Repeat Winners Dominate Adams County Action

    Sunday I settled in at Adams County, Illinois Speedway for the ninth time in 2022. It was a short turnaround for the facility after hosting the UMP Summernationals Tour on Wednesday, but long enough to make temporary repairs to the P.A. amp that the television crew apparently fried, leaving half of the grandstands silent and  disabling the scoreboard, which was also back in operation on this night.

  Car counts suffered a bit with the quick turnaround, and that combined with the World of Outlaw late model show an hour down the road in Jacksonville likely sliced into the fan count a bit, but it was still an okay turnout of both on a beautiful summer evening. It does not often happen, but the nice northerly breeze at our backs was a big plus, and a few jackets and sweatshirts were called into service.

   Time trial qualifying for the UMP modifieds was led by Kevin Blackburn, #B4 at 14.316 seconds, then eleven heat races clicked off in a timely fashion. With this being designated mid season championship night, an extended intermission saw the top three in points for each of the five regular classes invited to the front stretch for introductions and presentations, then we were finally ready for feature racing.

   UMP Pro Crate late models were up first, and in the "you can't please everybody" category, I had one competitor bemoan being first in the running order, while another indicated that he decided to make the trip for that very reason! 

   Heat winners Sam Halstead and Darin Weisinger Jr. sat on row one for the twenty lap shootout, but it was row two starter Denny Woodworth shadowing Halstead as lap one was completed. Fifth starting Tommy Elston and eighth starting Jeremy Pundt quickly moved forward and began a side by side battle for third. Elston finally took command of the position and moved up to challenge Woodworth for second as the race neared the mid point. Woodworth edged ahead, and as the leaders exited turn four to complete lap fourteen, Woodworth executed a successful slide job to grab the top spot. Two circuits later Elston was able to get around Halstead for second just ahead of the only caution of the race for a slowing Weisinger Jr. The final four laps saw no changes in the running order, as  points leader Woodworth picked up his fourth win of the season at the track. Elston claimed second over Halstead, while Pundt turned in a late model career best fourth. Mark Burgtorf filled in as a "shake out" driver in the Lynn Richard #15R, nosing out Cody Maguire at the line for fifth. Spencer Coats and Weisinger Jr. came next, and Melvin Linder in the second Woodworth car was a DNF.

   After a non stop feature last Sunday, the IMCA sport mods reverted to more normal activities this week. Seven yellow flags  turned the eighteen lap race into a painful marathon. All eighteen cars took the green flag, with Cody Agee and Justin Bartz out front early. Agee pulled out to a commanding lead, but following three cautions in the first five circuits, Dakota Girard took over the point. After a lap seven stoppage, Shane Paris jumped to second, and then grabbed the lead just ahead of a lap ten caution. From that point it was single file restarts, and Paris held on through two more cautions, cruising to the win. Girard ran a steady second, chased by Logan Cumby, Tanner Klingele, and Agee. An early stack up on a restart saw point leader Adam Birck realign at the back of the pack, and he could only advance to an eighth place finish.

   The 4 cylinders restored order as the ten cars raced fifteen laps with only one caution. Jaden Delonjay and Derrick DeFord sat on the front row and quickly pulled away from the field with Jaden out front hugging the inside tire barriers while Derrick searched the middle and high grooves for a way to the front. The lone yellow came as Landon Neisen slowed with four laps remaining, and back to green DeFord was able to squeeze inside the #3 car as he drifted a bit off the bottom with about two laps to go. The Canton, Illinois driver then held on for the win, with Delonjay settling for second. Peoria racer Jimmy Dutlinger broke a tie atop the points with Jeffery Delonjay with a third place run while apparent engine woes sent Jeffery to the pits early with a tenth place finish. Kimberly Abbott and Justin Stevenson also turned in top fives.

   Ten modifieds lined up for twenty laps, with Kenny Wallace and Midlothian, Texas driver Chase Allen leading the way. It took four trips past the flag stand for fourth starting Dave Weitholder to clear Allen for second. ahead of a Drake Stevenson spin. Following the restart, Wallace ran the low line while Weitholder operated on the cushion, the two veterans running side by side as the race came to the halfway mark. A second yellow flag came at lap ten, and Weitholder grabbed the lead as racing resumed. But another quick yellow saw Allen moved out of the groove, costing him several positions. Again Weitholder and Wallace pulled away, and with seven laps to go, Wallace retook the top spot. He then hugged the inside line to the checkers. Weitholder came home second, points lead Austen Becerra bounced back from heat race problems to climb nine spots to third. A strong run by Frankie Wellman and a rebound by Allen finished off the first five.

   Street Stocks would round out the night, nine strong for fifteen laps. Heat winner Steve Grotz and Beau Taylor filled row one, but point leader Rudy Zaragoza cleared Taylor for second on the opening circuit. Those three quickly separated from the field, with Rudy grabbing the lead on lap five. Taylor followed in second one lap later, and those two began to put distance on the rest until a caution three laps from the checkers. One more lap was scored before another caution, which was followed by a pile up on the next attempt. A green, white, checkers restart saw Taylor elect the outside line, and Grotz was able to jump to second behind Zaragoza. Robert Thompson came home fourth, while rookie Sage Martin nosed out Pete Stodgel for fifth under the sticks of fill in flagman Darin Weisinger Sr. 

   Final checkers came just ahead of the 9:30 mark. There is discussion of moving start times back one hour as the setting sun becomes an issue for drivers on the front straightaway. If this happens, hopefully the show can move along quickly, as an early end to the program has been a leading factor in the number of out of town racers making the Sunday night drive to Quincy. It was announced this week, that due to tire shortages, the MOWA 410 sprint portion of the show for next Sunday has been scrapped, however it will still be a night of open wheel action, check the track website for times and classes. 

  

Marolf, Eckrich, Foster, Anderson, and Taft Top Lee County Action

    Friday night found us back at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for another installment of the Drive for Five mini series for IMCA late models and IMCA modifieds, as well as a Drive for Three for IMCA sport mods. Once again the late models and mods would be racing for $1,000 to win while the sport mod victor would take home $600. As usual, IMCA stock cars and IMCA sport compacts would also be on the card. 

   The "fly in the ointment" was the light but persistent sprinkles, not enough to keep track personnel from adding water to the track, but enough near race time to hold up the show for an announced (thanks for keeping us informed!) fifteen minutes. The delay may have had its advantages, as the decent sized crowd was slow to filter in, with folks obviously concerned about the possibility of a rain out. There were also a couple of late arrivals in the pits, although that may or may not have been weather related.

   The eighty four cars signed in was a pleasant surprise on this night, and with twenty seven in the sport mod division, a rare B main was added to the schedule. A dozen heat races clicked off quickly, and with sport mods fourth in the running order, the decision was made to run their B main after the stock car feature. As the stock cars were lining up, a steady rain began to fall, and the end of racing loomed as a real possibility. The call went out for the stock cars to come to the track to try and keep the surface raceable, and just as soon as it began, the rain subsided. This delay was perhaps another fifteen or so minutes, and we were back to racing!

