in attendance clicked off four heat races, with one of my " home track " drivers, Michael Long, picking off a win. Michael Harrison, Nick Hoffman, and Nascars Kenny Wallace picked up the other heat victories.
The 43 UMP super late models then contested four ten lap heats, with Brian Shirley in a Tim Lance # 48 machine besting Billy Moyer, Randy Korte and Ryan Unzicker in heat one.Shirley has been crewing for Lance thus far on the tour, then driving one of the # 48 cars at the weekend shows, leaving his familiar # 3S at home. Chris Simpson then outgunned the nights fastest qualifier and tour points leader Brandon Sheppard, in heat two, with Bobby Pierce and Brian Birkhofer completing the four qualified cars. Wisconsin hot shoe Brady Smith became the only late model heat winner not starting on the outside pole, as he came from row two to outrun fellow Wisconsin driver Jimmy Mars, Jason Perry, and Craig Smith in heat three. Kevin Weaver resumed the outside row one trend to hold off Jack Sullivan, Mark Burgtorf, and Shannon Babb in the final ten lapper. This race was red flagged when Wisconsin driver Todd Frank rolled his # 21 machine in turn three. He was uninjured, but done for the night.
The 21 UMP Pro Crate late models then contested three heats to set their feature lineup.
The Summernationals format is a bit different than we are used to, as they run a C-main, B-main Eldora - Knoxville style format instead of straight B-mains, and as the modifieds were running as part of the Summit Hell Tour, they also ran C's to advance cars to the B's. If it sounds a little tough to follow, it is! Joe Dresch from Brighton,Il. picked up the mod B-main checkers.
The lone late model C ten lapper advanced the top four to the tail of the 16 car B, with only the top two from the B moving to the 40 lap $10,000 to win A feature. Local favorite Billy Laycock picked up the C win over Tim Lance, Roger Brickler and Chris Shelton. Another local veteran, Billy Faust wheeled one of three Kehrer racing # 92 entries to the12 lap B-main win, with Tyler Reddick taking the final qualifying spot.
A whopping four provisionals were then added to the tail of the 22 car starting field, including Jason McBride. Mickael Kloos, track point leader Scott Weber, and Dustin Griffin.
During one of the breaks in the action, Sheppard came out for a couple of hot laps, and there was a noticeable miss in his power plant.
After the late model B, it was announced that there would be a five to ten minute break to put some water around the top of the track, and the late model headliner would be the first feature. The water was certainly welcome, as a stiff breeze had been coating the grandstands with dust and dirt even though the track was mostly tacky.
I did not time the intermission, as we were just happy the late models would run first, but....
As the cars came to the track, we learned that Moyer had scratched, leaving us with a 21 car starting field. The unofficial word was that the Hall of Famer had become ill, but I have not seen that confirmed. The four heat winners drew for starting spots, and Shirley and Smith sat on the front row. Smith took off as the green waved, and Shirley kept him in his sights for the first nine laps as the field sorted itself out. On lap ten, Shirley appeared to jump the cushion in turn three just as Mars was trying to move under Weaver for third. Heavy contact resulted, with Mars # 28 actually on top of the B12 at one point. Both of these top runners were done for the night, and it looked like Shirleys ride may have some wounds. While the caution was out, Kortes night ended as he dropped a drive shaft on the front stretch. Smith was still in command when racing resumed, with Shirley second, and Simpson now in third. About three laps later, Simpson charged to the runnerup slot, and the caution waved again on lap 15. Following the restart, Sheppard moved ahead of a fading Shirley, and on lap 19, Simpson put his MB Custom machine around Smith for the lead. The Iowa pilot built a lead as the field jockeyed behind him, with fourteenth starting Birkhofer advancing to third, followed by twefth starting Burgtorf and sixteenth starting Babb. The race was beginning to remind me of the early spring races at 34 Raceway - one where Simpson lead until the final couple of laps before breaking, and another where Burgtorf and Birkhofer battled back and forth for position. A final caution waved on lap 34 for a slowing Kloos, and Sheppard left the track at this time with what looked like a broken shock. Unlike the heartbreak in West Burlington, Simpson had no issues in the closing laps, and captured what I would guess is the biggest win of his career. Smith held on to second, with Birkhofer, Burgtorf, and Babb battling to the checkers in that order. Shirley came home sixth, followed by Unzicker, Reddick, who had made two forays into the infield during cautions where his crew looked under the hood of his # 11, Sullivan, and Faust. Griffin and McBride, who was one lap down, were the only other cars running as the checkers waved.
Although Lane was looking at a 200 plus mile drive home, we decided to see how the $1,000 to win modified finale started out. Michael Long took advantage of a front row starting slot to lead Michael Harrison on lap one, and the Fowler, Il driver soon opened up a half track lead. The race ran nonstop until Long crossed the flag stand for the 22nd time, when a car slowed in turn four to bring out the only caution of the 25 lapper. It was the last thing Long wanted to see, and on the restart, Indiana hot shoe Levi Kissinger and Josh Russell were able to get around Harrison. Coming to the white flag, Long got a bit too high in turn four, and Kissinger pulled ahead with his # 8. But Michael kept his cool, and powered back to the front as the pair came to the checkers.Russell, Harrison, and Nick Hoffman followed in what was as strong a modified field as you are going to see in the midwest.
