Racing Comes Back to Quincy in Grand Style

    After two long years of dormancy and following a lot of  doubts, racing returned to the former Quincy Raceways in fine fashion. New promoters Jim and Tammy Lieurance have rebranded the .29 mile legendary facility as Adams County, Illinois Speedway, and after one rainout and a lot of hard work, they were able to present their first show on Sunday. I think it was fair to say both their and my expectations were exceeded, as sixty five race teams checked in to the pit area on a day when it would have been fair to doubt if racing would happen given early day showers. And even with the start time pushed back one hour to allow for more drying, there was a long line at the ticket window as the clock hit the 5:15 hot lap time.

   It looked as though the track was on the dry side as the street stocks rolled out for hot laps, and sure enough, the dust was flying. But after four cylinder hot laps, dirt guru Steve Grotz climbed from his street stock into his customized water truck and gave the surface a dose of H2O which was quickly run in and the dust issue was gone for the remainder of the program.

   Officials drug their feet a bit to allow what turned out to big a large opening night crowd to find their seats, but the heat races still rolled out right at 6:00 after modified qualifying was scrapped in favor of a draw and go format. The ten preliminary events clicked off quickly, with intermission and a bit of track work commencing about 6:50. 

   One area that will need attention is the concession area, where long lines were a problem not only during what turned out to be a thirty minute plus break, but all night long, however it is understandable that such issues could arise on the first night with a larger than anticipated crowd. And after two long years, the track faithful seemed to be more than happy to catch up with old friends and make new ones on a pleasant evening, weather wise. During the delay, Jim and Tammy addressed the crowd from in front of the flag stand, and they were well received by the enthusiastic race fans.

   Street stocks kicked off feature racing, with eight of the ten cars signed in lining up for fifteen laps. The rules for this non sanctioned class allow for both UMP and IMCA type cars to race, but it is obvious that the UMP machines have an advantage. Heat race winners Robert Cottom and Rudy Zaragoza lined up in row one, and they led the pack in that order until Zaragoza spun in turn four. It turned out to be a short night for the Jacksonville, Il. driver, as after tagging the tail, he spun again in the same spot just before the halfway mark, ending his run. Those delays were the only things to slow Cottoms' march to victory, as he captured the win by a large margin. The race to watch was the battle for second, with three IMCA type cars locked in an intense battle. First it was 2019 track champion Beau Taylor and Jake Powers dueling wheel to wheel, then in the closing laps Leremy Jackson made it three wide. At the checkers it was Powers in the runner up spot and Jackson, who made the long tow from Unionville, Iowa in third ahead of Taylor. Grotz completed the top five.

   Track officials had received a lot of interest from the four cylinder crowd since the announcement the track would reopen, but as we know, talk does not always equal cars. But Sunday the money met the mouth as a large field of twenty five signed in from everywhere from the Quad Cities to Pekin, Il. to Salisbury, Mo.! 2021 All Iowa Points champion Cyle Hawkins from Blue Grass, Iowa, and Keokuk, Iowa hot shoe Michael Grossman lined up on the front row of the fifteen lapper, which saw all cars come to the track. Grossman grabbed the early lead with Hawkins in tow, while row two starters Jimmy Dutlinger and Jeffrey Delonjay stayed within striking distance. Grossman caught the back of the pack on lap five, and one lap later disaster struck, as a faulty oil filter filled his #2 machine with smoke, ending his run. Back to green it was now Delonjay assuming the point. Although he was challenged at every step, he hit his marks each time, and held on for the hard fought win and the $300 top prize (thanks to an extra $50 fan contribution.) Dutlinger made his haul from Peoria pay off with a runner up finish following a top five run at his hometown track on Saturday. Hawkins came home third, trailed by the winners' brother Jaden Delonjay, and former track champ Kimberly Abbott, who advanced ten positions to fifth.