   All but one of the fifteen stock cars took the green flag for eighteen laps. Chris Wibbell took off from his pole position with fourth starting Josh Foster in tow. On the second circuit, Foster moved to the lead, while Jeremy Pundt powered to second. Two more laps around the lightning fast three eighths mile saw David Brandies climb to second and he and Foster soon put distance on the field. One lap prior to the halfway mark a caution period saw Wibbell retire to the pits, and again Foster and Brandies pulled away running the high line around the speedway. A final caution for a spin by visiting Dustin Griffiths bunched the field with four laps to go, but Foster was up to the challenge. A long time track regular before moving away from the area, Foster pleased his contingent of fans with the win. Brandies held onto the runner up spot followed by Pundt and Chad Krogmeier. Andrew Schroeder won a tight battle with Abe Huls for fifth. 

   When only four of the seven B main cars came to staging, the race was scrapped and all four added to the feature lineup, so we now experienced a radar watching delay waiting for the modifieds to get buckled in. A dozen mods had competed in a pair of heat races, and now late arriving Austen Becerra tagged the tail of the pack, racing for twenty two laps. Front row starters Dennis Laveine and Bill Roberts Jr. ran in tight formation, with Laveine taking command on lap two. Denny Eckrich lined up fifth and moved to second on lap six, and two laps later he was neck and neck with Laveine for the lead. Lap nine saw Becerra enter the top five, and one more trip around saw Eckrich out front. From there the former late model standout opened a nearly straightaway lead as Becerra continued to pick his way forward, taking third with two laps left. With zero yellow flags slowing the action, Eckrich cruised to the win. Laveine held off Becerra for second, while Chris Zogg came home fourth. Roberts nosed out Mark Burgtorf to round out the top five.

   A nice field of fifteen competitive late models checked in, and despite a heat race pile up that took out three cars, all fifteen were able to start the twenty five lap feature. Ray Raker and Darin Weisinger Jr. took off from row one, with Weisinger taking the top spot on lap two. Chuck Hanna cleared Raker for second on lap five, while Nick Marolf joined the party in third one lap later. Those three then staged an entertaining battle before Marolf performed an awesome dive bomb move in turn four on lap eight, using the bottom groove to go from third to first. Hanna jumped to second on the next lap, Dalton Simonsen grab third and tenth starting Tommy Elston came to fifth just before the halfway point. Marolf continued to stretch his lead as Hanna suddenly slowed on the front stretch with nine to go. Hanna continued to roll slowly around the high side of the track, substitute flagman Allen Motley held onto his yellow flag, and Chuck was able to pull into the pits as we stayed green. Marolf lapped up to the sixth place car of C. J. Horn in a dominating win. Simonsen finished a Lee County best second in front of Elston, Andy Nezworski, and Weisinger Jr. in another non stop event.

   With twenty four sport mods racing for twenty laps, we braced ourselves for a bout of yellow fever, and that is what we got. Seven times the caution flag waved, no doubt frustrating row two starter Logan Anderson, who secured the top spot on the opening lap and held it throughout the marathon. Following the first yellow flag, Brayton Carter shot to the runner up position, and after each restart he would try to work inside the rim riding Anderson with no success. The final pair of cautions saw the field reset single file, but nothing would get in the way of the #53 going to victory lane. Carter worked hard in finishing second, while Sean Wyatt came on strong mid race to gain nine spots and finish third. He won a good battle with Dakota Girard and John Oliver Jr. in the #557 to complete the top five. 

   Jason Ash arrived late enough he did not show in the heat two lineup, but he tagged the tail and raced to the win. He then lined up near the back of the feature field, although only twelve of the fourteen cars took the green for the fifteen lap finale. For the first time in my fading memory, top competitor Kimberly Abbott was on the trailer come feature time with engine woes. Tim Schnathorst led lap one by a nose over Chevy Barnes, with Chevy pacing lap two. Dad Josh Barnes joined the front duo one lap later, Schnathorst faded a bit and sixth starting Barry Taft came up to play. The two Barnes and Taft raced side by side by side, and nose to tail lap after lap in what turned out to be the race of the night. With two laps to go in the caution free race, Ash and Brandon Reu caught the leaders, and going into turn one a large blanket might have covered all five! On the final circuit, Taft, Chevy Barnes, and Ash ran three wide, and Taft won the battle out of turn four to take the win. Ash squeaked by in second, followed by Chevy, Reu, and Josh. 

   Even with the weather related delays, the final checkers waved just before 10:30, concluding a fun night of racing!

Pierce, Hoffman, Grossman Take Adams County Speedway Wins

    Wednesday night, the UMP Summernationals "Hell Tour" for late models made an early stop at the Adams County, Illinois Speedway just east of Quincy, Illinois. The tour last visited the track in 2019, with Mike Marlar taking the win. This week two stop in Quincy was the eighth of thirty two races in forty days. Each individual week of the series pays a points championship bonus in addition to the nightly purses, and a generous total fund awaits the top point earners of the full tour. On Wednesday, the winner of the forty lap feature collected $5,000 with locally raised lap leader money also paid out. This would be our second tour event after witnessing Chris Simpson taking top honors last Thursday at the Davenport, Iowa Speedway. 

   In addition to the late models, the Summit Dirtcar Modified Nationals was on the card featuring a $1,500 payday and Dirtcar 4 cylinders racing for $1,000 to win. 

   Late model car counts thus far on the tour had ranged from a respectable thirty one at Peoria to a high of fifty last Saturday at Fairbury. So a turnout of thirty seven last night probably exceeded my expectations by a few. In addition, twenty two modifieds and twenty eight 4 cylinders made a solid week night showing. Unfortunately it also turned into a bit of a marathon, with the clock moving past the 11:00 hour before the final checkers would wave. It is no secret, but with this being my fourth time trial show in a row, it is really obvious how qualifying both eats up a lot of time and wears heavily on the track surface, all before side by side racing starts. Although I may be in the minority, this is one of the reasons I am a passing points fan. But enough of that, on to the show.

   Max Blair was in the first qualifying group for late models, and the Centerville, Pa. driver set fast time, tripping the clock at 13.356 seconds. In fact, five drivers eclipsed the 14.00 mark, with all five coming in the first group. Kyle Steffens was quickest for the mods, with a lap of 14.196.

   Mod heats went to Nick Hoffman, Tyler Nicely, and Kenny Wallace. Late model qualifier winners were Blair, Shannon Babb, McKay Wenger, and Blaze Burwell. Of those seven heats, only Babb did not start in row one. 