The crate late model feature would complete the card, but it was now past 11:30 and with most of the crowd staying around, it seemed like a good time to beat the traffic out of town. I see in the posted results that Aaron Heck picked up another Tri City win in the Crate main, congratulations to him.
If you are like Lane and have never been to Tri City, it is worth the trip - I know he plans to go back.
Regular racing is on Friday nights, and the Lucas Oil Late Model Series will be on the card for another $10,000 top prize on July 12.
Hopefully the rain will hold off and we can get back to weekly racing Sunday night at Quincy Raceways, where the Hell Tour will be making a stop on Tuesday, July 2.
Maybe we will see you Racin' Down the Road!
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Catching Up With The Hell Tour
Apparently the " dog ate my homework, " as my recap of the UMP Summernationals late model and modified event Friday night at Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. has disappeared into cyber space.
Anyway, thanks to Lane Evans from Mt Pleasant, Iowa for waiting for me to get off work and doing the driving, thanks to the Gundakers for another quality show at their top notch facility, with 43 late models, 45 modifieds, and 21 crate late models offering up top notch racing, Congratulations to up and coming Iowa talent Chris Simpson, who overtook Brady Smith on lap 19 of the 40 lap finale to collect the $10,000 top prize. Brian Birkhofer, Mark Burgtorf, and Shannon Babb also turned in top five runs. Also congratulations to Fowler, Il ace Michael Long, who dominated to UMP modified $1,000 to win 25 lapper, and Aaron Heck who picked up another Tri City crate late model checkers.
Anyway, thanks to Lane Evans from Mt Pleasant, Iowa for waiting for me to get off work and doing the driving, thanks to the Gundakers for another quality show at their top notch facility, with 43 late models, 45 modifieds, and 21 crate late models offering up top notch racing, Congratulations to up and coming Iowa talent Chris Simpson, who overtook Brady Smith on lap 19 of the 40 lap finale to collect the $10,000 top prize. Brian Birkhofer, Mark Burgtorf, and Shannon Babb also turned in top five runs. Also congratulations to Fowler, Il ace Michael Long, who dominated to UMP modified $1,000 to win 25 lapper, and Aaron Heck who picked up another Tri City crate late model checkers.
Friday, June 14, 2013
An Audience With the King
Last week Keagan called me at work to see if I could get off work for a midweek race this Thursday. Since he has been going racing with us, he has always went where the " grown ups " decided to go, so this was his first time to request a specific race. He had just seen the press release that the " King," Richard Petty was going to be signing autographs as part of the annual NASCAR night at Macon, Illinois Speedway. As this was a track I had never been to before, I decided to go for it, as there was room on the vacation schedule at work. So we recruited Darryl and Fred, and headed east for the three hour or so trip. With the gates opening at 3:00 and autograph tickets limited to 300, we rolled out from Quincy about 12:30, arriving just after 3:00. Obviously they had started selling tickets early, but we were able to secure tickets in the 150s. Although a bit on the warm side, it was still a pleasant afternoon, and Keagan and I waited in line while our comrades wandered the grounds. Track co owners Ken Schrader, Kenny Wallace and Tony Stewart were also scheduled to sign, as well as compete against each other on the track in UMP modifieds. When signing began at 5:00, Stewart was still about 15 minutes from the speedway, so we waited a bit longer until he arrived. Finally getting through the line, we were able to get in our seats as UMP late model hot laps began. The car count for this Big Ten Series late model show paying $1200 to win was a bit low at 14, but on the tight 1/5 mile oval, the track still seemed full. The late models were supported by a healty count of 25 UMP modifieds, 22 street stocks and nine sportsmen.
Following hot laps, the late models ran time trials, with Steve Sheppard Jr. setting fast time to earn the pole in the first heat. Despite the autograph session, the show started promptly at 7:00 with a sportsman heat race. Eight of the nine entrants took the green, with Nick Macklin jumping out of his ride after the checkers to also compete in the modifieds. The mods ran next, and the ( bad ) luck of the draw had all three NASCAR shoes in the first heat. Still it was track regular Nick O'Dell taking the win ahead of a fast closing Schrader.
The late models were third on the card, with Sheppard leading all eight laps to take the first heat win, while polesitter Brian Dively snared heat two.
As you might expect, intermission was a bit lengthy. Petty had come to the stage to be interviewed during pre race ceremonies, but the other three spoke to the large gathering during the break. Stewart became a bit emotional while paying tribute to his good friend Jason Leffler, who had lost his life only the night before in a sprint car accident. Leffler had lived for about a year with Stewart at one point early in his NASCAR career.
