After a few days of R and R, it was back to the track Sunday night at Quincy Raceways. Six classes of cars were on the schedule, but with again only three entries in the 2 person cruiser class, the decision was apparently made to end the failed revival of a 1990s staple. As nearly as I could tell, the three teams were given the option of making the necessary changes to run with the outlaw stock cars with one driver, and two of them did so, while one went home, leaving us with sixty one teams in the remaining five classes. And that was the beginning of an interesting evening.
Following hot laps and UMP modified time trials, with Dave Weitholder setting quick time, the program began with the completion of the UMP Pro Crate late model feature from the week before. The race was seven laps in when the rains came. Six of the eight teams were on hand to complete the remaining thirteen laps, with both second running Tommy Elston and Laine Vanzandt not able to return. Point leader Denny Woodworth had been leading when the race was halted, and he proceeded to drive away from the field to score the victory. Sam Halstead, Chuck Mitchell, Melvin Linder, and Cliff Powell completed the top five, with Darin Weisinger Jr. making an early exit.
The nine heat races were followed by a thirty minute plus intermission, as there seemed to be some disagreement about lineups, then three different classes were announced as the first feature before the UMP sport compacts finally lined up for their main event. All but one of the nine entrants took the green flag, with Kimberly Abbott the early leader. While she hugged the inside line and Jeffrey Delonjay followed in her tire tracks, brother Jaden Delonjay decided to try the long way around. Gaining momentum, Jaden powered from third to first on lap five. Two laps later, Jeffrey was able to slip around Abbott, and the caution free race ended with Jaden picking up his first ever feature win. Jeffrey was second, followed by Abbott, David Prim, and Isaiah Penton.
Thinks really got interesting then, as the sixteen IMCA sport mods lined up for eighteen laps. The first start was called back when Austen Becerra was a bit quick on the throttle from his row four starting spot. On the second try, third starting Brandon Lambert and Becerra got good jumps, leading the pack as lap one was scored. Becerra took over on lap two, with ninth starting Daniel Fellows now second. His row five mate, Bobby Six charged to third just ahead of a lap four caution. As the lineup was reset, it was announced that Becerra would be docked two positions, officials ruling he had jumped the second start, as well. After stopping to register his displeasure, he took his spot alongside Six and behind the new leader, Fellows. Two more cautions by lap six and the field was reset single file. Fellows and Becerra were now locked in a side by side battle, with Daniel hugging the inside tires while Austen ran a middle line. Fellows was beginning to open his advantage when the yellow flew again as someone lost a spring in turn one at lap twelve. Now it was Fellows and third running Six on the low groove, while Becerra and fourth place Adam Birck pounded the cushion. With the white flag displayed, the caution came out again, setting up a one lap shootout. The green flag waved, the leaders charged into turn one, and contact was made as Becerra tried to nose under the leader, with both cars spinning. More discussion followed resulting in Fellows getting the lead back and Becerra being sent to the tail. Now Fellows stayed out front, taking the checkers, and doing a few celbratory donuts on the front stretch. BUT... following the post race hoopla, there was an apparent misunderstanding, with Fellows bypassing the tech area and heading to his pit area. As a result, he was denied the win, with Bobby Six declared the victor. Point leader Birck was moved to second, Jake Griffin third in Patrick Profettas' #20, while Brandon Symmonds and Michael Goodwin scored top fives, as well.
The late model twenty lapper was up next. Outside pole sitter Woodworth jumped to the first lap lead, with fifth starting Jose Parga powering to second. The front duo began to pull away, and on lap nine, they found themselves approaching a slower car. Woodworth elected the high line in turn one, but Parga saw an opening down low, and as they headed down the back chute, it was Parga in front. He seemed to have the race in hand, until the first caution came as he attempted to put Linder a lap down with three circuits to go. Back under green, Dakota Ewing grabbed the runner up spot, but it was all Parga from there. Woodworth came home third ahead of Mitchell and Halstead.Andy Minett ran sixth ahead of Weisinger Jr., and Linder. Powell retired early with engine woes. It was the first visit of 2019 for Parga, who had previously raced a super late model at the track, and I think the first ever visit for Ewing. With both drivers in the chase for the crate national crown, they indicated QR would be on there schedule the rest of the year.
Fourteen UMP modifieds lined up for twenty laps, with heat winners Weitholder and Kevin Blackburn in row one. Quickly it became a side by side, two car battle on the black, slick track with a lap eight caution slowing the action. A spinning Russ Coultas halted the first restart, and Weitholders' #05 was now showing smoke as he led the field back to green. Just past the halfway point, Blackburn used a low side move to grab the lead, but two more trips around and Weitholder drove back out front using the cushion. Frankie Wellman liked the looks of that move, and he cleared Blackburn for second one circuit ahead of a lap sixteen caution. Blackburn reclaimed the runner up spot on the restart, but it was Weitholder with the win. Wellman, Shaun Deering, and Steve Stotler rounded out the top five. Beau Davis stopped by on his way back home to Cheney, Kansas after racing in Fairbury, Ill. He was in contention before jumping the turn three cushion on the final lap.
Outlaw stock cars raced the finale, thirteen strong for eighteen laps. After a false start, row one starters Beau Taylor and Dakota Girard paced the field before Michael Larsen grabbed second on lap two. With a pair of lap three yellows in the books, Craig Roden advanced to second from a row four starting slot. What followed was a two car freight train around the very top of the track, Taylor hitting his marks while Roden stuck his nose alongside in every corner. After a caution in the closing laps, Larsen tried to nose under Rick Girard for third in turn one, with the contact causing Girard to stop. This time, however, both drivers received a
" mulligan " for the final restart. Taylor held on for a flag to flag win to tighten his grip on the points lead, while Roden drove a " clean " race to bring the #007 car home in second. Jake Powers made his season debut moving up two spots in the final lap to claim third over Larsen and Rick Girard.
It was a rather long night, and certainly an interesting one at QR, as the social media chatter is in high gear.
Next up for me will be the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series stop at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson this Friday. Then Quincy Raceways will host a rare Saturday night event featuring the Iowa Sprint League non wing machines in a make up event from an early season rainout. QR will then come back with regular Sunday night racing. The announcement came this week of the inagural Kenny Pratt Memorial race coming in October, featuring super late models. I will have more on this event as we go along.
Monday, July 29, 2019
Sunday, July 14, 2019
Meyers a First Time Winner at Quincy
Sunday night we were back in familiar territory at Quincy Raceways for weekly racing. All six regular classes were on the card. UMP modifieds are the only cars that use a time trial format, and track points leader Dave Weitholder paced the field with a lap of 14.585 seconds around the .29 mile oval.
The heat races rolled off quickly, and following intermission, it was go time for the six main events.
The UMP Pro Crate late models were up first for fifteen laps. Points leader Denny Woodworth picked up the heat race win, earning a pole start for the feature. However, outside row one starter Laine Vanzandt shot to the lead on the high side dominate track. On the fourth lap, Woodworth was able to execute a slide job in turns one and two to grab the lead. He gradually built his lead as the race went caution free. The late model lawyer picked up his fourth feature win at the track in 2019. Vanzandt crossed the stripe in second, but failed post race tech, and was shown in fifth place in the final results. Darin Weisinger was awarded runner up honors, with Cliff Powell scored third and Melvin Linder fourth.
Weitholder turned his fast qualifying time into a heat race win and a pole position start in the twenty lap feature, with heat two winner Rick Stevenson to his outside. They raced side by side as lap one was scored, with Weitholder ahead by a nose ahead of a lap two caution for newcomer Troy Carter. Back to green flag racing, Weitholder built a big lead, while Stevenson ran well ahead of the race for third. Those advantages were wiped out with a lap eight caution for a spinning Ronnie Yelton. As lap ten was scored, Stevenson ducked to the infield, giving up the runner up spot, continuing what has been a frustrating weekend for the driver of the #77. With Weitholder in control, Frankie Wellman and Kevin Blackburn slugged it out for second. A final caution came with six laps to go, but it was no problem for Weitholder, who led the distance for win number two of the season. Blackburn edged Wellman for second, with Shaun Deering, Josh Newman, and Yelton the only other cars running at the checkers.
Barry Taft lined up outside row two for the twelve lap, eight car IMCA sport compact main event. Taft was able to split the front row cars to grab the point entering turn one, and the race was now for second. Michael Grossman and Jeffrey Delonjay battled side by side for the spot as the race went caution free. At the checkers it was Taft topping Delonjay, Grossman, the smoking #71 of Kimberly Abbott, and David Prim.
A dozen cars lined up for the eighteen lap IMCA sport mod event. Austin Poage and Brandon Lambert sat on row one, with Michael Goodwin and Jake Griffin in row two. Griffin was a teenage phenom at QR who moved south to try his hand in select NASCAR events. He had not been behind the wheel for a couple of years, but recently landed a ride in the upcoming NASCAR truck race on the dirt at Eldora Speedway. So he struck a deal with sport mod driver Patrick Profeta to turn some laps in his #20 machine. Jake ran a sport mod heat, removed the rear spoiler and competed in the UMP mod feature, then reattached the spoiler for the sport mod finale.
