There are always a few folks who head for the gate at Quincy Raceways as soon as the late model feature checkers waves. Those who did so last night missed out on some post race drama. Clint Kirkham came from row two to win the ten lap dash, earning the pole for the 30 lap finale. Clint then led the drag race to turn one and kept his # 28 out front for all 30 laps of green flag racing. But despite crossing the scales three times, Clint failed to register the minimum 2300 pounds mandated by UMP. Perhaps most troubling was that he reportedly recorded different weights each time across. Never the less, the other top five cars all hit the 2300 pound mark, and Kirkham saw his first win of 2013 go down the drain. Michael Long had started inside row two, grabbed the second spot on lap one and trailed Kirkham for the distance. Michael was awarded his fourth late model win of the season in the Jennings Racing # 56J. Denny Woodworth passed outside row one starter Jason Perry on lap three, and wound up second after the DQ. The lap three pass by Woodworth was the final position change of the race, as the hot afternoon sun left us with pretty much a one lane track around the bottom groove. Following Perry with top fives runs was Ron Elbe and Jared Schlipman. Perry had set quick time at 14.415 seconds. Mark Burgtorf was a no show as he blew his engine while winning the feature Saturday night at 34 Raceway. Rickey Frankel also suffered engines woes Saturday at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., and was unable to race on Sunday.
The UMP modified division turned out a solid 22 car field, but when the checkers waved, it was Steven Delonjay once again in victory lane. Yellow flags slowed the event, but the patient Delonjay held on to lead the distance. He had set quick time at 15.437 seconds, rolled a " one " to start up front in the dash, with that win putting him on the feature pole. Dave Weitholder took the second spot from Shawn Deering early, holding on for a runnerup finish. Deering picked up his first ever win the week prior, but retired to the pits while running third on lap 24 of the 25 lapper. Adam Birck, driving a Jody Woods owned # 51 started in row four and came home third, while Keith Pratt ran a steady fourth ahead of Tony Patterson. Derrick Carlson was the only non starter after blowing an engine in his heat race. The rebuilt engine had only four races on it, and this was not the early birthday present the "Murrayville Madman " was hoping for.
Abe Huls picked up his third IMCA stock car feature win of the weekend, coming to the front from a row three start in two laps. Tuning up for the IMCA Supernationals, Abe led the remainder of the event, while various challengers swapped positions behind him. Brandon Savage advance to second following a lap five restart, but lost the spot while trying the high line to get around Huls. Terry Houston claimed the spot on lap 11, but a flat tire knocked him from contention. Stock car rookie Jake Powers took the second spot, with Dave Weitholder outdueling Savage and Jerry Jansen for third.
Tony Dunker made it six wins in a row in the IMCA sport mod finale. 12 cars signed in, but only ten made the feature call. Charles Vanzandt led lap one, Jeff Delonjay took over on lap five, as Dunker moved to third. One lap later, Dunker was second, and he grabbed the lead on lap 11 of the 15 lapper. Delonjay crossed in second, with Tanner Klingele third. Brad Holtmeyer recovered from an early spin to take fourth ahead of Trevor Hagerbaumer.
As always, the final race of the night was the 12 lap IMCA sport compact feature. Alex Baker led lap one, but a fuel leak was discovered on his ride during a caution period. Austen Becerra then nabbed the lead, picking up the win and taking sole possession of the points lead. Skip Dunker rebounded from last weeks crash to finish second, while Kevin Morgan made the long tow from St Peters,Mo to outgun Kimberly Abbott for third.
This coming Sunday, September 1, the MOWA 410 sprints will make an appearance at Quincy. The were scheduled to race the .29 mile oval in May, but that show was rained out. The UMP late models and UMP modifieds will also be on the card, as well as the IMCA sport comapcts. The IMCA stock cars and IMCA sport mods will be off, as the Supernationals begin on Monday. Hot laps will begin at 4:45. There is just over a month of racing left here in the midwest, so be sure and visit a track over the holiday weekend, and say " Hi " if you see me there!
Monday, August 26, 2013
Sunday, August 25, 2013
34 Raceway Crowns Champions
Saturday night Darryl and I made the trip to 34 Raceway for season championship night. It was also Fan Appreciation night, with half price admission, and one of the largest crowds I have seen in sometime came through the gates to watch 101cars in seven classes duel for the hardware. The heat races were mostly uneventful, as near as I could tell, all classes except the UMP late models had their features lined up straight up by points. The three IMCA classes only ran five lap heat races, while the other four ran their normal length. If it sounds a bit confusing, it was, and I wish the announcers would explain it, as there were obviously some first time fans in attendance. It would also help explain why several of the top points cars merely " turned laps ' in their heats, not wanting to risk damaging their cars with their feature starting spot already determined. The most significant development of the 15 heat races took place in the 305 sprints, when Daniel Bergquist ran over the back of another car as the green flag waved, and he endured a series of violent flips in turn one. He quickly climbed from his mangled ride, apparently uninjured.
Following a well stocked candy dash, the IMCA stock cars started off the feature action. Jason Cook and Abe Huls made up the front row, and Huls quickly grabbed the lead. John Oliver Jr. soon overtook Cook and applied pressure to Abe early on, as the caution flag waved a couple times. By mid race, Brett Timmerman had taken over the third spot, and soon the battle was between him and Oliver for second. Huls led the distance, cruising to the win, with Oliver second, while Tom Bowling Jr found his way around Timmerman for third. Cook faded to fifth, but still collected enough points to secure the season championship.
Point leader Bobby Anders took off from the pole position and was never seriously challenged in the IMCA sport mod finale. Sean Wyett finished runner up in the ten car field. Of course, Anders was also crowned the season point champ.
The 22 car 4 cylinder feature was up next, with John Whalen getting to the front quickly and holding off Austen Becerra for the win. Becerra stayed glued to the rear bumper of Whalen, but John made no mistakes. 75 years young Wayne Noble started on the pole, and came home third, good enough to claim the points title. Wayne still wheels his car with his left hand, while grasping the top roll bar with his right!
The race of the night was the 20 lap 305 sprint feature. John Schulz and Donnie Steward sat on row one, only five points separating them in the standings, and they crossed the stripe side by side after lap one before a too quick yellow was thrown for a spinning car in turn two that never stopped. The Delaware restart put Schulz out front. Steward assumed the second spot, but as the leaders worked slower traffic on lap eight, he grabbed the lead. Steward built a sizable lead , but on lap 17, again in slower traffic. Schulz regained the point. Steward was ahead at the stripe as lap 18 concluded, and the battle raged on as Schulz was ahead as the white flag flew. Steward put his # 16HD out front briefly on the final lap, but Schulz regained the lead out of turn two, and then moved up the track entering turn three, where Steward had been particularly strong. It proved to be the winning move, as the veteran Schulz collected both the feature win and the points title. The lap two caution was the only one slowing the action as I believe 17 of the 19 cars signed in took the green flag. Jayson Ditsworth was strong early, moving up to third before fading to fifth behind Justin Newberry and Andy Houston. Still, this was classic two car side by side, no touch battle that had everyone on their feet and cheering at the end!
