After inclement weather wiped out several early season "close to home" races, we were excited to get back at it in this first full week of April. But Mother Nature had other plans, and again the dominoes began to fall. Early cancellations wiped out visits to Davenport Speedway as well as Lee County, so we set our sites on the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland and the season opener for the MLRA late models. Unfortunately an ominous forecast caused officials there to pull the plug on the weekend as well, leaving us (almost) high and dry. But somehow the very worst of the spring rains had missed the Lincoln, Illinois area, and the UMP Fall Nationals, rescheduled from October 2020 were still on! So off we went to the 1/4 mile race plant highlighting the Logan County Fairgrounds about thirty minutes north of Springfield off I-55. This would be my first time there since 2010, and hopefully this time I would get to see a full night of racing, something weather and circumstance had prevented in my two previous visits.
Seventy race teams checked in throughout the four divisions including a somewhat disappointing fifteen super late models, as a $3,000 top prize was on the line. Still it was a stacked field, the temperature hovered in the seventies, the breeze was at our back, and we were racing!
Time trial qualifying was used to set the lineups for the late models and both the open and Pro Modified divisions on a track that had plenty of moisture and sported a few early season ripples, making the surface both fast and treacherous. Tanner English paced the late models with a fast lap of 12.549 seconds. Michael Long flirted with the modified track record by besting the twenty two car field with a lap at 14.414 ticks, while Tommy Gaither topped the limited thirteen limited mods at 15.574.
The heat races were lined straight up from qualifying in all but the Hornet class, and as expected, the results were front row dominate (sigh). And the main events would then line up straight up from the heat finishes.
After a short break of about twenty minutes for track prep, the Pro Mods rolled out for their twenty lap feature. It took one false start to get things going, but the yellow flag would wave only one more time.Front row starters Kyle Helmick and Kevin Crowder battled early before Crowder took over for good. He was a very excited victory lane participant. Helmick ran a strong second, followed by Ryan Hamilton.
Late arrival Brian Diveley saw his night end early with a burst of smoke during his modified heat, but the other twenty one drivers came to the track for their main event. Including a start that was called back, the caution would wave six times during the twenty five laps. The worst of these came following a lap thirteen restart when second running Michael Long suddenly slowed on the backstretch, apparently the victim of a broken rear end. The resulting pile up saw top five runners Kenny Wallace and Jeff Leka with no where to go, and Leka climbed the backstretch wall. All three drivers were done for the event. Outside pole sitter Ray Bollinger had been holding off the charges of his row one mate Long before the accident, and he now fairly cruised to the win, surviving one more stoppage with three laps to go. The veteran collected $1,500 for his trouble. Rick Conoyer held off a late charge by Tommy Sheppard Jr. with some rubbin' involved to claim second. Brandon Roberts and Chris Morefield also turned in top five finishes.
The late model headliner rolled off next, with fast qualifier and heat one winner English on the pole flanked by heat two victor Brian Shirley. Shirley won the race to turn one, and as the field crossed the line, Jeb Simmons got crossed up, ending up upside down atop the turn one concrete wall. I did not see what caused him to crash, and although he walked to the ambulance under his own power to be checked out, his #86 suffered heavy damage. Back under green, Shirley continued to set a blistering pace, with English staying close in what became a two car race. The caution waved again at lap ten, as hometown favorite Myles Moos came to a stop off turn four after apparently contacting the turn four wall. Attrition was high as the thirty laps clicked off, with eight cars taking the checkered flag. Shirley led the distance for his first win of 2021, with English grabbing second. Ryan Unzicker drove a steady race to take third. With the washout at Wheatland, Bobby Pierce was on hand. However he struggled in qualifying, pulled out of his heat race, and was scheduled to start last in the feature. With Georgia hot shoe Ashton Winger and a couple others apparently having issues and electing to start at the tail, Pierce moved up a bit in the lineup, then used a late race charge to cross the stripe in fourth. Minnesota driver Jake Timm completed the top five. Jason Feger ran sixth ahead of Cody Maguire and Jake Little. Kolby Vandenbergh was credited with ninth and Moos with tenth.
As the Hornets came to the track, we decided to begin the two hour plus drive home. I see this morning that pole sitter Kenneth Butterfield took the win ahead of third starting Erik Vanapeldoorn. Josh Starr made the long tow from Tipton, Iowa, started outside row one, and finished third.
All in all, it was a good night of racing in Lincoln, hopefully it will not take us so long to return! Now, let's hope for some dryer weather to follow this mornings' downpour so we can kick the season into high gear!
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