Full Pits, Lot's of Cars, and Fun at Shiverfest

  A sure sign the mid west race season is winding down came Saturday as Lee County Speedway hosted another edition of Shiverfest. Beginning as a one off novelty race in 1999, this event has become a "can't miss" for fans and drivers alike. Although there have been many tweaks over the years, the seven classes on the card in 2022 would be a first. Combined with hay rack rides, box car races, and trick or treating, the full day and night of entertainment offered something for all ages.

   When all the counting was done, one hundred and sixty four cars came through the pit gate, including veteran hot shoe Billy Tuckwell, Springfield, Illinois, who  rolled in with his #B4 modified just in time to tag the tail of the B main. 

   Hot laps kicked off at 5:30 as scheduled, and it took twenty heat races plus two Sport mod and one Modified B main to set the feature fields. After box car races for the kids at intermission, it was time to go feature racing. Up to this point, things were clicking off in timely fashion. However a serious bout of "yellow fever" would plague the remainder of the night. Perhaps it was a case of "go for broke, we have all winter to fix it" or maybe just one of those nights, but flagman Rodney Bleisner may have come down with a torn rotator cuff or carpal tunnel after waving the big yellow flag over two dozen times during the seven main events! Certainly the track was not to blame as it was smooth, wide, and racy from start to finish, turning to the preferred (by the drivers) black slick as the evening wore on.

   The visiting American Iron Racing Series was first on the card, with all but two of the sixteen signed in racing for twelve laps. Robin Atkins paced the field early, chased by Brian Gade and Tyler Maschmann. In the closing laps, Gade was able to put his #5 1958(or 59?) Ford out front for the win, with Maschmann second in his 1957 Ford, and Atkins third in a Mopar machine. These cars represent those of my youth, and I am fascinated by the fourth place Packard of Jake Hayes. Bruce Yoerger in his 1966 Chevy finished fifth. While these guys race for a minimal purse, they certainly go all out for the trophy!

   The Modified field was whittled down from thirty to twenty four feature starters battling for twenty laps. Mark Schulte paced the opening circuit after starting third, but it was outside pole sitter Austen Becerra taking over on lap two followed by seventh starting Travis Denning. The first caution came on lap four as Chris Zogg lost the handle on his new unlettered #9Z, and on the restart as Denning tried to sneak under Becerra, contact, perhaps from behind, left him with a flat tire, his night over. As the race continued, Robbie Reed, Bill Roberts Jr., Matt Werner, and eleventh starting Jarrett Brown all mounted challenges. Becerra was however on cruise control as the white flag flew. Before Austen could reach the checkers, a final caution set up a green, white, checkers finish, and although Reed made a late charge, it was Becerra with the win. Brown, Schulte, and Werner completed the top five. 

   The usually well behaved Stock Cars ran next, all twenty seven entrants lining up for twenty laps. Five yellow flags in the first thirteen laps would mar the action, but amazingly after the field went single file with the time limit having expired, they clicked off the final seven circuits under green. Kaden Reynolds, who used a "rubbin' is racin'" move to capture the first heat, jumped from fourth to lead lap one after a first lap five car pile up brought out the first caution flag. Soon it was John Oliver Jr. in hot pursuit of the leader. After a single file restart, Johnny abandoned the low line to chase Reynolds around the narrow cushion. With seven laps remaining Reynolds was working through slower traffic and  closing in on the #31 of Keegan Wells when Wells clipped the guardrail between turns three and four. With nowhere to go, Reynolds made hard contact leaving him with a flat tire and a DNF. Back under green, Oliver Jr. pulled out to a big lead, cruising to the win. David Brandies won a close battle for second over Jason Cook, Miciah Hidlebaugh, and Jason Bahrs. Coming to the checkers Abe Huls was also in the mix for a top five finish when he contacted one of the tractor tires in turn four, dropping to nineteenth in the finishing order.

   Twenty one Late Models, including a handful of rookies were up next for twenty five laps. Modified and Stock Car standout Tom Berry Jr. got the call to wheel the #77 normally driven by Jeff Aikey, and he turned a pole position start into an early lead. C.J. Horn and Sean Johnson swapped the runner up spot and the leaders hit slower traffic on lap eight, just ahead of a spin by Dekota Job. Back to racing, eighth starting Nick Marolf used the Delaware style restart to climb to third. Failing to make the redraw out of his heat race, track champion Tommy Elston started in row seven and was charging through the field when he was squeezed a bit in turns three and four, smoking a tire barrier and bringing out the yellow. As Elston restarted in the back, Marolf powered to second on the restart, then drove around Berry on lap eleven. He then checked out on the pack in lapped traffic, opening a big lead after each of two more caution periods. At the checkers it was Marolf with the win, while Berry Jr. was impressive in second. Horn, Johnson, and Mark Burgtorf in a new for him ride rounded out the top five. Elston climbed back to sixth, chased by Andy Nezworski, Chuck Hanna, Darin Weisinger Jr., and Jeff Guengerich.

   The Mini Hauler Trucks turned out their usual eight trucks, and they would be up next to run twelve laps. Brian Tipps would line up on the pole and have no problem racing off to the win over Jeff Bockes, Jim Ruble, Sheldon Brocket and Jacob Ruble. 

