Season Champions Decided at Quincy

    Season championship night took center stage before another large crowd at Adams County,Illinois Speedway on Sunday. It was a beautiful night for racing, and the track responded by taking rubber during the feature events, creating a smooth surface. However with a persistent breeze from the south, the drivers searching for something extra on the cushion continued to keep those of us in the bleachers well dusted, as my shower can attest! With driver introductions before each feature race, it turned into a very long evening of racing.

   Sixty nine race teams came to race in the five championship divisions. Kenny Wallace topped twenty UMP modified qualifiers with a lap of 14.158 seconds, then a dozen heat races set the fields for the main events.

   UMP Pro Crate late models would kick things off. The season title was already decided, with Denny Woodworth collecting another trophy. The " Racing Attorney" would line up in row two of the ten car finale alongside Tommy Elston. Mark Burgtorf would wheel the Lynn Richard #15R out to the early lead, but Elston would take over by lap three. Burgtorf refused to give in, racing side by side with Elston for several circuits. The caution came on lap nine, one lap before the halfway mark as rookie James Dickerson looped his #72. As the cars realigned, Burgtorf drove to the pits, his run finished. Darin Weisinger Jr. then took up the chase ahead of a second caution with eight to go for another late model rookie, Darren Cawthon. Now Weisinger and Woodworth locked in a tight battle for second while Sam Halstead and Cody Maguire ran side by side behind them. A final yellow came with three to go, and this final restart saw Woodworth take command of the runner up position behind the cruising Elston. Halstead powered his way to third, followed by Weisinger and Maguire. Jeff Dotzert ran sixth in front of Jason Oenning and Cawthon, as eight cars took the checkers. It was the fourth win of the season at ACS for Elston.

   Ten street stocks raced next for fifteen laps. Again, the points race was already locked up, with Jacksonville, Il. driver Rudy Zaragoza taking the title. Rudy also started in row one alongside Troy Grotz, and he jumped to the lead before a lap two caution for Robert Thompson. On the restart, Grotz ducked to the infield, and with the cars scrambling behind him, the yellow waved again. Back to action, Beau Taylor drove his IMCA car to the second position. A final caution came with five in the books, with the final ten laps staying green. Taylor hounded Zaragoza the whole way, sticking his nose inside the #67R on several occasions. Rudy would not give up the inside line, as he went the distance for the victory. Taylor came home in second, chased by Jake Powers, Derek Wiss piloting the #24D, and Pete Stodgel.

   Wallace and Dave Weitholder paced the modified twenty lapper, as lap one was scored. Following cautions on laps two and three, points champion Austen Becerra (not Bercerra!) moved in to challenge Weitholder for second. The leaders caught slower traffic about lap eight, and Wallace became trapped behind a lapped car, turning the top spot over to Weitholder and second to Becerra and the yellow flag waved as that lap was completed. With a clear track ahead, Weitholder stretched his lead. One more stoppage came with fifteen in the books, and on this final restart, Mike Vanderiet Jr. moved into second. However he could not hold off Becerra, who followed Weitholder to the checkers. Vanderiet was third, Mark Burgtorf drove home fourth in the IMCA Bill Baker #03B, and Wallace rounded out the top five.

   This marked the final night of the Slam Dunk IMCA Sport Mod championship series, and sponsor Tony Dunker hosted much of the festivities for this event. Again, the title chase was already decided, with veteran Adam Birck well out front. Justin Bartz and Quinton Shelton led the seventeen cars to green, racing for eighteen laps. Shelton was being chased by Brandon Savage when the caution waved at lap four. Birck, as well as top contender Tanner Klingele showed damage to their rides at this point, with the right front suspension on Bircks' #112 leaving the front wheel severely towed out. Back under green, Savage charged to the lead while Austin Poage, Shelton, and Logan Cumby battled behind him. The yellow flag waved again with eight laps scored, and Cumby grabbed the lead as racing resumed. He then survived one more caution, finally cruising to the win. Klingele came on late to overtake Josh Holtman for third, while Shelton grabbed fourth in front of Dakota Girard.

   With many in the crowd heading for the exits, even the ambulance attendants must have thought racing was done, as the "Boo Boo Bus" headed for the gate, only to make a quick turnaround. Ironically, they would be needed for one of the few times this season. 

   With some penalties imposed after last weeks' drama, Jeffery Delonjay and Jimmy Dutlinger would begin the final feature tied for the points lead, with Kimberly Abbott in third, four points behind. Jeffery and brother Jaden would sit on row one, and even though Dutlinger charged quickly from row three to third, Jeffery was already building a cushion out front, with Jaden in second. Six laps into the fifteen lap affair, Robert Thompson Jr. went into a series of barrel rolls on the backstretch. Complaining of back and neck pain, the ambulance crew was preparing to transport him to the hospital, but after several minutes, he decided to forego the trip, and the remaining eleven starters lined up for the final nine laps. Although Dutlinger was able to clear Jaden for second, it was all Jeffery Delonjay, as he cruised to both the feature win and the track title. Jaden rolled home third, followed by Bobby Douglas and Abbott.

   Although the points races are over at ACS, there are still several events on the schedule, including a Topless night next Sunday, the two day extravaganza on Friday and Saturday, September 16 and 17., and Sprint Invaders season championship on the 25th. Check the track website for more details.

   Thanks as always to Jim, Tammy, Blake, and the crew for their hospitality. Next up for us will be the rescheduled SLMR late model event this Friday on the big half mile at West Liberty, Iowa. Thanks for reading!

Point Champions Crowned at Donnellson

    Friday was season championship night at the Lee County Speedway. With a huge giveaway for the Junior Fan Club, the stands were packed with youngsters and their parents. In fact, it was announced as by far largest turnout of youngsters recorded by the club, and they were treated to an excellent night of high speed action on the lightning fast, smooth three eighths mile oval.

   In addition, the car count saw good turnouts with Columbus Junction closed until November and Davenport featuring super late models and midgets. In addition to eighty one cars in the regular five classes, a dozen of the mini hauler trucks signed in. Surprisingly, it was the Sport Compact class that failed to hold up their end , with only nine racers checked in. 

   Heat race action clicked off in fine fashion, and with the track having plenty of bite, there were few caution flags to disturb the hammer down racing. Following a reasonable though longer than normal intermission to finish off the giveaways, it was feature time.

   Sport Compacts were up first, nine cars for fifteen laps. Chandler Fullenkamp shot to the lead from outside row one even as his father Chuck pulled to the infield ahead of the green flag. Kimberly Abbott applied pressure early as a pair of yellow flags in the first five laps slowed the action. Following the lap five stoppage, Brandon Reu joined the front duo in a three car battle. Reu was able to grab the lead with four circuits remaining, but Fullenkamp powered back to the front on the next trip around. Continuing to hit his marks, Chandler held on for his first feature win. Reu came home second while also securing the track points title. Abbott ran third, and the final two cars on the track were Barry Taft in a #20C car in fourth followed by Justin Stevenson.