Before one lap was scored, a jam up in turn one found three cars stopped on the track. Officials decided to use a no fault rule and reset the field. Lambert jumped to the lead as the green flag waved, with Austen Becerra charging from row three to second. Becerra took over the top spot on lap three, while points leader Adam Birck moved to second. Coincidently, Becerra and Birck had been two of the cars coming to a stop in the lap one melee. Birck used the high groove to take the lead just ahead of a lap six caution for debris. Perhaps as a result of the debris, Becerra now ducked to the work area with a flat tire. He was able to rejoin the pack in eleventh position, but another pair of cautions moved him to eighth before another lap was scored. With the time limit now potentially becoming a factor, everyone settled down, even as Lambert, Griffin, and Goodwin staged a three wide battle behind the leader. By the time Griffin took command of second, Birck had checked out to a nearly straightaway lead. Meanwhile, Becerra continued to pick off cars, and on the final circuit he nosed ahead of Griffin for runner up honors behind Birck. Griffin came home third followed by a pair of #14s', Lambert in the #14L, and A J Tournear, #14.
Outlaw stock cars were up next for fifteen laps. Brandon Savage shot to the early lead from inside row two, while Beau Taylor, Michael Larsen and Steve Dieckmann ran three wide for second. Soon Shane Meyers, who had fallen back after starting in row two, joined the party in fourth. As the race neared halfway, Savage slowed coming out of turn four, pulling to the infield, out of the race. Larsen now assumed the lead, and the suddenly fast Meyers was hot on his tail. Although the high line had been the fast way around all night, the two front runners were glued to the inside line. Meyers, however, found his #15 was able to stick to the groove while Larsen tended to drift ever so slightly towards the middle of the track. As lap twelve was scored, the duo were side by side, but Meyers took over at that point, hanging on for the win. His victory was unique in a couple of ways. One, it was apparently the first ever feature win for this second generation driver from Mexico, Missouri, and two, his car has a station wagon body, a " grocery getter " as Skip Dunker called it in his victory lane interview. Larsen held on for second in front of Taylor, Dieckmann, and Pete Stodgell.
With the three car two man cruiser feature lining up, I headed for the car, happy to be headed home before 9:30 following two late nights of racing on Thursday and Friday.
Next on the calender is a Wednesday night visit to Columbus Junction, Iowa, as the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA late models make their yearly stop at the 4/10 mile fairgrounds facility. Modifieds, sport mods, and stock cars will also be on the card. I would remind anyone heading to this race from my area that at last report, Highway 92 is closed just west of Columbus Junction due to road damage, so an alternate route will be needed. Following my visit to C. J., I will be away from the race track for ten days or so with other commitments.
Thanks for reading!
The heat races rolled off quickly, and following intermission, it was go time for the six main events.
The UMP Pro Crate late models were up first for fifteen laps. Points leader Denny Woodworth picked up the heat race win, earning a pole start for the feature. However, outside row one starter Laine Vanzandt shot to the lead on the high side dominate track. On the fourth lap, Woodworth was able to execute a slide job in turns one and two to grab the lead. He gradually built his lead as the race went caution free. The late model lawyer picked up his fourth feature win at the track in 2019. Vanzandt crossed the stripe in second, but failed post race tech, and was shown in fifth place in the final results. Darin Weisinger was awarded runner up honors, with Cliff Powell scored third and Melvin Linder fourth.
Weitholder turned his fast qualifying time into a heat race win and a pole position start in the twenty lap feature, with heat two winner Rick Stevenson to his outside. They raced side by side as lap one was scored, with Weitholder ahead by a nose ahead of a lap two caution for newcomer Troy Carter. Back to green flag racing, Weitholder built a big lead, while Stevenson ran well ahead of the race for third. Those advantages were wiped out with a lap eight caution for a spinning Ronnie Yelton. As lap ten was scored, Stevenson ducked to the infield, giving up the runner up spot, continuing what has been a frustrating weekend for the driver of the #77. With Weitholder in control, Frankie Wellman and Kevin Blackburn slugged it out for second. A final caution came with six laps to go, but it was no problem for Weitholder, who led the distance for win number two of the season. Blackburn edged Wellman for second, with Shaun Deering, Josh Newman, and Yelton the only other cars running at the checkers.
Barry Taft lined up outside row two for the twelve lap, eight car IMCA sport compact main event. Taft was able to split the front row cars to grab the point entering turn one, and the race was now for second. Michael Grossman and Jeffrey Delonjay battled side by side for the spot as the race went caution free. At the checkers it was Taft topping Delonjay, Grossman, the smoking #71 of Kimberly Abbott, and David Prim.
A dozen cars lined up for the eighteen lap IMCA sport mod event. Austin Poage and Brandon Lambert sat on row one, with Michael Goodwin and Jake Griffin in row two. Griffin was a teenage phenom at QR who moved south to try his hand in select NASCAR events. He had not been behind the wheel for a couple of years, but recently landed a ride in the upcoming NASCAR truck race on the dirt at Eldora Speedway. So he struck a deal with sport mod driver Patrick Profeta to turn some laps in his #20 machine. Jake ran a sport mod heat, removed the rear spoiler and competed in the UMP mod feature, then reattached the spoiler for the sport mod finale.
Before one lap was scored, a jam up in turn one found three cars stopped on the track. Officials decided to use a no fault rule and reset the field. Lambert jumped to the lead as the green flag waved, with Austen Becerra charging from row three to second. Becerra took over the top spot on lap three, while points leader Adam Birck moved to second. Coincidently, Becerra and Birck had been two of the cars coming to a stop in the lap one melee. Birck used the high groove to take the lead just ahead of a lap six caution for debris. Perhaps as a result of the debris, Becerra now ducked to the work area with a flat tire. He was able to rejoin the pack in eleventh position, but another pair of cautions moved him to eighth before another lap was scored. With the time limit now potentially becoming a factor, everyone settled down, even as Lambert, Griffin, and Goodwin staged a three wide battle behind the leader. By the time Griffin took command of second, Birck had checked out to a nearly straightaway lead. Meanwhile, Becerra continued to pick off cars, and on the final circuit he nosed ahead of Griffin for runner up honors behind Birck. Griffin came home third followed by a pair of #14s', Lambert in the #14L, and A J Tournear, #14.
Outlaw stock cars were up next for fifteen laps. Brandon Savage shot to the early lead from inside row two, while Beau Taylor, Michael Larsen and Steve Dieckmann ran three wide for second. Soon Shane Meyers, who had fallen back after starting in row two, joined the party in fourth. As the race neared halfway, Savage slowed coming out of turn four, pulling to the infield, out of the race. Larsen now assumed the lead, and the suddenly fast Meyers was hot on his tail. Although the high line had been the fast way around all night, the two front runners were glued to the inside line. Meyers, however, found his #15 was able to stick to the groove while Larsen tended to drift ever so slightly towards the middle of the track. As lap twelve was scored, the duo were side by side, but Meyers took over at that point, hanging on for the win. His victory was unique in a couple of ways. One, it was apparently the first ever feature win for this second generation driver from Mexico, Missouri, and two, his car has a station wagon body, a " grocery getter " as Skip Dunker called it in his victory lane interview. Larsen held on for second in front of Taylor, Dieckmann, and Pete Stodgell.
With the three car two man cruiser feature lining up, I headed for the car, happy to be headed home before 9:30 following two late nights of racing on Thursday and Friday.
Next on the calender is a Wednesday night visit to Columbus Junction, Iowa, as the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA late models make their yearly stop at the 4/10 mile fairgrounds facility. Modifieds, sport mods, and stock cars will also be on the card. I would remind anyone heading to this race from my area that at last report, Highway 92 is closed just west of Columbus Junction due to road damage, so an alternate route will be needed. Following my visit to C. J., I will be away from the race track for ten days or so with other commitments.
Thanks for reading!
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Owens Wins, Harrison Repeats at Tri City
Friday night found us back at Tri City Speedway in Granite City,Ill. for night number two of the Lucas Oil late model and AMS modified double header. With Thursday being the rescheduled rain out from April, the Friday event was the NAPA 50 for the late models paying $12,000 to win. Modifieds were slated for thirty laps, and the UMP Pro Crate late models were also on the card for a twenty lap feature.
Following late model hot laps, all three divisions ran time trials. Rick Conoyer paced the twenty six mods with a lap of 17.092 seconds, Scott Bloomquist in his second night back in the #0 machine topped the Lucas Oil cars at 15.193, and young Devin McLean was best of thirteen crates with a lap of 16.471 ticks, as the track was decidedly slower than the previous night.
The late models lost three drivers from Thursday, but picked up four new ones for a total of thirty two. Newcomer Reid Millard smacked the turn two wall in hot laps, ending his night. Daryn Klein had mechanical issues and did not time, and another newcomer, Jeremy Conaway suffered a flat on the way to the track, arriving after qualifying.
A pair of crate heats saw Trevor Gundaker and Aaron Heck pick up wins from the outside pole.
