The largest non special late model field of 2015 turned out on a hot, humid, Sunday night at Quincy Raceways. 20 UMP late models headlined the 75 car five class program.
UMP Summernationals champion Bobby Pierce paced late model qualifying with a lap of 13.526 seconds, and former late model ace Rickey Frankel topped the UMP mod time trials. Things got off to a rocky start, when Justin Wade, subbing for John Hahler in the Moon Racing # 124 late model jumped the tall cushion in turn two in his heat race, flipping a couple of times and landing on his roof. Wade was not injured, but the car was tangled in the fence, and it took a while to get back to action.
The top groove was the fast way around in heat race action, and outside polesitter Jamie Wilson bested Pierce in the first ten lapper. But Jamie then rolled a four for the feature invert, putting Bobby back on the pole for the feature.
The IMCA sport mods ran the first money race. 19 cars had checked in, but when Tony Dunker had problems with his # 3, the Nathan Hayes # 1 car came out of the garage, arriving at intermission for the veteran Dunker to drive in the 18 lapper. Wes Mayfield paced the field from row one through two early cautions. On the fifth circuit, Tanner Klingele, who had rolled to a stop in hot laps, took over the top spot. Lee County Speedway and 34 Raceway point champ Joey Gower moved to third on lap seven, and at the half way mark, a five car battle had formed at the front. Following a lap nine yellow, Mayfield had regained the lead, and Dunker, starting on the back in a borrowed car was up to sixth. Brandon Lennox charged to third on the restart, and again a four car battle developed. On thre 13th circuit, Klingele retook the point, and Mayfield looped his ride, bringing out the caution. Dunker advanced to fourth on the restart, as Lennox and Gower raced side by side for second. When the checkers waved, Klingele had come from row five to take the win and the points lead. Gower grabbed second ahead of Lennox, Dunker, and Austen Becerra.
Only eight IMCA stock cars were on hand, but as usual, the racing was outstanding. Brandon Savage had captured the last two wins, and he quickly grabbed the lead from the outside pole. As Savage led the charge, Abe Huls moved in to challenge on lap seven, taking command one lap later. Lap 11 saw Andrew Hustead slip past Savage as the low groove began to come around. The race went caution free, with Huls taking the winover Hustead. Savage came home third one day before his birthday, just ahead of his brother in law Beau Taylor. Point leader Jim Lynch was fifth.
Nine rows of super late models took to the track, with Wade and Trace Westling, who lost a drive shaft in his heat, not making the call. Pierce and Denny Woodworth paced the field, but a mixup mid pack brought out the caution before a lap was scored. Back to racing, the youngster and the veteran ran side by side, Pierce a nose ahead on lap one, and Denny by the same margin on lap two. The front two broke away, side by side until slower traffic came in to play on the ninth go around. Pierce took advantage of a lapped car, opening a lead at this point. Half way through the 25 lapper, fifth starting Mark Burgtorf moved to third, setting up a duel with Woodworth. Pierce continued to stretch his lead, as UMP national points contender Michael Kloos stormed to third on lap 22. Just as a three car battle for second was forming, the caution came out on lap 23. Woodworth took the low side on the Delaware restart, with the now third place Burgtorf on the outside. As the green waved, Mark rocketed ahead, but another mid pack scrum negated the start. This time, Denny chose the outside, but Burgtorf was on a mission and again grabbed the runner up spot. He took one lap to try to set up Pierce, then pulled a dandy high/low move out of turn four, but came up a half car length short at the flagstand. In thee post race interview, Bobby said his car was getting loose and his tires were going away, and he was happy the race was over! Burgtorf settled for second ahead of Woodworth, Kloos, and Justin Reed. University of Missouri college student Joseph Hughs was sixth, leading Jason Perry, 18th starting Moon, Gordy Gundaker, and Keith Pratt.
Jake Griffin was a no show in the UMP modified 25 lapper, giving us 16 starters, Frankie Wellman and Dave Weitholder paced the field, with Dave scoring the first lap lead. Two circuits later, fourth starting Michael Long cleared Wellman, and soon the top two had opened up a sizable advantage on the field. Weitholder was riding the rim, with Long working the low side. As with the late models, slower traffic came in to play. On lap ten, Michael chose the better line, taking the top spot. One lap later, the first caution flag waved, and on the restart, Long checked out. Yet another dandy four car battle developed for second through fifth, with Weitholder, Frankel, Shawn Deering, and sixth row starter Steven Delonjay. Long was in anothe time zone when Delonjay powered to third on the 19th circuit, but again a lap 22 caution period wiped out his big margin. It was only a temporary set back, as Michael pulled away as the green waved. Meanwhile, Deering took advantage, grabbing the third spot and putting pressure on Weitholder. At the checkers, it was Long, Weitholder, Deering, Delonjay, and Russ Coultas. It was the fifth win in a row for Michael, and his ninth overall in what has been an incredible season for the driver of the # 18L.
The final feature of the evening was the ten car IMCA sport compact 15 lapper. Brandon Lambert charged to the early lead, pacing the pack for ten green flag laps. Following a caution perios, Kimberly Abbott has moved up to the runnerup spot, with Brandon Reu running strong in third. With the leader in her sights, Abbott had a tire go down with just two laps to go, dropping her to seventh at the finish. Reu took the second spot ahead of Trent Orwig and Jeffrey Delonjay. Alyssa Steele had jumped the cushion in turn three on the opening, lap, but she pulled back on the track a half lap down, but without bringing out the caution. She was rewarded with a fifth place finish, as she shows no lasting effects from an early season mishap that landed the 17 year old in University of Iowa hospitals. As for Abbott, what looked for awhile like a runaway track title now has her unofficially clinging to a five point lead over Lambert, who has now won three consecutive features.
Quincy Raceways will host a special race program on Friday, featuring sport mods, stock cars, sport compacts, spectator drags, and more, with FREE ADMISSION. Regular points racing continues next Sunday, with three more points nights, and racing scheduled through the end of September.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Gustin Leads Flag to Flag at I-55
Saturday night, Darryl, Fred, and I headed south to I-55 Raceway in Pevely,Mo for the third and final leg of the Mars/UMP challenge series. The mini tour began Thursday night in Paducah with Jason Feger taking the win, and Fred was on hand Friday at Pontoon Beach,Il as Billy Moyer topped the field.