   IMCA sport mods were up next, with all eighteen cars making the call for an advertised eighteen laps. A lot has changed at the track since the 2019 season, but unfortunately it is more of the same in the sport mod division. I may have miscounted, it was hard to keep track, but I recorded nine caution flags in fewer than nine laps to start the race. After the final yellow flag restart, Josh Holtman, who had been running amongst the leaders, climbed the backstretch guardrail and flipped his #5 machine. He was then hit by at least two more cars, creating a lengthy red flag situation. Although Josh appeared unhurt, his car suffered heavy damage, as did the #14L of Brandon Lambert. When racing resumed, it was single file and with the time limit long gone, it was a green, white, checkers finish. Through it all, Muscatine, Iowa racer Shane Paris held serve, taking the marathon win. Moberly, Mo. driver Dakota Girard, no stranger to the track, pushed Paris to the checkers. Local standout Tanner Klingele made a late charge to third, nipping Adam Birck, while Michael Goodwin came back from an early spin to finish fifth.

   One of the anticipated issues at the speedway was what the car count might be in the crate late model class, and this proved to be an issue on Sunday with only four cars signing in. Defending track champion Denny Woodworth looked like the man to beat as he captured the heat race and set sail in the eighteen lap feature. But the veteran from New London, Iowa "Superman" Sam Halstead has also turned a bunch of laps at the track, and he was making Woodworth work in the early going. And by lap thirteen, Halstead had closed the gap, pulling to the inside of the #45DW. Continuing to run side by side, Sam was out front as lap sixteen was scored, but Denny recovered to take the white flag first. However Halstead was a rocket on the final circuit, and he was a nose ahead at the checkers. Climbing from his new orange #84, Sam was one excited guy in his post race interview, praising the track and imploring more drivers to come so he could " kick their a**!" Woodworth was followed by rookie driver Spencer Coats who was solid in finishing strong on the lead lap in third. Darin Weisinger Jr. was an early casualty with fuel issues in his #11.

   What would a race night be without some controversy, and those who may have left early missed an entertaining race with a surprise ending. Eight modifieds were set for twenty laps to wrap up the action. Defending champion Dave Weitholder sat on the pole alongside heat winner Mike Vanderiet Jr. from Centrailia, Mo. Following a couple early cautions, Weitholder found himself challenged by A mod rookie Austen Becerra, the pair racing side by side while Vanderiet and Michael Long stayed close by. Soon Long showed his muscle, and powered to the front while finding a line with moisture inside the buried tires in turns one and two. For several laps he took the short way around the track, establishing a sizable lead all the way to the end. But as the checkers flew, the announcement came that he had been disqualified for running inside the tires, with the win going to Weitholder. Becerra was credited with second, followed by Vandereit, Brandyn Ryan, and Levi Long. The decision capped a stellar weekend for Weitholder, who picked up a runner up finish Friday at Lincoln, Il. and a cool $1,000 victory Saturday at Peoria. 

   The final checkers waved on this opening night about 8:50, capping a positive return to racing at the bullring. If I were going to play promoter, I would be very pleased overall for the night. The concession area will need attention, and given their history, I would strongly consider moving the sport mods to the end of the program, as I did witness a few fans give up and head for the gates during their caution fest!

   Thanks to Jim, Tammy, Blake and the crew for their hospitality and for reviving this historic track! For another take on the action, check out the One Fan's Travels on Positively Racing, as it was fun to have my fellow blogger Ed on hand. Lets hope for better weather soon, so we can spend more time Racin" Down the Road!

Reed Dominates Peoria Swibold Memorial

    With the continuation of the cranky spring weather, many tracks postponed or canceled their events this weekend. Yes, that is the same sentence that opened last weeks' blog, and it is STILL TRUE. But once again there were some brave or lucky souls that found a way to put on a show on Saturday night. With a couple of options available, we decided to make the two and a half hour jaunt to the Peoria Speedway for the UMP late model Garry Swibold Memorial. $5,098 -  98 being Cole Swibolds' car number -  was the advertised winners purse. But donations began to pour in, including $1,300 in lap money, $598 for quick time, and other bonuses for things like longest tow, first car to not make the A main, and more. With all this, a large and talented field of drivers was expected to compete for a spot in the fifty lap main event. A mods, B mods, and Hornets would fill out the card at the quarter mile facility.