   The IMCA stock car class was a star studded twenty one car field going at it for eighteen laps. One of those standouts, Todd Reitzler was eliminated during a multi car pile up on the opening lap. Following the clean up, double duty Jeremy Pundt grabbed the early lead chased by Jason See. Nathan Ballard had dominated his heat race, and he quickly came from row five to fourth while Abe Huls advanced to third. See moved to the front on lap four with Huls and Ballard also slipping around Pundt. Abe drove to the lead on lap six, and one lap later Ballard took over the second position. As the halfway mark came Josh Foster began a march to the front, moving to third, while eventual points champion David Brandies entered the top five. Huls was working the preferred high line, Ballard was chasing him one lane lower, so Foster set up down low as they raced in tight formation. Coming to the line on lap twelve, Foster made contact with Ballard, sending Ballard for a spin. Nathan headed to the trailer with a flat tire and Foster headed to the tail of the field. This was all Huls needed, as he drove away from the pack on the restart. Now it was eleventh starting Derrick Agee in a tussle with See for second, while Brandies and row seven starter John Oliver Jr. looked for a way around that pair. At the checkers it was Huls by a wide margin, followed by Agee, Brandies, See, and Oliver Jr.

   The IMCA modifieds only turned out a dozen cars, but again it was a strong group. Dennis Laveine led the first three of the twenty laps before his row one mate, Daniel Fellows jumped to the front. Visiting hot shoe Travis Denning had lined up in row five, but by lap six he had climbed to third. Fellows opened a sizable advantage as the racing behind him was intense. Track champion Austen Becerra joined the battle with seven to go, sliding Denning for third. As Becerra, Laveine, and Denning ran door to door and nose to tail for second, Fellows continued to run up next to the guardrail in the corners while maintaining his lead. With no cautions to slow the action, Daniel crossed the stripe in what was reported to be his first "A" mod win, very surprising to me! Becerra made the late move to second in front of Laveine and Denning, while Mark Burgtorf made a late charge to fifth.

   All but one of the sixteen IMCA late models lined up for twenty laps. Nick Marolf had been headed to the front in his heat race when he suddenly slowed in turn three, his night over. Visiting Colton Leal had picked up a heat win, and he powered from the outside pole to the early lead. Denny Woodworth moved to second ahead of a lap three yellow for Ray Raker. Ed Hollenbeck battled with Woodworth for second on the restart, but all eyes were now on twelfth starting Tommy Elston as he entered the top five. Four laps in he was in fourth, and one lap later climbed to third. Now the caution came as Darin Weisinger Jr. got sideways coming off turn two. Back under green for a lap, Elston split Leal and Woodworth for the lead. With nine in the books, rookie Dakota Job lost the handle in turn four. On this restart, there was contact involving Weisinger Jr. and Sam Halstead. The caution was charged to Weisinger Jr., and he was sent to the pits for his second violation. It was a judgement call that created quite a bit of controversy with a few folks seeing things differently than the officials. When racing resumed after a few minutes, Elston checked out even as Woodworth and Dalton Simonsen hooked up in a back and forth tussle for second. One final caution came for debris, but that did nothing to slow Elston who drove off with the win and his eleventh track title. Simonsen won the race for second over Woodworth. C.J. Horn ran fourth, topping Jeff Guengerich. Halstead, Leal, Pundt, visiting Bobby Hansen, and Woodworth team driver Jason Oenning completed the top ten. 

   IMCA Northern Sport Mods turned out twenty three cars, with all making the start for eighteen laps. Jim Gillenwater started in row two, and drove past his son Cole for the lap one lead while Dakota Girard came from row three to second on the next lap. Following a pair of cautions in the first five circuits, the Girard brothers, Dakota and Kyler were side by side in second and third while eleventh starting Logan Anderson was running in fifth, and his row six mate, track champion Brayton Carter was in seventh. With eleven laps left, Anderson found an opening between the Girards and charged to the runner up position as Carter entered the top five. At halfway, Anderson had taken over the lead while Carter was now in fourth. Carter cleared Gillenwater for third as seventh starting Brandon Savage decided it was "go time," advancing to fifth. The caution came with four laps to go for Cole Gillenwater, and a final yellow waved on the restart. Back under green, Carter powered to second, but could not overtake Anderson, who collected the win. Kyler Girard held off a charging Savage who fought with the turn one guardrail as they ran third and fourth, while John Oliver Jr. came around late to gain five positions to fifth in the #557. 

   The hands on the clock tickled 10:30, the trucks came to the track and we headed for the gates. It was no surprise this morning to see that Tucker Richardson and Brian Tipps again dominated the Mini Hauler feature in that order.

   It was a fast paced, high intensity night of racing at Lee County. They will return on SATURDAY, September 10 with the Drive for Five finale for the late models, then prepare for three more nights of racing in October, including the ever popular Shiverfest. Thanks as always to the Gaylords, Brian Neal, and the LCS gang for their hospitality.

   We will take this night off for a local celebration, then be back at the track Sunday night for season championship night at the Adams County, Illinois Speedway in Quincy.

World of Outlaw Late Models Invade Davenport

    On Thursday, the World of Outlaw late models began a three day stay at the historic Davenport Speedway on the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds. What has become an annual visit began with a $10,000 to win feature which would be repeated on Friday, with a $30,000 to win grand finale on Saturday night. IMCA modifieds would share the card on Thursday, while the Xtreme Outlaw Midget Series would be a major attraction the following two nights.

   But it would be UMP standout Jason Feger who would be the man standing when the checkers fell on Friday. Feger led for most of the race, then capitalized on a flat tire for Devin Moran to take home the win. Matt Werner continued his dominance at Davenport with yet another modified victory, his eleventh of the season.

   A strong field of thirty eight late models checked, supported by thirty one modifieds. The quarter mile track was bad fast for qualifying. Ashton Winger, wheeling the #58 car driven the last time we saw it by Mark Whitener, came out early in group A and turned the oval in 13.378 seconds. That time held up until cars thirty six and seven. Those two presented an interesting contrast, as it was unretired Billy Moyer Sr. and second generation Bobby Pierce on the track. On their first trip by the flag stand, Moyer scorched the track record with a lap of 13.365 seconds only to be followed moments later by Pierce with a new track record of 13.207 ticks! Interestingly, neither driver turned a competitive second lap.

    Of course the series uses the "fast cars up front" lineup procedure, and thus the first three heat races were won from the front row, with pole sitter Winger and outside row one starters Feger and Moran victorious. In heat four, Moyer was penalized for jumping the start, curious as he was the pole sitter, but the infraction moved Kent Robinson to the pole from where he led the distance to the win. 

   A pair of last chance races saw Shane Clanton come from row two for a victory, while Jake Timm charged from outside row one and led for nine and one half laps before ducking to the infield and turning the win over to pole sitter Trevor Gundaker. 

   The track crews worked hard throughout the night to cure what was an unusually top side dominant racing surface, and by feature time they had hit on a combination that gave us lots of action.

   The mods would go first, twenty four cars for twenty laps. Ryan Duhme and Matt Werner lined up in row one, and it looked like Duhme in front by a nose as lap one was scored. But from there the race belonged to Werner. Travis Denning and Cody Laney took up the chase ahead of the first caution with three laps in the books. Back to racing, Austen Becerra entered the fray in fourth, with Laney now in second ahead of Denning. A multi car pileup in turn two stopped the action two laps later, and on the Delaware style restart, Denning retook the runner up position. A final yellow flag came after two more laps were scored, and the race was green for the final thirteen circuits. With eight laps remaining, Denning jumped the treacherous cushion in turns one and two, giving up his fourth place standing while heading to the pits. Werner and Laney had put some distance on the pack, and with a pair of laps left, slower traffic became an issue. But Werner was on top of his game, and although Laney pulled alongside him at the checkers, it was #93 picking up the win. Seventeen year old Charlie Mohr outlasted Becerra in a battle for third, while Duhme slipped around Mitch Way late to complete the top five.

