If you go to fifty plus races a year as I do, once in a while, you are going to run into " one of those nights. " And Friday at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson was definitely " one of those nights! " Yellow flags that needed measured in dozens, overly aggressive driving, unpopular calls, and boundry cones flying all over the track made for a very late and very atypical night of racing. To be fair, LCS has built a reputation for starting on time and running a smooth, efficient program that typically has everyone out the door by 10:00 or shortly after. But once in a while, everyone has " one of those nights."
With the cancellation of races at Columbus Junction due to high water, the car count swelled to 89 in the five IMCA divisions, as several of their regulars made the trek south to race. A dozen heat races followed by a longer than usual intermission during which drivers passed helmets in the stands to take up a collection for racer Michael " Taco " Larsen, who is hospitalized with an as yet undiagnosed ailment, set the stage for feature racing. So far, so good.
All but two of the twenty two sport mods lined up for eighteen laps. Ron Kibbe started inside row two and paced the opening lap, followed by his row two mate, Adam Birck. Daniel Fellows lined up outside row four, but moved to third on lap two. Those three began to put distance on the pack, although row three starter Brandon Dale kept them in sight in fourth. Fellows charged to the lead on lap five just ahead of the first yellow - and things went downhill from there. Following a lengthy delay for fluid cleanup, the green flag waved, with Birck sliding out of the groove, dropping to fifth. Blaine Webster was now in third, but contact up front sent Kibbe spinning, bringing out another caution. By my count, six more cautions slowed the race, with the final one resulting in a single file alignment and a green, white checkers finish. Fellows took the win, followed by Webster, Dale, Kibbe, and Birck.
The twenty car sport compact main was missing only top competitor Barry Taft as they got set for fifteen laps of action. Larry Miller paced lap one ahead of the first of five yellow flags. On lap seven, Miller brought out the final caution, his machine spewing heavy smoke. Now the field was lined up single file, with the final eight laps running caution free. Brandon Reu and Jacob Houston staged a good battle before Houston slowed momentarily, falling to third. When the checkers waved, it was Reu with the win over Brandon Allison, Houston, Jason Ash, and Cody Staley.
Now it was time for the nineteen car, twenty lap modified main. Unfortunately, this seven caution event turned out to be the low light of the night. Mike Van Genderen lined up on the pole and led throughout, even as a fascinating combination of great racing punctuated by moments of chaos kept us glued to our seats. But with three laps remaining, Van Genderen and tenth starting Kurt Kile were in a side by side tussle, when Van Genderen appeared to drive through the bump in turn two, making contact with Kile. The ruling from the judges stand sent both drivers to the tail on the restart, turning the lead over to John Oliver Jr. Oliver had previously been involved in a couple of controversial calls, first on lap two when he spun to the infield, then pulled back on the track to draw a yellow flag, then with four laps remaining when he made contact with Dakota Simmons, which resulted in Simmons making contact with a tractor tire, ending his third place run, with the contact ruled incidental and Oliver retaining his position. After Kile stopped in turn three with one lap to go, the race was called complete by the time limit. Oliver scored the win ahead of Brandon Banks, Matt Bodman, Dugan Thye, and Mitch Boles.
The stock car main event featured fifteen cars for twenty laps, with three yellow flag periods and the only red of the night slowing the action. Derrick Agee powered from the outside pole to lead the first four circuits before fourth starting Abe Huls charged to the front. One lap later, Agee stopped in turn two, his night over. Former track regular Jason See grabbed second on the restart, as four cars battled in back and forth fashion for spots three through six. A pair of cautions came with six laps remaining, and back to green, See tried to squeeze under Huls, but ran out of room, with Dustin Griffith seizing the moment to move to second. With four circuits left, contact on the backstretch sent the car of Brett Lowry on its top. The driver was uninjured, his shot at a top five wiped out. The final laps saw plenty of action behind the leaders, with the checkers waving for Huls, followed by Griffith, See, Jeremy Pundt, and Beau Taylor.
Thirteen late models signed in, with all taking the feature green. As it was only the second points night for the late models, a draw, redraw format was used, and that may have helped lure a couple of IMCA hot shoes to Donnellson. Nick Marolf shot to an early lead from his pole position, with Ron Boyse, Matt Strassheim, and Jay Johnson in tow. With Marolf well out front and Boyse comfortably ahead of the third place car in second, he began to chip away at the leader ahead of a lap seven spin by Brandon Queen. However Strassheim used the Delaware restart to slide in to second. Meanwhile, ninth starting Andy Eckrich entered the top five just as the yellow waved for a spinning Jake Dietrich. Eckrich gained one more spot on the restart before Blaire Barton went for a spin one lap later. Back to racing, the youngest of the Eckrich brothers powered to second, briefly pulling alongside Marolf for the top spot. But Marolf was able to hold off his charge and again began to open a lead of several car lengths. Now it was seventh starting Tommy Elston entering the top four as the final caution of the night came with eight laps to go. One lap later, Elston jumped to third, but even though Eckrich was able to make a last ditch effort with two laps to go, Marolf held on for the flag to flag win. Eckrich took runner up honors, besting Elston, Strassheim, and Boyse. Johnson won a spirited battle for sixth over Ray Raker, with Queen, Chris Richard, and Darin Weisinger Jr. completing the top ten.
While it was not the best of nights at LCS, there was plenty of good racing, and after all, anyone can have " one of those nights!"
Thanks to Brian and Marcie and the staff for working hard to make sure we had racing in these less than ideal weather conditions.
Friday, May 31, 2019
Tuesday, May 28, 2019
Holiday Racing in Macon
With other commitments, I staked out Sunday as my one racing night for the Memorial Day weekend. However Mother Nature had other ideas. First the Quad City Speedway in East Moline canceled the Deery Brothers Summer Series show, but Quincy Raceways decided after two consecutive rain outs to try and work in the track and pits for their weekly show. Their efforts were unsuccessful, but by the time they pulled the plug mid afternoon, unlike my Positively Racing colleagues Jeff Broeg and Brian Neal, I decided to hunker down at home. But all was not lost, as there was still a pair of possible destinations for Monday racing, so Darryl, Fred, grandson Peyton and myself agreed to let the weatherman point us towards either Peoria,Il for the Joe Wagner Memorial UMP modified and late model special, or Macon, Il. for the Miller Lite Twin 50's featuring UMP Big Ten late models and Pro modifieds. It soon became clear that Macon stood the better chance of missing Mother Natures' wrath, so Macon it would be!
I had not been to the 1/5 mile bullring south of Decatur since 2013, so anticipation was high for some high powered side by side slam bang action, and I was not disappointed.
Six classes were on the card, and 120 cars signed in for a full night of racing. The late models and both the modified and Pro mod classes qualified through time trials, while the street stocks, hornets and micro sprints drew for their starting spots in the heat races.
Rusty Schlenk topped the late models with a quick lap of 10.490 seconds, Kenny Schrader paced the modifieds, and Tim Hancock Sr. took Pro mod honors.
Sixteen heat races set the feature fields, and following a brief intermission, twenty street stocks led off main event action. Nick Macklin set the early pace as we suffered through four caution periods in the first four laps. Terry Reed stalked the leader, and made a pass for the lead that was negated by a lap nine yellow flag. Reed then made a final attempt as the fifteen laps wound down, but slipped to fourth in the process. One final caution came as the white flag waved, setting up a green, white, checkers finish. Macklin stayed out front for the flag to flag win ahead of Bobby Beiler, Darrell Dick, and Reed.
Twenty micro sprints then lined up for twenty laps, with Gabe Verardi pacing the field through a lap two caution. When the yellow again flew at lap ten, the leader suddenly pulled to the infield, his night finished. It was now Andy Bishop out front, and he survived one more stoppage on lap eleven. Joe B Miller, who will drive anything with four wheels and a wing, started sixth and pressured the leader, running the top line around the tacky track, but could not make the winning pass. At the checkers, it was Bishop, Miller, Luke Verardi, and Riley Goodno.
All but one of the sixteen UMP modifieds took the green for twenty laps. Schrader and Allen Weisser lined up in row one, with Weisser using the high side to grab the early lead. The front duo pulled away from the field ahead of a lap four caution for debris. Back to racing, Weisser opened a lead as Schrader soon found himself fighting off a challenge from Tommy Sheppard Jr. One more caution slowed the action on lap twelve, and four laps later Sheppard Jr. found his way to the runner up spot. Weisser remained in command, leading all twenty laps for the win. Sheppard Jr. Schrader, late arriving Ray Bollinger, and Kenny Wallace completed the top five. In his victory lane interview, Weisser stated he had planned to race close to home in Peoria, but made what proved to be the correct decision to come to Macon instead. With his late arrival, I am guessing Bollinger also had his plans changed, as well as the Gardner late model team. All three of these competitors brought along two cars each.
Quite honestly, we were hoping the fifty lap late model headliner might be up next ahead of the Pro mods, but unfortunately, that was not the case. I say unfortunately, because the twenty two car Pro mod event was completed in something close to fifty minutes, while enduring ten caution periods. In the midst of the marathon, there were a couple of judgement calls that resulted in drivers retaining their running positions after being involved in caution periods, while early leader Billy Knebel retired to the pits after being sent to the back following the ninth caution four laps from the end. The final stoppage came with one lap to go, and this time the green and white waved together. Rob Timmons took home the big trophy followed by Tim Hancock Jr. and a pair of double duty drivers, Tommy Sheppard Jr., and Tim Hancock Sr., who was forced to start at the tail of the field after having mechanical issues in his heat race following his quick qualifying time.
Next up, all nineteen late models came to the track for fifty laps. Heat race winners Mark Voigt, Ryan Unzicker, and Rusty Griffaw held the top three spots, with Schlenk flanking Griffaw in row two. Unzicker jumped to the early lead with Griffaw in tow ahead of a lap two yellow when Cody Maguire, Adam Tischauser, and Blake Demery got together. Lap four saw Schlenk clear Griffaw for second, and it now became a two car battle, as he and Unzicker found slower traffic by lap eight. Thinks got dicey as Unzicker came upon cars racing for position, allowing Schlenk to pull alongside just ahead of a lap nineteen caution for debris. On the restart, seventh starting Jason Feger used the low line to move to third, and just before the halfway mark, Brian Shirley, his rear spoiler in disrepair, charged to fourth. As the laps clicked off, Unzicker was using a low line in turns one and two, stretching his advantage with Schlenk pounding the cushion. But the leader was running the top line in turns three and four, leaving the middle groove open for Schlenk, who would pull alongside down the front stretch. A lap thirty six caution slowed the action, with no change in the top four, and a final break came six laps from the end when Maguire and Braden Johnson got hooked together, creating a bit of a delay. Schlenk kept up the pressure over the final laps, even as Feger worked the bottom to pull alongside Schlenk out of turn four. When the checkers waved, it was Unzicker taking the $1,500 top prize in flag to flag, if not easy, fashion. Schlenk took runner up honors, followed by Feger, Shirley, and double duty Weisser. Griffaw led the second five over Myles Moos, Brian Diveley, Tischauser, and Greg Kimmons. Bob Gardner was, I believe, the final car on the lead lap in eleventh.
With the hornet feature still to go, we headed for the parking lot, and the clock read 10 P.M. as we pulled from the facility. Reports have Aaron Garcia topping the final feature.
Despite having only one way in and out of the pit area, Macon Speedway does a good job of transitioning from one race to the next with very little delay, a concept I wish more tracks would employ. Thanks to Bob Sargent and his team for a fun night of racing!
