Monday, September 24, 2018
If It's September,This Must Be La Salle
Sunday afternoon, I rode shotgun with fellow blogger Jeff Broeg and super fan Gary Lee as we made our second annual trip to what was the eighth annual Gary Waite Jr. Memorial at the 1/4 mile La Salle,Il. Speedway. A large gathering of like minded folks turned out on a beautiful late afternoon to witness IRA/Mowa 410 sprint cars and UMP super late models vying for a $6,000 and $5,000 big check respectively. The 2018 addition also included the Wisconsin Wingless sprint cars.
Jeff has the details on the "Backstretch" at Positively Racing, I will just add a few thoughts on the full night of racing.
My home base in northeast Missouri puts me solidly in the middle of several different sanctioning bodies for both late models and sprints and while I do not claim a favorite, the contrasts are sometimes striking. This weekend magnified this for me, as Friday night the IMCA program at Davenport Speedway hosted 138 cars in four classes with the program complete in just over four hours. Sunday night the three classes at La Salle saw 103 teams sign in to a program coming in just shy of six hours. While two classes of sprint cars which needed to be push started obviously added time, the overriding factor was time trial qualifying used on the east side of the Mighty Mississippi. One at a time time trials of two laps for the 35 IRA sprints followed by 37 UMP late models qualifying two cars at a time for two laps resulted in heat race action coming about 1 1/2 hours after the advertised start time for hot laps. I am not looking to debate the pros and cons of qualifying, straight up starts
( late models), qualifying with partial inverts ( sprints), versus draw for starting spots with passing points or redraws, but the older I get, the more I can appreciate less seat time in the bleachers. Rapidly falling temperatures along with being four hours from home may have clouded my judgement a bit, as well.
That being said, there was plenty of action around the smooth, well lit oval. Unfortunately, the track was not at its raciest as hot laps and qualifying " used up " the track somewhat, leaving a narrow and treacherous cushion inches from the concrete wall.
The wingless cars spent most of their twenty lap main event - five laps less than our announcer had advertised - playing follow the leader around the bottom of the track. Alan Hafford led flag to flag, trailed all the way by Craig Compton, with the only caution of the race coming at an opportune time on lap 13, just as the leader caught slower traffic.
The thirty lap sprint main was the highlight of the night, both as the headliner class and in terms of racing. The open wheel warriors used the entire track, with the top line the preferred way around, Pole sitter Parker Price-Miller shot to the lead as the green waved, with teammate Gio Scelzi advancing quickly from row three to the runner up slot, the duo in nearly identical #71 machines. Fast qualifier Kerry Madsen was caught up in an early accident, ending his run as he was headed to the front, the first of only two times the action was interrupted. No doubt there were folks in the crowd who paid their money to witness Tony Stewart in his #14 put on a show. While the NASCAR superstar made his way to third, he could not run down the front pair, but held off Scotty Thiel and Brandon Wimmer in the top five spots.
For this late model fan, the best was saved for last, although the forty lap feature was mostly settled by the first turn. Fresh off a $5,000 win Saturday at Peoria Speedway, Brian Shirley set quick time at 14.299 seconds, putting him on the pole of heat number one, which he led flag to flag, earning the pole for the money race. " Squirrel " bested heat two winner, outside row one starter Chris Simpson into turn one, then negotiated slower traffic masterfully in a flag to flag win. But before I decide to trump the advantages of draw - redraw, it was basically the same scenario Friday for Andy Nezworski, who drew the front row for his heat, picked up the win, drew the pole for the feature and led from start to finish. So...
Only a lap two caution for a Paul Parker spin slowed the event, with Simpson coming home second. Third starting Billy Drake was shuffled back on the start, but moved to third on lap five, holding the position until the checkers, Allan Weisser gained six spots to take fourth ahead of Jason Feger. Rich Bell, Shannon Babb, Kevin Weaver, Scott Schmitt, and Mike Spatola completed the top ten.
There will be no racing for me this weekend, as grandson Keagan, my racing companion since about age seven, will tie the knot with his lovely fiancee Megan! Talk about feeling old...
There are lots of excellent choices to feed your racing fix this weekend, so make plans and head to the track!
Saturday, September 22, 2018
Nezworski Nabs Governors Cup
A whopping 138 race teams, lead by a surprising 43 IMCA late models piled into the pits Friday night at Davenport Speedway for the running of the Governors Cup. The event was also the 2018 finale for the IMCA late model Deery Brothers Summer Series, with their points championship on the line, as well.
Despite the late jam up at the pit gate as folks hustled to get off from work and make their way to the track, hot laps around the 1/4 mile oval started close to the 5:30 advertised time, concluding by 6:00.
Fifteen heat races were contested first, with the 38 IMCA sport mods leading things off with four eight lap qualifiers. Tyler Soppe, Jacob Elithorpe, Keith Blum, and Tony Olson all picked up wins. Next it was 41 IMCA mods in four ten lap events. Tony VonDresky, Joel Callahan, Austin Moyer, and Justin Kay went to victory lane, with Callahan and Kay then preparing to do battle in their late models.
Despite the announcement I am thought I heard that the top three in late model heats would go to the feature - or did I just assume since the top three went to the scales? - the top twelve in passing points from the five heats locked into the 40 lap headliner.
Luke Goedert, Chuck Hanna, Andy Nezworski, Richie Gustin, and Chad Holladay took heat wins, with sixth starting Gustin the only qualifier out of heat four.
A pair of heat races for the 16 street stocks went to Joe Bonney and Rob Nylin.
The action then shifted immediately to B mains, with Justin Becker and Aaron Mitchell topping the sport mods, and Chris Zogg and veteran Steve Johnson topping the mods.
The top five from each of the two twelve lap late model consys transferred to the main event. Tyler Bruening crossed the line second in heat five, started on the pole of the first B main and scored a flag to flag win. Andy Eckrich worked his way from fifth to capture the final qualifier. Todd Cooney did not make the call for the B after running fourth in his heat, but was awarded a feature provisional along with Chad Coyne.
With a curfew to contend with at the fairgrounds track, the sport mods lined up with no sign of an intermission , 24 cars for 15 laps. Gage Neal sat on the pole, leading as lap one was scored, then the caution flag waved. Incredibly, this would turn out to be the only caution of the race, aided, I am sure by the single file realignment. Soppe pulled alongside Neal at the line as lap two was complete, then put some distance on the #12N. Olson had started in row three, and he took over the runner up spot on lap nine. Austen Beccera made the long haul from Carthage,Illinois to Davenport, started in the sixth row and entered the top five four laps from the finish. The leader caught slower traffic at lap 13, but he expertly weaved his way through the back of the field over the final laps to grab the win. Olson settled for second, followed by Neal, Jared Frantzen, and Beccera.
The top two dozen modifieds were next for twenty laps. Brandon Durbin charged to the lead from the pole position, with Moyer running the high line and Kelly Meyers hugging the bottom in hot pursuit. As the laps clicked off, Kay, Darin Duffy, and Callahan, who started seventh, sixth, and tenth respectively began to run down the leaders while battling among themselves. At the lap twelve mark, Duffy muscled his way to third, and Kay followed him to fourth. One lap later, Duffy put his #19D in second as Kay and Moyer dueled for third. Kay took the spot at lap 16, just as the only yellow of the race was shown for a stalled Bob Dominacki. Following the single file restart, Kay powered to second, pulling alongside Durbin with two circuits remaining, then taking command as the white flag was set to fly. Justin grabbed the hard fought win, while Duffy found his way to second at the end. Durbin came home third, Moyer and Meyer scored top five finishes.
Kay was excused from a post race interview, as he along with Duffy and Callahan jumped from their mods into late models for the main event - Duffy in the #35 I believe normally driven by Ryan Claeys. Goedert and Nezworski lined up in row one, and they crossed the line side by side as the opening lap was scored. Nezworski assumed the top spot on the next lap, immediately opening up a significant lead on the wide, smooth, and slickening track. Gustin came from row two to second on lap four, and by now Andy held a nearly full straightaway lead. As the race stayed green, which it would do for all 40 laps, the leader caught slower traffic at lap eleven. Hanna began to work on Gustin for second, taking the spot at the halfway mark. It was now Kay on the move again, taking third on lap 24 after starting seventh. Gustin retook the spot on the next lap, but found lapped traffic blocking his low groove as Kay blew past again. As the laps wound down, Nezworski was tucked in behind Joe Zrostlik, with neither willing to move out of the preferred low line. This allowed first Hanna, then also Kay to erase the comfortable margin Nezworski had established. The leader finally eased around Zrostlik at lap 34. Hanna made a last lap attempt to overtake the leader, and it cost him two spots, as both Kay and tenth starting Ryan Dolan slipped around the #65. Bruening came from row seven to take fifth.
As a jubilant Nezworski prepared for his post race interview and the street stock feature sat in staging, we made our way to the car, hoping to beat much of the nice sized crowd out of the parking lot. With the clock still minutes shy of 9:30, it looked like the curfew would not be a factor. Considering the huge car count and the 25 scheduled races, I cannot say enough about the performance of the officials, track crew, including the often under appreciated wrecker crews. Not to be overlooked in this also is the cooperation of the drivers and crews to be ready in staging and driving smart to keep caution periods to a minimum.
