Pierce Breaks, Looney Doubles Up at RICO

  As planned, we were able to rejoin the MLRA holiday weekend swing Sunday as the mini tour finished up at the Bullring at RICO  ( Rock Island County ) Fairgrounds in East Moline, Il. Sweltering heat greeted us and seventy five race teams in four classes, although for reasons unknown to this blogger, late model driver Mason Oberkramer loaded up and hit the road before any action had taken place. Edit: Mason had a family emergency at home.
   I am sure partly due to the heat and its impact on the high banked 1/4 mile racing surface, the start time was pushed back thirty minutes from the advertised 4:00 hot laps.
    Time trial qualifying for the twenty one MLRA late models followed hot laps, with Bobby Pierce besting the field. This was particularly impressive considering Pierce " broke a motor " in hot laps and was forced to pull out his " back up " car and prepare it while the other three classes went through warm ups. Although he has several victories in 2020, he has also been plagued with engine woes.
    With the straight up heat race format, Pierce then captured the first ten lap event over Payton Looney, Brian Shirley, and Jeremiah Hurst. Outside pole sitter Tony Toste nabbed heat two in front of fifth starting Chad Simpson, Daniel Hilsabeck, and Travis Denning, in what looked like a brand new #56D. Jonathon Brauns started outside row one and topped Garrett Alberson,  last through the gate Allen Weisser, and Jason Papich in the final qualifier.
    With the nineteen modifieds, seventeen sport mods, and nineteen sport compacts having rolled through their heat races, the track crew then took a lengthy intermission, part of which was devoted to tilling and watering what had become a bit of a treacherous racing surface. The time spent proved successful, as the cars were able to run two grooves during the late model feature, especially in turns one and two.
    The MLRA headliner would run first. What had been advertised as a $5,000 top prize swelled to $6,250 thanks to a $1,000 donation from Doug Curless, car owner of the Mike McKinney #99, and other donations. Four laps were also added to the race, making it forty four laps total in tribute to fallen driver Shaune Lewis, whose family also received the tracks share of the 50/50 drawing.
   At the drop of the green by flagman Doug Haack, it was outside polesitter Toste putting his California based #91T out front, with Pierce and Looney in hot pursuit. The first caution came for a spin by Brennon Willard on lap three. At this time, Chad Simpson ducked to the pits trailing a bit of fluid and with a possible flat tire as well. He was able to rejoin the tail of the field in the nick of time. Toste continued to be a rocket high off turn two as Pierce looked at the low line, making up ground in turns three and four. Bobby then grabbed the lead in turn two on lap seven, and the yellow waved two laps later as Tegan Evans came to a stop in turn two and was collected by Gary Webb. Back under green, Pierce continued to set the pace, catching the back of the pack on lap fourteen. But another caution came two laps later, as Brauns slowed, his run over. Looney powered to second on the Delaware restart. As the crossed flags signaling  the halfway mark were displayed, Weisser made contact with the concrete wall entering turn three and was hit hard by Denning. Both cars were done for the race, with Weisser suffering at least heavy cosmetic damage. Hurst had started in row four, and charged to third on the restart.
    Two nights earlier, a second running Pierce had inherited the lead at 34 Raceway when the first place car of Tony Jackson Jr. fell victim to a fuel pump issue with four laps to go. But tonight, it was Bobbys' turn to suffer heartbreak, when he broke an axle while leading about lap twenty five. As he retired to the pits under yellow, Looney was the new leader. Payton needed only to remain patient through two more caution periods, on lap twenty nine when first Jackson Jr. spun during possible contact with McKinney, and on the restart when Willard again had trouble.
     While Looney was in command as the laps wound down, there was a mad scramble behind him for positions two through five. Rookie of the year contender Justin Duty had started in row eight and quietly worked his way into contention, finally sliding by Hurst on the final lap for the runner up finish. Toste followed Hurst in forth, while Jeremiahs' teammate Alberson completed the top five. Shirley held off row ten starter Mike Chasteen Jr. for sixth, with Simpson, Jackson Jr., and McKinney completing the top ten. Hilsabeck and Willard were the final two cars running at the checkers. For Looney, it was his second victory of the weekend as he carried the MLRA checkers twenty four hours earlier at 300 Raceway in Farley, Iowa.
     With an early wake up call due on Monday, we elected to head for the car as victory lane interviews were in progress. Checking the results, I see that Eric Barnes captured the modified main, while double duty Denning rebounded to finish second ahead of veteran Jim Sandusky. Trey Grimm was the sport mod victor over Jarett Franzen and Logan Veloz. And Jacob Reitter topped the compacts in front of Cyle Hawkins and Mike Cunz.
     2020 is the first season of promotion for the Peterson family at the storied facility, and it has been a trying time, I am sure. And I both appreciate their hospitality and wish them nothing but good things going forward. As of now we are hoping to make it back next Sunday as the UMP Summernationals comes calling. In the meantime, this coming Thursday is our next target for the 500th and final IMCA Summer Series event at the Marshalltown Speedway. The event is the 3rd annual Dale Defrance Memorial where hometown legend Darrell Defrance will also be honored for perfect attendance at all 500 races. If you see me there, stop and say " Hi!"
   Before I sign off, I would like to congratulate my grandson, Keagan who many of you know, and his wife Megan on the birth of my first great grand child, Chester Edward!