The 15 car IMCA modified feature had trouble getting a lap in, and on the first false start, row two starter and top contender Bill Roberts JR. headed to the trailer. When lap one was finally scored, point leader and polesitter Mitch Morris was out front. A couple more early cautions saw outside row one starter Jeff Waterman get shuffled back, and following a lap three restart, it was Dennis Laveine and Tyler Glass battling for second. Morris saw his big lead fade awy on a lap 11 yellow, but he took off again on the restart as the duel for second resumed. On lap 13, Glass eased ahead of Laveine, and three laps later it was the veteran Dean Gee overtaking Laveine. At the checkers, it was Morris,Glass, McGee, Laveine, and Waterman. Morris, from Eldridge, grabbed both the win and the track title.
Next came the UMP late model finale. The late models ran the only heat that affected the feature lineup, as the UMP rules dictated a straight up start from the heat finish. Denny Woodworth captured the eight car qualifier, and nabbed the pole, with point leader Mark Burgtorf along side. Mark held the lead as lap one was completed, but Denny grabbed the top spot on lap two. Jay Johnson moved from his row three start to third on lap three, as the two leaders continued a side by side battle for the lead, with Woodworth holding the preferred low line. The action stopped on lap eight for a spinning Bill Genenbacher, and following the restart Burgtorf found an opening down low, grabbing the lead. Mark began to distance himself from the pack, as Woodworth and Johnson battled for the runner up spot. The caution waved for the second and final time on lap 17 for a spinning Jared Schlipman, and on the restart, Johnson used the high line to claim second. He then pulled alongside Burgtorf one lap later, but could not complete the pass. Burgtorf picked up the main event checkers and the track championship. Johnson came home second, followed by Woodworth, Dave Eckrich, Schlipman, who came roaring back after his late spin, Justin Mitchell, Ron Elbe, and Genenbacher.
The mod lite feature would finish off the night, but we headed for the car as the cars came to the track.
Checking the results, I see that Evan Epperson, who was dominate in his heat, picked up the win.
All in all it was a solid night of racing at 34, and we were headed home shortly after 10:30. Many thanks to Denny Woodworth for the special considerations as he was a sponsor of the nights action.
I will be picking up Keagan and heading out in a couple hours for our regular Sunday night of action at Quincy Raceways. If you plan to attend, remember the earlier school year start time, with hot laps now at 4:45. Hope to see you Racin' Down the Road!
Following a well stocked candy dash, the IMCA stock cars started off the feature action. Jason Cook and Abe Huls made up the front row, and Huls quickly grabbed the lead. John Oliver Jr. soon overtook Cook and applied pressure to Abe early on, as the caution flag waved a couple times. By mid race, Brett Timmerman had taken over the third spot, and soon the battle was between him and Oliver for second. Huls led the distance, cruising to the win, with Oliver second, while Tom Bowling Jr found his way around Timmerman for third. Cook faded to fifth, but still collected enough points to secure the season championship.
Point leader Bobby Anders took off from the pole position and was never seriously challenged in the IMCA sport mod finale. Sean Wyett finished runner up in the ten car field. Of course, Anders was also crowned the season point champ.
The 22 car 4 cylinder feature was up next, with John Whalen getting to the front quickly and holding off Austen Becerra for the win. Becerra stayed glued to the rear bumper of Whalen, but John made no mistakes. 75 years young Wayne Noble started on the pole, and came home third, good enough to claim the points title. Wayne still wheels his car with his left hand, while grasping the top roll bar with his right!
The race of the night was the 20 lap 305 sprint feature. John Schulz and Donnie Steward sat on row one, only five points separating them in the standings, and they crossed the stripe side by side after lap one before a too quick yellow was thrown for a spinning car in turn two that never stopped. The Delaware restart put Schulz out front. Steward assumed the second spot, but as the leaders worked slower traffic on lap eight, he grabbed the lead. Steward built a sizable lead , but on lap 17, again in slower traffic. Schulz regained the point. Steward was ahead at the stripe as lap 18 concluded, and the battle raged on as Schulz was ahead as the white flag flew. Steward put his # 16HD out front briefly on the final lap, but Schulz regained the lead out of turn two, and then moved up the track entering turn three, where Steward had been particularly strong. It proved to be the winning move, as the veteran Schulz collected both the feature win and the points title. The lap two caution was the only one slowing the action as I believe 17 of the 19 cars signed in took the green flag. Jayson Ditsworth was strong early, moving up to third before fading to fifth behind Justin Newberry and Andy Houston. Still, this was classic two car side by side, no touch battle that had everyone on their feet and cheering at the end!
The 15 car IMCA modified feature had trouble getting a lap in, and on the first false start, row two starter and top contender Bill Roberts JR. headed to the trailer. When lap one was finally scored, point leader and polesitter Mitch Morris was out front. A couple more early cautions saw outside row one starter Jeff Waterman get shuffled back, and following a lap three restart, it was Dennis Laveine and Tyler Glass battling for second. Morris saw his big lead fade awy on a lap 11 yellow, but he took off again on the restart as the duel for second resumed. On lap 13, Glass eased ahead of Laveine, and three laps later it was the veteran Dean Gee overtaking Laveine. At the checkers, it was Morris,Glass, McGee, Laveine, and Waterman. Morris, from Eldridge, grabbed both the win and the track title.
Next came the UMP late model finale. The late models ran the only heat that affected the feature lineup, as the UMP rules dictated a straight up start from the heat finish. Denny Woodworth captured the eight car qualifier, and nabbed the pole, with point leader Mark Burgtorf along side. Mark held the lead as lap one was completed, but Denny grabbed the top spot on lap two. Jay Johnson moved from his row three start to third on lap three, as the two leaders continued a side by side battle for the lead, with Woodworth holding the preferred low line. The action stopped on lap eight for a spinning Bill Genenbacher, and following the restart Burgtorf found an opening down low, grabbing the lead. Mark began to distance himself from the pack, as Woodworth and Johnson battled for the runner up spot. The caution waved for the second and final time on lap 17 for a spinning Jared Schlipman, and on the restart, Johnson used the high line to claim second. He then pulled alongside Burgtorf one lap later, but could not complete the pass. Burgtorf picked up the main event checkers and the track championship. Johnson came home second, followed by Woodworth, Dave Eckrich, Schlipman, who came roaring back after his late spin, Justin Mitchell, Ron Elbe, and Genenbacher.