  All modifieds and 4 cylinders would transfer to their features, but the late models uses a C main, B main concept, where the top four from the C  tag the tail of the B , with only the top two from the B making the main event. Then a host of provisional starters from various groups, in this case four drivers, are added to make up a twenty two car starting grid. Fourteen time track champion Mark Burgtorf just this week finished putting together his shiny new Longhorn by Wells late model, and he ran off and hid in the C main. But the two transfers from the B were Robeline, Louisiana pilot Cade Dillard, and Logan Martin, West Plains, Missouri. One of those provisional starting spots is a local promoters option, and with no one from the weekly track points sheet in competition, Burgtorf was awarded the spot. Heading to the pits mid race, he was credited with twenty first finishing position. 

   The evening included numerous track watering sessions, and before the features, the track was "farmed," with Tri City Speedway track owner Kevin Gundaker apparently offering up his expertise, as well. 

    Modifieds would run the first feature, twenty five laps, with Wallace and Nicely redrawing the front row. Three caution periods in the first five laps kept the field tight, with Nicely leading the way followed by Wallace, while Hoffman and Kelly Kovski swapped third and fourth. When green flag laps began to add up, Hoffman, who is yet to lose a feature on the tour, jumped to second on lap nine, then used a low side move to grab the lead five laps later. The front duo moved into heavy slower traffic after two more laps , but Hoffman threaded the needle like an old time seamstress, opening a commanding lead. With about four laps remaining ( all guesses are approximate as the PA system was not operational at the west end of the track, and the scoreboard was also not working, both due to first of the night equipment failure) a caution bunched the field. Following the single file restart, third running Wallace spun, apparently with help, in turn three, and as a result both he and Chase Allen were sent to the back of the lead lap cars. Hoffman once again pulled away for the win, followed by a late charge from Steffens, Nicely, and local drivers Austen Becerra and Dave Weitholder. 

   Forty laps would be the distance for the late models. Blair took the early lead from the outside pole, and Babb came from fourth to second on lap two. Bobby Pierce developed a strong local following as he raced at Quincy many times growing up, first in the Kids Modz as a preteen, and he entered the top three on lap six. Ryan Unzicker also moved up to join the leaders, who caught the back of the pack about lap ten. Using the whole track, Pierce moved to second one lap later, then to the front on lap thirteen. The front pack was now running the inside groove, but Pierce was forced to move up the track as slower cars were blocking his path. The first caution came at the halfway mark, as Doug Tye was spun in traffic. Babb used the Delaware restart to clear Blair for second just ahead of a Burwell spin. Back to green flag action, Babb was pounding the cushion, Blair was tucked on the bottom, and Unzicker was charging through the middle, all in pursuit of the leader. Pierce had pulled to a comfortable margin with about three to go when Garrett Smith slowed high on the backstretch, but rather than exit the track, rolled around the top side slowly until the yellow flag waved, then drove to the pits. But the single file restart did not faze Pierce, who powered ahead to the checkers. Babb held off Blair and Unzicker, while Brian Shirley followed his win the night before in Springfield, Missouri with a fifth place run. Jason Feger came home sixth ahead of Kyle Beard, provisional starter Frank Heckenast Jr., who advanced twelve spots, Martin, and Wenger. Seventeen cars were still on the track at the finish. 

   There was now a mad rush to the exits as all but one of the four cylinders lined up for twenty laps. Jimmy Dutlinger, from Peoria, took the lead from outside row one. With a pair of lap two cautions, seventh starting Michael Grossman charged to the runner up spot and it was now a two car battle between the track regular competitors. After a great side by side tussle, Grossman nosed ahead and began to stretch his lead. Meanwhile, Kimberly Abbott, Nick Proehl, and Jeffery Delonjay ran neck and neck for third. Grossman, the Keokuk, Iowa hot shoe drove away with the $1,000 win over Dutlinger. Abbott won the battle for third beating Delonjay, while veteran late model pilot Joe Zrostlik slipped around Proehl for fifth. 

   It was a beautiful night with a huge crowd that included an all star group of former racers to witness plenty of good racing action, and despite the late hour, most folks stayed around at least until after the late model feature. Thanks to Jimmy, Tammy, Blake and the gang for their hospitality and for bringing the Bullring back to a vibrant life!

First Time Winners Highlight Adams County Action

   Sunday night was a busy one at the Adams County, Illinois Speedway, with a pair of make up features for late models and 4 cylinders added to the card.

   The late model feature on May 29 was about six laps in when a power outage brought the action to a halt. Track officials decided to start over and run all twenty laps from the start. Although they did not offer a buy in for new drivers, top UMP Pro Late Model contender Chase Osterhoff had called ahead on that night to get checked in, but never made it to the track due to issues with his hauler. So he was now able to tag the tail of the make up event. Elston, however, was not to be denied. Charging ahead from his outside pole position, he quickly took command. Meanwhile, third starting Denny Woodworth rolled along in second. Osterhoff, who made the trip in from Kankakee, Illinois, began to pick off cars, eventually coming up to challenge Woodworth for second. As Elston cruised to the win in the non stop event, Woodworth held off Osterhoff for second. Darin Weisinger Jr., and Cody Maguire completed the top five. Eric Doran, Sam Halstead, Jason Oenning and Spencer Coats filled out the finishing order.

   The 4 cylinder make up saw fourteen cars line up for fifteen laps. Kimberly Abbott led the first lap, but third starting Michael Grossman moved to the front one lap later. With the summer sun bearing down, the track had become pretty much one lane around the bottom with the dust flying. Grossman was able to drive away in another non stop race. Abbott followed in second, trailed by Nick Johnson, Jeffery Delonjay in his back up car, and Chance Bailey.

   The track crew gave the surface multiple drinks of H2O throughout the night, and as the sun began to set and it came time for the regular features, we were left with a racy track with a cushion at both ends. The street stocks were up first, with nine of the ten cars starting for fifteen laps. Point leader Robert Cottom, on hand with a back up car, failed to make the call. Steve Grotz, who doubles as track prep leader, jumped to the early lead, followed by Steve Dieckmann. Lap two saw Rudy Zaragoza move to the runner up spot, quickly closing on the leader. Meanwhile, Beau Taylor in his new #13 machine, Dieckman, and Jake Powers battled hard for third. The first feature yellow flag with five laps to go was followed by Zaragoza slipping inside Grotz for the top spot and the win. One lap later Taylor powered to second. Grotz held third, with Powers and Dieckman next in line.

   Kenny Wallace set quick time, captured the first heat win, and sat on the pole for the twenty lap, eleven car finale, as Brandyn Ryan could not make the call. Wallace, and heat two winner Mark Burgtorf, in the Baker Racing #03B raced side by side for the opening laps. The first caution came at lap five, as Dave Weitholder headed to the hot pit with a flat tire, just barely making repairs in time to rejoin the field. On the restart, point leader Austen Becerra powered to second, then to first on lap seven. A final caution came one lap later, and back to action Weitholder climbed back to fifth. Burgtorf was able to work around Wallace for second at about the halfway point, but Becerra was a runaway winner. Weitholder settled for fourth, with Mike Vanderiet Jr. completing the top five.