I had not been to the 1/5 mile bullring south of Decatur since 2013, so anticipation was high for some high powered side by side slam bang action, and I was not disappointed.
Six classes were on the card, and 120 cars signed in for a full night of racing. The late models and both the modified and Pro mod classes qualified through time trials, while the street stocks, hornets and micro sprints drew for their starting spots in the heat races.
Rusty Schlenk topped the late models with a quick lap of 10.490 seconds, Kenny Schrader paced the modifieds, and Tim Hancock Sr. took Pro mod honors.
Sixteen heat races set the feature fields, and following a brief intermission, twenty street stocks led off main event action. Nick Macklin set the early pace as we suffered through four caution periods in the first four laps. Terry Reed stalked the leader, and made a pass for the lead that was negated by a lap nine yellow flag. Reed then made a final attempt as the fifteen laps wound down, but slipped to fourth in the process. One final caution came as the white flag waved, setting up a green, white, checkers finish. Macklin stayed out front for the flag to flag win ahead of Bobby Beiler, Darrell Dick, and Reed.
Twenty micro sprints then lined up for twenty laps, with Gabe Verardi pacing the field through a lap two caution. When the yellow again flew at lap ten, the leader suddenly pulled to the infield, his night finished. It was now Andy Bishop out front, and he survived one more stoppage on lap eleven. Joe B Miller, who will drive anything with four wheels and a wing, started sixth and pressured the leader, running the top line around the tacky track, but could not make the winning pass. At the checkers, it was Bishop, Miller, Luke Verardi, and Riley Goodno.
All but one of the sixteen UMP modifieds took the green for twenty laps. Schrader and Allen Weisser lined up in row one, with Weisser using the high side to grab the early lead. The front duo pulled away from the field ahead of a lap four caution for debris. Back to racing, Weisser opened a lead as Schrader soon found himself fighting off a challenge from Tommy Sheppard Jr. One more caution slowed the action on lap twelve, and four laps later Sheppard Jr. found his way to the runner up spot. Weisser remained in command, leading all twenty laps for the win. Sheppard Jr. Schrader, late arriving Ray Bollinger, and Kenny Wallace completed the top five. In his victory lane interview, Weisser stated he had planned to race close to home in Peoria, but made what proved to be the correct decision to come to Macon instead. With his late arrival, I am guessing Bollinger also had his plans changed, as well as the Gardner late model team. All three of these competitors brought along two cars each.
Quite honestly, we were hoping the fifty lap late model headliner might be up next ahead of the Pro mods, but unfortunately, that was not the case. I say unfortunately, because the twenty two car Pro mod event was completed in something close to fifty minutes, while enduring ten caution periods. In the midst of the marathon, there were a couple of judgement calls that resulted in drivers retaining their running positions after being involved in caution periods, while early leader Billy Knebel retired to the pits after being sent to the back following the ninth caution four laps from the end. The final stoppage came with one lap to go, and this time the green and white waved together. Rob Timmons took home the big trophy followed by Tim Hancock Jr. and a pair of double duty drivers, Tommy Sheppard Jr., and Tim Hancock Sr., who was forced to start at the tail of the field after having mechanical issues in his heat race following his quick qualifying time.
Next up, all nineteen late models came to the track for fifty laps. Heat race winners Mark Voigt, Ryan Unzicker, and Rusty Griffaw held the top three spots, with Schlenk flanking Griffaw in row two. Unzicker jumped to the early lead with Griffaw in tow ahead of a lap two yellow when Cody Maguire, Adam Tischauser, and Blake Demery got together. Lap four saw Schlenk clear Griffaw for second, and it now became a two car battle, as he and Unzicker found slower traffic by lap eight. Thinks got dicey as Unzicker came upon cars racing for position, allowing Schlenk to pull alongside just ahead of a lap nineteen caution for debris. On the restart, seventh starting Jason Feger used the low line to move to third, and just before the halfway mark, Brian Shirley, his rear spoiler in disrepair, charged to fourth. As the laps clicked off, Unzicker was using a low line in turns one and two, stretching his advantage with Schlenk pounding the cushion. But the leader was running the top line in turns three and four, leaving the middle groove open for Schlenk, who would pull alongside down the front stretch. A lap thirty six caution slowed the action, with no change in the top four, and a final break came six laps from the end when Maguire and Braden Johnson got hooked together, creating a bit of a delay. Schlenk kept up the pressure over the final laps, even as Feger worked the bottom to pull alongside Schlenk out of turn four. When the checkers waved, it was Unzicker taking the $1,500 top prize in flag to flag, if not easy, fashion. Schlenk took runner up honors, followed by Feger, Shirley, and double duty Weisser. Griffaw led the second five over Myles Moos, Brian Diveley, Tischauser, and Greg Kimmons. Bob Gardner was, I believe, the final car on the lead lap in eleventh.
With the hornet feature still to go, we headed for the parking lot, and the clock read 10 P.M. as we pulled from the facility. Reports have Aaron Garcia topping the final feature.
Despite having only one way in and out of the pit area, Macon Speedway does a good job of transitioning from one race to the next with very little delay, a concept I wish more tracks would employ. Thanks to Bob Sargent and his team for a fun night of racing!
Friday, May 17, 2019
Hudson Oneal is the Burlington " Survivor "
The Lucas Oil late model series made their first visit in several years to 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, and the show did not disappoint!With IMCA stock cars and mini haulers ( trucks ) filling out the card, thirty six super late models signed in. One of those, Matt Mickelson, apparently came up short in the required equipment department, leaving us with thirty five competitors vying for the $10,000 top prize.
Hot laps began close to 6:30 as advertised, followed by late model qualifying, three cars at a time for two laps, broken into group A, which would set the lineups for heats one and two, and group B for heats three and four. Series points leader Jonathon Davenport was the fastest in group A, but it was veteran Tim McCreadie pacing group B with the fastest lap overall at14.466 seconds around the high banked 3/8 mile oval.
As is so often the case with " fastest times up front shows," all four heat winners came from the front row. Davenport claimed heat one ahead of Billy Moyer Jr., Chase Junghans, and Tyler Erb. Second generation driver Devin Moran won heat two over Josh Richards, former 34 winner Earl Pearson Jr., and Iowan Chris Simpson. Another Iowan, Tyler Bruening captured the third ten lapper, besting Don Oneal, McCreadie, who fell from first to third after a turn two bobble, and Kyle Bronson. The only caution period in the four qualifiers came in the final one for a spinning Mike Fryer in the David Webster #44W even as Tim Simpson ducked to the infield with what " smelled " like a blown engine. Legendary Billy Moyer took the win in front of Hudson Oneal, Shannon Babb, and Jimmy Owens.
A pair of twelve lap B mains each added three cars to the fifty lap feature grid. Frank Heckenast Jr. came from row two to edge Bobby Pierce , who gave up the lead on lap eleven, and Spencer Diercks, followed by Shannon Buckingham topping Chad Simpson making his debut in the Moring Motorsports #1, and Stormy Scott. Chad Holladay came up one spot short after running second for a part of the event. Jason Jamison was awarded the series points provisional twenty third spot, and with Allen Weisser apparently not making the call, the fastest non qualifier slot went to Allen Murray.
With an increasingly ominous black cloud circling the speedway and reports of torrential rains to the north, the thirteen stock cars came to the track for twenty laps. Those of us who count ourselves as stock car fans know that the full bodied cars are normally well behaved, running with minimal cautions. On Thursday, however, a track with a lot of " character, "at least partly due to the non stop spring rains created some issues. Although the caution appeared only four times, the crowd was becoming somewhat restless as competitors were given their two courtesy laps for flat tires. After a false start and the pole sitter penalized one row for firing too soon, only one lap was scored before the next three stops came in rapid fire, the final of which was a multi car pileup that took out top contender Abe Huls among others. Les Blakeley then led the group back to green with Jeremy Pundt on the move. Pundt moved to second on lap three, then snagged the lead one lap later. John Oliver Jr. powered to second on the fifth circuit and the front duo began to put distance on the remainder of the field. Pundt found a middle line to his liking, while lap after lap Oliver Jr. would look to dive underneath in turns three and four. Coming to the white flag, Pundt drifted above his preferred line, and Oliver was on top at the flag stand. Scored in front for only two laps, Oliver Jr. picked up the win. Only five cars were still running at the checkers. Pundt took runner up honors, while Tom Bowling Jr. recovered from an early flat to finish third. Shane Richardson and Chad Krogmeier rounded out the field.
It was now late model time, and this race became something of a marathon, with fifty laps taking just over forty eight minutes to complete. By my count ten cautions slowed the action, but I refused to remove my shoes, so I may have lost count. And of course many of those included courtesy laps for flats, but now the masses seemed to have more tolerance for such activity!
Davenport earned to pole start by virtue of his heat one win, and he took off ahead of the first yellow for a slowing McCreadie. Back to green, Moyer charged to second, followed by Bruening and Don Oneal. The leader had just caught slower traffic on lap nine when the yellow waved for Jameson, who spun on the backstretch, right in front of Davenport. With a clear track, J.D. opened a big lead, again catching the back of the pack at lap sixteen. Don Oneal was now on the move, grabbing second one lap later and moving in to challenge for the lead in the heavy traffic. Richards advanced to third, and the caution next came just before the midway mark for a spin by the fourth running Bruening. At this time, it seemed like Davenport had the edge in turns one and two, while D. Oneal was better at the other end. A multi car pile up on the restart took out Pierce, who was in search of his second big win at 34 this season, and Moyer also headed to the trailer at this time, giving up his top five position. The front pair ran side by side for one lap before Pearson brought out the next yellow for a flat. As racing resumed, Hudson Oneal jumped to third, taking along Tyler Erb in fourth and Richards dropped to fifth. Following a lap twenty eight caution, Hudson used the Delaware restart to take second, but the yellow came again for a Moyer Jr. flat. In the next nine green flag laps, the father and son duo of Don and Hudson swapped the runner up spot multiple times while Davenport took advantage of their battle to stretch his lead. Two quick yellows came around lap thirty eight first for a slowing Bruening, then for a spin by Erb. We now had a three car war, complete with position changes and slide jobs, the excitement level rising as evidenced by my barely decipherable notes. Davenport led by a nose at lap forty four, Don O. took the lead three laps later. But going down the backstretch, Davenport made contact with Oneal, bringing out the final caution. Oneal left the track behind the wrecker, but soon made repairs and returned to tag the tail of what was now about a dozen car field. Davenport did not stop on the track, and was now placed out front for what would be a single file lineup for the final three laps. But just as it seemed Davenport would take the big check, Hudson Oneal found a line superior to the leader, nosing ahead on lap forty eight. With the crowd now on their feet, the eighteen year old held on for the final pair of laps, crossing the line by less than a car length for an emotional victory. Davenport was gracious though certainly disappointed with a second place finish in his post race interview. Richards, running a team car with the elder Oneal out of the Clint Bowyer shop, came home third. Bronson started fourteenth and drove an eventful race to fourth, with Pearson fifth. Remarkably, Don Oneal used the final three laps to come back to sixth, with Junghans, Buckingham, Bruening, and Moran completingthe top ten.
With quite a bit of time taken for post race interviews and an uncertainty about the weather situation, I headed to the car, hearing the trucks come to the track as I negotiated the packed parking lot. Congratulations go to Jared Ruble who bested John Helenthal in the eight truck field.