33 super late models checked in Saturday as part of a 102 car five class field. Apparently, there had been some complaints about the 1.3 mile being too " hammer down " fast, so the track crew did not do the normal track prep to facilitate a more dry slick surface. Unfortunately, the result was a a rubbered up, basically one lane track after late model and UMP modified and B modified hot laps. Oxford, Iowas Chris Simpson set the quick time in qualifying at 14.398 seconds. After hot lap sessions for the UMP sportsmen and 4 cylinder cars, five late model heat races were contested.
Despite the slick track, there were multiple lead changes in the first ten lapper. Simpson took the early leasd, with fourth starting Tony Jackson Jr taking the top spot. Following a caution period, fifth starting Ryan Gustin grabbed the lead, and held on to the checkers over Jackson and Simpson.Track regular Tim Manville led flag to flag in heat two ahead of Californian Jason Papich and series regular Justin Asplin. In the third heat, front row starters Bobby Pierce and Kolby Vandenbergh ran side by side, Pierce low and Kolby in the middle line for several laps before Bobby finally pulled ahead for the win. with Shannon Babb taking second over Vandenburgh late in the race. Billy Moyer led the distance from the pole in heat four, besting Jesse Stovall and Gordy Gundaker,and Jason Feger took command of the final heat after polesitter Alan Murray looped hid ride on the opening circuit. Newcomer to the late model ranks, crowd favorite Rusty Griffaw came home seecond with Scott Weber third.
With support class heats in the books, two nine car B -mains ran for 12 laps to qualify six more feature starters. Polesitter Austin Rettig checked out in the first consy, with fourth starting Brian Shirley cruising in second. Dave Jumper put on a late charge, blasting past Dewayne Kiefer on the final lap for third. The final preliminary event saw Jim Shereck take the win over Jeff Roth and Brandon McCormick.
As it was obvious the track conditions were less than ideal, it was decided to do some track prep at intermission. The problem was, a steady rain began to fall at the same time. The announcer assured us we were on the edge of a passing cell, and the rain would stop soon, and as we watched, the farming of the high banks continued. Although the shower lingered, it was never enough to stop work on the track, and eventually even the water truck made a few laps. Much to the delite of the nice sized crowd, it was announced that the 40 lap $5,000 to win late model headliner would run first. Four provisionals were added to the field, series regulars Leroy Johnson and Randy Roth, and track regulars Kenny Rumble in the Kreke # 13 and Cody Conner, and the 25 starters came to the track to " blow off " the water before lining up for 40 laps of action.
The extra track prep combined with the added moisture gave us a much improved feature track, with the usual three groove racing common at Pevely, although the top side was now the place to be.
The straight up start put Gustin and Manville in row one, with Ryan leading the first lap. Going into turn one on lap two, he moved a bit up the track and Manville lost his grip, smacking the concrete wall. The caution came out, and Manville limped to the outer pits, his night over early. On the Delaware restart, Gustin took the high line, with bottom feeder Pierce in tow, as they pulled away from the pack. Soon Moyer was gaining on the front two, and positions were being swapped every lap from fourth on back. Ninth starting Stovall was on the move, entering the top five on lap eight. The leaders caught slower traffic by lap ren, but two laps later, the yellow waved for Jumper, who slowed with a flat tire. Gustin again took off with a clear track, as Moyer grabbed the second spot and Stovall moved to fourth. At the half way mark, lapped traffic again came in to play, but again, two laps later, the final caution came out for a slowing Shirley. The final restart saw no change at the top, with Jackson Jr retaking fourth from Stovall. Gustin stayed true to the high line, with Moyer trying the middle groove to make a move. As the laps wound down, Gustin stretched his advantage, and Moyer had to fend off a challenge from Pierce, who was again at work on the low side. The second generation driver was set to take a run at the Hall of Famer on the final lap, but a lapped car blocked his line in turn three.
The Marshalltown, Iowa ace, Gustin scored the flag to flag win, with Moyer second and Pierce in third. Jackson and Stovall completed the top five. Feger came home sixth, and Babb, who was challenging for third early, settled for seventh. Simpson advanced to eighth, Griffaw, in only his second weekend in the late model rolled home ninth, and McCormick gained 11 spots to take tenth
With the clock now easing past 10:30 and a three hour drive ahead of us, we regretfully headed for the parking lot with four features still to go.
Tonight it is a regular five division show at Quincy Raceways, and next weekend, one of our " cant miss " events, night two of the Liberty 100 at West Liberty, Iowa. And that, folks, opens September, so get to the race track while you can!
33 super late models checked in Saturday as part of a 102 car five class field. Apparently, there had been some complaints about the 1.3 mile being too " hammer down " fast, so the track crew did not do the normal track prep to facilitate a more dry slick surface. Unfortunately, the result was a a rubbered up, basically one lane track after late model and UMP modified and B modified hot laps. Oxford, Iowas Chris Simpson set the quick time in qualifying at 14.398 seconds. After hot lap sessions for the UMP sportsmen and 4 cylinder cars, five late model heat races were contested.
Despite the slick track, there were multiple lead changes in the first ten lapper. Simpson took the early leasd, with fourth starting Tony Jackson Jr taking the top spot. Following a caution period, fifth starting Ryan Gustin grabbed the lead, and held on to the checkers over Jackson and Simpson.Track regular Tim Manville led flag to flag in heat two ahead of Californian Jason Papich and series regular Justin Asplin. In the third heat, front row starters Bobby Pierce and Kolby Vandenbergh ran side by side, Pierce low and Kolby in the middle line for several laps before Bobby finally pulled ahead for the win. with Shannon Babb taking second over Vandenburgh late in the race. Billy Moyer led the distance from the pole in heat four, besting Jesse Stovall and Gordy Gundaker,and Jason Feger took command of the final heat after polesitter Alan Murray looped hid ride on the opening circuit. Newcomer to the late model ranks, crowd favorite Rusty Griffaw came home seecond with Scott Weber third.
With support class heats in the books, two nine car B -mains ran for 12 laps to qualify six more feature starters. Polesitter Austin Rettig checked out in the first consy, with fourth starting Brian Shirley cruising in second. Dave Jumper put on a late charge, blasting past Dewayne Kiefer on the final lap for third. The final preliminary event saw Jim Shereck take the win over Jeff Roth and Brandon McCormick.
