Persistent showers on Saturday caused Quincy Raceways officials to reschedule night number two of the inaugural Kenny Pratt Memorial to Sunday afternoon. When I arrived at the track at noon, it was obvious that start times would be delayed, as the pit area as well as the track itself had received considerable moisture. The track crew proved to be up to the task, and on track action began soon under sunny skies and sixty degree plus temps.
Drivers in all three classes had indicated their desire for time trial qualifying, and this time there was no issues with the transponder system, with the forty six cars on hand each receiving one qualifying lap around the .29 mile oval. Steve Dieckmann paced the outlaw stock cars, Friday night feature winner Jose Parga topped the Pro Crate/ IMCA late models, and Rich Bell turned a lap of 13.538 seconds to lead the super late models.
There was still an issue with a bit of standing water at the bottom of turns two and three narrowing the racing surface as heat races began, but thanks to several adventurous competitors, the track was soon widened out. Still, in typical Quincy Raceways fashion the high side was dominate for the ten lap heats.
Robert Cottom came from outside row one to capture the first stock car heat, with veteran Larry Winn topping heat two from his pole start.
Limited late model qualifier victories went to pole sitters Parga and Dakota Ewing, both UMP Pro Crate regulars.
Sixteen super lates were split into three heats. Outside row one starters Mike Spatola and Jeremiah Hurst claimed wins, with the final ten lapper going to pole sitter and Friday night feature winner Dennis Erb Jr.
The Pratt family was recognized during intermission, with track owner/promoter Jason Goble indicating his desire to continue to grow this event going forward.
Feature races would all be fifty laps, with the stock cars having a fuel stop at the half way mark.
Fast qualifier Dieckmann had dropped out of his heat, and he was the only one of the fifteen drivers to not take the feature green flag. Cottom took off from his pole position ahead of a lap one caution. Back to racing, Cottom, Winn , and sixth starting Shane Myers in his " grocery getter " station wagon soon gained separation from the field. Cottom caught slower traffic on lap eleven, putting several cars between himself and Winn just ahead of yellow number two for a B J Thompson spin. As the field was reset, Winn headed to the pits, his night over. Cottom then dove to the hot pit turning the lead over to Myers. A tall and heavy cushion got the best of Myers in turn three on lap fiften, as he nearly slipped over the top, and Rudy Zaragoza charged to the lead. On the following circuit Myers retook the point, even as Zaragoza faded to fourth. Only eight cars remained following the fuel stop at the halfway mark. On lap thirty, the turn three cushion again bit Myers, and now it was row two starter Tyler Gilmour grabbing the lead. Two more cautions interrupted the action even as Myers and Dennis Wernle staged an entertaining battle for second, allowing Gilmour to build a comfortable lead. Five cars remained as the checkers flew, with the Peoria driver Gilmour taking the win. Wernle won the battle for second, followed by Myers, Zaragoza, and Michael Larsen. The win was worth a cool $1,000 for the winner.
As the sun began to disappear behind the trees in turn one, the moisture in the track came to the surface, and lap times actually increased during the Pro Crate/ IMCA main. Parga shot to the early lead, with third starting Jeff Tharp, making the long tow from Sherrill, Iowa with his IMCA ride, following in second. The first of nine cautions came on lap four, as Sam Halstead saw his night come to an end. On lap eight the caution waved as Melvin Linder went for a spin, Keith Pratt in the Weisinger #11 left the track taking evasive action while Parga jumped the cushion in turn four. Parga and Pratt retained their positions on the restart, while Linder was sent to the tail. Parga was now showing rear spoiler damage after tagging the front stretch wall, and it seemed to slow his momentum. As racing resumed, Tharp jumped to the lead, with third running Denny Woodworth also clearing Parga for second. After a lap thirteen yellow for a Tristan Bainter spin, Woodworth charged to the front. The Quincy Raceways track champion then held serve through several more cautions, at times opening a wide lead only to see it evaporate as the yellow flag waved. Woodworth and Tharp made it a two car race after a lap thirty six caution while Friday runner up Andy Nezworski chased the front pair in third. With three circuits to go, Pratt, Chuck Hanna, and Parga had been locked in a back and forth battle for fourth when contact sent Parga for a spin, bringing out the final yellow. Woodworth was not to be denied, claiming the win and the $2,000 payday. Tharp was solid in second, followed by Nezworski, Pratt, and Hanna. Tucker Finch topped the second five in front of Roben Huffman, Linder, Parga, and Ewing. Ewing lost his sixth place run, jumping the turn three cushion on the final lap, making him the final car still running at the end.
It was now time for the $5,000 headliner for the open late models.
Spatola took off from the pole to lead lap one, with Erb Jr. moving to the front one lap later. Meanwhile, Jamie Wilson and outside pole sitter Hurst were already headed to the trailer. The caution came out at lap seven for a Scott Bourland spin, and shockingly, Erb headed pit side, his shot at a weekend sweep over. Spatola now found himself again out front, with McKay Wenger and Bell side by side behind him for the restart. Bell took the runner up spot from Wenger on lap twelve, with eighth starting Brent Larson moving to third on the next circuit. The top three caught slower traffic at lap eighteen, but a pair of cautions in the next couple of laps left eleven cars still on track. After another caution just before halfway, with the leaders now running a low line around the oval, Wenger began pounding the treacherous cushion. When the caution waved at lap twenty nine, Spatola, Bell, Wenger, and Larson were involved in a dog fight for position. Spatola used the now single file restart to open an advantage, as Bell and Wenger now dueled for second. While Wenger continued to run the high line, Bell was moving around the track, holding the runner up spot. At lap forty, Wenger had a run as the pair entered turn one, and contact sent Bell for a spin. He then ducked to the hot pit, quickly rejoining the race and offering a greeting to Wenger before taking his spot at the back of the pack. As Bell attempted to charge back towards the front and Spatola went on cruise control, Larson cleared Wenger with five laps to go. Spatola, the driver known as " Opie, " collected the big check in what he said was his first time actually getting to race at QR after having been rained out previously. Larson turned in his second top five of the weekend, with former track semi regular Wenger in third. Rusty Griffaw added a fourth to his third place run on Friday, and Quincy native Matt Bailey, who now calls Highland, Illinois home scored a fifth at his former home track. Bell was able to charge back to sixth, and sixteen time track champion Mark Burgtorf was seventh in front of Derek Fetter and Quincian Joey Gower. Brian Wolfmeier was credited with tenth after dropping out late in the fifty lapper.
The inaugural Kenny Pratt Memorial must be considered a success, even with the challenging weather, and I look forward to this hopefully becoming an annual event. Planning did not begin until late August, so perhaps an earlier date in 2020 could be considered, as many drivers ( and fans? ) had already put a wrap on the racing season.
Although I will not be able to attend this year, there is one more weekend of racing close by, as the C J Speedway in Columbus Junction, Iowa will expand their Turkey Dash to a pair of separate events next weekend, with action starting at 4:00 on Saturday and 1:00 on Sunday. A mods, sport mods, stock cars, and sport compacts will be in action.
Looking forward, I hope to make it to the annual Turkey Bowl in Springfield, Missouri on November 23 and of course hoping for good weather for the Gateway Dirt Nationals at the Dome in St. Louis December 19-21.
Thanks for reading!
Monday, October 28, 2019
Saturday, October 26, 2019
Erb Jr., Parga, Calvert Top Pratt Memorial Opener
Friday night was the highly anticipated opening night of the Kenny Pratt Memorial at Quincy Raceways. UMP type super late models, UMP crate/ IMCA late models, and open stock cars made up the three division card.