The mod lite feature would finish off the night, but we headed for the car as the cars came to the track.
Checking the results, I see that Evan Epperson, who was dominate in his heat, picked up the win.
All in all it was a solid night of racing at 34, and we were headed home shortly after 10:30. Many thanks to Denny Woodworth for the special considerations as he was a sponsor of the nights action.
I will be picking up Keagan and heading out in a couple hours for our regular Sunday night of action at Quincy Raceways. If you plan to attend, remember the earlier school year start time, with hot laps now at 4:45. Hope to see you Racin' Down the Road!
Monday, August 19, 2013
Pierce Wins a Thriller at Quincy
Sunday night it was back to Quincy Raceways for weekly racing, and the .29 mile oval has become showdown central for the UMP national late model championship points race. After last weeks races, leader Brandon Sheppard told us that he would be going to Michigan this weekend to run with the World of Outlaws and may not make it back to QR for Sundays races. But when I saw his name in the results for Pontoon Beach on Friday and Pevely on Saturday, it was obvious that he was planning to go head to head with challenger Bobby Pierce throughout the weekend, scrapping the Michigan trip. Pierce bested Sheppard both nights, including picking up a win on Friday at Pontoon, and Brandon was the only car in the QR pits when Keagan and I rolled in Sunday. The Pierce Posse came through the gate shortly after, and it was " game on " again. I am reminded of the old NASCAR weekly racing days when drivers could collect regional points at any sanctioned track, and UMP is the same. The IMCA system builds more loyalty to home tracks, but as a fan, it is sure fun when you never know who might come through the pit gate, especially this time of year.
The late model count was short, with only 11 cars signed in - Jared Schlipman at the Michigan Sprint Cup race and Rickey Frankel on vacation were among the missing. Pierce topped qualifying with a lap of 13.761 seconds, but rolled a " five " to put himself in row three of the dash. After Dustin Griffin took the heat win, Sheppard started outside row one in the dash and bested polesitter Jason Perry for the win. Jason had led the ten lapper until turn two of the final lap. Pierce managed to work his way to third, meaning he would start the 30 lap main event right behind B Shepp. All 11 cars took the green flag, but Michael Long was a start and parker, having damaged the rear end of the # 56J while leading on the last lap of the heat race. After a false start, Sheppard jumped to the lead, with Pierce on his heels. The yellow waved on lap three, as Cliff Powell came to a stop with broken suspension parts. On the restart, fifth starting Mark Burgtorf moved to third, and he blasted around Pierce on lap four. The bottom groove was the fast way around, and the leaders stayed glued to the bottom. Pierce took a look up high, but soon dropped back down. As the race stayed green, the leader caught the back of the pack on lap 17. On lap 21, Sheppard tried to put Bill Genebacher a lap down, with the # 72 getting turned around to bring out a caution. On the restart, Pierce decided to try the top groove again, and he slipped around Burgtorf on lap 23. He continued to pound the cushion in breathtaking form while Sheppard hugged the inside groove. On lap 28, the two crossed the line side by side, and Bobby may have had a slight edge at the white flag. Very few were sitting down as the two youngsters charged to the checkers, and the electronic scoring told the tail. 16 year old Bobby nosed out 20 year old Brandon by.031 seconds! It was so close that the tech crew checked the transponders in each car to make sure they were installed in the proper location. It was late model feature # 32 for me this season, and the last ten laps were the best yet! Burgtorf finished third, and Denny Woodworth held on to the track points lead with a fourth place run ahead of Perry, Griffin, and Genenbacher. Clint Kirkham was one lap down in eighth, and Ron Elbe was pitside when the checkers waved. We may not see the two challengers next weekend, as Highland, Il Speedway has their rescheduled Summernationals $10,000 to win show on Sunday, but hopefully both will be back Labor Day weekend to continue their battle.
The 19 car UMP modified feature turned in to a double digit caution flag marathon. Point leader Steven Delonjay had set quick time at 15.480 seconds and continued to dominate, as he held a big lead in the feature. But on lap 14 the front end appeared to break as he exited turn two. He became a sitting duck, and was hit hard by Justin Reed and Jake Griffin, ending the night for all three. Dave Weitholder inherited the lead, but on lap 18 there was contact between the # 05 and second place Shawn Deering in turn four that sent Weitholder into a spin. With smoke coming from the back of Weitholders ride, he retired to the pits, and Deering assumed the top spot. Shawn then held on to the checkers, picking up his first feature win at QR in over 130 starts! Mike Vanderiet Jr, Chris Spaulding, Keith Pratt and Adam Birck completed the top five. Pratt had started in row eight after missing his heat race in only his second night in his new modified.
Tony Dunker picked up points feature win number eight - he has nine total -in the IMCA sport mod finale. Tony came from the back to take over the top spot following a lap five restart. Tanner Klingele picked up his third straight runnerup finish. Todd Reed debuted a new sport mod and came home third
Abe Huls continued his charge towards the track point title in the IMCA stock car division, taking over the point on lap six. Brandon Savage made it five top twos in six weeks with the runnerup finish.
Terry Houston nabbed third.
After point leader Kimberly Abbott suffered damage to her # 71 IMCA sport compact in the heat race, her father rounded up some help and hustled back home to get the pink #71 she wheels at 34 Raceway for the feature. But it was Austen Becerra leading flag to flag in the 12 lap event. As a result, he pulled into a tie for the point lead with the third finishing Abbott. Laine Vanzandt filled the second slot. Another title contender, Skip Dunker smacked one of the tractor tires on lap five, sustaining heavy damage to his # 3 machine.
There are still six nights of racing scheduled at Quincy Raceways this season, and beginning next Sunday they will move back to school time hours, with hot laps and qualifying beginning at 4:45 and racing at 5:30. In the meantime, maybe I will see you Racin' Down the Road.