As it was obvious the track conditions were less than ideal, it was decided to do some track prep at intermission. The problem was, a steady rain began to fall at the same time. The announcer assured us we were on the edge of a passing cell, and the rain would stop soon, and as we watched, the farming of the high banks continued. Although the shower lingered, it was never enough to stop work on the track, and eventually even the water truck made a few laps. Much to the delite of the nice sized crowd, it was announced that the 40 lap $5,000 to win late model headliner would run first. Four provisionals were added to the field, series regulars Leroy Johnson and Randy Roth, and track regulars Kenny Rumble in the Kreke # 13 and Cody Conner, and the 25 starters came to the track to " blow off " the water before lining up for 40 laps of action.
The extra track prep combined with the added moisture gave us a much improved feature track, with the usual three groove racing common at Pevely, although the top side was now the place to be.
The straight up start put Gustin and Manville in row one, with Ryan leading the first lap. Going into turn one on lap two, he moved a bit up the track and Manville lost his grip, smacking the concrete wall. The caution came out, and Manville limped to the outer pits, his night over early. On the Delaware restart, Gustin took the high line, with bottom feeder Pierce in tow, as they pulled away from the pack. Soon Moyer was gaining on the front two, and positions were being swapped every lap from fourth on back. Ninth starting Stovall was on the move, entering the top five on lap eight. The leaders caught slower traffic by lap ren, but two laps later, the yellow waved for Jumper, who slowed with a flat tire. Gustin again took off with a clear track, as Moyer grabbed the second spot and Stovall moved to fourth. At the half way mark, lapped traffic again came in to play, but again, two laps later, the final caution came out for a slowing Shirley. The final restart saw no change at the top, with Jackson Jr retaking fourth from Stovall. Gustin stayed true to the high line, with Moyer trying the middle groove to make a move. As the laps wound down, Gustin stretched his advantage, and Moyer had to fend off a challenge from Pierce, who was again at work on the low side. The second generation driver was set to take a run at the Hall of Famer on the final lap, but a lapped car blocked his line in turn three.
The Marshalltown, Iowa ace, Gustin scored the flag to flag win, with Moyer second and Pierce in third. Jackson and Stovall completed the top five. Feger came home sixth, and Babb, who was challenging for third early, settled for seventh. Simpson advanced to eighth, Griffaw, in only his second weekend in the late model rolled home ninth, and McCormick gained 11 spots to take tenth
With the clock now easing past 10:30 and a three hour drive ahead of us, we regretfully headed for the parking lot with four features still to go.
Tonight it is a regular five division show at Quincy Raceways, and next weekend, one of our " cant miss " events, night two of the Liberty 100 at West Liberty, Iowa. And that, folks, opens September, so get to the race track while you can!
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Schedule Change at Quincy Raceways
Quincy Raceways has announced a change since my last entry. The make up UMP Summernationals $5,000 to win feature will not be run this Sunday, August 30. Promoter Ken Dobson made the decision partly due to the fact that Sunday night would be the fifth straight night of UMP specials around the midwest, and he was not expecting more than half of the qualified drivers to be in attendance. As a result, Sunday will be a regular weekly show, and fans holding tickets from the Summernationals rainout can receive full value at either Quincy Raceways or Jacksonville Speedway for the remainder of the season. Anyone with questions can contact Ken at 217-371-3653 or kdobson@ciltrak.com
Monday, August 17, 2015
Reed Goes Topless, Tops Quincy
Sunday night at Quincy Raceways was the culmination of a three night swing of " topless" racing for UMP late models and modifieds. Friday night, Tri City Speedway in Granite City,Il, and Saturday night I-55 Raceway in Pevely,Mo. hosted the first two nights. Sunday night, Quincy Raceways offered a $100.00 bonus to the feature winners in those divisions if they ran with the roof removed from their ride.
The night began a bit late, as track crews tried to pump plenty of water on the track on a scorching hot day, and it took all the cars and some extra time to get the track in racing shape. When action began, Michael Kloos of Trenton,Il set quick time for the late models at 13.760 seconds. It was the first laps ever turned at the Bullring by Kloos, who is quickly climbing the in the UMP national points race. It was more of the same in UMP modified time trials, with Michael Long toping the 15 entrants with a lap of 15.161 seconds. Kloos also picked up the heat one win, but rolled a " six " for the feature invert. Long picked up his heat win, and rolled a " three."
The first feature of the night was the IMCA sport mod 18 lapper, with 18 cars taking the green flag. Wes Mayfield led lap one, with the first yellow waving as the lap was completed. Another caution waved on the restart, but when racing resumed, point leader Tanner Klingele grabbed the lead, with Tony Dunker following him in second. The final yellow came on lap four, and back to racing, Klingele and Dunker crossed the line side by side completing lap six, with Dunker to the lead on lap seven. 12 circuits in, Joey Gower, who got shuffled back on the start, passed Patrick Phillips to grab third. Two laps later, Gower cleared Klingele for second, and began closing on Dunker as Phillips advanced to third. As the white flag waved, the leaders encountered a slower car, and Gower found the quicker way around, snatching the win from Dunker in much the same fashion as Dunker did to Klingele the week before, leading only one lap. Dunker, Phillips, and Klingele completed the top four.
The IMCA stock car 18 lap finale saw 11 cars come to the track, as heat winner Troy Brierton could not get his Dodge to fire in staging. Last weeks winner Brandon Savage, and John Oliver Jr in the Kratzer Brothers # 4K sat on row one. Savage paced the opening circuit, with Oliver leading lap two. Those two raced side by side for the lead, while Jake Powers and Abe Huls did the same behind them, dueling for third. Savage took command on lap seven, and lap eight saw a breakaway with Savage, Oliver, and Huls before the caution waved. On the restart, Oliver led lap nine, with Savage back on top one lap later. The final caution came on lap 11, and following this restart, it was Savage and Huls side by side for the lead. The two ran this way lap after lap, with Huls taking his first lead on lap 16. As the white flag flew, it was Savage on top, and everyone was on their feet as Savage made it two in a row by a fender at the checkers. Oliver also edged Powers for third by the slimmest of margins in front of the sizable crowd.