The late model ten lappers definitely produced more action this night. Jimmy Owens topped heat one after starting third. Front row starters Gordy Gundaker and Billy Moyer Jr. followed, while Tim McCreadie passed Rick Eckert in the final turn to claim the final transfer spot. The second heat saw Earl Pearson Jr. spin on the opening circuit, with Kyle Bronson ducking to the infield work area with a flat. He returned to the track off the backstretch as the green flag waved, but he then rolled to a stop, bringing out another yellow flag. He then drove back to the infield, his run over. Shannon Babb took control of the race from the pole, out pacing Josh Richards. Thursday feature winner Tyler Erb was running a strong third when he suffered a flat tire as the white flag waved, dropping him to fifth. Michael Kloos came from row four to claim third, while Pearson Jr. rebounded to fourth. Devin Moran had engine issues in qualifying, and he pulled off the track as heat three prepared to take the green. Jonathon Davenport came from inside row two to edge Bloomquist for the win, while Hudson Oneal and Mike Marlar earned transfers. Stormy Scott turned a pole start into a heat four win ahead of Michael Norris, Shannon Buckingham, and Tony Jackson Jr., who gave up the fourth position to Chris Simpson before recovering.
Modified heats went to Michael Long, Danny Schwartz, Tyler Nicely, and Dave Weitholder. Bobby Regot was challenging Weitholder for the heat four win when he looped his ride and was hit hard by third running Trent Young, eliminating both cars.
Again it was an extremely long first intermission, as the sixteen qualified late model drivers came to the commons area for an autograph session in front of the television cameras.
A pair of twelve lap late model B mains, each taking the top three to the feature saw Erb, Eckert, and Billy Moyer transfer from the opener, which featured six cars, while the eight car finale sent Austin Retting, Simpson, and Conaway on to the big show. Bronson, Moran, and Klein would be awarded provisional starting spots for the feature.
Steve Meyer topped the modified B main, with Kenny Wallace among the four teams not moving on to the big dance.
Following another extended bout of down time, which most of the large crowd seemed to take in stride, the Lucas Oil cars lined up for fifty laps. Owens and Davenport sat on row one, with Babb and Scott in the next row. Kloos fell off the pace on the parade lap, soon becoming the first car to drop out. Owens assumed the early lead, running the inside line around the 3/8 mile oval in front of a dueling Davenport and Babb. Babb, with some right rear body damage, moved to the cushion and charged to second as Owens caught slower traffic on lap ten. But one lap later, the first caution came for a slowing Buckingham. After the Delaware restart, Babb again jumped to the cushion, grabbing the lead on lap thirteen. Owens stayed glued to the low line, and the pair swapped the lead, first one, then the other on laps fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen. With Owens finally gaining some separation, the yellow waved again on lap twenty. Josh Richards cleared Davenport for third as racing resumed, and Babb regained the top spot on lap twenty four. But coming to the stripe for lap twenty six, he bobbled on the turn four cushion, again turning the lead over to Owens. As Owens again opened a lead, Richards zeroed in on the second running Babb. With eighteen circuits to go, Babb rolled to a stop at the end of the back straight, bringing out the yellow and ending his great run. Richards elected the outside for the restart, with Davenport down low and after the start was called back for debris below the flag stand, J.D. began to slow, falling back to fifth and turning third over to Scott. He continued to fade, with obvious issues, and now Pearson Jr. was the man on the move. After starting in row eight, and rolling around the bottom, he jumped to the cushion and powered to third on lap forty eight. As the white flag flew, he blew around Richards, but could go no further with Owens having too big a lead. At the line, it was Owens taking the win, his second top four in two nights, Pearson Jr. in second, followed by Richards, Scott, and twenty third starting Moran. McCreadie was scored sixth in front of Norris, Gundaker, Bloomquist, and Oneal.
With post race interviews done and the T.V. folks signing off, we were determined to hopefully take in the modifieds before packing up. Weitholder jumped to the lead from outside row one ahead of pole sitter Schwartz, Long, Nicely, and Thursday winner Mike Harrison. Long was working the cushion hard, and he contacted the turn two concrete on lap seven, losing four spots to seventh. Weitholder opened up several car lengths over Schwartz as Harrison charged to third on lap six. He emerged out front of an entertaining three car battle for second on lap eight. What turned out to be the only caution of the race came at the lap eight mark, and we apparently missed the explanation of why he and Weitholder were lined up side by side for the restart.
At any rate, Harrison took command as action resumed, pulling away as Nicely cleared Schwartz for second on the eleventh trip around. Soon he was closing the gap on the leader as Kyle Steffens joined Weitholder and Schwartz in a dog fight for third. Nicely managed to stay close to Harrison, and for a brief moment on the final lap it looked like slower traffic might play a role in the outcome, but Harrison had enough of a margin to hold on for his second win in two nights. Nicely scored another strong finish in the runner up spot, followed by Steffens, Will Krup, and Schwartz.
With the clock now on the wrong side of 11:30 and a three hour drive ahead, we headed for the car, missing an Aaron Heck crate late model win.
The Lucas Oil late models now move to the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. for back to back nights of $15,000 to win shows, with the added night a sort of consolation for the tornado damage cancelled Show Me 100.
Regular Sunday night racing at Quincy Raceways is next up for me, then a Wednesday visit to Columbus Junction, Iowa for the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series late models. See you soon at the races!
Following late model hot laps, all three divisions ran time trials. Rick Conoyer paced the twenty six mods with a lap of 17.092 seconds, Scott Bloomquist in his second night back in the #0 machine topped the Lucas Oil cars at 15.193, and young Devin McLean was best of thirteen crates with a lap of 16.471 ticks, as the track was decidedly slower than the previous night.
The late models lost three drivers from Thursday, but picked up four new ones for a total of thirty two. Newcomer Reid Millard smacked the turn two wall in hot laps, ending his night. Daryn Klein had mechanical issues and did not time, and another newcomer, Jeremy Conaway suffered a flat on the way to the track, arriving after qualifying.
A pair of crate heats saw Trevor Gundaker and Aaron Heck pick up wins from the outside pole.
The late model ten lappers definitely produced more action this night. Jimmy Owens topped heat one after starting third. Front row starters Gordy Gundaker and Billy Moyer Jr. followed, while Tim McCreadie passed Rick Eckert in the final turn to claim the final transfer spot. The second heat saw Earl Pearson Jr. spin on the opening circuit, with Kyle Bronson ducking to the infield work area with a flat. He returned to the track off the backstretch as the green flag waved, but he then rolled to a stop, bringing out another yellow flag. He then drove back to the infield, his run over. Shannon Babb took control of the race from the pole, out pacing Josh Richards. Thursday feature winner Tyler Erb was running a strong third when he suffered a flat tire as the white flag waved, dropping him to fifth. Michael Kloos came from row four to claim third, while Pearson Jr. rebounded to fourth. Devin Moran had engine issues in qualifying, and he pulled off the track as heat three prepared to take the green. Jonathon Davenport came from inside row two to edge Bloomquist for the win, while Hudson Oneal and Mike Marlar earned transfers. Stormy Scott turned a pole start into a heat four win ahead of Michael Norris, Shannon Buckingham, and Tony Jackson Jr., who gave up the fourth position to Chris Simpson before recovering.
Modified heats went to Michael Long, Danny Schwartz, Tyler Nicely, and Dave Weitholder. Bobby Regot was challenging Weitholder for the heat four win when he looped his ride and was hit hard by third running Trent Young, eliminating both cars.
Again it was an extremely long first intermission, as the sixteen qualified late model drivers came to the commons area for an autograph session in front of the television cameras.
A pair of twelve lap late model B mains, each taking the top three to the feature saw Erb, Eckert, and Billy Moyer transfer from the opener, which featured six cars, while the eight car finale sent Austin Retting, Simpson, and Conaway on to the big show. Bronson, Moran, and Klein would be awarded provisional starting spots for the feature.
Steve Meyer topped the modified B main, with Kenny Wallace among the four teams not moving on to the big dance.
Following another extended bout of down time, which most of the large crowd seemed to take in stride, the Lucas Oil cars lined up for fifty laps. Owens and Davenport sat on row one, with Babb and Scott in the next row. Kloos fell off the pace on the parade lap, soon becoming the first car to drop out. Owens assumed the early lead, running the inside line around the 3/8 mile oval in front of a dueling Davenport and Babb. Babb, with some right rear body damage, moved to the cushion and charged to second as Owens caught slower traffic on lap ten. But one lap later, the first caution came for a slowing Buckingham. After the Delaware restart, Babb again jumped to the cushion, grabbing the lead on lap thirteen. Owens stayed glued to the low line, and the pair swapped the lead, first one, then the other on laps fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen. With Owens finally gaining some separation, the yellow waved again on lap twenty. Josh Richards cleared Davenport for third as racing resumed, and Babb regained the top spot on lap twenty four. But coming to the stripe for lap twenty six, he bobbled on the turn four cushion, again turning the lead over to Owens. As Owens again opened a lead, Richards zeroed in on the second running Babb. With eighteen circuits to go, Babb rolled to a stop at the end of the back straight, bringing out the yellow and ending his great run. Richards elected the outside for the restart, with Davenport down low and after the start was called back for debris below the flag stand, J.D. began to slow, falling back to fifth and turning third over to Scott. He continued to fade, with obvious issues, and now Pearson Jr. was the man on the move. After starting in row eight, and rolling around the bottom, he jumped to the cushion and powered to third on lap forty eight. As the white flag flew, he blew around Richards, but could go no further with Owens having too big a lead. At the line, it was Owens taking the win, his second top four in two nights, Pearson Jr. in second, followed by Richards, Scott, and twenty third starting Moran. McCreadie was scored sixth in front of Norris, Gundaker, Bloomquist, and Oneal.
