Driving from Canton, Mo. to work in Quincy, Il on Thursday morning, I was both surprised and dismayed to hear on the radio that Quincy had received more than 1.5 inches of rain overnight. The rain gauge report comes from the airport, which is close to Quincy Raceways, so I knew it would take a major effort to get the grounds ready for the World of Outlaw, MOWA 410 sprint car doubleheader scheduled for that evening. And when a brief but heavy shower fell about 3:30 that afternoon, it seemed like that would finish things off. But my workplace is about five miles from the speedway, and fortunately the track did not get that deluge. It had been decided to not open the pit area, which is generally the biggest problem as far as wet grounds, until 4:00 PM, and promoter Ken Dobson had his crew hard at work making the expanded area accessible to the big haulers. So when I arrived after the 5:00 hour, both the pit and spectator parking areas were plenty wet, but open for business. And once again the fans turned out, a bit later for the mid week show, but in numbers large enough that cars were parking well down the shoulder of highway 104.
24 Sprint cars and 26 late models checked in to do battle, with an $8,000 top prize on the line in the Workforce 40 lapper for the late models, and $2,000 to the winner of the 25 lap sprint finale.
Brian Shirley has turned quite a few laps at QR, but none since the track was reconfigured a few weeks ago, but he still turned the fastest qualifying lap of 13.562 seconds.
Three heat races in each class plus a B-main for the late models set the feature lineups, with Quincy point leader Justin Reed and local racer Vance Wilson in the David Miller #6M added as provisionals, giving us 24 starters for each feature.
All but one sprinter took the feature green, with Parker Price-Miller jumping to the early lead. Nationally known hot shoe Brady Bacon started in row three, but got crossed up in turns one and two on lap two, spinning around and doing a wheelstand in front of the field. Amazingly everyone avoided his car, but he was now stuck at the tail of the pack. Back under green Bacon began to pick off cars as the leader encountered slower traffic on lap six. Joey Moughan was chasing the leader when Paul Nienhauser, popular with the QR faithful powered to the runnerup spot on the 15th circuit. Yellow flags slowed the action on lap 18, then again on lap 20, when Steve Russell flipped his # 20 in turn three. Moughan was caught up in the accident, ending his run. On the restart, Nienhauser worked the high line, while Price-Miller held the inside line. The two ran side by side on lap 20, with the two trading racing lines lap after lap, and indeed from corner to corner. Nienhauser took a shot with a pair of laps to go, but could not clear the leader, then made one final charger in the last set of turns, but with everyone on their feet, Price-Miller was first to the checkers. Jake Blackhurst had the best seat in the place to finish third, with Joe B Miller and AJ Bruns completing the top five.
Shane Clanton was four laps from winning the inaugural Workforce 40 last season before suffering mechanical woes, and the veteran proved that was no fluke by finishing second to Bobby Pierce in the second heat, then drawing the pole position for the main event, with Shirley on his outside. It was Shirley jumping to the early lead, and the caution waved on lap two for a stopped Michael Kloos at the end of the front straight, the first car out of the event. On the restart it was Shirley, Clanton, series point leader Josh Richards, and sixth starting Pierce driving past veteran Chub Frank for fourth. Shirley was dealing with the rather treacherous cushion while Clanton ran the low line, dealing with the treacherous hole coming out of turn two. The front two put distance on the pack before entering traffic on lap ten. Clanton took the opportunity to pull alongside Shirley, then claimed the lead on lap twelve. Clanton then took off, and Richards moved in to challenge Shirley. The caution waved on lap 18 for a stalled Eric Wells, and on the Delaware restart, Richards powered to second. Two laps later the yellow waved again for Vance Wilson, and back to racing, there was drama on lap 22. Richards was moving around the track, and was using the same line as Shirley in turn one, when contact sent Richards spinning. Although he did not stop, the caution came out, and he was restarted where he was on the track when he recovered. On the final restart, fifth starting Rick Eckert grabbed the second spot, but Clanton was checking out. He again hit lapped traffic on lap 32, but he was up to the challenge, picking up the win. Eckert held second, followed by Shirley, Pierce, and Steve Casebolt in a photo finish for fourth. Frank topped the second five ahead of the teenager from Texas, Tyler Erb,
Richards, Frank Heckenast Jr, and Chase Junghans.
The final checkers flew about 11:00, ending a long but fun night of racing. On a personal note, my son Brent had a medical episode during hot laps requiring a check over by the ambulance crew, but he is on the mend. Also tragedy hit the QR family on Monday, when Gary Wilson, a long time racer and father of current racers Vance and Terry, lost his life in an accident at home. Gary was a popular fixture in the pits at QR, and will be missed.
Quincy Raceways will take this Sunday off, with racing resuming on Sunday, August 7.
Friday morning it was back to work with far too little sleep. But by afternoon, I had convinced myself to head for Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa for their weekly show. Stopping to pick up grandson Peyton, we arrived in time to take the Air One bus ride around the 3/8 mile oval and through the pit area.
86 cars in six classes signed in, including 22 legends cars visiting the track and racing in support of law enforcement. Following hot laps and a candy dash for the youngsters, it was feature time.
The 15 IMCA sport compacts ran first, with Mike Reu pacing the first go around. Josh Barnes apparently ran out of fuel in his heat race, but still finished fifth, starting where he would have in the invert even if he had won that race. With a full tank, Barnes powered to second on lap two. Five circuits in, Barnes took the lead, with Brandon Reu and Barry Taft running side by side for third. Taft took the spot on lap seven. With a pair of laps left in the 14 lapper, the first caution came out, setting up a green, white, checkers finish. Taft charged to second at the green, with Mike Reu shuffled back, but suddenly Taft saw his night end with a plume of smoke from his engine. Ron Kibbe now sat in second, crossing the line behind Barnes. Kimberly Abbott drove a steady race to take third, and Mike Reu recovered to grab fourth.
The Legends were up next for 25 laps. Former late model driver Marty Dierks picked up the win.
All but one of the 14 IMCA sport mods took the feature green. Austen Becerra paced the opening lap, but is was John Oliver Jr on the move, advancing from a row four start to third on lap two. When Becerra spun on lap three, it was Oliver in front, with Jim Gillenwater glued to his back bumper. Jim was running his usual low line, while John took the high road. Tony Dunker worked his way through traffic to fourth on the sixth trip past the flagstand. Tony moved to third on the ninth circuit as Oliver stretched his margin. With no more stoppages, Oliver cruised to the win. Gillenwater settled for second ahead of Dunker, Kyle Hill, and Joey Gower.
The Lee County late model turnout was a season low eight on this night. Tommy Elston finished third in the heat race, but drew the number one pill for the 25 lap finale. Tommy jumped to the lead as the green waved, with heat winner a row two starter Sam Halstead on his tail. As Elston opened a lead, Tyler Cale shadowed Halstead for several circuits before falling back slightly. As the race went caution free, Elston opened a more than 1/2 lap lead, picking up the win. Halstead, Cale, Jeff Guengerich, Derek Liles turned in top fives, followed by the Van Zandts, Laine and Charles. Gunner Frank was unable to complete the 25 laps.