18 UMP late models checked in, but last weeks winner Jason Perry saw his night end in hot laps with a puff of smoke from his # 27. Jim Moon still did not have repairs complete on his # 1 machine, so he came to town with his # 124 car normally driven by John Hahler. Moon dropped some fluid in his heat, and did not start the 25 lap feature. The six car invert had point leader Mark Burgtorf and Dustin Griffin, two of the ten or so topless late models, on the front row. A caution debris on lap one slowed the action, but back to racing it was Burgtorf to the lead, taking third starting Jamie Wilson along in second. The caution waved on lap three, and on the restart heat two winner Justin Reed moved to second. The yellow came out on lap six as third running Jamie Wilson went over the top off turn two. Back under green, Green charged to second, then took the lead, with Burgtorf heading pitside with mechanical issues. On lap seven, Kloos worked his way to the runnerup spot, and a three car tussle developed with Griffin, Kloos and Reed. By the half way mark, Brian Dively was hooked up and closing on the top three. Reed moved to second on lap 16, and used a nifty slide job to take the lead one lap later, with Griffin and Kloos making contact, but holding their positions. Kloos and Griffin raced side by side for second with Dively looking for racing room when the caution came out for a slowing Mark Voigt on lap 21. Dively took third on the restart as the three challengers continued to mix it up behind Reed. at the checkers, it was Reed, Kloos, Griffin, and Dively, with Chuck Mitchell having a strong run in fifth. Alan Westling ran a season best sixth, followed by Denny Woodworth, Keith Pratt, Vance Wilson, and Trace Westling.
Rickey Frankel and Dave Weitholder sat on row one of what quickly developed into an ugly UMP modified feature. Weitholder took the early lead, with third starting Long chasing. Weitholder held the preferred high line, as Long used the whole track to try and find a way around the leader. Following the first yellow on lap six, Long took the top spot. For the next 18 laps, it was a yellow fest, with a total of nine stoppages marring the action. The final seven or so laps clicked off caution free, with Long picking up another win and regaining the points lead. Rickey Frankel ran in the top five throughout, eventually staging a mild challenge for the lead, bringing the Mike Begley # B4 home in second. Steven Delonjay started seventh and finished third, with Weitholder fourth.
The IMCA sport compact class boasted 11 cars, but their feature was stopped short after a red flag period early on. A collision found one of the competitors shaken up and it took some time to get him from his ride, and as it was now about 10:00, it was decided there would be double features next week.
Next Sunday, August 23, the late models will take the night off to make way for the Sprint Invaders. Then on Sunday, August 30, the make up feature from the rain shortened UMP Summernationals $5,000 to win late model show will be held along with a full program of action. Prior to that Sunday night, there will be $5,000 to win late model specials at Macon,Il Speedway, Granite City and Pevely, so indications are that many of the Summernational competitors will be in the area for the full weekend of racing.
Wherever you are, support your local tracks, and say " Hi" if you see me there!
The night began a bit late, as track crews tried to pump plenty of water on the track on a scorching hot day, and it took all the cars and some extra time to get the track in racing shape. When action began, Michael Kloos of Trenton,Il set quick time for the late models at 13.760 seconds. It was the first laps ever turned at the Bullring by Kloos, who is quickly climbing the in the UMP national points race. It was more of the same in UMP modified time trials, with Michael Long toping the 15 entrants with a lap of 15.161 seconds. Kloos also picked up the heat one win, but rolled a " six " for the feature invert. Long picked up his heat win, and rolled a " three."
The first feature of the night was the IMCA sport mod 18 lapper, with 18 cars taking the green flag. Wes Mayfield led lap one, with the first yellow waving as the lap was completed. Another caution waved on the restart, but when racing resumed, point leader Tanner Klingele grabbed the lead, with Tony Dunker following him in second. The final yellow came on lap four, and back to racing, Klingele and Dunker crossed the line side by side completing lap six, with Dunker to the lead on lap seven. 12 circuits in, Joey Gower, who got shuffled back on the start, passed Patrick Phillips to grab third. Two laps later, Gower cleared Klingele for second, and began closing on Dunker as Phillips advanced to third. As the white flag waved, the leaders encountered a slower car, and Gower found the quicker way around, snatching the win from Dunker in much the same fashion as Dunker did to Klingele the week before, leading only one lap. Dunker, Phillips, and Klingele completed the top four.
The IMCA stock car 18 lap finale saw 11 cars come to the track, as heat winner Troy Brierton could not get his Dodge to fire in staging. Last weeks winner Brandon Savage, and John Oliver Jr in the Kratzer Brothers # 4K sat on row one. Savage paced the opening circuit, with Oliver leading lap two. Those two raced side by side for the lead, while Jake Powers and Abe Huls did the same behind them, dueling for third. Savage took command on lap seven, and lap eight saw a breakaway with Savage, Oliver, and Huls before the caution waved. On the restart, Oliver led lap nine, with Savage back on top one lap later. The final caution came on lap 11, and following this restart, it was Savage and Huls side by side for the lead. The two ran this way lap after lap, with Huls taking his first lead on lap 16. As the white flag flew, it was Savage on top, and everyone was on their feet as Savage made it two in a row by a fender at the checkers. Oliver also edged Powers for third by the slimmest of margins in front of the sizable crowd.
18 UMP late models checked in, but last weeks winner Jason Perry saw his night end in hot laps with a puff of smoke from his # 27. Jim Moon still did not have repairs complete on his # 1 machine, so he came to town with his # 124 car normally driven by John Hahler. Moon dropped some fluid in his heat, and did not start the 25 lap feature. The six car invert had point leader Mark Burgtorf and Dustin Griffin, two of the ten or so topless late models, on the front row. A caution debris on lap one slowed the action, but back to racing it was Burgtorf to the lead, taking third starting Jamie Wilson along in second. The caution waved on lap three, and on the restart heat two winner Justin Reed moved to second. The yellow came out on lap six as third running Jamie Wilson went over the top off turn two. Back under green, Green charged to second, then took the lead, with Burgtorf heading pitside with mechanical issues. On lap seven, Kloos worked his way to the runnerup spot, and a three car tussle developed with Griffin, Kloos and Reed. By the half way mark, Brian Dively was hooked up and closing on the top three. Reed moved to second on lap 16, and used a nifty slide job to take the lead one lap later, with Griffin and Kloos making contact, but holding their positions. Kloos and Griffin raced side by side for second with Dively looking for racing room when the caution came out for a slowing Mark Voigt on lap 21. Dively took third on the restart as the three challengers continued to mix it up behind Reed. at the checkers, it was Reed, Kloos, Griffin, and Dively, with Chuck Mitchell having a strong run in fifth. Alan Westling ran a season best sixth, followed by Denny Woodworth, Keith Pratt, Vance Wilson, and Trace Westling.