With post race interviews done and the T.V. folks signing off, we were determined to hopefully take in the modifieds before packing up. Weitholder jumped to the lead from outside row one ahead of pole sitter Schwartz, Long, Nicely, and Thursday winner Mike Harrison. Long was working the cushion hard, and he contacted the turn two concrete on lap seven, losing four spots to seventh. Weitholder opened up several car lengths over Schwartz as Harrison charged to third on lap six. He emerged out front of an entertaining three car battle for second on lap eight. What turned out to be the only caution of the race came at the lap eight mark, and we apparently missed the explanation of why he and Weitholder were lined up side by side for the restart.
At any rate, Harrison took command as action resumed, pulling away as Nicely cleared Schwartz for second on the eleventh trip around. Soon he was closing the gap on the leader as Kyle Steffens joined Weitholder and Schwartz in a dog fight for third. Nicely managed to stay close to Harrison, and for a brief moment on the final lap it looked like slower traffic might play a role in the outcome, but Harrison had enough of a margin to hold on for his second win in two nights. Nicely scored another strong finish in the runner up spot, followed by Steffens, Will Krup, and Schwartz.
With the clock now on the wrong side of 11:30 and a three hour drive ahead, we headed for the car, missing an Aaron Heck crate late model win.
The Lucas Oil late models now move to the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. for back to back nights of $15,000 to win shows, with the added night a sort of consolation for the tornado damage cancelled Show Me 100.
Regular Sunday night racing at Quincy Raceways is next up for me, then a Wednesday visit to Columbus Junction, Iowa for the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series late models. See you soon at the races!
Friday, July 12, 2019
Terbo Outlasts Marlar at Tri City
Thursday night the Lucas Oil late models began a four night swing through the mid west by making up the Hoker 50 at Tri City Speedway in Granite City, Il. The event, originally scheduled and rained out in April will be followed tonight by another 50 lap, $12,000 to win points race at Kevin and Tammy Gundakers' 3/8 mile speed plant before the series moves to the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Mo. for a pair of $15,000 to win battles.
Thirty one super late models checked in, accompanied by twenty five Summit Racing Equipment modifieds looking for a $2,000 top prize.
Following late model hot laps, the modifieds hot lapped/qualified together, four cars at a time, with Michael Long topping the card at 16.160 seconds. Derrick Black, driving his dads' #10X saw his night end with mechanical issues at this point, and late arrival Mark Enk did not take qualifying laps.
The late models timed next, divided into four groups, one, two, or three at a time. Tyler Erb wound up atop the leader board at 14.543 seconds. Rickey Frankel, who lost an engine while finishing eighth in the Hell Tour race Sunday at Quincy Raceways, failed to qualify after hurting his back up power plant in hot laps.
As is so often the case with shows that use time trial qualifying and straight up starts, the heat race winners generally come from row one. In modified action, Long in heat one and Trey Harris in heat three took wins from a pole start, while Tyler Nicely came from row two to best pole sitter Rick Conoyer in the middle eight lapper.
Erb led the ten lap distance from the pole to take the first late model heat over Chris Simpson, Stormy Scott, and Scott Bloomquist, who began his second attempt to return behind the wheel after suffering serious injuries in a motorcycle accident earlier this year.
Mike Marlar started on the pole of heat two and was out ahead of a jam up in turns one and two that scrambled the field. At the checkers, seventh starting Kyle Bronson ran second to Marlar, followed by Devin Moran and Billy Moyer Jr.
Jimmy Owens captured heat three from the pole, besting Tim McCreadie, Michael Norris, who is subbing for the injured Don Oneal, and Rick Eckert who is piloting the Allen Murray #2 this weekend.
In the final qualifier, Earl Pearson Jr. was victorious from the inside row one ahead of Josh Richards, Hudson Oneal, and Shannon Buckingham.
With heat race action complete, an intermission that stretched well over thirty minutes included an autograph session in the commons area behind the grandstands for the sixteen late model drivers already qualified.
With twenty two modifieds still running, their B main was scrapped, as a pair of late model consys ran next. The first twelve lapper featured eight cars, with the top three moving to the main event. Series points leader Jonathon Davenport, who had timed poorly and started seventh in his heat, came from row three to take the win, overtaking Tim Manville, who held the lead until turn four of the final lap. Shannon Babb also made the cut.
With the Frankel scratch, only six cars lined up for the final qualifier. Gordy Gundaker led the distance in front of Jesse Stovall and Austin Rettig, who ran down and passed Rusty Griffaw on the final circuit to claim the final spot.
Provisional starting spots went to the top two in time trials not already in the show, with Billy Moyer and Daryn Klein taking those spots, and defending track champion Michael Kloos getting the Tri City provisional.
Another lengthy delay preceded the late model headliner coming to the track. During this time those of us in the crowd were apparently supposed to be entertained by the audio portion of the television broadcast of the event to those nestled comfortably at home in their recliners.
During parade laps, the gremlins continued for Davenport, who ducked to the infield work area with mechanical issues, rejoining the field at the tail. As the green flag waved, Owens charged to the lead from outside row one. The first caution came at lap two, as Manville slowed with front end damage, tagging the tail after a trip to the work area. The Delaware restart saw Marlar grab the second spot from Erb, while sixth starting McCreadie slipped around Pearson for fourth. Owens began to open a lead, hugging the low groove, while Marlar also separated himself from the battle for third. By lap thirteen, Marlar was closing the gap, and two more circuits found Owens catching slower traffic. The second yellow waved at lap seventeen for a slowing Richards, who restarted at the tail. The next stoppage came when Norris smacked the wall twenty laps in. At this point, Davenport lined up eighth for the restart, even as he looked to have damage to his rear spoiler. Now Erb took the runner up spot, charging around the top of the track. Erb and Owens then began a back and forth duel, with Erb scored ahead on lap twenty three. Beginning on lap twenty seven until the leaders again caught slower traffic ten laps later, Owens and Erb swapped the point numerous times, with Erb now leading. Marlar had continued to lurk in third, and at lap thirty seven he powered to second. Lap forty saw him claim the runner up spot, just ahead of a yellow for Davenport, who smacked the front stretch wall, ending his night. With less than ten laps remaining, the field was lined up single file. As Owens began to fade, a two car battle was shaping up, with Erb still running the high line and Marlar working down low. A final caution came with five laps left, as Bronson was forced to give up a top ten run. The two leaders resumed their duel, and although Erb flirted with the wall, he did not falter, taking the win. Marlar led McCreadie, Owens, and Pearson in the top five. Moran came home sixth in front of Simpson, Oneal, Bloomquist, and Scott.
As the television interviews took us past the 10:30 mark, the modifieds lined up for thirty laps. Nicely took off from outside row one in front of Long before a lap two caution. The track was now becoming quite slick in the turns, and when the caution waved again at lap six, we regretfully made the decision to head for the car. Mike Harrison was up to fourth at this point after starting eighth, and reports this morning show that he took the win ahead of Trent Young, tenth starting Kenny Wallace, Conoyer, and row six starter Dean Hoffman.
If it sounds as if I am a bit irritated, that would indeed be the case. Television or not, a two class show on a week night with fifty six cars should not take four hours plus. That being said, the five of us will once again head south tonight for round two of the four race swing. The UMP Pro Crate late models have been added to the card tonight, and it is Friday, so we shall see...
Thanks for reading!
Thirty one super late models checked in, accompanied by twenty five Summit Racing Equipment modifieds looking for a $2,000 top prize.
Following late model hot laps, the modifieds hot lapped/qualified together, four cars at a time, with Michael Long topping the card at 16.160 seconds. Derrick Black, driving his dads' #10X saw his night end with mechanical issues at this point, and late arrival Mark Enk did not take qualifying laps.
The late models timed next, divided into four groups, one, two, or three at a time. Tyler Erb wound up atop the leader board at 14.543 seconds. Rickey Frankel, who lost an engine while finishing eighth in the Hell Tour race Sunday at Quincy Raceways, failed to qualify after hurting his back up power plant in hot laps.
As is so often the case with shows that use time trial qualifying and straight up starts, the heat race winners generally come from row one. In modified action, Long in heat one and Trey Harris in heat three took wins from a pole start, while Tyler Nicely came from row two to best pole sitter Rick Conoyer in the middle eight lapper.
Erb led the ten lap distance from the pole to take the first late model heat over Chris Simpson, Stormy Scott, and Scott Bloomquist, who began his second attempt to return behind the wheel after suffering serious injuries in a motorcycle accident earlier this year.