The late model count was short, with only 11 cars signed in - Jared Schlipman at the Michigan Sprint Cup race and Rickey Frankel on vacation were among the missing. Pierce topped qualifying with a lap of 13.761 seconds, but rolled a " five " to put himself in row three of the dash. After Dustin Griffin took the heat win, Sheppard started outside row one in the dash and bested polesitter Jason Perry for the win. Jason had led the ten lapper until turn two of the final lap. Pierce managed to work his way to third, meaning he would start the 30 lap main event right behind B Shepp. All 11 cars took the green flag, but Michael Long was a start and parker, having damaged the rear end of the # 56J while leading on the last lap of the heat race. After a false start, Sheppard jumped to the lead, with Pierce on his heels. The yellow waved on lap three, as Cliff Powell came to a stop with broken suspension parts. On the restart, fifth starting Mark Burgtorf moved to third, and he blasted around Pierce on lap four. The bottom groove was the fast way around, and the leaders stayed glued to the bottom. Pierce took a look up high, but soon dropped back down. As the race stayed green, the leader caught the back of the pack on lap 17. On lap 21, Sheppard tried to put Bill Genebacher a lap down, with the # 72 getting turned around to bring out a caution. On the restart, Pierce decided to try the top groove again, and he slipped around Burgtorf on lap 23. He continued to pound the cushion in breathtaking form while Sheppard hugged the inside groove. On lap 28, the two crossed the line side by side, and Bobby may have had a slight edge at the white flag. Very few were sitting down as the two youngsters charged to the checkers, and the electronic scoring told the tail. 16 year old Bobby nosed out 20 year old Brandon by.031 seconds! It was so close that the tech crew checked the transponders in each car to make sure they were installed in the proper location. It was late model feature # 32 for me this season, and the last ten laps were the best yet! Burgtorf finished third, and Denny Woodworth held on to the track points lead with a fourth place run ahead of Perry, Griffin, and Genenbacher. Clint Kirkham was one lap down in eighth, and Ron Elbe was pitside when the checkers waved. We may not see the two challengers next weekend, as Highland, Il Speedway has their rescheduled Summernationals $10,000 to win show on Sunday, but hopefully both will be back Labor Day weekend to continue their battle.
The 19 car UMP modified feature turned in to a double digit caution flag marathon. Point leader Steven Delonjay had set quick time at 15.480 seconds and continued to dominate, as he held a big lead in the feature. But on lap 14 the front end appeared to break as he exited turn two. He became a sitting duck, and was hit hard by Justin Reed and Jake Griffin, ending the night for all three. Dave Weitholder inherited the lead, but on lap 18 there was contact between the # 05 and second place Shawn Deering in turn four that sent Weitholder into a spin. With smoke coming from the back of Weitholders ride, he retired to the pits, and Deering assumed the top spot. Shawn then held on to the checkers, picking up his first feature win at QR in over 130 starts! Mike Vanderiet Jr, Chris Spaulding, Keith Pratt and Adam Birck completed the top five. Pratt had started in row eight after missing his heat race in only his second night in his new modified.
Tony Dunker picked up points feature win number eight - he has nine total -in the IMCA sport mod finale. Tony came from the back to take over the top spot following a lap five restart. Tanner Klingele picked up his third straight runnerup finish. Todd Reed debuted a new sport mod and came home third
Abe Huls continued his charge towards the track point title in the IMCA stock car division, taking over the point on lap six. Brandon Savage made it five top twos in six weeks with the runnerup finish.
Terry Houston nabbed third.
After point leader Kimberly Abbott suffered damage to her # 71 IMCA sport compact in the heat race, her father rounded up some help and hustled back home to get the pink #71 she wheels at 34 Raceway for the feature. But it was Austen Becerra leading flag to flag in the 12 lap event. As a result, he pulled into a tie for the point lead with the third finishing Abbott. Laine Vanzandt filled the second slot. Another title contender, Skip Dunker smacked one of the tractor tires on lap five, sustaining heavy damage to his # 3 machine.
There are still six nights of racing scheduled at Quincy Raceways this season, and beginning next Sunday they will move back to school time hours, with hot laps and qualifying beginning at 4:45 and racing at 5:30. In the meantime, maybe I will see you Racin' Down the Road.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Pierce Grabs ALMS Win at Quincy
Sunday night the American Late Model Series topped the racing card at Quincy Raceways. It was the second visit by ALMS in 2013, although the first time the event was co sanctioned by the Corn Belt Clash and Mars series. The car count in the late model division was a bit disappointing, with 17 entries, but the racing was top notch. Youngsters Brandon Sheppard, 20, and Bobby Pierce, 16, are locked in a duel for the UMP national points lead, and with ALMS awarding national points, both drivers were in the pits at QR. Sheppard has two wins this season at QR, and he started things off by setting overall quick time at 14.006 seconds around the .29 mile oval. Pierce turned a lap of 14.095, and with the two in different heats, each started on the pole of their ten lap qualifier. Each made short work of the competition, with Pierce taking the first heat ahead of Denny Woodworth, Mark Burgtorf, and Brian Dively. Sheppard nabbed heat two over track regulars Jason Perry and brothers in law Rickey Frankel and Michael Long. When the 40 lap feature hit the track, Pierce got the jump on Sheppard, and on lap two Woodworth slipped around Sheppard for second, pulling alongside Pierce briefly. Top contender Kevin Weaver did not qualify well, and then had heat race issues, relegating him to a row eight start. By lap six, he was up five spots to tenth, and also on lap six Sheppard regained second. When Long headed to the pits on lap ten, Weaver was up to eighth. At the same time, the only caution of the race came out for Jared Schlipman. On the restart Pierce held the lead, while Weaver moved to seventh, and three laps later he eased around Burgtorf for sixth. As the race neared the mid point, Sheppard mounted a charge on the high side, pulling even with the low riding Pierce several times. On lap 20, Weaver cleared Frankel for fifth, and Sheppard bobbled briefly, giving Pierce a chance to pull away. As the front runners worked slower traffic, Weaver began to fade, finally settling in seventh. With no more stoppages, Pierce cruised to the win, lapping up through ninth place, and although he struggled to put Clint Kirkham a lap down, Sheppard could not make up much ground. The win was the first in several tries at Quincy for Pierce. Sheppard came home second followed by track regulars Perry, Woodworth, Frankel, and Burgtorf. Weaver finished seventh ahead of Ron Elbe, Kirkham, and Diveley. Steve Thorsten, Brandon Thirlby and Bill Genenbacher also completed all 40 laps.
Keith Pratt was back on the track Sunday with a new UMP modified, but it was Shawn Deering setting quick time. Terry Gallaher was involved in a qualifying crash with another car - QR time trials three modifieds at a time - and loaded up before other drivers and crew members banded together to get his # 0 back out by feature time. Dave Weitholder outran Deering in the dash, setting the front row for the 25 lap finale, with 18 of 19 cars taking the green. Weitholder took the early lead, with nine time feature winner Steven Delonjay moving up to challenge for the lead by lap four. Weitholder held the smallest of leads before Delonjay slipped past in traffic on lap 14. From that point it was all Delonjay as the mods performed the unlikely feat of running 25 caution free laps. Weitholder, Deering, Chris Spaulding followed, with Justin Reed taking fifth in the Mike Begley # B4.