   The four late model heat winners redrew for starting spots one through four, while the runners up did the same for rows three and four. Winger and Feger would bring the field to the green flag, and Feger held the lead by inches as lap one went in the books. He was beginning to stretch his lead a bit when provisional starter Josh Richards spun low in turn one with only two laps scored. Back to racing, Moyer and Pierce were headed to the front when the red flag was displayed as Chad Simpson went for a hard roll in turn four, making contact with the wall. Chad appeared shaken but not seriously injured, however the same could perhaps not be said for his #25, which left the speedway hooked to a wrecker on both front and back. Moran cleared Winger for second following the restart, and Ryan Gustin charged up to fourth a couple laps later. Feger had opened a bit of a lead pounding the cushion, however Moran, who was searching multiple grooves, was staying within striking distance. As the laps clicked off, the front pair pulled well ahead of the race for third. As slower traffic became a factor just ahead of the halfway point, Gustin was able to rejoin the hunt. Working the inside line in heavy traffic, Moran was able to grab the lead, and he jumped to the cushion, quickly opening a commanding lead. As he breezed through the slower cars, it looked like victory would be his. But with just six laps to go, the third running Gustin came to a stop on the front stretch with a flat right rear tire. While all eyes were on him, Moran suddenly drove to the work area, a tire flat on his #9, as well. This turned the lead back over to Feger, while moving Pierce to second. However the highly anticipated slide job never materialized, as Bobby could never really get close enough, and although he was able to dive under the leader one time in turn one, Jason lived up to his "Highside Hustler" nickname and drove off to the win. Pierce settled for second, as tenth starting Tanner English ran third. Winger and Moyer came next. Shannon Babb paced the second five, topping Robinson, Tyler Bruening, and Frank Heckenast Jr. Moran and Gustin had rejoined the field at the tail of the lead lap cars, and Devin salvaged a tenth place finish, while Gustin came home twelfth. Series points leader Dennis Erb Jr. was sandwiched in between, finishing eleventh.

   The late model drivers will be at it again tonight, Friday, with another $10,000 on the line. The format being used is a system of points earned on Thursday or Friday determining starting spots in the "A" or a "B" feature lineup for the big payday on Saturday.

   Thanks to Kay Promotions and the WoO folks for their hospitality and a fun night of racing.

   Tonight we will stick closer to home, as it is season points championship night for the regular five classes at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, with mini hauler trucks also on the card. Wherever you may be, gas up the car and head to a track near you!

Randall Tops Sprints, Hoffman Klingele, Delonjay Winners at Quincy

    Sunday evening the 360 cubic inch Sprint Invaders made their first of two scheduled appearances of 2022 at the Adams County, Illinois Speedway just east of Quincy off Highway 104. Three of the regular weekly classes at the track, UMP modifieds, IMCA sport mods and 4 cylinders would fill out the card, with Pro late models and street stocks off for the night. This would be a "one off " show for the Burlington, Iowa based series, as their scheduled Saturday night show at Peoria Speedway fell victim to the heavy rains that moved through the area.

   A solid field of seventy five cars were on hand, with twenty three modifieds and twenty sprints leading the way. Most surprising was the appearance of national standout Nick Hoffman in the pits with his NOS Energy #2 modified. While scheduled to race in Pennsylvania over the weekend, an unfortunate death in his family brought him to the St Louis area instead. Following Invader hot laps, Hoffman then flirted with the track record for mods, topping qualifying with a lap of 14.227 seconds around the .29 mile oval. 

   The sprinters were divided into three heat races, and they struggled to get them in the books, with numerous yellow and red flags slowing the action. Seventeen year old Chase Randall, a Waco, Texas native spending the race season in the mid west topped heat one.Series points leader Cody Wehrle, from Burlington grabbed heat two, and "local boy" Jake Griffin, who literally grew up at the track drove a brand new #0 to a popular heat three win.

   In the star studded modified field, Hoffman ran off with heat one and Michael Long, back after a lengthy absence from the speedway, dominated heat two. Kenny Wallace also made his return to Quincy and captured heat three. 

   A pair of qualifying heats for the sport mods and 4 cylinders came next, followed by the Shake Up Dash for the sprints. Randall was also victorious in this event, which as I understand it pays both purse money and championship points. Normally the winner then pulls a number one through six spoon to set the first three rows for the feature lineup. On this night a junior fan did the honors, pulling a three, putting Griffin and Tanner Gebhardt on row one and Randall lining up in the number three position.

   With intermission next, it was decided to change the running order with the twenty five lap Invader feature first. All but two of the entrants were able to make the call. Paul Nienhiser and Randall shot to the front as lap one went in the books and by the time that duo caught the back of the pack on lap five it had become a two car race. Nienhiser was riding the cushion while Randall searched for a lane to move to the front, but on lap seven Nienhiser bobbled slightly in turns three and four, allowing Randall to drive underneath him for the lead. Now Randall was able to put his #9 in the top groove and when the first caution came just before the halfway mark, the front pair had a nearly straightaway lead. Sprint Invaders use a single file realignment procedure, but only one more lap was scored before a second and final caution period. Back to racing, Randall pulled out to a solid advantage while Nienhiser also put distance on the battle for third between Gebhardt, Wehrle, and Bret Triplett. Nienhiser was able to close the gap a bit as slower traffic again came into play with four laps left, but Randall quickly regained his lost ground, cruising to the win and the clean sweep on the night. Nienhiser chased him to the checkers with Wehrle in third. Steven Russell, who started in row seven made a last lap pass of Gebhardt to take fourth, while Triplett rode home in sixth. Colton Fisher ran seventh, Veteran Ryan Jamison recovered from the lap twelve caution to finish eighth. Tyler Lee and former Quincy modified regular Dugan Thye completed the top ten.

   The modified twenty lapper was up next. Spencer Havermale was the lone no show, with Hoffman and Long on row one. Hoffman quickly charged to the lead with Wallace clearing Long for second. The first yellow flag waved for second generation driver Damian Kiefer with three laps scored. Track points leader Austen Becerra had started in row four, but was now in fifth for the restart. He moved to fourth three laps later and when the yellow flag came again one lap before halfway, Austen had jumped to third. Long gave up his top five run at this point, retiring to the pits. Hoffman again pulled well ahead of a close battle for second between Wallace, Becerra, and Dave Wietholder. Hoffman was negotiating heavy traffic with three laps to go, but one more late caution left him with a clear track ahead. Although the single file restart yielded one more quick caution, it did nothing to slow the trip to victory lane for the #2. Wallace took runner up honors, while Becerra barely held off Wietholder at the line for third. Mike Vanderiet Jr. was solid in fifth while Mark Burgtorf brought his IMCA legal ride home in sixth.

   Sixteen IMCA sport mods would check in next for eighteen laps. An early yellow flag came as pole sitter John Reiner raced his new #113 to the early lead. Tanner Klingele lined up in row three, survived an early altercation where he made contact with Michael Goodwin, who looped his machine, then charged to the front on a lap four restart. The top six cars raced in tight formation before contact from behind sent Reiner for a spin with seven in the books. This time, the offending driver, second heat winner Quinton Shelton, was sent to the tail with Reiner getting his spot back. Points leader Adam Birck had moved from row five to second by this time, and with eight laps left he nosed ahead of Klingele for the lead, damaged spoiler and all. One lap later, however, Tanner was able to retake the position just ahead of another caution. Back under green, Dakota Girard powered past Birck while fifteenth starting Logan Cumby charged to fourth. With just four circuits remaining, Girard went for a spin, with Cumby sent to the tail, much to the dismay of some in the large crowd, some of whom also showed their displeasure! With the race now green to the finish, Klingele cruised to victory, completing a sweep on the night.  Girard held off Birck for second while Reed Wolfmeyer recovered from a trip to the tail to finish in fourth. A. J. Tournear kept his nose clean all race long and advanced seven spots to complete the top five. 