   The late models were up next, twelve strong for twenty laps. It took three tries to get things going, with Braden Bilger the early leader before Osterhoff moved out front on lap three. One more lap, Elston took over the runner up spot. The lone caution period came with five laps down, and Denny Woodworth took third following the restart. By the mid point, Osterhoff held a comfortable lead, cruising to the win. Elston and Woodworth followed, with Derrick Carlson winning a battle with Bilger for fourth. Maguire, Doran, Weisinger Jr., Oenning, and late model first timer Robert Thompson rounded out the finishers. 

   The normally smooth running four cylinders had a spate of yellow fever, with four stoppages in fifteen laps. Most of the problems came at the start, with front row starter Bailey breaking, and Jeffery Delonjay loosing a wheel on his machine. Johnson took off from the pole before Jimmy Dutlinger charged from row three to the front on lap two. By the halfway mark, those two along with Jaden Delonjay and Derrick DeFord were locked in a four car tussle. With four laps to go, Delonjay tried to squeeze inside Dutlinger entering turn one, ran out of real estate, and spun his #3. Following the restart, Grossman, who had been a non factor early, drove to the runner up spot. The final laps featured a tight battle between Dutlinger and Grossman, with a charged up Dutlinger picking up the win. Following Grossman, it was DeFord, Abbott, and Landon Neisen, as Johnson was shuffled back in the tightly contested closing laps.

   Conversely, the often cautioned plagued sport mods, thirteen strong for eighteen laps, ran a non stop finale! Michael Goodwin took off from outside row one to the lead. Dakota Girard mounted an early challenge, but lap four saw third starting A.J. Tournear charge to second. Those three ran in tight formation as row six starter Adam Birck worked his way to fourth, closing fast. Birck had exited the track at the start of his heat race with a possible broken axle. Adam then cleared Girard for third at lap eleven. Out front, Goodwin and Tournear ran side by side with A.J. taking the lead with five circuits remaining. He then held on for his first win of the season. Birck powered to second, but could not overtake Tournear. Goodwin was third, trailed by Shane Paris and Girard. 

   It will be a quick turnaround for the track, as the UMP Summernational late models roll in on Wednesday. The Summit modified series will also be on the card, as well as the 4 cylinders in a marquee event for the revitalized Quincy facility. Hope to see you there!

Holladay Tops the Tony Stewart Memorial at C J Speedway

    Continuing a week of chasing late models, Friday found us making our first visit of the season to the Larry Richardson promoted C J Speedway in Columbus Junction, Iowa. The SLMR east series would be the featured class this evening with the five regular Friday night IMCA classes filling out the card making up the Tony Stewart Memorial event.

   One hundred five cars filled the pit area in front of a packed grandstand. It has been a while since I witnessed folks arriving late to the track and searching for an empty seat, except perhaps during the county fair! Although still a warm and humid evening, it was very comfortable beneath the covered grandstands.

   Twenty eight SLMR late models topped the bill, and after hot laps, they held their time trial session. Chad Holladay, from just up the road in Muscatine took his laps somewhere early in group B and set the quick mark of 19.599 seconds around what I believe is considered a four tenths mile oval. The field was split into four heat race groups, the top six in time trial order inverted in each eight lapper, and passing/finishing points used to qualify the top sixteen for the feature event. Jonathon Brauns from row two, series point leader Justin Kay from the outside pole, Joel Callahan, and Jeff Larson, both from inside row two, picked up heat race wins. While I am not a fan of time trials, the invert and passing points format does make for more interesting heat races!

   The remaining twelve cars contested a ten lap B main with the top four moving on to the money race. Jeff Tharp picked up the win from his pole position start. Two provisional starters, Curt Schroeder the ageless Gary Webb were then added to complete the twenty two car feature grid.

   IMCA sport compacts would run the first feature. Only eight cars signed in, and they all took the green flag. Jake Benischek was the pole sitter, and he simply ran away from the field in the non stop ten lapper. Behind him, there was intense battles going on. Shane Barnes held the second spot before giving it up on lap four to Alex Hayes, who then found himself challenged by Darin Smith. At the checkers, it was Benischek, Smith, Hayes, and Barnes. William Michel nosed out Caleb Giese to round out the top five. 

   The sixteen lap IMCA stock car main was another runaway. Kenny O'Donnell paced the opening circuit from the pole as third starting Johnny Spaw tried to work inside him. On the second lap, Spaw jumped to the top side coming off turn two and grabbed the lead. The caution came on lap three for Jordon Gerling, and as racing resumed, Spaw opened a nearly straightaway advantage. When Gerling brought out his second caution on lap eleven, Spaw had a lead approaching a half track. On the restart, a spinning O'Donnell brought out a final yellow, and Dustin Vis was invited to join him at the back of the pack. During the break, Kirk Kinsley gave up a top three restart to duck to the pits for quick repairs. Matt Picray and Rod Staats locked in a side by side duel for second before Tom Cannon joined the action. The checkers waved for Spaw, Picray, Cannon and Staats, while Leah Wroten made a late charge to complete the first five.

   It was now late model time, with twenty five laps for $3,000. Holladay jumped to the lead from outside row one, with pole sitter Jason Hahne in his tracks in second. Holladay opened about a four car length advantage in the early laps, and Hahne would occasionally draw closer before slipping back. The first yellow flag came at lap eleven just as the front duo was catching the back of the pack. Disaster struck on the restart as contact sent Dave Eckrich up the track in turn one, creating a five car melee. After a rather lengthy delay for clean up, the race stayed green the rest of the way. Holladay again opened a several car length lead over Hahne as Luke Goedert eased past Charlie McKenna for third. Kay entered the top four on lap thirteen. The leader again caught slower traffic four laps from the checkers, and as he tried to find a way around Corey Dripps, Hahne was able to close the gap. However, he was not able to mount a challenge, and Holladay picked up the flag to flag win. Hahne, Goedert, Kay, and McKenna turned in top five finishes. Callahan ran sixth ahead of Todd Cooney, sixteenth starting Matt Ryan, Larson, and Spencer Diercks.

   Logan Anderson was on his way from his front row start to another victory in IMCA sport mod action as we headed for the gate. Logan Veloz advanced seven spots to claim second in front of Shane Paris, Trey Rock, and Shaun Slaughter.  Jake Benischek made it two for two with the IMCA hobby stock victory, and Jarrett Brown continued his dominance at C J with the IMCA modified win. 

   Thanks to Larry and the gang at Columbus Junction for an always entertaining evening of racing action. We hope to make it back to the Louisa County Fairgrounds facility when the MLRA late models make an appearance on Friday, July 1. Will this be the county fair? Either way, we will remember to get there early!