Things got off to a bit of a rough start, as issues with the transponder system led officials to finish off time trials for the three classes the old fashioned way. First time visitor Josh Calvert made the long tow from from Hallsville,Mo. to set quick time over the seventeen stock cars on hand. Track point champion Denny Woodworth was tops in the limited late models, and World of Outlaw late model standout Dennis Erb Jr. paced the supers with a lap of 13.490 seconds around the .29 mile oval.
Steve Dieckmann, John Ketterer, and another newcomer, Dennis Wernle opened racing with heat race wins for the stock cars. Woodworth and Buffalo, Iowa IMCA ace Andy Nezworski captured the limited heats, while Erb Jr., hometown favorite Jamie Wilson, and Festus, Missouri pilot Rusty Griffaw took home wins in the ten lap super heats.
Following a brief intermission, it was feature time, with all classes contesting 34 lap main events, as 34 was the number displayed on the cars Kenny Pratt raced during his career at the track.
Stock cars were up first, with the straight up starts putting Dieckmann and Ketterer on row one. Ketterer put his #90, which resembled an early 1990's late model out front ahead of the first of eight caution periods on lap two. As racing resumed with the Delaware restart, Galesburg, Il. driver Robert Cottom grabbed the lead with his UMP street stock after starting in row three. Michael Larsen had dropped out of his heat race, relegating him to a row eight starting spot, but he was charging through the pack when a mix up on the front stretch following a lap six yellow forced him and Rudy Zaragoza to take evasive action, ending the night for an unhappy Zaragoza and sending Larsen to the tail. As Cottom paced the field, Dieckmann and Ketterer swapped the runner up spot even as third starting Wernle stalked the front runners. For the second time, on lap fourteen, Cottom was just catching lapped traffic, but here came a yellow flag, and things seemed to be breaking his way. Larsen ducked to the hot pit, restarting at the back of the pack. Ketterer was applying heavy pressure to the leader when he spun in turn two just after the crossed flags by Blake Dotson signaled the halfway mark. The resulting pile up eliminated Ketterer, Dieckmann , and Kale Foster. The field was now realigned single file for the remaining laps. Wernle and Calvert were locked in a side by side battle for second while keeping Cottom close and fending off Jake Powers, who was looking for racing room behind them. A lap twenty seven yellow, and another hot pit visit for Larsen, things were getting good, as Cottom hugged the low line, Wernle ran one groove higher, and Calvert pounded the cushion. When the last caution came with four laps to go, Calvert had nosed ahead of Cottom, and with the single file restart he was able to hang on for the win. Cottom was the runner up followed by Wernle, Powers, and Shane Myers in his #15 station wagon. Pete Stodgel, Larsen, Cletus Coates, Alex Hatfield, and Brandon Boden completed the top ten. The win was worth a cool $500.
The Pro Crate/ IMCA feature was next, with a $1,000 awaiting the victor. Woodworth and Nezworski paced the twelve car field. Woodworth led early, running the top line around the track while Nezworski worked down low. Andy finally gained enough momentum to snag the lead coming off turn two at the lap eleven mark. Meanwhile, seventh starting Jose Parga worked his way to third one lap later. Woodworth and Nezworski swapped the lead again at lap seventeen, with Andy pulling off a crossover move to retain the top spot. As Parga moved in on the front duo, Dakota Ewing stayed close in fourth. Woodworth charged ahead once again with a strong move off turn two on lap twenty two, then caught slower traffic three laps later. Parga now powered to second, and charged to the lead as lap twenty six was scored. Parga was able to hold his line without being seriously challenged before the only caution came with five laps to go as Brandon Queen appeared to suffer a mechanical issue, backing his car off turn two. This set up a battle for second, allowing Parga to pull away for the win. Nezworski took second ahead of Woodworth. Ewing ran a steady fourth, while Luke Goedert came on strong after the caution to grab a top five slot. Sam Halstead, Chuck Hanna, and Mike Smith in the Barton Racing #7 were next. Keith Pratt returned to the track for the weekend honoring his late father, piloting the Weisinger Racing # 11 to a ninth place finish, and Tucker Finch completed the top ten.
Fourteen super late models lined up for a shot at the $2,000 payday. It was the pole sitter Erb Jr. jumping to the lead, but the start was called back as Brian Wolfmeier spun the Jacober Racing #5 in turns one and two. Erb again took the point, with Griffaw and Rich Bell in tow before Dylan Hoover brought out a lap three yellow, ending his night. Derek Fetter also headed for the trailer at this time. By the sixth circuit, Erb was opening a comfortable lead, while Bell powered to second. Meanwhile, Matt Bailey, Darrell Defrance, surprise entrant Brent Larson, and Jeremiah Hurst ran side by side and nose to tail for fourth, with Bailey finally grabbing the spot. The leader caught the back of the pack at lap fourteen, then came upon Mark Burgtorf and Wolfmeier locked in a side by side duel while fighting to stay on the lead lap. Scott Halley brought out the final caution at lap twenty one. With the help of the Delaware restart, Hurst, who is planning to run more open engine events in 2020, charged to fourth, with Bailey shuffled back several spots. All the while, Erb was on cruise control, leading all thirty four laps to earn the checkers. Bell came home second, besting Griffaw, Hurst, and Larson, the World of Outlaw late model regular from Lake Elmo, Minnesota. Defrance topped the second five ahead of Bailey, Wilson, Burgtorf, and Wolfmeier.
While the car count was less than hoped for, the racing was top notch in front of a well chilled group of hearty spectators. More cars are expected for the increased night two purses, as the fifty lap main events will pay $1,000 to the stock cars, $2,000 to the limited lates, and a whopping $5,000 to the supers! Action will once again kick off with hot laps at 7:00. With the possibility of rain, track officials have set Sunday as a rain date, with things kicking off at 3:00. Check the Quincy Raceways website or Facebook page for more info.
Also the Lee County Speedway roars back to action today, weather permitting, with Shiverfest, featuring five classes of cars. The program at the Donnellson, Iowa 3/8 mile fairgrounds facility begins with hot laps at 5:00. The clock is ticking on racing in the Tri State area, so dress warm and get to the track!
Update!!!
Racing for Saturday has been postponed until Sunday. Gates open at noon, qualifying at 1:30. See everyone at Shiverfest!
Update, part two!!!
Shiverfest also rescheduled to Sunday afternoon.
Things got off to a bit of a rough start, as issues with the transponder system led officials to finish off time trials for the three classes the old fashioned way. First time visitor Josh Calvert made the long tow from from Hallsville,Mo. to set quick time over the seventeen stock cars on hand. Track point champion Denny Woodworth was tops in the limited late models, and World of Outlaw late model standout Dennis Erb Jr. paced the supers with a lap of 13.490 seconds around the .29 mile oval.
Steve Dieckmann, John Ketterer, and another newcomer, Dennis Wernle opened racing with heat race wins for the stock cars. Woodworth and Buffalo, Iowa IMCA ace Andy Nezworski captured the limited heats, while Erb Jr., hometown favorite Jamie Wilson, and Festus, Missouri pilot Rusty Griffaw took home wins in the ten lap super heats.
Following a brief intermission, it was feature time, with all classes contesting 34 lap main events, as 34 was the number displayed on the cars Kenny Pratt raced during his career at the track.