   Those who headed for home ahead of the fifteen lap 4 cylinder feature missed an eventful conclusion to the evening. With sixteen cars coming to the track, outside pole sitter, heat two winner Kimberly Abbott led a five car battle before giving up the lead to first heat winner Jaden Delonjay on lap three. On the next lap, Kimberly spun into the infield, with Jimmy Dutlinger, who I believe was the points leader as racing began, charged with the caution. Jeffery Delonjay moved to the lead on the restart, with another caution at lap five. As Dutlinger worked his way forward, he was collected by Jeff Delonjay who was sent to the pits, with eight laps remaining, and Dutlinger also headed to the pits where a discussion apparently ensued. As the race headed to its' conclusion, the appearance of Adams County and Illinois State law enforcement arrived to sort out the "action" from the final two races. Meanwhile on the track, Jeffery grabbed the checkered flag and the points lead. Jaden came home second, trailed by Abbott, Davenport, Iowa visitor Trent Lebarge, and Kyle Weisenberger. 

   So it was an unusually active night at the track, hopefully things will calm down a bit ahead of season championship night next Sunday! There is lots of racing to be had in the next few weeks, so let's make the most of it. And hopefully we will see you as we go Racin' Down the Road!

McCoin, Turner, Poe, Martin, and Bell Tops at Callaway County

    The 2011 racing season was the last time we visited the Callaway Raceway outside Fulton, Missouri. But after a few seasons of inactivity, as the big quarter mile track tucked away in rural Callaway County became just a memory, race driver Galen Hassler took on the task of reviving the once thriving facility. Having heard many positive reports, we decided to make the one hundred plus mile drive to take in the five division program. Late models, B mods, Super Stocks, Pure Stocks and Hornets would fill out the Friday night card.

   The forecast was less than favorable and apparently racing in the state of Iowa was affected, but aside from a couple early sprinkles, the rain held off until we were headed home. The shift in the wind direction and some lightning during the closing laps of the late model feature was just the opening salvo to an interesting drive back home!

   A solid field of seventy cars signed in to race on Friday, and the locals indicated that the strong field of twenty late models was likely a season high, with twelve of the top fourteen in points on hand.

   If my info was correct, the track used a pill draw to line up the heat races, then passing points for the features. This is a procedure that I enjoy, although it did seem to favor the front row starters on this particular night.

   It took a bit of track packing to get the somewhat greasy track race ready, and after an impressive opening ceremony, racing kicked off about twenty minutes past the 7:30 advertised start time. Eight lap heat races ( six for the hornets) and starting all ten cars in the pure stock and hornet classes in one heat made for better racing and helped to move the show along. Intermission was a bit long as Lucas Oil Speedway representative Danny Lorton was on hand to discuss 2023 rules with the late model drivers, but soon we were feature racing.

   The POWRi super stocks would be up first, with all fourteen cars out for fifteen laps. Aaron Poe shot to the lead from outside row one, chased by pole sitter Darek Wiss in what quickly became a two car battle. Double duty Justin Russell soon caught the leaders and drove around Wiss for second on lap seven. Two laps later slower traffic became a factor, and Russell was able to pull even with Poe as lap ten was scored. But on the next trip past the flag stand Poe had opened a bit of breathing room, and he held on for the non stop flag to flag win. Russell came home second, with Wiss close in third. Jimmy Myers in his sharp looking #007 was fourth, and Ted Welschmeyer completed the top five.

   USRA B mods would be next, sixteen strong for twenty laps. The early portion of the race looked like more of the same for this division, with four yellow flags in the first five circuits. However the final fifteen laps would click off with no more stops. Front row starters Shadren Turner and Mike Striegel paced the field early, but as the race hit the halfway mark, Turner had stretched out to a nice lead. It was three laps before the checkers when Turner caught the back of the pack, but the slower cars presented no issues, as he cruised to the win, leading all the way. Striegel ran second, trailed by eighth starting Adam Paul, Tyler Lewis, and Kyler Girard in the first five.

   Hornets would show just eight of the ten cars on hand, with twelve laps the distance. Chaz Bell would quickly open a commanding lead from the pole position. The only caution would come at lap five as points leader Josh Clark would got cross ways and smack the tire barrier in turns three and four, ending his run. As racing resumed, Bell would again pull away from the pack all the way to the checkers. Alvin Cooney won a close battle with Adam Melloway for runner up honors, but Melloway was DQ'd for an unknown infraction. This moved Emery Crow to third, followed by Blake Reno and Troy Kyser. 

   Now it would be POWRi pure stock time. All ten entrants would race for a dozen laps. The lone yellow came for debris on the opening circuit, and I suspect it had something to do with the #1SS of Stan Booth, who raced the entire distance with the hood flapping up on one side of his machine. Jordan Martin used his pole start to build a solid lead by the mid point of the race. Darin Porter was able to keep Martin in his sights, but could do little to close the gap. With no other cautions, Martin would drive to the win. Porter topped Booth, Jeff Turpin, and Cliff Champney in the top five.

   Late models would put a wrap on the night, and all twenty cars made the call for twenty laps of action. (Can he still be only) fourteen year old Kayden Clatt and Justin Russell, heat two and one winners, would occupy row one. But it was heat three winner and track points leader Todd McCoin charging from inside row two to grab the lap one lead over Clatt. The caution waved at lap two as Bill Vaughn and Josh Newman got together in turn three. Russell cleared Clatt for second following the Delaware style restart, and by lap six the front of the pack had caught the back. A caution came at lap eight for a spin by Jarrett Ballard. Back to racing, McCoin opened a sizable lead as Russell, Clatt, and Tucker Cox fought for second. Russell emerged from that scrum and was closing a bit on the leader when the yellow waved with eleven in the books as Dennis Cook disappeared in the darkness off the top of turns three and four. Now came that previously mentioned change in the weather, and as racing resumed, eleventh starting Reid Millard came up to do battle for fourth with Clatt. McCoin and Russell had pulled well ahead when a final caution came five laps from the checkers, again for Ballard. Now the field would set single file, and Cox would mount a challenge for the second position. McCoin would be a flag to flag winner, while Russell held on for his second runner up of the night. Cox would settle for third, while Clatt held off Millard for fourth. Chase Breid would be steady in sixth, besting Matt Becker in seventh. Alan Westling came on strong late and was challenging for fifth before slipping off the top of turn four coming to the white flag. He would recover to run eighth in front of Scott Halley and Dallas Bennett.

   The final checkers came just after 10:30, putting a bow on a fun night of racing at this bullring tucked away in the woods of Callaway County - if you have never been there, use your GPS! Thanks to Loretta at the pit shack, as well as Galen and his team for making us feel welcome and allowing us to do what we do! There have already been many improvements made and the facility is in great shape, especially after being vacant for so long. Hopefully Galen and his group can resurrect the scoreboard and add some extra lighting both on and off the track. But I see good things in the future for Callaway Raceway!

   We will take tonight off and go visit with family and old friends at the world famous Montrose, Iowa Watermelon Festival. Maybe we will see you there! Thanks for reading!

Elston, Taylor, Birck, and Delonjay Take Quincy Checkers

    It was Back to School Night at the Adams County, Illinois Speedway on Sunday with giveaways for both the kids and adults. Only four classes would be on the card, with "A" mods having the night off.