   Forty Sport Mods topped the roster, and as mentioned it took five heat races and a pair of B mains to whittle the field down to twenty four cars to compete for eighteen laps. Kip Siems held serve through a false start and and early caution. Brandon Dale and eighth starting Logan Anderson powered to the front following the caution, but before the lap could be scored, the yellow was out again. Now it was Hazel Green, Wisconsin standout Jason Roth climbing to second, and then grabbing the lead as lap six went in the books. With five laps to go, Roth caught the back of the pack, but by now he had a comfortable lead, and he was smooth in traffic, driving off to the win. Dale started and finished second, winning a close battle with Tanner Klingele, tenth starting Brayton Carter, and Anderson. 

   What started as one of the largest crowds of the season was down to a hearty few as the Sport Compacts lined up, twenty two strong to race for fifteen laps. Pole sitter Chuck Fullenkamp shot to the front, taking along third starting Kimberly Abbott. Jason Ash quickly moved in to challenge Abbott for second ahead of a lap four caution. Back under green row five starter Michael Grossman took over the third position, then to second as Abbott bobbled a bit in turns three and four. Following a lap six caution, the top four of Fullenkamp, Grossman, Abbott, and Ash ran side by side and nose to tail. Soon Fullenkamp in the low groove and Grossman one lane higher locked up in an entertaining side by side scrum for several laps. Behind at the line lap after lap, Grossman finally nosed ahead just before a final caution with three laps left. On this final restart, he opened a lead, grabbing the final LCS checkered flag of 2022. Fullenkamp took runner up honors, Ash squeezed around Abbott at the flag, and Peoria, Illinois hot shoe Jimmy Dutlinger moved up five spots to cross the line a few feet behind Abbott. 

   The cool but comfortable festivities wrapped up about 11:30, putting a wrap on another memorable Shiverfest and (hopefully) successful season for Lee County Speedway! Turning the calendar, we are hoping to sneak in at least one more race, the 6th annual Turkey Dash next Saturday, November 5 at the CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction, Iowa, a race that has quickly become a tradition for us! Dress warm, come on out, and we will hopefully see you there!

  

  

Marlar Captures WoO Checkers at US 36 Raceway

    Sunday night, Fred, Bill, and I caught up with the World of Outlaw late models as they wrapped up a three night swing through Kansas and Missouri. The venue for the finale was US 36 Raceway in Osborn, Missouri, a new track for each of us. The track, generously advertised as a three eighths mile, sits just on the north side of Highway 36, about seven miles west of Interstate 35. Bleacher seating is on a hillside overlooking the high banked oval and adjoining pit area, with the entire grounds spread out in meandering fashion. The joint has a "backwoods" vibe, thanks in no small part to the hometown "hillbilly" track announcer whose name I did not catch. This is not meant as a disparaging depiction, as his homespun delivering was both pleasant and amusing, and he interacted well with the Outlaw crew while still being informative with regard to the two weekly class racing on this night.

   For this final night, the late model count dropped to a predictable twenty six. Given the circumstances of it being night three, a Sunday night race, very few super late models in the middle of modified territory, and the possibility of rain showers, this matched up with my pre race guess of twenty five. E mods with thirteen and twenty two pure stocks made up the under card, with each running only twelve lap features ahead of the main event. 

   The competition started with late model time trials. Three drivers broke into the twelve second range, with Tyler Bruening topping the leader board at 12.913 seconds as the twenty third car out. Predictably all three eight lap heats were won from the front row. Bruening and Mike Marlar were winners from the pole position, and Ryan Gustin took heat three from outside row one. Each heat transferred six cars to the forty lap finale, with the top two finishers redrawing for the first three rows of the feature. Eight cars were scheduled for a Last Chance qualifier, but it was scratched, with all twenty six cars starting the main event.

   With the gale force winds blowing all day and through the evening, track workers had dumped something close to 36,000 gallons of water on the track hoping to hold down the dust, and while that proved successful a bit of a rut developed in turn three. The crew spent quite a bit of time regrooming the oval to make it as smooth as possible for the features.

   E mods lined up first for their feature with all thirteen making the call. Blake Hayes shot from inside row one to the lead in front of his row one mate Adam Dunwoodie. As those two pulled away from the pack, Dunwoodie grabbed the lead on lap three. By the halfway point Dunwoodie had opened a commanding lead and with no cautions to slow his momentum, the Polo, Missouri driver cruised to the win. Hayes held on for second trailed by Josh Adkins, Logan Rash and Keith Rash.

   Twenty pure stocks made the call next. Pole sitter Jim Masoner led Blake Peeler as lap one was scored, but Masoner looped his ride entering turn one on the next lap, dropping to nineteenth. As Peeler continued to lead, the only caution came with three in the books. On the restart fifth starting Jake Starmer began to apply pressure, taking over the top spot on lap five. He then drove away from the pack to the win. Peeler held on for second, besting Jimmie Workman, eleventh starting Trevor Hittle, and Mike Miller.

   It was now late model time. Bruening and series points leader Dennis Erb Jr. would bring the field to green, racing in that order until Chase Junghans powered to second on lap four. By lap seven the leaders were in heavy traffic while trying to stay in the preferred low groove. Junghans was able to clear Bruening on lap nine as they battled the slower cars. At this point only Larry Clawson, who had issues all night had left the track, so cars covered the entire speedway. Junghans was opening a sizable lead when the only yellow flag came with seventeen down for Rookie of the Year contender Tanner English. Tanner quickly ducked to the infield, his night over with possible front suspension damage. He had been running in the sixth spot at the time. Back to racing it was Mike Marlar on the move, as he charged to third. He took over the runner up spot on lap twenty one following possible contact with Bruening as they entered turn one. Heavy lapped traffic soon became an issue again, and Marlar was in the cat bird seat, closing quickly on Junghans. Two more circuits found the Winfield, Tennessee driver in front and pulling away. Marlar barely avoided disaster on lap thirty three when he had to check up to avoid contact with a lapped car, but he squeaked through, then powered off for the win and the $10,000 check. Junghans followed up his Friday night win with the runner up finish on Sunday. Bruening completed the podium drivers, while Erb Jr. padded his points lead in fourth. Gustin rounded out the top five. Max Blair picked up Rookie points in sixth ahead of Josh Richards, Saturday winner Brandon Sheppard, Gordy Gundaker, and Shane Clanton.

   The final checkers waved just about 9:00 P.M. Thanks to the staff at US 36 for a pleasant night of fall racing. 

   Next up will be one of our yearly highlights, as Lee County Speedway presents Shiverfest next Saturday to put a cap on their 2022 season. Check the track website for details on the seven class program, and say "Hi!" if you see us there!

  

Reed, Carter, Plummer, Martin, Abbott Tops at Calvin Meyer Memorial

    Saturday night the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. saw their 2022 season come to an end. The limited schedule, ramrodded by promoter Mike Van Genderen came to a successful conclusion in no small part due to outstanding weather for the two nights of racing. Friday the fairgrounds played host to the final night of the Jim Oliver Sr. Memorial, which had one of two events rained out in September, while Saturday would be the Calvin Meyer Memorial. Calvin was a longtime racing fan and supporter who lost his battle with cancer in 2020. After one hundred seven cars raced on Friday, that number rose slightly to one hundred fourteen on Saturday. Hot lap action kicked off about fifteen minutes late but as always, preliminary action fired off in quick fashion ahead of intermission. Never wasting a second, MVG continued to do quick watering and grooming as cars exited and entered the track. B mains were needed for only the B mods, with a pair of them slicing the feature field from forty one down to twenty four. Curiously, a six car B main was run for the stock cars, with all six transferring, so it became a three lap position dash!

   Once again the hobby stock class was light on cars, with all nine on hand lining up for fifteen laps of feature racing. Aaron Martin shot to the early lead from outside row one  and never gave it up. A pair of yellow flags slowed the action, but Martin was strong on each restart while several cars sliced and diced for position behind him. Randy LaMar offered the stiffest challenge, crossing the line in second followed by Friday winner Mike Kincaid, ninth starting Dustin Griffiths, and Andrew Burk.

   All but one of the twenty five stock cars took the green flag for twenty two laps. Unfortunately, the stockers were not at their best on this night, as the race turned into a marathon and then some. By my unofficial count, seven yellow flags and one lengthy red flag situation wiped out what might have been an excellent, highly contested event. The most serious of the altercations came with three laps scored and eliminated several badly damaged cars, including top contender Todd Reitzler among others. Cayden Carter, again wheeling the Michael Petersen #1X machine powered from inside row two to the early lead, with Jeremy Gettler in close pursuit. Following the red flag, Carter broke away a bit as four cars battled side by side and nose to tail for second through fifth. At the halfway mark, Johnny Spaw charged to the front, soon followed by another caution flag. Now the field was realigned single file and Carter found himself challenged for second by double duty Griffiths. A final caution came with three laps to go, and Carter used the restart to regain the lead as the top five jockeyed for position. At the checkers, it was Carter, Griffiths, Spaw, row eight starter Abe Huls, and Friday winner John Oliver Jr.

   Relief came from the compacts, as all fourteen raced for fourteen laps caution free! Justin Stevenson controlled the early portion of the feature, while Friday victor Brandon Reu, Barry Taft, and Kimberly Abbott battled for second. As the race wound down, Abbott found extra speed, taking over second on lap nine, then driving past Stevenson one lap later. She then cruised to the win, topping Reu, Stevenson, Garrett Porter, and Taft.

   As with the stock cars, ah, what might have been for the B mods. Again, unofficially, eight yellow flags marred the twenty laps, with little chance for momentum to be a factor. Tim Plummer held the pole position, and he was out front for all twenty laps. Fifth starting Maguire DeJong and Ethan Isaacs swapped the runner up spot while Brayton Carter came from row four into the top five at the mid point. Time after time, Plummer would open a commanding lead only to have the yellow flag fly. The most serious stoppage came with twelve in the books as Dakota Girard saw his engine expire with a plume of smoke and fluid soaking the speedway. In the closing laps, Isaacs saw his runner up effort end as he ducked to the infield, with Brayton Carter moving up to challenge Plummer. His chase would come up just short, while DeJong crossed the line in third. Penalized earlier for jumping a restart, Brandon Dale charged back to fourth. Cayden Carter, driving the Carter Vandenberg #7V transferred to the feature from a B main, lined up twentieth, and earned a fifth place finish. 