Stock cars were up first, with the straight up starts putting Dieckmann and Ketterer on row one. Ketterer put his #90, which resembled an early 1990's late model out front ahead of the first of eight caution periods on lap two. As racing resumed with the Delaware restart, Galesburg, Il. driver Robert Cottom grabbed the lead with his UMP street stock after starting in row three. Michael Larsen had dropped out of his heat race, relegating him to a row eight starting spot, but he was charging through the pack when a mix up on the front stretch following a lap six yellow forced him and Rudy Zaragoza to take evasive action, ending the night for an unhappy Zaragoza and sending Larsen to the tail. As Cottom paced the field, Dieckmann and Ketterer swapped the runner up spot even as third starting Wernle stalked the front runners. For the second time, on lap fourteen, Cottom was just catching lapped traffic, but here came a yellow flag, and things seemed to be breaking his way. Larsen ducked to the hot pit, restarting at the back of the pack. Ketterer was applying heavy pressure to the leader when he spun in turn two just after the crossed flags by Blake Dotson signaled the halfway mark. The resulting pile up eliminated Ketterer, Dieckmann , and Kale Foster. The field was now realigned single file for the remaining laps. Wernle and Calvert were locked in a side by side battle for second while keeping Cottom close and fending off Jake Powers, who was looking for racing room behind them. A lap twenty seven yellow, and another hot pit visit for Larsen, things were getting good, as Cottom hugged the low line, Wernle ran one groove higher, and Calvert pounded the cushion. When the last caution came with four laps to go, Calvert had nosed ahead of Cottom, and with the single file restart he was able to hang on for the win. Cottom was the runner up followed by Wernle, Powers, and Shane Myers in his #15 station wagon. Pete Stodgel, Larsen, Cletus Coates, Alex Hatfield, and Brandon Boden completed the top ten. The win was worth a cool $500.
The Pro Crate/ IMCA feature was next, with a $1,000 awaiting the victor. Woodworth and Nezworski paced the twelve car field. Woodworth led early, running the top line around the track while Nezworski worked down low. Andy finally gained enough momentum to snag the lead coming off turn two at the lap eleven mark. Meanwhile, seventh starting Jose Parga worked his way to third one lap later. Woodworth and Nezworski swapped the lead again at lap seventeen, with Andy pulling off a crossover move to retain the top spot. As Parga moved in on the front duo, Dakota Ewing stayed close in fourth. Woodworth charged ahead once again with a strong move off turn two on lap twenty two, then caught slower traffic three laps later. Parga now powered to second, and charged to the lead as lap twenty six was scored. Parga was able to hold his line without being seriously challenged before the only caution came with five laps to go as Brandon Queen appeared to suffer a mechanical issue, backing his car off turn two. This set up a battle for second, allowing Parga to pull away for the win. Nezworski took second ahead of Woodworth. Ewing ran a steady fourth, while Luke Goedert came on strong after the caution to grab a top five slot. Sam Halstead, Chuck Hanna, and Mike Smith in the Barton Racing #7 were next. Keith Pratt returned to the track for the weekend honoring his late father, piloting the Weisinger Racing # 11 to a ninth place finish, and Tucker Finch completed the top ten.
Fourteen super late models lined up for a shot at the $2,000 payday. It was the pole sitter Erb Jr. jumping to the lead, but the start was called back as Brian Wolfmeier spun the Jacober Racing #5 in turns one and two. Erb again took the point, with Griffaw and Rich Bell in tow before Dylan Hoover brought out a lap three yellow, ending his night. Derek Fetter also headed for the trailer at this time. By the sixth circuit, Erb was opening a comfortable lead, while Bell powered to second. Meanwhile, Matt Bailey, Darrell Defrance, surprise entrant Brent Larson, and Jeremiah Hurst ran side by side and nose to tail for fourth, with Bailey finally grabbing the spot. The leader caught the back of the pack at lap fourteen, then came upon Mark Burgtorf and Wolfmeier locked in a side by side duel while fighting to stay on the lead lap. Scott Halley brought out the final caution at lap twenty one. With the help of the Delaware restart, Hurst, who is planning to run more open engine events in 2020, charged to fourth, with Bailey shuffled back several spots. All the while, Erb was on cruise control, leading all thirty four laps to earn the checkers. Bell came home second, besting Griffaw, Hurst, and Larson, the World of Outlaw late model regular from Lake Elmo, Minnesota. Defrance topped the second five ahead of Bailey, Wilson, Burgtorf, and Wolfmeier.
While the car count was less than hoped for, the racing was top notch in front of a well chilled group of hearty spectators. More cars are expected for the increased night two purses, as the fifty lap main events will pay $1,000 to the stock cars, $2,000 to the limited lates, and a whopping $5,000 to the supers! Action will once again kick off with hot laps at 7:00. With the possibility of rain, track officials have set Sunday as a rain date, with things kicking off at 3:00. Check the Quincy Raceways website or Facebook page for more info.
Also the Lee County Speedway roars back to action today, weather permitting, with Shiverfest, featuring five classes of cars. The program at the Donnellson, Iowa 3/8 mile fairgrounds facility begins with hot laps at 5:00. The clock is ticking on racing in the Tri State area, so dress warm and get to the track!
Update!!!
Racing for Saturday has been postponed until Sunday. Gates open at noon, qualifying at 1:30. See everyone at Shiverfest!
Update, part two!!!
Shiverfest also rescheduled to Sunday afternoon.
Monday, October 21, 2019
Hold Up 2020, 2019 Not Done Yet
The racing season in the midwest may be winding down, but that does not mean we are ready for the " silly season " just yet!
In fact, this coming weekend has me wishing I could be at two race tracks at the same time, and even wondering if there might be a way to ( almost ) make it work!
Friday night will be a no brainer, with night one of the Kenny Pratt Memorial at Quincy, Il. Raceways, honoring the gentleman who was a fixture at the track for many years as a car owner, driver, and super fan before losing his life due to an accident. Three classes of cars will be in competition, with UMP super late models vying for a $2,000 top prize, while UMP Pro Crate/ IMCA late models ( $1,000 to win ) and outlaw stock cars ( $500 to win ) will round out the card. All classes will qualify in a one lap time trial format. The feature races will all be 34 laps, as that was the number Kenny displayed on the cars he raced at the Broadway Bullring. After the final checkers, the band " Eleven " featuring the outstanding vocals of Lee Ann ( Weisinger ) Lambert will play.
As it does on Friday, Saturday action will kick off with hot laps at 7:00 followed by time trials and racing. Fifty lap features will be contested in all three classes, with top prizes of $5,000 for supers, $2,000 for crates, and $1,000 for stock cars making this one of the biggest shows ever in the long history of Q.R.
Saturday is also the date for the annual Shiverfest races at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. This event includes hay rack rides, trick or treating, and boxcar races for the youngsters as well as five classes of cars battling for the coveted Shiverfest honors, including a place on 2020 apparel. IMCA/Pro Crate/limited late models, IMCA modifieds, stock cars, and sport compacts will be in action as well as sport mods under IMCA, UMP, or USRA rules.Hayrack rides kick things off at 3:00, while hot laps begin at 5:00.
Hopefully Mother Nature is kind, and both tracks are blessed with full grandstands and lots of race cars!
Even as we anticipate the weekend ahead, plans for the 2020 season are being made. Over the weekend, the Lucas Oil Late Model Series released their 2020 schedule. Dates of particular interest to those in my area are April 24 and July 17 at Tri City Speedway in Granite City, Il., and Thursday, May 14 at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Ia. That date will be the opening of a three race weekend including a Friday stop at 300 Raceway in Farley, Iowa and Saturday at Deer Creek Speedway near Spring Valley, Mn.
Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. has also released their 2020 schedule, with eight race nights beginning on March 20 and 21.