Rickey Frankel and Dave Weitholder sat on row one of what quickly developed into an ugly UMP modified feature. Weitholder took the early lead, with third starting Long chasing. Weitholder held the preferred high line, as Long used the whole track to try and find a way around the leader. Following the first yellow on lap six, Long took the top spot. For the next 18 laps, it was a yellow fest, with a total of nine stoppages marring the action. The final seven or so laps clicked off caution free, with Long picking up another win and regaining the points lead. Rickey Frankel ran in the top five throughout, eventually staging a mild challenge for the lead, bringing the Mike Begley # B4 home in second. Steven Delonjay started seventh and finished third, with Weitholder fourth.
The IMCA sport compact class boasted 11 cars, but their feature was stopped short after a red flag period early on. A collision found one of the competitors shaken up and it took some time to get him from his ride, and as it was now about 10:00, it was decided there would be double features next week.
Next Sunday, August 23, the late models will take the night off to make way for the Sprint Invaders. Then on Sunday, August 30, the make up feature from the rain shortened UMP Summernationals $5,000 to win late model show will be held along with a full program of action. Prior to that Sunday night, there will be $5,000 to win late model specials at Macon,Il Speedway, Granite City and Pevely, so indications are that many of the Summernational competitors will be in the area for the full weekend of racing.
Wherever you are, support your local tracks, and say " Hi" if you see me there!
Monday, August 10, 2015
Hard Work Means Racing at Quincy
I woke up Sunday morning to what seems like the usual Sunday downpour. When someone asked me at church if we would race that night, I said I didn't see how. But the voice on the phone assured me that barring further rain, we would find a way, and that the program would be pushed back one hour to allow for more drying. When I arrived at the Broadway Bullring, the pits were a mud pit, and the track looked like a plowed field. But Tommy and the crew were working their tails off, and slowly but surely they built a racing surface. The car count was down a bit, but on this night that wasn't all bad, as there was about 60% of the pits usable, at best. Still, about 57 race teams checked in, and sure enough, the program started about an hour later than normal.
Jason Perry set quick time for the UMP late models at 13.659 seconds, and Michael Long paced the UMP mods at 15.039. The heat races ran off quickly, and although a five minute intermission was advertised, the track crew decided to try and smooth out the bump that had developed in turn three, a procedure that took only about 20 minutes.
The IMCA sport mods boasted 18 cars, and they all took the feature green flag. A three car pile up on the first lap brought out the caution, with Brandon Lennox and Austin Howes hooked togetrher as they tried to avoid a spinning Austen Becerra. Patrick Phillips then took the lead from row one, with another caution slowing the event on lap two. But after that, it was green flag racing to the checkers! Tanner Klingele was right on the back bumper of Phillips, and Tony Dunker vaulted to third on the restart in what quickly became a three car battle. The leaders hit slower traffic on lap 11 of the 18 lap race, and still they stayed nose to tail. On the final lap, Klingele made his move, and made contact with Phillips. From the best seat in the house, Dunker flew past both cars, and while Phillips led 17 and 3/4 laps, Dunker led when it counted. Phillips recovered for second, Klingele suffered a flat on the contact, limping home fourth behind Joey Gower. Gower had suffered heavy damge the night before at 34 Raceway, and was likely pleased to roll home in third. Becerra recovered to come home in fifth.
Next up was the ten car IMCA stock car main event. Brandon Savage got a bit of a late start on the season, and even though he has been fast, he had yet to finish a feature. The # 47S ran off with the heat race win, and started up front for the 18 lap finale. He rocketed to the lead with Jeremy Buss and Michael Larsen in tow. By the time Larsen moved to second on lap four, Savage had a sizable advantage. Larsen soon put distance between himself and the rest of the pack, as well. On lap 17, Abe Huls charged to third on the tacky, fast track, with Jim Lynch moving to fourth. But for Savage it was a flag to flag non stop win followed by Larsen, Huls, Lynch, and John Oliver Jr., who was shaking out the Kratzer Brothers # 4K.
It was now late model time, with ten of the 11 entrants coming to the .29 mile oval. Jim Moon had shadowed Reed to the checkers in his heat, but broke a rocker arm in the process, ending his night. Perry had followed his quick time with a heat race win, but rolled a " five " for the feature invert, putting Denny Woodworth and Moon on the front row. With the " Moonman " out, Justin Reed moved to the front row alongside Woodworth. Reed jumped to the lead, with Woodworth second, but Perry moved to second on lap two. It became a two car battle, as Perry tried every lap to overtake Reed. Perry finally made his move in traffic on lap 14, grabbing the lead for good. He stretched out a commanding lead in another non stop race. Mark Burgtorf began closing on Reed in the late stages, but settled for third. Woodworth and Jamie Wilson completed the top five, with Keith Pratt the only other car on the lead lap.
The UMP modifieds had their lowest count of the season, with nine cars timing in after Steve Grotz on on the road home early. Still, their 25 lap feature was a good one. Dave Weitholder got the jump on Steven Delonjay at the green, while Long powered from fifth to third as lap two was scored. When Michael cleared Delonjay on lap four, Weitholder had opened a healthy lead. By lap nine, Long was challenging in the middle groove, as Dave ran the preferred high line. The first yellow came on lap 13 for Spencer Havermale, and as the field slowed, it became obvious that the leader had a flat tire. Weitholder was able to get the tire changed to rejoin the pack, but Long used a clear track to open a huge lead over Delonjay. As the laps wound down, Rickey Frankel and Ryan Meyer began to crowd Delonjay for the runner up spot. On lap 24, Meyer had Frankel in his sights, bu went too hard into turn one, slipping over the cushion. We now had a green, white, checkers finish, with Long holding on for the win. Delonjay held off Frankel for second, Weitholder rebounded to fourth, and Danny Lake came home fifth.
With the later than usual start, it was now past my self imposed Sunday curfew, so I headed to the car as the IMCA sport compact finale came to the oval. Trent Orwig started the season as aregular, but had been missing for several events before returning last week. Last night, he picked up the feature checkers ahead of Brandon Lambert, points leader Kim Abbott, Jeffery Delonjay and Austin McClean.
Quincy Raceways will be back in action next Sunday for a regular race night before the Sprint Invaders take center stage on Sunday August 23.
Wherever you are, take in some races this weekend!
Jason Perry set quick time for the UMP late models at 13.659 seconds, and Michael Long paced the UMP mods at 15.039. The heat races ran off quickly, and although a five minute intermission was advertised, the track crew decided to try and smooth out the bump that had developed in turn three, a procedure that took only about 20 minutes.