IMCA stock cars were up next, with all but one of the 14 cars on track. Andrew Hustead was the early leader over Mike See, Jeremy Pundt, and Oliver Jr. Donnellson native Pundt slipped around See on lap two, and one lap later, he grabbed the lead. Lap five saw Oliver move to third, and five circuits later, he took second as the crossed flags signaled the halfway mark and point leader Jeff Mueller advanced to fourth. The first caution came one lap later for a spinning third place Hustead. Back under green, it became a three car duel, with Pundt and Mueller hugging the inside line, and Oliver pounding the cushion as he looked to double up on feature wins. Mueller changed lines more than once, searching for a way around the front duo, but Pundt stayed true to the low line, hitting his marks every corner of every lap. As the checkers waved, a jubilant Jeremy Pundt had picked up his first feature win of the year. Mueller scored a runnerup finish ahead of Oliver and Ryan Cook in the # 27.
IMCA modifieds rounded out the evening, 14 strong. Jardin Fuller paced lap one ahead of Levi Smith, with a lap two caution. Bill Roberts Jr nabbed third on the restart, and second on lap four, with defending track champion Jeff Waterman moving to fourth. The sixth time around, Smith smacked the turn two guardrail, falling off the pace. It was now Waterman in third, and visiting Colt Mather in fourth, and the top four put distance on the field. Roberts used the high line to grab the lead on lap nine, three circuits later Waterman took second. Mather grabbed the third spot and was battling for second. Roberts had a nice lead when the yellow flew on lap 14. Mather used the Delaware restart to grab second , and two laps later he overtook Roberts for the lead. When the final checkers of the night waved, it was for Mather. Roberts held second and Waterman settled for third.
The clock read just past 10:00 as we headed to the car after another fun night at LCS.
With Quincy off Sunday, my next action will be back in Donnellson Monday for night one of the back to back $1,000 to win late model specials. This is a schedule change from the preseason, when a single pay two day show was the original plan. We are just about to August, so enjoy racing every chance you get.
Saturday, July 30, 2016
Monday, July 25, 2016
First Time Winners Beat the Heat at Quincy
Three of the five weekly classes at Quincy Raceways saw new winners in victory lane, while the other two had drivers there for the second time in 2016. Once again the program was moved back one hour to try and deal with what was still hot and humid conditions.
The fans at Quincy have been a hearty and loyal bunch, but both car counts and fan count were down a bit this week. Of course, with the World of Outlaw late models and MOWA 410 sprint cars rolling in to town on Thursday, some folks may have decided to save their pennies for the big mid week show.
Justin Reed paced UMP late model qualifying at 13.371 seconds, and Michael Long once again topped the UMP modifieds with a lap of 14.626 ticks of the clock.
Following heat race action, the IMCA stock cars started off the feature action. After a pair of false starts, the front row was moved back one row, but Chester Peek headed for the pits. Brian Hoener then grabbed the lap one lead with Beau Taylor in hot pursuit ahead of Abe Huls. When lap two was scored, it was Huls out front, and the point leader hugged the low line with second running Hoener in the middle groove and Taylor also on the bottom. The sixth time around, Hoener bobbled and fell to third, but two laps later things changed in a big way. Huls hooked the inside tire between turns three and four,getting sideways and rolling his # 30C two times, ending his night. Taylor assumed the lead on the restart, but Hoener muscled to the front on lap eleven, holding on for his first ever IMCA stock car win. Taylor held on for second ahead of Jake Powers, Rodolfo Zaragoza, and Michael Larsen.
The UMP late models were moved to second on the card. Heat winner Dustin Griffin had pulled a zero draw, giving us a straight up start. Griffin jumped to the early lead, followed closely by Reed, Denny Woodworth, Mark Burgtorf, and Jason Perry. As Terry Wilson retired early, Perry and Burgto9rf swapped positions back and forth, and Woodworth pushed Reed for second. With everyone running a low line, Griffin began lapping slower cars by lap 13. Reed was able to get a lapped car between himself and Woodworth, but by lap 21, the late model lawyer was again glued to Reeds back bumper. As the 25 laps went caution free, Griffin cruised to his first win of 2016. Reed stretched his points lead with a runner up finish ahead of Woodworth, Burgtorf, Perry, and Cliff Powell.
The IMCA sport compacts ran next. Allyssa Steele held the pole after winning her first ever heat race earlier in the evening, and she tucked into second in the 15 lap finale behind Craig Bangert. Defending champion Kimberly Abbott advanced to9 fourth on lap two, but Bangert opened a nice lead as Steele and Darin Weisinger Jr. dueled for second. Weisinger took the spot on lap four, and Bangert continued to stretch his lead as Abbott entered the top three on lap six. On the ninth circuit, Kimberly was shadowing Weisinger, and she used a high side pass to grab second three lap later. With no cautions, Bangert stayed in control for all 15 laps to score win number two. Abbott, Weisinger, and Steele followed in that order.
Michael Long had captured the first UMP mod heat, and pulled a second row start for the 25 lap feature. That put Darin Weisinger and visiting Kelly Kovski in row one ahead of Dave Weitholder and Long. Kovski, in only his second ever visit to QR, took the early lead with Weitholder in tow. The caution waved on lap two for a spinning Kevin Tomlinson, and on the restart, Long moved to second using the middle line. The second a nd final yellow came out for a spinning Ronnie Yelton on lap five. Back to action, Kovski, from Springfield,Il., hugged the inside line along with third running Weitholder while Long tried a higher line. Michael changed his angle of pursuit several times, and the leaders hit slower traffic about lap 14. Long got close on the 19th lap, but Kovski, a former late model pilot, held his line, and picked up his first ever checkers at Quincy, becoming only the second driver to beat Long in 2016. Weitholder took third, with Weisinger and another visitor, Kenny Shaw from Brighton,Il. completing the top five.
The IMCA sport compacts would round out the card. Nathan Anders was set to start on the pole, but elected to tag the tail of the 18 lapper. One false start for a spinout and we were under way. Mike Goodwin paced the opening lap ahead of Austen Becerra, Tanner Klingele, and Joey Gower. On lap four, Becerra mounted a challenge for the lead, taking over one lap later, taking Gower along in second. Following a lap six caution, Goodwin was shuffled back, and Justin Ebbing powered to third and point leader Nathan Bringer entered the top five. With lightning flashing in the east, Bringer took fourth at the half way mark. On the 15th circuit, a lapped car spun in front of second and third running Gower and Ebbing. Both cars were headed to the tail, and Gower had to visit the hot pit with a flat tire. Becerra led the restart, now trailed by Bringer, Klingele, and Brandon Lennox. Lennox was behind the wheel of the Wesley Mayfield # 21M after blowing an engine the night before at Moberly,Mo., aqnd he fell off the pace on the restart, rolling to a stop on the backstretch. One more restart saw Klingele and Bringer hook bumpers in turns one and two setting up a green, white, checkers finish. Becerra was unfazed, picking up his second win of 2016. Goodwin recovered for second, Ebbing charged back to third, and Spencer Coats stayed out of trouble to record a solid fourth.