The feature order was the same, with Macklin taking the 15 lap sportsman finale in quick fashion.
With 24 mods making the call for 20 laps, we had an idea it would be a marathon. Although the caution count was around a half dozen, there were no long delays, and the race was entertaining. I agree with Jeff Broeg, who has stated before he does not like the idea of an original restart on lap one with no one going to the tail following a yellow. In this case, the front row both spun, and restarted on the front. After a lap two yellow, the single file restart saw 3/4 of the track covered with cars. Two more cautions and the front four all came to a stop in turn two as the leader lost control. As was the case all night, however, only the car causing the yellow went to the back, in this case it was O'Dell. The caution waved again on lap eight, and one lap after the restart, Jeremy Nichols grabbed the lead. Schrader worked his way past second running Danny Smith working the top side of the track, and although he closed on Nichols several times coming to the checkers, there was little grip up top in turn two, and he could not get enough momentum on the back chute to complete a pass. Nichols held on for the win, with Schrader second, Smith third, and Chad Evans fourth. Wallace finished where he statred in sixth, while 19th starting Stewart moved up to challenge for tenth before falling to 13th.
All 14 late models took the 25 lap feature green even though Chris Dick had slammed the wall in turns one and two hard in his heat. Sheppard got the jump on Dively on the start, and began lapping cars on the eighth circuit. The first stoppage came on lap 17, as Roger Brickler pounded the turn two concrete outside wall. All the time dDively had been shadowing Sheppard, with fourth starting Matt Taylor working on Dively. Three laps later, Michael Kloos came to a stop in turn three, ending his night on the hook. These were the only two yellows in the event, and the top three came to the checkers in a tight pack. With a slower car just in front, there could have been a big pile up at the checkers, but everyone made it through. Sheppard led all 25 laps for the win, followed closely by Dively and Taylor. Steve Lance Jr was leading the series points coming in and ran fourth, with Greg Kimmons making a alte pass to make the top five. The second five included Adam Mefford, John Beck, Brickler, Dick, and Steve Thorsten, who was unofficially one lap down.
The street stocks were set to finish off the card, but we headed out, pulling out of the track at 9:30. Thanks to promoter ( co owner?) Bob Sargent for a well paced, quality show. Despite all the extra hoopla, Bob also has a minute to talk, and even Keagan was impressed that he was at the gate as we left, asking if everyone enjoyed the show.
With rain in the forecast starting today, the rest of the weekend is iffy, but at least we have night number 16 in the books.
Keagan will be celebrating his 17th birthday on Saturday, so if you see him around, this weekend, congratulate him!
Following hot laps, the late models ran time trials, with Steve Sheppard Jr. setting fast time to earn the pole in the first heat. Despite the autograph session, the show started promptly at 7:00 with a sportsman heat race. Eight of the nine entrants took the green, with Nick Macklin jumping out of his ride after the checkers to also compete in the modifieds. The mods ran next, and the ( bad ) luck of the draw had all three NASCAR shoes in the first heat. Still it was track regular Nick O'Dell taking the win ahead of a fast closing Schrader.
The late models were third on the card, with Sheppard leading all eight laps to take the first heat win, while polesitter Brian Dively snared heat two.
As you might expect, intermission was a bit lengthy. Petty had come to the stage to be interviewed during pre race ceremonies, but the other three spoke to the large gathering during the break. Stewart became a bit emotional while paying tribute to his good friend Jason Leffler, who had lost his life only the night before in a sprint car accident. Leffler had lived for about a year with Stewart at one point early in his NASCAR career.
The feature order was the same, with Macklin taking the 15 lap sportsman finale in quick fashion.
With 24 mods making the call for 20 laps, we had an idea it would be a marathon. Although the caution count was around a half dozen, there were no long delays, and the race was entertaining. I agree with Jeff Broeg, who has stated before he does not like the idea of an original restart on lap one with no one going to the tail following a yellow. In this case, the front row both spun, and restarted on the front. After a lap two yellow, the single file restart saw 3/4 of the track covered with cars. Two more cautions and the front four all came to a stop in turn two as the leader lost control. As was the case all night, however, only the car causing the yellow went to the back, in this case it was O'Dell. The caution waved again on lap eight, and one lap after the restart, Jeremy Nichols grabbed the lead. Schrader worked his way past second running Danny Smith working the top side of the track, and although he closed on Nichols several times coming to the checkers, there was little grip up top in turn two, and he could not get enough momentum on the back chute to complete a pass. Nichols held on for the win, with Schrader second, Smith third, and Chad Evans fourth. Wallace finished where he statred in sixth, while 19th starting Stewart moved up to challenge for tenth before falling to 13th.