Thanks to Carrie Rouse and the Davenport Speedway staff for their hospitality. There is one more race night on the speedway schedule, with a $2,000 to win street stock special the highlight of the season ending " Cheaters Night" and trailer races which will take place next Saturday, September 29.
Although fall is officially here, there is still lots of racing to be had, so get to a track near - or far - and I might see you there!
Despite the late jam up at the pit gate as folks hustled to get off from work and make their way to the track, hot laps around the 1/4 mile oval started close to the 5:30 advertised time, concluding by 6:00.
Fifteen heat races were contested first, with the 38 IMCA sport mods leading things off with four eight lap qualifiers. Tyler Soppe, Jacob Elithorpe, Keith Blum, and Tony Olson all picked up wins. Next it was 41 IMCA mods in four ten lap events. Tony VonDresky, Joel Callahan, Austin Moyer, and Justin Kay went to victory lane, with Callahan and Kay then preparing to do battle in their late models.
Despite the announcement I am thought I heard that the top three in late model heats would go to the feature - or did I just assume since the top three went to the scales? - the top twelve in passing points from the five heats locked into the 40 lap headliner.
Luke Goedert, Chuck Hanna, Andy Nezworski, Richie Gustin, and Chad Holladay took heat wins, with sixth starting Gustin the only qualifier out of heat four.
A pair of heat races for the 16 street stocks went to Joe Bonney and Rob Nylin.
The action then shifted immediately to B mains, with Justin Becker and Aaron Mitchell topping the sport mods, and Chris Zogg and veteran Steve Johnson topping the mods.
The top five from each of the two twelve lap late model consys transferred to the main event. Tyler Bruening crossed the line second in heat five, started on the pole of the first B main and scored a flag to flag win. Andy Eckrich worked his way from fifth to capture the final qualifier. Todd Cooney did not make the call for the B after running fourth in his heat, but was awarded a feature provisional along with Chad Coyne.
With a curfew to contend with at the fairgrounds track, the sport mods lined up with no sign of an intermission , 24 cars for 15 laps. Gage Neal sat on the pole, leading as lap one was scored, then the caution flag waved. Incredibly, this would turn out to be the only caution of the race, aided, I am sure by the single file realignment. Soppe pulled alongside Neal at the line as lap two was complete, then put some distance on the #12N. Olson had started in row three, and he took over the runner up spot on lap nine. Austen Beccera made the long haul from Carthage,Illinois to Davenport, started in the sixth row and entered the top five four laps from the finish. The leader caught slower traffic at lap 13, but he expertly weaved his way through the back of the field over the final laps to grab the win. Olson settled for second, followed by Neal, Jared Frantzen, and Beccera.
The top two dozen modifieds were next for twenty laps. Brandon Durbin charged to the lead from the pole position, with Moyer running the high line and Kelly Meyers hugging the bottom in hot pursuit. As the laps clicked off, Kay, Darin Duffy, and Callahan, who started seventh, sixth, and tenth respectively began to run down the leaders while battling among themselves. At the lap twelve mark, Duffy muscled his way to third, and Kay followed him to fourth. One lap later, Duffy put his #19D in second as Kay and Moyer dueled for third. Kay took the spot at lap 16, just as the only yellow of the race was shown for a stalled Bob Dominacki. Following the single file restart, Kay powered to second, pulling alongside Durbin with two circuits remaining, then taking command as the white flag was set to fly. Justin grabbed the hard fought win, while Duffy found his way to second at the end. Durbin came home third, Moyer and Meyer scored top five finishes.
Kay was excused from a post race interview, as he along with Duffy and Callahan jumped from their mods into late models for the main event - Duffy in the #35 I believe normally driven by Ryan Claeys. Goedert and Nezworski lined up in row one, and they crossed the line side by side as the opening lap was scored. Nezworski assumed the top spot on the next lap, immediately opening up a significant lead on the wide, smooth, and slickening track. Gustin came from row two to second on lap four, and by now Andy held a nearly full straightaway lead. As the race stayed green, which it would do for all 40 laps, the leader caught slower traffic at lap eleven. Hanna began to work on Gustin for second, taking the spot at the halfway mark. It was now Kay on the move again, taking third on lap 24 after starting seventh. Gustin retook the spot on the next lap, but found lapped traffic blocking his low groove as Kay blew past again. As the laps wound down, Nezworski was tucked in behind Joe Zrostlik, with neither willing to move out of the preferred low line. This allowed first Hanna, then also Kay to erase the comfortable margin Nezworski had established. The leader finally eased around Zrostlik at lap 34. Hanna made a last lap attempt to overtake the leader, and it cost him two spots, as both Kay and tenth starting Ryan Dolan slipped around the #65. Bruening came from row seven to take fifth.
As a jubilant Nezworski prepared for his post race interview and the street stock feature sat in staging, we made our way to the car, hoping to beat much of the nice sized crowd out of the parking lot. With the clock still minutes shy of 9:30, it looked like the curfew would not be a factor. Considering the huge car count and the 25 scheduled races, I cannot say enough about the performance of the officials, track crew, including the often under appreciated wrecker crews. Not to be overlooked in this also is the cooperation of the drivers and crews to be ready in staging and driving smart to keep caution periods to a minimum.
Thanks to Carrie Rouse and the Davenport Speedway staff for their hospitality. There is one more race night on the speedway schedule, with a $2,000 to win street stock special the highlight of the season ending " Cheaters Night" and trailer races which will take place next Saturday, September 29.
Although fall is officially here, there is still lots of racing to be had, so get to a track near - or far - and I might see you there!
Monday, September 17, 2018
Miller Wins Sprint Shootout at Quincy
The 360 cubic inch Sprint Invader series made their annual stop at Quincy Raceways on Sunday night. A solid field of 22 drivers, including a handful of first timers signed in to do battle on the .29 mile oval. The three regular weekly IMCA classes, sport modifieds, stock cars, and sport compacts along with the two person cruisers were also on the car as well while the UMP Pro Crate late models and UMP modifieds took the night off. The midgets made an appearance, also.
The first feature of the night was a twelve lap event for the midgets. Mitchell Davis shot to the lead on the opening lap and held off an early charge by Andy Baugh before eventually cruising to the win. Baugh took runner up honors as the race went green to checkers non stop. Bart Andrews emerged from a race long four car battle to finish third, and Jeremy Hull and Jeff Sparks completed the top five.
Getting cars to staging in a timely manner has been an on going issue at the track, something that has been addressed in the drivers meetings by the new race director. On Sunday he followed through on his warnings, penalizing several sport mod drivers for being tardy to the lineup area. The shake up found Austin Howes and Tanner Klingele lining up in row one for the 16 car 18 lap feature. Klingele took advantage to lead lap one, and Howes was out front as the next lap was scored. Howes then drove to the infield, his night over just ahead of a lap four caution. Austen Becerra took up the chase as racing resumed, with tenth starting Nathan Bringer and point leader Adam Birck now in the top four. Birck moved to third on lap eight as Becerra worked high and low for a line around the leader. The final caution came at lap eleven, and Becerra charged to the front as the green flag waved. Birck also cleared Klingele to take over second, but was not able to mount a serious challenge for the win. Becerra cruised to the checkers followed by Birck. Bringer slipped past Klingele late for fourth, and Brandyn Ryan raced home in fifth.
Sport compacts were next on the card, another twelve lap contest. Outside pole starter Kimberly Abbott and fourth starting point leader Barry Taft ran side by side for the first two circuits before Taft took command on lap three. Again the race went caution free, with Taft scoring the win. Darin Weisinger Jr. stalked Abbott, but settled for third, while David Prim and Alyssa Steele scored top five finishes.
The headline event, the 22 car, 25 lap Invader showdown was next. Paul Nienhiser, who has become something of a QR favorite lined up on the pole flanked by series point leader Cody Wehrle, thanks to Shake Up Dash winner Dustin Adams drawing the number six pill to set the first three rows. Driving the #50 car on this night instead of his familiar #9, Nienhiser led lap one ahead of Wehrle, Josh Schneiderman, and Justin Bucholtz. The first caution came on lap three, and following the single file realignment used by the series, the yellow waved again on the restart. Nienhiser shot out to a nice lead as racing resumed, but the third and final caution came just one lap later. It was now apparent that ninth starting Joe B Miller was the man on the move, as he entered the top four. The leaders caught slower traffic on lap nine, and Miller powered to third. It took another eleven laps of intense green flag action before Miller found his way around Wehrle. With only five trips past the flag stand remaining, Miller cut the margin between himself and Nienhiser just a bit each lap. The pair took the white flag side by side, and Miller was out front as they drove through turns one and two. Nienhiser took command again in turn three, but Miller was not to be denied and he charged ahead as the duo exited turn four, winning the drag race to the line before a roaring crowd. Wehrle held on for third in front of the Schneidermans, Josh and Jared.