   Fifty three cars checked in to do battle. Nine heat races clicked of in about forty five minutes and after an intermission of equal length, it was feature time. 

   IMCA sport mods lined up first, eighteen strong for eighteen laps, although John Renier, out for the first time this season went to the infield on the parade lap. Michael Goodwin put his #63G out front ahead of a lap three caution as contact sent Logan Cumby for a spin. Reed Wolfmeyer continued to dog the leader as racing resumed, grabbing the lead on lap seven only to have the yellow flag wave before the lap was scored. Row six starter Adam Birck, the track points leader was now in the top five. On the restart, Wolfmeyer put a slider on Goodwin, contact ensued with Tanner Klingele also in the mix. Klingele emerged with the lead briefly before Wolfmeyer gained control, and Birck sneaked into the runner up spot. For the next couple of laps, Birck and Wolfmeyer battled side by side, with  Birck grabbing the lead with eight to go despite spoiler and front end damage incurred along the way. Two more caution periods came in the final five laps, but Birck was not to be denied in picking up the win. Wolfmeyer was strong in second, while Dakota Girard won a battle with Klingele for fourth. A last lap pass by A.J. Tournear netted him a top five finish.

   Eleven late models lined up for twenty trips around the .29 mile oval. Heat race winners Mark Burgtorf in the Lynn Richard #15R and Darin Weisinger Jr. sat on row one. Burgtorf used the inside line to grab the lead, with sixth starting Tommy Elston clearing Weisinger for second on lap two. Burgtorf stayed glued to the bottom on the slick track as Elston searched for a way around the sixteen time track champion. Following a caution with five in the books for a Darren Cawthon spin, it became a two car battle up front. Another caution bunched the field with seven laps to go, but again Burgtorf stayed in control. As the leaders drove out of turn four completing lap seventeen, Elston had a nose ahead of Burgtorf. The caution then waved once more, and officials scored the lap complete, restarting Elston out front. He quickly dove to the bottom groove and pulled away in the closing laps for his second consecutive and third overall win at the track. Burgtorf had to fight to hold off Braden Bilger over the final pair of laps for second, while Denny Woodworth switched cars with teammate Jason Oenning and came home fourth ahead of Cody Maguire. Sam Halstead ran sixth in front of Weisinger Jr., Jeremy Pundt, Oenning, and newcomer Bill Berghaus. 

   The 4 cylinders showed fifteen cars on the night, and fifteen laps would be their feature distance. Jeffery Delonjay and Jimmy Dutlinger lined up in row one and crossed the line that way ahead of a debris caution with two laps down. On the restart, Jaden Delonjay took up the chase of his brother as he climbed to second. Seventh starting Kimberly Abbott found a bite in the high line and charged to fourth. With Dutlinger retaking the runner up spot, Jaden and Kimberly became locked in a duel for third. They crossed the line in a near dead heat with two laps left, Abbott ahead by a whisker. Meanwhile Jeffery cruised to the win, with Dutlinger coming home second. Abbott held off Jaden, while Austin Harris trailed a ways behind in fifth.

   Street stocks would round out the night with only nine cars on hand for fifteen circuits. Beau Taylor and points leader Rudy Zaragoza would occupy row one, and Taylor quickly jumped out front. With three laps scored, Zaragoza was skating around the high side of the track and spun, triggering a multi car pile up. When the lineup reset, four cars had been forced to the pit area. Back under green, Taylor had his #13 machine working in the low groove and he steadily stretched his lead on the very slick surface. He was racing to the white flag when the caution waved again for Zaragoza. This set up a one lap dash to the checkers. Taylor claimed victory, holding  off a last ditch attempt by Jake Powers. Steve Grotz raced home third, with Pete Stodgel and Zaragoza rounding out the top five. 

   The final checkers waved just after 8:30. 

   The 360 cubic inch Sprint Invader series will roll into town next Sunday night, UMP modifieds will return and street stocks will have the night off. Be sure and check the track website for details as I am not sure of the full lineup of classes. Thanks to Jim, Tammy, Blake, and the staff for an entertaining night of racing!

Diercks Takes Care of Business at Davenport

 Friday night the MLRA weekend tour through eastern Iowa moved 50 miles north to the Davenport Speedway for a $5,000 to win open late model headliner. Also highlighting the show it was the Ronnie Weedon Memorial for IMCA modifieds. IMCA late models, IMCA sport mods, street stocks and the Nostalgia Stock Car Racing Club  also competed during a busy night on the big quarter mile at the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds. Progress continues on several improvements at the facility with a new concession stand topped by viewing suites coming in the near future.

   One hundred and sixteen cars filled the pit area, although the nineteen super late models again felt a bit light for a show of this stature. 

   For the second consecutive night, hometown hero Spencer Diercks topped the time trial leader board with a 13.354 second lap. In typical Davenport Speedway fashion, all heat races clicked off in a timely manner, and we moved quickly into feature racing. 

   IMCA sport mods would roll off first, twenty three cars for fifteen laps. I am not sure if it is the drivers, the superb track conditions, or a combination, but only a pair of yellow flags would slow the action on the crowded raceway. Cody Clausen led the field until the first yellow with a pair of laps in the books. Back under green it was Logan Veloz coming all the way from row seven to grab the top spot. The recent high school grad was putting distance on the field when the second and final caution came three laps later. On this restart Jesse Bodin would power to the runner up position, but Veloz was again on the run, pulling well ahead. With the race staying green to the finish, Veloz cruised to his eleventh win of the season. Bodin topped Ben Chapman for second, trailed by Todd Dykema and David Engelkens in the top five. Nineteen cars were still on track at the checkers.

   Typically the vintage classes that race around the area put on a quick and entertaining bit of reminisce for the crowd. Unfortunately, this was not the case on this night. Perhaps it was the full moon, but countless yellow flags due to atypical aggressive driving made their feature painful to watch and more importantly ate up a lot of clock time at a facility with a curfew. Finally Terry Mattly was able to take his #112 to victory lane.

   The MLRA thirty lap headliner would come next. As he had the night prior, Diercks would have the pole start after his heat one win. But the heartbreak of Thursday would fade to the rear view mirror, with a better outcome in front of the home town crowd. Chased by his row one mate Chris Simpson, Spencer would roll around the bottom of the track while Chris did business on the cushion. The pair raced side by side for several laps with Simpson actually holding the lead for laps two and three. But Diercks would fight back and by lap seven he was stretching his margin. Slower traffic entered the picture a dozen laps in, and the man on the move now was Justin Kay. Starting in row four, he was pounding the cushion , closing to fourth at the halfway mark. Simpson was able to narrow the lead to a car length as we passed lap twenty while Chad Simpson and Kay also drove into contention. With four laps remaining, Chris was temporarily caught behind a lapped car, and brother Chad was able to use a higher line to take the second spot away. With nary a yellow flag to slow the proceedings, Diercks drove home to the emotional win. Chad stayed ahead of Chris for second, while Kay crossed the line in fourth. However, after a lengthy visit in the tech area, Justin was disqualified, possibly by the dreaded droop rule. Frank Heckenast Jr. and Kolby Vandenbergh would then record top fives, followed by Thursday winner Tony Jackson Jr., and Daniel Hilsabeck. Tim Simpson and Mark Burgtorf raced side by side lap after lap, crossing the line next, while Brandon Queen scored a top ten finish.