With the big special on Thursday, QR will be idle next Sunday. Even with some reserved seats presold, there will be plenty of good spots on Thursday, and Quincy fans will get one more chance to see Billy Moyer in action in what is supposed to be his final season. Hoping the weatherman cooperates for this big show!
The fans at Quincy have been a hearty and loyal bunch, but both car counts and fan count were down a bit this week. Of course, with the World of Outlaw late models and MOWA 410 sprint cars rolling in to town on Thursday, some folks may have decided to save their pennies for the big mid week show.
Justin Reed paced UMP late model qualifying at 13.371 seconds, and Michael Long once again topped the UMP modifieds with a lap of 14.626 ticks of the clock.
Following heat race action, the IMCA stock cars started off the feature action. After a pair of false starts, the front row was moved back one row, but Chester Peek headed for the pits. Brian Hoener then grabbed the lap one lead with Beau Taylor in hot pursuit ahead of Abe Huls. When lap two was scored, it was Huls out front, and the point leader hugged the low line with second running Hoener in the middle groove and Taylor also on the bottom. The sixth time around, Hoener bobbled and fell to third, but two laps later things changed in a big way. Huls hooked the inside tire between turns three and four,getting sideways and rolling his # 30C two times, ending his night. Taylor assumed the lead on the restart, but Hoener muscled to the front on lap eleven, holding on for his first ever IMCA stock car win. Taylor held on for second ahead of Jake Powers, Rodolfo Zaragoza, and Michael Larsen.
The UMP late models were moved to second on the card. Heat winner Dustin Griffin had pulled a zero draw, giving us a straight up start. Griffin jumped to the early lead, followed closely by Reed, Denny Woodworth, Mark Burgtorf, and Jason Perry. As Terry Wilson retired early, Perry and Burgto9rf swapped positions back and forth, and Woodworth pushed Reed for second. With everyone running a low line, Griffin began lapping slower cars by lap 13. Reed was able to get a lapped car between himself and Woodworth, but by lap 21, the late model lawyer was again glued to Reeds back bumper. As the 25 laps went caution free, Griffin cruised to his first win of 2016. Reed stretched his points lead with a runner up finish ahead of Woodworth, Burgtorf, Perry, and Cliff Powell.
The IMCA sport compacts ran next. Allyssa Steele held the pole after winning her first ever heat race earlier in the evening, and she tucked into second in the 15 lap finale behind Craig Bangert. Defending champion Kimberly Abbott advanced to9 fourth on lap two, but Bangert opened a nice lead as Steele and Darin Weisinger Jr. dueled for second. Weisinger took the spot on lap four, and Bangert continued to stretch his lead as Abbott entered the top three on lap six. On the ninth circuit, Kimberly was shadowing Weisinger, and she used a high side pass to grab second three lap later. With no cautions, Bangert stayed in control for all 15 laps to score win number two. Abbott, Weisinger, and Steele followed in that order.
Michael Long had captured the first UMP mod heat, and pulled a second row start for the 25 lap feature. That put Darin Weisinger and visiting Kelly Kovski in row one ahead of Dave Weitholder and Long. Kovski, in only his second ever visit to QR, took the early lead with Weitholder in tow. The caution waved on lap two for a spinning Kevin Tomlinson, and on the restart, Long moved to second using the middle line. The second a nd final yellow came out for a spinning Ronnie Yelton on lap five. Back to action, Kovski, from Springfield,Il., hugged the inside line along with third running Weitholder while Long tried a higher line. Michael changed his angle of pursuit several times, and the leaders hit slower traffic about lap 14. Long got close on the 19th lap, but Kovski, a former late model pilot, held his line, and picked up his first ever checkers at Quincy, becoming only the second driver to beat Long in 2016. Weitholder took third, with Weisinger and another visitor, Kenny Shaw from Brighton,Il. completing the top five.
The IMCA sport compacts would round out the card. Nathan Anders was set to start on the pole, but elected to tag the tail of the 18 lapper. One false start for a spinout and we were under way. Mike Goodwin paced the opening lap ahead of Austen Becerra, Tanner Klingele, and Joey Gower. On lap four, Becerra mounted a challenge for the lead, taking over one lap later, taking Gower along in second. Following a lap six caution, Goodwin was shuffled back, and Justin Ebbing powered to third and point leader Nathan Bringer entered the top five. With lightning flashing in the east, Bringer took fourth at the half way mark. On the 15th circuit, a lapped car spun in front of second and third running Gower and Ebbing. Both cars were headed to the tail, and Gower had to visit the hot pit with a flat tire. Becerra led the restart, now trailed by Bringer, Klingele, and Brandon Lennox. Lennox was behind the wheel of the Wesley Mayfield # 21M after blowing an engine the night before at Moberly,Mo., aqnd he fell off the pace on the restart, rolling to a stop on the backstretch. One more restart saw Klingele and Bringer hook bumpers in turns one and two setting up a green, white, checkers finish. Becerra was unfazed, picking up his second win of 2016. Goodwin recovered for second, Ebbing charged back to third, and Spencer Coats stayed out of trouble to record a solid fourth.
With the big special on Thursday, QR will be idle next Sunday. Even with some reserved seats presold, there will be plenty of good spots on Thursday, and Quincy fans will get one more chance to see Billy Moyer in action in what is supposed to be his final season. Hoping the weatherman cooperates for this big show!
Monday, July 18, 2016
Lucky Sevens at Quincy
The decision to move the race program back one hour through the month of July to combat the heat worked out well for one long distance traveler to Quincy Raceways, at least for a while. With rain and storms creating havoc across the I-80 corridor, IMCA sport mod driver Andrew Burk decided to head south. The Quad City Speedway regular made a late afternoon call to Quincy for info and then headed out for the three hour drive to Quincy. For several weeks the sport mods have run fourth on the QR card followed by the IMCA sport compacts, but this week the mods ran first, UMP late models second, the compacts, UMP modifieds and IMCA stock cars went from first to last. But the later start gave Burk plenty of time, although a group of his followers rolled in as his heat race came to the track.
First though, came qualifying for the UMP classes. Dustin Griffin toured the rebuilt racing surface in 13.694 seconds, while Michael Long went for another sweep with a lap of 15.131 seconds. Although the program started about 20 minutes late, the heat races clicked off in good time. Besides Burk, who advanced to third in his heat from the tail before finishing sixth, former track regular Matt Bailey who now lives in the St Louis metro area made his first visit to the track with his # 52 late model. The long distance award - sort of - though went to Roger Martin from Monticello, Arkansas with his
# 60M modified. Martin races in a B-mod type class at home, but is not sport mod legal, so he joined the UMP mods. He is currently in the area working on the pipeline, and brought his hot rod along for some racing! Martin was obviously underpowered, but hopefully had some fun, anyway!
Following intermission, it was sport mod feature time. The 17 car field had an awful time getting started with three cautions before one lap was scored. On the third attempt, a multi car pile up in turn one saw Burk get the worst of things, as his # 20KB was on the hook before a lap was completed.