Although it would have been a thrilling climax to the evening, there remained a pair of features to be run. The stock cars came to the track for 18 laps of action. Polesitter Brandon Lambert was a nose in front of Beau Taylor as lap one was scored, and Beau returned the favor on lap two. From there, however, it was Taylor in command. Michael Larsen had the rear end of his #48 knocked loose in a heat race crash, but made quick repairs with the help of his crew to make the feature call. On lap seven, he took over the second spot, and began to chase down the leader while running the inside line of the track, even as Taylor, who usually prefers the low groove, ran just below the narrow cushion. Larsen could never get close enough to challenge for the lead, and Taylor cruised to the victory in the third non stop race of the night. Larsen was pleased with his runner up finish, while Jerry Jansen came out ahead in a spirited three car battle for third over Jake Powers and Lambert.
The two person class continues to struggle with car counts, so the four in attendance finished things off with a six lap feature that saw only two finish. The win went to the team of Hatfield and Hinkamper.
The final checkers waved just past the 9:00 hour, completing an entertaining night of racing on what may have been the raciest surface of the season at QR.
Next Sunday night will be regular racing at the Raceways, with the late models and modifieds back on the card. Then season championships on September 29. At a time on the calendar when racing was hard to find not so many years ago, there are still lots of events going on around the area, so make plans to attend as many as you can. I know I am!
The first feature of the night was a twelve lap event for the midgets. Mitchell Davis shot to the lead on the opening lap and held off an early charge by Andy Baugh before eventually cruising to the win. Baugh took runner up honors as the race went green to checkers non stop. Bart Andrews emerged from a race long four car battle to finish third, and Jeremy Hull and Jeff Sparks completed the top five.
Getting cars to staging in a timely manner has been an on going issue at the track, something that has been addressed in the drivers meetings by the new race director. On Sunday he followed through on his warnings, penalizing several sport mod drivers for being tardy to the lineup area. The shake up found Austin Howes and Tanner Klingele lining up in row one for the 16 car 18 lap feature. Klingele took advantage to lead lap one, and Howes was out front as the next lap was scored. Howes then drove to the infield, his night over just ahead of a lap four caution. Austen Becerra took up the chase as racing resumed, with tenth starting Nathan Bringer and point leader Adam Birck now in the top four. Birck moved to third on lap eight as Becerra worked high and low for a line around the leader. The final caution came at lap eleven, and Becerra charged to the front as the green flag waved. Birck also cleared Klingele to take over second, but was not able to mount a serious challenge for the win. Becerra cruised to the checkers followed by Birck. Bringer slipped past Klingele late for fourth, and Brandyn Ryan raced home in fifth.
Sport compacts were next on the card, another twelve lap contest. Outside pole starter Kimberly Abbott and fourth starting point leader Barry Taft ran side by side for the first two circuits before Taft took command on lap three. Again the race went caution free, with Taft scoring the win. Darin Weisinger Jr. stalked Abbott, but settled for third, while David Prim and Alyssa Steele scored top five finishes.
The headline event, the 22 car, 25 lap Invader showdown was next. Paul Nienhiser, who has become something of a QR favorite lined up on the pole flanked by series point leader Cody Wehrle, thanks to Shake Up Dash winner Dustin Adams drawing the number six pill to set the first three rows. Driving the #50 car on this night instead of his familiar #9, Nienhiser led lap one ahead of Wehrle, Josh Schneiderman, and Justin Bucholtz. The first caution came on lap three, and following the single file realignment used by the series, the yellow waved again on the restart. Nienhiser shot out to a nice lead as racing resumed, but the third and final caution came just one lap later. It was now apparent that ninth starting Joe B Miller was the man on the move, as he entered the top four. The leaders caught slower traffic on lap nine, and Miller powered to third. It took another eleven laps of intense green flag action before Miller found his way around Wehrle. With only five trips past the flag stand remaining, Miller cut the margin between himself and Nienhiser just a bit each lap. The pair took the white flag side by side, and Miller was out front as they drove through turns one and two. Nienhiser took command again in turn three, but Miller was not to be denied and he charged ahead as the duo exited turn four, winning the drag race to the line before a roaring crowd. Wehrle held on for third in front of the Schneidermans, Josh and Jared.
Although it would have been a thrilling climax to the evening, there remained a pair of features to be run. The stock cars came to the track for 18 laps of action. Polesitter Brandon Lambert was a nose in front of Beau Taylor as lap one was scored, and Beau returned the favor on lap two. From there, however, it was Taylor in command. Michael Larsen had the rear end of his #48 knocked loose in a heat race crash, but made quick repairs with the help of his crew to make the feature call. On lap seven, he took over the second spot, and began to chase down the leader while running the inside line of the track, even as Taylor, who usually prefers the low groove, ran just below the narrow cushion. Larsen could never get close enough to challenge for the lead, and Taylor cruised to the victory in the third non stop race of the night. Larsen was pleased with his runner up finish, while Jerry Jansen came out ahead in a spirited three car battle for third over Jake Powers and Lambert.
The two person class continues to struggle with car counts, so the four in attendance finished things off with a six lap feature that saw only two finish. The win went to the team of Hatfield and Hinkamper.
The final checkers waved just past the 9:00 hour, completing an entertaining night of racing on what may have been the raciest surface of the season at QR.
Next Sunday night will be regular racing at the Raceways, with the late models and modifieds back on the card. Then season championships on September 29. At a time on the calendar when racing was hard to find not so many years ago, there are still lots of events going on around the area, so make plans to attend as many as you can. I know I am!
Sunday, September 16, 2018
Owens a First Timer Winner at Knoxville
Saturday morning Keagan and I made our annual trip to Knoxville, Iowa for day three of the Lucas Oil Late Model Nationals. This day is almost as much about the pomp and circumstance as the racing itself, taking in the atmosphere, visiting with old friends, and getting a healthy dose of bench racing. However with almost no exceptions, the racing never disappoints, and the 2018 version was as good as it gets. The SLMR late model " invitational " addition to the program was icing on the cake for late model fans. The Nebraska based organization which I believe has its roots at I-80 Speedway under the direction of legendary driver Joe Kosiski, and branched out into Iowa this season to a handful of weekly tracks used some combination of driver and owner points for weekly venues and special events to arrive at a group of thirty who were eligible to compete for the $4,000 top prize. Of that group, only Todd Shute did not field an entry, and the 29 cars on hand time trialed, five at a time, competed in three heat races, then staged a 22 lap feature event with 27 cars answering the bell. Their events were interspersed with hot laps and C and B mains for the Lucas Oil drivers, all coming ahead of the $40,000 to win 100 lap headliner.
Veteran racer Paul Glendenning set quick time for the SLMR cars with a lap of 18.776 seconds, and their three eight lap heats clicked off in good time, with Tad Pospisil, Josh Krug, and Allan Hopp picking up wins. Pospisil moved quickly from row two to the lead in the feature, with the only caution coming at lap 14. As the laps wound down, polesitter Kyle Berck began to close the gap on the leader, with contact between the two in the final lap. Both drivers had to fight to maintain control, with Pospisil taking the win by about 1/2 car length. Berck gave the winner a parting shot following the checkers. A pair of second generation drivers with with a familiar last name and car numbers finished in the top five. Andrew Kosiski wheeled his #53 home in third, while Iowan Chad Holladay was fourth. Completing the top five was Brian Kosiski in #52. Krug finished sixth ahead of Jason Hahne, Matt Buller in a Car from the Cooney racing team, Denny Eckrich in the #1 formerly driven by Buller , and Ryan Griffith.
The SLMR turns out good car counts at the western Iowa, eastern Nebraska tracks, and offered up close competitive racing at Knoxville. Hopefully they continue to grow and spread their wings in 2019.
All but three of the original 57 Lucas Oil entries raced on Saturday night, with the 24 who accumulated the highest point totals from either their Thursday or Friday night runs already locked into the first twelve rows of the feature. Twelve cars started the 15 lap C main, with the top four moving on to the B. Polesitter Scott James held off charges by Gregg Satterlee and Morgan Bagley to score the win. Bagley ran second, and Satterlee and Brent Larson also advanced to the B main.
Twenty laps was the distance for the B main, with Jeremiah Hurst and former 100 lap winner Brian Shirley in row one. But it was Ricky Thornton Jr. make a dramatic charge from row seven to lead the six cars that would move on to the finale. Jared Landers, Dennis Erb Jr., and Shirley took the top four spots. James rolled off from 19th after his C main win and finished fifth to move on, and Darrell Lanigan also picked up a transfer spot. Satterlee was the only Lucas Oil regular to not qualify, and he was awarded the first provisional. Jason Feger had finished one spot out of a transfer slot, so the second and final provisional was his. Jesse Stovall was scheduled to start in row twelve but had his engine expire in hot laps, so he borrowed the Rob Toland #39 and tagged the tail of the 32 car starting field.
