Kinder and Sheppard on Top at Mod Mania

 In my last blog, I said the weatherman might play a factor in our racing destination this weekebd, and that turned out to be the case. With the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series race in Davenport,Iowa and night three of Mod Mania at Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach,Il as attractive options, we carefully watched the changing forecasts as Saturday afternoon approached. Fred was already in Davenport visiting, so it was left to Darryl and me to decide. With some ugly looking radar north and clearing skies south, we took off for UMP country and our second visit in eight days to Tri City.
 Mod Mania is a three day orgy of racing featuring UMP modifieds as the headline class with UMP late models in support, and maybe an extra class on occasion. Mod counts on Thursday and Friday had been 72 and 71 respectively, with late model numbers of 42 and 50. Between breakage, shrinking finances and other choices, the Saturday night count is usually down a bit, and 2014 was no exception, but 54 modifieds and 31 late models still added up to a quality show. There was also a full program of police and sheriffs officers from various Missouri jurisdictions racing converted police cars for charity.
 Hot laps and group qualifying was a combined effort , with Mike Harrison setting quick time for the mods at 16.235 seconds around the 3/8 mile oval. The track continued to get faster during late model trials with several cars atop the speed chart before one of the last to qualify, Frank Heckenast Jr set the top overall mark at 14.931.
 Six mod heats advancing the top two to the 40 lap finale left 42 drivers to try to come through a C-main and two B's. With several cars on the trailer, the C-main was scrapped when only eight cars came to the track. A pair of B-mains each sent the top seven to the $5,000 to win main event, leaving two provisional spots open in the 28 car starting grid. A dash among the six heat winner set the first three rows, with Hunter Rasdon from Jonesboro,Ar and Chad Kinder from Newton,Il on row one. UMP national late model point champion Bobby Pierce was doing his first racing in a full blown modified this weekend and he would start inside of Michael Long in row two. Controversy and top five runs had been the story for Pierce and Long so far, as well as for Harrison, who started outside Trent Young of Hopkinsville,Ky. in row three.
 Four late model heats were contested, with the top four moving to the 30 lap $2,000 to win finale. All four ten lappers were won from the pole, with Brandon Sheppard besting Randy Korte, Mark Burgtorf, and Austin Rettig in heat one. Heat two went to Tony Jackson Jr. ahead of Billy Laycock,Jason Perry and ageless Bobby Martintoni . Michael Kloos topped Tim Manville,Dillan White, and Allan Murray from San Antonio,Texas in heat three. The final heat checkers went to Heckenast over fifth starting Pierce, Dustin Griffin, and Gordy Gundaker. Justin Asplin won the caution plagued 12 lap B-main over Steve Lance.Jr, Brian Dively,Rick Salter, and rookie Chris Fisher. Veteran Mike Hammerle was awarded the lone provisional in the 22 car starting grid.
 The mod feature was first up, and Kinder shot to the lead at the drop of the green. The first caution waved on lap three as provisional starter Rick Conoyer spun in turn four. At this point Pierce, Rasdon and Harrison trailed the leader, as Long had fallen back to seventh. On lap four Rasdon and Harrison both cleared the fading Pierce, and the yellow waved again on lap five for a fire in the underside of the # Z8 of Max McLaughlin from Mooresville,NC. Back to racing Harrison powered to second on the Delaware restart, but Kinder opened a sizable lead. By lap 14, Harrison was closing, but following another caution, Kinder again took off. When the caution came out, Nick Hoffman had climbed from a row five start to third, and the announcer made sure we were  up to speed concerning the race within the race. Besides a $3000 check on Thursday and $4,000 winner share on Friday ahead of the $5,000 on Saturday, a three day point race is contested for extra cash. Going into the finale, Hoffman, Harrison, Long, and Pierce all had a shot at the title, and by this time it looked like it was down to Haarison and Hoffman, with whoever finished ahead of the other garnering the title. Back to green, Hoffman shot around Harrison, and by lap 22, Rusty Griffaw had methodically worked his way to fourth. He cleared Harrison briefly on lap 23, the fell back to fourth. Hoffman and Harrison then engaged in an entertaining duel, while Kinder again opened a big lead. Lap 30 saw Harrison on second and he began to run down the leader, but a lap 33 caution debris seemed to break his momentum.
The checkers waved for Kinder, who led all the way, and making him the third winner in three days, following Matt Mevert and Harrison. Harrison took runner up honors in the race and the top spot in the mini points chase. Hoffman crossed the stripe third ahead of Young and Griffaw. Long was sixth ahead of Paris,Tn ace Lucas Lee, Pierce, Brian Barber from Greensburg,Ky, and Rasdon. Unofficially Harrison continues to run second in the national points chase to Indiana driver Devin Gilpin, who left after night two to return to his home track in Brownstown,In.
 The late model feature was the final race on the card, with a straight up start putting Sheppard and Jackson on row one. Sheppard, who took the opening night $2,000 check, jumped to the lead, with a lap four yellow slowing the action. At this point, double duty Pierce had moved up three spots to fifth, and he moved to fourth on lap five. By lap ten he was in third, and he powered past Kloos for second on the 13th circuit. B Shepp had opened up a comfortable lead, as his spotter standing by the front stretch wall indicated, but Pierce was pounding the cushion inches from the concrete wall trying to cut into the lead.With traffic now a factor, Pierce had closed the gap by lap 23, and he tried a slide job in turn two on lap 24. He cleared Brandon, but could not get his # 32 to stick, and Sheppard moved his # B5 back ahead. Traffic again got heavy on lap 27, but Pierce could not mount another serious challenge, as Sheppard led flag to flag. With only the lap four stoppage, the leader lapped up to the eighth place car on the still super fast surface. An exhausted Pierce took second, with Kloos holding third. Heckenast turned in a solid fourth, ahead of Friday night winner Korte.  Jackson Jr. topped the second five ahead of Manville, Burgtorf, Laycock, and Perry. Earlier in the evening Korte reaffirmed the at next Friday at Tri City will be his final race, as he continues to battle Myeloma. We wish only the best for the legendary driver of the # 00, his wife Teri, and family.
 There are still plenty of attractive events on the racing calender going forward, but next Saturday should find me in Knoxville,Ia for the $40,000 finale of the Lucas Oil late model nationals. Although I have never been able to make a preliminary night in Knoxville - one of these years...- I have only missed the 100 lapper the year it was rained out and rescheduled for the following day. IF Knoxville is not on your schedule, check the calender on the main page at Positively Racing.com and find a race somewhere. So far, the extended forecast looks good!