Mike Marlar started on the pole of heat two and was out ahead of a jam up in turns one and two that scrambled the field. At the checkers, seventh starting Kyle Bronson ran second to Marlar, followed by Devin Moran and Billy Moyer Jr.
Jimmy Owens captured heat three from the pole, besting Tim McCreadie, Michael Norris, who is subbing for the injured Don Oneal, and Rick Eckert who is piloting the Allen Murray #2 this weekend.
In the final qualifier, Earl Pearson Jr. was victorious from the inside row one ahead of Josh Richards, Hudson Oneal, and Shannon Buckingham.
With heat race action complete, an intermission that stretched well over thirty minutes included an autograph session in the commons area behind the grandstands for the sixteen late model drivers already qualified.
With twenty two modifieds still running, their B main was scrapped, as a pair of late model consys ran next. The first twelve lapper featured eight cars, with the top three moving to the main event. Series points leader Jonathon Davenport, who had timed poorly and started seventh in his heat, came from row three to take the win, overtaking Tim Manville, who held the lead until turn four of the final lap. Shannon Babb also made the cut.
With the Frankel scratch, only six cars lined up for the final qualifier. Gordy Gundaker led the distance in front of Jesse Stovall and Austin Rettig, who ran down and passed Rusty Griffaw on the final circuit to claim the final spot.
Provisional starting spots went to the top two in time trials not already in the show, with Billy Moyer and Daryn Klein taking those spots, and defending track champion Michael Kloos getting the Tri City provisional.
Another lengthy delay preceded the late model headliner coming to the track. During this time those of us in the crowd were apparently supposed to be entertained by the audio portion of the television broadcast of the event to those nestled comfortably at home in their recliners.
During parade laps, the gremlins continued for Davenport, who ducked to the infield work area with mechanical issues, rejoining the field at the tail. As the green flag waved, Owens charged to the lead from outside row one. The first caution came at lap two, as Manville slowed with front end damage, tagging the tail after a trip to the work area. The Delaware restart saw Marlar grab the second spot from Erb, while sixth starting McCreadie slipped around Pearson for fourth. Owens began to open a lead, hugging the low groove, while Marlar also separated himself from the battle for third. By lap thirteen, Marlar was closing the gap, and two more circuits found Owens catching slower traffic. The second yellow waved at lap seventeen for a slowing Richards, who restarted at the tail. The next stoppage came when Norris smacked the wall twenty laps in. At this point, Davenport lined up eighth for the restart, even as he looked to have damage to his rear spoiler. Now Erb took the runner up spot, charging around the top of the track. Erb and Owens then began a back and forth duel, with Erb scored ahead on lap twenty three. Beginning on lap twenty seven until the leaders again caught slower traffic ten laps later, Owens and Erb swapped the point numerous times, with Erb now leading. Marlar had continued to lurk in third, and at lap thirty seven he powered to second. Lap forty saw him claim the runner up spot, just ahead of a yellow for Davenport, who smacked the front stretch wall, ending his night. With less than ten laps remaining, the field was lined up single file. As Owens began to fade, a two car battle was shaping up, with Erb still running the high line and Marlar working down low. A final caution came with five laps left, as Bronson was forced to give up a top ten run. The two leaders resumed their duel, and although Erb flirted with the wall, he did not falter, taking the win. Marlar led McCreadie, Owens, and Pearson in the top five. Moran came home sixth in front of Simpson, Oneal, Bloomquist, and Scott.
As the television interviews took us past the 10:30 mark, the modifieds lined up for thirty laps. Nicely took off from outside row one in front of Long before a lap two caution. The track was now becoming quite slick in the turns, and when the caution waved again at lap six, we regretfully made the decision to head for the car. Mike Harrison was up to fourth at this point after starting eighth, and reports this morning show that he took the win ahead of Trent Young, tenth starting Kenny Wallace, Conoyer, and row six starter Dean Hoffman.
If it sounds as if I am a bit irritated, that would indeed be the case. Television or not, a two class show on a week night with fifty six cars should not take four hours plus. That being said, the five of us will once again head south tonight for round two of the four race swing. The UMP Pro Crate late models have been added to the card tonight, and it is Friday, so we shall see...
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Marlar, Hoffman Top Quincy Summernationals
Quincy Raceways may not lead the world in rain outs in 2019, but they have had more than their share. As a result, Jason Goble, in his first full season at QR was due for a little luck. And Sunday night, he hit the jackpot. As the UMP Summernationals tour - itself victimized by numerous rain outs - rolled in to town, the stars lined up just right. Car counts for the touring late models and modifieds were solid, along with a good count of IMCA sport mods. The weatherman gave us a zero chance of rain and knocked a few degrees off the 90 plus temps we have had all week. As a result, the largest crowd in at least a year filled the stands. And to top things off, the track was perfectly prepared, with multiple racing grooves lasting throughout the night.
Twenty one late models, twenty modifieds, and nineteen sport mods checked in, with hot laps starting at 6:30 for the late models. They were followed by modified time trials, five at a time. Michael Long set quick time with a lap of 13.854, which would have put him middle of the pack in the late models! Lucas Oil series regular Kyle Bronson stopped in and recorded the fastest lap for the high powered late models at 13.164 seconds around the .29 mile oval.
Summit modified nationals point leader Nick Hoffman ( from North Carolina ) and second in points Tyler Nicely ( Kentucky ) topped the eight lap heat races for the touring open wheelers.
Bobby Pierce, a QR favorite, came from third to win the first ten lapper for the late models over pole sitter Bronson, Frank Heckenast Jr., and Bob Gardner. Rusty Schlenk won a close battle with surprise entrant Mike Marlar in heat two, followed by Dylan Hoover, and track points leader Denny Woodworth. Brian Shirley lost the series point lead to Pierce on Saturday night, but he showed his muscle in topping heat three ahead of David Jaeger, Dewayne Kiefer, and hometown driver Jamie Wilson. The heat races were truly the best I have seen at the four tour races I have been to this season.
With all qualifiers complete and a thirty minute intermission in the books, the modifieds came to the track for twenty five laps.
Nicely and Hoffman sat on row one, but it was track points leader Dave Weitholder coming from inside row two to lead the opening lap. At this time, the low groove appeared to be the faster line, and fifth starting Kevin Blackburn used the low side to take second on lap three. But Hoffman rebounded to grab second on lap five using the top groove, leaving Blackburn and Nicely to battle for third. Two more circuits, and Hoffman was up to challenge Weitholder, while Nicely joined the party down low. Both cleared the leader and quickly pulled away in a two car scrum, Hoffman running a middle line as Nicely ran around the tire barrier. Slower traffic came into play at the half way mark, and the leaders ran side by side as they negotiated the lapped cars. Just as Hoffman was beginning to stretch his lead, the first and only caution came out for debris with four laps to go. With less than five laps remaining, the restart was single file, and Blackburn headed to the pits, giving up a top five run. Hoffman stayed in control, picking up the win over Nicely, Weitholder, Long, and Kenny Wallace.
The late model headliner was next, forty laps with a top prize of $5,000. Schlenk and Pierce paced the field to green, as Jason Feger, Rusty Griffaw, Woodworth, and Melvin Linder all retired in the first couple of laps. Schlenk led the opening circuit, with third starting Shirley in tow, even as Pierce fell outside the top five. The first of only two yellows came at lap three, and following the Delaware restart, Shirley used the inside line to grab the lead. Schlenk stayed close running the middle of the track, and fifth starting Marlar ran around the tires in third. Heckenast Jr. in fourth and Pierce in sixth went to the top side while Bronson stayed down low in fifth. As slower traffic became a factor about lap twelve, Marlar took over the runner up spot. Shirley was handling lapped cars with ease while maintaining a lead of several car lengths, when the final caution came at lap twenty one. Jaeger was fighting to stay on the lead lap while battling for tenth position when he spun in front of the leader. Fortunately, Shirley was able to avoid the #13, but he now had the field on his tail for the restart. As he took off with Marlar in pursuit, you could have thrown a blanket over Schlenk, Heckenast Jr., and Pierce as they fought for third place. Suddenly Marlar decided to try the high line, and he blew past Shirley at lap twenty six. Shirley stayed within striking distance until Marlar successfully split a pair of lapped cars four laps from the finish. He then cruised to the win, while Shirley regained the series points lead with his second place finish. Schlenk, Heckenast Jr., and Pierce completed the top five, followed by Bronson, Kiefer, hard charger Rickey Frankel ( sixteenth to eighth ), Wilson, and Jaeger.