One need not look much past the mod class to see why QR is a bit short of lated models, with Reed, Pratt, Gallaher, and Jake Griffin all settled in the mod class.
Brandon Savage has been on fire in the IMCA stock car class, and he made it six straight weeks in the top three with his second win of 2013. Point leader Abe Huls started tenth, moving to third by lap three. He then moved to second following a caution period, and was locked in a battle for first with Terry Houston. By lap nine savage had taken the runnerup spot from Huls, and he grabbed the lead for good on lap ten. One more yellow slowed the action, but Savage was not to be denied the win. Houston and Huls battled it out for second, crossing the line in that order.
For the second straight week, a mid race incident in the IMCA sport mod class saw point leader Tony Dunker forced to restart at the back of the pack. And for the second straight week, Tanner Klingele opened up a commanding lead. Dunker restarted ninth, in one lap he was fifth, one more lap saw him in third, and it took another lap for him to take second. And once again, a lap 16 caution wiped out Klingeles straightaway lead. On the restart, Dunker grabbed the lead and the win, giving him 26 consecutive weeks of top two finishes! Klingele held off Brad Holtmeyer for second.
The always entertaining IMCA sport compacts were short in numbers, but still finished the night off with plenty of action. Brandon Lambert led lap one while Austen Becerra came from eighth to second. On lap three Becerra took the lead following a caution for Jeffrey Delonjay. On lap five Laine Vanzandt powered into second, and the two ran side by side all the way to the checkers, with Becerra taking the win. Kimberly Abbott held on to the point lead by edging Pat Dunker for third.
Action continues at QR through the end of September, and Sunday Sepember first will feature both UMP late models and MOWA 410 sprint cars. Starting with the August 25 show, racing will begin one hour earlier, with hot laps at 4:45.
This Saturday will be no racing for me, but I will be reporting on next Sundays action at QR. Hope to see you there!
Keith Pratt was back on the track Sunday with a new UMP modified, but it was Shawn Deering setting quick time. Terry Gallaher was involved in a qualifying crash with another car - QR time trials three modifieds at a time - and loaded up before other drivers and crew members banded together to get his # 0 back out by feature time. Dave Weitholder outran Deering in the dash, setting the front row for the 25 lap finale, with 18 of 19 cars taking the green. Weitholder took the early lead, with nine time feature winner Steven Delonjay moving up to challenge for the lead by lap four. Weitholder held the smallest of leads before Delonjay slipped past in traffic on lap 14. From that point it was all Delonjay as the mods performed the unlikely feat of running 25 caution free laps. Weitholder, Deering, Chris Spaulding followed, with Justin Reed taking fifth in the Mike Begley # B4.
One need not look much past the mod class to see why QR is a bit short of lated models, with Reed, Pratt, Gallaher, and Jake Griffin all settled in the mod class.
Brandon Savage has been on fire in the IMCA stock car class, and he made it six straight weeks in the top three with his second win of 2013. Point leader Abe Huls started tenth, moving to third by lap three. He then moved to second following a caution period, and was locked in a battle for first with Terry Houston. By lap nine savage had taken the runnerup spot from Huls, and he grabbed the lead for good on lap ten. One more yellow slowed the action, but Savage was not to be denied the win. Houston and Huls battled it out for second, crossing the line in that order.
For the second straight week, a mid race incident in the IMCA sport mod class saw point leader Tony Dunker forced to restart at the back of the pack. And for the second straight week, Tanner Klingele opened up a commanding lead. Dunker restarted ninth, in one lap he was fifth, one more lap saw him in third, and it took another lap for him to take second. And once again, a lap 16 caution wiped out Klingeles straightaway lead. On the restart, Dunker grabbed the lead and the win, giving him 26 consecutive weeks of top two finishes! Klingele held off Brad Holtmeyer for second.
The always entertaining IMCA sport compacts were short in numbers, but still finished the night off with plenty of action. Brandon Lambert led lap one while Austen Becerra came from eighth to second. On lap three Becerra took the lead following a caution for Jeffrey Delonjay. On lap five Laine Vanzandt powered into second, and the two ran side by side all the way to the checkers, with Becerra taking the win. Kimberly Abbott held on to the point lead by edging Pat Dunker for third.
Action continues at QR through the end of September, and Sunday Sepember first will feature both UMP late models and MOWA 410 sprint cars. Starting with the August 25 show, racing will begin one hour earlier, with hot laps at 4:45.
This Saturday will be no racing for me, but I will be reporting on next Sundays action at QR. Hope to see you there!
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Checking Out a " New " Track
While many of our racing friends spent the weekend in Knoxville, Darryl and I headed south to check out the renovated and renamed Randolph County Raceway in Moberly,Mo. After going through more than a handful of owners and promoters, the 4/10 mile track which started out as a dirt track, then was changed to asphalt, then back to dirt, had pretty much been left to die. But last year David and Janelle Claypoole purchased it with big plans and high hopes. The first thing they did was take up the dirt surface to remove the asphalt from underneath, then rebuilt the dirt oval. After doing their homework, they settled on a six class Saturday night program for 2013 featuring ULMA late models and USRA modifieds and B mods, as well as USRA stock cars, USRA hobby stocks, and hornets, with several special events such as sprint cars and truck pulls added in. While the " fender " car classes have struggled a bit with car counts, the late models have held their own and the modified classes have thrived. As with most new operations, this old timer likes to give them time to show their stuff before checking things out, but after hearing positive reports from fans, drivers, and announcer Doug Mealy, we picked this week to make our first visit.
The infield pits were filling nicely when we arrived, but the grandstands seemed empty. When hot laps began promptly at 6:30, 88 cars had checked in, and as racing began at 7:00, the spacious bleachers began to fill, and the people kept coming as the heats clicked off, an unusally late arriving gathering, to say the least. With the track, pit, and seating configuration, RCR is a good place to watch racing, the lighting is good, and if you stay off the lower rows, track visibility is 100%.
Following a lengthy intermission, feature racing kicked off just before 9:00 and the passing points format the track uses had point leader Derek Agee on the front row for the nine car stock car 12 lap feature. A first lap melee out of turn two featured two separate hard collisions and knocked out four cars. Another caution waved as lap one was completed, but from that point we stayed green as Derek Agee kept his #14 out front flag to flag to best Chad Walter.
All eight hobby stocks took the green, and following a first lap yellow, the 12 laps went green the rest of the way. Tim Dawson has dominated the class in 2013, and he led all the way from his front row start. Former Quincy Raceway regular Jim Brown came from row three to the runnerup spot.
The ten lap hornet feature came next, with 11 of the 12 cars checked in taking the green. Again, the caution came out on lap one, But following the restart, Robert Winfrey grabbed the lead from his row one start. But Kyle Burton kept his # 20 close, taking over mid race for his second win of the season.