   A mods would round out the night, with twenty five laps the distance. All two dozen cars took the green flag, with former NASCAR star Ken Schrader leading from the pole chased by Bill Roberts Jr. Robbie Reed came from row three to second on lap two, racing side by side with Schrader through a lap four caution. On lap eight, Reed took over the top spot on the by now black, slick and smooth surface. Chris Spalding slipped into second at lap twelve just ahead of a second caution for a slowing Mark Burgtorf. Back under green, Reed opened a sizable lead, while Spalding also drove away from Schrader in third. One final caution came as the laps wound down, and although Spalding cut the margin to first in lapped traffic, Reed motored away to the win. Spalding and Schrader followed, while the #22 team cars of Austen Becerra and Tim Ward completed the top five.

   Racing action concluded about 11:00 in front of a nice sized crowd on a beautiful, warm Saturday night! Thanks as always to MVG and his team for an enjoyable night of racing at this hidden gem of a speedway tucked in at the junction of Highways 136 and 15.

   It may be late October, but we are stubbornly clinging to a great racing season, so tonight we are headed to US 36 Raceway in Osborn, Missouri for one last dose of World of Outlaw late models. This will be a new track for my group, so if you are so inclined, check back tomorrow afternoon for a report on our adventure!

T-Rev and Long Cash Tri City Checks

    The MLRA season comes to a close this weekend at Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. Two separate shows will be held, with the late models battling for $5,000 win on Friday. UMP modifieds would round out the Friday night card. Saturday would see the late models racing for a  $7,000 to win finale, mods and B mods also in action. For the most part, the late model drivers could put their focus on the money, as Chad Simpson had pretty much wrapped up the points championship, while Kolby Vandenbergh would be crowned Rookie of the Year.

   The late model field on Friday measured thirty three strong, while the mod turnout was a surprisingly light nineteen. With late model hot laps out of the way, the modifieds ran their combined hot lap/qualifying session. Owensboro, Kentucky driver Cole Falloway topped the chart with a quick circuit of 16.429 seconds. Late models followed, and the future was foretold, as nineteen year old Trevor Gundaker wheeled a borrowed car to a pace setting lap of 15.047 seconds. Trevor was practicing at his family owned Tri City track on Thursday when he broke a rocker arm in the engine of his familiar #11. So he placed a call to sponsor and fellow racer Reid Millard, who brought two of his #14 machines to the track for Friday racing. Millard even loaned his primary car to Gundaker and competed in his back up car. 

   Heat racing kicked off at 7:30, and in typical "start the fast cars up front" fashion, all three mod heats were won from the outside pole by Dean Hoffman, Rick Conoyer, and Timmy Hill. The late models were not far behind, as three of the four eight lappers were captured from the same starting spot - heat three won from inside row one by Gordy Gundaker. Heat one went to Moody, Missouri racer Austin Vincent, heat two topped by modified legend, late model rookie Mike Harrison, and the final heat by unretired Billy Moyer Sr., he of the 840 plus feature wins. This final heat produced a bit of drama, as pole sitter Tony Jackson Jr., winner of four of the previous six MLRA features, spun on lap two, restarted eighth, and raced his way back to the fourth and final transfer position. 

   A brief intermission followed, then a pair of late model B mains were run to fill rows nine through eleven of the feature grid. Track regular Jeff Herzog topped the first of those, coming from row two, while Ricky Frankel lined up outside row one and led the distance in B main number two. 

   A longer and seemingly unnecessary second intermission came next, but all was forgiven when twenty four late models lined up to run the first feature, set for thirty laps. Vincent and Harrison would fill row one. After Vincent paced the opening lap, Harrison then took over. Running the middle of the three eighths mile banked track, he stretched his lead as a gaggle of chasers ran nose to tail around the bottom. Trevor Gundaker had started in the fifth spot, and worked his way to second using an inside move around Vincent with ten laps scored. Two more trips around brought the first caution, as Kaeden Cornell saw his run end when his #50 went up in smoke, dropping a trail of liquid down the backstretch. This may have been a big break for Harrison, who was preparing to enter slower traffic. On the restart, Harrison held serve over Gundaker while Vincent lost the groove, falling to tenth. As the race hit the halfway point, Trevor powered to the lead, still running a low line, while Harrison tried to fight back working the top of the oval. Gordy Gundaker soon followed little brother into second with nineteen down, and Logan Martin joined the leaders in fourth. As Gordy grabbed the runner up spot, the yellow flag flew again as Rusty Schlenk slowed, his run over. Back under green, Trevor began to pull away, while Martin drove inside the still rim riding Harrison for third one lap ahead of a final caution with six laps remaining. For this final Delaware style restart, Gordy took the inside position forcing Martin to the outside. Nevertheless, Martin charged to second, then became a wall scraper as he tried to move to the front. Although he made it close at the checkers, it was Trevor Gundaker with the emotional win. Martin crossed the line in second ahead of Gordy. Brian Shirley lined up eleventh and raced to fourth, while Jason Feger was the hard charger, advancing eight positions to complete the top five. Harrison ran sixth ahead of Mark Burgtorf, Vandenbergh, Simpson, and fifteenth starting Justin Reed.

   With post race festivities complete, all nineteen mods came trackside for twenty five laps. Disaster struck as the green flag waved, with outside row one starter Conoyer spinning in front of the field in turn two. A major pile up ensued, eliminating several contenders including Conoyer, Danny Ems, and Kenny Schrader. As racing resumed, Hoffman was out front, followed by Steve Meyer Jr., Michael Long, the damaged car of Dave Wietholder, and double duty Harrison. Long and Harrison advanced one position on lap four, and it was two more circuits scored when Long powered to the lead. With eight in the books, Harrison ducked to the infield, his night ended. Long was cruising with a big lead when the caution flag flew on lap later. Long was again well ahead when a second stoppage came five laps later. On this Delaware style restart, Wietholder came to life, driving from fifth to third. However the rim riding Long was again putting distance on the race behind him. A final caution came eight laps from the finish, and back under green, Wietholder moved to second using the middle line around the track. Hoffman fought back, and as he and Wietholder battled for second, Long again checked out for an impressive victory after starting in sixth, picking up $2,000 for his efforts. Wietholder won the battle for second, advancing six spots. Hoffman settled for third, while Hill and hard charger, fifteenth starting Jake Trebilcock, rounded out the top five.

   By 10:15 we were in the car, much appreciated on a night when the temps were in the forties and the wind was again starting to howl. 

   MLRA will put a cap on things tonight, while I check out the baseball playoffs in the warmth of my living room! 

   Though the season is quickly winding down, there are still several options, check back next weekend as we will let the weatherman help guide us to the races!

Another Harvest Hustle in the Books

     One hundred forty race teams braved the elements as the 11th annual Harvest Hustle at Lee County Speedway drew to a conclusion. The thirty six Sport Mods on hand barely topped thirty five open rules Compacts for class honors. It took twenty one qualifying races to set the feature fields, then despite the dropping temps, the track crew decided to rework what seemed to be a pretty darn good racing surface. Thirty minutes or so, and we were feature racing. It should be noted that the three make up features from an early rain out on September 10 had been moved to the end of the program. The reason given was that  the Harvest Hustle features came with a higher payout, and officials decided it would be better to give drivers their best shot at the extra money. 

   IMCA Stock Cars would run first, with all twenty seven cars coming to the track to contest twenty two laps. Along with Late Models, Modifieds, and Sport Mods, the stock car folks would be chasing a $1,000 top prize, while the Compacts were in search of a cool $2,000 to win! Veteran Tom Cannon and Patrick Phillips wheeling a Thompson Racing #3T made up row one. Phillips grabbed the early lead trailed by row two starter Derrick Agee. "Yellow fever" came early and often, a rarity for the Stock Cars, perhaps partially as a result of the rewatered track, four cautions in the first three laps! One of those mishaps sent Friday winner Dustin Vis to the tail, effectively ending his chance at a weekend sweep. With Agee now out front being chased by Cannon, Friday runner up Johnny Spaw began a march forward, moving to third on lap six. As  the laps clicked off , the leaders hugged the inside line, but with four to go Spaw moved to the cushion, falling to fourth behind John Oliver Jr. Following another yellow flag, the field went single file, then a final caution came with two circuits remaining. This is when things got dicey. With the white flag in the air and the leaders racing the final lap, there was a mixup behind them in turn four. But instead of another yellow flag, starter Rodney Bleisner waved the double checkers as the front pack scrambled to avoid the stopped cars even as those drivers worked to get out of the way. Crossing the line, it was still Agee out front, while Oliver Jr. crept within half a car length to take second. Spaw was third ahead of Cannon, with Abe Huls in fifth. It was announced that the time limit on the race had expired, so throwing the yellow would have had basically the same effect as the checkers, although perhaps with a bit less suspense!

   With the crowd still buzzing, IMCA Late Models lined up, eighteen strong for twenty five laps. After a day spent repairing his #54, Tommy Elston redrew the pole position alongside Chuck Hanna. But it was third starting Nick Marolf in second as lap one was scored. Hanna briefly took over the runner up spot as he ran in a three car pack with Marolf and Andy Nezworski, several car lengths behind the leader. Elston caught the back of the pack with ten laps down, and Marolf began to tighten the margin to first. A caution flag at about the halfway mark gave Elston a clear track, even as Nezworski shot ahead of Marolf for second. A final restart one lap later saw Elston use a strong restart to open up a sizable lead while Marolf retook second and Hanna dropped Nezworski to fourth. Although Marolf steadily closed the gap, he could never get close enough to challenge Elston, who led all twenty five laps for the win. Hanna held off Nezworski for third, and C. J. Horn gained seven spots to finish fifth. Mark Burgtorf wheeled the Richard Racing #15R to a sixth place finish ahead of late model rookie Jaden Fryer, Denny Woodworth, Darrel Defrance, and Gary Webb.

   IMCA Sport Mods would go twenty laps after having their field whittled down to two dozen competitors. A whole bunch of zeros dominated early, with outside pole sitter Dakota Girard, #0, leading pole sitter Shaun Slaughter #00 on lap one, with Kyler Girard #00 also in the mix from row two. Eighth starting Friday winner Tony Olson moved to third on lap seven as Dylan Van Wyk and ninth starting Logan Anderson also operated in the top five. At the mid point, Anderson suddenly slowed and pulled to the infield, his fourth place run ended as Olson powered to second. With thirteen laps scored, the first caution came, and on the Delaware style restart, Brayton Carter lined up fifth after starting eleventh. He followed that by charging all the way to first in one lap, and was pulling away from the pack when a second and final yellow came with four to go. Olson was able to retake second as racing resumed, but Carter was long gone, cruising to the checkers. Adam Birck moved up seven spots to third, Dakota Girard held fourth, and Brandon Dale came on late, gaining eight positions to run fifth.

