Point Champs Crowned at Quincy

 Sunday night was season championship night at Quincy Raceways, featuring the final night of  the UMP Big Ten late model series, as well.
 62 cars in five classes signed in to do battle on the .29 mile oval. Time trial qualifying started things off, with Big Ten point leader and track regular Brian Diveley pacing the late models at 13.220 seconds. Micheal Long once again led the UMP modifieds at 14.391 ticks around the oval.
 Feature racing kicked off with the IMCA sport mods, with all but Austin Howes taking the green flag. Jon Lear led the early laps from his front row starting spot, with Mike Goodwin chasing. But Goodwin headed to the pits on lap four, one lap ahead of the only caution period. Following the restart, Joey Gower powered to the lead, and one lap later, Brandon Lennox grabbed second. On lap nine, Lennox took the top spot, but as the leaders caught slower traffic, Lennox took the high line and Gower slipped back ahead in the low groove. From the point, Gower stretched out to a commanding lead, claiming both the feature win and the track title, his third of 2015. Lennox held the second spot, with Adam Birck running a solid third. Tony Dunker rode home fourth, with Tanner Klingele completing the top five.
 The stock car class showed only six cars, but again the racing was top notch. Jake Powers led the opening lap, with the yellow waving on lap three for a spinning Andrew Hustead. Back to racing, Jerry Jansen and Abe Huls battled side by side for the runnerup spot until Hustead again lost the handle on lap eight. Under green once more, Huls began to challenge for the lead., but the caution waved again on lap 11 for a spinning Jim Lynch. Powers continued to lead with Huls trying several lines, with the two making contact, becoming hooked together briefly on lap 16. Huls broke free and grabbed the win, followed by Powers, Jansen, Beau Taylor , and track champion Lynch.
 The 30 lap $2,000 to win late model headliner was next. First heat winner Bobby Pierce had picked a six for the feature invert. However Michigan ace Rusty Schlenk, back for the second week in a row, was forced to scratch from his row two starting spot, damaging his UMP national title hopes. In fact, the top three in national points were all in attendance, Schlenk, Pierce, and Michael Kloos. As racing began, Dustin Griffin won the race to turn one with Pierce in tow. But Kloos charged to the lead on the second trip around. The caution came out on lap five as Justin Reed kicked a tractor tire onto the track., and two laps later a multi car pileup ended the night for the Littles, Ryan and Jake, and Tennesee pilot Caleb Ashby. With Kloos seemingly in command, he jumped the treacherous turn four cushion on lap ten, and he then retired to the pits. Back under green, Pierce charged to a big lead, as Denny Woodworth shot to second. Just as Pierce caught slower traffic on lap 18, the yellow waved for a spinning Keith Pratt. On the restart, Griffin retook the runner up spot as Pierce again opened up a big advantage. Lap 19 saw Diveley take third after starting seventh, and Mark Burgtorf advanced to fourth one lap later as Woodworth faded running the high line. At the checkers, it was Pierce winning his fourth feature in the last four nights, pulling down a cool $17,000 for his efforts. Griffin, Diveley, Burgtorf, and Woodworth turned in top five runs. The next group included Reed, Pratt, Trace Westling, and first time visitor Scott Geaschel, the only cars still running after 30 laps. Burgtorf was then crowned late model track champion for the 16th time, while Diveley collected the Big Ten title.
  13 cars started the UMP modified finale, with Shawn Deering leading when the caution came out on lap two. Two laps back to green, Long took the lead and began to pull away from the pack. Deering also stretched an advantage over the three car battle for third between Rickey Frankel, Frankie Wellman, and Steven Delonjay. Meanwhile, Dave Weitholder, who was involved in a heat race altercation that heavily damaged his ride, had come from last to sixth by lap ten. On the 14th circuit, Weitholder split the cars of Wellman and Delonjay, a dandy move that took him to fourth. On lap 18, he cleared Frankel, and began to run down Deering, He charged to second with two laps to go, but ran out of time to challenge Long. It was victory number 11 for the 2015 track champion.
  The IMCA sport compacts were the final race on the cars, 12 cars for 15 laps. Trent Orwig led through a lap two restart, but after a stoppage on the fourth circuit, Jeffrey Delonjay took the lead, and Brandon Lambert moved to second. Lambert took the point on lap seven, and one lap later Kimberly Abbott slipped into the runner up slot. At the checkers, it was Lambert, Abbott, Delonjay, Orwig, and Bryce Baker. Like Gower, Abbott picked up her third track title of 2015, becoming the first female champion in QR history.
  The advertised second late model feature had to be scrapped under the UMP format. Of the 16 late models in attendance, four were at QR for the first time in 2015. Unfortunately, it was not a good night for the longest travelers, Schlenk from Michigan, and Ashby from Tennessee.
  Quincy Raceways has three more nights on the 2015 schedule. Next Sunday will be a visit of the MOWA sprint cars, the following Sunday will feature UMP modifieds, and the UMP late models are scheduled to return to close out the season on Sunday October 11.
 Next up for Racin' Down the Road is a Saturday night trip to Knoxville, Iowa Raceway for the final night of the Lucas Oil late model nationals. Maybe I will see you there!