Friday at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson it was another edition of the IMCA Late Model Drive for Five mini series paying $1,000 to the feature winner. Three other IMCA classes would also be on the card, Modifieds, Stock Cars, and Sport Mods, as well as the non sanctioned Sport Compact division.
The track surface was in absolutely perfect condition, with three racing grooves for the sixty eight cars signed in and the result was breathtaking side by side racing all night long.
Partly because of the smooth track, ten heat races and a brief (but long enough!) intermission took right at one hour, and the Sport Compact feature rolled out at 8:30. Twelve of the thirteen on hand lined up for fifteen laps. Once again, gremlins knocked out top contender Josh Barnes who suddenly lost power while battling his son Chevy for the lead in their heat race. Meanwhile, Chevy charged all the way from row five to lead lap one of the feature. With five in the books, his row five mate Brandon Reu had moved in to challenge for the lead. The two car race became a back and forth event, with Reu out front by a half car length as lap nine was scored. At the same time, Barry Taft, Luke Fraise, and Chandler Fullenkamp raced side by side and nose to tail behind them, while Kimberly Abbott looked to join the party. As the laps wound down in non stop fashion, Reu gradually opened a bit of breathing room. The checkers flew over Reu, Barnes, Taft, Fraise, Fullenkamp, and Abbott in that order.
Eleven IMCA Stock Cars took the green flag for eighteen laps. The first of what would be only four feature yellows for the entire night came on the first attempt at a start. Back under green, Beau Taylor shot to the lead. Two more trips around, and sixth starting John Oliver Jr. moved to the front. It was lap six when Derrick Agee was scored the leader as he ran in tight formation with Oliver Jr. and tenth starting David Brandies. In fact as they crossed under the flag stand of Rodney Bleisner for lap eight, they were three wide for the lead. Oliver Jr. was glued to the inside line, as Brandies edged ahead running the middle groove in turns one and two while pounding the cushion at the other end. Agee dropped back slightly with Brandies barely ahead as the laps wound down. Oliver Jr. came charging back on the inside as the duo exited turn two on the final trip around, and the pair exited turn four in a dead heat. Only the scoring loop could tell that Brandies took the top spot. Oliver Jr. was second, trailed by Agee, Jeremy Pundt, Dakota Simonsen, and Taylor.
All thirteen IMCA Modifieds would be up next for eighteen laps. Blaine Webster shot well ahead as racing began, while row four starter Bill Roberts Jr. charged to the runner up spot on lap two. Also on the move was ninth starting Austen Becerra, climbing to fourth on lap three, then third one lap later. A quick yellow came at lap five as rookie Brian Reed got out of shape on the front stretch. The restart saw Becerra getting too high in turns one and two and being shuffled back to sixth as Roberts Jr. powered to the front. Eighth starting Daniel Fellows moved to second on lap eight before the hard charging Becerra cleared a three wide battle to take the runner up spot at the halfway mark. By now Roberts Jr. had opened a nice advantage, but with clear track ahead, Austen began to run him down. Becerra actually took the lead but a second caution put the #5R of Roberts back out front. As the green waved again, Roberts was working a high line while Becerra switched to the low groove. Fifteen circuits in Becerra snatched the top spot coming out of turn two, and he then marched off to another win. Roberts Jr. took runner up honors while Jadin Fuller edged Fellows for third. Dennis Laveine and Webster came next.
IMCA Late Models would race the second non stop feature, with the green flag waving before darkness had settled in! Matt Jones was the only one of the sixteen cars not coming to the track for the twenty five lapper. Sam Halstead has struggled a bit of late, but after a heat race win, he redrew the front row for the main event. He took the early lead with two time winner Nick Marolf nipping at his heels. Halstead remained true to the low line while Marolf searched multiple grooves in what quickly became a two car pull away. After pulling even on lap eleven, Nick drove the high line to the lead one lap later. But Halstead was not done, and was back in front as lap thirteen was scored. The low line was working to perfection for Sam, so once again Marolf went searching for a faster groove. Gradually Halstead increased his margin even as slower traffic became a challenge. "Superman" cruised to his first win of the season with Marolf unchallenged in second. Jay Johnson advanced four positions to run a strong third while Denny Woodworth started and finished in fourth. Mark Burgtorf was the pilot of the Lynn Richard #15R on this night, collecting a top five. Another two time winner, C.J. Horn finished where he began in sixth ahead of twelfth starting Tommy Elston, Jeremy Pundt, Dalton Simonsen, and rookie Christian Miles.
All fifteen IMCA Northern Sport Mods would race eighteen laps to wrap things up. As the pack exited turn two on the opening lap, Cole Gillenwater saw his night go from the penthouse to the outhouse. After picking up a heat race win, the second generation driver spun in front of the pack, and while several cars avoided his #10C sitting in the middle of the track, Brandt Ames made heavy contact, sending his own #57 bouncing high in the air. Although both drivers were okay, both cars headed to the pits behind wreckers. During the delay, Jim Gillenwater, who had tagged the tail of the field also went pitside, as did Nicholas Profeta who suffered apparent ignition problems all night. The remaining eleven cars then battled non stop for the eighteen circuits. Matt Tucker paced the first seven laps as first Adam Birck then Brandon Dale searched for a way around the #00. Birck was seemingly set up for the inside line, thus following Tucker in his tracks as he tried to get his nose inside the leader. Dale instead hit the cushion, finally gaining the momentum to take the lead on lap eight. From that point he methodically increased his lead. Birck then followed Dale in the top line, but was losing ground, and was soon in a battle with Logan Cumby for third. As Dale drove off from the pack, Tucker, Cumby, Birck, and twelfth starting John Oliver Jr. raced in a tight pack behind him. With Dale cruising to the win, Birck was able to clear Tucker on the final lap for second. OliverJr. Was fourth ahead of Cumby and Reed Wolfmeyer.
The final checkers delightfully waved at 9:43!
Sadly it was announced in the drivers meeting that 2023 would be the final season at LCS for promoters Brian and Marcie Gaylord. Of course it is too early to know what the future holds for the fairgrounds speedway, but with the recent purchase of some 4,000 bleachers seats from the shuttered I-80 Speedway in Nebraska, we can only hope that someone as capable as the Gaylords will be next in line to guide the program. In the mean time, there is plenty of exciting racing ahead at the three eighths mile track this season!
With one eye on the skies, we are making plans for our first visit of 2023 to the West Liberty Raceway tonight as the SLMR Late Models competing for a $3,000 prize top a four division program. Maybe we will see you there!
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