All 14 late models took the 25 lap feature green even though Chris Dick had slammed the wall in turns one and two hard in his heat. Sheppard got the jump on Dively on the start, and began lapping cars on the eighth circuit. The first stoppage came on lap 17, as Roger Brickler pounded the turn two concrete outside wall. All the time dDively had been shadowing Sheppard, with fourth starting Matt Taylor working on Dively. Three laps later, Michael Kloos came to a stop in turn three, ending his night on the hook. These were the only two yellows in the event, and the top three came to the checkers in a tight pack. With a slower car just in front, there could have been a big pile up at the checkers, but everyone made it through. Sheppard led all 25 laps for the win, followed closely by Dively and Taylor. Steve Lance Jr was leading the series points coming in and ran fourth, with Greg Kimmons making a alte pass to make the top five. The second five included Adam Mefford, John Beck, Brickler, Dick, and Steve Thorsten, who was unofficially one lap down.
The street stocks were set to finish off the card, but we headed out, pulling out of the track at 9:30. Thanks to promoter ( co owner?) Bob Sargent for a well paced, quality show. Despite all the extra hoopla, Bob also has a minute to talk, and even Keagan was impressed that he was at the gate as we left, asking if everyone enjoyed the show.
With rain in the forecast starting today, the rest of the weekend is iffy, but at least we have night number 16 in the books.
Keagan will be celebrating his 17th birthday on Saturday, so if you see him around, this weekend, congratulate him!
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Hinrichs Scores First West Liberty Win
Saturday night, Fred and I made our first trip of 2013 to the West Liberty, Iowa Raceway to take in the five class program. The big fairgrounds half mile has been one of my favorite venues since I was introduced to it in the early 70's.In those years, getting there was something of a chore - now it is a bit over two hours up the road, and if gas prices were reasonable we would surely be there more often. The forecast was a bit questionable, and we arrived under a cloud cover, but rain never materialized and it was a light jacket sort of evening. By my count, 73 cars checked in, with the IMCA type late models and stock cars leading the way with 17 each, followed by 16 IMCA late models. Rookie late model driver Tanner Allen popped a drive shaft in hot laps, but was able to make repairs in time for his heat race. I was surprised to see Rich Voght, from the Fairfield, Iowa area entered in the stock car class. Rich was a regular at Lee County Speedway in the early 90's, and as far as I knew, had hung up his helmet for good. He started in row four of his heat and charged to the lead before his # 38 quit on the final lap. Zach Less was scheduled to go in both modified classes, but did not make the heat or feature call with his IMCA car. Veteran Brad Dubil saw his night end early in the open mods when his # 89 went up in smoke in his heat. Late model heat two saw young Brunson Behning jump out to a big lead before a plume of heavy smoke ended his night on lap six of the ten lap race.
Following a huge but efficiently run candy dash staged by Mitch Swinton and his Lil Racer Car Club, it was time to go feature racing.
The stock cars were first on the card, and they had some trouble getting going, with three caution periods in the first five laps. Once the laps began to click off, it was clear no one had anything for Brandon Jay. He had a nice lead until the yellow waved a final time on lap twelve for late model driver Colby Springsteen, who was subbing in the John Richardson # B25II. When racing resumed, Tad Payne tried to mount a charge, but settled for second behind Jay, who also picked up the win the week before. Vogt was the hard charger, starting in the back of the pack and finishing sixth.
Next was the IMCA type mods, with Chris Horn jumping to the early lead. For a while it looked as though the second generation racer would give dad Fred a 70th birthday present, but he began to fade at about the halfway point of the 20 lapper. Meanwhile Dan " Stumpy " Brockert was the man on the move, moving to second on lap five. A caution on lap seven bunched the field, and two laps later, Brockert and Mark Verbeck were locked in a battle for second. By lap twelve, Brockert had secured the spot and was pressuring Horn, and he took the point on lap15. Derek Walker then turned up the wick on his # 25, snaring the runnerup spot on lap 18. The checkers flew with Brockert, Walker, Horn and Verbeck crossing the line in that order.
The IMCA Sport Compacts were next up, and before one lap was scored, the ten car field was cut to seven. Following the lengthy lap one yellow for oil on the track, the race stayed green for the total ten laps, with Bill Whelen picking up a fairly easy win.
A first lap four car scrum of the open modified feature saw veteran Bruce Hanford emerge with the lead. The caution waved on lap two, as Rick Hixson slowed in turn two. Following the restart, Brad Diercks was applying pressure to Hanford, then another yellow slowed the action on lap five. One lap after the green waved again, Diercks motored to the lead, and he built a comfortable lead as the race stayed green for the remainder of the 20 laps. Hanford was unchallenged for second, with Scott Dickey third and Johnny Spaw in fourth.