A big thank you to Jessi and Brad not only for their hospitality, but also for taking on the financial gamble to bring the Lucas Oil stars and cars to 34, especially on a Thursday night. While the series heads north in hopes of running weekend shows at Farley, Iowa, and Spring Valley, Minnesota, I will plan to take the next two nights off before a Sunday night trip to Quincy Raceways. Hopefully shirt sleeve weather is finally here to stay!
Hot laps began close to 6:30 as advertised, followed by late model qualifying, three cars at a time for two laps, broken into group A, which would set the lineups for heats one and two, and group B for heats three and four. Series points leader Jonathon Davenport was the fastest in group A, but it was veteran Tim McCreadie pacing group B with the fastest lap overall at14.466 seconds around the high banked 3/8 mile oval.
As is so often the case with " fastest times up front shows," all four heat winners came from the front row. Davenport claimed heat one ahead of Billy Moyer Jr., Chase Junghans, and Tyler Erb. Second generation driver Devin Moran won heat two over Josh Richards, former 34 winner Earl Pearson Jr., and Iowan Chris Simpson. Another Iowan, Tyler Bruening captured the third ten lapper, besting Don Oneal, McCreadie, who fell from first to third after a turn two bobble, and Kyle Bronson. The only caution period in the four qualifiers came in the final one for a spinning Mike Fryer in the David Webster #44W even as Tim Simpson ducked to the infield with what " smelled " like a blown engine. Legendary Billy Moyer took the win in front of Hudson Oneal, Shannon Babb, and Jimmy Owens.
A pair of twelve lap B mains each added three cars to the fifty lap feature grid. Frank Heckenast Jr. came from row two to edge Bobby Pierce , who gave up the lead on lap eleven, and Spencer Diercks, followed by Shannon Buckingham topping Chad Simpson making his debut in the Moring Motorsports #1, and Stormy Scott. Chad Holladay came up one spot short after running second for a part of the event. Jason Jamison was awarded the series points provisional twenty third spot, and with Allen Weisser apparently not making the call, the fastest non qualifier slot went to Allen Murray.
With an increasingly ominous black cloud circling the speedway and reports of torrential rains to the north, the thirteen stock cars came to the track for twenty laps. Those of us who count ourselves as stock car fans know that the full bodied cars are normally well behaved, running with minimal cautions. On Thursday, however, a track with a lot of " character, "at least partly due to the non stop spring rains created some issues. Although the caution appeared only four times, the crowd was becoming somewhat restless as competitors were given their two courtesy laps for flat tires. After a false start and the pole sitter penalized one row for firing too soon, only one lap was scored before the next three stops came in rapid fire, the final of which was a multi car pileup that took out top contender Abe Huls among others. Les Blakeley then led the group back to green with Jeremy Pundt on the move. Pundt moved to second on lap three, then snagged the lead one lap later. John Oliver Jr. powered to second on the fifth circuit and the front duo began to put distance on the remainder of the field. Pundt found a middle line to his liking, while lap after lap Oliver Jr. would look to dive underneath in turns three and four. Coming to the white flag, Pundt drifted above his preferred line, and Oliver was on top at the flag stand. Scored in front for only two laps, Oliver Jr. picked up the win. Only five cars were still running at the checkers. Pundt took runner up honors, while Tom Bowling Jr. recovered from an early flat to finish third. Shane Richardson and Chad Krogmeier rounded out the field.
It was now late model time, and this race became something of a marathon, with fifty laps taking just over forty eight minutes to complete. By my count ten cautions slowed the action, but I refused to remove my shoes, so I may have lost count. And of course many of those included courtesy laps for flats, but now the masses seemed to have more tolerance for such activity!
Davenport earned to pole start by virtue of his heat one win, and he took off ahead of the first yellow for a slowing McCreadie. Back to green, Moyer charged to second, followed by Bruening and Don Oneal. The leader had just caught slower traffic on lap nine when the yellow waved for Jameson, who spun on the backstretch, right in front of Davenport. With a clear track, J.D. opened a big lead, again catching the back of the pack at lap sixteen. Don Oneal was now on the move, grabbing second one lap later and moving in to challenge for the lead in the heavy traffic. Richards advanced to third, and the caution next came just before the midway mark for a spin by the fourth running Bruening. At this time, it seemed like Davenport had the edge in turns one and two, while D. Oneal was better at the other end. A multi car pile up on the restart took out Pierce, who was in search of his second big win at 34 this season, and Moyer also headed to the trailer at this time, giving up his top five position. The front pair ran side by side for one lap before Pearson brought out the next yellow for a flat. As racing resumed, Hudson Oneal jumped to third, taking along Tyler Erb in fourth and Richards dropped to fifth. Following a lap twenty eight caution, Hudson used the Delaware restart to take second, but the yellow came again for a Moyer Jr. flat. In the next nine green flag laps, the father and son duo of Don and Hudson swapped the runner up spot multiple times while Davenport took advantage of their battle to stretch his lead. Two quick yellows came around lap thirty eight first for a slowing Bruening, then for a spin by Erb. We now had a three car war, complete with position changes and slide jobs, the excitement level rising as evidenced by my barely decipherable notes. Davenport led by a nose at lap forty four, Don O. took the lead three laps later. But going down the backstretch, Davenport made contact with Oneal, bringing out the final caution. Oneal left the track behind the wrecker, but soon made repairs and returned to tag the tail of what was now about a dozen car field. Davenport did not stop on the track, and was now placed out front for what would be a single file lineup for the final three laps. But just as it seemed Davenport would take the big check, Hudson Oneal found a line superior to the leader, nosing ahead on lap forty eight. With the crowd now on their feet, the eighteen year old held on for the final pair of laps, crossing the line by less than a car length for an emotional victory. Davenport was gracious though certainly disappointed with a second place finish in his post race interview. Richards, running a team car with the elder Oneal out of the Clint Bowyer shop, came home third. Bronson started fourteenth and drove an eventful race to fourth, with Pearson fifth. Remarkably, Don Oneal used the final three laps to come back to sixth, with Junghans, Buckingham, Bruening, and Moran completingthe top ten.
With quite a bit of time taken for post race interviews and an uncertainty about the weather situation, I headed to the car, hearing the trucks come to the track as I negotiated the packed parking lot. Congratulations go to Jared Ruble who bested John Helenthal in the eight truck field.
A big thank you to Jessi and Brad not only for their hospitality, but also for taking on the financial gamble to bring the Lucas Oil stars and cars to 34, especially on a Thursday night. While the series heads north in hopes of running weekend shows at Farley, Iowa, and Spring Valley, Minnesota, I will plan to take the next two nights off before a Sunday night trip to Quincy Raceways. Hopefully shirt sleeve weather is finally here to stay!
Sunday, May 12, 2019
Weekly Late Models Return to 34
Early Saturday evening I was bemoaning the fact that just about every track within 200 miles had cancelled except 34 Raceway when my wife said I should just go. Well that doesn't happen very often, so I jumped in the SUV and headed north, arriving during hot laps, which if you know me, I consider extremely late. Besides the fact that I was hoping to see some " out of towners " wander in, the return of IMCA late models on a ( mostly ) weekly basis after an absence of about ten years also made the night special.
The raceway is operating a rotating schedule of classes, and Saturday featured four IMCA groups, late models, modifieds, sport mods, and sport compacts. Non sanctioned 305 sprint cars rounded out the lineup.
A medical emergency in the grandstands interrupted heat race action, when a fan was apparently struck by debris, and we had a delay as an ambulance came to the track for transport. Upon completion of the heats, we moved straight to feature racing, with the sport mods up first, eighteen laps, with a couple scratches from the eleven car field. The lack of an official intermission proved a wise decision as the evening progressed.
Austen Becerra had failed to finish the main event the night before in Donnellson with what appeared to be engine woes, so he had his " old " car out on Saturday. He took off from the outside pole, quickly opening a big lead over James Roose and Sean Wyatt, who battled back and forth for second. Austen had a straightaway lead when the yellow flag flew at lap seven. Back under green, he again stretched his lead while Wyatt used the Delaware restart to take command of the runner up spot. Ron Kibbe had bobbled early, falling to the back of the pack, but he was now on the move, charging to third on lap eight. With no more caution periods, Becerra cruised to the win. Wyatt held on to second, followed by Kibbe, Roose, and Tom Bowling Jr. behind the wheel of a #18 machine.
Nine modifieds were up next for twenty laps. Justin Kay was one of the travelers to 34 , bringing both his modified and his late model, and he lined up on the outside pole for the modified event. He was able to slide up in front of pole sitter John Oliver Jr. in turns three and four to lead the opening circuit. Oliver remained in hot pursuit until lap six, when he suddenly darted to the pits, ending his strong run. Chris Zogg inherited the second position even as a caution for debris wiped out Kays' big advantage. One lap following the restart, Zogg drifted high coming off turn two, and Dugan Thye was there to drive around him. As Kay again built a straightaway lead, Thye worked to hold off Zogg for second. At the checkers, it was Kay, Thye, Zogg, Bill Roberts,Jr., and Mitch Strayer.
The 305 sprint class turned out the most cars, with seventeen entries, and all but two took the green flag for twenty laps of racing. When outside row one starter Noah Samuel elected to start at the tail, Devin Rouse inherited the outside row one start and drove away from the field, with Jarrod Schneiderman, Nick Guernsey, and Tanner Gebhardt in tow. Gebhardt was now on the move, advancing to third on lap five. Rouse quickly found himself in traffic, and he was moving through the slower cars with ease when he suddenly did a 360 degree spin in turn two on lap fifteen, staying in the gas, but dropping to third behind Schneiderman and Gebhardt. With just a pair of laps remaining, Gebhardt completed his charge to the front, racing past Schneiderman in turn two. When the checkers waved on the non stop event, it was Gebhardt with the win, followed by Schneiderman, Rouse, eighth starting Wyatt Wilkerson, and Guernsey.
For whatever reason the running order was changed between the heats and features, with the sport compacts now moved ahead of the late models. But surely fourteen cars and twelve laps wouldn't alter the program much, would it? Jeremy Nichols took off from the pole, with Jacob Houston and Barry Taft hot on his heels. Houston gained the lead on lap two, just ahead of a lap three caution. Taft powered to second on the restart, with Chuck Fullenkamp moving to third. A second caution came at lap eight, and when the green flag waved again, things took a turn for the worse. Matt Milligan found himself headed into turn one high on the berm, and rolled his car in the corner. With all eyes on him, suddenly Alyssa Steele, who was running a middle line, began to barrel roll her #55S between the turns, going over three or more times. While Milligan walked away from his ride, Steele was shaken up, and safety personnel spent considerable time checking her over. Finally, they gave her a ride to her pit area, and while they continued to watch over her, there was a fall in the grandstands which also required EMT assistance. After a considerable amount of time, the injured party was helped from the facility and we were back to racing. As the white flag was displayed, and with Houston and Taft running door to door, Nichols rolled his pink #15 off turn two, again bringing a halt to the action. Amazingly, he refired the car and drove to the pits. We were left with a one lap shootout, with Houston hanging on for the marathon win over Taft and Fullenkamp.
Finally, the dozen late models lined up for twenty laps in front of the hearty few who stayed around on yet another chilly night.