The IMCA sport mods boasted 18 cars, and they all took the feature green flag. A three car pile up on the first lap brought out the caution, with Brandon Lennox and Austin Howes hooked togetrher as they tried to avoid a spinning Austen Becerra. Patrick Phillips then took the lead from row one, with another caution slowing the event on lap two. But after that, it was green flag racing to the checkers! Tanner Klingele was right on the back bumper of Phillips, and Tony Dunker vaulted to third on the restart in what quickly became a three car battle. The leaders hit slower traffic on lap 11 of the 18 lap race, and still they stayed nose to tail. On the final lap, Klingele made his move, and made contact with Phillips. From the best seat in the house, Dunker flew past both cars, and while Phillips led 17 and 3/4 laps, Dunker led when it counted. Phillips recovered for second, Klingele suffered a flat on the contact, limping home fourth behind Joey Gower. Gower had suffered heavy damge the night before at 34 Raceway, and was likely pleased to roll home in third. Becerra recovered to come home in fifth.
Next up was the ten car IMCA stock car main event. Brandon Savage got a bit of a late start on the season, and even though he has been fast, he had yet to finish a feature. The # 47S ran off with the heat race win, and started up front for the 18 lap finale. He rocketed to the lead with Jeremy Buss and Michael Larsen in tow. By the time Larsen moved to second on lap four, Savage had a sizable advantage. Larsen soon put distance between himself and the rest of the pack, as well. On lap 17, Abe Huls charged to third on the tacky, fast track, with Jim Lynch moving to fourth. But for Savage it was a flag to flag non stop win followed by Larsen, Huls, Lynch, and John Oliver Jr., who was shaking out the Kratzer Brothers # 4K.
It was now late model time, with ten of the 11 entrants coming to the .29 mile oval. Jim Moon had shadowed Reed to the checkers in his heat, but broke a rocker arm in the process, ending his night. Perry had followed his quick time with a heat race win, but rolled a " five " for the feature invert, putting Denny Woodworth and Moon on the front row. With the " Moonman " out, Justin Reed moved to the front row alongside Woodworth. Reed jumped to the lead, with Woodworth second, but Perry moved to second on lap two. It became a two car battle, as Perry tried every lap to overtake Reed. Perry finally made his move in traffic on lap 14, grabbing the lead for good. He stretched out a commanding lead in another non stop race. Mark Burgtorf began closing on Reed in the late stages, but settled for third. Woodworth and Jamie Wilson completed the top five, with Keith Pratt the only other car on the lead lap.
The UMP modifieds had their lowest count of the season, with nine cars timing in after Steve Grotz on on the road home early. Still, their 25 lap feature was a good one. Dave Weitholder got the jump on Steven Delonjay at the green, while Long powered from fifth to third as lap two was scored. When Michael cleared Delonjay on lap four, Weitholder had opened a healthy lead. By lap nine, Long was challenging in the middle groove, as Dave ran the preferred high line. The first yellow came on lap 13 for Spencer Havermale, and as the field slowed, it became obvious that the leader had a flat tire. Weitholder was able to get the tire changed to rejoin the pack, but Long used a clear track to open a huge lead over Delonjay. As the laps wound down, Rickey Frankel and Ryan Meyer began to crowd Delonjay for the runner up spot. On lap 24, Meyer had Frankel in his sights, bu went too hard into turn one, slipping over the cushion. We now had a green, white, checkers finish, with Long holding on for the win. Delonjay held off Frankel for second, Weitholder rebounded to fourth, and Danny Lake came home fifth.
With the later than usual start, it was now past my self imposed Sunday curfew, so I headed to the car as the IMCA sport compact finale came to the oval. Trent Orwig started the season as aregular, but had been missing for several events before returning last week. Last night, he picked up the feature checkers ahead of Brandon Lambert, points leader Kim Abbott, Jeffery Delonjay and Austin McClean.
Quincy Raceways will be back in action next Sunday for a regular race night before the Sprint Invaders take center stage on Sunday August 23.
Wherever you are, take in some races this weekend!
Wednesday, August 5, 2015
Tornado Tuesday a Big Success
With a vacation day in hand, we headed for the West Liberty Raceway on Tuesday night for the second night of the MLRA late model mini tour through Iowa. Promoter Keith Simmons took a chance in booking the open late model series to a pair of $10,000 to win shows, Monday at Farley Speedway, and Tuesday at West Liberty. And with IMCA late models - paying $1,000 to win - as the only other class, well it would be real tough for me to miss this one!
Jeff has a detailed recap on the Backstretch, so I will just add some observations.
Not saying it was good or bad, but I don't remember ever seeing track officials have the considerable cushion in the corners completely knocked down and smoothed out before the features. I thought especially the open guys liked a pronounced cushion?
Also can't remember when I have seen so many blown or " hurt " engines in the same night. But then it is August, and the big, fast half mile can be hard on the power plants. In fact, many IMCA drivers and especially open engine guys from east of the Mississippi avoid the big tracks unless the payout is simply too high to ignore. The Illinois bullrings produce some good close racing, but the speeds attained on the big half mile is awesome from the grandstand side.
The track started out tacky, and slicked up as the night progressed. With the talent level in the pits in both divisions, caution periods were at a minimum. If my count is correct, there were only three in 80 laps of late model feature racing!
In the IMCA division, Justin Kay reminds me of Mark Burgtorf throughout the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s. It seems with Justin it is not a matter of if he will take the lead and the win, but how soon. From the stands, I find my self with one eye on the leader and one on the 15K. and if he doesn't come to the front, the discussion always gets to why not? The finish of the IMCA feature Tuesday seemed like a bad movie script. Joel Callahan leads from lap two until lap 29 and 3/4, with Kay blasting past for the win. Kay was running in third place with five circuits to go, and it was like he simply decided then it was time to go.
Billy Moyer also seemed to be saving something in the MLRA headliner. He led every lap he raced on Tuesday, heat and feature, and when Tim McCreadie closed in traffic in the early stages, Moyer turned up the wick. Following the lone caution period of the race, Chris Simpson closed briefly, but the # 21 pulled away. And in the closing laps, the veteran pulled off a dandy move in turn one in lapped traffic, building a cushion in front of the quickly closing Mike Marlar, and sealing the victory.