And today we have the surprising announcement that the MARS racing series has been sold to former racer/promoter Tony Izzo Jr., who was the point man at the recently shuttered LaSalle, Il. Speedway. MARS had been owned by Chris Tilley, who is also involved with a late model tour which is based in the south. He operated MARS for the past two seasons, working to rebuild the brand after it suffered some negative P.R. concerning a couple of events in Iowa in 2016. His focus for the last two seasons has been in the Kentucky, Indiana, and St.Louis area, so it will be interesting to see what direction Izzo takes the series.
Whatever you decide to do this weekend, I hope it involves a trip to the race track. If you see me there, stop by and say " Hi."
In fact, this coming weekend has me wishing I could be at two race tracks at the same time, and even wondering if there might be a way to ( almost ) make it work!
Friday night will be a no brainer, with night one of the Kenny Pratt Memorial at Quincy, Il. Raceways, honoring the gentleman who was a fixture at the track for many years as a car owner, driver, and super fan before losing his life due to an accident. Three classes of cars will be in competition, with UMP super late models vying for a $2,000 top prize, while UMP Pro Crate/ IMCA late models ( $1,000 to win ) and outlaw stock cars ( $500 to win ) will round out the card. All classes will qualify in a one lap time trial format. The feature races will all be 34 laps, as that was the number Kenny displayed on the cars he raced at the Broadway Bullring. After the final checkers, the band " Eleven " featuring the outstanding vocals of Lee Ann ( Weisinger ) Lambert will play.
As it does on Friday, Saturday action will kick off with hot laps at 7:00 followed by time trials and racing. Fifty lap features will be contested in all three classes, with top prizes of $5,000 for supers, $2,000 for crates, and $1,000 for stock cars making this one of the biggest shows ever in the long history of Q.R.
Saturday is also the date for the annual Shiverfest races at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. This event includes hay rack rides, trick or treating, and boxcar races for the youngsters as well as five classes of cars battling for the coveted Shiverfest honors, including a place on 2020 apparel. IMCA/Pro Crate/limited late models, IMCA modifieds, stock cars, and sport compacts will be in action as well as sport mods under IMCA, UMP, or USRA rules.Hayrack rides kick things off at 3:00, while hot laps begin at 5:00.
Hopefully Mother Nature is kind, and both tracks are blessed with full grandstands and lots of race cars!
Even as we anticipate the weekend ahead, plans for the 2020 season are being made. Over the weekend, the Lucas Oil Late Model Series released their 2020 schedule. Dates of particular interest to those in my area are April 24 and July 17 at Tri City Speedway in Granite City, Il., and Thursday, May 14 at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Ia. That date will be the opening of a three race weekend including a Friday stop at 300 Raceway in Farley, Iowa and Saturday at Deer Creek Speedway near Spring Valley, Mn.
Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. has also released their 2020 schedule, with eight race nights beginning on March 20 and 21.
And today we have the surprising announcement that the MARS racing series has been sold to former racer/promoter Tony Izzo Jr., who was the point man at the recently shuttered LaSalle, Il. Speedway. MARS had been owned by Chris Tilley, who is also involved with a late model tour which is based in the south. He operated MARS for the past two seasons, working to rebuild the brand after it suffered some negative P.R. concerning a couple of events in Iowa in 2016. His focus for the last two seasons has been in the Kentucky, Indiana, and St.Louis area, so it will be interesting to see what direction Izzo takes the series.
Whatever you decide to do this weekend, I hope it involves a trip to the race track. If you see me there, stop by and say " Hi."
Monday, October 14, 2019
Tony Jackson Goes Flag to Flag at Wheatland
When rain fell mid week and the forecast offered chilly temps for the weekend, the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Ia. pulled the plug on the entire two day Fall Extravaganza. With a family outing three hours south on Saturday evening, it looked as though there would be no racing for me. But when Jeff Broeg offered up a chance to tag along to the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland,Mo. for the rescheduled second day of the MLRA Fall Nationals, I hustled home on Sunday morning and jumped in with him, Fred, and Darryl and headed three and a half hours back south for our first 2019 visit to the Diamond of Dirt Tracks.
The original scenario for this event, which also offered up a $3,000 to win forty lap finale for B mods was two sets of B mod heats on night one followed by E,D,C,B mains preceding the money race on night two. Meanwhile, the late models, co sanctioned with the southern Missouri, northern Arkansas Comp Cams series would run a complete $3,000 to win show on night one and a separate $5,000 to win headliner on night two. Here a switch was made, with the $5,000 to win forty lapper staying on Saturday, while the $3,000 to win show moved to Sunday. For the B mods, everything slid back one day. While the late models boasted solid fields of thirty eight cars on Friday and thirty one on Sunday, the B mod count was about twenty less than we saw in 2018, with fifty three on night one and fifty one returning on Sunday, with the drop most likely due to the finale being on a Sunday. Although we were not sure how many cars had qualified through the two sets of heats, we speculated that likely a C and B main would be sufficient to set the starting grid. Apparently the folks at Lucas Oil subscribe to the " more is better " philosophy, sticking to the full slate of qualifiers, even though things kicked off about thirty minutes after the posted start times on a quickly cooling Sunday night.
Unfortunately, " yellow fever " was rampant during the B mod preliminary events, and even though the officials did an excellent job of transitioning from one race to the next, the clock continued to move. Interspersed with the B mod " alphabet " races, the late models contested four ten lap heats, with the top fourteen in passing points ( the race schedule said sixteen? ) locking into the feature. Those qualifiers were evenly balanced, with three advancing from heat one, Tony Jackson Jr. topping Hunter Rasdon and Jason Papaich. Raymond Merrill in his own #12M led surprise entrant Brent Larson, Terry Phillips, and Mason Oberkramer from heat two. Tyler Bruening, Payton Looney, and MLRA point leader Will Vaught moved on from heat three, and Ryan Gustin, Joe Gorby, Timothy Culp, and Logan Martin moved on from the last ten lapper. A pair of ten lap B mains for the late models saw 2018 MLRA champ Chad Simpson, Colton Horner, and Steve Drake advance followed by Minnesota driver Jake Timm, B.J. Robinson, and Mitch McGrath also making the transfer. Two point provisionals from each series, Brian Rickman, Morgan Bagley, Jeremy Grady, and Reid Millard completed the starting field.
We were still in pretty good shape, but the twenty minute intermission for track prep became closer to forty, and our self imposed curfew was now looming large.
The late models came to the 3/8 mile oval first, with Jackson Jr. and Bruening setting the pace. A rare mistake by Bruening saw him spin on the top side of turn two on the opening lap, and he would be forced to line up at the tail for the restart. Whether he would have had anything for Jackson we will never know, but it is safe to say that no one else did. Jackson was already stretching his lead when Millard went for the first of two spins on lap two. Back to racing, fifth starting Looney charged to second while tenth starting Martin entered the top five. Soon Jackson, Looney, and third place Merrill all had put distance on the car behind them. Jackson hit slower traffic on lap eleven, but he was having no issues ahead of a spinning Millard two laps later. On the restart, Looney tried to stay with the leader, while Gustin challenged Merrill for third, and row seven starter Vaught raced his way to fifth about lap eighteen, then fourth just past the halfway mark. Jackson again caught the back of the pack at lap twenty three, but he continued to maintain his advantage as Vaught moved to third. Soon Vaught was challenging Looney for second, and he took the spot with three circuits remaining. As he worked through turn two, he became trapped momentarily behind a lapped car, allowing Looney to retake the position. Jackson Jr. led all forty laps to grab the win, with Looney and the 2019 champion Vaught next in line. Gustin, the Saturday night winner, ran fourth in front of Culp. Simpson began a high side charge about mid race, advancing nine spots to sixth, followed by Oberkramer, Merrill, McGrath, and Martin.