There was extra money on the line for the IMCA sport mods, including a winners' share of $1,000, so the feature was increased to thirty laps on what was now a black, slick racing surface. Outside row one starter Tanner Klingele led pole sitter Reed Wolfmeyer until a lap three caution. Austen Becerra had dropped out of his heat race, relegating him to a row nine starting spot, but when the yellow came out, he was already up to eighth. Terry Wilson and Nathan Bringer slipped around Wolfmeyer on the restart, but contact in turn four on lap five ended Bringers' chances, with Daniel Fellows moving to third, track points leader Adam Birck to fourth, while Becerra was now up to sixth. Following a second caution, Fellows and Birck charged to second and third, and two more laps scored found Becerra in fourth. Now the leaders were all running the low groove, as Klingele opened a lead of a dozen car lengths, and Fellows and Birck battled for second. A caution at lap twelve wiped out Klingeles' lead, and Birck took the runner up spot one lap later. But now Becerra decided to check out the empty top groove, and he quickly picked off Fellows, then Birck at lap seventeen, and Klingele one lap later, as he rode the very top of the banking. The yellow waved again at lap nineteen, and back to racing, Birck jumped to the high side and cleared Klingele for second. Now the leaders all suddenly went to the high groove ahead of a caution at lap twenty six. With a single file restart this time, Klingele and Fellows decided to look low one more time, and Wolfmeyer took advantage to slip around Fellows for fourth. He then cleared Klingele for third as one final caution came as the white flag waved. This set up a one lap dash to the checkers. It was no problem, though for Becerra, who completed his improbable run from seventeenth to victory lane. Birck took runner up honors, with Wolfmeyer and Klingele next. Fellows rebounded to edge Wilson for fifth.
The final checkers waved ahead of the 10 PM hour, capping off a fun night of racing. Thanks to Jason and crew, as well as the UMP bunch for a good Sunday night!
Although the Summernationals tour will be heading east out of the area after completing a suspended show tomorrow at Sycamore, Il., there is plenty of racing to be viewed in the coming days, including a Wednesday show at the Knox County, Ill. fair, and Thursday racing at the Lee County fair, as well as rescheduled events at Marshalltown, Ia., and Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. Pick you favorite, and say " Hi " if you see me there!
Twenty one late models, twenty modifieds, and nineteen sport mods checked in, with hot laps starting at 6:30 for the late models. They were followed by modified time trials, five at a time. Michael Long set quick time with a lap of 13.854, which would have put him middle of the pack in the late models! Lucas Oil series regular Kyle Bronson stopped in and recorded the fastest lap for the high powered late models at 13.164 seconds around the .29 mile oval.
Summit modified nationals point leader Nick Hoffman ( from North Carolina ) and second in points Tyler Nicely ( Kentucky ) topped the eight lap heat races for the touring open wheelers.
Bobby Pierce, a QR favorite, came from third to win the first ten lapper for the late models over pole sitter Bronson, Frank Heckenast Jr., and Bob Gardner. Rusty Schlenk won a close battle with surprise entrant Mike Marlar in heat two, followed by Dylan Hoover, and track points leader Denny Woodworth. Brian Shirley lost the series point lead to Pierce on Saturday night, but he showed his muscle in topping heat three ahead of David Jaeger, Dewayne Kiefer, and hometown driver Jamie Wilson. The heat races were truly the best I have seen at the four tour races I have been to this season.
With all qualifiers complete and a thirty minute intermission in the books, the modifieds came to the track for twenty five laps.
Nicely and Hoffman sat on row one, but it was track points leader Dave Weitholder coming from inside row two to lead the opening lap. At this time, the low groove appeared to be the faster line, and fifth starting Kevin Blackburn used the low side to take second on lap three. But Hoffman rebounded to grab second on lap five using the top groove, leaving Blackburn and Nicely to battle for third. Two more circuits, and Hoffman was up to challenge Weitholder, while Nicely joined the party down low. Both cleared the leader and quickly pulled away in a two car scrum, Hoffman running a middle line as Nicely ran around the tire barrier. Slower traffic came into play at the half way mark, and the leaders ran side by side as they negotiated the lapped cars. Just as Hoffman was beginning to stretch his lead, the first and only caution came out for debris with four laps to go. With less than five laps remaining, the restart was single file, and Blackburn headed to the pits, giving up a top five run. Hoffman stayed in control, picking up the win over Nicely, Weitholder, Long, and Kenny Wallace.
The late model headliner was next, forty laps with a top prize of $5,000. Schlenk and Pierce paced the field to green, as Jason Feger, Rusty Griffaw, Woodworth, and Melvin Linder all retired in the first couple of laps. Schlenk led the opening circuit, with third starting Shirley in tow, even as Pierce fell outside the top five. The first of only two yellows came at lap three, and following the Delaware restart, Shirley used the inside line to grab the lead. Schlenk stayed close running the middle of the track, and fifth starting Marlar ran around the tires in third. Heckenast Jr. in fourth and Pierce in sixth went to the top side while Bronson stayed down low in fifth. As slower traffic became a factor about lap twelve, Marlar took over the runner up spot. Shirley was handling lapped cars with ease while maintaining a lead of several car lengths, when the final caution came at lap twenty one. Jaeger was fighting to stay on the lead lap while battling for tenth position when he spun in front of the leader. Fortunately, Shirley was able to avoid the #13, but he now had the field on his tail for the restart. As he took off with Marlar in pursuit, you could have thrown a blanket over Schlenk, Heckenast Jr., and Pierce as they fought for third place. Suddenly Marlar decided to try the high line, and he blew past Shirley at lap twenty six. Shirley stayed within striking distance until Marlar successfully split a pair of lapped cars four laps from the finish. He then cruised to the win, while Shirley regained the series points lead with his second place finish. Schlenk, Heckenast Jr., and Pierce completed the top five, followed by Bronson, Kiefer, hard charger Rickey Frankel ( sixteenth to eighth ), Wilson, and Jaeger.
There was extra money on the line for the IMCA sport mods, including a winners' share of $1,000, so the feature was increased to thirty laps on what was now a black, slick racing surface. Outside row one starter Tanner Klingele led pole sitter Reed Wolfmeyer until a lap three caution. Austen Becerra had dropped out of his heat race, relegating him to a row nine starting spot, but when the yellow came out, he was already up to eighth. Terry Wilson and Nathan Bringer slipped around Wolfmeyer on the restart, but contact in turn four on lap five ended Bringers' chances, with Daniel Fellows moving to third, track points leader Adam Birck to fourth, while Becerra was now up to sixth. Following a second caution, Fellows and Birck charged to second and third, and two more laps scored found Becerra in fourth. Now the leaders were all running the low groove, as Klingele opened a lead of a dozen car lengths, and Fellows and Birck battled for second. A caution at lap twelve wiped out Klingeles' lead, and Birck took the runner up spot one lap later. But now Becerra decided to check out the empty top groove, and he quickly picked off Fellows, then Birck at lap seventeen, and Klingele one lap later, as he rode the very top of the banking. The yellow waved again at lap nineteen, and back to racing, Birck jumped to the high side and cleared Klingele for second. Now the leaders all suddenly went to the high groove ahead of a caution at lap twenty six. With a single file restart this time, Klingele and Fellows decided to look low one more time, and Wolfmeyer took advantage to slip around Fellows for fourth. He then cleared Klingele for third as one final caution came as the white flag waved. This set up a one lap dash to the checkers. It was no problem, though for Becerra, who completed his improbable run from seventeenth to victory lane. Birck took runner up honors, with Wolfmeyer and Klingele next. Fellows rebounded to edge Wilson for fifth.
The final checkers waved ahead of the 10 PM hour, capping off a fun night of racing. Thanks to Jason and crew, as well as the UMP bunch for a good Sunday night!
Although the Summernationals tour will be heading east out of the area after completing a suspended show tomorrow at Sycamore, Il., there is plenty of racing to be viewed in the coming days, including a Wednesday show at the Knox County, Ill. fair, and Thursday racing at the Lee County fair, as well as rescheduled events at Marshalltown, Ia., and Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. Pick you favorite, and say " Hi " if you see me there!
Saturday, July 6, 2019
Sheppard Stays Hot at Indee
With the forecast changing for the better, Darryl and I headed out for our first trip of the season to the Independence, Iowa Motor Speedway as the World of Outlaw late models made their first 2019 visit to the Hawkeye state. With Buchanan County fair festivities as the backdrop, IMCA modifieds and IMCA stock cars filled out the racing card. Indee normally runs on Saturday nights, so the modified and stock car fields were a bit shorter than usual, as many of their weekly competitors also race for points at other venues on Fridays. Still a solid group of fifteen mods and seventeen stockers joined the twenty one open late models for racing on the 3/8 mile oval, with the mods and stocks using a draw/redraw qualifying format.
With the track crew giving the surface an extra heavy dose of water hoping to counter the summer sun, hot laps began about fifteen minutes past the advertised time of 6:30. But the action picked up, with late model time trials beginning just after 7:00. The two cars at a time for two laps qualifying system saw Oxford, Iowas' Chris Simpson atop the leader board with a quick time of 14.284 seconds, much to the delight of the large crowd, which was decidedly partisan in favor of the several home state entrants.
The three ten lap heat races for the late models were aligned straight up by times, and as is most often the case, the winners came from the front row. Chris Simpson topped the opener over track regular Tyler Bruening, brother Chad Simpson, and Darrell Lanigan. Series point leader Brandon Sheppard captured heat two, besting Canadian Ricky Weiss, Dennis Erb Jr., and Mississippis' Cade Dillard. This event featured some interesting contact between Weiss and Erb Jr. as they battled for the second and final redraw spot. Brent Larson charged from the outside pole in heat three, coming home in front of Chase Junghans, " Boom " Briggs, and Bruenings recently added teammate, Shane Clanton. The only late model caution to that point came as the field charged into turn one with several cars vying for the same piece of real estate.