Tommy Elston is not only good on the track, he is also a master at the redraw - point inverts will start after I believe the first two nights of racing, - and he pulled the #1 pea for the pole position. His outside row one mate, Brandon Queen was out front when lap one was scored, but the next trip past the flag stand saw Elston in front. Returning veteran Tom Darbyshire, who started fourth, and Davenport, Iowa hot shoe, Matt Ryan, who started eighth, quickly move up to challenge Elston. The only caution of the twenty lapper came at the third go around. Jake Dietrich and first time visitor Scotty Welsh, from Cedar Rapids, both headed to the pits, but Welsh was unable to clear the track, as he needed assistance from a push truck. Ryan powered to second on the Delaware restart, and he kept Elston in his cross hairs the rest of the way. Elston was able to pull away coming off turn two, while Ryan would close on his bumper in turns three and four. Meanwhile, Darbyshire and Kay were engaged in a similar battle, with Darb dominate in turn two and Justin strong off turn four. At the checkers, Elston had his second win of the weekend, while Ryan took runner up honors. Darbyshire outlasted Kay for third, and Queen turned in a solid run in fifth. Mike Smith wheeled the Barton Racing #7 home in sixth, as Matt Strassheim made his return to the track just ahead of Jay Johnson. Chris Richard was credited with ninth in his season debut in the family owned #15R, and Ray Raker rounded out the top ten from the pits after contacting the backstretch wall, resulting in front end damage.
Thanks go out to Brad and Jessi for their hospitality, and it now looks as though my next racing adventure will also be at their fine facility. Quincy Raceways has pulled the plug on Mothers Day racing, as showers continue in the area. So it will be Thursday night, May 16 as the Lucas Oil late models invade 34 Raceway for a 50 lap, $10,000 to win spectacular presented by TruAcre Technology and J J Nichting. Stock cars and mini Haulers will also race in support of the high powered touring late models. Hope to see you there!
The raceway is operating a rotating schedule of classes, and Saturday featured four IMCA groups, late models, modifieds, sport mods, and sport compacts. Non sanctioned 305 sprint cars rounded out the lineup.
A medical emergency in the grandstands interrupted heat race action, when a fan was apparently struck by debris, and we had a delay as an ambulance came to the track for transport. Upon completion of the heats, we moved straight to feature racing, with the sport mods up first, eighteen laps, with a couple scratches from the eleven car field. The lack of an official intermission proved a wise decision as the evening progressed.
Austen Becerra had failed to finish the main event the night before in Donnellson with what appeared to be engine woes, so he had his " old " car out on Saturday. He took off from the outside pole, quickly opening a big lead over James Roose and Sean Wyatt, who battled back and forth for second. Austen had a straightaway lead when the yellow flag flew at lap seven. Back under green, he again stretched his lead while Wyatt used the Delaware restart to take command of the runner up spot. Ron Kibbe had bobbled early, falling to the back of the pack, but he was now on the move, charging to third on lap eight. With no more caution periods, Becerra cruised to the win. Wyatt held on to second, followed by Kibbe, Roose, and Tom Bowling Jr. behind the wheel of a #18 machine.
Nine modifieds were up next for twenty laps. Justin Kay was one of the travelers to 34 , bringing both his modified and his late model, and he lined up on the outside pole for the modified event. He was able to slide up in front of pole sitter John Oliver Jr. in turns three and four to lead the opening circuit. Oliver remained in hot pursuit until lap six, when he suddenly darted to the pits, ending his strong run. Chris Zogg inherited the second position even as a caution for debris wiped out Kays' big advantage. One lap following the restart, Zogg drifted high coming off turn two, and Dugan Thye was there to drive around him. As Kay again built a straightaway lead, Thye worked to hold off Zogg for second. At the checkers, it was Kay, Thye, Zogg, Bill Roberts,Jr., and Mitch Strayer.
The 305 sprint class turned out the most cars, with seventeen entries, and all but two took the green flag for twenty laps of racing. When outside row one starter Noah Samuel elected to start at the tail, Devin Rouse inherited the outside row one start and drove away from the field, with Jarrod Schneiderman, Nick Guernsey, and Tanner Gebhardt in tow. Gebhardt was now on the move, advancing to third on lap five. Rouse quickly found himself in traffic, and he was moving through the slower cars with ease when he suddenly did a 360 degree spin in turn two on lap fifteen, staying in the gas, but dropping to third behind Schneiderman and Gebhardt. With just a pair of laps remaining, Gebhardt completed his charge to the front, racing past Schneiderman in turn two. When the checkers waved on the non stop event, it was Gebhardt with the win, followed by Schneiderman, Rouse, eighth starting Wyatt Wilkerson, and Guernsey.
For whatever reason the running order was changed between the heats and features, with the sport compacts now moved ahead of the late models. But surely fourteen cars and twelve laps wouldn't alter the program much, would it? Jeremy Nichols took off from the pole, with Jacob Houston and Barry Taft hot on his heels. Houston gained the lead on lap two, just ahead of a lap three caution. Taft powered to second on the restart, with Chuck Fullenkamp moving to third. A second caution came at lap eight, and when the green flag waved again, things took a turn for the worse. Matt Milligan found himself headed into turn one high on the berm, and rolled his car in the corner. With all eyes on him, suddenly Alyssa Steele, who was running a middle line, began to barrel roll her #55S between the turns, going over three or more times. While Milligan walked away from his ride, Steele was shaken up, and safety personnel spent considerable time checking her over. Finally, they gave her a ride to her pit area, and while they continued to watch over her, there was a fall in the grandstands which also required EMT assistance. After a considerable amount of time, the injured party was helped from the facility and we were back to racing. As the white flag was displayed, and with Houston and Taft running door to door, Nichols rolled his pink #15 off turn two, again bringing a halt to the action. Amazingly, he refired the car and drove to the pits. We were left with a one lap shootout, with Houston hanging on for the marathon win over Taft and Fullenkamp.
Finally, the dozen late models lined up for twenty laps in front of the hearty few who stayed around on yet another chilly night.
Tommy Elston is not only good on the track, he is also a master at the redraw - point inverts will start after I believe the first two nights of racing, - and he pulled the #1 pea for the pole position. His outside row one mate, Brandon Queen was out front when lap one was scored, but the next trip past the flag stand saw Elston in front. Returning veteran Tom Darbyshire, who started fourth, and Davenport, Iowa hot shoe, Matt Ryan, who started eighth, quickly move up to challenge Elston. The only caution of the twenty lapper came at the third go around. Jake Dietrich and first time visitor Scotty Welsh, from Cedar Rapids, both headed to the pits, but Welsh was unable to clear the track, as he needed assistance from a push truck. Ryan powered to second on the Delaware restart, and he kept Elston in his cross hairs the rest of the way. Elston was able to pull away coming off turn two, while Ryan would close on his bumper in turns three and four. Meanwhile, Darbyshire and Kay were engaged in a similar battle, with Darb dominate in turn two and Justin strong off turn four. At the checkers, Elston had his second win of the weekend, while Ryan took runner up honors. Darbyshire outlasted Kay for third, and Queen turned in a solid run in fifth. Mike Smith wheeled the Barton Racing #7 home in sixth, as Matt Strassheim made his return to the track just ahead of Jay Johnson. Chris Richard was credited with ninth in his season debut in the family owned #15R, and Ray Raker rounded out the top ten from the pits after contacting the backstretch wall, resulting in front end damage.
Thanks go out to Brad and Jessi for their hospitality, and it now looks as though my next racing adventure will also be at their fine facility. Quincy Raceways has pulled the plug on Mothers Day racing, as showers continue in the area. So it will be Thursday night, May 16 as the Lucas Oil late models invade 34 Raceway for a 50 lap, $10,000 to win spectacular presented by TruAcre Technology and J J Nichting. Stock cars and mini Haulers will also race in support of the high powered touring late models. Hope to see you there!
Saturday, May 11, 2019
Simmons Wins First at Donnellson
Friday night found us back at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa for weekly racing. Six classes of cars were on hand, with the IMCA late models having been added to the schedule after the previous weeks' rain out.
Following heat race action and a candy dash, it was time to go feature racing.
The first main event was an eighteen lap affair for the IMCA sport mods. Daniel Fellows started up front in his now plain black #11. Daniel had suffered a hard crash just five days earlier at Quincy Raceways and was unsure how his car would perform. However, he shot quickly to the lead with Ron Kibbe on his heels. By the second lap he was opening a nice lead. Austen Becerra had moved to third, and Brandon Dale had charged from the tail of the field to fourth, when the yellow flag came out. Becerra used the Delaware restart to grab the second spot, and one lap later Dale moved to third. Fellows again opened a sizable lead while Becerra and Dale battled for second and Kibbe and Sean Wyatt fought for fourth. At the halfway mark, Becerra cleared Dale for second, with Fellows now well in front. With only four cicuits remaining, Becerra belched smoke, slowing down the backstretch to bring out the second and final caution. Back under green, Wyatt mounted a challenge for second as Fellows again pulled away. As the checkers waved, it was Fellows with the win followed by Dale, Wyatt, Kibbe, and Tom Lathrop.
The 305 sprint cars turned out a disappointing seven cars and the field was whittled to six when Nathan Murders went up in smoke in hot laps. Dillan Roth was also a no show as the remaining five lined up for eighteen laps. Dan Keltner had been a rocket in the heat race, and he wasted no time jumping out to a commanding lead in the feature, with Tanner Gebhardt in second. Meanwhile, Harold Pohren and Jeff Wilke staged a nose to tail, side by side battle for third, with Wilke pulling ahead just after the halfway mark. As the laps wound down, Gebhardt began to make up ground on the leader, weather he was getting faster or Keltner was being cautious. But with no yellows, it was Keltner picking up the win. Gebhardt settled for second trailed by Wilke and Pohren. Joe Laue was scored fifth even as he watched the final laps from the infield.
The IMCA stock car field was also short, with eight entries. Derrick Agee had dominated the heat race, and jumped to the lead from the pole. David Brandies started in row three, moved quickly to second, and began to apply pressure to Agee. Seven laps in, the front pair were running side by side, and as the crossed flags signaled nine laps to go, Brandies took command. Again, there were zero cautions, and Brandies picked up the win. Agee took runner up honors, followed by Jeremy Pundt. Abe Huls emerged from a back and forth duel with Beau Taylor for fourth.
All but two of the sixteen IMCA sport compacts lined up for fifteen laps. Following a false start, Josh Barnes shot from the third row to lead the opening circuit. As he built his lead, Jacob Houston emerged from a breathtaking four wide scrum down the backstretch to claim second. An errant boundry tire brought out the caution with four laps down, and on the restart, former late model driver Brandon Ruffcorn, who started tenth, was challenging Houston for second. The second caution came two laps later, with Ruffcorn now taking up the chase in second. With four laps left on the scoreboard, defending champion Barry Taft was rolling around in tenth, seemingly having issues with his #57. But Ruffcorn suddenly slowed, bringing out the final caution, ending his run. Back under green, Barnes maintained his winning margin over Houston, Brandon Reu, and Dylan Schantz. Meanwhile Taft was on the move, charging to fifth as the laps ran out.