The clock had now ticked past 7:30 as on track interviews began, and the working man in our group would now have to hustle to get home before midnight, so we regretfully headed for the parking lot. A check of results on the ride home told us that Kris Jackson had topped the B mod finale, followed by Andy Bryant, Gunner Martin, J.C. Morton, and Ryan Gilmore.
This is my second year in a row attending the Fall Nationals, and even with a few hiccups, it is still a good show. I am not sure what the issue was, but I do hope we will be better able to hear the race announcer if we ( hopefully! ) make it back in 2020!
As of now, I am not sure if I will be able to get to the track this weekend, but there is still plenty of good racing to be found.
Thanks for reading!
The original scenario for this event, which also offered up a $3,000 to win forty lap finale for B mods was two sets of B mod heats on night one followed by E,D,C,B mains preceding the money race on night two. Meanwhile, the late models, co sanctioned with the southern Missouri, northern Arkansas Comp Cams series would run a complete $3,000 to win show on night one and a separate $5,000 to win headliner on night two. Here a switch was made, with the $5,000 to win forty lapper staying on Saturday, while the $3,000 to win show moved to Sunday. For the B mods, everything slid back one day. While the late models boasted solid fields of thirty eight cars on Friday and thirty one on Sunday, the B mod count was about twenty less than we saw in 2018, with fifty three on night one and fifty one returning on Sunday, with the drop most likely due to the finale being on a Sunday. Although we were not sure how many cars had qualified through the two sets of heats, we speculated that likely a C and B main would be sufficient to set the starting grid. Apparently the folks at Lucas Oil subscribe to the " more is better " philosophy, sticking to the full slate of qualifiers, even though things kicked off about thirty minutes after the posted start times on a quickly cooling Sunday night.
Unfortunately, " yellow fever " was rampant during the B mod preliminary events, and even though the officials did an excellent job of transitioning from one race to the next, the clock continued to move. Interspersed with the B mod " alphabet " races, the late models contested four ten lap heats, with the top fourteen in passing points ( the race schedule said sixteen? ) locking into the feature. Those qualifiers were evenly balanced, with three advancing from heat one, Tony Jackson Jr. topping Hunter Rasdon and Jason Papaich. Raymond Merrill in his own #12M led surprise entrant Brent Larson, Terry Phillips, and Mason Oberkramer from heat two. Tyler Bruening, Payton Looney, and MLRA point leader Will Vaught moved on from heat three, and Ryan Gustin, Joe Gorby, Timothy Culp, and Logan Martin moved on from the last ten lapper. A pair of ten lap B mains for the late models saw 2018 MLRA champ Chad Simpson, Colton Horner, and Steve Drake advance followed by Minnesota driver Jake Timm, B.J. Robinson, and Mitch McGrath also making the transfer. Two point provisionals from each series, Brian Rickman, Morgan Bagley, Jeremy Grady, and Reid Millard completed the starting field.
We were still in pretty good shape, but the twenty minute intermission for track prep became closer to forty, and our self imposed curfew was now looming large.
The late models came to the 3/8 mile oval first, with Jackson Jr. and Bruening setting the pace. A rare mistake by Bruening saw him spin on the top side of turn two on the opening lap, and he would be forced to line up at the tail for the restart. Whether he would have had anything for Jackson we will never know, but it is safe to say that no one else did. Jackson was already stretching his lead when Millard went for the first of two spins on lap two. Back to racing, fifth starting Looney charged to second while tenth starting Martin entered the top five. Soon Jackson, Looney, and third place Merrill all had put distance on the car behind them. Jackson hit slower traffic on lap eleven, but he was having no issues ahead of a spinning Millard two laps later. On the restart, Looney tried to stay with the leader, while Gustin challenged Merrill for third, and row seven starter Vaught raced his way to fifth about lap eighteen, then fourth just past the halfway mark. Jackson again caught the back of the pack at lap twenty three, but he continued to maintain his advantage as Vaught moved to third. Soon Vaught was challenging Looney for second, and he took the spot with three circuits remaining. As he worked through turn two, he became trapped momentarily behind a lapped car, allowing Looney to retake the position. Jackson Jr. led all forty laps to grab the win, with Looney and the 2019 champion Vaught next in line. Gustin, the Saturday night winner, ran fourth in front of Culp. Simpson began a high side charge about mid race, advancing nine spots to sixth, followed by Oberkramer, Merrill, McGrath, and Martin.
The clock had now ticked past 7:30 as on track interviews began, and the working man in our group would now have to hustle to get home before midnight, so we regretfully headed for the parking lot. A check of results on the ride home told us that Kris Jackson had topped the B mod finale, followed by Andy Bryant, Gunner Martin, J.C. Morton, and Ryan Gilmore.
This is my second year in a row attending the Fall Nationals, and even with a few hiccups, it is still a good show. I am not sure what the issue was, but I do hope we will be better able to hear the race announcer if we ( hopefully! ) make it back in 2020!
As of now, I am not sure if I will be able to get to the track this weekend, but there is still plenty of good racing to be found.
Thanks for reading!
Monday, October 7, 2019
Shane Kelley Tops Bash 4 Cash at Quincy
Under cloudy skies, occasional sprinkles and cooling temps, Quincy Raceways was finally able to stage their twice postponed Bash 4 Cash 4 cylinder special. Thirty four competitors signed in for the $1,000 top prize, with all legal IMCA or UMP cars eligible to run.
The race was held in conjunction with " Cheaters Night " for the crate late models, modifieds, sport mods, and stock cars, with drivers encouraged to also remove the roof from their machines in those four divisions.
Twenty five sport mods signed in as part of the eighty eight car field, and following heat race action plus a pair of B mains for the four cylinders, they led off the feature program.
All but one driver, Jamie Aleshire, lined up for eighteen laps, with Nathan Bringer and John Renier in row one. It was Austen Becerra, however, who charged to the front at the drop of the green as Bringer left the door open on the low side. As seems to so often be the case at QR, it was soon after that yellow fever took hold. Following a pair of lap two cautions for Michael Terry and then Kevin Morrow, Becerra suddenly exited the track off turn four, needing a hook on the back end from the wrecker, suggesting rear end issues. This turned the lead over to Chris Spalding, wheeling an unfamiliar plain black #71 car. The caution was out again on lap four as Dakota Girard went for a spin, and back under green, topless Tanner Klingele had moved up six spots to fourth. With the caution out again as lap five was scored, the field was realigned single file. Topless Terry Wilson, side panels and all, made a move as the green flew, but another caution negated his charge forward. On the next restart, Klingele moved to third, one lap was scored, and it was caution time again. With the crowd caught unaware, the time limit had been reached, and the checkers came mercifully with only six laps scored. Spalding took the win, followed by Bringer, Klingele, London Mills, Il. driver Dustin Branch, and Wilson.
Next it was twenty laps for the crate late models. Todd Frank and topless Darin Weisinger Jr. lined up on the front row, with Frank leading the early laps. The yellow flag waved on lap three for Melvin Linder, and his car owner and teammate Denny Woodworth powered to second on the restart. Two more laps clicked off before Joey Gower, making his first late model start of the season brought out a caution when he spun out the driveshaft in his #31G. As the green flag waved, Woodworth charged to the lead while Gunner Frank retired to the pits. Todd Frank and Linder locked in a battle for second ahead of a lap nine spin by Tristan Bainter in the #63 formerly driven by Jake Dietrich. Linder cleared Frank for second on lap eleven, but all eyes were on the back and forth battle for fourth between Weisinger Jr. and Brandon Queen. A caution for Bainter on the final circuit set up a green, white, checkers finish. Woodworth would cruise to the win, besting Linder, Todd Frank, Weisinger Jr., and Queen. Bainter, Gunner Frank, and Gower would round out the scoring.