Up to this point, most of the racing had been around the inside line of the track, so a fairly lengthy intermission was used to rework the surface in hopes of creating more side by side action. During this time, the top two from each late model heat came to the front stretch to redraw for the first three rows of the fifty lap feature. The heat winners drew for spots one through three, and the runners up for spots four through six.
The modifieds started off main event racing, with all but one car lining up for twenty five laps. Brennen Chipp powered from row two to grab the early lead, while his row two mate Mark Schulte fell to the back of the pack. By lap two, outside pole sitter Chris Simpson, doing double duty in the #32 modified was hot on the tail of the leader. Despite the track work, the mods elected to hug the low groove, and as the race stayed green, the front duo encountered slower traffic just past the half way point. Chipp was leaving the slightest bit of room to his inside coming off turn four, and Simpson tried lap after lap to pull alongside. Behind the leaders, Mike Burbridge took a look a lane higher as he ran inside the top five. Coming to the two to go sign, Simpson jumped to the high side in turns three and four, in an effort to overtake the leader. But he lost the handle entering turn one, spinning to a stop to bring out the first caution of the race. A turn one melee on the restart set things up for a green, white, checkers finish. Chipp stayed in command for the win. Justin Snyder ran a solid race to take second as Burbridge, Greg Kastli, and Josh Barta completed the top five.
The stock cars continued to widen the track a bit as all seventeen came to the track for twenty laps. Chris Luloff was the early leader through a couple of early restarts. By lap four, it was the #9 car of Dick Steadman out front, building a commanding lead before Jarod Weepie began to close the gap. Although Weepie challenged briefly, Steadman never faltered in taking the win. Luloff held third ahead of ninth starting Norman Chesmore and Cole Mather, as the top five ran well ahead of the remainder of the field.
The fifty lap, $10,000 to win headliner would close out the night. Chris Simpson and Larson sat on row one, with Sheppard and Weiss right behind them. Simpson paced the opening circuit, with Larson in tow. Lap two saw Sheppard move to second, and two circuits later he was able to drive past the leader on the outside. With five laps complete, the first caution came as Tim Simpson looped his ride. On the restart, Sheppard shot well ahead of the field and Junghans moved to third. As the race stayed green, Sheppard caught the back of the pack by lap thirteen. Four laps later, as the leader followed in the tire tracks of a slower car, Simpson quickly closed the gap. Lap twenty one saw Simpson in position to strike, and two more laps in traffic saw Sheppard check up a bit in turn two and Simpson contact his rear bumper. But this interesting development was negated when the caution flew for debris, most likely from the contact. Taking adavantage of the single file restart apparently employed by the World of Outlaws, and the clear track ahead, Sheppard once again pulled out to a sizable lead. The leaders were again running the low line around the tire barriers. As Simpson tried to keep Sheppard in his sights, Brandon again caught the back of the pack about lap thirty two. But just as he began to negotiate a slower car, hard contact between Blake Spencer and Jonathon Brauns brought out the third and final caution of the race. As green flag action resumed, Simpson soon found himself challenged by Junghans for the second spot. As he fought to hold the position, Sheppard checked out. He again caught slower traffic at lap forty two, but now only thirteen cars remained on the track, and he had no issues maintaining his lead. It was series win number ten for the New Berlin, Illinois third generation driver. Simpson held off Junghans for runner up honors, while Larson and Bruening recorded top five runs. Erb Jr. was sixth, with Lanigan, Clanton, Weiss, and Dillard completing the top ten.
The final checkers waved before 10:00, making the three hour trip home that much easier.
Thanks to the WoO officials and the hometown crew for a fun night of racing. If you have never been to Indee, I will tell you it offers an excellent viewing experience from the modern grandstands. And special thanks to one of the best announcers around, Jerry Mackey for " saving my bacon," as I searched high and low for a couple of driver names I was unsure of. My search for official results for the IMCA classes last night had proven fruitless.
Things are looking good for the annual UMP Summernationals visit to Quincy Raceways tomorrow, Sunday, July 7. The late models will be racing for a $5,000 check. In addition, the Summit Modifieds will be in action for $1,000 to win, as will the IMCA sport mods. Maybe I will see you there!
With the track crew giving the surface an extra heavy dose of water hoping to counter the summer sun, hot laps began about fifteen minutes past the advertised time of 6:30. But the action picked up, with late model time trials beginning just after 7:00. The two cars at a time for two laps qualifying system saw Oxford, Iowas' Chris Simpson atop the leader board with a quick time of 14.284 seconds, much to the delight of the large crowd, which was decidedly partisan in favor of the several home state entrants.
The three ten lap heat races for the late models were aligned straight up by times, and as is most often the case, the winners came from the front row. Chris Simpson topped the opener over track regular Tyler Bruening, brother Chad Simpson, and Darrell Lanigan. Series point leader Brandon Sheppard captured heat two, besting Canadian Ricky Weiss, Dennis Erb Jr., and Mississippis' Cade Dillard. This event featured some interesting contact between Weiss and Erb Jr. as they battled for the second and final redraw spot. Brent Larson charged from the outside pole in heat three, coming home in front of Chase Junghans, " Boom " Briggs, and Bruenings recently added teammate, Shane Clanton. The only late model caution to that point came as the field charged into turn one with several cars vying for the same piece of real estate.
Up to this point, most of the racing had been around the inside line of the track, so a fairly lengthy intermission was used to rework the surface in hopes of creating more side by side action. During this time, the top two from each late model heat came to the front stretch to redraw for the first three rows of the fifty lap feature. The heat winners drew for spots one through three, and the runners up for spots four through six.
The modifieds started off main event racing, with all but one car lining up for twenty five laps. Brennen Chipp powered from row two to grab the early lead, while his row two mate Mark Schulte fell to the back of the pack. By lap two, outside pole sitter Chris Simpson, doing double duty in the #32 modified was hot on the tail of the leader. Despite the track work, the mods elected to hug the low groove, and as the race stayed green, the front duo encountered slower traffic just past the half way point. Chipp was leaving the slightest bit of room to his inside coming off turn four, and Simpson tried lap after lap to pull alongside. Behind the leaders, Mike Burbridge took a look a lane higher as he ran inside the top five. Coming to the two to go sign, Simpson jumped to the high side in turns three and four, in an effort to overtake the leader. But he lost the handle entering turn one, spinning to a stop to bring out the first caution of the race. A turn one melee on the restart set things up for a green, white, checkers finish. Chipp stayed in command for the win. Justin Snyder ran a solid race to take second as Burbridge, Greg Kastli, and Josh Barta completed the top five.
The stock cars continued to widen the track a bit as all seventeen came to the track for twenty laps. Chris Luloff was the early leader through a couple of early restarts. By lap four, it was the #9 car of Dick Steadman out front, building a commanding lead before Jarod Weepie began to close the gap. Although Weepie challenged briefly, Steadman never faltered in taking the win. Luloff held third ahead of ninth starting Norman Chesmore and Cole Mather, as the top five ran well ahead of the remainder of the field.
The fifty lap, $10,000 to win headliner would close out the night. Chris Simpson and Larson sat on row one, with Sheppard and Weiss right behind them. Simpson paced the opening circuit, with Larson in tow. Lap two saw Sheppard move to second, and two circuits later he was able to drive past the leader on the outside. With five laps complete, the first caution came as Tim Simpson looped his ride. On the restart, Sheppard shot well ahead of the field and Junghans moved to third. As the race stayed green, Sheppard caught the back of the pack by lap thirteen. Four laps later, as the leader followed in the tire tracks of a slower car, Simpson quickly closed the gap. Lap twenty one saw Simpson in position to strike, and two more laps in traffic saw Sheppard check up a bit in turn two and Simpson contact his rear bumper. But this interesting development was negated when the caution flew for debris, most likely from the contact. Taking adavantage of the single file restart apparently employed by the World of Outlaws, and the clear track ahead, Sheppard once again pulled out to a sizable lead. The leaders were again running the low line around the tire barriers. As Simpson tried to keep Sheppard in his sights, Brandon again caught the back of the pack about lap thirty two. But just as he began to negotiate a slower car, hard contact between Blake Spencer and Jonathon Brauns brought out the third and final caution of the race. As green flag action resumed, Simpson soon found himself challenged by Junghans for the second spot. As he fought to hold the position, Sheppard checked out. He again caught slower traffic at lap forty two, but now only thirteen cars remained on the track, and he had no issues maintaining his lead. It was series win number ten for the New Berlin, Illinois third generation driver. Simpson held off Junghans for runner up honors, while Larson and Bruening recorded top five runs. Erb Jr. was sixth, with Lanigan, Clanton, Weiss, and Dillard completing the top ten.
The final checkers waved before 10:00, making the three hour trip home that much easier.
Thanks to the WoO officials and the hometown crew for a fun night of racing. If you have never been to Indee, I will tell you it offers an excellent viewing experience from the modern grandstands. And special thanks to one of the best announcers around, Jerry Mackey for " saving my bacon," as I searched high and low for a couple of driver names I was unsure of. My search for official results for the IMCA classes last night had proven fruitless.
