Race night number 35 found me at Quincy Raceways, where a handful of first time visitors watched a host of previous winners take the feature checkers.
Once again things started right on time with 6:15 hot laps, and with the computer issues fixed, the UMP modifieds went to hot laps/group qualifying, with Shaun Deering setting quick time at 14.6 seconds. Heat races for the 54 cars clicked off in about 40 minutes followed by intermission, and then it was feature time for the six classes on the card.
Thanks to a pair of donations, the UMP crate late models were racing for $850.00 to win, and their 25 lap feature was run first. Vance Wilson and Tommy Elston lined up on row one, but it was heat winner Denny Woodworth charging from row two to lead the opening circuit, trailed by Elston and Wilson. Clint Kirkham started in the second row, but quickly headed to the pits as racing began. The first yellow flag came at lap four. First time visitor Roben Huffman slowed and was trying to exit the track when he was tagged by Cliff Powell, who spun and stopped on the backstretch. Back under green, Woodworth jumped back out to a commanding lead. Laine Vanzandt was out for the first time in 2018 driving his fathers #80V, and he was battling for third with Wilson when he contacted the front stretch wall, coming to a stop on lap 14. The caution only slowed the dominate win for the point leader Woodworth. Elston came home in second, while Wilson wrestled his way to third having lost his power steering about halfway through the event. Powell, Vanzandt, and Melvin Linder completed the top six, with Huffman and Kirkham scored in seventh and eighth respectively.
Next up was the 18 lap IMCA stock car finale. The always competitive stock cars came to the stripe four wide to complete lap one, while Michael Larsen edged ahead of the pack as lap two was scored. A four car scrum brought out the yellow on lap three, with Abe Huls grabbing the lead when racing resumed. Larsen and Dean Kratzer came together while fighting for the inside line in turn four on lap four ending the night for Larsen. Back under green, Beau Taylor lined up third in the Delaware restart. Winner of three of the last four main events, Taylor had dropped out of the heat race and started ninth on the feature grid. It was Huls pulling out to a big lead, however and Taylor soon had to defend his runner up spot from Brandon Savage. At the same time, there developed a five car side by side and nose to tail battle for fourth even as everyone tried to get to the inside groove, clearly the fastest way around the .29 mile oval. The second and final caution came for a Jake Powers spin on lap 14. The restart proved no problem for Huls, who cruised to his second win of the weekend. Taylor hugged the low line in second, while Savage saw his high side charge fall short as he settled for third. Steve Mast drove a steady race to finish fourth, and Kratzer rebounded to fifth.
Heat winners Dave Weitholder and Kevin Blackburn brought the 14 UMP modifieds to green for 25 scheduled laps of feature racing. It would be as painful to read about as it was to watch as seven caution periods slowed what had to at that point been a snappy program. By lap six the field was realligning single file, but it was still a Tilt-a-Whirl event. Weitholder stayed patient, leading flag to flag for the win. Just as Blackburn looked as though he would challenge the point leader, he ducked to the pits just past the halfway mark. Deering was involved in a pair of early cautions, but picked his way back to the front, completing a late pass of Joey Gower to take second. Michael Vandereit took fourth in his first 2018 visit to QR, and Mark Enk scored a top five. Eight cars were still running at the checkers.
A.J. Tournear powered from row two to lead by a nose as the first lap of the IMCA sport mod 18 lapper was scored. Point leader Adam Birck had started in row four, but was out front at the end of the second circuit. His row four partner, Austen Becerra had required a push start after his car died during parade laps, but he motored to third on lap three.. Becerra then claimed second one lap later ahead of a lap five caution. The second of four yellow flags came on lap eight, and on the restart Becerra began to drive the high line around the track in pursuit of Birck. Two more cautions came at lap 14 and 16, which then set up a green, white, checkers finish. Birck held on for the win, while Becerra settled for the runner up finish. Brandyn Ryan got around Tournear for third, and John Renier scored a fifth place finish. A front straightaway caution at the checkers resulted in heavy damage to the #155 of Terry Wilson.
Ten IMCA sport compacts were up next for twelve laps. Point leader Barry Taft came from the second row to edge Alyssa Steele as lap one was scored. Brandon Ruffcorn slipped past Steele, then charged around Taft on lap three. Two circuits later, Ruffcorn was momentarily caught behind a slower car in turn three, and Taft drove back to the lead. Ruffcorn retook the lead on lap seven. As the white flag waved, Steele suddenly slowed, losing two spots before regaining her momentum even as Ruffcorn pulled to the pits. Taft then scored the win. Darin Weisinger Jr. crossed the line second ahead of Kimberly Abbott, Steele, and first timer Mason Edwards.
The #32 Delonjay car topped the two person cruiser feature.
QR notes: In response to my question as to why the extra $350.00 late model money was not distributed throughout the purse to perhaps draw more cars, I was told that the folks who put up the money wanted it all to go to the winner. That combined with Jacksonville Speedway having a Sunday night race scheduled held down hoped for car count increases. The late models also lost one regular when Brandon Savage sold his crate late and moved back to the stock car class. Brandon says he simply did not have the time required to keep his late model program going. Interestingly, he is married to Beau Taylors' sister, adding an extra element to their competition in the competitive division. Weitholder and wife Tonya celebrated their 23rd wedding anniversary as Dave picked up another win. With the race program under new direction, action has started at the advertised time for the last two nights of racing. Other improvements include the previously mentioned the qualifying procedure for the modifieds and reinstatement of the "spin rule." A driver involved in one solo caution in heat racing or two in the feature are sent to the pits. Although that did not play a big role on Sunday, all of the changes combined resulted in the final checkers waving just before 9:30. Track owner Jason Goble addressed the crowd during intermission to state that despite any rumors to the contrary, he would be operating the track again in 2019.
While not on the original schedule, the sport compacts have been added to the program for next Sunday, August 12.
Family activities will take a big bite out of next weekend for me, so I am not sure when or where my next race night will be.
Thanks for reading, and say "Hi" when you see me Racin' Down the Road.
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