Twelve IMCA modifieds were up next for twenty laps. Dakota Simmons has gradually been improving his game over the last few seasons, and he dominated his heat race on Friday. Now he powered from the outside pole to open a lead, with Bill Roberts and Levi Smith in tow. Meanwhile, Dennis Laviene and John Oliver Jr. battled for third. The yellow waved with twelve to go for debris, and Oliver Jr. took command of third on the restart. At the ten lap mark, Oliver moved to the runner up spot, with Simmons now well in front. Oliver created separation from the pack as he tried to run down the leader. With no more caution periods, Simmons continued to hit his marks, taking the checkers to pick up his first ever IMCA mod win at Lee County. Oliver Jr. cruised to runner up honors, with Laviene, Bill Roberts Jr., and Jeff Waterman rounding out the top five.
The final race of the night was the twenty lapper for the IMCA late models. With Stacy Griffis not making the call, Darin Weisinger Jr. sat on the pole, with Tommy Elston moved to the outside of the front row. The defending track champion shot to the lead on the hammer down track, and was never seriously challenged. Weisinger Jr. slowed momentarily on the backstretch as Brian Harris came from a row three start to grab the second spot on lap two, and set sail for the leader. Sam Halstead started one row behind Harris and moved to third one lap later. While Elston built a straightaway advantage, Ron Boyse cleared Halstead for third at the halfway mark. The lone stoppage came with four laps to go when Brandon Queen jerked to a sliding stop right in front of the leader at the exit of turn four. Elston was able to avoid contact, charging to a commanding lead on the restart. It was the third win of the season for Elston at LCS. Harris brought the Richard Racing #15R home in second, followed by Boyse, Halstead, and Jay Johnson. Ray Raker ran a steady race in sixth, followed by a trio of young drivers in Dayton Lynch, Weisinger Jr., and Jake Dietrich. Queen was credited with tenth and Blaire Barton also saw his night end early.
The final checkers came just after 10:00 P.M.
Lee County will take next weekend off, which is a change from their original schedule, while we plan to be in our usual perch Sunday night at Quincy Raceways. Late model fans should take note of next Thursday, May 16, when the stars and cars of the Lucas Oil late model series invade 34 Raceway in West Burlington for a $10,000 to win event.
Thanks to Brian and Marcie Gaylord and the staff at Lee County for an entertaining Friday night! We will see you somewhere Racin' Down the Road.
Following heat race action and a candy dash, it was time to go feature racing.
The first main event was an eighteen lap affair for the IMCA sport mods. Daniel Fellows started up front in his now plain black #11. Daniel had suffered a hard crash just five days earlier at Quincy Raceways and was unsure how his car would perform. However, he shot quickly to the lead with Ron Kibbe on his heels. By the second lap he was opening a nice lead. Austen Becerra had moved to third, and Brandon Dale had charged from the tail of the field to fourth, when the yellow flag came out. Becerra used the Delaware restart to grab the second spot, and one lap later Dale moved to third. Fellows again opened a sizable lead while Becerra and Dale battled for second and Kibbe and Sean Wyatt fought for fourth. At the halfway mark, Becerra cleared Dale for second, with Fellows now well in front. With only four cicuits remaining, Becerra belched smoke, slowing down the backstretch to bring out the second and final caution. Back under green, Wyatt mounted a challenge for second as Fellows again pulled away. As the checkers waved, it was Fellows with the win followed by Dale, Wyatt, Kibbe, and Tom Lathrop.
The 305 sprint cars turned out a disappointing seven cars and the field was whittled to six when Nathan Murders went up in smoke in hot laps. Dillan Roth was also a no show as the remaining five lined up for eighteen laps. Dan Keltner had been a rocket in the heat race, and he wasted no time jumping out to a commanding lead in the feature, with Tanner Gebhardt in second. Meanwhile, Harold Pohren and Jeff Wilke staged a nose to tail, side by side battle for third, with Wilke pulling ahead just after the halfway mark. As the laps wound down, Gebhardt began to make up ground on the leader, weather he was getting faster or Keltner was being cautious. But with no yellows, it was Keltner picking up the win. Gebhardt settled for second trailed by Wilke and Pohren. Joe Laue was scored fifth even as he watched the final laps from the infield.
The IMCA stock car field was also short, with eight entries. Derrick Agee had dominated the heat race, and jumped to the lead from the pole. David Brandies started in row three, moved quickly to second, and began to apply pressure to Agee. Seven laps in, the front pair were running side by side, and as the crossed flags signaled nine laps to go, Brandies took command. Again, there were zero cautions, and Brandies picked up the win. Agee took runner up honors, followed by Jeremy Pundt. Abe Huls emerged from a back and forth duel with Beau Taylor for fourth.
All but two of the sixteen IMCA sport compacts lined up for fifteen laps. Following a false start, Josh Barnes shot from the third row to lead the opening circuit. As he built his lead, Jacob Houston emerged from a breathtaking four wide scrum down the backstretch to claim second. An errant boundry tire brought out the caution with four laps down, and on the restart, former late model driver Brandon Ruffcorn, who started tenth, was challenging Houston for second. The second caution came two laps later, with Ruffcorn now taking up the chase in second. With four laps left on the scoreboard, defending champion Barry Taft was rolling around in tenth, seemingly having issues with his #57. But Ruffcorn suddenly slowed, bringing out the final caution, ending his run. Back under green, Barnes maintained his winning margin over Houston, Brandon Reu, and Dylan Schantz. Meanwhile Taft was on the move, charging to fifth as the laps ran out.
Twelve IMCA modifieds were up next for twenty laps. Dakota Simmons has gradually been improving his game over the last few seasons, and he dominated his heat race on Friday. Now he powered from the outside pole to open a lead, with Bill Roberts and Levi Smith in tow. Meanwhile, Dennis Laviene and John Oliver Jr. battled for third. The yellow waved with twelve to go for debris, and Oliver Jr. took command of third on the restart. At the ten lap mark, Oliver moved to the runner up spot, with Simmons now well in front. Oliver created separation from the pack as he tried to run down the leader. With no more caution periods, Simmons continued to hit his marks, taking the checkers to pick up his first ever IMCA mod win at Lee County. Oliver Jr. cruised to runner up honors, with Laviene, Bill Roberts Jr., and Jeff Waterman rounding out the top five.
The final race of the night was the twenty lapper for the IMCA late models. With Stacy Griffis not making the call, Darin Weisinger Jr. sat on the pole, with Tommy Elston moved to the outside of the front row. The defending track champion shot to the lead on the hammer down track, and was never seriously challenged. Weisinger Jr. slowed momentarily on the backstretch as Brian Harris came from a row three start to grab the second spot on lap two, and set sail for the leader. Sam Halstead started one row behind Harris and moved to third one lap later. While Elston built a straightaway advantage, Ron Boyse cleared Halstead for third at the halfway mark. The lone stoppage came with four laps to go when Brandon Queen jerked to a sliding stop right in front of the leader at the exit of turn four. Elston was able to avoid contact, charging to a commanding lead on the restart. It was the third win of the season for Elston at LCS. Harris brought the Richard Racing #15R home in second, followed by Boyse, Halstead, and Jay Johnson. Ray Raker ran a steady race in sixth, followed by a trio of young drivers in Dayton Lynch, Weisinger Jr., and Jake Dietrich. Queen was credited with tenth and Blaire Barton also saw his night end early.
The final checkers came just after 10:00 P.M.
Lee County will take next weekend off, which is a change from their original schedule, while we plan to be in our usual perch Sunday night at Quincy Raceways. Late model fans should take note of next Thursday, May 16, when the stars and cars of the Lucas Oil late model series invade 34 Raceway in West Burlington for a $10,000 to win event.
Thanks to Brian and Marcie Gaylord and the staff at Lee County for an entertaining Friday night! We will see you somewhere Racin' Down the Road.
Monday, May 6, 2019
Chapter Four: Pierce Scores the Hat Trick
Our four race weekend came to a climax Sunday as the Midwest Late model Racing Association made their first ever visit to Quincy Raceways. Despite a considerable toll on equipment at both Stuart and West Liberty, eighteen cars signed in to do battle on the .29 mile oval, with 16 IMCA sport mods and 13 open stock cars also on hand.
Mother Nature has been no friend to mid western race tracks this spring, and while the bright sunshine on Sunday was a welcome sight, the combination of sun and a steady southerly breeze quickly dried the racing surface resulting in a dusting of the large crowd, especially during heat race action.
As they had all weekend - the scheduled Friday night program at the Davenport, Iowa Speedway was lost to wet conditions - the late model drivers drew for their starting spots in the heat races, with passing points then determining the feature line up. Bobby Pierce was two for two during the weekend swing, so when he came from outside row two to capture the first ten lap heat, it looked like he would be the pole sitter. World of Outlaw series regular Dennis Erb Jr. then led the distance from the pole to win heat two. But it was Lucas Oil series competitor Kyle Bronson coming from row three to claim the third heat, thus earning the pole start for the forty lap headliner, shifting Pierce to the outside of the front row.
The track was given another treatment from the water truck during intermission, then it was feature time. The sport mods were up first for twenty laps, with all sixteen cars making the call. Defending track champion Adam Birck jumped to the lead from his front row start, with Justin Ebbing and Austen Becerra on his heels. The first of eight - unless I missed one!- caution periods came on lap two, and it was downhill from there. Daniel Fellows eventually made his way to second and appeared ready to mount a serious challenge for the lead. However he made contact with Ebbing following a Delaware restart, and as he exited turn four, his steering seemed to fail, as his car made a sharp right turn into the path of Tanner Klingele. The contact sent him spinning towards the front stretch wall, and he was then hit hard by another car, ending up in the wall. While Daniel was uninjured, his car suffered heavy damage. As the cautions piled up and the field dwindled to seven, eventually it became a train race around the high line of the track. With the time limit nearing, the checkers finally waved, with Birck leading the distance to get his first win of 2019. Ebbing took runner up honors, followed by Terry Wilson, Klingele, and Nathan Bringer.
The late models came to the track next with a $3,000 top prize on the line. Missing from the lineup was series points leader Will Vaught. The Crane, Missouri driver, who is the track one lap record holder, suffered a broken crankshaft in his heat race, and was already on the way home by feature time. As the green flag waved, Bronson and Pierce, battled side by side, with Pierce gaining the edge by lap two. With the race staying green, Pierce caught the back of the pack by lap seven, even as third starting Brian Shirley began to apply pressure to Bronson. The high line continued to be the preferred way around the track, but Shirley was forced to work a lower groove. Pierce remained patient in what was now heavy traffic, aided by Bronson and Shirley now preoccupied with each other, as Shirley seemed to have the edge coming off turn four and Bronson charging back in front in turn one. Behind them, Erb was looking for an opening, while another Lucas Oil refugee, Hudson Oneal was working to hold off Logan Martin for fifth. When Bronson attempted to slide in front of the leader on lap sixteen, Shirley was able to move around him for second. With the front four nose to tail, Pierce had his hands full with Joe Gorby clinging to the lead lap running the same line as the leader. With Pierce reluctant to give up the top side in traffic, Shirley made several looks to the inside, pulling alongside the #32 with about ten laps to go. However Pierce used his momentum off the corner to stay out front. Meanwhile Erb slipped around Bronson for third, and Martin cleared Oneal for fifth. Everyone was finally able to catch their breath when the only caution of the race came with just four laps to go. The clear track on the restart was the right medicine for Pierce, and from there he ran the table for the weekend, adding $11,000 to his bank. Shirley and Erb Jr. joined the youngster on the podium, followed by Bronson and Martin. Oneal ran sixth, while Mark Burgtorf scored the highest finish by a " local " driver in seventh. Series points runner up Mitch McGrath, Dewayne Kiefer, and Quincian Jamie Wilson completed the top ten.