   Today, I will celebrate fifty two years of wedded bliss with Mary, then Sunday it will be back to the Adams County, Illinois Speedway, with make up features for the Pro late models and 4 cylinders along with the regular card.

  

Chris Simpson, Zogg, Kay Tops at Davenport

    Returning home from the Belleville High Banks, I jumped in with Fred and Darryl on Thursday and we headed to the Davenport Speedway to catch up with the UMP Summernationals. With IMCA modifieds and IMCA late models filling out the card, this was set up to be a perfect week night event. 

   It was another scorcher under sunny skies when we arrived, and the pits were already well stocked with haulers. The final count was thirty nine super late models, nineteen mods and eighteen of the weekly late models. 

   After hot laps the Summernational cars did two lap qualifying, two cars at a time. Bobby Pierce turned the quickest lap on the quarter mile at 13.801 seconds, earning him the pole position in heat one, as the series starts their qualifiers straight up by time. So it was no surprise that all four heat winners came from the front row, with Pierce, Dennis Erb,Jr., Chad and Chris Simpson taking the checkers first.

   Of course, the other classes drew for starting positions, and Andy Nezworski, Michael Goben and Chuck Hanna grabbed late model wins also from the front row, and Chris Zogg did the same in the mods. Teenager Charlie Mohr defied the odds with a modified victory from the second row.

   The top four from each UMP heat transferred on, with a C Main sending four cars on to the B Main. Justin Kay was disqualified from his third place heat finish and was forced to run the C Main, which he won from the back. I was not able to hear what his heat race DQ was related to. Only the top two from the B Main would move on, and Justin Duty was the winner from row one. Iowa City veteran Matt Furman was rolling around in fifth when on the final lap three cars battling for the final spot got together, and Matt was able to sneak through to finish second!

   I must say that I am not a fan of only eighteen cars earning their way into the feature with four provisional starters added. On this night, a fifth spot was also added, giving us twenty three starters for forty laps.

   Before that, the IMCA late models came to the track for twenty five laps and a $700 payoff. Matt Ryan and Kelly Pestka redrew the front row, and Matt charged ahead at the waving of the green, pulling along Dustin Schram from row two. Ryan was quickly pulling away from the pack when the caution flag flew on lap three for Hanna, who was done for the night. By now Justin Kay had worked into the runner up spot for the restart, electing the outside on the Delaware restart. Ryan was using the high line around the track, while Kay worked down low, and lap six saw Kay move to the front. He was slowly widening his lead and catching slower traffic when the yellow came again for debris just after the halfway mark. On the restart, both Schram and Nezworski were able to work around Ryan, but Kay quickly pulled away. A final caution came for a Joe Beal spin with seven circuits remaining, and Nezworski now won the battle for second. But it was Kay cruising to the win. Following Nezworski, Fred Remley made a late charge to third ahead of Schram and Ryan. Joe Beal recovered to run sixth, trailed by Jacob Waterman, Chris Lawrence, Ryan Claeys, and Jacob Beal.

   Forty laps of Summernational action came next, with a $5,000 check awaiting the winner. Chad Simpson and Erb Jr. sat on row one, with a pair of #32s in row two. Joe Godsey stopped on the first attempted green, and on the second try, Chad slipped over the nearly non existent cushion between turns three and four. Although he did not appear to stop, the yellow flag was displayed and he was sent to the tail of the field. With brother Chris leading, Chad began to move quickly through the pack, although his drive eventually stalled just outside the top ten. Running a rather treacherous high line, the leaders caught the tail of the field about lap nine, with Brian Shirley clearing Erb for second. One lap later, Pierce powered to third, and Simpson changed to the inside line in turns three and four. Daryn Klein brought out the caution on lap thirteen, and back to racing it took three circuits for Pierce to fly around Simpson on the top side of the oval. Following a caution for Justin Kay on lap seventeen, Pierce used the clear track to check out on the other front runners. By lap twenty five he led by nearly a straightaway. Five more laps and slower traffic again came into play, with Simpson cutting into his lead by just a bit. But on lap thirty four, disaster struck for Pierce, as he pulled to the infield with a broken drive shaft. Simpson was now in command, and he cruised home to victory! Jason Feger came on strong late for his second runner up finish in the last two nights on the tour. Ryan Unzicker started in row eight and completed the podium finish, while Trevor Gundaker and Logan Martin turned in strong top five runs. Bob Gardner was the twenty third starter, and was the hard charger in sixth, topping a fading Shirley, Erb Jr., Tommy Sheppard Jr., and Gordy Gundaker. 

   With a couple of track prep sessions during the night to keep the track racy, it was now nearly 10:30 as the mods prepared to take the green. With a forecast of storms on the drive home, we elected to hit the road. Reports show it Was Chris Zogg grabbing the $1,000 win from row two, ahead of Matt Werner, Brunson Behning, Travis Denning, and Mitch Morris.

   Thanks as always to the Kay family for their hospitality, and especially to Brenda for her help at the pit shack!

   Tonight we will make our first visit of the season at the CJ Speedway, as the five regular classes are joined by the SLMR late models. 

   Thanks for reading!

Berck and Clanton Conquer the Low Banks

   On Tuesday night I had the chance to visit a legendary racing facility that was far enough removed from my normal run box that it was not even on my wish list. But when XR Super Series officials announced that their four day extravaganza at the Belleville, Kansas High Banks would include super late models along with Joe Kosiskis' SLMR west division series, my interest was peaked. Perhaps more importantly, grandson Keagan, my racing companion since age seven now lives about half way between my home here in Canton, Mo. and the north central Kansas speed plant. And he was just as enthusiastic about this event as was I. He was able to adjust his work schedule, I made the trek to his house on Monday, and after his shift ended on Tuesday morning, we were off on our racing adventure!

   Unfortunately, the excessive heat on Monday combined with the speed of the cars on Monday night resulted in several issues for the super late models, including blistered tires after only eight lap heat races and dangerously high engine  temperatures for the cars. So after discussing the situation with the drivers, XR officials decided that the supers would join the SLMR cars on the quarter mile "Low Banks" on Tuesday. While we as well as others were a bit disappointed to not witness racing on the high banks, it seemed like a wise decision, which was born out by the tight action in both classes. Additionally, the super car count swelled from twenty one on Monday to twenty four on Tuesday even though Florida driver Brenden Smith was a no show, with for example Gordy Gundaker deciding to make the trip west when the change was announced. Also, with the heat in mind, start times for both nights was pushed back one hour, with hot laps at 8:00. While this likely provided some relief on Monday, it would not have been as big a deal on Tuesday, as some ominous looking clouds rolled in and temps dropped into the mid eighties. In fact, a couple of sprinkles fell prior to hot laps, but the system moved north of the area, apparently stirring up storms in neighboring Nebraska.