   Thirty one late models paced a field of ninety plus race teams. For unknown reasons, the action was about forty five minutes late getting started, and with both modified classes as well as the late models taking two lap time trials, it was about 7:50 before the first heat race hit the track.

   Bob Gardner picked up the time trial bonus with a lap of 12.317 seconds around the quarter mile facility. And with straight up starts, all four heats were won from the front row, as Gardner, Justin Reed, Mike Chasteen Jr., and Myles Moos took the checkers. Reed, back racing his familiar #1ST family ride, also grabbed the $750 to win cash dash from the pole position. With the top four from each heat qualified for the finale, the fifth place car from each heat claimed the final four feature starting spots in the B main, with Winona, Minnesota driver Jake Timm taking the win.

   Hornets were first in the feature order, with Jeremy Hancock advancing from row two to nab the fifteen lap victory followed by Kyle Dearing, Rick Deford, Nick Johnson, and Jimmy Dutlinger.

   The late models then came to the track with the pace car and Swibold in his #98 leading the four wide parade lap as a fireworks display lit the sky on what turned out to be a very pleasant evening, with temps hovering in the seventies. Unfortunately, Swibold failed to qualify for the main event, and somewhat surprisingly was left off the starting grid. Reed and Gardner led the twenty car field to green, however the yellow flew quickly, as a multi car scrum in turn two stopped the action. With the no fault rule in play, the field was reset to the original lineup, and racing resumed. Reed jumped out to the early lead, gradually pulling away from Gardner in second. He had a several car length advantage as he caught the back of the pack on lap twelve. Three circuits later, the caution came for the second time, and back to racing Gardner stayed glued to his bumper for the next several laps. As the halfway flag was displayed, however, Justin was once again stretching his lead, catching slower traffic on the thirty sixth trip around. As he worked the lapped cars, Gardner and Moos quickly closed in. With the laps quickly winding down, Gardner tried his luck on the high side as he and Reed exited turn two on lap forty six. He was able to pull alongside, but the track appeared to suck him into the turn three wall, ending a solid run for the #4G. While Gardner was being towed to his pit, the now second place Moos suddenly exited the track, his charge also over. It was now Mike Spatola, track regular Todd Bennett, Ohio traveler Rusty Schlenk, and Ryan Unzicker lining up Delaware style behind Reed. The action was stopped one lap later as Dewayne Kiefer spun in turn three, and yet one more caution came before another lap could be scored. Through it all, Reed kept his composure, and although Bennett made a late run at the top spot, it was the #1ST scored the leader for all fifty laps. For his efforts, an excited Reed collected not only the $5,098 check, but also all $1,300 in lap money to go along with his dash cash. His late run saw Bennett take the runner up spot, followed by Schlenk, Spatola, and Unzicker in the top five. Jason Feger ran sixth, chased by Rich Bell, hard charger Timm, who advanced from row nine, fifteenth starting Jake Little, and Kevin Weaver, who was shuffled back on the late restarts. 

   Both modified features remained, but it was now about 10:30, and we three all had to be up early, so we headed for the parking lot. Congratulations to Daniel Braymeier for his B mod win, and to Dave Weitholder, who followed up a runner up finish Friday in Lincoln, Illinois with the $1,000 victory in Peoria.

   Kudos to the track workers at Peoria Speedway, who crafted a quality racing surface which stayed tacky and reasonably smooth all night considering the amount of rain we have had and the many laps laid down on Saturday.

   Tonight, we are hoping to kick off the Jimmy Lieurance era at the newly christened Adams County, Illinois Speedway ( formerly Quincy Raceways.) Start times have been moved back one hour, likely to allow for some extra drying. Hot laps are set for 5:15 with five classes in action. Maybe we will see you there!