The green flag for the feature waved about 9:30 in front of one of the largest Saturday night crowds in the 15 years of the event. With solid qualifying times and a Friday night feature win after starting nineteenth, Brandon Sheppard earned enough points to start on the pole, with Earl Pearson Jr. along side. The two shared the lead before Sheppard used a low side move on lap seven to take command. Stovall made a quick exit, and crowd favorite Brian Birkhofer appeared to lose an engine in the early laps. Sheppard caught slower traffic on lap ten, and two laps later the first caution came for Thornton. At this point Bobby Pierce had gained ten positions after starting 22nd. Back under green, third starting Scott Bloomquist moved to second, and the leaders had again caught the tail of the pack when Mason Zeigler brought on the caution 22 laps in. It was at this juncture that the race was red flagged for a five minute fuel stop that was instituted last season to address driver concerns with regards to possibly running out of fuel. It then took several pace laps to run through oil dry used to soak up spilled fuel, and Zeigler was able to make repairs during the down time. Row three starter Jimmy Owens slipped around Pearson as racing resumed while row eight starter Jimmy Mars and Pierce marched towards the front, riding sixth and seventh with 33 laps scored. Caution period three came with 62 laps to go, and the Delaware restart saw Owens take second, Don Oneal fourth, and Pierce enter the top five. Two circuits later, Owens took the lead while Pierce claimed fourth. Landers brought out another yellow one lap later as he smacked the guardrail. It was Oneal second and Pierce third as the green waved. Caution number five came at lap 47 for a slowing Tyler Bruening. Pierce powered to second on the restart as Oneal and Bloomquist battled for third. Oneal then used a debris caution at lap 51 to regain second. Now it was Owens opening a big lead as Oneal, Pierce, Bloomquist, and Sheppard raced hard behind him, but three more laps saw a three car pile up on the backstretch involving Tim McCreadie, Kyle Bronson, and Satterlee. Josh Richards entered the fray as the green waved, coming from tenth to sixth, Shane Clanton was charged with another yellow at lap 56, and back to green Oneal, Pierce, and Bloomquist raced three wide. Bloomquist cleared the others at lap 58, as Owens opened a huge lead and Bloomquist began to distance himself from the pack as well. But Pierce again went on the move, taking third on lap 66 and driving around a slowing Bloomquist two laps later. Sheppard found his way to third as Bloomquist was now apparently racing on only seven cylinders. By lap 80, Pierce had caught the leader, then nosed ahead before stumbling on the backstretch and Owens again pulled away. Sheppard slowed with a flat to create a yellow at lap 81. Richards was fourth at the restart, and followed Oneal as both eased around Pierce. Again Pierce took third and was pressuring Oneal. With 13 laps remaining, Oneal jumped the cushion out of turn four and Pierce tried to drive past when Oneal suddenly slid sideways, sending Pierce for a 360 degree spin down the front straightaway, bringing out the tenth and final caution. Pierce rejoined the tail of the field after a quick pass through the work area, picking off cars at a frantic pace. As the checkers waved just ahead of the 11:00 hour, it was Owens with his first Nationals win. Oneal took runner up honors, with Richards, Bloomquist, and Shirley, who started 28th, rounding out the first five. Sheppard rebounded to sixth and Pierce to seventh, while Tyler Erb, Chad Simpson, and Pearson scored top ten finishes.
Half mile racing may not be everyones cup of tea, but we always leave Knoxville already thinking about going back the next year!
Tonight I will be back "home," as the Sprint Invaders headline the card at Quincy Raceways backed up by sport mods, stock cars, sport compacts, two person cars, and maybe even some midgets.
The weather is perfect, hope to see you there!
Veteran racer Paul Glendenning set quick time for the SLMR cars with a lap of 18.776 seconds, and their three eight lap heats clicked off in good time, with Tad Pospisil, Josh Krug, and Allan Hopp picking up wins. Pospisil moved quickly from row two to the lead in the feature, with the only caution coming at lap 14. As the laps wound down, polesitter Kyle Berck began to close the gap on the leader, with contact between the two in the final lap. Both drivers had to fight to maintain control, with Pospisil taking the win by about 1/2 car length. Berck gave the winner a parting shot following the checkers. A pair of second generation drivers with with a familiar last name and car numbers finished in the top five. Andrew Kosiski wheeled his #53 home in third, while Iowan Chad Holladay was fourth. Completing the top five was Brian Kosiski in #52. Krug finished sixth ahead of Jason Hahne, Matt Buller in a Car from the Cooney racing team, Denny Eckrich in the #1 formerly driven by Buller , and Ryan Griffith.
The SLMR turns out good car counts at the western Iowa, eastern Nebraska tracks, and offered up close competitive racing at Knoxville. Hopefully they continue to grow and spread their wings in 2019.
All but three of the original 57 Lucas Oil entries raced on Saturday night, with the 24 who accumulated the highest point totals from either their Thursday or Friday night runs already locked into the first twelve rows of the feature. Twelve cars started the 15 lap C main, with the top four moving on to the B. Polesitter Scott James held off charges by Gregg Satterlee and Morgan Bagley to score the win. Bagley ran second, and Satterlee and Brent Larson also advanced to the B main.
Twenty laps was the distance for the B main, with Jeremiah Hurst and former 100 lap winner Brian Shirley in row one. But it was Ricky Thornton Jr. make a dramatic charge from row seven to lead the six cars that would move on to the finale. Jared Landers, Dennis Erb Jr., and Shirley took the top four spots. James rolled off from 19th after his C main win and finished fifth to move on, and Darrell Lanigan also picked up a transfer spot. Satterlee was the only Lucas Oil regular to not qualify, and he was awarded the first provisional. Jason Feger had finished one spot out of a transfer slot, so the second and final provisional was his. Jesse Stovall was scheduled to start in row twelve but had his engine expire in hot laps, so he borrowed the Rob Toland #39 and tagged the tail of the 32 car starting field.
The green flag for the feature waved about 9:30 in front of one of the largest Saturday night crowds in the 15 years of the event. With solid qualifying times and a Friday night feature win after starting nineteenth, Brandon Sheppard earned enough points to start on the pole, with Earl Pearson Jr. along side. The two shared the lead before Sheppard used a low side move on lap seven to take command. Stovall made a quick exit, and crowd favorite Brian Birkhofer appeared to lose an engine in the early laps. Sheppard caught slower traffic on lap ten, and two laps later the first caution came for Thornton. At this point Bobby Pierce had gained ten positions after starting 22nd. Back under green, third starting Scott Bloomquist moved to second, and the leaders had again caught the tail of the pack when Mason Zeigler brought on the caution 22 laps in. It was at this juncture that the race was red flagged for a five minute fuel stop that was instituted last season to address driver concerns with regards to possibly running out of fuel. It then took several pace laps to run through oil dry used to soak up spilled fuel, and Zeigler was able to make repairs during the down time. Row three starter Jimmy Owens slipped around Pearson as racing resumed while row eight starter Jimmy Mars and Pierce marched towards the front, riding sixth and seventh with 33 laps scored. Caution period three came with 62 laps to go, and the Delaware restart saw Owens take second, Don Oneal fourth, and Pierce enter the top five. Two circuits later, Owens took the lead while Pierce claimed fourth. Landers brought out another yellow one lap later as he smacked the guardrail. It was Oneal second and Pierce third as the green waved. Caution number five came at lap 47 for a slowing Tyler Bruening. Pierce powered to second on the restart as Oneal and Bloomquist battled for third. Oneal then used a debris caution at lap 51 to regain second. Now it was Owens opening a big lead as Oneal, Pierce, Bloomquist, and Sheppard raced hard behind him, but three more laps saw a three car pile up on the backstretch involving Tim McCreadie, Kyle Bronson, and Satterlee. Josh Richards entered the fray as the green waved, coming from tenth to sixth, Shane Clanton was charged with another yellow at lap 56, and back to green Oneal, Pierce, and Bloomquist raced three wide. Bloomquist cleared the others at lap 58, as Owens opened a huge lead and Bloomquist began to distance himself from the pack as well. But Pierce again went on the move, taking third on lap 66 and driving around a slowing Bloomquist two laps later. Sheppard found his way to third as Bloomquist was now apparently racing on only seven cylinders. By lap 80, Pierce had caught the leader, then nosed ahead before stumbling on the backstretch and Owens again pulled away. Sheppard slowed with a flat to create a yellow at lap 81. Richards was fourth at the restart, and followed Oneal as both eased around Pierce. Again Pierce took third and was pressuring Oneal. With 13 laps remaining, Oneal jumped the cushion out of turn four and Pierce tried to drive past when Oneal suddenly slid sideways, sending Pierce for a 360 degree spin down the front straightaway, bringing out the tenth and final caution. Pierce rejoined the tail of the field after a quick pass through the work area, picking off cars at a frantic pace. As the checkers waved just ahead of the 11:00 hour, it was Owens with his first Nationals win. Oneal took runner up honors, with Richards, Bloomquist, and Shirley, who started 28th, rounding out the first five. Sheppard rebounded to sixth and Pierce to seventh, while Tyler Erb, Chad Simpson, and Pearson scored top ten finishes.
Half mile racing may not be everyones cup of tea, but we always leave Knoxville already thinking about going back the next year!
Tonight I will be back "home," as the Sprint Invaders headline the card at Quincy Raceways backed up by sport mods, stock cars, sport compacts, two person cars, and maybe even some midgets.
The weather is perfect, hope to see you there!
Friday, September 14, 2018
Tyler Erb Tops Night One at Knoxville
Every year except one since its inception, I have been on hand for the 100 lap Knoxville Nationals late model finale. My only miss was in 2009 when Scott Bloomquist won for the second time as the feature was moved to Sunday after it was decided that the track was too fast for safe racing - think about that for a minute! However I had never been to a preliminary qualifying night, a situation I determined to remedy now that I have the benefit of retirement. Thursday night turned out to be the perfect time to make the three hour trip to the legendary 1/2 mile on the Marion County Fairgrounds.