The B-mod 15 lapper was next, 18 of 21 entrants came to the grid. What else, a lap one caution took out three of those starters, and a lap two pileup took out veteran late model racer Gary Wilson, wheeling a # 75M. Cody Erwin was penalized two spots for jumping the restart, turning the lead over to Hedrick,Iowa racer Scott VanBuskirk. Erwin regained the lead and held on through a lap seven caution for debris, with Van Buskirk crossing the line in second.
All 15 ULMA late models came to the grid, but Zeke Langley needed a push off from the front stretch staging area, and his # 23Z would not refire, ending his night. Point leader Vance Wilson started on the pole, with number two point man Kenny Mudd alongside. Vance checked out before a lap 12 caution came out as Brandon Imhoff smacked the turn three outside concrete wall. Meanwhile, Ryan Petersheim, who struggled in his heat and started in the back of the 20 lapper, had his # 86 on the move, and was sixth as the yellow flew. As the lineup was reset, the second running Mudd encountered mechanical issues, ending his run, although he reentered the race on a restart five laps later. Bobby Penney inherited the second spot on the Delaware restart, and stayed within striking distance of Vance through the final caution. With three laps to go, Petersheim, who was running fifth, slowed and appeared ready to pull off the track, when he suddenly got back to full speed. Vance Willson picked up the win ahead of Penney and veteran Tommy Cordray. Vances' brother Terry Wilson started sixth and finished fourth, while crate racer Cliff Powell, another Quincy regular, came from 12th to fifth. Steve Dieckmann, Chris Cox, and Petersheim followed, the top eight all on the lead lap.
The final race of the night was the 23 car 20 lap USRA modified main. Two hard chargers, Matt Dotson and Danny Crane held the front row, and as with every class except the late models, a first lap yellow stopped the action, although the lap was scored with the pile up in turns three and four. Dotson grabbed the lead following another false start and opened a big lead. He continued on through a lap ten stoppage, but during a lap 15 caution, his car quit in turn four with apparent rear end issues. Crane inherited the top spot, surviving a caution one lap later, then another on the white flag lap, setting up a green, white, checkers dash. Throughout the final five laps, Chase Breid and Kevin Blackburn had dueled side by side and back and fourth for the runnerup spot, but following the final restart, Tim Dotson slipped around Blackburn for third at the checkers. Ryan Middaugh completed the top five.
The final checkers waved about 11:10. The crew at RCR did a good job of keeping the show moving, the only negatives would be the too long intermission, and the fact that there was only one wrecker and a roll back on hand. With Moberly being a fast track with concrete walls on both the inside and outside of the track, multiple wreckers are almost a necessity. All in all, it was a good show, and it is great to see this very nice facility coming back to life.
Tonight, Sunday, the ALMS late models are topping the card at Quincy Raceways with a $2,000 top prize. Kevin Weaver leads the ALMS west division points, and we are looking for several top UMP racers to be on hand, including the top two in national points, Brandon Sheppard and Bobby Pierce, coming to challenge our hard charging regulars. UMP modifieds, IMCA sport mods, IMCA stock cars and IMCA sport compacts will also be on hand. Maybe I will see you there!
The infield pits were filling nicely when we arrived, but the grandstands seemed empty. When hot laps began promptly at 6:30, 88 cars had checked in, and as racing began at 7:00, the spacious bleachers began to fill, and the people kept coming as the heats clicked off, an unusally late arriving gathering, to say the least. With the track, pit, and seating configuration, RCR is a good place to watch racing, the lighting is good, and if you stay off the lower rows, track visibility is 100%.
Following a lengthy intermission, feature racing kicked off just before 9:00 and the passing points format the track uses had point leader Derek Agee on the front row for the nine car stock car 12 lap feature. A first lap melee out of turn two featured two separate hard collisions and knocked out four cars. Another caution waved as lap one was completed, but from that point we stayed green as Derek Agee kept his #14 out front flag to flag to best Chad Walter.
All eight hobby stocks took the green, and following a first lap yellow, the 12 laps went green the rest of the way. Tim Dawson has dominated the class in 2013, and he led all the way from his front row start. Former Quincy Raceway regular Jim Brown came from row three to the runnerup spot.
The ten lap hornet feature came next, with 11 of the 12 cars checked in taking the green. Again, the caution came out on lap one, But following the restart, Robert Winfrey grabbed the lead from his row one start. But Kyle Burton kept his # 20 close, taking over mid race for his second win of the season.
The B-mod 15 lapper was next, 18 of 21 entrants came to the grid. What else, a lap one caution took out three of those starters, and a lap two pileup took out veteran late model racer Gary Wilson, wheeling a # 75M. Cody Erwin was penalized two spots for jumping the restart, turning the lead over to Hedrick,Iowa racer Scott VanBuskirk. Erwin regained the lead and held on through a lap seven caution for debris, with Van Buskirk crossing the line in second.
All 15 ULMA late models came to the grid, but Zeke Langley needed a push off from the front stretch staging area, and his # 23Z would not refire, ending his night. Point leader Vance Wilson started on the pole, with number two point man Kenny Mudd alongside. Vance checked out before a lap 12 caution came out as Brandon Imhoff smacked the turn three outside concrete wall. Meanwhile, Ryan Petersheim, who struggled in his heat and started in the back of the 20 lapper, had his # 86 on the move, and was sixth as the yellow flew. As the lineup was reset, the second running Mudd encountered mechanical issues, ending his run, although he reentered the race on a restart five laps later. Bobby Penney inherited the second spot on the Delaware restart, and stayed within striking distance of Vance through the final caution. With three laps to go, Petersheim, who was running fifth, slowed and appeared ready to pull off the track, when he suddenly got back to full speed. Vance Willson picked up the win ahead of Penney and veteran Tommy Cordray. Vances' brother Terry Wilson started sixth and finished fourth, while crate racer Cliff Powell, another Quincy regular, came from 12th to fifth. Steve Dieckmann, Chris Cox, and Petersheim followed, the top eight all on the lead lap.
The final race of the night was the 23 car 20 lap USRA modified main. Two hard chargers, Matt Dotson and Danny Crane held the front row, and as with every class except the late models, a first lap yellow stopped the action, although the lap was scored with the pile up in turns three and four. Dotson grabbed the lead following another false start and opened a big lead. He continued on through a lap ten stoppage, but during a lap 15 caution, his car quit in turn four with apparent rear end issues. Crane inherited the top spot, surviving a caution one lap later, then another on the white flag lap, setting up a green, white, checkers dash. Throughout the final five laps, Chase Breid and Kevin Blackburn had dueled side by side and back and fourth for the runnerup spot, but following the final restart, Tim Dotson slipped around Blackburn for third at the checkers. Ryan Middaugh completed the top five.
