Babb Tops at the Slocum 50

 It was a cool, grey sky Saturday evening at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, but that did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm surrounding the tenth running of the Slocum 50. For the first nine years of the race honoring the late Brent Slocum, Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt had presided over the event as the leaders of the charitable Slocum Foundation. But this year the long time couple changed hats as the new owner/promoter team of the historic 3/8 mile facility, now in its sixth decade of operation. The race was moved to the third Saturday of April this season to facilitate the first year of sanctioning by the Midwest Late Model Racing Association, familiarly known as the MLRA. And based on the excellent turnout of 37 super late models, it will hopefully be the beginning of a yearly partnership with the southern Missouri based organization. The late models were racing for a cool $10,555.00 to win, a nod to the #5 that Slocum carried on his late models. Also on the card were two weekly classes at 34, the 305 sprints vying for a $1,000.00 winners check, and the IMCA stock cars battling for a top prize of $555.00.
  Following hot lap action, the late models qualified two at a time for two timed laps, with each driver scored by his best lap. Chad Simpson was the overall fast qualifier with a lap of 15.715 seconds around the high banked oval.
 The 305 sprints then ran a pair of heat races for the 17 cars on hand, with Ryan Jamison and Harold Pohren taking the wins.
  Up next was four ten lap late model heats, lined up by time trials, fast cars on the front. As a result, all four winners came from the inside pole position. Chad Simpson bested row two starter Will Vaught in heat one, while Dave Eckrich outran row two starter Mitch McGrath in heat two. Shannon Babb got the jump on outside row one starter Billy Drake to capture heat three, and Chris Simpson did the same to Ryan Unzicker in the final heat, both of those drivers former Slocum winners.
  Three stock car heats set the 19 car starting grid for their main event later in the evening. Tom Bowling Jr., Jeff Mueller, and Kurt Kinsley took the heat race checkers.
  With the top four in each late model heat moving on to the feature, the remaining 21 drivers were lined up for a pair of 12 lap B mains, with the top three from each heading to the main event. Brian Shirley, who finished second to Chris Simpson the night before at the Davenport Speedway topped Joe Godsey and Jake Neal in the first consy, and Spencer Diercks grabbed the final qualifier over Rob Toland, and Kolby Vandenbergh. Kolby had just missed transferring out of the B main at Davenport. A host of series provisional starters, plus a couple of MLRA regulars using emergency provisionals swelled the starting grid for the finale to 27 cars.
  Following a quick presentation of the Slocum Foundation scholarship award, the 305 sprints lined up for 20 laps of feature racing.
  The first caution came on the opening lap, as Jamison got turned around between turns three and four. Back to racing, an altercation at the backstretch exit saw the cars of Pohren and Dave Getchell get upside down, with Pohren flipping multiple times. Nick Guernsey was also forced to take evasive action. The resulting red flag delay gave Jamison a chance to make repairs and rejoin the field without missing any laps. Getchell and Guernsey also made it back out, while Pohren was done for the night. On the third try, row two starter Brayden Gaylord wheeled his # 13 to the front, with pole sitter Jared Schneiderman and Daniel Berquist battling for second. Schneiderman saw his run end on lap eight, and one circuit later Tanner Gebhardt moved to the runner up spot. The yellow waved one more time on lap ten, but Gaylord was dialed in, and he negotiated slower traffic for the final three laps to grab the win. Gebhardt took second followed by Ben Wagner, Berquist, and Guernsey.
  Track officials then decided the racing surface was locking down, so it was decided to do some  " farming " to create the opportunity for the final two features to be competitive. While it created a bit of a delay, it did make for exciting racing for the stock cars and late models.
  Kinsley vaulted to the early lead in the stock car feature, with David Brandies taking over on lap two. Following a lap six caution, John Oliver Jr. used the Delaware restart to take second.  The red flag halted the action on lap eleven as Doplar flipped his mount between turns three and four. With cleanup complete, the green waved, and now it was Abe Huls on the move. He jumped to the third spot, then took second as the yellow waved on lap 15. The tightly bunched pack saw several cars get shuffled out of contention on the restart, and as the leaders prepared to take the white flag, once more the yellow flew instead. This set up a two lap dash for cash, With Brandies hanging on for the win. Huls ran second, with Oliver third. Brandon Rothzen was piloting a #33 stock car, and came all the way from the last starting spot to take fourth. Kinsley completed the top five. With the West Liberty Raceway idle this year, Brandies will be searching for a new Saturday night track, and should give 34 strong consideration after his victory.
  It was now time for the 50 lap headliner. Chad Simpson and Babb lined up on row one, but it was outside row two starter Chris Simpson powering to the first lap lead. After his dominant performance the night before at Davenport, it looked like the race might have a back to back winner for the first time. But as the large crowd in unison held up five fingers on lap five, a yearly tradition, Babb used a high side move to take the lead. As the leaders caught slower traffic on lap nine, several cars got in a scrum, bringing out the yellow. Back under green, it was now eighth starting Unzicker on the move, as he took fourth, and one lap later he slipped past Chad Simpson for third. Unzicker and Chad then battled back and forth before Simpson regained the advantage. By the 15th circuit, Billy Drake was on the move, challenging Unzicker for fourth.  Babb once again found himself in traffic on lap 18, and Chris Simpson quickly closed in. One lap after the crossed flags signaled the halfway point of the 50 laps. Drake powered to fourth, taking Dave Eckrich along in fifth. The elder statesman of the racing Eckrich brothers had lined up in row two, faded early, but was now on the move. The race stayed green as the laps clicked off, and there were cars all over the track with little attrition. This resulted in constant traffic concerns for the leader, but the veteran Babb skillfully picked his way through the still competitive back of the pack. The Simpson brothers were able to keep the #18 in sight even as they waged a sometimes side by side battle for the runner up spot until the closing laps when Babb was able to gain a cushion of a couple of lapped cars. In those final laps the track had once again slicked off, making passing a tough chore. A jubilant Babb picked up the big check, announcing in victory lane that his nervous wife was waiting at home, expecting the birth of their child in the coming days! Chris held off  Chad for second, and was quick to thank his brother for racing him clean for the runner up spot. Chris now has two wins and a second in MLRA events so far this season. Drake was impessive in fourth, while Eckrich was solid in fifth. Unzicker led the second five, followed by Vaught, Jesse Stovall, Payton Looney, and Mason Oberkramer. Shirley and Tyler Bruening finished second and third respectively Friday night, but could managed only eleventh and twelfth on Saturday.
  34 Raceway will be back next week with regular season action, while the MLRA will return to the region in two weeks, with a Thursday night, May 3 date at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson followed by a return trip the next night to Davenport where they will tackle the 1/4 mile.
  The new team at 34 has already made several improvements, including a new spectator entrance/ exit road which improved traffic flow considerably. And in my two trips so far in 2018, the racing surface has been smooth and fast! Thanks to Jessi and Brad for their hospitality, be sure to check out 34 Raceway for a solid Saturday night race program.
  Tonight, Sunday, I plan to make it a triple header weekend as the sun is shining and new owner.promoter Jason Goble should be able to finally lift the lid on the 2018 season at Quincy Raceways.