   Following hot laps, the SLMR cars, which numbered a disappointing twelve, ran three in a group for two qualifying laps. Jesse Sobbing topped the board with a lap of 13.585 seconds. The XR cars then timed two at a time, with Jimmy Owens turning a quick lap of 13.312 ticks. Owens had actually went off the top of the track during his laps, driving back to staging, then coming back out and turning the fastest lap.

   The SLMR cars lined up in what appeared to be a full invert for two heats, with Iowa drivers Curt Schroeder and Darrel Defrance picking up wins. Starting straight up, all three XR heat victories went to the pole sitter, with Owens, Eldora million dollar winner Jonathon Davenport, and Shane Clanton on top.

   Following intermission with some track prep thrown in as the crew tried to create a wider racing surface, the SLMR stars lined up for thirty laps. If it was announced, I did not hear it, but I am not sure how the lineup was set. At any rate, Monday night winner Jake Neal and Chargin' Charlie McKenna sat on the front row. As the cars paraded around the .24 mile oval, Andrew Kosiski had a front wheel come off his #53. With the assistance of the wrecker crew, it was put back in place, and Kosiski tagged the tail of the field. McKenna shot to the early lead running the inside line while Neal worked one lane higher. On lap eight, Neal was able to move inside McKenna to take the lead, but the caution flag waved before the lap was scored, putting McKenna back in front. Neal elected to take the outside on the Delaware style restart, and Sobbing cleared him for second. One more lap and Sobbing was in the lead. In the meantime, Kyle Berck had been biding his time, and on the eleventh circuit he jumped to the runner up spot, taking Neal along in third. Berck then went to work trying to reel in the leader, and with seven laps remaining, Neal spun in turn two, bringing out the yellow for a second and final time. Now it was Berck electing to restart on the high side, giving the inside to Bill Leighton Jr. Back under green, Leighton and Berck both cleared Sobbing, and proceeded to run side by side lap after lap. At the checkers, Berck had broken free, powering to the $5,000 win. Leighton settled for second, trailed by Sobbing, Tad Pospisil, and Defrance. Andrew Kosiski recovered to run sixth, followed by Schroeder, Cole Wayman, Brian Kosiski, McKenna, and Corey Zeitner. Neal was the only car failing to complete all thirty laps.

   Still not entirely happy with the surface, track officials went to work once again prepping for the fifty lap $40,000 to win finale. It was for sure a lengthy delay, but it did produce some fine racing.

   Looking for a sweep, Owens sat on the pole with Davenport alongside. A four car mix up in turn four caused the initial start to be waved off. Davenport took the lap one lead, with third starting Clanton clearing Owens for second on lap two. By the seventh trip around, the leaders were in heavy traffic. Two laps later, Owens early troubles showed again, as he went off the top of the turn, loosing a couple spots. He would do this again, eventually dropping outside the top ten. As Clanton and J.D. worked through traffic, they often ran side by side, swapping the lead until a caution for a spin by Joe Gorby with eighteen laps scored. One more lap was counted before the yellow waved for Kyle Strickler. Behind the front pair, a three car battle for third saw Chris Madden emerge with the spot. Traffic again came into play just after the half way mark, and with thirteen to go Madden swept past Davenport for second. He then went to work trying to run down Clanton, pulling to his rear bumper with about three circuits to go. But Clanton was able to put a pair of lapped cars between himself and Madden, and when they became locked in a side by side battle, Madden could not find a way through. Clanton then cruised to the win ahead of Madden. Davenport, Chris Ferguson, and Gundaker turned in top five runs. The rest of the top ten was Chase Junghans, Pospisil, Scott Bloomquist, Blair Nothdurft, and Jacob Magee. Pospisil was one of three drivers, along with McKenna, and Andrew Kosiski who competed as was required, in separate cars in both divisions. 

   After hearing stories about this awesome facility for many years, it was neat to be able to take in a race there. Thanks to Barry Braun and the XR team for their efforts, and also to track prep and flagman extraordinaire Mike VanGenderen!

   Weather permitting, we hope to join the UMP Summernationals tour tomorrow night at the Davenport Speedway, where IMCA modifieds and IMCA late models will fill out the card.

    

Thousand Dollar Checks Highlight Lee County Action

    Friday night it was back to Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa for the first of four consecutive weeks of "Drive for 5" and "Drive for 3" racing. This is, I believe, year three for the late model series, year two for the modifieds, and the inaugural round for the sport mods. For the IMCA late models and IMCA modifieds, there are seven special events paying $1,000 to win the feature, and drivers participating in at least five of those races are eligible for a $5,000 payday at the mini series finale. Racers who do not attend at least five nights can still enter the final night and take home $2,000 for a win, as late model driver Justin Kay has each of the past two seasons. For the IMCA sport mods, it is four nights out of six with a payout of $600 and a final night feature paying $3,000. 

   The prospect for racing looked dim amid an overcast morning with showers around, but by late afternoon, the sun was out and the all too familiar breeze was keeping conditions on the cool side. Promoter Brian Gaylord was determined that racing would go on, and had the track ready to go shortly after the advertised hot lap time of 7:00. Additionally, last minute sponsors stepped up to make the winners' share also $1,000 for the sport mods and IMCA stock cars, and $500 for the IMCA sport compacts. 

   Seventy four cars signed in, led by nineteen sport mods, producing three heat races, and each of the other divisions had enough cars for two heats. With all the rain, the track was hammer down fast, smooth and narrow, even though extra packing laps were run before each race in an attempt to widen the racing lanes. But those conditions made everyone fast, and also cut down on the cautions. In fact, the first yellow flag of the night came in the third feature, and there had been a total of two before the wheels came off in the sport mod finale. 

   With eleven heats taking about an hour, the track crew spent about twenty minutes farming the surface, then the compacts lined up for fifteen laps. Chandler Fullenkamp paced lap one from the front row before Josh Barnes came from the third row to lead lap two. Brandon Reu started seventh and moved to second one lap later, then set sail after Barnes. Although he was able to cut into the big lead of the 13B, he could never get closer than about three car lengths as Barnes cruised to the non stop victory. Barry Taft started third and finished there, while Fullenkamp edged out Chevy Barnes in a slam bang battle for fourth. All but one of the fourteen cars took the green flag.

   All eleven stock cars came to the track for eighteen laps. Chris Wibbell was the early leader from the outside pole before sixth starting David Brandies made a turn four pass for the top spot on lap four. Two laps later, Wibbell jumped the cushion in turn four, raring up on two wheels, loosing several positions. At the mid point, Brandies had a sizable advantage, but fifth row starter Todd Reitzler, likely a refugee from a rain out in Marshalltown, had powered to second and was closing the gap on the leader. Mesnwhile, Abe Huls, Jeremy Pundt, and Chad Krogmeier were side by side and nose to tail for third. With three circuits remaining, Brandies hit slower traffic, allowing Reitzler to close to a couple car lengths. But Brandies was able to negotiate the traffic, and he drove off for the win. Reitzler, Huls, Pundt, and Krogmeier followed in anothe non stop race.