As many headed for the exits, a dozen open stock cars lined up for a scheduled eighteen laps. Craig Bangert sat on the pole, but when it was decided that he had jumped the start in violation of a drivers meeting warning, he was sent to the tail. This moved the inside row up one spot, leaving Beau Taylor to pace the field. The slick racing surface along with several newcomers created an unusual number of yellow flags in the division, and track personnel seemed to lose patience early, relegating the cars to a single file restart after four caution periods. Still three more times did the yellow flag fly before the action was called to a halt by the time limit. Taylor scored the flag to flag win, with first time visitor Scott Jordon in second. Jesse Wegs held off newcomer Shane Richardson for third, the top four all racing IMCA cars. The final checkers waved about 8:30.
Random thoughts : Rain outs on the national tours made for unexpected visitors for the final two nights of the mini tour. Oneal, son of late model legend Don Oneal, made the trek to Davenport on Friday, then on to Quincy before heading home to Indiana. Bronson, who calls Florida home, stayed in Illinois, racing Friday in Farmer City and Saturday in Fairbury before heading to Quincy. The trip to QR accomplished multiple goals for the #40B team, as Kyle dates Cierra Pierce, sister of Bobby. After the World of Outlaw Saturday show was lost to weather, Erb Jr. made the long trip from North Carolina to QR before heading home to Carpentersville,Il. Shirley grabbed the checkers Friday at Farmer City, then scored a top three at Fairbury before heading south. Former QR regular Justin Reed, now living in Camp Point, is wheeling a car out of the state of Wisconsin. Justin was scored thirteenth on Sunday. The MLRA will take two weeks off before being a part of the Show Me 100 at their " home track, " in Wheatland, Missouri over the Memorial Day weekend.
Thanks to Jason Goble and crew for a special night of racing.
We will now rest up, regroup, and see where the weather takes us next weekend.
Mother Nature has been no friend to mid western race tracks this spring, and while the bright sunshine on Sunday was a welcome sight, the combination of sun and a steady southerly breeze quickly dried the racing surface resulting in a dusting of the large crowd, especially during heat race action.
As they had all weekend - the scheduled Friday night program at the Davenport, Iowa Speedway was lost to wet conditions - the late model drivers drew for their starting spots in the heat races, with passing points then determining the feature line up. Bobby Pierce was two for two during the weekend swing, so when he came from outside row two to capture the first ten lap heat, it looked like he would be the pole sitter. World of Outlaw series regular Dennis Erb Jr. then led the distance from the pole to win heat two. But it was Lucas Oil series competitor Kyle Bronson coming from row three to claim the third heat, thus earning the pole start for the forty lap headliner, shifting Pierce to the outside of the front row.
The track was given another treatment from the water truck during intermission, then it was feature time. The sport mods were up first for twenty laps, with all sixteen cars making the call. Defending track champion Adam Birck jumped to the lead from his front row start, with Justin Ebbing and Austen Becerra on his heels. The first of eight - unless I missed one!- caution periods came on lap two, and it was downhill from there. Daniel Fellows eventually made his way to second and appeared ready to mount a serious challenge for the lead. However he made contact with Ebbing following a Delaware restart, and as he exited turn four, his steering seemed to fail, as his car made a sharp right turn into the path of Tanner Klingele. The contact sent him spinning towards the front stretch wall, and he was then hit hard by another car, ending up in the wall. While Daniel was uninjured, his car suffered heavy damage. As the cautions piled up and the field dwindled to seven, eventually it became a train race around the high line of the track. With the time limit nearing, the checkers finally waved, with Birck leading the distance to get his first win of 2019. Ebbing took runner up honors, followed by Terry Wilson, Klingele, and Nathan Bringer.
The late models came to the track next with a $3,000 top prize on the line. Missing from the lineup was series points leader Will Vaught. The Crane, Missouri driver, who is the track one lap record holder, suffered a broken crankshaft in his heat race, and was already on the way home by feature time. As the green flag waved, Bronson and Pierce, battled side by side, with Pierce gaining the edge by lap two. With the race staying green, Pierce caught the back of the pack by lap seven, even as third starting Brian Shirley began to apply pressure to Bronson. The high line continued to be the preferred way around the track, but Shirley was forced to work a lower groove. Pierce remained patient in what was now heavy traffic, aided by Bronson and Shirley now preoccupied with each other, as Shirley seemed to have the edge coming off turn four and Bronson charging back in front in turn one. Behind them, Erb was looking for an opening, while another Lucas Oil refugee, Hudson Oneal was working to hold off Logan Martin for fifth. When Bronson attempted to slide in front of the leader on lap sixteen, Shirley was able to move around him for second. With the front four nose to tail, Pierce had his hands full with Joe Gorby clinging to the lead lap running the same line as the leader. With Pierce reluctant to give up the top side in traffic, Shirley made several looks to the inside, pulling alongside the #32 with about ten laps to go. However Pierce used his momentum off the corner to stay out front. Meanwhile Erb slipped around Bronson for third, and Martin cleared Oneal for fifth. Everyone was finally able to catch their breath when the only caution of the race came with just four laps to go. The clear track on the restart was the right medicine for Pierce, and from there he ran the table for the weekend, adding $11,000 to his bank. Shirley and Erb Jr. joined the youngster on the podium, followed by Bronson and Martin. Oneal ran sixth, while Mark Burgtorf scored the highest finish by a " local " driver in seventh. Series points runner up Mitch McGrath, Dewayne Kiefer, and Quincian Jamie Wilson completed the top ten.
As many headed for the exits, a dozen open stock cars lined up for a scheduled eighteen laps. Craig Bangert sat on the pole, but when it was decided that he had jumped the start in violation of a drivers meeting warning, he was sent to the tail. This moved the inside row up one spot, leaving Beau Taylor to pace the field. The slick racing surface along with several newcomers created an unusual number of yellow flags in the division, and track personnel seemed to lose patience early, relegating the cars to a single file restart after four caution periods. Still three more times did the yellow flag fly before the action was called to a halt by the time limit. Taylor scored the flag to flag win, with first time visitor Scott Jordon in second. Jesse Wegs held off newcomer Shane Richardson for third, the top four all racing IMCA cars. The final checkers waved about 8:30.
Random thoughts : Rain outs on the national tours made for unexpected visitors for the final two nights of the mini tour. Oneal, son of late model legend Don Oneal, made the trek to Davenport on Friday, then on to Quincy before heading home to Indiana. Bronson, who calls Florida home, stayed in Illinois, racing Friday in Farmer City and Saturday in Fairbury before heading to Quincy. The trip to QR accomplished multiple goals for the #40B team, as Kyle dates Cierra Pierce, sister of Bobby. After the World of Outlaw Saturday show was lost to weather, Erb Jr. made the long trip from North Carolina to QR before heading home to Carpentersville,Il. Shirley grabbed the checkers Friday at Farmer City, then scored a top three at Fairbury before heading south. Former QR regular Justin Reed, now living in Camp Point, is wheeling a car out of the state of Wisconsin. Justin was scored thirteenth on Sunday. The MLRA will take two weeks off before being a part of the Show Me 100 at their " home track, " in Wheatland, Missouri over the Memorial Day weekend.
Thanks to Jason Goble and crew for a special night of racing.
We will now rest up, regroup, and see where the weather takes us next weekend.
Sunday, May 5, 2019
Pierce Doubles Up on the MLRA Tour
Saturday afternoon, Fred Peters took over driving duties and we headed back north to the West Liberty Raceway to resume our four race weekend. After the Friday cancellation at Davenport, this would now be stop number two for the MLRA late models for the weekend, and it would mark their first appearance on the big 1/2 mile since 2016.
This would also be the first race promoted at West Liberty by DrtTrak Racing, headed up by Bob Wagener and Carrie Rouse, who will be staging several events at the fairgrounds half mile in 2019.
Upon our arrival, the sun was shiny brightly, and the pits were filling up nicely. With the modifieds, sport mods, and stock cars running non sanctioned, we were curious to see how the car counts would be, but each delivered a solid turnout. A mix of the open engine MLRA competitors and several IMCA cars swelled the headline class to twenty seven entrants. Twenty sport mods, eighteen modifieds, and thirteen stock cars also signed in In addition, the American Iron Racing Series turned out eleven of the vintage machines.
The track was in decent shape, especially when you consider that only one race was held here in 2018, and like most of us, the West Liberty area has been deluged with rain over the past weeks. On my tour through what would normally be a crowded infield pit area, I could see why cars were pitted in the spectator parking area, as much of the infield was close to swampy conditions. Still, following heat race action, the grader came out to try and smooth down a treacherous area in turns three and four.
The stock car main event was up first, thirteen cars for twelve laps. Veteran driver David Brandies, no stranger to West Liberty Raceway, redrew the pole position. He quickly opened a big lead. By lap two, row three starter John Oliver Jr. had climbed to second, but there was a lot of real estate between him and the leader. While also separating himself from the pack, Oliver slowly began to close the gap on Brandies, and by lap nine, he was in position to challenge for the lead. With the race staying green, the front pair came upon a slower car down the backstretch on lap eleven. Brandies took the high line with Oliver down low as they split the lapped car, and they came to the white flag side by side. The final lap was again a side by side battle, but Brandies held a half car length advantage as the checkers flew.
With late model pilots Jesse Stovall, Terry Phillips, Joel Callahan, and Andy Eckrich all scratches, the B main was scrapped and the remaining twenty three cars all made the feature lineup. As a result, the late model headliner was moved to second in the feature running order, while also being cut from thirty to twenty five laps.
Passing points from the heat races were used to determine the starting grid, so when Chad Simpson came from eighth to capture heat three, he earned the pole position. Heats one and two were won from the pole, giving Bobby Pierce the outside row one slot, while Billy Moyer lined up in row two with heat one runner up Will Vaught to his right. Pierce shot to the lead at the drop of the green, followed by Simpson, Vaught, and Moyer. Sixth starting Hudson Oneal, a refugee from the rained out Lucas Oil late model series weekend, joined the lead pack on lap two. Pierce found himself having to negotiate slower traffic by lap six, but two circuits later the yellow waved for a slowing Jeremy Grady. Following the restart, Jordon Yaggy and Dave Wada got together on the front stretch, sending Yaggy into a series of violent flips, with his #77 ending up near the turn one fence. The Minnesota driver was not injured, but his car suffered very heavy damage, and the resulting clean up created a lengthy delay. (Fortunately for me, I was sitting one row behind late model legend Rollie Frink, who entertained me with some colorful stories from his racing career!) Also during the delay, several drivers headed to the trailers, including the fourth running Moyer. Back under green, Oneal powered to third and began to work on Simpson for second, while Pierce used the clear track to build a comfortable lead. After falling back slightly, Oneal charged ahead, taking the second spot on lap seventeen just ahead of the caution for Dave Eckrich, who rolled to a stop with a flat tire. When action resumed, it was now Oneal who slowed with a flat, bringing out a final caution. Will Vaught took up the chase as we returned to green, and he mounted a brief challenge for the lead even as Jake Neal and Simpson swapped the third spot. In the closing laps, however, Pierce was able to extend his lead, and he cruised to the win and the $5,000 payday.Vaught took runner up honors with Simpson also scoring a podium finish. Jason Rauen drove a steady race, getting around Neal late for fourth. Surprise entrant Rich Bell led the second five, besting Logan Martin, Oneal, Chad Holladay, and Mitch McGrath. Dave Eckrich and Joe Gorby were the final two still running at the checkers.
