Rain, rain, and more rain washed out any and all racing from southeast Iowa through the St Louis area on Saturday. So Darryl, Fred, and I headed north, determined to catch some late model action. With West Liberty, Independence, and Maquoketa all within driving distance(ugh!), we rolled out early with eyes on the sky. The heavy showers slowed to a drizzle about ten miles north of Donnellson, and by the time we got to exit 80 on highway 27 the skies looked somewhat better, so we headed east towards West Liberty. With our early departure from home, we arrived even earlier than usual at the fairgrounds track, but we enjoyed just sitting in the car outside the pit entrance watching the bulk of the 84 competitors roll in. Jeff has a very thorough recap of the nights action on the " Backstretch," so I will just add that the three of us agreed that it was one of the best shows we had been to all season. Plenty of good racing action, plus double late model features. The program started on time, intermission was only twelve minutes, and the tenderloins were excellent. Andy Eckrich put on a clinic in the make up late model main event, winning from row five. 17 cars were prequalified for the make up show, but drivers who were not in attendance on that June night when the feature was rained out were allowed to buy in for the cost of a second pit pass. Those drivers drew for starting spots behind the original 17 cars. A total of 23 late models signed in, and Brian Harris drew the 23rd starting slot. Undeterred, he wheeled the Lynn Richard # 15R all the way to a sixth place finish. Colby Springsteen, competing in his # 38 with a 1989 retro look of his father Franks car from that season, finished in the runnerup spot, then at intermission was presented with $3700 collected from drivers and fans to aid in expenses incurred when Franks was badly burned while working on Colbys car at Oskaloosa a few weeks back.
All but two of the 23 late models were able to start the regular feature which wrapped up the program. Ray Guss, who has had an uncharacteristically tough season, started inside row two, and quickly found the top spot. Tenth starting Eckrich broke through mid race and made a bid for the two feature sweep, but Guss was not to be denied on this night. It was still a good night for the youngest of the Eckrich brothers, with a first and a second. Harris followed up his strong run by advancing from ninth to third, and Springsteen added a fourth to his runnerup finish.
West Liberty has been one of my very favorite venues since I discovered it in the late 60's-early 70's, and Saturday night did not disappoint. Thanks to the Simmons crew for an enjoyable night of IMCA racing in all classes.
The deluge of rain wiped out any chance of Quincy Raceways hosting the Sprint Invader - ASCS challenge tonight, Sunday. The Ciltrak group which operates QR is looking at making some late season schedule adjustments, so check the website or this column for updates. Maybe we will see you next weekend as we are Racin' Down The Road.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment