If there is one common denominator the last several seasons, it is that Mother Nature is no friend of March racing in the midwest. It has been a long one hundred forty seven days since last we visited the race track, 2022 Shiverfest at Lee County Speedway a fading memory. And although there was originally a smorgasbord of events scheduled for this weekend, precipitation and cold temps quickly narrowed the choices, with the much anticipated two day Thaw Brawl at Davenport Speedway falling early on Thursday.
So we entered Saturday morning with three possible venues still on the board. Checking the radar it appeared that Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri would have the best chance of completing their opening night program. Scheduled to race on this night would be the local late model class paying $1,000 to win along with three USRA sanctioned divisions, Modifieds, B Mods, and Stock Cars. As an added incentive for the late models, heat race money, including a $100 to win, would be paid out to the top four finishers.
Heading west in the early afternoon, those choices dwindled to two when I-35 Speedway in Winston, Missouri pulled the plug due to a renegade shower. But a call to Lucas Oil brought confirmation that they were racing, so we headed south in search of some opening night action.
Counting a couple of stragglers, a solid field of eighty five race teams rolled through the pit gate, topped by a whopping thirty five B Mods. Hot laps began at the advertised time of 6:30, and we quickly moved into the racing program.
It took ten nice sized heat races plus a pair of B mains for the B Mods to set the fields for feature racing. Following an intermission during which the track crew worked to smooth out a bump in turn one, twenty four B Mods lined up for twenty laps around the three eights mile oval.
Third generation driver J.C. Newell lined up on the outside pole and quickly opened a fair sized lead over pole sitter Cayden Stacye and row two starter Jake Richards. Newell continued to hold the top spot through three caution periods. Meanwhile row four starter Bobby Williams used the Delaware style restart on lap eight to vault into second place. Four circuits later, Newell suddenly dove to the infield coming through turns three and four, his dominate run coming to an end. It was now Williams out front, followed by Stacye and third starting Austin Charles, who rebounded after a slow start. The final yellow flag set up a single file two lap sprint to the checkers. As the white flag waved, Stayce pulled alongside the leader, then used a low side pass off of turn four to capture the win. Williams settled for second, with Charles, Dylan Cantwell, and Richards completing the top five. Twenty cars remained on the track at the checkers.
All but two of the sixteen late models rolled from staging next for twenty five laps. Heat one winner Jace Parmley redrew the outside pole and shot to the early lead in his #82 machine. Polesitter Dean Wille, who was also competing in the stock car division trailed in second. But the driver on the move was heat two winner and sixth starting Justin Wells. Charging to fourth on lap one, the veteran hot shoe took third on lap two, then the runner up spot one lap later. As Parmley paced the field, top contender Payton Looney saw his run in the Moon Racing #72 come to an end on lap five as he headed to the trailer. Parmley stretched out to a nearly straightaway lead as the race stayed green. However by lap eight, he had entered slower traffic, and within two circuits Wells had moved to his rear bumper in what was now a two car race. As the leaders approached a soon to be lapped car on lap fifteen, Wells pulled alongside the leader, charging ahead to lead lap sixteen. Once in front the #98 built an advantage, negotiating lapped traffic to perfection. His lone challenge would come following the only caution of the event with three laps to go. But as the green flag flew for the single file restart, Justin again opened a sizable lead, cruising to the win. Tucker Cox took advantage of the restart to grab the runner up spot from Parmley, while Bryon Allison slipped around Joe Walkenhorst for fourth. Sixth through tenth went to Larry Jones, Wille, Jimmy Dowell, Derek Brown, and defending track champion Larry Ferris.
A surprisingly light turnout of eleven Modifieds all took the feature green for twenty circuits. Pole sitter Ryan Middaugh won the race to turn one over his front row mate Robbie Reed. But the former track champion Reed grabbed the top spot ahead of a lap two caution. Following the Delaware restart, it was tenth starting Matt Johnson on the move, powering to third on lap three. The veteran Reed methodically stretched his margin ahead of a second and final stoppage with fourteen laps scored. Robbie remained in control as action resumed, while Johnson briefly challenged Middaugh for second. As the checkers flew, it was Reed, Middaugh, Johnson, Jason Pursley, and Tyler Hibner.
Stock Cars would round out the card. In their third year of competition at the speedway, the class has proved to be a popular addition, and on this night twenty three competitors checked in. All but two took the feature green, with twenty laps again the scheduled distance. Waylon Dimmitt charged from inside row two to pace the opening lap. Yellow fever plagued this race in the early stages, with five caution periods in the first ten laps. Dimmitt continued to hold serve, even as the aforementioned Dean Wille hounded Dimmitts' #11, changing lines, looking for an opening. A final caution came with fifteen in the books as third running Rodney Schweizer looped his ride in turns three and four, his run coming to an end. The lineup was now single file, and Dimmitt drove on to the win. Wille would come home in second ahead of ninth starting Mason Beck, eleventh starting Chris Tonoli, and Robert White.
The final checkers came just after 10:30 on a cool but tolerable night. The crowd, while not huge, was a decent size for a March opening night. Like much of the midwest, Wheatland had been inundated with moisture during the week, and the track prep crew needs to be commended for delivering a mostly smooth, racy track with multiple grooves, and only the early whoop-de-do in turn one. Of course Lucas Oil Speedway is a concrete paradise, with the track itself basically the only non paved area at this state of the art facility. As I have said before, if you have never paid this place a visit, it is for sure worth a look. And if you are feeling racy yourself, show up early and try your hand "racing" on the go kart track!
It felt good to finally get our 2023 season underway, and hopefully race nights will dominate our April calendar.