West Liberty Kicks Off the 2022 Season

    With the continuation of the cranky spring weather, many tracks postponed or canceled their events this weekend. The Kile Motorsports group was not one of them, as they braved the elements to stage their Spring Fling program at the West Liberty Raceway. The historic fairgrounds half mile has in recent years hosted just a few special races per season. With the retirement of the principal promoter of those events, the Kile family stepped in to present an eight race schedule for 2022. The Kile family, led by patriarch Bud are well known in the racing community, having been involved in on track competition, parts sales and service, media relations, and have even dabbled in promotion at West Liberty in the past.

   The program would feature six classes, late models, modifieds, sport mods, stock cars, hobby stocks, and sport compacts. A car show from 2:00 - 4:00 kicked off the opening day festivities. Seventy four race teams signed in on a chilly Saturday night that no doubt kept some racers, worried about the effect on their engines, at home. A surprisingly large crowd filed in, obviously hungry for a return of action on the big half mile.

   Hot lap rolled out at 6:00 with the first heat taking the track just after 6:30. Heat race action took just about one hour, followed by a brief ten minute intermission, and we were soon feature racing.

   Stock cars were up first, with ten of the twelve signed in lining up for fifteen laps. Outside pole sitter Dustin Vis grabbed the early lead. But it was eighth starting Johnny Spaw on the move, charging to fifth on the opening lap. By lap four the veteran had moved to third, just ahead of the lone yellow flag of the race. Spaw then used the Delaware style restart to take over the runner up spot and the chase was on. Vis kept his #20v out front, and a last lap charge by Spaw fell just short. Following those two was Miciah Hidlebaugh, Matt Picray, and Tom Cannon.

   Attrition in the heat race saw only six of the ten sport compacts able to run the ten lap feature. Pole sitter Alex Hayes powered to the early lead, taking along Michael Lundeen. With those two checking out, a battle for third developed among the remaining cars. The race ran caution free, with Hayes taking the win. Lundeen was runner up, trailed by Trent Labarge, Colton Stewart and Ashton Blain.

   All but one of the eighteen sport mods came to the track for fifteen feature laps. Logan Anderson shot from the pole, with third starting Shane Paris in hot pursuit. The yellow came as lap two was scored. Back under green, Anderson opened a commanding lead., catching slower traffic about lap ten. Working the lapped cars expertly, he was able to stretch his lead even more. The white flag waved, then the yellow came out ahead of the checkers. For reasons I am not sure of, the checkers was then shown along with the yellow, ending the race. Anderson took the win, with Paris, eighth starting Shawn Slaughter, Ryan Walker, and Beaver Dam, Wisconsin driver Skyler Woods collecting top five runs.

   The hobby stocks also had some attrition on this chilly night, with seven of ten able to go feature racing. Randy LaMar paced the opening circuits of the ten lap event with Ryan Havel giving chase. As the front duo jockeyed for the lead, David Crimmins and Jacob Floyd fought for third. About lap eight, Havel snatched the lead from LaMar, holding on for the victory in another non stop event. LaMar scored runner up honors ahead of Crimmins. Cody Staley and James Pilkington rounded out the first five.

   The late model count was a bit disappointing, with only sevens cars signing in. But they all took the sixteen lap feature green. Heat winner Andy Eckrich redrew the outside front row, and quickly established his #56 as the car to beat. A lone yellow came as lap two was scored for a spin by Kurt Stewart, wheeling an unfamiliar Nick Marolf back up car. Back to racing, Waverly, Nebraska surprise visitor Jake Bridge tried to keep Eckrich in sight. Meanwhile, Matt Ryan advanced to third, and soon Bridge had to focus on keeping the #07 at bay. Running his "A" car in fourth, Marolf went to the pits on lap twelve. With no more stops, Eckrich cruised to the win. Bridge followed, then came Ryan, Jacob Waterman, veteran Ron Boyse, starting his fiftieth year of racing, and Stewart.

