Fair Racing in Donnellson

  Thursday was race night at Lee County Speedway during Iowas' oldest county fair. The regular weekly five classes were featured, with extra money up for grabs in all divisions, with a draw/redraw format used to determine lineups. There were new faces competing in each class, but a few regulars were missing, likely due to the event being on Thursday. A total of 57 cars offered up some quality racing in front of a solid crowd. The sun was bearing down as hot laps began about 7:05, but as dusk arrived, the southerly breeze made for pleasant conditions.
   The nine heat races clicked off in timely fashion, and the brief intermission barely left Fred enough time to hunt down a funnel cake before the first feature hit the track.
   All but one of the eleven IMCA sport compacts lined up for 14 laps. It took two tries to get started, as Mike Hornung Jr. looped his ride on the the opening lap. Mike Reu jumped to the early lead, with Josh Barnes taking over on lap three. Soon the front six cars pulled away, with an intense battle for second between Reu, Kimberly Abbott, and Barry Taft. Abbott took command of the runner up spot on lap eight, only to give it up to Taft the next time around. As the laps clicked off, Taft ran down the leader and was set to mount a challenge when Barnes suddenly slowed and pulled to the infield with two laps to go. The same fate had befallen the driver of the 13B in his heat race. The eighth starting Taft then picked up the win over Abbott, Reu, Jake Dietrich, and Brandon Reu.
   The IMCA sport mod class had the largest turnout with 14 cars, and all but one took the feature green for 18 laps. Brandon Dale used an outside front row start to pace the first lap. The caution flag waved on lap two for a spinning Daniel Campbell. Dale maintained the lead as racing resumed , however Brandon Lennox edged ahead on lap four. Before the lap was scored, the caution waved again, and Dale was lined up in the top spot. Dale then opened a comfortable lead, but the action was intense behind him. On the ninth circuit, third running Austen Beccerra slid high in what was a treacherous turn two, losing two spots, pulling to the infield soon after. Dale held his lead, but on the final lap he also slid to the top of turn two as he attempted to put Kyle Hamilton a lap down, allowing Lennox to close the gap. Lennox dove low in the final set of turns, and was less than a car length behind the leader as the checkers waved. Adam Birck held off visiting Blaine Webster for third, with Daniel Fellows completing the top five.
  A disappointing total of nine IMCA stock cars checked in, but as usual, the racing was tight. Jeremy Pundt and John Oliver Jr. drew the front row spots for the twenty lapper, with Oliver getting the jump at the line. Abe Huls cleared Pundt for second, and began to apply pressure to the leader. Oliver hugged the inside line, so Huls went to the top side, powering to the lead on lap four. As Abe opened a sizable lead, Pundt was glued to the bumper of Olivers #05. Around the seventh circuit, Pundt moved up one line, hounding Oliver for six more laps before finally grabbing the second spot at the 13 lap mark. By now Huls had a full straightaway lead, Pundt held second, and Oliver was dealing with Jason Cook in a battle for third. Huls completed his heat and feature sweep, followed by Pundt, Oliver, and Cook. Chad Krogmeier won an entertaining three car battle with Corey Strothman and Tom Bowling Jr. to finish fifth.
 All eleven IMCA modifieds came to the track for twenty laps. Outside row one starter Colby Springsteen took command early. On lap three, polesitter Mitch Boles and Steve Stewart made contact, with Boles winding up facing the wrong way in front of the grandstand, his night finished. Springsteen used the clear track to pull away from the pack as a half dozen cars jockeyed for position behind him. Dakota Simmons, David Brown, Bill Roberts Jr., Jeff Waterman, Bruce Hanford and Stewart battled for several laps before Waterman began to move forward. By lap seven he was fourth, and with the cars in front of him running the low line, he moved to the middle groove. Brown, a surprise visitor, took the runner up position at the half way mark, with Waterman following in third. Waterman nosed ahead of Brown as they passed the flag stand, but Brown had his #21D back out front as the pair entered turns one and two. Brown then began to pull away from Waterman, and was closing on the leader as the laps ran out. At the checkers, it was a flag to flag win for Springsteen, his first in a modified at LCS. Brown settled for second after starting sixth, while Waterman came from ninth to third. Simmons and Hanford turned in top five finishes.
 The final event of the night was the $1,000 to win twenty lap late model feature. An even dozen cars signed in for the night, with all making the feature call. There were some surprise entrants, including IMCA veteran Rob Toland, Quincy Raceways regular Cliff Powell, and Michael Hynes, the California driver who has been making the rounds the last few days in his plain white # 05.
  Toland and Tommy Elston were heat winners, but it was veteran Ron Boyse and youngster Dayton Lynch setting on the front row as we went green. The inside line got the jump early, with Boyse out front, followed by Toland from inside row two, Elston from inside row three, outside row three starter Todd Frank, and inside row four starter Sam Halstead forming the top five down the backstretch of the opening circuit. Elston cleared Toland for second one lap later, but Toland did not go away, continuing to challenge Elston for the spot. By lap six, Elston had shaken off Toland and was pressuring Boyse for the lead. He completed the pass the next time around, quickly opening a comfortable margin. Now all eyes were on a side by side duel between the father and son duo of Todd and Gunner Frank for fifth. The race went caution free, as Elston claimed I believe his fourth checkers of the season at the speedway. Boyse held the runner up position, with Toland in third. Halstead held off a challenge from the Franks to finish fourth, while Todd outlasted Gunner for fifth. Jeff Guengerich ran seventh ahead of Brandon Queen, Darrin Weisinger Jr., Lynch, and Powell. Hynes run ended early, as he spun into the infield off the still tricky turn two, electing to call it a race.
  It was vintage Donnellson, as the final checkers waved at 9:40, giving those who chose to do so plenty of time to enjoy the midway, which boasted a variety of rides and games.
  This weekend will be spent helping to host a couples wedding shower for grandson Keagan and his lovely fiance Megan, but there still may be a chance I can sneak out this evening and make the hour drive to the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis,Mo. for more county fair racing. Then again....
  Thanks for reading!