With power restored on this wild Thursday morning, we will take a shot at filing this report!
The UMP Summer Nationals Hell Tour rolls on, and Wednesday night we anchored down in our familiar seat in turn one at Adams County, Il. Speedway east of Quincy. Summit Modified Nationals and the Hart Limited Modified Series served as the under card for the $5,000 to win Late Model headliner. The track took last Sunday night off to prepare for this night, one of several Late Model specials promoters Jim and Tammy Lieurence are hosting in 2023. Bobby Pierce took the checkers at the 2022 event, topping a strong thirty seven car field.
With Pierce as well as other top contenders from years past concentrating on the World of Outlaw series, it would be a different and certainly diverse group of twenty five Super Late Model pilots signing in to do battle on a scorching hot Wednesday.
Steve Grotz and his track prep team were in high gear, and when I arrived at the track just after 1:30 P.M., he told me non stop watering had begun at 5:05 in the morning, as the track received only a few drops of the light rain that passed through the area. Even though it seemed a long shot to avoid a dusty track with a stiff Southeastern breeze blowing into the spectator grandstands, they were able to put down enough moisture to create a nearly dust free, lightning fast racing surface!
In fact, such a masterful job was done that the 14 year old track record was shattered not once, but twice in Late Model qualifying. After Florida driver Tyler Clem set a new mark at 12.196 seconds, eighteen year old Pennsylvania phenom Drake Troutman turned the first ever sub twelve second lap, setting a new mark of 11.898 seconds around the .29 mile oval. Incredibly, it was the first visit ever to the track for both of these young drivers. In case you were wondering, Missourian Will Vaught was the previous record holder.
Not so fortunate was Michigan racer Cody Bauer, who got upside down in his #19x after catching the cushion wrong out of turn two. It was the second time off his wheels for Bauer on the Tour! Sharing in the bad luck, was Keokuk, Iowa driver Brandon Queen who encountered problems, and was loaded up and headed home before qualifying ended. Also, after searching the pits for entered driver Bob Gardner, we saw him roll through the pit gate after time trials, as he apparently broke down on the way to the track, putting him behind the eight ball in heat race number one.
The field was split into three heats lined straight up by time, with the first two captured from the pole by Clem and Troutman. Former track regular Justin Reed then charged from inside row two to claim the final qualifier.
Both Modified classes had car counts smaller than I expected, with still enough for two heats in each. NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace paced the Summit Mods with a quick lap of 13.369 seconds, and the heats went to fourth starting defending track champion Austen Becerra, and from outside row one former track champ Michael Long.
The Limited Mods used a draw format, with second generation hot shoe Damian Kiefer and Savage, Minnesota visitor Dan Wheeler collecting wins, Kiefer from row two and Wheeler from the pole.
The "short" intermission turned into anything but, as the ambulance was called away and it took a considerable amount of time for another to arrive at the track. Fortunately, for me, at least, there was a long list of folks to visit with, several I had not seen for quite some time, including former standout racers Jim Swank, Terry Schlipman, and Jerry Poor, among others. Also 34 Raceway owner/promoters Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt were kind enough to look me up to catch up a bit.
Finally it was feature time, with Late Models up first for forty laps. All but Queen lined up, as Bauer was able to make enough repairs to do a "start and park" for points and money. One of the two Australian drivers in the field (along with one from New Zealand!), Kye Blight, was forced into a back up car, moving him to the tail for the start.
Troutman shot to the lead from his pole start ahead of a first lap caution for New Zealander Mick Quin and Blight. Back to racing, Troutman opened a considerable lead, catching the back of the pack on lap six. Several cars did battle behind him, with Billy Moyer Jr. moving to second in traffic on lap nine, only to fall to fourth ahead of a lap eleven yellow for David Payne. Ashton Winger was now in second for the Delaware restart, and as Troutman again pulled well ahead, Winger also drove off from the scramble behind him. Eighth starting Jason Feger was now beginning to show some muscle as the leaders again caught slower traffic on lap sixteen. Just ahead of the halfway mark, the caution waved for Johnathan Huston, with Feger now up to third. Troutman bobbled on the cushion out of turn two on the restart, falling temporarily to fourth. As Winger now took command, Troutman and Feger waged a side by side battle for second. The inside line was proving the faster way around, and as Feger secured the position, he began to close on Winger, and slower traffic again came into play on lap twenty eight. Three laps from the checkers, Winger entered turn one behind a pack of four slower cars who suddenly began to spin and slide in front of him. Somehow he found an opening, never stopping, and avoiding disaster. The field now reset single file, and the young Georgia driver motored on to victory lane for his second win on the Tour. Feger, who was the weekly Tour champ last week, cruised home in second, while Texan Morgan Bagley advanced eleven positions to round out the podium. Shannon Babb drove home in fourth, while Troutman faded late to fifth, likely using up whatever tire he had left! Clem hung around in sixth ahead of Moyer Jr. and Reed. Home track hero Mark Burgtorf was ninth, while Marine, Illinois hot shoe Mark Voigt advanced five spots to tenth.
Top contender Tyler Nicely had issues in his heat race and was unable to get his car ready for the feature, so Rick Stevenson gave up his #77, allowing Nicely to tag the tail of the now sixteen car twenty lapper. Becerra and Long lined up in row one, with Becerra on the inside inches ahead in the early laps while Wallace stayed close in third. Four laps in the first stoppage came, with Shawn Deering and Ohio driver Zachary Hawk involved. A second caution came three laps later as Deering slowed with a flat, perhaps the result of the earlier skirmish. Back to green, Long took a shot on the high line as Becerra was locked on the bottom. Just after halfway, the yellow waved again, and although I did not see what happened, the #36 of Wallace was apparently accordianed, with damage both front and back, but kept rolling and retained his third position. Following this restart, Long dropped to the low groove, and now it was former track champ Dave Weiholder looking for speed on the high line. Long took one last shot up top on the final lap, but could not catch Becerra, who is now two for two in Summit starts. Wallace nursed his damaged ride home in third, followed by Rick Conoyer and Weitholder. Kyle Steffens led the second five, ahead of Mike Vanderiet Jr., Chris Spalding, Siloam Springs, Arkansas driver Willie Gammill, and Nicely in the borrowed ride.
Hart Limited Mods would round out the action, with fourteen cars taking the green. Defending track champion Adam Birck was set to start in row two, but his #112 would not fire and he was pushed to the pits from staging. Kiefer powered to the early lead, driving away from his front row mate, James Hileman. The first caution came with seven in the books, when Justin Presnell, went for a spin. Back to racing, Kiefer again checked out on the field before Presnell again brought out the yellow six laps from the finish. One final yellow came two laps later for an Austin McClean spin, but these were only momentary delays for Kiefer, who scored the flag to flag win. Hileman took runner up honors, followed by Wheeler, T.J. Jackson, and local hot shoe A.J. Tournear. Six through tenth went to A.J. Cline, Dawson David, Brandon Lennox, Vance Wilson, and Austin Seets.
Thanks to Jim, Tammy and the staff for a neat midweek show in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd.
The speedway will be right back in action this Sunday with another "big money" Late Model show as the stars and cars of the MLRA follow up visits to Columbus Junction, Iowa on Friday and I-70 Speedway near Odessa, Mo. on Saturday with a stop at the "Broadway Bullring." IMCA Northern Sport Mods and 4 Cylinders will fill out the program. In the meantime, we have some family activities, so we shall see what the weekend brings!
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