Finally under green with 14 cars left, Austin Howes and Tanner Klingele were now on the front and they stayed that way for a lap or two before Howes pulled away slightly. Brandon Lennox then powered to the front to challenge Klingele for second running the until now ignored high line. With Lennox now in second, the top three gained some separation from the pack as Howes hugged the low line and Lennox worked the top groove. On about lap nine, Lennox grabbed the lead, pulling away in traffic. Howes made contact with a lapped car, falling to third before coming back to challenge Klingele. Amazingly, we stayed green for all 18 laps after the initial troubles. Lennox picked up another win, followed by Klingele and Howes. Kevin Tomlinson climbed in the Glen Wiley # 26 and ran fourth, but failed to report the driver change, resulting in a DQ. Fourth then went to Joey Gower and Justin Ebbing rounded out the top five.
As the race ended, the lights in corner three went off making turns three and four too dark for safe racing. After a delay to diagnose the problem, no fix was imminent, so former racer Joe Hooper headed out to retrieve some portable lighting so the show could go on.
Finally ten UMP late models lined up next for 25 laps. Jason Perry and Denny Woodworth started in row one, with Justin Reed and Griffin lining up behind them. Perry quickly grab the lead and went to the high side with Reed in second. When Reed bobbled slightly, Woodworth climbed to second. Somewhere around lap ten - the scoreboard was also not in use on this night - Woodworth shot to the lead. The first caution came with twelve laps in the books as Vance Wilson, subbing for Cliff Powell, came to stop on the backstretch. Back to racing, Denny took the low line while Perry again went high. On the 16th circuit, Perry reclaimed the point. With three laps remaining, the second and final yellow waved as Clint Kirkham jumped the bank in turns three and four. At the same time, a smoking Bailey exited the track. One more wave of the green saw Reed slip around Woodworth using the high line to take second. Griffin overtook Mark Burgtorf for fourth at the checkers. Trent Grotz made his late model debut doing a nice job in sixth in the car formerly driven by Terry Gallaher.
IMCA sport compacts were up next, with an added twist. Part time racer and full time track supporter Pat Dunker offered up a $50.00 bill for a back row challenge to any compact driver, and Kimberly Abbott took the challenge. Alyssa Steele led lap one, with Darrin Weisinger Jr scoring the top spot on lap two. Abbott was up to fourth when she was involved in an early caution, again going to the tail of the seven car field. Heat winner Craig Bangert was up to second before exiting the track, and now Abbott had the runner up spot. Just past the halfway mark of the 15 lapper, Kimberly found a line around Weisinger to take the lead which she would not give up. Weisinger crossed the line second followed by Steele and Adam Scott.
There were still two features to go, but 9:45 was past my self imposed work night curfew, so I reluctantly headed to the car. Michael Long did indeed pick up the sweep, time trials, heat race and feature ahead of Dave Weitholder, and Kevin Blackburn in the Mike Begley # B4. And Abe Huls returned from his Canadian fishing expedition to best Jake Powers and Michael Larsen in the IMCA stock car finale.
Racing in the Midwest is in high gear, so grab a friend and head to a track this weekend!
First though, came qualifying for the UMP classes. Dustin Griffin toured the rebuilt racing surface in 13.694 seconds, while Michael Long went for another sweep with a lap of 15.131 seconds. Although the program started about 20 minutes late, the heat races clicked off in good time. Besides Burk, who advanced to third in his heat from the tail before finishing sixth, former track regular Matt Bailey who now lives in the St Louis metro area made his first visit to the track with his # 52 late model. The long distance award - sort of - though went to Roger Martin from Monticello, Arkansas with his
# 60M modified. Martin races in a B-mod type class at home, but is not sport mod legal, so he joined the UMP mods. He is currently in the area working on the pipeline, and brought his hot rod along for some racing! Martin was obviously underpowered, but hopefully had some fun, anyway!
Following intermission, it was sport mod feature time. The 17 car field had an awful time getting started with three cautions before one lap was scored. On the third attempt, a multi car pile up in turn one saw Burk get the worst of things, as his # 20KB was on the hook before a lap was completed.
Finally under green with 14 cars left, Austin Howes and Tanner Klingele were now on the front and they stayed that way for a lap or two before Howes pulled away slightly. Brandon Lennox then powered to the front to challenge Klingele for second running the until now ignored high line. With Lennox now in second, the top three gained some separation from the pack as Howes hugged the low line and Lennox worked the top groove. On about lap nine, Lennox grabbed the lead, pulling away in traffic. Howes made contact with a lapped car, falling to third before coming back to challenge Klingele. Amazingly, we stayed green for all 18 laps after the initial troubles. Lennox picked up another win, followed by Klingele and Howes. Kevin Tomlinson climbed in the Glen Wiley # 26 and ran fourth, but failed to report the driver change, resulting in a DQ. Fourth then went to Joey Gower and Justin Ebbing rounded out the top five.
As the race ended, the lights in corner three went off making turns three and four too dark for safe racing. After a delay to diagnose the problem, no fix was imminent, so former racer Joe Hooper headed out to retrieve some portable lighting so the show could go on.
Finally ten UMP late models lined up next for 25 laps. Jason Perry and Denny Woodworth started in row one, with Justin Reed and Griffin lining up behind them. Perry quickly grab the lead and went to the high side with Reed in second. When Reed bobbled slightly, Woodworth climbed to second. Somewhere around lap ten - the scoreboard was also not in use on this night - Woodworth shot to the lead. The first caution came with twelve laps in the books as Vance Wilson, subbing for Cliff Powell, came to stop on the backstretch. Back to racing, Denny took the low line while Perry again went high. On the 16th circuit, Perry reclaimed the point. With three laps remaining, the second and final yellow waved as Clint Kirkham jumped the bank in turns three and four. At the same time, a smoking Bailey exited the track. One more wave of the green saw Reed slip around Woodworth using the high line to take second. Griffin overtook Mark Burgtorf for fourth at the checkers. Trent Grotz made his late model debut doing a nice job in sixth in the car formerly driven by Terry Gallaher.
IMCA sport compacts were up next, with an added twist. Part time racer and full time track supporter Pat Dunker offered up a $50.00 bill for a back row challenge to any compact driver, and Kimberly Abbott took the challenge. Alyssa Steele led lap one, with Darrin Weisinger Jr scoring the top spot on lap two. Abbott was up to fourth when she was involved in an early caution, again going to the tail of the seven car field. Heat winner Craig Bangert was up to second before exiting the track, and now Abbott had the runner up spot. Just past the halfway mark of the 15 lapper, Kimberly found a line around Weisinger to take the lead which she would not give up. Weisinger crossed the line second followed by Steele and Adam Scott.
There were still two features to go, but 9:45 was past my self imposed work night curfew, so I reluctantly headed to the car. Michael Long did indeed pick up the sweep, time trials, heat race and feature ahead of Dave Weitholder, and Kevin Blackburn in the Mike Begley # B4. And Abe Huls returned from his Canadian fishing expedition to best Jake Powers and Michael Larsen in the IMCA stock car finale.