The finale of the evening was the 25 lap IMCA late model battle. Polesitter Kurt Kile led lap one, while heat one winner and outside polesitter Ron Boyse dropped to third. On lap two, however, Boyse used the top side of turn four to charge to the top spot. As Boyse built a lead, row five starters Nick Marolf, who captured heat two, and Andy Eckrich, as well as twelfth starting Ray Guss Jr. began to pick their way forward. By lap six, Marolf was fifth, Eckrich sixth, and Guss eighth. From that point, however, only Eckrich was able to move forward. He cleared Marolf for fifth on lap ten, then moved to fourth on lap 13, passing Kevin Kile. Second year dirt racer and former pavement pilot Kyle Hinrichs was running third and gaining ground, passing Kurt Kile for second on lap 17. Two laps later, Eckrich claimed the third spot. On the 21st circuit, Hinrichs was able to reel in Boyse, taking his first lead of the race. With two laps to go, Eckrich also cleared Boyse and began to run down Hinrichs. The checkers waved after 25 caution free laps with Hinrichs scant car lengths in front, as he scored his first ever late model win in his # 15 at the famed 1/2 mile. Boyse followed Eckrich , taking third, followed by the Kile brothers, Kurt and Kevin. Marolf led the second five, ahead of Guss, Rob Moss, visiting Nate Beuseling, and young Spencer Diercks.
As we walked down the bleachers, my timepiece showed exactly 10:00, my kind of show! The IMCA Deery Brother Summer Series will invade the fairgrounds on Tuesday June 18 with only the stock cars as a support class. Although I have yet to miss a Summer Series event at West Liberty since they resumed hosting the series in I think 2010, I will be skipping this one, as this reschedule date falls on my wedding anniversary. The car count and racing has been solid when the series comes to town, so take it in if you get the chance.
As I type this report, word has come that rain coupled with a forecast of more has forced Quincy Raceways officials to cancel action for tonight, June 9. So we will see you somewhere soon, Racin' Down the Road.
Following a huge but efficiently run candy dash staged by Mitch Swinton and his Lil Racer Car Club, it was time to go feature racing.
The stock cars were first on the card, and they had some trouble getting going, with three caution periods in the first five laps. Once the laps began to click off, it was clear no one had anything for Brandon Jay. He had a nice lead until the yellow waved a final time on lap twelve for late model driver Colby Springsteen, who was subbing in the John Richardson # B25II. When racing resumed, Tad Payne tried to mount a charge, but settled for second behind Jay, who also picked up the win the week before. Vogt was the hard charger, starting in the back of the pack and finishing sixth.
Next was the IMCA type mods, with Chris Horn jumping to the early lead. For a while it looked as though the second generation racer would give dad Fred a 70th birthday present, but he began to fade at about the halfway point of the 20 lapper. Meanwhile Dan " Stumpy " Brockert was the man on the move, moving to second on lap five. A caution on lap seven bunched the field, and two laps later, Brockert and Mark Verbeck were locked in a battle for second. By lap twelve, Brockert had secured the spot and was pressuring Horn, and he took the point on lap15. Derek Walker then turned up the wick on his # 25, snaring the runnerup spot on lap 18. The checkers flew with Brockert, Walker, Horn and Verbeck crossing the line in that order.
The IMCA Sport Compacts were next up, and before one lap was scored, the ten car field was cut to seven. Following the lengthy lap one yellow for oil on the track, the race stayed green for the total ten laps, with Bill Whelen picking up a fairly easy win.
A first lap four car scrum of the open modified feature saw veteran Bruce Hanford emerge with the lead. The caution waved on lap two, as Rick Hixson slowed in turn two. Following the restart, Brad Diercks was applying pressure to Hanford, then another yellow slowed the action on lap five. One lap after the green waved again, Diercks motored to the lead, and he built a comfortable lead as the race stayed green for the remainder of the 20 laps. Hanford was unchallenged for second, with Scott Dickey third and Johnny Spaw in fourth.
The finale of the evening was the 25 lap IMCA late model battle. Polesitter Kurt Kile led lap one, while heat one winner and outside polesitter Ron Boyse dropped to third. On lap two, however, Boyse used the top side of turn four to charge to the top spot. As Boyse built a lead, row five starters Nick Marolf, who captured heat two, and Andy Eckrich, as well as twelfth starting Ray Guss Jr. began to pick their way forward. By lap six, Marolf was fifth, Eckrich sixth, and Guss eighth. From that point, however, only Eckrich was able to move forward. He cleared Marolf for fifth on lap ten, then moved to fourth on lap 13, passing Kevin Kile. Second year dirt racer and former pavement pilot Kyle Hinrichs was running third and gaining ground, passing Kurt Kile for second on lap 17. Two laps later, Eckrich claimed the third spot. On the 21st circuit, Hinrichs was able to reel in Boyse, taking his first lead of the race. With two laps to go, Eckrich also cleared Boyse and began to run down Hinrichs. The checkers waved after 25 caution free laps with Hinrichs scant car lengths in front, as he scored his first ever late model win in his # 15 at the famed 1/2 mile. Boyse followed Eckrich , taking third, followed by the Kile brothers, Kurt and Kevin. Marolf led the second five, ahead of Guss, Rob Moss, visiting Nate Beuseling, and young Spencer Diercks.