Kevin Blackburn and Steve Grotz paced the modified twenty lapper, with Blackburn leading the opening pair of laps ahead of first Josh Newman, then Dave Weitholder. With a smoking car, Blackburn exited the track on lap five, turning the top spot over to Newman. He had opened a nearly straightaway lead over Weitholder before Frankie Wellman looped his ride on lap fourteen. With the yellow still out, Newman parked his #40 off turn one, his shot at his first win of 2019 over. With Weitholder, who had issues in both hot laps and the heat race now in control, Shaun Deering eased into second as racing resumed. Weitholder crossed the stripe with the win followed by Deering, Wellman, and Grotz. Newman would be scored in fifth.
A pair of late arrivals swelled the stock car count to thirteen, with track regulars Jake Powers and Michael Larsen firing off from row one. But it was row two starter Robert Cottom and fifth starting Rudy Zaragoza who paced the field ahead of an Andy Gaines lap three spin. Larsen suffered a flat tire, ducking to the work area and coming back to the track about 1/2 lap behind as the green flag waved. However a B J Thompson spin allowed him to catch up. Lap four saw the three wheeling Zaragoza take the lead, and the yellow was out for Brandon Boden on lap five. A four car scrum developed as racing resumed, with Craig Roden and Cottom side by side in front of Zaragoza and Larsen, and they came to the flag four wide as lap eight was scored! Zaragoza regained the point and the caution came out again for debris on the front stretch on lap fourteen. The field was now lined up single file for the final four circuits. Running second, Cottom retired with only two laps remaining. Seemingly in control, Zaragoza bobbled slightly coming off turn two on the final lap, giving Roden the break he needed, and he took the checkers inches ahead of Zaragoza. Powers, Larsen, and Kale Foster completed the top five.
The finale for the evening would bring twenty four compacts to the track for fifty laps and a $1,000 top prize. Peoria, Illinois driver Shane Kelley and track regular Kimberly Abbott drew the front row to pace the twenty four car field. While Kelley jumped to the lead, row two starters Joe Reed and Matt Mackey slid into the next two spots. Kelley and Mackey soon gained separation from the pack, running nose to tail before Mackey retired at a lap nine caution. With the yellow again waving one lap later, Kelley appeared to miss a gear, falling off the pace. However the red flag came as Morgan Greene rolled his #36 entering turn three, giving the lead back to Kelley. Reed grabbed the lead on the restart, but Kelley moved back to the front at lap eleven. With a yellow at lap seventeen and another red five laps later, the realignment went single file. Tenth starting Josh Barnes had climbed to fourth and seemed poised to challenge the leaders when he brought out the caution at lap thirty, his run ended. One more red flag situation came two laps later, but the final eighteen circuits clicked off caution free. Kelley pulled away to a commanding lead while Reed and Abbott raced side by side, lap after lap for second. Abbott was able to edge ahead coming to the checkers to earn runner up honors ahead of the driver from Decatur,Il. Pekin, Il. racer Danny Oates and row seven starter David Prim completed the top five. Nine ( or was it ten?) cars remained on the track at the checkers, with a lot of mechanical issues thinning the field.
A long night of racing saw the final checkers wave on the wrong side of 10:00.
Quincy Raceways has one more weekend of racing on the schedule for 2019, and it is a big one! The Kenny Pratt Memorial will run on Friday and Saturday, October 25 and 26 featuring super late models racing for $2,000 on Friday and $5,000 on Saturday. Also competing for large purses are crate late models and outlaw stock cars, with details on the track website.
Next up I plan to be at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa this Friday , October 11 for opening night of the eighth annual Fall Extravaganza featuring late models, mods, sport mods, stock cars, and sport compacts. With good money on the line on Friday, purses will be even bigger on Saturday, but outside commitments will keep me away from the track for night number two. Maybe I will see you on Friday!
The race was held in conjunction with " Cheaters Night " for the crate late models, modifieds, sport mods, and stock cars, with drivers encouraged to also remove the roof from their machines in those four divisions.
Twenty five sport mods signed in as part of the eighty eight car field, and following heat race action plus a pair of B mains for the four cylinders, they led off the feature program.
All but one driver, Jamie Aleshire, lined up for eighteen laps, with Nathan Bringer and John Renier in row one. It was Austen Becerra, however, who charged to the front at the drop of the green as Bringer left the door open on the low side. As seems to so often be the case at QR, it was soon after that yellow fever took hold. Following a pair of lap two cautions for Michael Terry and then Kevin Morrow, Becerra suddenly exited the track off turn four, needing a hook on the back end from the wrecker, suggesting rear end issues. This turned the lead over to Chris Spalding, wheeling an unfamiliar plain black #71 car. The caution was out again on lap four as Dakota Girard went for a spin, and back under green, topless Tanner Klingele had moved up six spots to fourth. With the caution out again as lap five was scored, the field was realigned single file. Topless Terry Wilson, side panels and all, made a move as the green flew, but another caution negated his charge forward. On the next restart, Klingele moved to third, one lap was scored, and it was caution time again. With the crowd caught unaware, the time limit had been reached, and the checkers came mercifully with only six laps scored. Spalding took the win, followed by Bringer, Klingele, London Mills, Il. driver Dustin Branch, and Wilson.
Next it was twenty laps for the crate late models. Todd Frank and topless Darin Weisinger Jr. lined up on the front row, with Frank leading the early laps. The yellow flag waved on lap three for Melvin Linder, and his car owner and teammate Denny Woodworth powered to second on the restart. Two more laps clicked off before Joey Gower, making his first late model start of the season brought out a caution when he spun out the driveshaft in his #31G. As the green flag waved, Woodworth charged to the lead while Gunner Frank retired to the pits. Todd Frank and Linder locked in a battle for second ahead of a lap nine spin by Tristan Bainter in the #63 formerly driven by Jake Dietrich. Linder cleared Frank for second on lap eleven, but all eyes were on the back and forth battle for fourth between Weisinger Jr. and Brandon Queen. A caution for Bainter on the final circuit set up a green, white, checkers finish. Woodworth would cruise to the win, besting Linder, Todd Frank, Weisinger Jr., and Queen. Bainter, Gunner Frank, and Gower would round out the scoring.
Kevin Blackburn and Steve Grotz paced the modified twenty lapper, with Blackburn leading the opening pair of laps ahead of first Josh Newman, then Dave Weitholder. With a smoking car, Blackburn exited the track on lap five, turning the top spot over to Newman. He had opened a nearly straightaway lead over Weitholder before Frankie Wellman looped his ride on lap fourteen. With the yellow still out, Newman parked his #40 off turn one, his shot at his first win of 2019 over. With Weitholder, who had issues in both hot laps and the heat race now in control, Shaun Deering eased into second as racing resumed. Weitholder crossed the stripe with the win followed by Deering, Wellman, and Grotz. Newman would be scored in fifth.