Things are looking good for the annual UMP Summernationals visit to Quincy Raceways tomorrow, Sunday, July 7. The late models will be racing for a $5,000 check. In addition, the Summit Modifieds will be in action for $1,000 to win, as will the IMCA sport mods. Maybe I will see you there!
Monday, July 1, 2019
Quincy Raceways Beats the Rain on Sunday
For only the sixth time in 2019 Quincy Raceways came alive on Sunday night. Fans, drivers, and officials for just a few hours were able to forget the seemingly every Sunday wet weather that has consistently plagued the .29 mile oval in this first full season of ownership by Jason Goble. However, before the night was over, Mother Nature was up to her old tricks, threatening completion of the program as strong winds accompanied by persistent sprinkles rolled in from the north.
Sixty three cars in six divisions competed on what began as a scorching hot summer evening. Following qualifying for the UMP modifieds, eleven heat races and intermission, it was feature time. The IMCA sport mods were up first, with all seventeen cars taking the green flag for eighteen scheduled laps. Reed Wolfmeyer powered from the pole position to lead lap one before the carnage began. Following a caution after lap one was scored, sixth starting Austen Becerra grabbed the lead, with point leader and ninth starting Adam Birck moving to third behind Wolfmeyer. Good battles developed throughout the field on the by now smooth, slick track, but unfortunately there are simply too many in this class that cannot handle these optimal racing conditions. A total of seven caution periods, including one red flag situation in the first ten laps finally brought the action to the time limit and a green, white, checkers conclusion. Becerra picked up the win, with Birck in second. Wolfmeyer turned in a solid performance in third ahead of A J Tournear and Brandon Lambert.
The UMP Pro Crate late model class was short on cars, but they picked up the action with just a single caution during the twenty laps. Defending track champion Denny Woodworth shot to the lead from outside row one over heat race winner Chuck Mitchell. Although Woodworth led all twenty laps running the cushion, Mitchell stayed on his bumper by making his #75C work on the bottom groove. Laine Vanzandt had a nice run to come home third ahead of Darin Weisinger Jr., Melvin Linder, and Cliff Powell.
The IMCA sport compacts were scheduled next ahead of the UMP modifieds, and a strong wind began to blow and the sky darkened as eight cars came to the grid. Dylan Schantz paced the opening lap before Jeffrey Delonjay took over. Next it was Dakota Girard becoming the third leader in three laps. A pair of cautions came on lap five, with the leader Girard spinning and having to restart at the tail. But by the eleventh circuit, Girard regained the top spot, taking the win over Jeffrey Delonjay, point leader Barry Taft, Jaden Delonjay, and Kimberly Abbott.
The modifieds had a nice field of sixteen, with a handful of drivers making the trip north to gain some practice ahead of next weeks UMP Summernationals event. Front row starter Rick Conoyer took off at the drop of the green, with Rick Stevenson in pursuit. But Kevin Blackburn was on the move in the Mike Begley #B4, as he took second on lap three after starting fifth. Conoyer was running the high line around the speedway, while Blackburn worked the bottom. As lap eight was scored, they ran side by side, and Blackburn was ahead by a nose on lap nine. With no cautions, the leaders caught slower traffic on lap fourteen, and Stevenson closed in on Conoyer for second. Conoyer was stubborn on the cushion, and Stevenson made the pass for second on lap fifteen. Stevenson then closed the gap to first, but Blackburn held on to score the win. Conoyer followed Stevenson to the checkers, point leader Dave Weitholder was fourth, and Jacob Rexing ran fifth in his first trip to QR.
The stands began to clear as ten of the twelve outlaw stock cars lined up for eighteen laps. Michael Larsen started outside row one, and charged to the lead. The sprinkles continued to fall through a lap two caution, but the cars stayed on the track and kept the surface in racing shape. Larsen led the distance for the win, besting Steve Dieckmann, Rudy Zaragoza, Dean Kratzer, and Dakota Girard, who did double duty on the night. Point leader Beau Taylor debuted his new ride, but scratched from the feature event along with Brandon Savage.
With four two person cruisers in staging, I headed for the car, driving out of the light rain almost before leaving the grounds.
Next Sunday will be the biggest night of the season at QR as the UMP Summernationals come to town, featuring a $5,000 top prize for the late models and $1,000 for the touring Summit modifieds. The sport mods will also be on the card and former racer Pat Dunker is leading the effort to add sponsors to increase the sport mod purse. It was also announced that the rained out visit by the wingless Iowa Sprint League cars will be made up on Saturday, August 3, with support classes to be determined.
There are lots of choices for racing on this holiday weekend, and there also appears to be chances of rain in most locations, so where we show up will likely be determined by that angry Mother Nature!
Racin' Down the Road wants to offer condolences to the family and friends of racer Jason Russell, who lost his life in a boating accident Saturday at Lake of the Ozarks. Jason and his #2J were a fixture at central Missouri speedways, and he will be missed both on and off the track.
Sixty three cars in six divisions competed on what began as a scorching hot summer evening. Following qualifying for the UMP modifieds, eleven heat races and intermission, it was feature time. The IMCA sport mods were up first, with all seventeen cars taking the green flag for eighteen scheduled laps. Reed Wolfmeyer powered from the pole position to lead lap one before the carnage began. Following a caution after lap one was scored, sixth starting Austen Becerra grabbed the lead, with point leader and ninth starting Adam Birck moving to third behind Wolfmeyer. Good battles developed throughout the field on the by now smooth, slick track, but unfortunately there are simply too many in this class that cannot handle these optimal racing conditions. A total of seven caution periods, including one red flag situation in the first ten laps finally brought the action to the time limit and a green, white, checkers conclusion. Becerra picked up the win, with Birck in second. Wolfmeyer turned in a solid performance in third ahead of A J Tournear and Brandon Lambert.
The UMP Pro Crate late model class was short on cars, but they picked up the action with just a single caution during the twenty laps. Defending track champion Denny Woodworth shot to the lead from outside row one over heat race winner Chuck Mitchell. Although Woodworth led all twenty laps running the cushion, Mitchell stayed on his bumper by making his #75C work on the bottom groove. Laine Vanzandt had a nice run to come home third ahead of Darin Weisinger Jr., Melvin Linder, and Cliff Powell.
The IMCA sport compacts were scheduled next ahead of the UMP modifieds, and a strong wind began to blow and the sky darkened as eight cars came to the grid. Dylan Schantz paced the opening lap before Jeffrey Delonjay took over. Next it was Dakota Girard becoming the third leader in three laps. A pair of cautions came on lap five, with the leader Girard spinning and having to restart at the tail. But by the eleventh circuit, Girard regained the top spot, taking the win over Jeffrey Delonjay, point leader Barry Taft, Jaden Delonjay, and Kimberly Abbott.
The modifieds had a nice field of sixteen, with a handful of drivers making the trip north to gain some practice ahead of next weeks UMP Summernationals event. Front row starter Rick Conoyer took off at the drop of the green, with Rick Stevenson in pursuit. But Kevin Blackburn was on the move in the Mike Begley #B4, as he took second on lap three after starting fifth. Conoyer was running the high line around the speedway, while Blackburn worked the bottom. As lap eight was scored, they ran side by side, and Blackburn was ahead by a nose on lap nine. With no cautions, the leaders caught slower traffic on lap fourteen, and Stevenson closed in on Conoyer for second. Conoyer was stubborn on the cushion, and Stevenson made the pass for second on lap fifteen. Stevenson then closed the gap to first, but Blackburn held on to score the win. Conoyer followed Stevenson to the checkers, point leader Dave Weitholder was fourth, and Jacob Rexing ran fifth in his first trip to QR.
The stands began to clear as ten of the twelve outlaw stock cars lined up for eighteen laps. Michael Larsen started outside row one, and charged to the lead. The sprinkles continued to fall through a lap two caution, but the cars stayed on the track and kept the surface in racing shape. Larsen led the distance for the win, besting Steve Dieckmann, Rudy Zaragoza, Dean Kratzer, and Dakota Girard, who did double duty on the night. Point leader Beau Taylor debuted his new ride, but scratched from the feature event along with Brandon Savage.
With four two person cruisers in staging, I headed for the car, driving out of the light rain almost before leaving the grounds.
Next Sunday will be the biggest night of the season at QR as the UMP Summernationals come to town, featuring a $5,000 top prize for the late models and $1,000 for the touring Summit modifieds. The sport mods will also be on the card and former racer Pat Dunker is leading the effort to add sponsors to increase the sport mod purse. It was also announced that the rained out visit by the wingless Iowa Sprint League cars will be made up on Saturday, August 3, with support classes to be determined.
There are lots of choices for racing on this holiday weekend, and there also appears to be chances of rain in most locations, so where we show up will likely be determined by that angry Mother Nature!
Racin' Down the Road wants to offer condolences to the family and friends of racer Jason Russell, who lost his life in a boating accident Saturday at Lake of the Ozarks. Jason and his #2J were a fixture at central Missouri speedways, and he will be missed both on and off the track.
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