As we walked down the bleachers, my timepiece showed exactly 10:00, my kind of show! The IMCA Deery Brother Summer Series will invade the fairgrounds on Tuesday June 18 with only the stock cars as a support class. Although I have yet to miss a Summer Series event at West Liberty since they resumed hosting the series in I think 2010, I will be skipping this one, as this reschedule date falls on my wedding anniversary. The car count and racing has been solid when the series comes to town, so take it in if you get the chance.
As I type this report, word has come that rain coupled with a forecast of more has forced Quincy Raceways officials to cancel action for tonight, June 9. So we will see you somewhere soon, Racin' Down the Road.
Monday, June 3, 2013
Deferring to the " Boss"
Normally at this time, I would be doing a recap of Sunday night racing at Quincy Raceways. But
" Backstretch " columnist Jeff Broeg, without whom this blog site would not happen, was a visitor to the "Broadway Bullring " and his analysis is spot on with mine. So I will direct you to his column and just add a few notes. I had to smile and shake my head when I read that he was tracking Tony Dunkers charge lap by lap in the Sport Mod feature. Although we were not sitting together at that time, I was doing the same - do we all think alike?
It was easily the best racing at QR in a while, and the lightning fast surface produced the line of the night from announcer Doug Mealy. After the late model feature, Doug said he wasn't sure if winner Michael Long was driving that fast or the throttle had stuck on his # 56J! Michael and crew had a good laugh over that one. There was even more good news from the Jennings Racing camp. Former driver Justin Jennings, son and nephew of car owners Greg and Neil, will be competing in the Friday night portion of the NASCAR weekend at Texas Speedway. And apparently Greg has been recruited as rear tire changer, while Neil will be the gas man. Greg said he had already gotten plenty of " advice " from Justin in practice.
Ken Schrader is no stranger to the track, having raced here many times with both his late model and modified, but it may be the first time he has shown up unannounced. It was a couple years ago when Carl Edwards caused a stir by showing up and served as a crewman for a racing buddy from Columbia, Mo.
Modified feature winner Rusty Griffaw has likewide raced in both the late model and mod divisions at the track, but it was a bit of a surprise to see the " Junk Yard Dog , " Jim Black make the long tow from the St Louis area.
We were quite surprised to see Ste Genevieve, Mo hotshoe Dewayne Kiefer at 34 Raceway Saturday night, but hoped the damage he suffered would not prevent him from staying over and racing at QR on Sunday. He said it was a bent tie road that ended his Saturday run, and he was up front on Sunday with a runnerup finish. I am certain I am correct that Keifers last four visits to the track have resulted in a win and three seconds. Too bad QR is 200 miles from home!
Another surprise entrant in the late model division was Jeff Riddell # 09. Jeff made the tow from Steward, Il., near Dekalb. I had previously seen him in action this season one time, and he tells me he has not been in a race car in eleven seasons. Does that make him a rookie again?
Michael Long was a one class racer on Sunday, but hopes to have a new modified on the track this coming week.
The one race Jeff missed was the Sport Compact feature, in which Michael Grossmanfrom Keokuk, Iowa snared the win.
If you get a chance, make Quincy Raceways a stop on your summer racing schedule, and say " Hi " when you do. Otherwise, I will hopefully meet you all " Racin' Down the Road."
" Backstretch " columnist Jeff Broeg, without whom this blog site would not happen, was a visitor to the "Broadway Bullring " and his analysis is spot on with mine. So I will direct you to his column and just add a few notes. I had to smile and shake my head when I read that he was tracking Tony Dunkers charge lap by lap in the Sport Mod feature. Although we were not sitting together at that time, I was doing the same - do we all think alike?
It was easily the best racing at QR in a while, and the lightning fast surface produced the line of the night from announcer Doug Mealy. After the late model feature, Doug said he wasn't sure if winner Michael Long was driving that fast or the throttle had stuck on his # 56J! Michael and crew had a good laugh over that one. There was even more good news from the Jennings Racing camp. Former driver Justin Jennings, son and nephew of car owners Greg and Neil, will be competing in the Friday night portion of the NASCAR weekend at Texas Speedway. And apparently Greg has been recruited as rear tire changer, while Neil will be the gas man. Greg said he had already gotten plenty of " advice " from Justin in practice.
Ken Schrader is no stranger to the track, having raced here many times with both his late model and modified, but it may be the first time he has shown up unannounced. It was a couple years ago when Carl Edwards caused a stir by showing up and served as a crewman for a racing buddy from Columbia, Mo.
Modified feature winner Rusty Griffaw has likewide raced in both the late model and mod divisions at the track, but it was a bit of a surprise to see the " Junk Yard Dog , " Jim Black make the long tow from the St Louis area.
We were quite surprised to see Ste Genevieve, Mo hotshoe Dewayne Kiefer at 34 Raceway Saturday night, but hoped the damage he suffered would not prevent him from staying over and racing at QR on Sunday. He said it was a bent tie road that ended his Saturday run, and he was up front on Sunday with a runnerup finish. I am certain I am correct that Keifers last four visits to the track have resulted in a win and three seconds. Too bad QR is 200 miles from home!