The A.I.R.S. ten lap feature was up next. While this is a group made for " older " folks like me to really enjoy - who could root against a 1958 Edsel! - ex modified hot shoe Ronnie Barker clearly has the car to beat, as he easily bested the field.
With the clock now at the 10:30 mark and a pair of late nights beginning to catch up with us, we decided to beat the rush to the parking lot by what was a huge crowd. It was good to be back at West Liberty, thanks to Bob and Carrie for a fun night.
The MLRA northern tour and our four race weekend will wrap up tonight close to home at Quincy Raceways. Bobby Pierce will go for three in a row, and his fourth series win of the young season on a track where he cut his teeth as an up and coming star, first appearing with the KIDZ MODZ as a preteen. Hot laps at Quincy are set for 5:15, with IMCA sport mods and open stock cars also on the card. The MLRA main event will pay a cool $3,000 to the winner. If you see me sitting in the top row towards turn one, stop and say " Hi!"
This would also be the first race promoted at West Liberty by DrtTrak Racing, headed up by Bob Wagener and Carrie Rouse, who will be staging several events at the fairgrounds half mile in 2019.
Upon our arrival, the sun was shiny brightly, and the pits were filling up nicely. With the modifieds, sport mods, and stock cars running non sanctioned, we were curious to see how the car counts would be, but each delivered a solid turnout. A mix of the open engine MLRA competitors and several IMCA cars swelled the headline class to twenty seven entrants. Twenty sport mods, eighteen modifieds, and thirteen stock cars also signed in In addition, the American Iron Racing Series turned out eleven of the vintage machines.
The track was in decent shape, especially when you consider that only one race was held here in 2018, and like most of us, the West Liberty area has been deluged with rain over the past weeks. On my tour through what would normally be a crowded infield pit area, I could see why cars were pitted in the spectator parking area, as much of the infield was close to swampy conditions. Still, following heat race action, the grader came out to try and smooth down a treacherous area in turns three and four.
The stock car main event was up first, thirteen cars for twelve laps. Veteran driver David Brandies, no stranger to West Liberty Raceway, redrew the pole position. He quickly opened a big lead. By lap two, row three starter John Oliver Jr. had climbed to second, but there was a lot of real estate between him and the leader. While also separating himself from the pack, Oliver slowly began to close the gap on Brandies, and by lap nine, he was in position to challenge for the lead. With the race staying green, the front pair came upon a slower car down the backstretch on lap eleven. Brandies took the high line with Oliver down low as they split the lapped car, and they came to the white flag side by side. The final lap was again a side by side battle, but Brandies held a half car length advantage as the checkers flew.
With late model pilots Jesse Stovall, Terry Phillips, Joel Callahan, and Andy Eckrich all scratches, the B main was scrapped and the remaining twenty three cars all made the feature lineup. As a result, the late model headliner was moved to second in the feature running order, while also being cut from thirty to twenty five laps.
Passing points from the heat races were used to determine the starting grid, so when Chad Simpson came from eighth to capture heat three, he earned the pole position. Heats one and two were won from the pole, giving Bobby Pierce the outside row one slot, while Billy Moyer lined up in row two with heat one runner up Will Vaught to his right. Pierce shot to the lead at the drop of the green, followed by Simpson, Vaught, and Moyer. Sixth starting Hudson Oneal, a refugee from the rained out Lucas Oil late model series weekend, joined the lead pack on lap two. Pierce found himself having to negotiate slower traffic by lap six, but two circuits later the yellow waved for a slowing Jeremy Grady. Following the restart, Jordon Yaggy and Dave Wada got together on the front stretch, sending Yaggy into a series of violent flips, with his #77 ending up near the turn one fence. The Minnesota driver was not injured, but his car suffered very heavy damage, and the resulting clean up created a lengthy delay. (Fortunately for me, I was sitting one row behind late model legend Rollie Frink, who entertained me with some colorful stories from his racing career!) Also during the delay, several drivers headed to the trailers, including the fourth running Moyer. Back under green, Oneal powered to third and began to work on Simpson for second, while Pierce used the clear track to build a comfortable lead. After falling back slightly, Oneal charged ahead, taking the second spot on lap seventeen just ahead of the caution for Dave Eckrich, who rolled to a stop with a flat tire. When action resumed, it was now Oneal who slowed with a flat, bringing out a final caution. Will Vaught took up the chase as we returned to green, and he mounted a brief challenge for the lead even as Jake Neal and Simpson swapped the third spot. In the closing laps, however, Pierce was able to extend his lead, and he cruised to the win and the $5,000 payday.Vaught took runner up honors with Simpson also scoring a podium finish. Jason Rauen drove a steady race, getting around Neal late for fourth. Surprise entrant Rich Bell led the second five, besting Logan Martin, Oneal, Chad Holladay, and Mitch McGrath. Dave Eckrich and Joe Gorby were the final two still running at the checkers.
The A.I.R.S. ten lap feature was up next. While this is a group made for " older " folks like me to really enjoy - who could root against a 1958 Edsel! - ex modified hot shoe Ronnie Barker clearly has the car to beat, as he easily bested the field.
With the clock now at the 10:30 mark and a pair of late nights beginning to catch up with us, we decided to beat the rush to the parking lot by what was a huge crowd. It was good to be back at West Liberty, thanks to Bob and Carrie for a fun night.
The MLRA northern tour and our four race weekend will wrap up tonight close to home at Quincy Raceways. Bobby Pierce will go for three in a row, and his fourth series win of the young season on a track where he cut his teeth as an up and coming star, first appearing with the KIDZ MODZ as a preteen. Hot laps at Quincy are set for 5:15, with IMCA sport mods and open stock cars also on the card. The MLRA main event will pay a cool $3,000 to the winner. If you see me sitting in the top row towards turn one, stop and say " Hi!"
Saturday, May 4, 2019
Four in a Row: Chapters One and Two
Thoroughly unconvinced of our potential success rate, Fred Peters and I set out Thursday morning on a quest to attend all stops on the four day Midwest Late model Racing Association ( MLRA ) extravaganza. Days of rain, clouds, and cold weather had convinced me to not make hotel reservations even though night number one four hours from home in Stuart, Iowa followed by a stop in Davenport, Iowa would require such.
As we made our way, it looked as though Mother Nature might take enough of a break for us to see some racing, and when we pulled into the Stuart 1/4 mile for our first ever visit, it was already a bee hive of activity. A familiar face, new track owner Mike Van Genderen, seemed to be everywhere at once, and a half dozen traveling late model teams were unloading in the grassy area that would normally be spectator parking, as the dirt pit area had been
" opened up, " to allow it to dry.
After staking out our seats, we made our way to town, happy that we had secured one of the few remaining hotel rooms in the town of " 1,700 good folks, and a few stinkers. "
When we returned to the speedway, the elusive sun had made an appearance, drying the grounds out nicely. While the late model field was filling out early, the stock car, hobby stock, and sport mod teams began to pour in as we neared hot lap time for the week night show. By race time, the count was 24 late models, 18 stock cars, 22 hobby stocks, and 26 sport mods - 90 cars in total!
MLRA typically uses the draw for heat starting spots with passing points determining the feature line up, and boy can that make for good racing all night long! Even though the three heats were won from one of the front two rows, several hot shoes searched the oval trying to move forward, eventually " building " a track for the features. Amazingly, the heat races clicked off with a total of two caution periods and one false start in all classes combined, due in no small part to a well prepared racing surface.
Twenty cars took the green flag for sixteen laps of hobby stock feature racing. Chuck Madden set the pace early, pushed hard by Jack Phillips. Five laps in, Shannon Anderson joined the party, moving to second one lap later, then grabbing the lead just before halfway. The veteran soon entered slower traffic, which he worked skillfully. On the final lap of the non stop event, he came upon a pair of cars racing side by side for position, but he was able to hold on for the win, trailed by Madden and Phillips.
All but two of the stock cars lined up next for twenty laps. Jeremy Gettler set the pace early, with Buck Schafroth in pursuit, making the lead pass on lap four. Todd Van Eaton joined the fray, swapping the runner up spot with Gettler ahead of a lap seven yellow. Gettler and Van Eaton appeared to make contact on the restart, and now Mike Nichols entered the top three. The second and final caution came as Van Eaton shucked a drive shaft on lap eleven, and Kyle Brown charged to third following the Delaware restart after starting in row six. With five laps to go, Shawn Ritter took over third and when Nichols bicycled in turns three and four on the final lap, Ritter grabbed runner up honors behind Schafroth. Nichols fell to third, with Brown on fourth.
It was now late model time, with forty laps ahead to determine who would take the $3,000 top prize. Spencer Diercks, whose night ended in hot laps was the only driver failing to make the call. Heat winners Payton Looney and Tyler Bruening made up row one, while first heat winner Will Vaught sat inside row two. Those three soon gained early separation ahead of a Dave Eckrich spin on lap three. Looney was out front for the restart, but one lap later, he slowed on the backstretch, his night over. I have seen races where the second and third place cars then line up side by side for the restart, but on Thursday second running Bruening was placed out front of the Delaware realignment. Now it was Bruening, Vaught and fourth starting Chris Simpson pulling away from the pack, even as row seven starter Bobby Pierce entered the top ten using the high line around the track. While Vaught and Simpson battled side by side, Bruening began to stretch his lead, but at lap eight, Jake Neal brought out the red flag when he stopped in turn four, having been hit in the helmet with debris from the speedway. After a short delay, Neal was able to continue - and no, the MLRA does not require window nets. The yellow waved again on lap ten when Jesse Stovall lost the handle in turn three and was collected by the #53 of Andrew Kosiski, ending the night for both. Pierce now lined up outside row three in the fifth position. As the green flag waved again, Simpson held second, but Pierce was hot on his tail in third. Pierce again used the high line to take second on lap thirteen, and two circuits later he powered to the lead. He then caught and began to effortlessly move through slower traffic near the halfway point. The final caution came with eleven laps remaining, giving Pierce a clear track ahead. Bruening was in the second spot on the restart, but with an aid from the signal sticks from father Bob, the younger Pierce moved to a low line in turns one and two, then the middle groove at the other set of turns. With five laps to go, Simpson found his way past Bruening. At the checkers, it was Pierce, Simpson, Bruening, Vaught, and Jordon Yaggy. Billy Moyer came to Stuart, started tenth and finished sixth ahead of Chad Simpson, Mitch McGrath, Richie Gustin, and Logan Martin. Neal rebounded to finish just outside the top ten.
With the sport mod feature up next the close out the card, a pair of well chilled travelers headed for the warmth of our motel room.
Thanks to Mike and his team for a typically well run MVG show. We both agreed that we would like to return soon to the Stuart International Speedway!
While wandering the pits at Stuart, my phone pinged with the notification that our Friday night destination, the Davenport Speedway was forced to cancel due to the excessive amounts of rain. We were now forced with a decision, whether to continue on north and west to a first visit to the Crawford County Speedway in Denison, Iowa for the SLMR late model special, or work our way in the direction of home. Lee County Speedway in Donnellson had also thrown in the towel, so the most logical choice for us became the high banks of the Marshalltown Speedway 1/4 mile. With cancellations at Davenport, Donnellson, and Columbus Junction, the potential for an interesting mix of cars loomed at Marshalltown, plus it would be the opening night for the IMCA late models.