A pair of late arrivals swelled the stock car count to thirteen, with track regulars Jake Powers and Michael Larsen firing off from row one. But it was row two starter Robert Cottom and fifth starting Rudy Zaragoza who paced the field ahead of an Andy Gaines lap three spin. Larsen suffered a flat tire, ducking to the work area and coming back to the track about 1/2 lap behind as the green flag waved. However a B J Thompson spin allowed him to catch up. Lap four saw the three wheeling Zaragoza take the lead, and the yellow was out for Brandon Boden on lap five. A four car scrum developed as racing resumed, with Craig Roden and Cottom side by side in front of Zaragoza and Larsen, and they came to the flag four wide as lap eight was scored! Zaragoza regained the point and the caution came out again for debris on the front stretch on lap fourteen. The field was now lined up single file for the final four circuits. Running second, Cottom retired with only two laps remaining. Seemingly in control, Zaragoza bobbled slightly coming off turn two on the final lap, giving Roden the break he needed, and he took the checkers inches ahead of Zaragoza. Powers, Larsen, and Kale Foster completed the top five.
The finale for the evening would bring twenty four compacts to the track for fifty laps and a $1,000 top prize. Peoria, Illinois driver Shane Kelley and track regular Kimberly Abbott drew the front row to pace the twenty four car field. While Kelley jumped to the lead, row two starters Joe Reed and Matt Mackey slid into the next two spots. Kelley and Mackey soon gained separation from the pack, running nose to tail before Mackey retired at a lap nine caution. With the yellow again waving one lap later, Kelley appeared to miss a gear, falling off the pace. However the red flag came as Morgan Greene rolled his #36 entering turn three, giving the lead back to Kelley. Reed grabbed the lead on the restart, but Kelley moved back to the front at lap eleven. With a yellow at lap seventeen and another red five laps later, the realignment went single file. Tenth starting Josh Barnes had climbed to fourth and seemed poised to challenge the leaders when he brought out the caution at lap thirty, his run ended. One more red flag situation came two laps later, but the final eighteen circuits clicked off caution free. Kelley pulled away to a commanding lead while Reed and Abbott raced side by side, lap after lap for second. Abbott was able to edge ahead coming to the checkers to earn runner up honors ahead of the driver from Decatur,Il. Pekin, Il. racer Danny Oates and row seven starter David Prim completed the top five. Nine ( or was it ten?) cars remained on the track at the checkers, with a lot of mechanical issues thinning the field.
A long night of racing saw the final checkers wave on the wrong side of 10:00.
Quincy Raceways has one more weekend of racing on the schedule for 2019, and it is a big one! The Kenny Pratt Memorial will run on Friday and Saturday, October 25 and 26 featuring super late models racing for $2,000 on Friday and $5,000 on Saturday. Also competing for large purses are crate late models and outlaw stock cars, with details on the track website.
Next up I plan to be at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa this Friday , October 11 for opening night of the eighth annual Fall Extravaganza featuring late models, mods, sport mods, stock cars, and sport compacts. With good money on the line on Friday, purses will be even bigger on Saturday, but outside commitments will keep me away from the track for night number two. Maybe I will see you on Friday!
Friday, October 4, 2019
Fall Bash Starts with a Bang
After two weeks off due to Mother Nature and a 50th class reunion, I was ready to get back to the track. The opening night of the Hoker Trucking Fall Bash at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa has become a yearly destination for us, as the event staged by Ryan Duhme and Timmy Current with Darkside Promotions continues to grow.
We arrived Thursday night to a pit area that was once again overflowing with cars, and by hot lap time, roughly 230 cars had signed in for the six divisions featured on this first of three nights of racing!
Despite receiving more than 3/4 inches of rain on Wednesday, the 1/4 mile banked track was perfectly prepared, with multiple grooves available throughout the night, none more dominant than the others.
With the late influx of cars on a week night, hot laps still kicked off just after 6:00, and using the green, white, checkers format for those hot laps, the first of the twenty six heat races hit the track at 6:55.
With a long night staring them in the face, a " one and done " rule was adopted for the heat races, meaning if you were stopped when the caution flag waved, you were done for that race. Promoters, please take note, it is amazing how many cars can refire quickly with this rule in place! Heat race action gave way to ten B mains, beginning about 9:15, and wrapping up in exactly one hour. With sixty and sixty two cars respectively, the IMCA modified and IMCA sport mod classes in particular had what would have been quality feature fields on the trailer already by feature time.
The only class not needing a B was the eleven car two person cruiser class, so they came to the track first for a ten lap feature. The #32K car of Keith Keltner and Wayne Hora established their dominance in their heat race, and then survived a handful of cautions to take the checkers after starting in row three.
With no intermission taken, the only delay in the program, and it was a short one, came at this time. The IMCA late models had been slated to run next, but with a short turn around time following them running the final B, it was decided to move the IMCA stock car finale up in the order. Unfortunately due to the packed and spread out pit area, several drivers were out of earshot of the pit P.A. and had to be notified in person. Soon, the twenty four car field was on the track, ready for twenty laps of action. Andrew Lokenvitz and Elijah Zevenbergen lined up in row one, but it was inside row two starter Joe Zrostlik who grabbed the lead as starter Doug Haack waved the green flag. The first of three cautions came for a multi car tangle in turn two on lap four, with five cars eliminated from the event. Back under green, John Oliver Jr. vaulted to third behind Zrostlik and Zevenbergen after starting in row three. A debris caution slowed the action one lap later, and disaster struck Oliver, as he clipped a boundary tire on the next restart, bringing out the final caution and sending him to the back of the remaining nineteen cars. With the Delaware restarts keeping the field bunched, the father son duo of Damon and Dallon Murty raced in the top eight positions after starting eleventh and fourteenth, respectively. Zrostlik, who was competing in three divisions on the night, elected to keep his #50 in the bottom groove, while Zevenbergen took the high line. As the race hit the halfway mark, the Murtys were racing side by side for third and fourth. With three circuits remaining, Dallon found his way to the runner up spot and tried to close the gap to the leader. Zrostlik, who in his victory lane interview stated in graphic terms that he was aware of the drivers immediately behind him, held his line and picked up the win. The younger Murty settled for second, while Damon advanced to third. Jay Schmidt came from row five to overtake a fading Zevenbergan, completing the top five.
All but five of the twenty nine IMCA late models lined up next to race twenty five laps for a $1,500 payday. Chad Holladay and Andy Eckrich both turned in third place runs in their heats, but were fortunate in drawing the front row for the main event. Eckrich shot ahead at the start, with Holladay and row two starters Matt Ryan and Dave Wada, both heat winners, close behind. The front duo began to distance themselves from the pack, with Eckrich running about a half car width higher than the bottom hugging Holladay. As the race stayed green, they caught slower traffic on lap nine, allowing the next group of Ryan, Zrostlik, and first heat winner Joel Callahan to close in. A surprise entry, Chad Simpson in his #25 was also on the move, charging to sixth on lap fifteen after lining up in row five. Meanwhile, Zrostlik found the track to his liking as he had in the stock car, and he drove around Ryan and to the bumper of Holladay. As the laps wound down in the caution free race, Holladay became trapped behind the lapped car of Dirk Hamilton as Ryan decided to search the top of the track for some extra speed. Finding plenty of bite, he charged around Zrostlik and Holladay to second, then pulled even with Eckrich as the white flag waved. He was then able to use that momentum off turn four to cross the line less than a car length ahead of Eckrich as the checkers flew. Needless to say, he was pumped in victory lane. Eckrich was steady in second, besting Holladay, Callahan, and Zrostlik. Simpson led the second five, topping Terry Neal who started fourteenth, Jeff Aikey, Jeff Tharp, and Darin Duffy in the Beckler #35. Also of note was fifteen year old Kollin Hibdon, the youngster from Pahrump, Nevada who spent the summer racing an IMCA modified in Iowa under the watchful eye of Jeff Aikey. Kollin competed for the first time ever in an IMCA late model, wheeling a car out of the Justin Kay stable. Failing to qualify through his heat, Kollin captured the B main, then advanced six spots to finish eleventh in the feature.