  Modifieds rounded out the card, fifteen of seventeen taking the green flag for twenty laps. Making his first start in an "A" mod, Maguire Dejong grabbed the early lead, chased by Charlie Mohr. Trailing the pair of youngsters, UMP ace Mike McKinney took over the second spot on lap three in the #21. With Dejong in control, a battle for fourth developed between eleventh starting Chris Zogg and Kurt Kile. At the halfway mark, Zogg had moved past Kile and Mohr and Dejong had caught the back of the pack. Pushing hard in turns one and two, Mohr brought out the caution, spinning his #99. Now McKinney and Zogg locked in a scrum for second as Dejong took advantage and stretched his margin. As the leaders came to the checkers out of turn four, McKinney and Zogg were involved in a mix up I could not see, with both losing their spots. Dejong was the flag to flag victor, and another Beaver Dam racer, Brandon Schmitt came from fourth to finish second. Kile, Dan Roedl, also from Beaver Dam, and Ray Cox Jr. completed the first five.

   The final checkers waved about 9:10, an excellent showing for the new promoters, just over three hours, including hot laps on the big half mile. No doubt the show was helped along by a fast, smooth racing surface. 

   Thanks to Bud, Katie, and the crew for their hospitality, and to announcer Shane for some important info. The next race at West Liberty will be on May 7. Be sure and check Kile Motorsports on Facebook for info.

   Have a safe and Happy Easter!

2022 Frost Busters Wrap up at Stuart

    For the small amount of time we spent in our hotel rooms Saturday night we should have asked for a discount, but a pretty tasty complimentary breakfast and a nice visit with late model DJ "Dancin' " Bobby Hansen geared us up to get "On the Road Again." Taking along the prairie winds from the night before, we rolled through Kansas City pointed toward our destination, the Stuart International Speedway. Checking My Race Pass frequently along the way - we were mostly talked out by that point - it looked as though the final night of the Frost Buster mini series would yield lower than expected car counts in the six competing divisions. But as we drove into the quarter mile facility at approximately hot lap time, we could see that the pit area had overflowed into part of the normal spectator parking as track officials worked furiously to check in the eventual 136 car field.

   As it turned out, running a few minutes behind, something almost unheard of at a Mike Van Genderen run event, turned out to be a blessing. Those same strong winds, now blowing non stop from turn four towards turn one, coupled with sunny skies and temps in the seventies had fairly baked the racing surface, creating a slicked up track and early follow the leader heat races. But this was hardly MVGs' first rodeo, and he was soon in the tractor, reworking the track, and as the sun gave way to clouds and cooler temps, the surface came around to produce outstanding side by side action. Looking to keep the surface in first class shape and keep the program moving at a fast pace, Mike would be poised to take a couple of manicure laps in the few seconds between the thirty races presented.

   Come feature time, it was the outlaw mini mods that would line up first, and much like our experience the night before, the first feature proved to be the stinker. Despite pleadings over the radio for patience and smart driving, the crash fest was eventually shortened from fifteen to eleven laps. Through the carnage, Lucas Daniels executed a flag to flag win. Kamdyn Haggard moved up from row four to challenge, but settled for runner up honors over Garrett Seals, T.J.Findlow, and Zachary Schaefer.

   When two dozen IMCA sport mods were up next for twenty laps, I confess to expecting more of the same. Boy, was I wrong! Early on it was the #26 cars of Jace Whitt and Mitchell Morris in a side by side battle for the lead. Soon Logan Anderson blew in from row three to take up the chase of Whitt. Tim Bergerson and Brayton Carter continued to stalk the leaders as the laps wound down, and after twenty non stop green flag laps, it was Whitt with his first ever feature win! Anderson, Bergerson, Carter, and Jake Sachau trailed in the top five.