   The Ronnie Weedon Memorial IMCA modified twenty lapper would come next with two dozen cars taking the green flag. Pole sitter Matt Werner would lead Brad Dierks as lap one was scored. Back in the pack, cars were racing four wide all around the oval. With Werner well ahead, Travis Denning charged around Dierks to second on lap seven. Just before the mid point, slower traffic came into play, and with seven laps left on the scoreboard, Denning moved in to challenge for the lead. On the next trip around, Travis took command. One lap later, the only caution of the race came, with Dierks involved, sending him to the tail of the lead lap. As the checkers waved, it was Denning taking the win, topping Werner, double duty Bryce Garnhart, and Chris Zogg. Drew Janssen drove all the way from row ten to complete the top five, while Mitch Morris also gained eleven spots to run sixth!

   The IMCA late models turned out twenty three cars, with all taking the green for twenty five laps. Following a lap one yellow, third starting Luke Merfeld grabbed the lead. Two laps in, a second and final caution came for a multi car mess that saw Colton Leal leave on the hook with heavy front end damage. Chris Lawrence would be out front for the restart, and Merfeld quickly moved in to challenge. Luke would race around the tire barriers and Chris was operating in the high groove. in what soon became a five car parade as traffic came into play eleven laps in. With Lawrence fading a bit, Joel Callahan moved to second, taking along Chuck Hanna. Nick Marolf, wheeling a brand new car was on the move after starting in ninth. He charged to fourth with seven to go, then third two laps later. Matt Ryan was also in the mix before slipping over the edge of the track with four laps left, slowing his run. Now Callahan was able to power around Merfeld for the lead, while Justin Kay, who had been making steady progress shot to third. On the closing laps, Marolf suddenly ducked to the infield, his run ending early. Merfeld hung on to second, but it was Callahan in victory lane. Kay was third while Hanna took fourth in front of eleventh starting Andy Nezworski. Ryan recovered to finish sixth ahead of Garnhart and Nebraska visitor Cory Dumpert, who leads the IMCA national points. Jacob Waterman wheeled the Mike Goben #1M to a ninth place finish, with Lawrence in tenth. 

   Street stocks were in staging to wrap up the night as we took our leave, congratulations to Landen Chrestensen on his win.

   Thanks once again to Ricky and Brenda Kay for their hospitality and for another excellent night of racing! We will take tonight off, then look for our usual seats at the Adams County, Illinois Speedway in Quincy on Sunday. Hope to see you there!

Jackson Jr. Cashes in with MLRA Win at C. J. Speedway

   After nearly a month off the MLRA late models invaded the state of Iowa for a three day weekend swing beginning on Thursday night at Larry Richardsons' C.J. Speedway on the Louisa County Fairgrounds in Columbus Junction, Iowa. The $5,000 to win event had originally been scheduled as the opening salvo of a July 4 holiday weekend, but inclement weather ruined those plans. After the Thursday show on the four tenths mile oval, the series will travel a few miles up the road to the Davenport Speedway on Friday, then top off the weekend a bit further north at the Maquoketa Speedway on Saturday. During the time since the postponement at C.J. some local sponsors stepped up to boost the first place prize to a tidy $8,000 for the opening night! In addition three weekly classes would also be chasing bigger paydays, with IMCA modifieds battling for $1,000, IMCA stock cars and IMCA sport mods for $750 to win.

   The late model count may have been a bit below expectations at sixteen, while the other classes came in about the same, with only modifieds requiring three heat races.

   Spencer Diercks, from just up the road in Davenport paced qualifying, with a lap of 17.543 seconds, and heat races then rolled off in fine fashion. 

   Following intermission, the late model thirty lap headliner would be up first. Heat winners Diercks and Tony Jackson Jr. lined up in row one, with Diercks grabbing the early lead. Contact from behind sent fifth running Rickey Frankel spinning on lap three, bringing the first caution. The front duo quickly pulled ahead as racing resumed. By lap ten, the leaders had caught slower traffic allowing Jackson Jr. to close the gap, but Diercks continued to hold him off. As the laps clicked off, Jackson was faced with a brief challenge from Frank Heckenast Jr. On lap twenty three, Jackson was able to pull alongside Diercks, and was actually a nose ahead at the line. This would prove crucial, because although Diercks fought back, the yellow came again before the next lap was complete. The caution was for Chad Simpson, and now Jackson would sit up front for the restart. With Chris Simpson now pushing Diercks for second, Jackson Jr. would pull away for the win. Diercks held off Chris for second, while Heckenast Jr. and Daniel Hilsabeck completed the top five. Chad Simpson was able to charge back to sixth, chased by Frankel, Kolby Vandenbergh, Jonathan Huston, and Jay Johnson.

   IMCA stock cars would be next, with all but one of the sixteen signed in racing for twenty laps. First heat winner Nathan Ballard would redraw the pole position and take the lead at the green. The first caution came as top challenger David Brandies slowed on lap three, with smoke escaping from his #71. Ballard again took command in front of a tight three car battle between Scotty Pratt, Johnny Spaw, and Damon Murty. Following a lap eight caution, Murty moved to second, then with eleven in the books a critical point of the race came. Making contact with the wall, Spaw cut down a tire and was headed to the infield when the caution waved for Norman Bean. This allowed Spaw to duck to the pits for a quick tire change. Back under green, Murty was tagged from behind by Pratt, who was sent to the tail while Murty retired to the trailer. With Ballard on cruise control, the caution came again with three laps to go, and now Spaw would restart in fourth. He quickly jumped one more position, and entering turn one on the final lap, Ballard temporarily lost the handle, with second running Kirk Kinsley having to check up to avoid contact. In the right place at the tight time, Spaw drove around both leaders and took the unlikely win. Ballard recovered for second, with Kinsley, Pratt, and Chase Zaruba turning in top fives. 

   IMCA modifieds came next for twenty laps. Mitch Way shot to the front ahead of a lap three caution for Matt Werner, who may have had help with a quick trip through the infield. Austen Becerra had been running near the front, fell back on the restart, but was now busting through the pack, grabbing the lead on lap eight. By the time Jarrett Brown claimed second at the halfway mark, Becerra was well out front. After a battle for second, Drew Janssen was closing on the leader when a caution came at lap sixteen. Back to racing, Becerra was running his usual line on the top of the track while Janssen used the low groove. As the field took the white flag, Janssen may have caught a rut in turn one, and made a sharp right hand turn, driving up the levee. Although the field was able to drive by, the yellow waved, setting up a two lap dash. On the restart it was Becerra who climbed the grassy knoll, riding the levee all the way down the backstretch, losing several positions. Again the white flag was displayed and again the yellow flag followed, and again it would be green, white, checkers. This was accompanied by a lengthy delay with a car stuck near the top of the backstretch levee, which took some time to remove. Finally back to racing, it was Brown out front and taking the win over fifteenth starting Mike McKinney, tenth starting Denny Eckrich, Werner, and Dallon Murty.

   There would still be twenty laps of IMCA sport mod action, but with the clock on the back side of 10:30 and Darryl and I nursing summer colds, we decided to head for the parking lot. Congratulations to Logan Anderson for his win from row four over Shane Paris, seventeenth starting Ryan Walker, Brayton Carter driving cousin Carter Vandenbergs' #7V, and Levi Heath. 

   We will now make the quick turnaround and head to Davenport Speedway for night two of this MLRA mini tour. Thanks to Larry and his group for their hospitality. The next race at C.J. will be the increasingly popular Turkey Dash on Saturday, November 5, and yes, we hope to see you there!

Elston, Becerra, Grotz, Cumby, Hawkins Tops at Quincy

    Sunday night meant close to home racing, as we took our familiar spots atop the stands at Adams County Illinois Speedway in Quincy.