Racing in the Midwest is in high gear, so grab a friend and head to a track this weekend!
Monday, July 11, 2016
Quincy Waits out the Rain
Sunday started out as the type of day race fans like myself barely glance at a weather forecast. But when friends and family to the north began calling and texting wanting to know if it was raining, things changed in a hurry. I always like to get to the track early when the travelers come to town, and with the UMP late model and modifieds on the card at Quincy Raceways along with IMCA sport mods, I was trolling the pits early. And watching the clouds build up and answering those calls and texts about heavy rains as close as my home, less than 20 miles away as the crow flies. Sure enough, as race time approached, here came the rain, and back in the trailer went the cars. As the rain came down a bit harder, the haulers headed for solid ground, and I went to the car to wait for the inevitable cancellation call. But QR promoter Ken Dobson is one stubborn dude, and as the showers subsided, the UMP contingent came down the hill with the word -" we are racing!" The track crew had purposely not watered the reconfigured oval - this would be the first race since the banks were cut down and dirt was added - so the rain completed the watering process. Of course, it still took some time to get the track again race ready, and the green flags would definitely come later than hoped. While the weather no doubt hurt the car count, including one mod driver who headed home to Arkansas, the fans turned out in amazing numbers.
Modified qualifying was paced by Kenny Wallace, while series point leader Bobby Pierce topped the 19 late models with a lap of 12.883 seconds.
While all cars would start the features, the heat winners redrew to determine to top three slots.
Following the nine heat races, there was ales than welcome intermission, the only negative in the program. But it was soon feature time, with the 18 UMP mods lining up for 258 laps and a $1,000 top prize. Kelly Bartz could not get his ride going. so 17 cars took the green flag. Ray Bollinger and Wallace sat on row one, and Bollinger paced lap one. Soon it was a two car duel, with track point leader Michael Long Moving to fourth on lap four. As the race stayed green, Long slipped past the " showstopper" Ray Walsh for third on lap ten. With slower traffic coming in to play on lap 12, Wallace took over the lead. As Long closed in on Bollinger, Wallace tangled with a lapped car on the 15th circuit, ending his run behind the wrecker, the first and only caution of the race. The field restarted single file, and with the low line the preferred way around, Bollinger and Long hugged the low groove, putting distance over the pack. While Long dogged the leader, Bollinger made no mistakes, and it was a very happy driver who took the checkers. Long settled for second followed by Walsh, Shaun Deering and Donovan Lodge.
It would be 40 trips around the oval to decide who would take home the $5,000 top prize for the late models. Heat one winner Tyler Erb, the Texas teenager, and heat three winner Pierce sat on row one, while heat two victor Ryan Unzicker was joined by Michael Kloos in row tow. Pierce used a dandy crossover move to lead lap one, quickly moving to the low side of the track, while Erb was hanging his # 91 out on the high side, retaking the second spot from Unzicker on lap two. Eight laps in, Kloos found his way past Unzicker for third. The leaders were into heavy traffic by lap 13 when the caution waved for a spinning Bo Brockway. Both Pierce and Erb took evasive action, going over the top of the track, but neither made contact, and both were allowed to restart at the front. Again the restart was single file, and by now 16th starting Jason Feger was in the top ten, and he charged to his familiar high line on the speedway. Two circuits later he was up to eighth, but Pierce was opening a lead as Kloos moved up to challenge Erb. Lap 17 saw Kloos take second, on lap 19 Feger moved to seventh. The second and final caution came for a stopped Gordy Gundaker on lap 20, and he was the first to drop from the action. On the restart, Kloos mounted a challenge of Pierce, and while they battled, Unzicker slipped around Erb and Feger moved to sixth on lap 23. Two circuits later, it was Erb again powering around the high side, gaining two spots back to the runner up slot. But the 19 year old Pierce was a master in traffic, and he completed the flag to flag win, his tenth on the Summernationals tour. Victory lane at QR is a familiar place for Bobby, who was something of a semi regular at the Bullring for a couple of seasons. Erb earned plenty of style points for his second place run. Kloos was steady in third, followed by Unzicker and Dustin Griffin. Feger advance ten spots to finish sixth ahead of Bob Gardner in brother John back up # 38c. Bob had his # 4G out of the hauler, reloaded when the rains came, the could not get the door open on the hauler! Track regulars Jason Perry, Mark Burgtorf, Denny Woodworth, and Justin Reed were next on the final grid.
With the clock now heading to the 10:00 hour, grandson Peyton and I headed to the car before the sport mod finale. Congratulations to rookie Justin Ebbing on his feature win over Austen Beccera and " racer X," Brandon Lennox.
The Summernational tour wraps up this coming week in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, while Quincy Raceways gets back to weekly racing next Sunday. See you at the races!
Modified qualifying was paced by Kenny Wallace, while series point leader Bobby Pierce topped the 19 late models with a lap of 12.883 seconds.
While all cars would start the features, the heat winners redrew to determine to top three slots.
Following the nine heat races, there was ales than welcome intermission, the only negative in the program. But it was soon feature time, with the 18 UMP mods lining up for 258 laps and a $1,000 top prize. Kelly Bartz could not get his ride going. so 17 cars took the green flag. Ray Bollinger and Wallace sat on row one, and Bollinger paced lap one. Soon it was a two car duel, with track point leader Michael Long Moving to fourth on lap four. As the race stayed green, Long slipped past the " showstopper" Ray Walsh for third on lap ten. With slower traffic coming in to play on lap 12, Wallace took over the lead. As Long closed in on Bollinger, Wallace tangled with a lapped car on the 15th circuit, ending his run behind the wrecker, the first and only caution of the race. The field restarted single file, and with the low line the preferred way around, Bollinger and Long hugged the low groove, putting distance over the pack. While Long dogged the leader, Bollinger made no mistakes, and it was a very happy driver who took the checkers. Long settled for second followed by Walsh, Shaun Deering and Donovan Lodge.
It would be 40 trips around the oval to decide who would take home the $5,000 top prize for the late models. Heat one winner Tyler Erb, the Texas teenager, and heat three winner Pierce sat on row one, while heat two victor Ryan Unzicker was joined by Michael Kloos in row tow. Pierce used a dandy crossover move to lead lap one, quickly moving to the low side of the track, while Erb was hanging his # 91 out on the high side, retaking the second spot from Unzicker on lap two. Eight laps in, Kloos found his way past Unzicker for third. The leaders were into heavy traffic by lap 13 when the caution waved for a spinning Bo Brockway. Both Pierce and Erb took evasive action, going over the top of the track, but neither made contact, and both were allowed to restart at the front. Again the restart was single file, and by now 16th starting Jason Feger was in the top ten, and he charged to his familiar high line on the speedway. Two circuits later he was up to eighth, but Pierce was opening a lead as Kloos moved up to challenge Erb. Lap 17 saw Kloos take second, on lap 19 Feger moved to seventh. The second and final caution came for a stopped Gordy Gundaker on lap 20, and he was the first to drop from the action. On the restart, Kloos mounted a challenge of Pierce, and while they battled, Unzicker slipped around Erb and Feger moved to sixth on lap 23. Two circuits later, it was Erb again powering around the high side, gaining two spots back to the runner up slot. But the 19 year old Pierce was a master in traffic, and he completed the flag to flag win, his tenth on the Summernationals tour. Victory lane at QR is a familiar place for Bobby, who was something of a semi regular at the Bullring for a couple of seasons. Erb earned plenty of style points for his second place run. Kloos was steady in third, followed by Unzicker and Dustin Griffin. Feger advance ten spots to finish sixth ahead of Bob Gardner in brother John back up # 38c. Bob had his # 4G out of the hauler, reloaded when the rains came, the could not get the door open on the hauler! Track regulars Jason Perry, Mark Burgtorf, Denny Woodworth, and Justin Reed were next on the final grid.