A solid group of 57 entrants - one more than in 2017 - signed in to do battle. The format for Thursday, which will be repeated on Friday consisted of time trial qualifying, four cars at a time for two laps, with the field split into two groups, then six twelve lap heat races, three for each group. The top eight qualifiers for each heat race are inverted, group one fast timer outside row four of heat one, second fastest outside row two of heat two, and so on. The carrot to go along with this stick is that drivers are awarded points based on their qualifying times with enough emphasis that a quick time can carry more weight than a top finish in the evenings heat race and feature. Following the heat races, a twelve lap C main is run with cars finishing seventh on back in their heat race, top four to the B main. Drivers finishing fourth through sixth in the heats line up ahead of those four in the 15 lap B main, with the top six advancing to the nights A feature event. The C main and B main lineups are also determined by times trials among the qualifying cars. Along the way, points are awarded based on finishes, so the fact that each position matters makes for hard racing all night long.
And by the way, in addition to the points awarded, the 25 lap A feature both nights pays a cool $7,000 to win. Drivers can keep their point total from Thursday and set out on Friday, or race again and try to improve their standing, as the Saturday lineups are determined by each racers best nights total. And for those who may not know, the Saturday night headliner pays $40,000 to win and I believe $2,500 to start.
As the evening began, Brandon Sheppard set quick time in the first group with a lap of 17.739 seconds, and that continued to be the mark to beat until the last of the group two cars when Scott Bloomquist absolutely stuck his #0 on his first lap with a time of 17.231 seconds, over 1/2 second faster than Sheppard!
Heats one through three may have been won from the front row, but there was plenty of action behind the leaders. Jesse Stovall, Chase Junghans, and Dave Eckrich claimed victories while Chris Simpson came from sixth to second in heat two and Earl Pearson Jr. gained five spots to finish third in heat three.
Bobby Pierce moved up five spots to grab heat four checkers while Bloomquist continued his hot streak, coming from eighth to second and Tyler Erb started sixth and finished third. Local favorite Brian Birkhofer, who recently came out of semi retirement to wheel the Jason Rauen owned #30 lined up third and took the heat five checkers in front of seventh starting Shane Clanton and sixth starter Jimmy Owens. Jared Landers scored the heat six win from outside row one over Jonathon Davenport, while Chad Simpson gained four spots to make the feature lineup.
Another Iowa hot shoe, Tyler Bruening took C main honors, while Sheppard earned a row ten feature spot with the B main win slipping past Kyle Bronson on the white flag lap.
Billy Moyer was the loan scratch in C main action after losing an engine in his heat race.
The feature lineup saw Mason Zeigler and Tyler Erb setting on row one. Zeigler shot to the lead with Erb in tow. Fourth starting Chad Simpson powered around Erb on lap four, but a yellow flag negated the pass. Jeremiah Hurst had finished second in heat one, but trailed smoke for the last several laps, and now his engine appeared to let go. Simpson and Erb battled behind the leader until the caution came out on lap 17 as Bronson saw his night end in a cloud of smoke. Erb had been challenging hard for the lead, and he was able to complete the pass as racing resumed and Zeigler jumped the cushion in turn four, falling to third. The final yellow came two laps later as Pierce slowed, also with looked like engine woes. Pearson was the man on the move as the green flag waved, but there was no catching Erb, who powered to his first ever Knoxville win. Pearson, who started seventh, made a daring move around Simpson in turn four of the final lap, with Chad doing a fantastic job to keep his #25 headed the right direction and come home third. Owens and Frank Heckenast Jr. completed the top five. Bloomquist had moved quickly from eighth into the top five, but then faded a bit to sixth, while Sheppard was the hard charger, starting nineteenth and finishing seventh. Junghans, Chris Simpson and Zeigler rounded out the top ten.
Certainly things can and will change tonight, but as of Friday morning, Pearson holds the points lead ahead of Bloomquist, Erb, Chad Simpson, and Sheppard. Owens is sixth followed by Heckenast, Chris Simpson, Brandon Overton, and Shane Clanton. Overton finished twelfth in the feature and Clanton sixteenth, so that shows how much a good qualifying lap can help.
As is almost always the case, the big 1/2 mile was fast and smooth, with excellent racing, plenty of passing, and minimal yellow flags. The final checkers fell around 10:15.
I will be taking tonight, Friday, off, but Keagan and I hope to be back Saturday morning to enjoy the festivities and witness another Knoxville Late Model Nationals. And don't forget, as an added bonus, the SLMR late models will also be on the card. 30 of the top SLMR drivers have been invited to battle 22 laps for a $4,000 top prize.
There is still lots going on, so find a race that suits your fancy, head to the track and take advantage of the great fall weather!
A solid group of 57 entrants - one more than in 2017 - signed in to do battle. The format for Thursday, which will be repeated on Friday consisted of time trial qualifying, four cars at a time for two laps, with the field split into two groups, then six twelve lap heat races, three for each group. The top eight qualifiers for each heat race are inverted, group one fast timer outside row four of heat one, second fastest outside row two of heat two, and so on. The carrot to go along with this stick is that drivers are awarded points based on their qualifying times with enough emphasis that a quick time can carry more weight than a top finish in the evenings heat race and feature. Following the heat races, a twelve lap C main is run with cars finishing seventh on back in their heat race, top four to the B main. Drivers finishing fourth through sixth in the heats line up ahead of those four in the 15 lap B main, with the top six advancing to the nights A feature event. The C main and B main lineups are also determined by times trials among the qualifying cars. Along the way, points are awarded based on finishes, so the fact that each position matters makes for hard racing all night long.
And by the way, in addition to the points awarded, the 25 lap A feature both nights pays a cool $7,000 to win. Drivers can keep their point total from Thursday and set out on Friday, or race again and try to improve their standing, as the Saturday lineups are determined by each racers best nights total. And for those who may not know, the Saturday night headliner pays $40,000 to win and I believe $2,500 to start.
As the evening began, Brandon Sheppard set quick time in the first group with a lap of 17.739 seconds, and that continued to be the mark to beat until the last of the group two cars when Scott Bloomquist absolutely stuck his #0 on his first lap with a time of 17.231 seconds, over 1/2 second faster than Sheppard!
Heats one through three may have been won from the front row, but there was plenty of action behind the leaders. Jesse Stovall, Chase Junghans, and Dave Eckrich claimed victories while Chris Simpson came from sixth to second in heat two and Earl Pearson Jr. gained five spots to finish third in heat three.
Bobby Pierce moved up five spots to grab heat four checkers while Bloomquist continued his hot streak, coming from eighth to second and Tyler Erb started sixth and finished third. Local favorite Brian Birkhofer, who recently came out of semi retirement to wheel the Jason Rauen owned #30 lined up third and took the heat five checkers in front of seventh starting Shane Clanton and sixth starter Jimmy Owens. Jared Landers scored the heat six win from outside row one over Jonathon Davenport, while Chad Simpson gained four spots to make the feature lineup.
Another Iowa hot shoe, Tyler Bruening took C main honors, while Sheppard earned a row ten feature spot with the B main win slipping past Kyle Bronson on the white flag lap.
Billy Moyer was the loan scratch in C main action after losing an engine in his heat race.
The feature lineup saw Mason Zeigler and Tyler Erb setting on row one. Zeigler shot to the lead with Erb in tow. Fourth starting Chad Simpson powered around Erb on lap four, but a yellow flag negated the pass. Jeremiah Hurst had finished second in heat one, but trailed smoke for the last several laps, and now his engine appeared to let go. Simpson and Erb battled behind the leader until the caution came out on lap 17 as Bronson saw his night end in a cloud of smoke. Erb had been challenging hard for the lead, and he was able to complete the pass as racing resumed and Zeigler jumped the cushion in turn four, falling to third. The final yellow came two laps later as Pierce slowed, also with looked like engine woes. Pearson was the man on the move as the green flag waved, but there was no catching Erb, who powered to his first ever Knoxville win. Pearson, who started seventh, made a daring move around Simpson in turn four of the final lap, with Chad doing a fantastic job to keep his #25 headed the right direction and come home third. Owens and Frank Heckenast Jr. completed the top five. Bloomquist had moved quickly from eighth into the top five, but then faded a bit to sixth, while Sheppard was the hard charger, starting nineteenth and finishing seventh. Junghans, Chris Simpson and Zeigler rounded out the top ten.
Certainly things can and will change tonight, but as of Friday morning, Pearson holds the points lead ahead of Bloomquist, Erb, Chad Simpson, and Sheppard. Owens is sixth followed by Heckenast, Chris Simpson, Brandon Overton, and Shane Clanton. Overton finished twelfth in the feature and Clanton sixteenth, so that shows how much a good qualifying lap can help.
As is almost always the case, the big 1/2 mile was fast and smooth, with excellent racing, plenty of passing, and minimal yellow flags. The final checkers fell around 10:15.