Another surprise entrant in the late model division was Jeff Riddell # 09. Jeff made the tow from Steward, Il., near Dekalb. I had previously seen him in action this season one time, and he tells me he has not been in a race car in eleven seasons. Does that make him a rookie again?
Michael Long was a one class racer on Sunday, but hopes to have a new modified on the track this coming week.
The one race Jeff missed was the Sport Compact feature, in which Michael Grossmanfrom Keokuk, Iowa snared the win.
If you get a chance, make Quincy Raceways a stop on your summer racing schedule, and say " Hi " when you do. Otherwise, I will hopefully meet you all " Racin' Down the Road."
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Burgtorf Back On Top at 34
Saturday afternoon the skies cleared enough for some racing and we headed to 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa for some UMP late model racing. The social message boards indicated that the winner of the first UMP " regular " show at the track, Ray Guss Jr. would not be on hand, but that several " name " drivers would be, including Muscatine ace Brian Birkhofer. " Birky" is rare seen at any race paying less than $5,000 or so to win, but apparently wanted some seat time in his # 15B before next weekends late model Dream at Eldora Speedway. Sure enough, as we sat and watched pit road, Brian showed pulling an open trailer, reminiscent of days gone by.
When the pit gate closed, a total of 111 cars in six divisions signed in to do battle in front of what seemed like a decent gathering on a clod,cloudy night.
The late models got things started with time trials, with Birkhofer topping the field with a lap of 15.008 seconds. Only one of the 18 cars checked in did not make a qualifying run, as Bob Gardner from Germantown Hills, Il had issues early on.
The time trials were followed by 16 heat races, all in the books by 8:45. Following a rather lengthy intermission, the IMCA Sport Mods hit the track for their 15 lap finale. though most of the cast of characters was different, it seemed like we were back at Quincy Raceways, as Bobby Anders and Tony Dunker charged through the 16 car field to the front early on. The two waged an excellent side by side duel, with Anders holding off the # 3 for the win.
Next it was time for the 22 305 sprints to take center stage. By now the ten inches of rain the track has received recently created a few bumps in the racing surface, and a pair of the lightweight open wheel rides paid the price, as first Andy Baugh and then Jayson Ditsworth took tumbles. Several other stoppages made for a long race, but veteran John Schultz had the field covered, taking a big win. The official results behind Schultz look a bit different than the finishing order at the checkers, so there was apparently some post race issues.
The 15 car IMCA modified feature ran third, with Bill Roberts setting the early pace. Following a caution for Dean McGee, Jeff Mueller put his sharp looking # 77 out front. Jeff held on through another caution, but hard charging Quad City area racer Mitch Morris took the top spot on lap 18. As the pack came to the white flag, Mueller dropped a drive shaft on the front stretch, bringing out the caution. As he was being pushed to the pits, another car came charging out of the pits to rejoin the field and smashed into the disabled Mueller ride. Put that on the list of things I have not seen before! Racing resumed for a two lap dash to the finish, with Morris topping Dennis Laveine, Roberts, and Jeff Waterman.
It was then late model time, with the Simpson brothers setting on the front row for the 25 lap $1,200 to win finale. Chad, winner of the late model special at 34 five weeks prior, jumped to the early lead over brother Chris. Meanwhile, Dewayne Kiefer, who made the 300 mile or so tow from St Genevievem Mo. jumped from eighth to fourth behind Rickey Frankel. On lap four, Kiefer looped his # 0 on the backstretch and headed to the trailer. Following the restart, Frankel slowed in turn four ending his night, and Chad Simpson went pitside with a flat tire and did not return, handing the lead to brother Chris. At this point, fourth starting Mark Burgtorf moved to second, with fifth starting Birkhofer third. Those two staged a fierce battle off and on throughout the remainder of the race, with Burgtorf occasionally pulling ahead to pressure Chris Simpson. On lap 14, Chris went up in smoke with what appeared to be rear end or transmission problems. This turned the lead over to Burgtorf, who had to fend off a persistent Birkhofer to the checkers. As the leaders worked lapped traffic, BNirky actually moved ahead a couple times, but could not hold the spot. Jason Perry worked his way fron tenth to grab third, and fourth running Jay Johnson went pitside on lap 19. This put Slocum 50 winner Denny Eckrich in the position, and 11th starting Justin Reed claimed fifth. Clint Kirkham, Denny Woodworth, 18th starting Gardner, Ron Elbe, and rookie Jared Schlipman completed the top ten.
For Burgtorf, it was his third night out in his new Victory Circle chassis, and he looks like the Mark of old, with a second and a first with the new ride.