With the clock now heading to the 10:00 hour, grandson Peyton and I headed to the car before the sport mod finale. Congratulations to rookie Justin Ebbing on his feature win over Austen Beccera and " racer X," Brandon Lennox.
The Summernational tour wraps up this coming week in Indiana, Michigan and Ohio, while Quincy Raceways gets back to weekly racing next Sunday. See you at the races!
Friday, July 8, 2016
The Show Must Go On
If we are finally seeing some rain, it must be fair time, and the Lee County Fairgrounds in Donnellson got their share and then some on Thursday morning. But we are talking about a top notch crew and a superior racing surface, and by the time I made my way to the track after work, it was obvious we would have a good night of racing. I decided to take the bus ride around the track and through the pits to check things out, and while the track was still a bit greasy, the pits showed how much rain had fallen.
Still the races started less than ten minutes after the advertised start time, and before the 13 heat races were complete, their was an excellent crowd of regulars and fairgoers in the grandstands.
The IMCA sport mod feature ran first, 15 cars for 18 laps. Of all the tracks we attend, no place do the sport mods put on a better show than at Donnellson, and tonight did not disappoint. Tony Dunker took the lead from the outside pole, with Jim Gillenwater coming from row two to second position. When the caution waved on lap four for a Tanner Klingele spin, Dunker had fashioned a nice lead, and Brett Lowry was now in second. The yellow waved again one lap later, with Gillenwater again in the runnerup spot. On this restart, Jim shot to the lead using a low line, and Dunker powered off the turn one cushion to regain the spot the next circuit. Again the two veterans swapped the lead before Dunker began to pull away. Meanwhile, a solid three car battle was going on behind them. In the closing laps, Gillenwater began to work his magic on the bottom of the 3/8 mile, and on the final lap in turn two, where Dunker had been so dominate, Gillenwater found a bite on the low side and took the lead. Dunker tried to fight back, but had to settle for second. Joey Gower came home third ahead of Lowry.
The 16 305 sprint cars were up next for 20 laps. Dave Getchell took the early lead, but Ben Wagner, who had dominated in his heat race, took over when Getchell bobbled slightly on lap seven. One lap later, lapped traffic came into play, but Wagner was up to the task. By the 15th circuit, the # 84 had a straightaway lead, but the caution waved, erasing his margin. One lap later, the final caution of the race came out, but Wagner was in control, taking the win ahead of Getchell, Dustin Clark, and Harold Pohren.
The IMCA sport compacts were next, with 18 starters. Brandon Reu paced the opening trip past the flagstand, but Josh Barnes took over on lap two. Barry Taft in his sharp red #57 was running as well as I have seen him, and he moved to third on lap three. Following a caution on lap six, Taft was shuffled back, with Kimberly Abbott charging to second. Five laps later, Taft had recovered to regain the runner up position, but Barnes stayed in control to take the win. Taft, Abbott, and Reu completed the top four.
Scott Dickey made a rare appearance at LCS on his ninth wedding anniversary, drawing a front row slot for the 20 lap finale for the IMCA modifieds. Bill Roberts Jr began to apply pressure, as Dennis Laveine charged to third following a duel with Jeff Waterman. Dickey began to pull away before a pair of yellows on laps 12 and 13. On lap 18, Waterman retook third from Laveine, with the top four crossing the checkers in that order.
Night number three of the IMCA stock car shootout became night two after a rain out in Oskaloosa and all but two of the 21 entrants took the green flag in the $1,000 to win event. New Papa Brandon Savage and West Liberty regular David Brandies sat on row one, with Savage leading the first lap. Modified ace Kyle Brown was wheeling a Damon Murty # 99 machine, and he took the lead on the second go around, followed by Brandies, Murty, and Savage. During a lap four caution, Savage retired to the pits, and two laps later, Brown pulled to the infield following a puff of smoke. It was now Brandies in charge followed by Murty, and an attention grabbing battle for third between Jeremy Pundt, John Oliver Jr, six time feature winner Jeff Mueller, and visiting Johnny Spaw. 14 laps in, Oliver took third from Pundt, with a final caution one circuit later. On the restart, Brandies began to stretch his lead, while the battle behind now included second through seventh. Two laps from the end of the 20 lapper, Murty bobbled, falling out of the top five, and there was Mueller, now in second. But this night belonged to Brandies, with Mueller, Pundt, Oliver, and Spaw in tow.
The Lee County late model 25 lap finale also paid $1,000 to the winner, and 14 cars signed in to take the challenge, including first time 2016 visitor Jay Johnson. Only Russ Schoonover failed to make the feature call. Jay grabbed the heat one win by a good margin, then drew the pole start for the feature with three time winner Sam Halstead alongside. Johnson paced lap one ahead of Halstead and third starting Tommy Elston. The second trip around saw Elston move to second, and on lap four, he slipped past Johnson for the lead. Lap six saw sixth starting Jeff Guengerich advance to third.. The first caution came with six laps down as Brandon Potts stopped in turn two. Back under green, Guengerich took the runner up slot, but it was Elston with a straightaway lead by lap 13. Gunner Frank looped his ride to bring out a caution on a lap15, and back to racing, Guengerich slipped to fifth, as Johnson regained second and Colby Springsteen climbed to third. Colby claimed second on lap 18, and with Elston again in command, the final yellow came with four to go. Although Springsteen had this final chance, he could not overtake Elston, who amazingly said he won his first ever Lee County fair race. Springsteen took second ahead of Guengerich, Johnson, and Derek Liles, who made a late move to enter the top five. Halstead finished sixth, with Tom Darbyshire and the father son duo of Charles and Laine Vanzandt the only other cars taking the checkers.
The Thursday night race replaced the usual Friday night fare this week, and there will also be no races next Friday at Donnellson, with the show moving to the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis,Mo. during the fair there.
My next show will likely be the annual visit by the UMP Summernational late models and UMP Summit modifieds this Sunday at Quincy Raceways. Finally, the forecast sounds promising for Quincy.
Still the races started less than ten minutes after the advertised start time, and before the 13 heat races were complete, their was an excellent crowd of regulars and fairgoers in the grandstands.