The final checkers waved about 11:10. The crew at RCR did a good job of keeping the show moving, the only negatives would be the too long intermission, and the fact that there was only one wrecker and a roll back on hand. With Moberly being a fast track with concrete walls on both the inside and outside of the track, multiple wreckers are almost a necessity. All in all, it was a good show, and it is great to see this very nice facility coming back to life.
Tonight, Sunday, the ALMS late models are topping the card at Quincy Raceways with a $2,000 top prize. Kevin Weaver leads the ALMS west division points, and we are looking for several top UMP racers to be on hand, including the top two in national points, Brandon Sheppard and Bobby Pierce, coming to challenge our hard charging regulars. UMP modifieds, IMCA sport mods, IMCA stock cars and IMCA sport compacts will also be on hand. Maybe I will see you there!
Monday, August 5, 2013
Kay Doubles Up at Maquoketa, Long Gets His Third at Quincy
Family business Saturday landed me in the Quad Cities, and with the opportunity to spend the night available, the temptation to take in a race was too much to pass up. So I borrowed my daughters car and headed north to the Jackson Co. Fairgrounds in Maquoketa,Ia. It had been several seasons since my first and only visit to the 3/8 mile facility, and I had been trying to figure a way to get there as it seemed like the Darkside promoting team of Ryan Duhme and Tim Current had been churning out some good events. For the first time since I don't know when, mechanical issues interrupted my evening, and it was about 7:40 when I finally made my way through the front gate, as intermission was going on. There was a make up late model feature from their fair race on the schedule, and I had thought it odd that it was going to be run in the regular feature rotation rather than first on the card. But as it turned out, i sure was happy it was scheduled that way!
Arriving late, I had a hard time figuring out who was who, especially in the " local " classes, and where I was sitting the announcer was very hard to hear. Unfortunately, he also chose to announce the lineups mostly while cars were on the track. The hobby stocks ran first, 11 starters taking the green in a very entertaining race that saw four different leaders. Gene Ehlers came away with a popular victory, with only sic cars left at the finish. Next up was the 19 car IMCA sport mod main, and the early laps produced multiple cautions. There was a good battle at the front when things stayed green, with Dan Mohr and Tyler Soppe swapping the lead on laps ten and 11. Mohr grabbed the lead for good on lap 11, and held off Soppe for the win. The Midwest Jalopies ran a ten lap caution free11 car feature but unfortunately I can only say that # 38 took the win.
15 IMCA modifieds came to the track for 20 laps. with Mike Weidmann taking the quick lead from his row two starting spot. He lead throughout a couple of cautions, pulling away to the win while Joe Beal and Kelly Meyer swapped the runnerup spot, crossing the line in that order. The 4 stock field was 14 strong, and gave the nice sized crowd their moneys worth. Three and four wide racing, three cars shown the black flag kept things interesting. Jacob Ellithorpe put his # 72 in the winners circle.
It was now time for the make up late model 25 lapper. Brian Beaudry came from row two to grab the early lead. Following a lap ten caution for debris, Joe Ross put his # R19 out front. As Ross stretched his lead, Justin Kay was working his way forward from his row six start. On lap 22, he moved to the runnerup spot, with Ross holding a straightaway lead. However, a spin by fourth running Brian Meiners brought out the caution. Kay had to go back to third , but the Delaware start put him alongside Doug Nigh behind the leader. Ross and Kay went side by side past the flagman on lap 23, but Kay took over the top spot on the white flag lap, and picked up the checkers. Ross and Nigh came next with Fred Remley and Matt Ryan completing the top five.
The Outlaw super bombers then came to the track for a 40 lap $1,000 to win challenge. This race was also scheduled the night before at Tipton Speedway as a two night series, but that portion fell to rain. 17 cars took the green flag, and almost immediately it became a two car race up front between Nate Yoerger and Wayne Hora. Although Hora pushed hard, Yoerger was not to be denied taking home the big check.
The final race of the night was the regular IMCA late model 25 lapper. Rob Toland started on the pole with Jon Poll outside in what was apparently a draw, redraw format. Two false starts before a lap was run damaged some cars and jumbled the field. Kay had started in the eight hole, but came away from the second yellow with a flat, rejoining the field in the 16th spot. Toland took the early lead, with Nigh in tow, but another scrum on lap two knocked out Remley and Joe Zrostlik, with Remley spilling fuel on the track. Back to green, Kay was already back up to eighth. By the end of lap two he was sixth, and up to fourth on lap four. With Ryan getting squeezed on the bottom of the track on lap seven, Kay moved to third and as the leaders crossed the stripe, he was second. Kay and Toland then ran side by side until the yellow flew on lap 11. Following the restart, Kay took the point and stretched out a commanding lead and held on for his second checkers of the night. Toland had a nice run in second with Nigh grabbing his second third of the night. Beudry took fourth with Doug Yates completing the top five.
Thanks to the Darkside for turning a tough night into a fun one!
I got back home on Sunday in time to pick up Keagan and head for Quincy Raceways. Again we were a bit light on cars, but the racing was top notch. The IMCA turnout was 12 strong, although visiting Jeremy Pundt was knocked out in a lap one feature crash. Brandon Savage took the top spot on the restart, but another caution moved him back temporarily. Following the restart, Savage grabbed the lead and began to distance himself from the field. About this time, his left front wheel began to lay over, the result of a damaged A arm. Still he held a commanding lead through two more yellows. But after a stoppage on lap 16, Abe Huls took advantage of the crippled condition of the # 47s, taking the lead, and bringing modified ace Dave Weitholder in the former Brian Hoener # 5 hobby stock car along. Savage held on for third.
The UMP modifieds had the biggest field, 19 strong, and all took the feature green. Steven Delonjay grabbed the lead from the pole, with Michael Long in second. Following a lap two restart, Long bobbled a bit in turn four, dropping to fourth behind Weitholder and Justin Reed, now wheeling the # B4. On lap nine, Long retired to the pits leaving Reed and Weitholder to swap the runnerup spot back and forth. By the time the caution waved on lap 22, Delonjay had lapped up through seventh position. Two late cautions set up green, white, checkers finishes, on the first, Shawn Deering acme to stop while running fourth, and the Reed machine broke at the same time. Weitholder came home second, with Derrick Carlson charging forward for a season best third.
The IMCA sport mods again raced through a caution plagued 20 laps, with Tony Dunker making it 25 straight events of top two finishes at QR, besting Jeff Klingele and Jeff Delonjay.
The UMP late model count was only ten, and point leader Mark Burgtorf lost his engine in hot laps.