I will be taking tonight, Friday, off, but Keagan and I hope to be back Saturday morning to enjoy the festivities and witness another Knoxville Late Model Nationals. And don't forget, as an added bonus, the SLMR late models will also be on the card. 30 of the top SLMR drivers have been invited to battle 22 laps for a $4,000 top prize.
There is still lots going on, so find a race that suits your fancy, head to the track and take advantage of the great fall weather!
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Vaught Goes Two For Two
Saturday afternoon, I picked up grandson Keagan and his fiancee Megan, turned the driving chores over to Keagan and headed for the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland,Mo. It has been several years since our last visit to this amazing facility, but with their home base now in Holts Summit, the prospect of splitting up the four plus hour trip home made a return visit an attractive one.
We made the trip to take in the MLRA late model Larry Phillips Memorial paying $5075 to win, with the USRA B modifieds also in competition for a $750 winners payday. Arriving early, as is our custom, we were able to catch the end of the boat drag races, reminding us that we had not been there since that part of the facility was opened.
A nice field of 28 super late models checked in - 29 counting Joe Godsey - * see my write up for Lee County Speedway, - * along with 43 B mods. Hot lap action began just after the 6:30 advertised start time as the front stretch grandstands began to fill. The B mods qualified through four heat races, and it was refreshing to see ten and eleven car heats that placed racing at a premium. There were a few cautions in the eight lap heats, as the track was still a bit greasy. The late models then lined up four seven car heats, with the top 16 in passing points combined securing spots in the first eight rows of the 50 lap headliner. Will Vaught was fresh off a win Friday night at Lee County, and the Crane, Missouri ace charged from the sixth starting spot to capture heat one ahead of Louisiana driver Cade Dillard, Wisconsin hot shoe Mitch McGrath, and Jake Davis. This was good enough to earn the feature pole for Vaught. Series point leader, Iowa driver Chad Simpson raced from outside row one to win heat two, besting Payton Looney, Logan Martin, and Quincy,Illinois' Mark Burgtorf. The third ten lapper went to row two starter, Nebraska driver Jake Neal, followed by Tony Jackson, Jr., Jeremy Grady, and Jeff Roth. However Jackson came up 20 pounds light at the scale, putting Mason Oberkramer in the main event. Second generation driver from Oklahoma, Joe Gorby, was on top of heat four ahead of Dave Eckrich, J C Wyman, and Austin Siebert.
A pair of twelve lap B mains for the B mods ran next to set the 24 car field, then the late models came out for one twelve lapper, with the top six slated to line up in rows nine through eleven. There was a bit of confusion, as McGrath had scratched his #74 from the feature, but he later joined the A main as a 23rd entrant in the #14 borrowed from non qualifier Reid Millard. His initial scratch moved Jon Driskell, who finished fifth in heat two in the Roth Racing #14R into the feature lineup instead of starting on the pole of the B main. When the green flag dropped, Jesse Stovall took off from the pole, leading all the way, trailed by Scott Crigler, Brad Looney, Jackson Jr., ULMA track champion Johnny Fennewald, and Chris Spieker.
Following intermission, the B -mods lined up 24 cars for 30 laps. It would be an understatement to say we were amazed, as they ran green to checkers caution free, with all but one of the starters still running when the checkers waved! Andy Bryant was a master in traffic, leading all thirty laps to pick up the win. Kris Jackson staged a great run from deep in the pack to finish second, with J C Morton, Taylor Moore, and Mitchell Franklin completing the top five. I only wish 75 year old Ferris Collier, whom it seems has been racing forever, could have made the show!
With driver introductions out of the way, it was now time for the headline event. As the leader crossed the start finish line to complete the opening lap, a major pile up occurred coming out of turn four. The #14G of Roth got the worst of the deal, leaving on the hook, but Dillard and Davis also retired for the night. The first complete restart was waved off, but when things finally got underway, outside polesitter Eckrich paced lap one ahead of Vaught and fourth starting Simpson. The man on the move was Stovall, who fired off from inside row nine, but was all the way to sixth by the end of the third circuit, and in the top five one lap later. Up front it was Eckrich being dogged by Vaught, who took the lead at lap ten. Simpson cleared Eckrich on lap eleven, and Payton Looney moved to third two laps later. As a noticeable dip appeared on the low side between turns one and two, Stovall cleared Eckrich for fourth at lap 16. With the race nearing the halfway mark, Vaught and Simpson had pulled well out front, with Chad trying to find a way to the front on the inside line of the 3/8 mile oval. Even as Looney closed on the leaders, Simpson was able to pull alongside Vaught, and was out front on lap 26. Vaught then executed a semi slide job to retake the lead, and Simpson soon had Looney to contend with. Looney, the leader in series rookie points charged to the runner up spot on lap 31 and was still there when the caution came out at lap 35 as Spieker slowed with a flat tire. Looney tried the low side on the restart allowing Simpson to reclaim second using the high line. Two laps later the leaders were locked in a three wide, side by side by side battle, when a collective groan went through the big crowd as the yellow waved for a slowing Jackson. He rejoined the pack at the tail end of the lead lap, and when the green flag waved once again for the final Delaware restart, Simpson shot to the lead and Stovall charged to third. But again Vaught used a crossover move to the front, and now it was Vaught, Simpson, and Stovall in tight formation. In the closing circuits, Vaught put some distance on the dueling pair, and he took the checkers for his fourth MLRA win of 2018. Simpson scored the runner up finish, while Stovall advanced 14 positions to take third. Looney ran fourth, followed by Logan Martin. Oberkramer made a late pass of 20th starting Fennewald for sixth, with Wyman, Crigler and Jackson rounding out the top ten. Racing was complete before 10:30.
Random musings: This was my fourth visit to Wheatland, and while I am in awe of the facilities in this town of 300 plus, the racing has not always been the greatest. However Saturday nights action was probably the best I have seen in 42 nights this season, and Keagan and I both agreed that we cannot wait to get back to the Diamond of dirt tracks.
I am not totally up to speed on the current ULMA late model rules, but if I am not wrong, Johnny Fennewald would have been running a steel block engine against the aluminum power plants of the MLRA regulars, making his run from 20th to sixth with a seventh place finish very impressive. Of course, the combination of his familiarity with the track and the dry slick conditions no doubt played a part in his success. I am also guessing that the USRA rules allow a " better " tire for the B mods, and if so, I only wish IMCA would follow suit for the sport mods. In addition to the caution free feature, the second B main also ran caution free!
The five drivers who failed to qualify for the main event on Saturday, were Justin Zeitner, Larry Jones, Iowan Skip Frey, Curt Acker, and Reid Millard. Zeitner and Millard were involved in a heat one incident, with Millard eventually loaning his car to McGrath for the feature. McGrath had been running a close second to Payton Looney for series rookie of the year, but missed the rescheduled Friday night race at Lee County, as there was a race in his home state in honor of a family member.
Prior commitments will likely keep me away from the tracks next weekend, but for those of you not going to the World 100, Jacksonville,Il. Speedway will be hosting 410 sprint cars, non winged midgets, and UMP Pro Crate late models next Friday night. Darryl and I attended this show in 2017 when the Big Ten late models ran with the sprints and midgets, and it was a top notch show, so check it out if you get a chance. For now, I will look ahead to the Lucas Oil Knoxville Nationals in two weeks.
Thanks for reading!
We made the trip to take in the MLRA late model Larry Phillips Memorial paying $5075 to win, with the USRA B modifieds also in competition for a $750 winners payday. Arriving early, as is our custom, we were able to catch the end of the boat drag races, reminding us that we had not been there since that part of the facility was opened.
A nice field of 28 super late models checked in - 29 counting Joe Godsey - * see my write up for Lee County Speedway, - * along with 43 B mods. Hot lap action began just after the 6:30 advertised start time as the front stretch grandstands began to fill. The B mods qualified through four heat races, and it was refreshing to see ten and eleven car heats that placed racing at a premium. There were a few cautions in the eight lap heats, as the track was still a bit greasy. The late models then lined up four seven car heats, with the top 16 in passing points combined securing spots in the first eight rows of the 50 lap headliner. Will Vaught was fresh off a win Friday night at Lee County, and the Crane, Missouri ace charged from the sixth starting spot to capture heat one ahead of Louisiana driver Cade Dillard, Wisconsin hot shoe Mitch McGrath, and Jake Davis. This was good enough to earn the feature pole for Vaught. Series point leader, Iowa driver Chad Simpson raced from outside row one to win heat two, besting Payton Looney, Logan Martin, and Quincy,Illinois' Mark Burgtorf. The third ten lapper went to row two starter, Nebraska driver Jake Neal, followed by Tony Jackson, Jr., Jeremy Grady, and Jeff Roth. However Jackson came up 20 pounds light at the scale, putting Mason Oberkramer in the main event. Second generation driver from Oklahoma, Joe Gorby, was on top of heat four ahead of Dave Eckrich, J C Wyman, and Austin Siebert.
A pair of twelve lap B mains for the B mods ran next to set the 24 car field, then the late models came out for one twelve lapper, with the top six slated to line up in rows nine through eleven. There was a bit of confusion, as McGrath had scratched his #74 from the feature, but he later joined the A main as a 23rd entrant in the #14 borrowed from non qualifier Reid Millard. His initial scratch moved Jon Driskell, who finished fifth in heat two in the Roth Racing #14R into the feature lineup instead of starting on the pole of the B main. When the green flag dropped, Jesse Stovall took off from the pole, leading all the way, trailed by Scott Crigler, Brad Looney, Jackson Jr., ULMA track champion Johnny Fennewald, and Chris Spieker.