   All twenty five IMCA stock cars made the twenty five lap feature call. Jonathon Logue led the opening pair of laps as Damon Murty worked from row three to the lead on the third circuit. Son Dallon Murty joined the top five on lap five, coming from ninth, and by lap eight he was second, preparing to cut into the big lead his father had established. Damon caught the back of the pack thirteen laps in, and two laps later he came upon a gaggle of cars racing three wide for position. But Lady Luck was on his side, as the caution came out, giving him a clear track ahead. Now Dad worked the high line while son took the inside groove through another pair of stoppages. The duo ran side by side throughout the closing laps, with Dallon actually ahead as lap twenty three was scored. As the checkers waved, the finish was too close to call, and from my off center vantage point, I though Dallon had pulled it out. But the transponders gave Damon the win in a thriller by .007 seconds! Troy Jerovetz, Logue, and Buck Schafroth completed the first five

   Kaden Murray from Beatrice, Nebraska started on the pole, tok the lead for good on lap three, and collected the non stop fifteen lap win in the IMCA sport compact division. Kolby Sabin, Mitchell Bunch, Michael Hotze, and Tyler Fiebelkorn followed.

   Nineteen cars made up the IMCA modified field and they all came to the track for their twenty five lapper. Pole sitter Brint Hartwick grabbed the early lead while division rookie Dallon Murty got shuffled back from his outside front row redraw spot. Following a lap two caution, a three wide battle for the top spot developed between Hartwick, Drew Janssen, and Jeff James. Cayden Carter joined the party on lap nine after a row five start, but it was tenth starting Tom Berry who turned on the after burners as the race rolled on. On lap eleven he took the runner up spot, and a strong move put him out front as lap thirteen was scored. Carter moved to third a couple laps later, but this race was all Berry as he stretched out to a straightaway lead over the final five circuits. Slower traffic with three laps left presented no problem, but after he took the white flag, the yellow came out for a slowing car on the front stretch. This brought the field back to the #11x for a green, white, checkers finish, but he again pulled away for the victory. Carter used the final restart to claim second, while Tim Ward jumped to third. Hartwick was shuffled to fourth, trailed by Janssen.

   We were now a couple minutes past our self imposed 9:00 curfew with one race remaining. So when the second caution waved halfway through the IMCA hobby stock finale, we headed for the parking lot. Dylan Nelson appeared to have things in hand as we departed, and reports show him hanging on for the win over Luke Ramsey, Brandon Cox, Solomon Bennett, and Skylar Pruitt.

   Even with a bit of a late start and 136 race teams, the show moved along at a swift pace with no wasted time, wrapping up around 9:30. From a fan stand point, there were so many little time savers that seem obvious to me, but seem to elude many race promoters. And that started right away, with twelve cars at a time taking hot laps in a simple green, white, checkers format. Throughout the night, the cars would enter the track off turn four, and the next trip around, the race would go green. While victory lane photos were being taken, the next feature would already be coming to the track. And safety crews mobilized quickly when needed. It would seem to me that in many cases, nights that become too long at the track happen one and two minutes at a time - and then there can be those drawn out intermissions, but that was not the case on Sunday, so we will save that for another time! 

   Thanks to Mike and his team as always for their hospitality to this blogger. Hopefully there can be another visit or two to this fine facility in 2022.

   Rough calculations put me at just over 1100 miles in two days chasin' race cars. A friend sent a message. asking when I might slow down a bit. I guess the answer is "not yet!"

Johnny Scott Collects 81 Speedway Cash

    As area racing programs continued to understandably fall like dominoes due to the disagreeable spring weather, we decided to shift our focus further south. So Saturday morning we headed north, jumped in with Jeff, then pointed west and south for what would be my first ever visit to the 81 Speedway near Park City, Kansas, just outside Wichita. Saturday would be the second night of their Heartland Hustle MLRA  doubleheader, the first visit of the high powered late model series to the .35 mile facility since 2003. With a $5,000 top prize on Friday night and $7,000 on Saturday, there had been plenty of excitement building in anticipation of an all star field of drivers. USRA modifieds, stock cars and mod lites would fill out the tidy four division Saturday portion of the program. Our plan was to spend the night close by, then head back to Iowa where the forecast of warmer temps on Sunday would lead us to Mike Van Genderens' Stuart Speedway for the final night of the annual IMCA Frost Busters touring series.