    Sixty five teams signed in to race in the five division program. It was another hot, humid night at the track.

    Heat race action clicked off in timely fashion ahead of a twenty minute or so intermission, then it was feature time. 

    Eleven UMP Pro Crate late models lined up first for twenty laps. Heat one winner Braden Bilger took off from the pole position, leading the opening circuit while fourth starting Tommy Elston charged to second. Two more laps and it was Elston moving to the lead. He then began to stretch his lead, pounding the cushion in turns one and two, then ducking low at the other end. Surprisingly, the pack chasing him all ran nose to tail on the inside line. He had nearly a straightaway lead when the yellow flag waved with eleven laps to go for Denny Woodworth, who suddenly slowed his #45DW. Back under green, Tommy again built a lead as Bilger, Darin Weisinger Jr., and Chase Osterhoff battled for second. The caution came a final time with seven laps to go as rookie James Dickerson had issues in turn two. Osterhoff grabbed the runner up spot from Bilger on the Delaware style restart, but there would be no catching Elston. Bilger held on to third in front of Weisinger Jr. and Cody MaGuire. Sam Halstead ran sixth, while Woodworth came from the tail to seventh. Jeff Dotzert, Jason Oenning, and Darren Cawthon, out for the second time in his #74 rounded out the top ten.

   Eight street stocks made the fifteen lap feature call. Steve Grotz and Jake Powers would sit on row one after heat two winner Rudy Zaragoza forfeited his front row start for neglecting to cross the scales following his win. Grotz led the first time around ahead of a yellow for a Zaragoza spin. Back to racing, Powers pressured Grotz lap after lap, but the veteran driver kept his #22G out front to the checkers. Zaragoza rebounded to third at the halfway point, but could not catch the leaders, despite Powers running minus the nose piece from his #0. Pete Stodgel and Chad Myers completed the top five.

    The UMP modified twenty lapper started out as the type of race that makes one consider changing hobbies. Six yellow flags marred the first six laps of racing, with considerable time spent attaching cars to wreckers and struggling with realignments. Drake Stevenson, a much improved driver at the speedway, captured the first heat then held the top spot in the feature until lap eleven. Rick Conoyer, who earlier in the evening set quick time for the mods, then sneaked into the lead, taking along track points leader Austen Becerra in second as Stevenson was shuffled back several spots. Three laps later, Becerra grabbed the lead, then pulled away from Conoyer on the black slick track. With the cautions out of the way, Austen cruised to his sixth win of the season at ACS. Mark Burgtorf made a late charge on the low line to the runner up spot after starting seventh. Dave Weitholder rebounded from a mid race bobble to third, with Conoyer and Stevenson finishing fourth and fifth.

    After the modified marathon we needed a smooth race, and the 4 cylinders delivered. All but one of the fourteen entrants lined up for fifteen laps. With East Moline Speedway rained out, Nick Proehl made the haul south from Milan, Illinois and paced the first two circuits. As lap two was scored, Jeffery Delonjay tried to squeeze under Proehl entering turn one, ran out of room and spun into the tire barrier, bringing out the lone caution of the race. When racing resumed, there was a three wide scrum up front, with Blue Grass, Iowa ace, Cyle Hawkins emerging with the lead. He was able to put some breathing room between himself and some side by side nose to tail racing for second. As the checkers flew, it was Hawkins out front, trailed by Jimmy Dutlinger. Delonjay was able to race back to third, topping Kimberly Abbott and Derrick DeFord.

   The final act would be eighteen laps of IMCA sport mod racing. All but one of the seventeen signed in lined up, with Austin Poage and Kyler Girard pacing the field. Poage was strong early, holding off row two starter Logan Cumby. Points leader Adam Birck charged from row five to third by lap five. At the halfway mark, Adam drove under Cumby for second, and on the next lap tried to do the same to the leader. Contact sent Poage spinning bringing out the caution, and track officials sent both Poage and Birck to the tail for the restart. Cumby inherited the top spot, and he maintained the advantage for the final eight circuits. Josh Holtman turned in a strong performance to claim runner up honors. Tanner Klingele was third followed by Kyler and Dakota Girard.

   The final checkers came about 9:00P.M. Thanks to Jim, Tammy, and their team for another Sunday night of high speed action!

   The high powered MLRA late models have a three night swing through Iowa coming up this week, starting Thursday night at the CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction, where yours truly hopes to be next.

Neal Takes Osborn Memorial Honors

    Saturday night we made a quick trip to the Independence Motor Speedway in Independence, Iowa for the Denny Osborn Memorial race. Featuring the Hoker Trucking east series SLMR late models this year, the feature race ran 36 laps and paid $7,200 to win - 72 being the number on the familiar orange car that Denny successfully competed in for many years. Thirty two of the high powered late models showed up to try their luck, and another seventy cars across six divisions helped to fill the pit area. 

   Although it was another warm day across the mid west, there was both a cloud cover and a nice breeze which helped to mitigate the high humidity, and the fact that the bleachers face east at Indee helps as well. Still the crowd, while a nice size, was not as large as we saw last year for this event, and I am sure the weather was a contributing factor. In fact weather played an important role in the proceedings in more ways than one. 

   After a quick run through of hot laps where a scant few of the "local" cars even bothered to come to the track, the late model time trials were up. Timing four cars at a time, it took only a scant few minutes. Fastest in group A was Jason Hahme with a lap of 15.064 seconds, but overall quick time came in group B, as Chargin' Charlie McKenna tripped the clock at 14.751 ticks around the three eighths mile fairgrounds oval. 

   A truly amazing thing happened in the first sport mod heat race. Six cars lined up, and in typical sport mod fashion, as the green flag waved, two went for the same piece of real estate entering turn one, resulting in a caution. When racing resumed, there were only three cars left, so track officials cut the race to a green, white checkers two lap dash. With all cars moving to the feature, why not? Then as the white flag flew, there was another spin in turn one, and the yellow and checkers came out together. In effect, it was a one lap heat race! 

   Late models would be third in the heat race order. The top six in time were inverted in the first three rows of each eight lap heat. A combination of points from qualifying times plus passing and finishing points from those four heats would advance the top sixteen earners to the feature lineup. One odd result from this process would see Jeff Tharp start on the pole of heat one, finish in second, but be relegated to a B main. That would be the only heat race not won from row one, as Tad Pospisil came from position five to get the win. Other heat winners were Darrel Defrance, Ben Schaller, and Curt Schroeder, with all four moving straight to the main event.

   With IMCA modifieds set to run the final qualifying heats, the late models instead came to the track four a pair of B mains. Only the top two would move on. Dave Eckrich topped Logan Duffy in the first B, with only six cars taking the green. Two top contenders failed to make the call. Bill Leighton Jr. was a no show in his heat, while J.C. Wyman left his heat behind the wrecker, ruining his pole position start. Track weekly points leader Sean Johnson captured the second six lap consy in front of Tharp. 

   Interestingly, the top two in SLMR east series points were forced to take provisionals. Points leader Justin Kay turned only one qualifying lap before ducking to the pits with obvious issues, while Luke Goedert failed to transfer from his heat or his B main. The twenty two car starting grid saw Jared Ballhagen in the #72 car added as a track provisional twenty third starter. 

   The late models were scheduled third in the feature running order, but as the modified heats were completed it was announced that there were rain showers lurking and though a look at the radar showed them still a ways away, the decision was made to move the headline race up. So as soon as crews could get the starters to the grid and bring their equipment to the make shift infield hot pit, we were late model racing!