   All but one of the twenty two entrants took the feature green for the IMCA Modifieds, racing for twenty two laps. Daniel Fellows topped Eric Barnes for lap one, both front row starters. Barnes then grabbed the lead, holding it through a lap three caution. Friday winner Jarrett Brown drew the unlucky twelve chip for the invert, but he was soon in the top five, then fourth with five in the books. Brennen Chipp lined up in row four, but he quietly moved to the lead ten laps in. With Brown advancing to third running high on the track, Chipp began to pull well ahead of the field. A caution with eight circuits remaining wiped out his commanding lead, and now Brown jumped to second on the restart, while Denny Eckrich followed in third. Now Dakota Simmons caught fire, driving past Eckrich with six to go. Meanwhile Chipp was working the low line while Brown searched for a bite on the cushion. But this race would belong to Chipp. Brown, Simmons, Eckrich, and Barnes would complete the top five.

   Although there was an abundance of good racing all night, the Compacts took home the trophy for best race. Twenty four cars, thirty five laps, and $2,000 for the winner! UMP regular Derrick DeFord started on the pole and led Chandler Fullenkamp as lap one was scored. Those two drove off from the pack as a traffic jam formed behind them, eventually sorting out with everyone hugging the bottom line. Michael Grossman began his march forward, claiming second on lap eight, and one lap later Jake Benischek followed in third. With the leaders navigating slower traffic, Grossman moved in to challenge DeFord, grabbing the lead at lap fifteen, before DeFord regained the spot on the next trip around. With twenty laps scored, Grossman suddenly slowed and pulled to the infield with a throttle issue, his run over. The only caution of the race came with fourteen laps to go, and back under green Kimberly Abbott climbed to third behind DeFord and Benischek. Soon it was a two car race, as Abbott fought to hold off Ohio driver Jack Pflum and Chevy Barnes. Five laps from the finish, Benischek was able to squeeze inside DeFord for the lead, they then ran side by side for a lap before DeFord returned the favor, squeezing low to slip back around the #5B. As the wave of the green signaled two laps to go, again they ran side by side, before DeFord was able to put a lapped car between them and claim the win. Abbott continued to hold off Pflum and Barnes to round out the first five.

   There were still the three make up features to go, but the clock had passed 11:00 and the temp had hit the low 40s, so we decided the time was right to pack up and head south. Congratulations to those winners, John Oliver Jr., Brandon Dale, and Kimberly Abbott, who all improved on top five runs with make up feature victories! 

   Again, thanks to Brian, Marcie, Brian, and the staff for another night of top notch racing. Lee County still has at least one more event on the calendar, the now legendary Shiverfest, this year on Saturday, October 29. Meanwhile, we are mulling our options for the next two weekends before that, but weather permitting, look for us squeezing as many races as we can from the schedule!

Harvest Hustle Eleven Kicks Off in Donnellson

    Friday began the 11th annual Harvest Hustle at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Two nights of IMCA racing would be on the card this year, with Late Models Modifieds, Sport Mods, and Stock Cars all racing for increased purses. Sport Compacts would also be in action, with an open rules package. Originally, Stocks and Sport Mods were scheduled to run make up feature events from September 10 immediately following hot laps on Friday, with the Compact make up due on Saturday. However after talking with some of those qualified drivers, it was decided to run all three make ups on Saturday. This turned out to be a wise decision, as temps dropped into the thirties before the final checkered flag fell!

   A solid but manageable one hundred sixteen cars signed in to race, with thirty Sport Mods topping the count. It took fifteen heat races and a pair of B mains to get there, then following a brief intermission it was feature time. 

   Modifieds kicked things off, with all twenty one cars lining up for twenty laps. Columbus Junction track champion Jarrett Brown picked up the pole position start on the redraw, and he shot to the lap one lead with fourth starting Drew Janssen in tow. As Brown opened a good sized lead and Janssen also gained separation, cars raced side by side and nose to tail for positions three through eight. Brown caught the tail of the field on lap six, but two laps later the caution flag would fly. Back under green, Spencer Diercks, who had started eighth and was up to fourth, now gained another spot to third. Janssen found extra speed and was pressuring the leader when a second and final caution came for debris with eight laps remaining. Diercks now found himself in a four car scrum with Dustin Smith, Turtle Lake, North Dakota driver Marcus Tomlinson, and row six starter Denny Eckrich, with those four racing through turns three and four all side by side at one point! With four circuits left to go, Janssen set up a slide job exiting turn four, but Brown was able to crossover and maintain the lead, and after that he held about a three car length advantage to the checkers. Behind those two, Eckrich advanced to third, with Diercks in fourth, and outside row one starter Daniel Fellows rebounding to fifth.