   After a few challenges along the way, we arrived at 81 Speedway to find thirty six returning late models from the previous night, a strong field of thirty five modifieds, twenty five stocks, and a bakers' dozen mod lites.

   Nebraska racer Tad Pospisil had broken the nineteen year old track qualifying record on Friday, and he bettered that on Saturday with a lap of 16.104 seconds. With late model time trials and stock car heats complete, the late models lined straight up for four eight lap heat races. As expected with the straight up starts, the four feature qualifiers all came from the first two rows until heat four, when Trevor Gundaker was victimized by another driver, ending his shot at a top four finish. Ryan Gustin, Terry Phillips, Johnny Scott, and Chad Simpson all picked up wins from front row starting spots. Two B mains qualified six more drivers, with Kolby Vandenbergh from the outside pole and Rodney Sanders breaking the string coming from row two, with wins. Four provisional starters swelled the grid to twenty six for the main event, which was shortened from forty to thirty five laps to "save on tire wear" with the current shortages. 

   Following modified and mod lite heats, the track was "farmed" to create the best possible surface for the features. Dry conditions in the area coupled with a stiff wind blowing into the grandstand made for less than favorable conditions for us as spectators, and the registered temperature in the fifties did not tell the story, as we hustled to the car for extra layers of clothes to ward off the cold.

   Up to this point the show moved along nicely. But when the stock cars lined up twenty two strong for their fifteen lap feature, things went downhill. Unofficially I counted nine caution periods, including a couple as the green flag was ready to fly and one during the green, white, checkers ending. Mercifully, a couple of laps was cut from the scheduled fifteen. A patient Clint Smith from Hutchinson, Ks. led every lap to take the win, and may have burned up the entire prize in fuel and tires!

   It was now time for the late models. Des Moines, Iowa veteran Todd Cooney had his #30 quit on the parade lap sending him pit side before the green flag waved. Outside pole sitter Johnny Scott jumped to the early lead, taking along third starting Phillips. By lap five, Scott had built a sizable lead, with Gustin now second trailed by Phillips, seventh starting Bobby Pierce, the Friday night winner, and Chad Simpson. Gordy Gundaker entered the top five two laps later, and ten circuits in the leader caught the back of the pack. As Scott moved in on a swarm of cars jockeying for position, Gustin closed to his rear bumper. Ryan would be scored the leader on lap twenty, but Scott quickly regained the position. As the pair ran side by side three laps later, Gustin suddenly slowed with a flat tire, bringing the first caution of the race. Gordy Gundaker made a dandy move to second on the restart, but a nine car pileup in turn four brought out the red flag. Several cars were eliminated at this point, including Phillips and Tony Jackson Jr. As the field prepared to restart, Pierce headed to the hot pit with a flat, ending his second place run and shot at a weekend sweep. While he rejoined the pack in fourteenth, he eventually called it a night with a couple laps remaining. Following the single file restart, Scott again built a big lead, and the Las Cruces, New Mexico pilot cruised to the victory. G. Gundaker regained the runner up spot ahead of Chad Simpson, Pospisil, and Chris Simpson. Provisional starter Dustin Walker came from twenty sixth to sixth, trailed by rookie of the year contender Daniel Hilsabeck, Kaeden Cornell, Blair Nothdurft, and Vandenbergh. 

   Twenty four USRA mods lined up for twenty laps and a $2,450 payday. Hometown (Wichita) favorite Tanner Mullens used an outside pole start to lead lap one. On the next trip around, fifth starting Rodney Sanders, one of several drivers doing double duty, moved to second. The caution waved on lap three for long time racer Rick Beebe, ending his night. On the restart, Phillips, also doing double duty, entered the top five after lining up in row four. A second and final caution came with five laps remaining, but that only slowed Mullens flag to flag victory. Sanders scored runner up honors in front of Phillips, Jacob Bleess, and Tyler Davis.

   As victory lane interviews began, four tired and well chilled race fans headed for the car, with another big day planned for Sunday. Stick around for a recap of the Frost Buster action, Iowa style.