   The modified twenty two lapper had two starts called back, as visitor Garett Wilson was  a bit overanxious, resulting in a one row penalty. As the green flag waved on the fifteen car field, outside row one starter Chris Zogg jumped to the lead. Wilson moved to second on lap two, and sixth starting Mark Burgtorf to third one lap later, as the first caution of the night came for debris. Wilson chose the outside line on the Delaware restart, and Burgtorf slipped into second. As Zogg began to run away from the pack, Burgtorf, Wilson, and seventh starting Ethan Braaksma began a tussle for the ruuner up spot. By the time Wilson won that battle, with about eight laps to go, Zogg had opened a nearly straightaway lead. With no more stops, he cruised to victory. Wilson and Braaksma followed, while Denny Eckrich cleared Burgtorf late for fourth. 

   The late model twenty five lapper was the race of the night. All fifteen cars started, with pole sitter Denny Woodworth grabbing the lead on lap one. As Woodworth and his row one mate C.J. Horn pulled away from the field, seventh starting Tommy Elston began picking off cars, moving to fourth behind Sam Halstead on lap four. One lap later, the only caution came for a slowing Spencer Coats. Following the restart, Elston charged to third. Behind the top three, cars were using multiple lanes and swapping positions with a little door banging thrown in! As Elston drove around Horn with eight laps to go, Matt Ryan, who had pulled the number ten chip in the redraw, had worked his way to fourth. Two more trips around, Elston was on Woodworths' bumper and Ryan was closing in third. Two more laps and Elston took the lead and Nick Marolf joined the hunt to the front. With a pair of circuits left, Ryan and Marolf were side by side for second, and Nick grabbed the spot on the final lap as Elston walked home for the win. Ryan held third as Woodworth fell to fourth. Jeff Guengerich made a late charge to take fifth. Horn slipped to sixth in front of Halstead, Chuck Hanna, Dustin Schram, and Jeremy Pundt. 

   Sport mods wrapped up the night, and proved once again why that is the best plan. Eighteen cars were set for twenty laps. Before lap one was in the books, John Oliver Jr. in the Goble #557 and Adam Birck got together, bringing out a yellow and sending both to the tail for the restart. Pole sitter Logan Anderson grabbed the lead as racing resumed ahead of Brandon Lambert, while Brayton Carter powered from row five to third. One more lap found Carter in second and the yellow out again. Jim Gillenwater, out in a plain white #10 car challenged Carter for second as Anderson pulled well ahead of the pack. The top three became strung out, and with eight laps down, Anderson was about to catch the back of the pack when the caution came again. During the yellow, Gillenwater retired to the infield, and on this restart, Oliver was back to sixth and Birck to eighth. Birck charged to fifth in one lap, and again it was yellow time. Now the lineup went single file. But another quick yellow sent Lambert and Austin Schrage to the tail, moving Birck to third and Oliver to fourth. A sixth and final caution came with seven laps left, but Anderson remained in control, driving to a convincing win. Carter held second over Birck and Oliver, while Schrage rebounded to nose out Nicholas Profeta on the final lap for fifth. 

   All in all, it was a plus night of action in front of a decent sized gathering considering that many folks may not have even realized the track was racing. Thanks as always to Brian and Marcie G, Brian N., and the gang for their hospitality. If things go as planned, my next race may come the middle of next week at what will be a new track for me, so stay tuned!

Six Divisions Highlight Lee County Action

    It was a long night of racing at Lee County Speedway as the Sprint Invaders joined the regular five classes on a beautiful Friday night. The sprinters had their holiday weekend show postponed last Friday, so promoter Brian Gaylord offered them a quick reschedule this week, and they turned out twenty five strong to swell the pit area to ninety nine cars. The open wheel fans did their part as well, with a large crowd on hand. The action got off to a bit of a late start with race teams lining up and down the highway waiting to sign in - extra help was added - and the track crew dumping extra water on the 3/8 mile in search of a quality surface that would hold up for the extra laps put down by the big tires. The result was a smooth track with lots of action, and the final checkers waving just ahead of 11:30.

   With all preliminary racing done and the Invader field trimmed to twenty starters plus one provisional, the IMCA sport mods kicked off feature racing. Seventeen of the twenty cars on hand lined up for eighteen laps. Trayton Buckallew gave up his pole position to start at the tail as the youngster is still getting the feel for his #10, and outside row one starter Bobby Six was a scratch. This moved a pair of #14s', Brandon Lambert and Bob Cowman to the front row. Lambert shot to the early lead but  Brayton Carter took the spot away just ahead of the first of six yellow flags which marred the event. With Carter opening up a commanding lead, Reed Wolfmeyer came from row three to the runner up spot, followed by John Oliver Jr., back from a brief "retirement", now behind the wheel of the #557 machine. With the low groove the preferred way around the track, Adam Birck was trying multiple lines, and he suffered a rare spin just before the halfway mark, sending him to the tail of the still seventeen car field. Now on a mission, Birck gained back six spots in one lap before another caution at the crossed flags signalling nine down, nine to go. With three laps to go, Oliver Jr. looped his ride, ending his night, and before the final yellow Birck had powered back to third. But this night belonged to "Speedy Bray", as Carter cruised to the win ahead of Wolfmeyer and Birck. Matt Tucker turned in a solid fourth, and Lambert completed the top five.

   Now it was IMCA modified time, with Levi Smith the only scratch in the fifteen car filed. Jardin Fuller paced the opening laps as Austen Becerra was advancing from a row four start to third before a lap two caution. Lap three saw Austen in second, and as Fuller stayed committed to the low line, Becerra went up top to grab the lead. He opened a big lead before a lap ten yellow brought him back to the pack. The final stoppage was a bad one, as the red flag was displayed on the restart. The field was bottled up and Scott Boles suffered a nasty end over end flip on the front stretch that eliminated several cars. Scott appeared unhurt, and after a lengthy cleanup, racing resumed with only seven cars lining up single file. Becerra then went back to work, completing a dominating win. Jardin Fuller held on for second, edging out Mark Burgtorf. Mitch Boles was fourth, and Dennis Laveine, who had to restart not once, but twice at the tail, came through in fifth. 

   The Sprint Invaders then came trackside for twenty five laps. Jeff has the complete story on the Back Stretch, but this one featured an intense early battle between Cody Wehrle and Josh Schneiderman, including several trips through heavy lapped traffic and some side by side action. It took about fifteen laps for Schneiderman to finally grab the lead, and he then drove off to victory. All but one of the starters failed to complete the twenty five laps. Wehrle was second, while Chase Randall from row seven and Terry McCarl from row eight came next. Ninth starting Riley Goodno rounded out the first five.

