After an absence of a couple weeks, we were back at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson on Friday night. The special attraction this night would be a visit by the Hoker Trucking SLMR eastern division series. $3,000 would be on the line for the Super Late Models. The full night of racing would also include IMCA Modifieds, IMCA Stock Cars, IMCA Northern Sport Mods and Sport Compacts. Additionally, Sport Mods and Compacts would be running make up features which fell victim to rain two weeks prior. Those features would follow Late Model time trials. The SLMR format is a bit complicated, as they follow time trials with a six car invert for their heat races. If I am correct, the qualified feature cars are then lined up using a combination of qualifying times and heat race passing points. Or... something like that...
In addition, Kohlmorgan Hauling of Keokuk kicked in an extra $1,000 into the Late Model purse specifically designed for the regular weekly competitors who race crate engines. The bonus would pay $500 to the highest finishing crate, with $300 and $200 to the next two in the running order. Should none make the main event, the extra money would apply to the B main. And to top things off, the first 300 in the grandstand would get in free, courtesy of Halo Thermal Protection.
With great weather, things were lining up for an excellent night of racing on the fairgrounds D shaped three eighths mile. Additionally, the track fifty plus miles up the road in Columbus Junction concluded their regular season one week ago, and with some of those drivers added in, the pits swelled to one hundred and eight cars signed in!
The result was Late Model time trials, fifteen heat races, two Late Model B mains and seven feature events in front of easily the biggest crowd of the season.The track was smooth and fast, and it was an incredible night of racing!
Thirteen cars returned for the Sport Mod make up, and the eighteen laps ran off in good time with only two yellow flags slowing the action. Tom Bowling Jr. led the opening laps before Sean Wyett took over on lap four. Following a caution for a rare spin by Jim Gillenwater, Dakota Girard used the Delaware restart to snag the runner up spot. Adam Birck had lined up in row five, and as the race stayed green, he worked his way to third just before halfway. But Wyett was on cruise control, and he walked home to the first checkers of the night followed by Girard, Birck, Brandon Dale, and Nicholas Profeta.
Nine took the green flag for the fifteen lap Compact make up. Brandon Reu started in fourth, worked quickly to the front and had a nearly straightaway advantage when the checkers waved in the non stop event. Luke Fraise, Barry Taft, Chevy Barnes, and Chandler Fullenkamp chased Reu to the flag.
Chad Simpson topped SLMR qualifying, turning a quick lap of 15.957 seconds, putting him in row three for his heat race. The top sixteen in passing points in those four heats moved directly to the thirty lap feature, with the heat winners guaranteed to transfer on. Track regular Nick Marolf, Brian Harris, venerable Darrel Defrance, and Andy Eckrich were heat winners. Eckrich came from row three in his qualifier, while the other three winners came from the front row. Only the top two from the B's would move on, winners were Fred Remley and local legend Tommy Elston. Remley captured his race from the pole position while Elston started fifth, passing National Dirt Hall of Famer Jeff Aikey for the win. Two series points provisional starters gave us a twenty two car grid for the headline event.
First though it was Stock Cars, with all nineteen making the call for eighteen laps. Dustin Vis and Jeremy Pundt held the front row, with Jeremy vaulting to the early lead. Quite out of character for the Stock Cars, four caution periods came in the first five laps. From there however, the race went green all the way. The leaders all seemed to find the inside line to their liking, and Vis stayed on the bumper of the leader until the final half dozen or so laps when Pundt began to pull away. Jeremy then cruised to his first win of 2023 in either of the classes he competes in. Vis ran all eighteen circuits in second, with Jason Cook starting and finishing in third. Chad Krogmeier did likewise in fourth, while Derrick Agee advanced three positions to fifth. It was a rough night for hot shoe John Oliver Jr. who started from row eight, brought out a caution for an apparent flat tire, then ran the last part of the race with what appeared to be a broken left front tie rod.
Modifieds would be next, all twenty cars for eighteen laps. Veteran Denny Eckrich drew the pole position, and despite a heavy challenge from Mark Burgtorf, he scored a flag to flag non stop win. Denny caught the back of the pack about lap seven, and seemed to be in heavy traffic most of the time after that. Showing the expertise gained from many successful seasons, he was a master at weaving his iconic #50 through the maze of cars. Meanwhile the equally skilled Burgtorf had to contend with Chris Simpson who took a ride in the #32 Mod on this night. Six laps from the finish, Chris went for a spin in the seemingly slick turn four, kept going, but was now out of contention. As this all played out, tenth starting Austen Becerra emerged from an early battle with Jarrett Brown to advance to third and was closing quickly on the leaders as the laps ran out. Dakota Simmons was steady in taking fourth ahead of Brown and Simpson.
The highly anticipated Late Model thirty lapper came next. The time trial, passing points formula found Chad Holladay and Jeff Tharp sitting in row one, and those two broke away early with Holladay leading the charge. Andy Eckrich joined the front duo, and grabbed second on lap five only to have Tharp take it back one lap later. At the same time, Chad Simpson rebounded from a slow start to move to fourth. Lap thirteen saw Tharp move up a lane from the low riding Holladay and grab the lead, but two laps later it was Holladay again in command. Eckrich also cleared Tharp on lap sixteen, and two more trips around showed Andy in first and Simpson up to third. With eighteen laps scored, the yellow flag flew for Luke Goedert, and as Simpson took second on the restart, a final caution came as a tractor tire was punted in turn two. Back to racing, Brian Harris decided to try the narrowing cushion, and he took off, entering the top five, then gaining two kore spots to third. About this time, the Avis scoreboard had had enough and went dark, so now the lap count became a guessing game. Andy was working the very bottom groove while Simpson worked a higher line in what evolved into a two car battle. Chad was in front with four laps remaining, Andy out front the next time by. Eckrich held the lead until the final lap when the leaders caught Curt Schroeder who was racing in the low groove. With Eckrich needing to check up a bit, Simpson was able to drive around him and pick up the hard fought win. Harris held third over Holladay and track regular C. J. Horn. Tharp faded to sixth in front of Jeff "Bone" Larson, Matt Ryan, SLMR first timer Rickey Frankel, and Bryan Klein. I am not sure if Horn was racing a crate engine, if so he would have collected the top bonus, as I believe fourteenth running Elston would have been next in line.
Many in the crowd headed for the exits as twenty one Sport Mods came to the track for eighteen laps. I had set a 11:30 curfew for myself with an early Saturday call, and things were looking good! However five caution periods, several requiring a wrecker tow, marred the event. Finally, with single file restarts, double duty John Oliver Jr. took off in the #55, negotiating lapped traffic in style. Following the final restart, however, Dylan VanWyk took a look up top and slipped around Oliver with just a pair of laps remaining. He then took the checkers, chased by Oliver. Adam Birck scored his second third of the night, followed by Dakota Girard and make up winner Wyett.
We headed for the exits as the Compacts cam to the track to round out the night. Checking results on the way home showed Josh Barnes with the win, topping Kimberly Abbott ( who exited the make up feature behind the wrecker!), Fraise, Chandler Fullenkamp, and Chevy Barnes.
Thanks as always to the Gaylords and their team for easily the best night of racing we have seen at Lee County in 2023! If errands get complete, I hope to head for West Liberty tonight as the SLMR series moves to the big fairgrounds half mile where "Chargin'" Charlie McKenna was victorious in their stop earlier this season. Five classes will run in support on what looks to be another great night for racing. Hope to see you there!
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