The IMCA sport mod feature ran first, 15 cars for 18 laps. Of all the tracks we attend, no place do the sport mods put on a better show than at Donnellson, and tonight did not disappoint. Tony Dunker took the lead from the outside pole, with Jim Gillenwater coming from row two to second position. When the caution waved on lap four for a Tanner Klingele spin, Dunker had fashioned a nice lead, and Brett Lowry was now in second. The yellow waved again one lap later, with Gillenwater again in the runnerup spot. On this restart, Jim shot to the lead using a low line, and Dunker powered off the turn one cushion to regain the spot the next circuit. Again the two veterans swapped the lead before Dunker began to pull away. Meanwhile, a solid three car battle was going on behind them. In the closing laps, Gillenwater began to work his magic on the bottom of the 3/8 mile, and on the final lap in turn two, where Dunker had been so dominate, Gillenwater found a bite on the low side and took the lead. Dunker tried to fight back, but had to settle for second. Joey Gower came home third ahead of Lowry.
The 16 305 sprint cars were up next for 20 laps. Dave Getchell took the early lead, but Ben Wagner, who had dominated in his heat race, took over when Getchell bobbled slightly on lap seven. One lap later, lapped traffic came into play, but Wagner was up to the task. By the 15th circuit, the # 84 had a straightaway lead, but the caution waved, erasing his margin. One lap later, the final caution of the race came out, but Wagner was in control, taking the win ahead of Getchell, Dustin Clark, and Harold Pohren.
The IMCA sport compacts were next, with 18 starters. Brandon Reu paced the opening trip past the flagstand, but Josh Barnes took over on lap two. Barry Taft in his sharp red #57 was running as well as I have seen him, and he moved to third on lap three. Following a caution on lap six, Taft was shuffled back, with Kimberly Abbott charging to second. Five laps later, Taft had recovered to regain the runner up position, but Barnes stayed in control to take the win. Taft, Abbott, and Reu completed the top four.
Scott Dickey made a rare appearance at LCS on his ninth wedding anniversary, drawing a front row slot for the 20 lap finale for the IMCA modifieds. Bill Roberts Jr began to apply pressure, as Dennis Laveine charged to third following a duel with Jeff Waterman. Dickey began to pull away before a pair of yellows on laps 12 and 13. On lap 18, Waterman retook third from Laveine, with the top four crossing the checkers in that order.
Night number three of the IMCA stock car shootout became night two after a rain out in Oskaloosa and all but two of the 21 entrants took the green flag in the $1,000 to win event. New Papa Brandon Savage and West Liberty regular David Brandies sat on row one, with Savage leading the first lap. Modified ace Kyle Brown was wheeling a Damon Murty # 99 machine, and he took the lead on the second go around, followed by Brandies, Murty, and Savage. During a lap four caution, Savage retired to the pits, and two laps later, Brown pulled to the infield following a puff of smoke. It was now Brandies in charge followed by Murty, and an attention grabbing battle for third between Jeremy Pundt, John Oliver Jr, six time feature winner Jeff Mueller, and visiting Johnny Spaw. 14 laps in, Oliver took third from Pundt, with a final caution one circuit later. On the restart, Brandies began to stretch his lead, while the battle behind now included second through seventh. Two laps from the end of the 20 lapper, Murty bobbled, falling out of the top five, and there was Mueller, now in second. But this night belonged to Brandies, with Mueller, Pundt, Oliver, and Spaw in tow.
The Lee County late model 25 lap finale also paid $1,000 to the winner, and 14 cars signed in to take the challenge, including first time 2016 visitor Jay Johnson. Only Russ Schoonover failed to make the feature call. Jay grabbed the heat one win by a good margin, then drew the pole start for the feature with three time winner Sam Halstead alongside. Johnson paced lap one ahead of Halstead and third starting Tommy Elston. The second trip around saw Elston move to second, and on lap four, he slipped past Johnson for the lead. Lap six saw sixth starting Jeff Guengerich advance to third.. The first caution came with six laps down as Brandon Potts stopped in turn two. Back under green, Guengerich took the runner up slot, but it was Elston with a straightaway lead by lap 13. Gunner Frank looped his ride to bring out a caution on a lap15, and back to racing, Guengerich slipped to fifth, as Johnson regained second and Colby Springsteen climbed to third. Colby claimed second on lap 18, and with Elston again in command, the final yellow came with four to go. Although Springsteen had this final chance, he could not overtake Elston, who amazingly said he won his first ever Lee County fair race. Springsteen took second ahead of Guengerich, Johnson, and Derek Liles, who made a late move to enter the top five. Halstead finished sixth, with Tom Darbyshire and the father son duo of Charles and Laine Vanzandt the only other cars taking the checkers.
The Thursday night race replaced the usual Friday night fare this week, and there will also be no races next Friday at Donnellson, with the show moving to the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis,Mo. during the fair there.
My next show will likely be the annual visit by the UMP Summernational late models and UMP Summit modifieds this Sunday at Quincy Raceways. Finally, the forecast sounds promising for Quincy.
Monday, July 4, 2016
Droste Wins Again
After a short vacation at Lake of the Ozarks to start the holiday weekend, I was ready for some racing action. And despite the fact that the rainfall totals in my area were far from robust, it was still enough to put a stop to any dirt track activities. So I joined up with son Brent, wife Lyne and grandson Payton, and we headed north to the Dubuque, Iowa Speedway for an IMCA late model Tri Track Challenge event. While I made my first ever visit to Dubuque earlier this season, Brent had never been to the 3/8 mile fairgrounds facility, so it was a track he could add to his list of venues.
The car count on this Sunday evening was considerably less than for the same program over Memorial Day weekend, but my reading tells me that dwindling car counts seems to be a problem in many places. Still 17 IMCA late models signed in, along with 19 IMCA modifieds, 16 IMCA sport mods and five IMCA stock cars.
Eight heat races to set the feature lineups clicked off in about 45 minutes and following a short intermission, it was main event time.
The IMCA sport mods ran first, with all 16 making the call for 15 laps of racing. A first lap yellow slowed the action, and on the restart, Nick Coats paced the first circuit but looped his ride in turn one on the second lap. Back under green, it was Jake Murphy going around in the same spot. One more restart saw Mark Maas take the lead, but on the third trip around, point leader Tyler Soppe, who started in row five on the original start, took over the top spot. Maas stayed in the runner up spot until Troy Bauer powered his way to second on lap nine. With no more cautions, the top three ran the final six laps in that order, with Austin Schrage and KC Ansel completing the top five at the checkers. Soppe in victory lane said it was his 14th win of the season, and that he planned to run a whopping 70 races in 2016!
The IMCA stock car 15 lap finale was next. Tim Schneider grabbed the lead on the opening lap. with point leader Jerry Miles soon on his tail. Schneider hugged the inside line while Miles tried every grove he could to try and overtake the leader. But with no yellows, Schneider made no mistakes in taking the flag to flag win.