   All eleven IMCA late models came to the track, however Nick Marolf, who had exited the track while leading his heat race, pulled to the infield as the green flag waved. Heat winners Darin Weisinger Jr. and Tommy Elston sat on row one, and Elston jumped to the lead. With no cautions slowing the action and everyone running the inside line, Weisinger Jr. was able to close the gap somewhat, but Elston led all twenty laps for the win. Sam Halstead cam home third, chased by Dalton Simonsen and Ray Raker. Bobby Hansen, racing at Lee County for the first time since 2003, ran sixth in front of Jeremy Pundt, Jeff Guengerich, Denny Woodworth, and Blake Woodruff.

   The fifteen car IMCA sport compacts were up next for fifteen laps. Justin Stevenson held off Barry Taft as five cars did a mad scramble behind them. Taft grabbed the lead four laps in, and as he stretched his lead, Chevy Barnes moved to second at about the halfway mark. On lap ten, Stevenson may have lost a wheel between turns three and four, and he went for a nasty flip, bringing the red flag out once more. He was a bit shaken, and was being checked out by the EMS crew. When racing resumed, Josh Barnes charged to second as he ran three wide with Chevy and Brandon Reu. Soon Reu, who had been quiet all night, powered to the runner up spot, and as Taft came through turns three and four to the checkers, Reu was able to slip around him for a half car length win. Chevy Barnes rebounded in third, while Kimberly Abbott drove around Josh Barnes for fourth. 

   IMCA stock cars finished things off, thirteen strong for eighteen circuits. Chad Krogmeier came from row two to pace lap one , with fifth starting Abe Huls in tow. It was three more laps before Abe grabbed the top spot, and once more the pack settled in the low line around the boundary tires. This is where Huls does his best work, and he was never challenged in the caution free event. Krogmeier drove a flawless race to come home second, while double duty Jeremy Pundt was third. David Brandies and Jason See both advanced three spots while trying some other lines, but came home fourth and fifth.

   All five regular classes will be in action next Friday night with what I believe will be a Drive for Five night for the late models. Be sure and check the website for details.

Kofoid and Gustin Dominate at Tri City

    Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Illinois had plans to kick off a major weekend of racing culminating with the first appearance by the NASCAR Cup Series just down the road at World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison on Sunday.  However the weatherman did not cooperate on Wednesday, with soggy track conditions forcing postponement of the FLO Racing $22,022 to win late model and $1,500 to win UMP modified headliner. With the World of Outlaw late models topping the card on Friday night at the 3/8 mile facility, several late model teams were either en route to the track or already on site. So track owners/promoters Kevin and Tammy Gundaker stepped up and added a UMP late model event to the Thursday card, which featured USAC Midgets, Hart Non Wing Micros, Winged Karts, and Junior Sprints. The late models would be racing for $5,000 to win, and would run the opening feature of the night.

   At least, that was what was advertised, but...

   A total of one hundred fourteen race teams checked in, with twenty nine late models and twenty seven midgets leading the way. Following hot laps for all five classes, the midgets time trialed, two at a time, then the late models did the same, in groups of three. Penngrove, California driver Buddy Kofoid gave us a preview of what was to come, by pacing midget qualifying at 15.687 seconds, then Kyle Larson climbed from his midget into his #6 late model and paced the field with a lap of 15.400 seconds. Fifteen heat races and four B mains later - including a pair of twelve lap six car late model last chance races transferring the top four, it was finally feature time.

   Based on the order of events earlier in the program, it was apparent that the midget main event would likely run first, as this was the featured race for the T.V. crowd on this night. But we were a bit dismayed to see all twenty two Outlaw Karts line up for fifteen laps around the short track built inside the 3/8 mile. As most of these participants are of elementary school age, lining up the race was much like forming a lunch line, but instead of punching the person in front of you, there was a lot of what I assume was unintentional bumper tag, often resulting in stalled karts, etc. One interesting note about this division was the participation by several next generation racers of note, including Cruz Griffaw (son of Rusty), Elladee Crafton (daughter of Matt), Brexton Busch (son of Kyle), and Owen Larson (son of Kyle), who went for a wild flip early in the race. Eventually fifteen laps were completed, with Grayson Price surviving a late race yellow flag to edge out Busch in a battle of North Carolina drivers. Area racers Daniel Browne, Isabella Coleman, and Cruz completed the top five. During this event, the track crew did a quick manicure of the corners of the big track.

  Interviews and pictures complete, the midgets came to the track for thirty laps of action. Kofoid had followed up his quick time with a heat race win, and by third lap of the feature he had charged to the front of the pack. He then set sail, leaving the rest of the twenty four cars to fight it out behind him. Th race had one red flag on the opening lap, as heat three winner Dominic Gordon went for a hard flip after jumping the cushion in turns one and two. Larson muscled around Justin Grant for second late in the race, but by then Kofoid was long gone. Zach Daum and Cannon McIntosh rounded out the first five. Thomas Meseraull topped the other heat, while Jace Park grabbed the B main.

   Now it was late model time. The lineup was of course straight up from the heats, with Larson and Bobby Pierce in row one, Max Blair and Ryan Gustin in row two. Pierce was out front as lap one was scored, followed by Larson and Blair. On the second trip around, Larson grabbed the lead and Gustin jumped to third. The caution came at lap four, Pierce retired with engine woes, and Shannon Babb joined him on the infield. Back under green, Larson was working the narrow cushion in turns one and two, opening up a nice lead over Gustin. Kyle Bronson came up to challenge Gustin on lap nine. Two laps later, the steering appeared to break on Larsons' car, as he drove into the turn one wall, bringing out the caution and ending his run. On the restart, Gustin pulled away from the pack and was about the catch slower traffic when a final caution came at lap nineteen for a slowing Frank Heckenast Jr. With a clear track ahead, Gustin shot to a nearly straightaway lead over Bronson, while Tanner English, Dennis Erb Jr., and Blair duked it out for third. Gustin cruised to the win, topping Bronson, Erb Jr., Blair, and English. Kyle Hammer ran sixth, followed by Billy Moyer Sr., out of retirement for the Eldora Million, wheeling the Tim Lance #48. Daryn Klein, Dylan Thompson, and Mark Voigt filled out the top ten. Heckenast Jr., and Trevor Gundaker were B main victors.

   Two features remained, but we joined most of the remaining spectators in a dash for the gate as the midnight hour was upon us. The racing was entertaining and the surface was a good one, but time management is the one issue that Tri City seems to struggle with. Or maybe I am just getting too old to hit the bed at 3:00 A.M.!

   Tonight we will stay closer to home, returning to our familiar spot at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, where the Sprint Invaders will join the regular five classes in making up their rained out event from last weekend. And per Facebook, Dancin' Bobby Hansen is set to join the show in his #9 late model! Maybe we will see you there!