Crossing Off the Bucket List

 With rain keeping me to only one night of racing this holiday weekend, it was time to finally cross a desired track off my bucket list. In over 60 years of racing, I had never made the journey to the Dubuque, Iowa fairgrounds speedway. Dubuque has been a Sunday night venue as long as I can remember, but has interested  me since reading the columns of Playne Jayne Chapman in the Hawkeye Racing News in the 1970's. So on the holiday weekend, Darryl, Fred, and I loaded up for the 400 plus mile roundtrip for an IMCA late model Tri Track Challenge event.
  28 IMCA late models highlighted an 89 car turnout in the four regular classes at the 3/8 mile speed plant. We found the facilities to be very spacious and fan friendly, and the staff to be friendly and helpful, with a special thanks to head scorer Kevin Feller for answering all my questions!
  Four late model heat races qualified a dozen drivers for the 12 car feature invert, with polesitter Brunson Behning capturing the first ten lapper. In that race, top contender Tyler Bruening was involved in a first lap altercation that ended his evening. Polesitter Jeremiah Hurst topped heat two. Ray Guss Jr came from row two to win the third heat, while Joel Callahan started fifth and took the checkers in heat four. A Pair of B-mains added another six rows to the 24 car 50 lap feature field. Dan Shelliam and Darrell Defrance came home on top in those events.
  The IMCA sport mod field was pared down from 28 to a 24 car grid for the 15 lap feature. One lap was in the books before the first caution period on an ever slickening track. On  the restart, KC Ansel grabbed the lead, and was busy holding off seventh starting Tyler Soppe. A half dozen laps clicked off before yellow fever set in on laps seven, eight, and nine. With Ansel running the low groove and Soppe pounding the cushion, Soppe grabbed the lead. Jeff Steenbergen and Austin Heacock also slipped around Ansel and battled for second, and with 12 laps in the books, the 12th starting Heacock was in the runner up spot. But following a lap 12 restart, Heacock looped his ride in turn four, setting up a green, white checkers finish. Soppe stayed in command, with Ansel climbing back to second. Scott Busch sneaked in to the third position, and Steenbergen took fourth.
  Ten IMCA stock cars took the green, with a caution on the opening lap. Tim Schneider grabbed a quick lead, while David Brandies powered from row four to second by lap four when the caution waved again. Schneider held on through a lap ten caution to pick up the 15 lap win, his first in an IMCA stock car. Brandies settled for second, with Jerry Miles and Lukas Short turning in top four runs.
  The IMCA modified class was 23 strong, with Ryan DeShaw and two class racer Jeremiah Hurst dueling side by side until a caution period on lap seven. On the restart, Jason Schueller worked around Hurst for second, but two laps later Hurst retook the spot. As the top three ran in a pack, Hurst took the lead at the mid way point, ten laps in. With no more cautions, Hurst built an advantage, but as the leaders caught traffic on lap 17, Schueller closed in. Hurst stayed up to the task, leading the final ten laps for the win. Schueller, DeShaw, and Matt Gansen completed the top four.
  It was now time for the 50 lap late model $2,000 to win finale. The redraw found Hurst on the pole, as he quickly posed for victory lane pictures with # 41 modified before climbing in the # 41 late model. Jeff Tharp was in the Ross Pierce #10 on this night, and he held the outside front row slot. Hurst led Tharp on the opening pair of laps before Tharp edged ahead on the third circuit. Lap after lap the front two ran side by side, Hurst now on the low line and Tharp pounding the cushion. Hurst was scored the leader on lap nine, as Guss Jr. moved to fourth, trailing third place Luke Merfeld.  Slower traffic came into pay by the 11th trip around, and Jeremiah was able to open a bit of an advantage. By now, eighth starting third generation driver Tyler Droste had worked around Guss for fourth. Three circuits later, Droste used the low line to take third from Merfeld. Another three laps and Droste overtook Tharp for second. Although Hurst worked the slower traffic well, Droste continued his pursuit, and was scored in front on lap 26. The first caution period came with 30 laps in the books, as top ten runner Luke Goedert stopped in turn four, just as Droste had begun to stretch his lead. On the restart, Sixth running Callahan spun in turn one, sending him nearly to the tail, with about 20 cars still on the track and only a pair of lapped cars behind him. Another restart resulted in a spin for Lee Kinsella, but finally we were back under green. Merfeld grabbed the second spot, but soon lost it to Guss, who took off like a rocket on the restart. But second was a long ways from first, as Droste built a straightaway lead. One more yellow on the 43rd trip around brought Tyler back to the pack, but he was simply too quick out of the corners, and he built another commanding lead in the final eight circuits. Guss cruised to the runner up finish. while 12th starting John Emerson seemed to come from nowhere late to take third. Hurst and Merfeld completed the top five. Tharp was sixth, with Jon Poll turning in a nice run in seventh. Defrance charged from row seven to claim eighth, and Callahan recovered from his mid race spin to edge out Denny Eckrich for ninth.
  Even though it was a late night by Dubuque standards with an intermission that slowed the program, we were still in the car at 10:20, having witnessed a solid 20 race program. I would recommend a visit to the Dubuque Speedway to anyone who has never made the trip!
  Next up, I am looking at my third three race weekend, - last week was my second, not my first of 2016? - as the MLRA late model series comes to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson on Friday followed by a visit to the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly,Mo on Saturday. Them Sunday, it will be the second of three scheduled UMP Big Ten Series late models shows at Quincy Raceways.
 Lets go racing!