   It would now be Stock Cars, and again all twenty one cars came to the track for twenty laps. Following a caution on the start, front row starters Dustin Vis and Beau Taylor paced the early laps. John Oliver Jr. quickly made his way from row four to third, and began to apply pressure to Taylor. While Vis ran a middle groove around the smooth as glass three eighths mile, Taylor and Oliver "catfished" around the bottom as the race passed the halfway mark. With eight laps left on the Avis scoreboard, Oliver tried to squeeze inside Taylor off turn two and smacked the tractor tire, sending it rolling on the track to bring out the yellow flag. With front end damage, Oliver Jr. was done for the night. Back to racing, it was twelfth starting Johnny Spaw the man on the move. Lining up fifth, he quickly cleared Jason See and Kirk Kinsley to move to third. With Vis and Taylor running their lines and most of the field running low behind Taylor, Spaw was pounding the cushion in turns three and four, then tucking in low at the other end of the track. A caution with five remaining helped Spaw climb to second on the Delaware style restart. Two more cautions marred the final circuits, but try as he might, Spaw could not overtake Vis, who like Brown before him, led flag to flag for the win. See drove to third in the closing laps and Andrew Schroeder was steady if not spectacular coming from seventeenth to nip Taylor for fourth.

   Sixteen Late Models would now race for twenty laps, with only Austin Russell failing to make the call. A knock on the crate type late models is that it can be difficult for them to pass, but such was not the case on Friday, with plenty of action during the event. Darin Weisinger Jr. and heat two winner Mack Mulvany, a Quad City area high schooler, redrew the front row, with Weisinger leading the charge. Mark Burgtorf was doing double duty behind the wheel of the Richard Racing #15R, and he joined the leaders in third. With three laps down, Bryan Klein slowed on the front stretch, and Sean Johnson stopped in turn four, where he was apparently hit by track champion Tommy Elston. All three cars were sidelined for the remainder of the race. Back under Green, Burgtorf grabbed the runner up spot as sixth starting Nick Marolf raced into third. With the top three putting distance on the pack, Burgtorf cleared Wesinger for the lead with six in the books. When the crossed flags by starter Rodney Bleisner signaled the half way point, Marolf drove around Weisinger for second, setting his sights on the #15R. As the laps wound down the front pair pulled slightly ahead of the field, and Marolf nearly made the pass when Burgtorf briefly gave up the inside line. Finally, with the wave of the green warning of two laps to go, Marolf used the high groove to power to the top spot. The checkers waved over his #33, topping Burgtorf, Weisinger Jr., tenth starting Jaden Fryer, and twelfth starter C. J. Horn. Darrel Defrance ran sixth ahead of a trio of Quad City hot shoes, Chuck Hanna, Gary Webb, and Andy Nezworski. Surprise entrant Evan Miller, Sioux Falls, South Dakota drove his plain blue #88 to a tenth place finish. 

   The Sport Mod field had been whittled down to twenty four and they would go at it for eighteen laps. A first lap yellow saw a pair of cars hooked on the front stretch, but the first scored lap went to outside pole sitter Sean Wyett over his front row mate Joe Roller. Tony Olson advanced four positions to the second spot on lap three, and Logan Anderson moved from row four to fourth one lap later. Wyett and Olson were well out front when the yellow came for Colby Heishman seven laps in. Anderson took third on the restart, then moved in to battle Olson for second. Tony finally broke free, and was closing fast on the leader in heavy traffic when the caution came with two to go for a slowing Cole Gillenwater. The clear track ahead looked like good news for Wyett, but Olson was able to execute a successful slider on the restart to grab the lead. He claimed the win while Anderson and twelfth starting Dakota Girard slipped  past Wyett as well. Jesse Bodin completed the top five, gaining five spots.   

   Compacts saw their field trimmed from twenty seven to twenty four, however Noah Kayser was a no show for the fifteen lap finale, giving up a front row start. This moved Cincinnati, Ohio driver Jack Pflum, no stranger to LCS, to the front row, and he grabbed the top spot in front of Chandler Fullenkamp. Michael Grossman was on the charge, and he drove from row three to the front on lap two. Just after halfway, the red flag came out as Blake Driscoll rolled his #31D up against the guardrail in turn four. As the safety crew began their job, we decided to head for the exits, well chilled but satisfied having seen a quality show. It was no surprise to see that Grossman held on for the win, topping Pflum, the Fullenkamps, Chuck and Chandler, and Kimberly Abbott, Chuck and Kimberly advancing from row six!

   It was a cool 39 degrees as Fred fired up the van just after 11P.M. 

   In addition to the travelers mentioned, Compact driver Joe Pflum, also from Cincinnati was on hand, along with Stock Car racers Rob Brillhart and his #77B from Crystal, Michigan, Brent Wenzel, #0, Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Mike Tomlinson, also from Turtle Lake, North Dakota in his Modified, probably wondering why we thought it was so cold! This list does not include drivers from more than a few hours away in Iowa, Missouri, and Illinois, as well. 

   Thanks as always to Brian and Marcie Gaylord, Brian Neal, and the staff for their season long hospitality. Remember, racing will begin one hour earlier tonight, hot laps at 6:15. The forecast is for warmer temps, so bundle up and come watch a full night of racing PLUS three make up features! See you there!