Though the clock was ticking to 11:00, we held on for the 22 car stock car feature, entertaining as always. Jeremy Pundt held the early advantage, John Richardson and Abe Huls dueling behind him. Soon John Oliver Jr found his way to the front, and as the laps clicked off, Jason Cook made his move. With three laps to go, John and Jason were side by side, and Cook held the top spot as they came under the flagstand with two to go. It the looked like a lapped car would spoil Olivers run, but he gave a nudge with his # 05, the slower car did a 360 spin and kept going and as the white flag waved, Oliver held the lead. He edged Cook at the checkers, with Huhls right there in third.
The 4 cylinder feature was in staging as we called it a night, congrats to Austen Becerra on his win.
Though we have also had over seven inches of rain in the area this week, Quincy Raceways officials have the track ready for Sunday night racing, and we will be heading that way shortly for another night of " Racin' Down the Road."
When the pit gate closed, a total of 111 cars in six divisions signed in to do battle in front of what seemed like a decent gathering on a clod,cloudy night.
The late models got things started with time trials, with Birkhofer topping the field with a lap of 15.008 seconds. Only one of the 18 cars checked in did not make a qualifying run, as Bob Gardner from Germantown Hills, Il had issues early on.
The time trials were followed by 16 heat races, all in the books by 8:45. Following a rather lengthy intermission, the IMCA Sport Mods hit the track for their 15 lap finale. though most of the cast of characters was different, it seemed like we were back at Quincy Raceways, as Bobby Anders and Tony Dunker charged through the 16 car field to the front early on. The two waged an excellent side by side duel, with Anders holding off the # 3 for the win.
Next it was time for the 22 305 sprints to take center stage. By now the ten inches of rain the track has received recently created a few bumps in the racing surface, and a pair of the lightweight open wheel rides paid the price, as first Andy Baugh and then Jayson Ditsworth took tumbles. Several other stoppages made for a long race, but veteran John Schultz had the field covered, taking a big win. The official results behind Schultz look a bit different than the finishing order at the checkers, so there was apparently some post race issues.
The 15 car IMCA modified feature ran third, with Bill Roberts setting the early pace. Following a caution for Dean McGee, Jeff Mueller put his sharp looking # 77 out front. Jeff held on through another caution, but hard charging Quad City area racer Mitch Morris took the top spot on lap 18. As the pack came to the white flag, Mueller dropped a drive shaft on the front stretch, bringing out the caution. As he was being pushed to the pits, another car came charging out of the pits to rejoin the field and smashed into the disabled Mueller ride. Put that on the list of things I have not seen before! Racing resumed for a two lap dash to the finish, with Morris topping Dennis Laveine, Roberts, and Jeff Waterman.
It was then late model time, with the Simpson brothers setting on the front row for the 25 lap $1,200 to win finale. Chad, winner of the late model special at 34 five weeks prior, jumped to the early lead over brother Chris. Meanwhile, Dewayne Kiefer, who made the 300 mile or so tow from St Genevievem Mo. jumped from eighth to fourth behind Rickey Frankel. On lap four, Kiefer looped his # 0 on the backstretch and headed to the trailer. Following the restart, Frankel slowed in turn four ending his night, and Chad Simpson went pitside with a flat tire and did not return, handing the lead to brother Chris. At this point, fourth starting Mark Burgtorf moved to second, with fifth starting Birkhofer third. Those two staged a fierce battle off and on throughout the remainder of the race, with Burgtorf occasionally pulling ahead to pressure Chris Simpson. On lap 14, Chris went up in smoke with what appeared to be rear end or transmission problems. This turned the lead over to Burgtorf, who had to fend off a persistent Birkhofer to the checkers. As the leaders worked lapped traffic, BNirky actually moved ahead a couple times, but could not hold the spot. Jason Perry worked his way fron tenth to grab third, and fourth running Jay Johnson went pitside on lap 19. This put Slocum 50 winner Denny Eckrich in the position, and 11th starting Justin Reed claimed fifth. Clint Kirkham, Denny Woodworth, 18th starting Gardner, Ron Elbe, and rookie Jared Schlipman completed the top ten.
For Burgtorf, it was his third night out in his new Victory Circle chassis, and he looks like the Mark of old, with a second and a first with the new ride.
Though the clock was ticking to 11:00, we held on for the 22 car stock car feature, entertaining as always. Jeremy Pundt held the early advantage, John Richardson and Abe Huls dueling behind him. Soon John Oliver Jr found his way to the front, and as the laps clicked off, Jason Cook made his move. With three laps to go, John and Jason were side by side, and Cook held the top spot as they came under the flagstand with two to go. It the looked like a lapped car would spoil Olivers run, but he gave a nudge with his # 05, the slower car did a 360 spin and kept going and as the white flag waved, Oliver held the lead. He edged Cook at the checkers, with Huhls right there in third.
The 4 cylinder feature was in staging as we called it a night, congrats to Austen Becerra on his win.
Though we have also had over seven inches of rain in the area this week, Quincy Raceways officials have the track ready for Sunday night racing, and we will be heading that way shortly for another night of " Racin' Down the Road."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