So we made the ninety mile drive west from Stuart, again arriving mid afternoon to what looked to be a perfectly prepared racing surface, courtesy of promoter Toby Kruse. The car count certainly did not disappoint, with a whopping 136 cars in six classes checked in on another chilly night.
We joined fellow Positively Racing bloggers Joyce and Dick Eisele, who call the speedway home, as well as Jeff Broeg at the top of the grandstands, so I decided to become more of a spectator for the night. So I will just share a few of my hastily scribbled notes from a very entertaining night of racing.
While only a dozen mod lites were on hand, they may have offered up the best feature of the night, running three and four wide at the front, slicing, dicing, rubbing and even flipping before Mike Morrill grabbed the big check on Cliff Chambers Memorial night.
Before I could collect my thoughts, twenty four IMCA hobby stocks came to the track and ran fifteen caution free laps, with David Rieks picking up a relatively easy win, with Shannon Andersons' hot pursuit ending with a runner up finish.
The IMCA sport mod field was pared from thirty two down to twenty four starters. Unfortunately, the event turned into a caution fest. The final of the yellows resulted in a green, white, checkers finish. Kyle Olson had stayed out front throughout, even as multiple drivers made charges to the front during the race. Brayton Carter was in position to pounce in those final two laps, and he and Olson traded slide jobs to the delight of the crowd. In the end, Olson prevailed, with Carter having to settle for second.
The IMCA stock cars rarely disappoint, and this night would be no exception. Shawn Ritter had been the bridesmaid at Stuart and he was looking to improve on that on Friday. Again there was constant movement throughout the field, but Ritter held on for what appeared to be an emotional victory. Steve Meyer took runner up honors, while the drive of the night came from visiting John Oliver Jr., who started in row nine and finished fourth.
A solid twenty IMCA late models signed in. As it was their first point night, the draw, redraw format was in effect. Both Todd Cooney and Justin Kay ran second in their heats, but they drew the front row for the twenty lap money race. Kay used his outside spot to jump out front with Cooney trailing. Soon it was row two starter Joel Callahan moving up to challenge for second. With Cooney and Callahan battling side by side, including doing some serious door banging, Kay opened up a commanding lead. The race was slowed only once for an early caution involving Ben Seeman, and no one was able to mount a serious challenge as Kay led the distance. Callahan won the duel for second, while Curtis Glover and ninth starting Jeremiah Hurst completed the top five. Joe Zrostlik ran sixth, while Darrell Defrance returned to action in seventh. Matt Ryan, Mike Smith in the Barton Racing #7, and Paul Nagle rounded out the top ten.
The IMCA modifieds would round out the card, but again we decided to head for the warmth of the car to start the three hour plus journey home.
Round three of our racing weekend looks good, as the morning sun is shining brightly, so we will rejoin the MLRA cars and stars tonight as they invade the West Liberty Raceway for some 1/2 mile action. Mods, sport mods, stock cars, and the A.I.R.S. cars will fill out the card, with hot laps set to roll at 6:30. The weekend will wrap up on Sunday close to home as the MLRA drivers pay their first ever visit to the .29 mile oval at Quincy Raceways. IMCA sport mods and open stock cars will also be in action, with hot laps set for 5:15.
As we made our way, it looked as though Mother Nature might take enough of a break for us to see some racing, and when we pulled into the Stuart 1/4 mile for our first ever visit, it was already a bee hive of activity. A familiar face, new track owner Mike Van Genderen, seemed to be everywhere at once, and a half dozen traveling late model teams were unloading in the grassy area that would normally be spectator parking, as the dirt pit area had been
" opened up, " to allow it to dry.
After staking out our seats, we made our way to town, happy that we had secured one of the few remaining hotel rooms in the town of " 1,700 good folks, and a few stinkers. "
When we returned to the speedway, the elusive sun had made an appearance, drying the grounds out nicely. While the late model field was filling out early, the stock car, hobby stock, and sport mod teams began to pour in as we neared hot lap time for the week night show. By race time, the count was 24 late models, 18 stock cars, 22 hobby stocks, and 26 sport mods - 90 cars in total!
MLRA typically uses the draw for heat starting spots with passing points determining the feature line up, and boy can that make for good racing all night long! Even though the three heats were won from one of the front two rows, several hot shoes searched the oval trying to move forward, eventually " building " a track for the features. Amazingly, the heat races clicked off with a total of two caution periods and one false start in all classes combined, due in no small part to a well prepared racing surface.
Twenty cars took the green flag for sixteen laps of hobby stock feature racing. Chuck Madden set the pace early, pushed hard by Jack Phillips. Five laps in, Shannon Anderson joined the party, moving to second one lap later, then grabbing the lead just before halfway. The veteran soon entered slower traffic, which he worked skillfully. On the final lap of the non stop event, he came upon a pair of cars racing side by side for position, but he was able to hold on for the win, trailed by Madden and Phillips.
All but two of the stock cars lined up next for twenty laps. Jeremy Gettler set the pace early, with Buck Schafroth in pursuit, making the lead pass on lap four. Todd Van Eaton joined the fray, swapping the runner up spot with Gettler ahead of a lap seven yellow. Gettler and Van Eaton appeared to make contact on the restart, and now Mike Nichols entered the top three. The second and final caution came as Van Eaton shucked a drive shaft on lap eleven, and Kyle Brown charged to third following the Delaware restart after starting in row six. With five laps to go, Shawn Ritter took over third and when Nichols bicycled in turns three and four on the final lap, Ritter grabbed runner up honors behind Schafroth. Nichols fell to third, with Brown on fourth.
It was now late model time, with forty laps ahead to determine who would take the $3,000 top prize. Spencer Diercks, whose night ended in hot laps was the only driver failing to make the call. Heat winners Payton Looney and Tyler Bruening made up row one, while first heat winner Will Vaught sat inside row two. Those three soon gained early separation ahead of a Dave Eckrich spin on lap three. Looney was out front for the restart, but one lap later, he slowed on the backstretch, his night over. I have seen races where the second and third place cars then line up side by side for the restart, but on Thursday second running Bruening was placed out front of the Delaware realignment. Now it was Bruening, Vaught and fourth starting Chris Simpson pulling away from the pack, even as row seven starter Bobby Pierce entered the top ten using the high line around the track. While Vaught and Simpson battled side by side, Bruening began to stretch his lead, but at lap eight, Jake Neal brought out the red flag when he stopped in turn four, having been hit in the helmet with debris from the speedway. After a short delay, Neal was able to continue - and no, the MLRA does not require window nets. The yellow waved again on lap ten when Jesse Stovall lost the handle in turn three and was collected by the #53 of Andrew Kosiski, ending the night for both. Pierce now lined up outside row three in the fifth position. As the green flag waved again, Simpson held second, but Pierce was hot on his tail in third. Pierce again used the high line to take second on lap thirteen, and two circuits later he powered to the lead. He then caught and began to effortlessly move through slower traffic near the halfway point. The final caution came with eleven laps remaining, giving Pierce a clear track ahead. Bruening was in the second spot on the restart, but with an aid from the signal sticks from father Bob, the younger Pierce moved to a low line in turns one and two, then the middle groove at the other set of turns. With five laps to go, Simpson found his way past Bruening. At the checkers, it was Pierce, Simpson, Bruening, Vaught, and Jordon Yaggy. Billy Moyer came to Stuart, started tenth and finished sixth ahead of Chad Simpson, Mitch McGrath, Richie Gustin, and Logan Martin. Neal rebounded to finish just outside the top ten.
With the sport mod feature up next the close out the card, a pair of well chilled travelers headed for the warmth of our motel room.
Thanks to Mike and his team for a typically well run MVG show. We both agreed that we would like to return soon to the Stuart International Speedway!
While wandering the pits at Stuart, my phone pinged with the notification that our Friday night destination, the Davenport Speedway was forced to cancel due to the excessive amounts of rain. We were now forced with a decision, whether to continue on north and west to a first visit to the Crawford County Speedway in Denison, Iowa for the SLMR late model special, or work our way in the direction of home. Lee County Speedway in Donnellson had also thrown in the towel, so the most logical choice for us became the high banks of the Marshalltown Speedway 1/4 mile. With cancellations at Davenport, Donnellson, and Columbus Junction, the potential for an interesting mix of cars loomed at Marshalltown, plus it would be the opening night for the IMCA late models.
So we made the ninety mile drive west from Stuart, again arriving mid afternoon to what looked to be a perfectly prepared racing surface, courtesy of promoter Toby Kruse. The car count certainly did not disappoint, with a whopping 136 cars in six classes checked in on another chilly night.
We joined fellow Positively Racing bloggers Joyce and Dick Eisele, who call the speedway home, as well as Jeff Broeg at the top of the grandstands, so I decided to become more of a spectator for the night. So I will just share a few of my hastily scribbled notes from a very entertaining night of racing.
While only a dozen mod lites were on hand, they may have offered up the best feature of the night, running three and four wide at the front, slicing, dicing, rubbing and even flipping before Mike Morrill grabbed the big check on Cliff Chambers Memorial night.
Before I could collect my thoughts, twenty four IMCA hobby stocks came to the track and ran fifteen caution free laps, with David Rieks picking up a relatively easy win, with Shannon Andersons' hot pursuit ending with a runner up finish.
The IMCA sport mod field was pared from thirty two down to twenty four starters. Unfortunately, the event turned into a caution fest. The final of the yellows resulted in a green, white, checkers finish. Kyle Olson had stayed out front throughout, even as multiple drivers made charges to the front during the race. Brayton Carter was in position to pounce in those final two laps, and he and Olson traded slide jobs to the delight of the crowd. In the end, Olson prevailed, with Carter having to settle for second.
The IMCA stock cars rarely disappoint, and this night would be no exception. Shawn Ritter had been the bridesmaid at Stuart and he was looking to improve on that on Friday. Again there was constant movement throughout the field, but Ritter held on for what appeared to be an emotional victory. Steve Meyer took runner up honors, while the drive of the night came from visiting John Oliver Jr., who started in row nine and finished fourth.
A solid twenty IMCA late models signed in. As it was their first point night, the draw, redraw format was in effect. Both Todd Cooney and Justin Kay ran second in their heats, but they drew the front row for the twenty lap money race. Kay used his outside spot to jump out front with Cooney trailing. Soon it was row two starter Joel Callahan moving up to challenge for second. With Cooney and Callahan battling side by side, including doing some serious door banging, Kay opened up a commanding lead. The race was slowed only once for an early caution involving Ben Seeman, and no one was able to mount a serious challenge as Kay led the distance. Callahan won the duel for second, while Curtis Glover and ninth starting Jeremiah Hurst completed the top five. Joe Zrostlik ran sixth, while Darrell Defrance returned to action in seventh. Matt Ryan, Mike Smith in the Barton Racing #7, and Paul Nagle rounded out the top ten.
The IMCA modifieds would round out the card, but again we decided to head for the warmth of the car to start the three hour plus journey home.
Round three of our racing weekend looks good, as the morning sun is shining brightly, so we will rejoin the MLRA cars and stars tonight as they invade the West Liberty Raceway for some 1/2 mile action. Mods, sport mods, stock cars, and the A.I.R.S. cars will fill out the card, with hot laps set to roll at 6:30. The weekend will wrap up on Sunday close to home as the MLRA drivers pay their first ever visit to the .29 mile oval at Quincy Raceways. IMCA sport mods and open stock cars will also be in action, with hot laps set for 5:15.
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