The 20 lap 19 car IMCA modified feature was up next. Steve Johnson, driving a # 22 machine instead of his familiar # 77, grabbed the early lead, holding on until a lap six caution. On the Delaware restart, Jed Frieburger an Austin Moyer lined up behind Johnson, and Moyer shot to the lead from the low line. One lap later, Johnson was back on top, again leading until a yellow on lap 14. Again Moyer was fastest on the start, grabbing a lead he would not this time give up. Frieburger followed Moyer around Johnson, and the final six circuits clicked off in this order. Tyler Madigan took fourth while Mark Schulte made a mid race charge, but settled for fifth.
It was now late model time, with 50 laps of racing set to pay $2,000 to the winner. Ray Guss Jr. had qualified for the ten car redraw, but he was the only car in the four classes not on track for his feature.
Dan Shelliam drew the pole position, with Curt Martin in the # 31 normally driver by Steve Hunter to his outside. Heat winners Andy Nezworski and Tyler Droste made up row two. Shelliam jumped to the lead with Nezworski on his heels. Soon, however, Shelliam was riding the extreme high line and had opened a sizable advantage. The man on the move early was Jason Rauen, who entered the top five on lap five. Behind Rauen, Joel Callahan and Luke Goedert ran side by side until the first caution waved for a three car mixup on the backstretch with eight laps scored. Two laps later, Droste had slipped past Martin for third, and the caution came out again. Back under green, Droste moved around Nezworski for second. On lap 13, Callahan was in the top five, and one lap later Callahan, the track point leader advanced to fourth while Nezworski found his way back around Droste. Those two battled for the second spot, and by lap 18, Droste had secured second and hooked up on the low line to challenge the rim riding Shelliam. On lap 21, Shelliam bobbled slightly in turn four, and that was all the opening Droste needed to grab the lead, while Callahan moved to a third place battle with Nezworski. In the meantime, row six starter Jeremiah Hurst has slipped into the top five. A lap one collision in his heat race with Eric Pollard had ruined both drivers chances at a redraw finish. As Droste stretched his lead, Callahan made contact with the wall and began to fade, eventually pitting to change a flat tire after bringing out a caution on lap 43. Hurst was now in third and looking like he may have something for the leaders. Restarting for the final seven laps, Nezworski faded, and it was now a surging Martin picking off cars. But no one could seriously challenge Droste, as he cruised to the win as he had when I was in the stands in May. Shelliam had a strong run in second, while Hurst held off Martin for third. Callahan made it back to fifth after the tire change. Goedert scored sixth ahead of Darrell Defrance, Nezworski, and Rauen. Jerry King was tenth, and Becky Roth was the only other car running at the checkers.
The final flag waved about 8:50, and we were able to knock down part of the 200 plus mile journey home before dark.
Plans for this week include the Thursday night special at the Lee County Fair in Donnellson, Iowa, and UMP Summernational late models at Quincy Raceways on Sunday as we begin the second half of race season 2016!
The car count on this Sunday evening was considerably less than for the same program over Memorial Day weekend, but my reading tells me that dwindling car counts seems to be a problem in many places. Still 17 IMCA late models signed in, along with 19 IMCA modifieds, 16 IMCA sport mods and five IMCA stock cars.
Eight heat races to set the feature lineups clicked off in about 45 minutes and following a short intermission, it was main event time.
The IMCA sport mods ran first, with all 16 making the call for 15 laps of racing. A first lap yellow slowed the action, and on the restart, Nick Coats paced the first circuit but looped his ride in turn one on the second lap. Back under green, it was Jake Murphy going around in the same spot. One more restart saw Mark Maas take the lead, but on the third trip around, point leader Tyler Soppe, who started in row five on the original start, took over the top spot. Maas stayed in the runner up spot until Troy Bauer powered his way to second on lap nine. With no more cautions, the top three ran the final six laps in that order, with Austin Schrage and KC Ansel completing the top five at the checkers. Soppe in victory lane said it was his 14th win of the season, and that he planned to run a whopping 70 races in 2016!
The IMCA stock car 15 lap finale was next. Tim Schneider grabbed the lead on the opening lap. with point leader Jerry Miles soon on his tail. Schneider hugged the inside line while Miles tried every grove he could to try and overtake the leader. But with no yellows, Schneider made no mistakes in taking the flag to flag win.
The 20 lap 19 car IMCA modified feature was up next. Steve Johnson, driving a # 22 machine instead of his familiar # 77, grabbed the early lead, holding on until a lap six caution. On the Delaware restart, Jed Frieburger an Austin Moyer lined up behind Johnson, and Moyer shot to the lead from the low line. One lap later, Johnson was back on top, again leading until a yellow on lap 14. Again Moyer was fastest on the start, grabbing a lead he would not this time give up. Frieburger followed Moyer around Johnson, and the final six circuits clicked off in this order. Tyler Madigan took fourth while Mark Schulte made a mid race charge, but settled for fifth.
It was now late model time, with 50 laps of racing set to pay $2,000 to the winner. Ray Guss Jr. had qualified for the ten car redraw, but he was the only car in the four classes not on track for his feature.
Dan Shelliam drew the pole position, with Curt Martin in the # 31 normally driver by Steve Hunter to his outside. Heat winners Andy Nezworski and Tyler Droste made up row two. Shelliam jumped to the lead with Nezworski on his heels. Soon, however, Shelliam was riding the extreme high line and had opened a sizable advantage. The man on the move early was Jason Rauen, who entered the top five on lap five. Behind Rauen, Joel Callahan and Luke Goedert ran side by side until the first caution waved for a three car mixup on the backstretch with eight laps scored. Two laps later, Droste had slipped past Martin for third, and the caution came out again. Back under green, Droste moved around Nezworski for second. On lap 13, Callahan was in the top five, and one lap later Callahan, the track point leader advanced to fourth while Nezworski found his way back around Droste. Those two battled for the second spot, and by lap 18, Droste had secured second and hooked up on the low line to challenge the rim riding Shelliam. On lap 21, Shelliam bobbled slightly in turn four, and that was all the opening Droste needed to grab the lead, while Callahan moved to a third place battle with Nezworski. In the meantime, row six starter Jeremiah Hurst has slipped into the top five. A lap one collision in his heat race with Eric Pollard had ruined both drivers chances at a redraw finish. As Droste stretched his lead, Callahan made contact with the wall and began to fade, eventually pitting to change a flat tire after bringing out a caution on lap 43. Hurst was now in third and looking like he may have something for the leaders. Restarting for the final seven laps, Nezworski faded, and it was now a surging Martin picking off cars. But no one could seriously challenge Droste, as he cruised to the win as he had when I was in the stands in May. Shelliam had a strong run in second, while Hurst held off Martin for third. Callahan made it back to fifth after the tire change. Goedert scored sixth ahead of Darrell Defrance, Nezworski, and Rauen. Jerry King was tenth, and Becky Roth was the only other car running at the checkers.
The final flag waved about 8:50, and we were able to knock down part of the 200 plus mile journey home before dark.
Plans for this week include the Thursday night special at the Lee County Fair in Donnellson, Iowa, and UMP Summernational late models at Quincy Raceways on Sunday as we begin the second half of race season 2016!
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