Carter, VanWyk, Stanton, and Reu Take Bloomfield Checkers

   

 

   Friday night found us at the Bloomfield Speedway for the first time since 2017, as Mike Van Genderen presented the fall special at the Davis County Fairgrounds three eighths mile speed plant. Stock Cars, B Mods, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts would fill out the card, using the same rules from the highly successful event the week prior at Scotland County Speedway. Friday would be the first of two separate weekend shows, with the Stocks and B Mods racing for $1,200 to win, Hobbys battling for $500, and Compacts fighting it out for $300. 

   An even one hundred race teams signed in, topped by a whopping forty B mods/sport mods. Twenty two would be the count for Stocks and Hobbys, while Compacts were a bit short at sixteen. Heat race action kicked off right at the advertised time of 7:30. It took thirteen heats and a pair of B mains to set the feature fields, with all Stock, Hobby, and Compact cars moving to feature racing. Incredibly, there were only a handful of actual cautions in preliminary action, although for some reason it took multiple tries to get going on several events as drivers on the front row consistently jumped the start. In fact, a couple of drivers were moved from their front row positions to try and remedy the situation.

     Just a quick bit of track work during a ten minute or so intermission and it was feature time. Although track personnel worked throughout the night to widen the track, it proved not necessary as drivers seemed content to use the low and middle lines around the oval. This was hardly an issue, however, as the track was smooth as glass and lightning fast, and those two lines proved to be equally a quick way around.

   Hobby Stocks would be up first, racing for sixteen laps. Calvin Dhondt would grab the early lead, followed by his front row mate, Solomon Bennett. Seventh starting Eric Stanton was the man on the move, advancing to third on lap six. It took three more circuits for him to clear the top two, and he was out front as lap nine went in the books. He then began to put distance on the pack, and although he was working in slower traffic by lap twelve, he continued to work effortlessly through the slower cars. With no cautions to slow his charge, Stanton rolled his #7B into victory lane. Dhondt ran a solid race in second, after a close battle with double duty Dustin Griffith. Bennett and Aaron Martin completed the top five.

    Sport Mods/B Mods would be next, with twenty laps the distance for the two dozen qualifiers. Back racing after nearly a year off due to injury, Brandon Dale put his #12D out front from outside row one, as third starting Dylan VanWyk powered to second and fifth starting Austen Becerra drove to third. On lap two, row four starter Cayden Carter, driving the #01 normally driven by Brayton Carter joined the party in fourth. Along with eighth starting Maguire DeJong, the front five pulled away in an intense battle. The first feature caution came with six laps down, and on the Delaware style restart, Becerra charged to second. One more lap was scored before a second and final caution for Nebraska driver Jim Blazina. On this return to action, VanWyk retook the runner up spot. Two more trips around and Dylan drove to the lead, and Carter cleared Becerra for third. Just past the crossed flags of starter Kevin Eggleston signalling the half way point, Carter eased around Dale for second and DeJong ducked to the infield, his run over. As the leaders entered lapped traffic, the order stayed the same. As the checkers waved, it was VanWyk with the win trailed by Carter, Dale, Becerra, and Jim Gillenwater. 

   Fourteen laps would determine the Compact victor. Lee County Speedway track champion Brandon Reu shot from row two to lead the opening lap, followed by Bob "Gabby" Hayes and sixth starting Chuck Fullenkamp. As Reu opened a commanding lead, Fullenkamp drove around Hayes for second on lap five. Justin Stevenson entered the top three on lap seven, but there would be no catching Reu, as he claimed the $300 prize. Fullenkamp held runner up honors, ahead of Stevenson, Hayes, and Kolby Sabin.

   Stock Cars would round out the evening, racing twenty laps. Cayden Carter was doing double duty also, and he raced side by side with Griffiths as lap one was scored. Driving the Peterson Racing #1X , he then assumed the lead after starting inside row two. A lone caution came with four in the books, and on the restart seventh starting Todd Reitzler charged to third. John Oliver Jr. had lined up behind Reitzler and he now turned on the jets, coming from ninth into the top five. But the man on the move was Johnny Spaw. Following a heat race incident, Spaw found himself starting in row nine, but by lap seven he was up to sixth. At the lap ten half way point, it was Carter, Griffith, Reitzler, Oliver Jr., and Spaw in the top five. Tow more laps and Oliver jumped to third, then to the runner up spot one lap later as Spaw cleared Reitzler for fourth. With four to go, Spaw cleared Griffith for third, and now the front three ran nose to tail. In the final two circuits, Oliver moved up the track hoping to find an extra bite to get around Carter. The shot at victory wound up costing him a spot, as Spaw worked inside the #05 for second. The checkers flew over Carter, with Spaw, Oliver Jr., Griffith, and Andrew Schroeder completing the top five.

   Racing concluded at 10:15 in front of a nice sized crowd on a chilly Friday night. Thanks to MVG and his team for a fun night of early fall racing! They will be back at it tonight, starting one hour earlier, hot laps at 6:00. Family activities will keep me away from the track tonight. Next on our calender is the two night Harvest Hustle at Lee County Speedway next Friday and Saturday.

  An unfortunate turn of events earlier this week had cancelled our plans to take in the opening night of the Darkside Promotions Fall Bash at Cedar County Raceway in Tipton. The wife of one of my loyal racing companions, Fred, unexpectedly passed away earlier this week. R.I.P., Judy.