   Schaller and Jake Neal, who captured the series win the night before at the Dale Defrance Memorial at Marshalltown, were the top point men and sat on row one. Neal led the pack as lap one was scored, with the caution waving at lap two when Joel Callahan drifted off the top of the track. Two more laps went in the books before the yellow waved as Schroeder and Callahan got together in turn four. As racing resumed, Neal and third starting Pospisil pulled away from the pack. With a dozen laps scored, McKenna found his way to third, and began to run down the front duo who found themselves in slower traffic at the halfway mark. Neal was smooth in traffic and was able to actually stretch his lead, while Pospisil also put some distance on McKenna. The caution flag came a final time at lap twenty five as Luke Pestka slipped off turn two. McKenna moved to second with nine laps remaining, but by then Neal had again built a lead, and was flying with a clear track ahead. In the final couple of laps, Neal again caught the back of the pack allowing his challengers to close in a bit, but he had no issues collecting his second win in two nights, boosting his weekend take past the $11,000 mark. McKenna aided his top five points position with the runner up finish, while Pospisil took third. Local favorite and National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Jeff Aikey came from row seven to fourth, while Todd Cooney slipped around Andy Eckrich late to complete the first five. Following Eckrich it was Schaller, Matt Ryan, Curt Martin, and Corey Zeitner collecting top tens. Kay finished just outside the top ten in eleventh, while Goedert checked in two spots further back.

   The clock had not yet hit 9:00 P.M., but we then decided to begin the three hour trip home, satisfied with what we had witnessed. Kudos to the staff at Indee for an extremely efficient program - as one race exits on the backstretch, the next is entering the track off turn four. Downtime is nearly non existent with at least two races in staging at all times. 

   Tonight we hope to complete our three night racing weekend close to home with a visit to Adams County Illinois Speedway in Quincy for weekly racing in five divisions. Maybe we will see you there!

Familiar Faces in the Winners' Circle at Lee County

    Friday night Lee County Speedway roared back to life after a one week absence. It would be the final Drive for Five qualifier highlighting IMCA late models and IMCA modifieds each racing for $1,000 to win and also the final Drive for Three for IMCA sport mods boasting a $600 top prize. In addition, the late model winner could be in line to collect the $250 Sunoco Fuel bonus.

   It was another warm night at the fairgrounds, but still a solid field of seventy four race teams checked in to compete in the five divisions. Late models turned out I believe a weekly racing season high of seventeen, topped only by nineteen sport mods. 

   The highlight of heat race action may have been in the first sport mod heat. Brandon Savage lined up near the back and spun his #47s in turn two. He was able to keep his engine fired and rejoined the field basically a half lap behind. Eventually a caution flag would fly for another car and after one more skirmish, Brandon found himself out front when the checkers flew! He would then redraw the pole position for the feature, but after leading a few laps early his luck would run out and he would retire to the pits with mechanical issues.

   IMCA Sport Compacts would be first in the feature order, with all eleven cars taking the green flag. Following a false start, Brandon Reu would power from row three to lead to opening circuit. As Reu opened a commanding lead, four cars battled side by side and nose to tail for second. Just ahead of the halfway mark of the fifteen lapper, Josh Barnes emerged from the scrum to take control of the runner up position while Chandler Fullenkamp secured third. Barnes then began to quickly close on the leader, moving to the front on lap ten. Reu was not giving up, however, and the two veteran drivers raced less than a car length apart until the checkers waved with Barnes slightly ahead. Fullenkamp came home third, followed by Adam Christy. Kimberly Abbott edged Chevy Barnes in a close battle for fifth.

   Twenty five laps would be the distance for the seventeen late models. Tommy Elston in what was apparently a new hot rod would line up outside Denny Woodworth in row one and he would lead all twenty five circuits to secure the victory. It was however not an easy ride for Tommy. The action was slowed first as Austin Townsend, out for I think the first time this season, went for a spin on lap two. Following the Delaware style restart, visiting Jacob Waterman moved into second while sixth starting Nick Marolf claimed third. As those two fought for position, Elston stretched his lead. At the halfway point, Marolf was able to pull ahead of Waterman, and he began to track down the leader in quick fashion. Elston was catfishing around the inside line while Marolf was doing business in a higher groove. Elston temporarily changed his line, perhaps sensing the oncoming Marolf, and soon slower traffic came into play. With Elston again pulling away, the second and final caution came for debris six laps from the finish. As the field reset, Dalton Simonsen, who had finished outside the top four in his heat and missed the redraw, had raced from fifteenth all the way to fifth! Back to racing Elston once more drove away from the pack as Simonsen gained another position to fourth. Elston cruised to the win with Marolf settling for second. Waterman was steady in third, followed by Simonsen, who won a tight battle with Jeff Guengerich. Another pair of drivers who missed the redraw, C. J. Horn and Ray Raker advanced from row seven to finish sixth and seventh. Newcomers Tim Simpson and Colton Leal were split by Darin Weisinger Jr. to round out the top ten.

   Fifteen modifieds came to the track for twenty two laps of racing. Austen Becerra redrew the number one, and again it was a flag to flag run for #22. The only caution came at lap two, and back under green, fourth starting Matt Werner charged around Chris Zogg and Jadin Fuller for the second spot. Those two quickly distanced themselves from the field. Long time late model hot shoe Denny Eckrich had suffered an unlikely spin in his heat race, missing the redraw and lining up thirteenth. By the sixth lap, he had vaulted into the top five. As Becerra pulled away slightly, Denny moved to fourth on lap ten. Becerra had his vision a bit impaired as the hood on his #22 had come loose on one side, likely affecting his down force somewhat. With five laps remaining, Eckrich moved to third, but with no further stops, he could not rundown the top two. Becerra cruised to the win, with Warner strong in second. Eckrich held third, while Mark Burgtorf came out ahead in an entertaining battle with Zogg for fourth.

   The IMCA stock car count was twelve, however Jerry Jansen saw his night end in hot laps. A single caution on lap one of the eighteen lapper would slow the action. A spin by Kevin Koontz resulted in a multi car mess that eliminated Pete Stodgell and Tyler Moore. Double duty Jeremy Pundt would grab the lead on the restart before David Brandies rode the cushion to the front on lap three. As Brandies drove away, six cars fought stock car style behind him. With about six laps in the books, John Oliver Jr. took command of second and Beau Taylor followed in third as the field began to sort itself out. The race stayed green until the finish, with Brandies taking an "easy" win. Oliver Jr. held second, fighting off a charge from Taylor. Josh Foster started ninth and edged Jason Cook for fourth. 

   As it should be, sport mods ran last on the card. Unlike those before them, six yellow flags marred the action, with the field finally going single file with threats of a time limit. Savage survived several restarts but it was Sean Wyett turning on the juice to put his #12S out front at the halfway mark of the twenty lapper. John Oliver Jr. had climbed from his stock car into the #557 machine and battled with Wyett and Dylan VanWyk before settling into second just past the halfway mark. Wyett got stronger as the laps counted down and secured the win. Oliver Jr. made it back to back runner up finishes in the final two races. Adam Birck worked through the field after starting eleventh, finally clearing VanWyk for third, and Brandon Lambert came all the way from outside row eight to complete the top five. 

   The track was in excellent condition, smooth and fast with multiple lines available. The final checkers waved just after 10:00P.M., putting a wrap on an enjoyable night of racing. Thanks again to Brian, Marcie and the LCS group for their hospitality. Lee County Speedway will not be racing next Friday, as the West Point sweet corn festival takes center stage in the area. The season is winding down fast, so don't put off finding a race to attend, and wherever you are, maybe we will see you there!