Bloomquist Ekes One Out at Tri City

Friday night found us at Kevin and Tammy Gundakers Tri City Speedway in Granite City,Il. for the first time in 2015. With a vacation day in hand, we made the two and 1/2 hour plus drive to take in the first visit of the season of the Lucas Oil late model series in a $10,000 to win show headlined by a 50 lap feature event. 45 super late models checked in, with 24 UMP modifieds and 28 UMP B-mods rounding out the three class show.
 The late models qualified three at a time in two groups. Shannon Babb had the quickest lap in group and overall, at 14.794 seconds, while Dennis Erb Jr was fastest in group two. Straight up starts put Babb on the pole for heat one, and he managed to hold off series points leader Jonathon Davenport following a ferocious battle in the first of four ten lap heats to earn the pole for the money race. Scott Bloomquist won heat two from the pole as well, with Steve Francis in the runner up spot. Local racer Darrell Moser use the high side of the 3/8 mile oval to charge from the eighth starting spot to third, then giving up the spot to Billy Drake and barely holding off Ryan Unzicker for the fourth and final transfer spot. Erb captured heat three from the pole, and once again the outside polesitter came home second, this time another # 28, Jimmy Mars. Heat four saw outside row one starter Bobby Pierce on top over polesitter Brandon Sheppard. Defending series champion Don Oneal overtook Sheppard at one point before settling for third.
 With 16 cars qualified, two 12 lap B-mains were run. Back from a broken arm, Jason Feger took the first consy from the pole over outside row one starter Dewayne Kiefer, and Eldora Speedway defending modified champ Matt Westfall. Iowa driver Chris Simpson looked to have the third and final qualifying spot locked up, but made have played it too cautious in lapped traffic, and Westfall slipped past in turn four of the final circuit. Chris Brown took the final consy from outside row one with polesitter Ryan Unzicker second. Row two starters Jim Shereck and Michael Kloos dueled for the third slot before a lap seven caution. Wendell Wallace moved up to challenge on the restart, but contact with another car ended his charge. Jeremy Payne then moved to fourth, and then into the final transfer spot.
 With 22 cars qualified, two high point Lucas provisionals were added, West Virginias Eddie Carrier Jr., and Ohios Devin Moran. Tri City provisionals went to Billy Laycock and Kolby Vandenbergh, and another West Virginia driver, Mike Benedum took a Lucas Oil " emergency " provisional spot, giving us a 27 car field!
 Modified heats went to Quincy Raceways and Tri city regulars Michael Long and Dave Weitholder, sandwiching a win by Matt Mevert.
B-mod  heats went to John Stanton, Jake Trebilcock, and I-55 Raceway sportsman hotshoe Trey Harris.
 Only seven B-mods cane to the track for a consy which was scheduled to transfer four to the main event, and when one cat pulled off on the parade lap, the decision was made to cancel the race and move the remaining six cars to the feature.
 Tri City had advertised that the 50 lap late model main would roll off first and after a short intermission for some track grooming the 27 cars came to the speedway.
 Babb took the lead as the green flag waved, and Pierce jumped to second from row two on lap two. Bobby quickly went to the high side of the oval as Babb ran the low groove, and Pierce took over the lead on lap three.  On lap five, Davenport took over the runner up slot , also running the high line, with Pierce running up against the concrete wall. The leaders were running in heavy lapped traffic on lap 14, when Bloomquist moved to third and closed on the top two. The veteran claimed second one lap later, and lap 18 saw a three wide duel for the point. Babb moved back to the number tow spot by lap 21, now running side by side with Pierce. Ten laps later, it was again Bloomquist in second, with Pierce at times stretching out to a commanding lead, the being slowed by lapped traffic. Bloomquist was closing the gap when the only caution of the race waved on lap 36. Two things became obvious aas the cars circled the oval waiting to go back to green. Babb had suffered front end damage, and he headed pitside, ending his night. Pierce, meanwhile has made contact more than once with the concrete, as he rode the ever disappearing cushion, and his rear spoiler showed significant damage. When the race restarted, Pierce again went upstairs, but his momentum was gone, and with Davenport searching the low groove, Bloomquist blasted to the lead. Circuit # 37 saw ninth starting Earl Pearson Jr. enter the top two, with Sheppard grabbing third. As Pierce fell out of the top ten, Pearson began to reel in the leader, and in a scene reminiscent of the Knoxville Late Model Nationals in 2014, the large crowd rose to their feet as Pearson took the high line in turn four to try to overtake Bloomquist the way Brian Birkhofer did seven months ago. But this time, the veteran Bloomquist held on for the win. Sheppard rolled home third ahead of Oneal and Francis. Mars headed up the second five, leading Erb Jr. Unzicker, a fading Davenport, and 24th starting Laycock.
 The race was night number two of a three night swing which started at Macon,Il, and would conclude on Saturday in Paducah,Ky.
  There were still two features to run, but Darryl had an early work day on Saturday, so we headed for the parking lot and were on the way home before 10:30.
  Stanton picked up the B-mod win, while leaders Long and Mevert were involved in an incident in lapped traffic while battling for the lead in the $1,000 to win modified finale. Rusty Griffaw then charged from fourth on the restart to pick up the win.
 While the heat races suffered a bit from the " fast cars starting in the front " format, the 50 lap headliner did not lack for action and plenty of passing. Tri City almost always offers up good racing, and only the distance from home coupled with their Friday night racing keeps me from making more trips to take in the action there.
 Things are looking like a " go " for Sunday night at Quincy Raceways, with some good choices coming up next weekend. Get out and enjoy some racing action wherever you are!