The IMCA sport compacts were preparing to hit the track as the clocked ticked past 11:00, the temperature hovered in the mid forties, so we made the difficult decision to head for the car.
I was not surprised to see that second starting Zrostlik picked up his second win of the night, and third top five in the ten lap event.
The fifteen lap sport mod finale went to third starting Ryan Maitland over row five starters Brayton Carter and Jake McBirnie. Rookie Dylan Vanwyk finished fourth, while Tony Olson came from fifteenth after capturing the third B main to round out the top five.
The final contest of the night, the twenty five lapper for the IMCA modifieds went to fifth starting Cayden Carter, topping Joel Rust, Jeff Larson, Jeff Aikey, and Richie Gustin, who moved up eight spots after winning the first B main.
Special thanks to Ryan, Timmy, and the all star crew assembled for a fast paced night of superb racing on a smooth, fast track. Racing continues tonight and Saturday with six classes of cars each night, and there are already 69 cars signed in for tonight, Friday, as of 2:30! But would someone please be sure Jerry gets at least one cup of coffee brought to the tower!
Friday and Saturday are filled with outside activities, but I hope to see you Sunday night at Quincy Raceways for open competition topless racing in the crate late models, modifieds, sport mods, and stock cars, as well as the twice postponed $1,000 to win sport compact event for IMCA and UMP four cylinders.
Stop by and say " Hi! "
We arrived Thursday night to a pit area that was once again overflowing with cars, and by hot lap time, roughly 230 cars had signed in for the six divisions featured on this first of three nights of racing!
Despite receiving more than 3/4 inches of rain on Wednesday, the 1/4 mile banked track was perfectly prepared, with multiple grooves available throughout the night, none more dominant than the others.
With the late influx of cars on a week night, hot laps still kicked off just after 6:00, and using the green, white, checkers format for those hot laps, the first of the twenty six heat races hit the track at 6:55.
With a long night staring them in the face, a " one and done " rule was adopted for the heat races, meaning if you were stopped when the caution flag waved, you were done for that race. Promoters, please take note, it is amazing how many cars can refire quickly with this rule in place! Heat race action gave way to ten B mains, beginning about 9:15, and wrapping up in exactly one hour. With sixty and sixty two cars respectively, the IMCA modified and IMCA sport mod classes in particular had what would have been quality feature fields on the trailer already by feature time.
The only class not needing a B was the eleven car two person cruiser class, so they came to the track first for a ten lap feature. The #32K car of Keith Keltner and Wayne Hora established their dominance in their heat race, and then survived a handful of cautions to take the checkers after starting in row three.
With no intermission taken, the only delay in the program, and it was a short one, came at this time. The IMCA late models had been slated to run next, but with a short turn around time following them running the final B, it was decided to move the IMCA stock car finale up in the order. Unfortunately due to the packed and spread out pit area, several drivers were out of earshot of the pit P.A. and had to be notified in person. Soon, the twenty four car field was on the track, ready for twenty laps of action. Andrew Lokenvitz and Elijah Zevenbergen lined up in row one, but it was inside row two starter Joe Zrostlik who grabbed the lead as starter Doug Haack waved the green flag. The first of three cautions came for a multi car tangle in turn two on lap four, with five cars eliminated from the event. Back under green, John Oliver Jr. vaulted to third behind Zrostlik and Zevenbergen after starting in row three. A debris caution slowed the action one lap later, and disaster struck Oliver, as he clipped a boundary tire on the next restart, bringing out the final caution and sending him to the back of the remaining nineteen cars. With the Delaware restarts keeping the field bunched, the father son duo of Damon and Dallon Murty raced in the top eight positions after starting eleventh and fourteenth, respectively. Zrostlik, who was competing in three divisions on the night, elected to keep his #50 in the bottom groove, while Zevenbergen took the high line. As the race hit the halfway mark, the Murtys were racing side by side for third and fourth. With three circuits remaining, Dallon found his way to the runner up spot and tried to close the gap to the leader. Zrostlik, who in his victory lane interview stated in graphic terms that he was aware of the drivers immediately behind him, held his line and picked up the win. The younger Murty settled for second, while Damon advanced to third. Jay Schmidt came from row five to overtake a fading Zevenbergan, completing the top five.
All but five of the twenty nine IMCA late models lined up next to race twenty five laps for a $1,500 payday. Chad Holladay and Andy Eckrich both turned in third place runs in their heats, but were fortunate in drawing the front row for the main event. Eckrich shot ahead at the start, with Holladay and row two starters Matt Ryan and Dave Wada, both heat winners, close behind. The front duo began to distance themselves from the pack, with Eckrich running about a half car width higher than the bottom hugging Holladay. As the race stayed green, they caught slower traffic on lap nine, allowing the next group of Ryan, Zrostlik, and first heat winner Joel Callahan to close in. A surprise entry, Chad Simpson in his #25 was also on the move, charging to sixth on lap fifteen after lining up in row five. Meanwhile, Zrostlik found the track to his liking as he had in the stock car, and he drove around Ryan and to the bumper of Holladay. As the laps wound down in the caution free race, Holladay became trapped behind the lapped car of Dirk Hamilton as Ryan decided to search the top of the track for some extra speed. Finding plenty of bite, he charged around Zrostlik and Holladay to second, then pulled even with Eckrich as the white flag waved. He was then able to use that momentum off turn four to cross the line less than a car length ahead of Eckrich as the checkers flew. Needless to say, he was pumped in victory lane. Eckrich was steady in second, besting Holladay, Callahan, and Zrostlik. Simpson led the second five, topping Terry Neal who started fourteenth, Jeff Aikey, Jeff Tharp, and Darin Duffy in the Beckler #35. Also of note was fifteen year old Kollin Hibdon, the youngster from Pahrump, Nevada who spent the summer racing an IMCA modified in Iowa under the watchful eye of Jeff Aikey. Kollin competed for the first time ever in an IMCA late model, wheeling a car out of the Justin Kay stable. Failing to qualify through his heat, Kollin captured the B main, then advanced six spots to finish eleventh in the feature.
The IMCA sport compacts were preparing to hit the track as the clocked ticked past 11:00, the temperature hovered in the mid forties, so we made the difficult decision to head for the car.
I was not surprised to see that second starting Zrostlik picked up his second win of the night, and third top five in the ten lap event.
The fifteen lap sport mod finale went to third starting Ryan Maitland over row five starters Brayton Carter and Jake McBirnie. Rookie Dylan Vanwyk finished fourth, while Tony Olson came from fifteenth after capturing the third B main to round out the top five.
The final contest of the night, the twenty five lapper for the IMCA modifieds went to fifth starting Cayden Carter, topping Joel Rust, Jeff Larson, Jeff Aikey, and Richie Gustin, who moved up eight spots after winning the first B main.
Special thanks to Ryan, Timmy, and the all star crew assembled for a fast paced night of superb racing on a smooth, fast track. Racing continues tonight and Saturday with six classes of cars each night, and there are already 69 cars signed in for tonight, Friday, as of 2:30! But would someone please be sure Jerry gets at least one cup of coffee brought to the tower!
Friday and Saturday are filled with outside activities, but I hope to see you Sunday night at Quincy Raceways for open competition topless racing in the crate late models, modifieds, sport mods, and stock cars, as well as the twice postponed $1,000 to win sport compact event for IMCA and UMP four cylinders.
Stop by and say " Hi! "
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