After losing several spring specials to inclement weather, the Davenport Speedway - K Promotions hosted the SLMR eastern division late models on Friday night. The Joe Kosiski inspired series is in its fourth year of operation, having basically absorbed the long running IMCA Summer Series. The rules format is designed to make the IMCA crate and spec engines competitive with the power plants of the "open" engine cars with weight breaks the main adjustment.
The other four weekly classes at the track, IMCA modifieds, IMCA sport mods, street stocks and 4 stocks as well as nostalgia late models would fill out the card on this Memorial Weekend kickoff.
A late arriving street stock boosted the total car count to one hundred twenty two, as hot lap action kicked off before a large but rather late arriving crowd.
The SLMR format dictates two lap time trial qualifying, a six car invert in the heat races, with the top sixteen in passing/finishing points transferring to the feature. So with hot laps complete, all but one of the thirty one late models, Todd Cooney, who broke in hot laps, tripped the clock in groups of three and four. The overall quick time was posted by Jake Neal with a lap of 14.728 seconds around the quarter mile.
The heat races rolled out starting at 7:14, with sixteen events clicking off in good time, followed by a pair of B mains for the SLMR cars. Jeff Aikey and Charlie McKenna captured heat wins from row one, Luke Goerdert came from row two, while Nick Marolf powered from the third row to pick up eight lap heat wins. Front row starters Jeff Tharp and Jon Brauns claimed the B mains. A pair of provisional starting spots went to veterans Darrell Defrance, and Cooney, who climbed into the Curtis Glover #32 to set the twenty four car thirty lap feature field.
With no intermission (Yes!), the 4 stocks lined up a dozen cars for a dozen laps of feature racing starting about 8:50. The original start was called back for an anxious competitor, but after that the event went caution free. Second heat winner Jake Benischek redrew the pole position - all classes but late models were draw, redraw - and he shot to the early lead. His row one mate, Shawn McDermott, would keep the pressure on, running side by side with Benischek, and was scored the lap three leader. As the race passed the halfway mark, Benischek was able to put his #5 back out front, first by a half car length at lap eight and eventually opening just a bit of daylight as the laps clicked off. At the checkers, it was Benischek, McDermott, defending All Iowa points champion Cyle Hawkins, Matt Mackey, and Dustin Begyn.
All thirty IMCA sport mods came to the track for what threatened to be fifteen laps of mayhem. However only three caution periods slowed the action. Tyler Soppe drew the number one pill and paced the opening circuit. After the yellow flag waved on lap two, heat winners Shane Paris and Kevin Goben had powered from rows two and three to line up behind the leader in the Delaware formation. The front runners were about to catch a pack of slower cars when the next caution came with seven in the books. Second running Paris chose the outside line for the restart, and Goben used the lower groove to move to the runner up spot. Two laps later, third heat winner Logan Veloz joined the fray, charging from fifth to second using the bottom line. Soppe began to build a lead, with the final stoppage coming with three laps to go. Paris was back in second by this time, but there would be no catching Soppe in his flag to flag win. Paris would finish second, while Ben Chapman made a late charge to nearly clear Paris but settle for third. Veloz and Jake Morris would round out the top five, as Goben fell to sixth.
Lined up in staging were the late models, and they quickly came to the track. High point earners Goedert and Marolf sat in row one, and they shot to the lead, taking along third starting Chad Holladay. With the race staying green, the leaders soon caught the back of the pack, and Marolf used the congestion to power to the front on lap ten. Hugging the low line as much as possible, Nick opened a commanding lead while weaving his way through the heavy traffic. Meanwhile Goedert and Holladay staged an entertaining back and forth battle for second. With only five laps to go, the only caution came as Holladay was apparently squeezed off the backstretch by a lapped car, following which he showed some displeasure. Defending track champion Justin Kay had spent most of the race just outside the top five, but he now found himself third on the grid, and lining up outside Goedert on the restart. He then set his sights on the leader, and after a fierce battle, edged ahead with three laps top go. Not giving up, Marolf fought back, they passed under the white flag side by side, and it took the transponders to declare Kay the winner by the smallest of margins. Following the front pair it was Jason Hahne, Goedert, and Andy Eckrich. Spencer Diercks led the second five, topping Jeff Larson, McKenna, twentieth starting Matt Ryan, and Tharp completed the top ten.
Street stocks came next, twelve strong for fifteen laps. Only two cautions slowed the race. Landon Chrestensen paced lap one, and following the yellow, Jeff Struck Jr. moved to the front. His charge to victory was slowed by a lap three caution, but after that Struck opened a sizable lead. Robert Cottom found a line to his liking late in the race and closed on the leader, but could not get in position to make a pass. Struck Jr. took the win, followed by heat winners Cottom and Jesse Owen, Chrestensen, and Frank Waters.
Twenty two IMCA modifieds checked in for twenty laps. Travis Denning came from row two to lead lap one and following an early caution, Charlie Mohr, Matt Werner, and third heat winner Spencer Diercks went three wide for second. Diercks emerged from the pack to challenge the leader, soon joined by Werner. Slower traffic became a factor eight laps in, with Werner moving to second. Denning was able to open a bit of a margin as Diercks again challenged for second. Five laps remained when Werner was able to close on Denning, and Denny Eckrich now showed strength, climbing to a close third. Werner was working the moisture down low, while Denning operated one lane higher. Travis held on for the win, besting Werner, Eckrich, Diercks, and first heat winner Mitch Morris.
Only the nostalgia feature remained. It was no surprise to read that Jeremiah Hurst and Matthew Hirst (yes, different spellings) dominated the nostalgia finale, as both cars seemed to have much more power than the other ten entries. However we were long gone by then, having hit the road at 10:09! It was an outstanding night of action on the always racy quarter mile. Thanks to the Kay family for their hospitality and for staging a quality show. Now if they can just get that stubborn scoreboard working consistently!
Several activities will likely make this my only racing this holiday weekend, so everyone please take on a racing event, be safe, have fun, and take time to honor and thank a veteran. Thanks for reading!
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