Following intermission, the B -mods lined up 24 cars for 30 laps. It would be an understatement to say we were amazed, as they ran green to checkers caution free, with all but one of the starters still running when the checkers waved! Andy Bryant was a master in traffic, leading all thirty laps to pick up the win. Kris Jackson staged a great run from deep in the pack to finish second, with J C Morton, Taylor Moore, and Mitchell Franklin completing the top five. I only wish 75 year old Ferris Collier, whom it seems has been racing forever, could have made the show!
With driver introductions out of the way, it was now time for the headline event. As the leader crossed the start finish line to complete the opening lap, a major pile up occurred coming out of turn four. The #14G of Roth got the worst of the deal, leaving on the hook, but Dillard and Davis also retired for the night. The first complete restart was waved off, but when things finally got underway, outside polesitter Eckrich paced lap one ahead of Vaught and fourth starting Simpson. The man on the move was Stovall, who fired off from inside row nine, but was all the way to sixth by the end of the third circuit, and in the top five one lap later. Up front it was Eckrich being dogged by Vaught, who took the lead at lap ten. Simpson cleared Eckrich on lap eleven, and Payton Looney moved to third two laps later. As a noticeable dip appeared on the low side between turns one and two, Stovall cleared Eckrich for fourth at lap 16. With the race nearing the halfway mark, Vaught and Simpson had pulled well out front, with Chad trying to find a way to the front on the inside line of the 3/8 mile oval. Even as Looney closed on the leaders, Simpson was able to pull alongside Vaught, and was out front on lap 26. Vaught then executed a semi slide job to retake the lead, and Simpson soon had Looney to contend with. Looney, the leader in series rookie points charged to the runner up spot on lap 31 and was still there when the caution came out at lap 35 as Spieker slowed with a flat tire. Looney tried the low side on the restart allowing Simpson to reclaim second using the high line. Two laps later the leaders were locked in a three wide, side by side by side battle, when a collective groan went through the big crowd as the yellow waved for a slowing Jackson. He rejoined the pack at the tail end of the lead lap, and when the green flag waved once again for the final Delaware restart, Simpson shot to the lead and Stovall charged to third. But again Vaught used a crossover move to the front, and now it was Vaught, Simpson, and Stovall in tight formation. In the closing circuits, Vaught put some distance on the dueling pair, and he took the checkers for his fourth MLRA win of 2018. Simpson scored the runner up finish, while Stovall advanced 14 positions to take third. Looney ran fourth, followed by Logan Martin. Oberkramer made a late pass of 20th starting Fennewald for sixth, with Wyman, Crigler and Jackson rounding out the top ten. Racing was complete before 10:30.
Random musings: This was my fourth visit to Wheatland, and while I am in awe of the facilities in this town of 300 plus, the racing has not always been the greatest. However Saturday nights action was probably the best I have seen in 42 nights this season, and Keagan and I both agreed that we cannot wait to get back to the Diamond of dirt tracks.
I am not totally up to speed on the current ULMA late model rules, but if I am not wrong, Johnny Fennewald would have been running a steel block engine against the aluminum power plants of the MLRA regulars, making his run from 20th to sixth with a seventh place finish very impressive. Of course, the combination of his familiarity with the track and the dry slick conditions no doubt played a part in his success. I am also guessing that the USRA rules allow a " better " tire for the B mods, and if so, I only wish IMCA would follow suit for the sport mods. In addition to the caution free feature, the second B main also ran caution free!
The five drivers who failed to qualify for the main event on Saturday, were Justin Zeitner, Larry Jones, Iowan Skip Frey, Curt Acker, and Reid Millard. Zeitner and Millard were involved in a heat one incident, with Millard eventually loaning his car to McGrath for the feature. McGrath had been running a close second to Payton Looney for series rookie of the year, but missed the rescheduled Friday night race at Lee County, as there was a race in his home state in honor of a family member.
Prior commitments will likely keep me away from the tracks next weekend, but for those of you not going to the World 100, Jacksonville,Il. Speedway will be hosting 410 sprint cars, non winged midgets, and UMP Pro Crate late models next Friday night. Darryl and I attended this show in 2017 when the Big Ten late models ran with the sprints and midgets, and it was a top notch show, so check it out if you get a chance. For now, I will look ahead to the Lucas Oil Knoxville Nationals in two weeks.
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Vaught Hot at Donnellson
Friday night the MLRA late models made a long awaited appearance at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa, a make up event after being rained out in May. A late arriving Skip Frey grew the field to nineteen, split into three ten lap heat races.
The MLRA uses a draw for starting spots in the heat races and a passing points system for the feature lineup, and this creates good competition in the preliminary events. Tony Jackson Jr. earned the main event pole by coming from inside row two to capture the first heat, followed by sixth starting Justin Zeitner. Polesitter Dave Eckrich led flag to flag in heat two over row two starter Mason Oberkramer, and surprise visitor Matt Furman lined up third in the final heat and charged past Will Vaught to take the checkers, earning the outside pole for the feature.
The show had opened with a pair of sport compact heat races during which a brief rain shower brought racing to a halt. With the help of the racers, the surface was quickly rolled back in, making for a lightning fast track, with a couple of dips forming in the corners.
305 sprint cars and sport mods were also on the card, contesting a pair of heats each, and with the nine heat races in the books, it was time to go feature racing.
A dozen of the four cylinder sport compacts lined up for sixteen laps. Josh Barnes had finished second in his heat, but he elected to switch to a different car for the feature, meaning he would start at the tail. Regular season points champ Barry Taft jumped out front from the pole position, while Barnes gained six spots on the opening circuit. As Taft and Jake Dietrich battled for the lead, Barnes worked his way to fourth on lap two, third two laps later, catching the front duo on the fifth lap. As lap nine was scored, it was three wide across the line, then Barnes claimed the lead. Now in command, he stretched his advantage, and with the race going caution free, he pulled out to a comfortable win. Taft came home second, followed by Dietrich and Alyssa Steele. Brandon Reu jumped in the #14B car for the night and finished fifth.
The late models were up next, forty laps for $3,000 to win. Jackson was on a rail, charging to the lead with Furman in tow, but the first caution came as Jeff Roth got sideways and was collected by Brian Harris in the Lynn Richard crate engine #15R. With lap one scored, Vaught used the Delaware restart to take third, and he joined Jackson and Furman as they put some distance on the pack. With Jackson in command the yellow flew on lap six for a slowing Jay Johnson. Unfazed, the front three again pulled away as racing resumed, with the next caution coming for Eckrich, who headed to the pits. The move of the race came on the restart, as Vaught split the leaders down the front stretch, now leading out of turn two. A couple laps later, it was another caution as Jackson slowed with a flat tire. Series point leader Chad Simpson had suffered a flat after starting outside row one in his heat, relegating him to a fourth place finish and a row six spot in the feature, however he was now up to fifth with twenty five laps still to be run. Simpson gained another spot on the restart, and was now in contention behind Vaught, Furman, and Payton Looney. Four more laps, another yellow for J C Wyman, and back under green, both Looney and Simpson cleared Furman. Just after halfway, it was another caution, as Jackson exploded his drive shaft, scattering parts down the front stretch, with some even clearing the fence and landing in the stands. Jeremy Grady spun just past the flag stand with a flat as the green waved for yet another stoppage. Vaught stretched his margin ahead of one final caution, as Mark Burgtorf slowed, ducking to the pits. As the laps clicked off, Looney began to close the gap, but Vaught had something left in the tank, and he turned back the late charge to score the win. Looney was happy with his runner up finish, as Simpson shook off three recent DNF's to take third. Furman had a strong run in fourth ahead of Zeitner. Logan Martin led the second five, followed by Oberkramer, Wyman, and Grady, as only nine cars took the checkers. Roth was credited with tenth.
While some folks headed to the parking lot, those who stayed saw another pair of good features. All but one of the sixteen 305 sprints came to the track next for twenty laps. Jarrod Schneiderman took the top spot from the pole, surviving a pair of early cautions as outside pole starter Dan Keltner stayed glued to his bumper in what was becoming a two car race, The pair came past the flag stand side by side to complete lap seven, then Keltner jumped to the top side of the 3/8 mile to snare the lead one lap later. Keltner and Schneiderman caught slower traffic around the halfway mark, working smoothly through the cars while staying in tight formation. The final sixteen laps went caution free before a jubilant Keltner parked in victory lane. Schneiderman claimed second ahead of Tanner Gebhardt, Brayden Gaylord, and Harold Pohren.
The final race of the night involved the fourteen sport mods competing for twenty laps and a cool $1,000 top prize. Daniel Fellows and visiting Tim Plummer lined up in row one, and they led Nathan Bringer, sixth starting Austen Becerra, Austin Howes, and Adam Birck, as lap one was scored. Bringer moved to second on lap two, but it was Beceera in the runner up spot one lap later. Fellows and Beceera put some distance on the pack, with Becerra trying a bump and run before abandoning his high line to power under Fellows to take over just before half way. He then opened a sizable lead even as Fellows stayed well ahead of the four car third place battle. Amazingly, the race went caution free, with Becerra taking the win. Fellows held second, while Brayton Carter made a late move to third after starting eighth. Bringer and Birck completed the top five.
