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.
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