Dustin Griffin set quick time at 13.810 seconds, and rolled a " two " to start outside row one in the dash. Denny Woodworth outdueled Griffin for the ten lap win and the feature pole. the late model lawyer took the early lead, but Michael Long blew past in traffic on lap nine. Jason Perry jumped to third before fading late as the 30 laps clicked off caution free. Long became the first to win three late model features in 2013, with Woodworth, Griffin, Rickey Frankel, and Clint Kirkham turning in top five runs.
The IMCA sport compacts completed the night, with Laine Vanzandt and Pat Dunker trading paint the final five laps. Vanzandt took the checkers with Dunker getting out of the groove out of turn four, giving up the second spot to Kimberly Abbott.
Next Sunday night the ALMS late model tour makes at stop at the Bullring for a $2,000 to win show. Among others, young phenom Bobby Pierce has this sop on his schedule. Hope to see you there!
Arriving late, I had a hard time figuring out who was who, especially in the " local " classes, and where I was sitting the announcer was very hard to hear. Unfortunately, he also chose to announce the lineups mostly while cars were on the track. The hobby stocks ran first, 11 starters taking the green in a very entertaining race that saw four different leaders. Gene Ehlers came away with a popular victory, with only sic cars left at the finish. Next up was the 19 car IMCA sport mod main, and the early laps produced multiple cautions. There was a good battle at the front when things stayed green, with Dan Mohr and Tyler Soppe swapping the lead on laps ten and 11. Mohr grabbed the lead for good on lap 11, and held off Soppe for the win. The Midwest Jalopies ran a ten lap caution free11 car feature but unfortunately I can only say that # 38 took the win.
15 IMCA modifieds came to the track for 20 laps. with Mike Weidmann taking the quick lead from his row two starting spot. He lead throughout a couple of cautions, pulling away to the win while Joe Beal and Kelly Meyer swapped the runnerup spot, crossing the line in that order. The 4 stock field was 14 strong, and gave the nice sized crowd their moneys worth. Three and four wide racing, three cars shown the black flag kept things interesting. Jacob Ellithorpe put his # 72 in the winners circle.
It was now time for the make up late model 25 lapper. Brian Beaudry came from row two to grab the early lead. Following a lap ten caution for debris, Joe Ross put his # R19 out front. As Ross stretched his lead, Justin Kay was working his way forward from his row six start. On lap 22, he moved to the runnerup spot, with Ross holding a straightaway lead. However, a spin by fourth running Brian Meiners brought out the caution. Kay had to go back to third , but the Delaware start put him alongside Doug Nigh behind the leader. Ross and Kay went side by side past the flagman on lap 23, but Kay took over the top spot on the white flag lap, and picked up the checkers. Ross and Nigh came next with Fred Remley and Matt Ryan completing the top five.
The Outlaw super bombers then came to the track for a 40 lap $1,000 to win challenge. This race was also scheduled the night before at Tipton Speedway as a two night series, but that portion fell to rain. 17 cars took the green flag, and almost immediately it became a two car race up front between Nate Yoerger and Wayne Hora. Although Hora pushed hard, Yoerger was not to be denied taking home the big check.
The final race of the night was the regular IMCA late model 25 lapper. Rob Toland started on the pole with Jon Poll outside in what was apparently a draw, redraw format. Two false starts before a lap was run damaged some cars and jumbled the field. Kay had started in the eight hole, but came away from the second yellow with a flat, rejoining the field in the 16th spot. Toland took the early lead, with Nigh in tow, but another scrum on lap two knocked out Remley and Joe Zrostlik, with Remley spilling fuel on the track. Back to green, Kay was already back up to eighth. By the end of lap two he was sixth, and up to fourth on lap four. With Ryan getting squeezed on the bottom of the track on lap seven, Kay moved to third and as the leaders crossed the stripe, he was second. Kay and Toland then ran side by side until the yellow flew on lap 11. Following the restart, Kay took the point and stretched out a commanding lead and held on for his second checkers of the night. Toland had a nice run in second with Nigh grabbing his second third of the night. Beudry took fourth with Doug Yates completing the top five.
Thanks to the Darkside for turning a tough night into a fun one!
I got back home on Sunday in time to pick up Keagan and head for Quincy Raceways. Again we were a bit light on cars, but the racing was top notch. The IMCA turnout was 12 strong, although visiting Jeremy Pundt was knocked out in a lap one feature crash. Brandon Savage took the top spot on the restart, but another caution moved him back temporarily. Following the restart, Savage grabbed the lead and began to distance himself from the field. About this time, his left front wheel began to lay over, the result of a damaged A arm. Still he held a commanding lead through two more yellows. But after a stoppage on lap 16, Abe Huls took advantage of the crippled condition of the # 47s, taking the lead, and bringing modified ace Dave Weitholder in the former Brian Hoener # 5 hobby stock car along. Savage held on for third.
The UMP modifieds had the biggest field, 19 strong, and all took the feature green. Steven Delonjay grabbed the lead from the pole, with Michael Long in second. Following a lap two restart, Long bobbled a bit in turn four, dropping to fourth behind Weitholder and Justin Reed, now wheeling the # B4. On lap nine, Long retired to the pits leaving Reed and Weitholder to swap the runnerup spot back and forth. By the time the caution waved on lap 22, Delonjay had lapped up through seventh position. Two late cautions set up green, white, checkers finishes, on the first, Shawn Deering acme to stop while running fourth, and the Reed machine broke at the same time. Weitholder came home second, with Derrick Carlson charging forward for a season best third.
The IMCA sport mods again raced through a caution plagued 20 laps, with Tony Dunker making it 25 straight events of top two finishes at QR, besting Jeff Klingele and Jeff Delonjay.
The UMP late model count was only ten, and point leader Mark Burgtorf lost his engine in hot laps.
Dustin Griffin set quick time at 13.810 seconds, and rolled a " two " to start outside row one in the dash. Denny Woodworth outdueled Griffin for the ten lap win and the feature pole. the late model lawyer took the early lead, but Michael Long blew past in traffic on lap nine. Jason Perry jumped to third before fading late as the 30 laps clicked off caution free. Long became the first to win three late model features in 2013, with Woodworth, Griffin, Rickey Frankel, and Clint Kirkham turning in top five runs.
The IMCA sport compacts completed the night, with Laine Vanzandt and Pat Dunker trading paint the final five laps. Vanzandt took the checkers with Dunker getting out of the groove out of turn four, giving up the second spot to Kimberly Abbott.
Next Sunday night the ALMS late model tour makes at stop at the Bullring for a $2,000 to win show. Among others, young phenom Bobby Pierce has this sop on his schedule. Hope to see you there!
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