Most of the touring open engine drivers prefer time trials, and MLRA uses a passing points system. The difference was minimal on Tuesday because of how the draw cam out, but yours truly is a big fan of passing points. It can turn " Ho-Hum " heat races into competitive ones, especially if there are a couple of top notch cars starting towards the back. But this is 2015, and I guess race drivers are like a lot of folks, they want it and they want it easy.
48 cars in the two classes at Farley, 46 at West Liberty. 7:00 hot laps, we stayed for the post race interviews and rolled out of the fairgrounds at 10:05. For we three old timers, this was truly like the " good old days" of racing.
My next race will be Sunday night at Quincy Raceways, UMP late models and modifieds, IMCA stock cars, sport mods, and sport compacts. Maybe I will see you there!
Jeff has a detailed recap on the Backstretch, so I will just add some observations.
Not saying it was good or bad, but I don't remember ever seeing track officials have the considerable cushion in the corners completely knocked down and smoothed out before the features. I thought especially the open guys liked a pronounced cushion?
Also can't remember when I have seen so many blown or " hurt " engines in the same night. But then it is August, and the big, fast half mile can be hard on the power plants. In fact, many IMCA drivers and especially open engine guys from east of the Mississippi avoid the big tracks unless the payout is simply too high to ignore. The Illinois bullrings produce some good close racing, but the speeds attained on the big half mile is awesome from the grandstand side.
The track started out tacky, and slicked up as the night progressed. With the talent level in the pits in both divisions, caution periods were at a minimum. If my count is correct, there were only three in 80 laps of late model feature racing!
In the IMCA division, Justin Kay reminds me of Mark Burgtorf throughout the mid to late 1990s and early 2000s. It seems with Justin it is not a matter of if he will take the lead and the win, but how soon. From the stands, I find my self with one eye on the leader and one on the 15K. and if he doesn't come to the front, the discussion always gets to why not? The finish of the IMCA feature Tuesday seemed like a bad movie script. Joel Callahan leads from lap two until lap 29 and 3/4, with Kay blasting past for the win. Kay was running in third place with five circuits to go, and it was like he simply decided then it was time to go.
Billy Moyer also seemed to be saving something in the MLRA headliner. He led every lap he raced on Tuesday, heat and feature, and when Tim McCreadie closed in traffic in the early stages, Moyer turned up the wick. Following the lone caution period of the race, Chris Simpson closed briefly, but the # 21 pulled away. And in the closing laps, the veteran pulled off a dandy move in turn one in lapped traffic, building a cushion in front of the quickly closing Mike Marlar, and sealing the victory.
Most of the touring open engine drivers prefer time trials, and MLRA uses a passing points system. The difference was minimal on Tuesday because of how the draw cam out, but yours truly is a big fan of passing points. It can turn " Ho-Hum " heat races into competitive ones, especially if there are a couple of top notch cars starting towards the back. But this is 2015, and I guess race drivers are like a lot of folks, they want it and they want it easy.
48 cars in the two classes at Farley, 46 at West Liberty. 7:00 hot laps, we stayed for the post race interviews and rolled out of the fairgrounds at 10:05. For we three old timers, this was truly like the " good old days" of racing.
My next race will be Sunday night at Quincy Raceways, UMP late models and modifieds, IMCA stock cars, sport mods, and sport compacts. Maybe I will see you there!
Monday, August 3, 2015
Finally Sunday Racing at Quincy
For the first time in nearly a month, Quincy Raceways was able to get in a regular Sunday night show. Five divisions of racing featuring 67 entrants made for a fun night of action on what quickly became the type of dry slick track most racers prefer. The track did have some issues early on, but the grader driver went to work during a medical emergency in the grandstands, and by feature time, we were good to go for the rescheduled mid season championships.
IMCA sport mods drew the largest car count at 19, and they ran the first feature, an 18 lap event. Several of the cars had trouble hooking up on the dry, slick surface, as six caution flags marred the race. Austin Howes led the field through stoppages on laps two, three, and four. Back to green, there was a three way battle for the top spot on lap five, with Joey Gower emerging as the leader. With Gower hugging the bottom of the .29 mile oval, Brandon Lennox took to the high groove. The two were running side by side when the caution waved on lap eight. AQ multi car pile up on the restart was charged to third running Tanner Klingele. Back under green, Bobby Six took the third spot, but the final caution came at the half way point, lap nine. On the restart, Six challenged Lennox for second as Gower pulled away. When the checkers flew, Gower had his third feature win of the weekend, followed by Six , Lennox, Austen Becerra, and Klingele, who battled back into the top five.
The IMCA stock cars were up next for 18 laps. Brandon Savage, who dropped out while leading the heat race, was the only driver failing to make the starting grid. Jake Powers led the field through a lap two caution, with Jim Lynch coming from row three to second on the restart. Lynch ran the high line, while Michael Larsen challenged on the bottom of the now three groove track. On lap six, the two even swapped lines, and one lap later, Beau Taylor slipped around Larsen for third. At the mid race point, Lynch took the lead, surviving a yellow three laps later. The final six laps went under green, with Lynch taking the win and taking over the points lead from the missing Abe Huls. Taylor hugged the low line and came home second, with Larsen edging Powers for third. Andrew Hustead completed the top five.
The headline UMP late model class ran next for 25 fast paced laps. 17 drivers signed in, although Jason Oenning did not compete. Denny Woodworth had set quick time at 13.763 seconds, but it was Justin Reed topping heat one. Reed then rolled a three for the feature invert, putting Vance Wilson and heat two winner Mark Burgtorf on row one for the main event. Although Wilson jumped out front, Burgtorf had the lead as lap one was scored. The caution waved on lap two, with Burgtorf still in control on the Delaware restart. As Wilson pounded the cushion, Woodworth took over second running the bottom groove. Two laps later, tenth starting Jamie Wilson charged to the second spot. With Burgtorf running the top side, Wilson pulled even down low, taking the lead on lap nine. The two veterans battled as the moved in on slower traffic. As the laps wound down, Wilson began to stretch his lead, and picked up his second win of 2015 in a dominant performance. Burgtorf held on for second, with Jim Moon running a season best third. Reed and Woodworth rounded out the first five. Sixth through tenth went to Keith Pratt, Vance Wilson, Trace Westling, Brian Diveley, and Alan Westling.