Racing concluded around 10:30.
With several high paying races around the midwest, the nineteen car late model field met or exceeded most expectations. Those in the stands may have come up with different numbers. Joe Godsey was announced in the lineups even though he was not racing. The teammate of Jeff Roth was given " show up " points, as I was told he was injured earlier in the season and is not currently racing. In fact, Roth was wheeling the #14G that Godsey drove earlier in the year. Also, Muscatine, Iowa driver Jonathon Brauns was in the pits with his #22B, but never came to the speedway. Another Iowa hot shoe, Spencer Diercks, was unable to start the main event after exiting the track during his heat race, then making a one lap appearance during a break in the action in which he did not get up to speed. Harris, in the Richard car was the only Lee County crate car in the field. He was mostly there to " shake the rust off, " as they have plans to enter the car Sunday in the crate special as part of the Ron Marks Memorial race at the Quad City Speedway in East Moline,Il. QCS is testing the waters before possibly adding the crate class to their 2019 lineup.
Meanwhile, the MLRA moves to their " home track " today, the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri for the Larry Phillips Memorial race paying $5.075 to win, a tribute to the southern Missouri legend, who campaigned his #75 for many successful seasons. As the sun peeks through here in Canton, I am preparing to pick up grandson Keagan and his fiancee Megan and make the drive to Wheatland, where the B mods will also be on the card. This third race in three nights will likely put the wraps on my holiday racing, as it has been announced that Quincy Raceways is cancelling what was to be an abbreviated Sunday night program. With Monster Trucks on tap next weekend, QR will not host circle track racing again until September 16, when the Sprint Invaders come calling. If you have not had your racing fix yet, there is still lots of weekend racing to be had, including $5.00 admission tonight at 34 Raceway, and $3,000 to win modifieds along with Big Ten UMP late models at Spoon River Speedway tomorrow ahead of day one of the IMCA Super Nationals at the Boone, Iowa Speedway beginning on Monday. The AMS modifieds will be at Fairbury, Illinois tonight and Brownstown, Il. tomorrow, and I am sure I have missed a few more events, so get out and support dirt track racing!
The MLRA uses a draw for starting spots in the heat races and a passing points system for the feature lineup, and this creates good competition in the preliminary events. Tony Jackson Jr. earned the main event pole by coming from inside row two to capture the first heat, followed by sixth starting Justin Zeitner. Polesitter Dave Eckrich led flag to flag in heat two over row two starter Mason Oberkramer, and surprise visitor Matt Furman lined up third in the final heat and charged past Will Vaught to take the checkers, earning the outside pole for the feature.
The show had opened with a pair of sport compact heat races during which a brief rain shower brought racing to a halt. With the help of the racers, the surface was quickly rolled back in, making for a lightning fast track, with a couple of dips forming in the corners.
305 sprint cars and sport mods were also on the card, contesting a pair of heats each, and with the nine heat races in the books, it was time to go feature racing.
A dozen of the four cylinder sport compacts lined up for sixteen laps. Josh Barnes had finished second in his heat, but he elected to switch to a different car for the feature, meaning he would start at the tail. Regular season points champ Barry Taft jumped out front from the pole position, while Barnes gained six spots on the opening circuit. As Taft and Jake Dietrich battled for the lead, Barnes worked his way to fourth on lap two, third two laps later, catching the front duo on the fifth lap. As lap nine was scored, it was three wide across the line, then Barnes claimed the lead. Now in command, he stretched his advantage, and with the race going caution free, he pulled out to a comfortable win. Taft came home second, followed by Dietrich and Alyssa Steele. Brandon Reu jumped in the #14B car for the night and finished fifth.
The late models were up next, forty laps for $3,000 to win. Jackson was on a rail, charging to the lead with Furman in tow, but the first caution came as Jeff Roth got sideways and was collected by Brian Harris in the Lynn Richard crate engine #15R. With lap one scored, Vaught used the Delaware restart to take third, and he joined Jackson and Furman as they put some distance on the pack. With Jackson in command the yellow flew on lap six for a slowing Jay Johnson. Unfazed, the front three again pulled away as racing resumed, with the next caution coming for Eckrich, who headed to the pits. The move of the race came on the restart, as Vaught split the leaders down the front stretch, now leading out of turn two. A couple laps later, it was another caution as Jackson slowed with a flat tire. Series point leader Chad Simpson had suffered a flat after starting outside row one in his heat, relegating him to a fourth place finish and a row six spot in the feature, however he was now up to fifth with twenty five laps still to be run. Simpson gained another spot on the restart, and was now in contention behind Vaught, Furman, and Payton Looney. Four more laps, another yellow for J C Wyman, and back under green, both Looney and Simpson cleared Furman. Just after halfway, it was another caution, as Jackson exploded his drive shaft, scattering parts down the front stretch, with some even clearing the fence and landing in the stands. Jeremy Grady spun just past the flag stand with a flat as the green waved for yet another stoppage. Vaught stretched his margin ahead of one final caution, as Mark Burgtorf slowed, ducking to the pits. As the laps clicked off, Looney began to close the gap, but Vaught had something left in the tank, and he turned back the late charge to score the win. Looney was happy with his runner up finish, as Simpson shook off three recent DNF's to take third. Furman had a strong run in fourth ahead of Zeitner. Logan Martin led the second five, followed by Oberkramer, Wyman, and Grady, as only nine cars took the checkers. Roth was credited with tenth.
While some folks headed to the parking lot, those who stayed saw another pair of good features. All but one of the sixteen 305 sprints came to the track next for twenty laps. Jarrod Schneiderman took the top spot from the pole, surviving a pair of early cautions as outside pole starter Dan Keltner stayed glued to his bumper in what was becoming a two car race, The pair came past the flag stand side by side to complete lap seven, then Keltner jumped to the top side of the 3/8 mile to snare the lead one lap later. Keltner and Schneiderman caught slower traffic around the halfway mark, working smoothly through the cars while staying in tight formation. The final sixteen laps went caution free before a jubilant Keltner parked in victory lane. Schneiderman claimed second ahead of Tanner Gebhardt, Brayden Gaylord, and Harold Pohren.
The final race of the night involved the fourteen sport mods competing for twenty laps and a cool $1,000 top prize. Daniel Fellows and visiting Tim Plummer lined up in row one, and they led Nathan Bringer, sixth starting Austen Becerra, Austin Howes, and Adam Birck, as lap one was scored. Bringer moved to second on lap two, but it was Beceera in the runner up spot one lap later. Fellows and Beceera put some distance on the pack, with Becerra trying a bump and run before abandoning his high line to power under Fellows to take over just before half way. He then opened a sizable lead even as Fellows stayed well ahead of the four car third place battle. Amazingly, the race went caution free, with Becerra taking the win. Fellows held second, while Brayton Carter made a late move to third after starting eighth. Bringer and Birck completed the top five.
Racing concluded around 10:30.
With several high paying races around the midwest, the nineteen car late model field met or exceeded most expectations. Those in the stands may have come up with different numbers. Joe Godsey was announced in the lineups even though he was not racing. The teammate of Jeff Roth was given " show up " points, as I was told he was injured earlier in the season and is not currently racing. In fact, Roth was wheeling the #14G that Godsey drove earlier in the year. Also, Muscatine, Iowa driver Jonathon Brauns was in the pits with his #22B, but never came to the speedway. Another Iowa hot shoe, Spencer Diercks, was unable to start the main event after exiting the track during his heat race, then making a one lap appearance during a break in the action in which he did not get up to speed. Harris, in the Richard car was the only Lee County crate car in the field. He was mostly there to " shake the rust off, " as they have plans to enter the car Sunday in the crate special as part of the Ron Marks Memorial race at the Quad City Speedway in East Moline,Il. QCS is testing the waters before possibly adding the crate class to their 2019 lineup.
Meanwhile, the MLRA moves to their " home track " today, the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri for the Larry Phillips Memorial race paying $5.075 to win, a tribute to the southern Missouri legend, who campaigned his #75 for many successful seasons. As the sun peeks through here in Canton, I am preparing to pick up grandson Keagan and his fiancee Megan and make the drive to Wheatland, where the B mods will also be on the card. This third race in three nights will likely put the wraps on my holiday racing, as it has been announced that Quincy Raceways is cancelling what was to be an abbreviated Sunday night program. With Monster Trucks on tap next weekend, QR will not host circle track racing again until September 16, when the Sprint Invaders come calling. If you have not had your racing fix yet, there is still lots of weekend racing to be had, including $5.00 admission tonight at 34 Raceway, and $3,000 to win modifieds along with Big Ten UMP late models at Spoon River Speedway tomorrow ahead of day one of the IMCA Super Nationals at the Boone, Iowa Speedway beginning on Monday. The AMS modifieds will be at Fairbury, Illinois tonight and Brownstown, Il. tomorrow, and I am sure I have missed a few more events, so get out and support dirt track racing!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