All 14 UMP modifieds took the 25 lap feature green. Russ Coultas led from the start, but soon a four car battle developed for the lead. Shawn Deering was out front on lap three. Again on lap five the leaders raced three wide, with Michael Long emerging as the leader, taking Steven Delonjay along. The normally rim riding Long ran the bottom of the speedway, forcing the usually low riding Delonjay to the middle groove. The first yellow came on lap ten, and on the restart, Rickey Frankel in the Mike Begley # B4 climbed to third. Two more quick yellows came on laps 12 and 13, and back to racing it was now Deering chasing the two leaders. Dave Weitholder had started tenth after having handling problems in his heat, but when Delonjay pulled to the infield after the lap 13 restart, Weitholder charged to the runner up spot. After a lap 15 caution Deering moved to second, but lap 18 saw Weitholder back in second and reeling in the leader. A lap 22 caution spoiled a good run for Frankie Wellman, and back to green, Long moved up a lane on the track. Deering and Weitholder swapped the runner up spot, and with two laps to go, Frankel moved around Deering to retake third. At the checkers, it was Long with win number five this season at QR, followed by Weitholder, Frankel, Deering, and Jared Schlipman.
The final event on the card was the 15 lap IMCA sport compact feature. Point leader Kimberly Abbott jumped to a lap one lead, with Brandon Lambert in hot pursuit. Again, it was the leader running a lower groove, with Lambert pounding the cushion. On lap six, Lambert powered to the lead, and the caution came out one lap later. By lap ten, Abbott was pushing Lambert hard, and she regained the lead as the pack came to the white flag. Third went to Laine VanZandt in another Abbott car, with travelers John Girdley and Trent Orwig turning in top fives.
The final checkers waved before 9:30, none too soon, as I drove through some pretty strong lightning and light showers on the trip home.
We will try to take in the MLRA and IMCA late model Tornado Tuesday double header Tuesday night at West Liberty Raceway, and that will be it until next Sunday at Quincy Raceways. Hard to believe it is already August, and I just hit 20 nights of racing!
IMCA sport mods drew the largest car count at 19, and they ran the first feature, an 18 lap event. Several of the cars had trouble hooking up on the dry, slick surface, as six caution flags marred the race. Austin Howes led the field through stoppages on laps two, three, and four. Back to green, there was a three way battle for the top spot on lap five, with Joey Gower emerging as the leader. With Gower hugging the bottom of the .29 mile oval, Brandon Lennox took to the high groove. The two were running side by side when the caution waved on lap eight. AQ multi car pile up on the restart was charged to third running Tanner Klingele. Back under green, Bobby Six took the third spot, but the final caution came at the half way point, lap nine. On the restart, Six challenged Lennox for second as Gower pulled away. When the checkers flew, Gower had his third feature win of the weekend, followed by Six , Lennox, Austen Becerra, and Klingele, who battled back into the top five.
The IMCA stock cars were up next for 18 laps. Brandon Savage, who dropped out while leading the heat race, was the only driver failing to make the starting grid. Jake Powers led the field through a lap two caution, with Jim Lynch coming from row three to second on the restart. Lynch ran the high line, while Michael Larsen challenged on the bottom of the now three groove track. On lap six, the two even swapped lines, and one lap later, Beau Taylor slipped around Larsen for third. At the mid race point, Lynch took the lead, surviving a yellow three laps later. The final six laps went under green, with Lynch taking the win and taking over the points lead from the missing Abe Huls. Taylor hugged the low line and came home second, with Larsen edging Powers for third. Andrew Hustead completed the top five.
The headline UMP late model class ran next for 25 fast paced laps. 17 drivers signed in, although Jason Oenning did not compete. Denny Woodworth had set quick time at 13.763 seconds, but it was Justin Reed topping heat one. Reed then rolled a three for the feature invert, putting Vance Wilson and heat two winner Mark Burgtorf on row one for the main event. Although Wilson jumped out front, Burgtorf had the lead as lap one was scored. The caution waved on lap two, with Burgtorf still in control on the Delaware restart. As Wilson pounded the cushion, Woodworth took over second running the bottom groove. Two laps later, tenth starting Jamie Wilson charged to the second spot. With Burgtorf running the top side, Wilson pulled even down low, taking the lead on lap nine. The two veterans battled as the moved in on slower traffic. As the laps wound down, Wilson began to stretch his lead, and picked up his second win of 2015 in a dominant performance. Burgtorf held on for second, with Jim Moon running a season best third. Reed and Woodworth rounded out the first five. Sixth through tenth went to Keith Pratt, Vance Wilson, Trace Westling, Brian Diveley, and Alan Westling.
All 14 UMP modifieds took the 25 lap feature green. Russ Coultas led from the start, but soon a four car battle developed for the lead. Shawn Deering was out front on lap three. Again on lap five the leaders raced three wide, with Michael Long emerging as the leader, taking Steven Delonjay along. The normally rim riding Long ran the bottom of the speedway, forcing the usually low riding Delonjay to the middle groove. The first yellow came on lap ten, and on the restart, Rickey Frankel in the Mike Begley # B4 climbed to third. Two more quick yellows came on laps 12 and 13, and back to racing it was now Deering chasing the two leaders. Dave Weitholder had started tenth after having handling problems in his heat, but when Delonjay pulled to the infield after the lap 13 restart, Weitholder charged to the runner up spot. After a lap 15 caution Deering moved to second, but lap 18 saw Weitholder back in second and reeling in the leader. A lap 22 caution spoiled a good run for Frankie Wellman, and back to green, Long moved up a lane on the track. Deering and Weitholder swapped the runner up spot, and with two laps to go, Frankel moved around Deering to retake third. At the checkers, it was Long with win number five this season at QR, followed by Weitholder, Frankel, Deering, and Jared Schlipman.
The final event on the card was the 15 lap IMCA sport compact feature. Point leader Kimberly Abbott jumped to a lap one lead, with Brandon Lambert in hot pursuit. Again, it was the leader running a lower groove, with Lambert pounding the cushion. On lap six, Lambert powered to the lead, and the caution came out one lap later. By lap ten, Abbott was pushing Lambert hard, and she regained the lead as the pack came to the white flag. Third went to Laine VanZandt in another Abbott car, with travelers John Girdley and Trent Orwig turning in top fives.
The final checkers waved before 9:30, none too soon, as I drove through some pretty strong lightning and light showers on the trip home.
We will try to take in the MLRA and IMCA late model Tornado Tuesday double header Tuesday night at West Liberty Raceway, and that will be it until next Sunday at Quincy Raceways. Hard to believe it is already August, and I just hit 20 nights of racing!
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