Pospisil Tops Night Number Two Fall Futurity Winners

    After a weekend of no racing, we were able to get back on track at a new to me venue, Hamilton County Speedway in Webster City, Iowa. The occasion was night number two of the Your Life Iowa Fall Futurity, originally scheduled for the weekend prior featuring the Hoker Trucking SLMR east series championship. With inclement weather postponing the event, SLMR series officials elected to call it a season, and the headline Late Model class would now run under a rules package allowing SLMR, IMCA, and Wissota cars to compete. The purse on this Sunday night would pay $2,000 to the Late Model winner, while Modifieds, B Mods, Stock Cars, and Hobby Stocks would race for a $1,000 top prize, all under the USRA banner. The event was held in conjunction with Friday night racing in Mason City, and Hamilton County followed with Saturday and Sunday shows. Sunday racing was set to kick off at 4:30 P.M.

   The half mile track has recently undergone some changes, with the reworked racing surface now measuring three eighths mile around the inside. 

   Although there was a threat of rain rolling in in a few short hours, eighty cars showed up to race before a sparse crowd on  this chilly, breezy late Sunday afternoon. There would be no hot laps, and racing would kick off close to the advertised time. From that point, officials did an excellent job of moving the show along, and the final checkers waved at approximately 7:30 P.M, beating the rain and sending everyone home in a timely manner. The drivers did a credible job of trying to keep the show moving by attempting to restart their cars after a spin, and the flagman did an excellent job of giving them time to do so. And after an interview and photo op with the first feature winner, it was decided to hold off on victory lane festivities until the end of the night!

 Eleven heat races and five feature events in three hours on a three eighths mile track, perfect for a work/school night!

   With heat races complete and following a brief intermission, Late Models hit the track first, racing for twenty laps. Only Jenna Johnson, whose #7 seemed to give up on the final lap of her heat race, failed to take the green flag. Nebraska driver Tad Pospisil shot to the lead from outside row one, leading pole sitter Jason Hahne. Pospisil slowly increased his advantage until the lone caution came for debris just past the halfway mark. Davenport, Iowa racer Brian Harris had picked up wins on both Friday and Saturday night, but he would start this event from outside row four. He entered the top five on lap nine, then gained one more position as the caution came. Back under green, Pospisil continued to lead while Harris moved to fourth on lap sixteen, then third the following lap. As he moved in to battle with Hahne for second, Pospisil wheeled his #04 to a flag to flag win. Harris took runner up honors over Hahne. Darrel Defrance started and finished fourth followed by Shane DeMay in fifth. Minnesota veteran Lance Mathees led the second five in front of Curt Schroeder, Wisconsins' Gavin Tarras, South Dakota driver Ryan Engels, Rusty Patterson, and Michael Trulson. So five states were represented in the twelve car field!

   Hobby Stocks had the largest car count at twenty one, and they also had the most difficulty completing their feature. There would be five yellow flags in the first ten laps before the final eight clicked off in non stop fashion. Sioux Falls, South Dakota pilot Dustin Gulbrandson would jump to the lead from the outside pole and survive all the restarts for a flag to flag win. Pole sitter Scott Dobel and fourth starting Chris Hovden had an entertaining battle for second, with Hovden eventually securing the position. Dylan Clinton advanced four spots to fourth after Friday and Saturday wins, while Bruce Sommerfeld came from tenth to complete the first five. 

   The race of the night came in the Modified division. Brandon Davis, Hayfield, Minnesota ( small town?) charged from the pole to open a big lead over fellow Minnesotan J.T. Wasmund. Former IMCA hot shoe Kyle Brown lined up in fifth and had moved to the runner up spot before a lap three caution sent him back to third. He then secured the runner up position following the Delaware restart. It now became a two car war between Davis and Brown. Lap after lap Brown would attempt the dive under Davis for the lead, but each time Davis would power out of the corner in first. Searching for his best line, Davis would sometimes switch up and move to the inside, sending Brown up the track in his pursuit. At about the half way mark of the twenty lapper, Davis had opened a bit of a lead, but slower traffic became a factor on lap fourteen, and it was edge of your seat racing as the duo sliced their way through heavy traffic. Davis would prevail in this tie breaker, Davis sweeping the weekend at Webster City while Brown took the win at Mason City. Veteran racer Ron Ver Beek quietly worked his way from row four to third in his oddly numbered(?) "R" machine, followed by Wasmund and Bakersfield, California driver Kyle Heckman. Iowa racing legend Kelly Shryock would come home in sixth. 

   All seventeen B Mods took the feature green for twenty laps of action. Minnesotas' Harley Dais topped lap one from position two ahead of the first caution. Back to racing, Joe Chisholm would drive around Doug McCollough for second. Just prior to a final caution with six in the books, hometown driver Ty Griffith would advance to second during a battle with Dais and Chisholm. Back under green, Griffith grabbed the lead and began to put distance on the field. St. Joseph, Missouri driver Shadren Turner was now the man on the move, charging all the way to second on lap twelve after starting in eighth. However there would be no catching Griffith, who cruised to a convincing win. Turner made it #56 in both first and second, while Saturday winner Chisholm settled for third. McCollough and Dais would round out the top five. 

   Stock Cars would put a wrap on the night. All but one of the seventeen signed in would do battle for twenty laps. Front row starters Austin Meiners and Nate Whitehurst would duel side by side as Meiners paced lap one while Whitehurst took the top spot on lap two. As the duo put distance on the pack, Meiners retook the lead one lap before half way. He then opened a sizable lead and was cruising towards the finish when the only caution came three laps from the end. On the restart hard charging Bill Crimmins powered to second after lining up in row four. But the Fort Dodge driver had nothing for Meiners, who picked up the final checkers of the season at the storied fairgrounds facility. Following Meiners in order it was Crimmins, Whitehurst, track promoter Todd Staley, who started in row seven, and Jesse Brown. 

   All in all it was a fun night of racing, and the timely show made the four hour trip home seem much shorter! Thanks to Todd and crew for the opportunity to add one more track and race night to  a quickly passing 2023 season.

   Despite a somewhat iffy forecast, we are making plans for a big racing weekend much closer to home, with a highly anticipated five division program featuring a return of  Late Models Friday night at Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. followed by an all time favorite, Shiverfest Saturday at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. I hope you are making plans for these special events as well!

Elston,Carter Double Up at Harvest Hustle Night Two

    Saturday night we were right back at Lee County Speedway for night number two of the Harvest Hustle. While still quite chilly, weather conditions were much better overall as the sun was out and the wind had calmed considerably. Remarkably car counts were up, one hundred fifty three in all, even allowing for a seventh class - American Iron Racing Series - joining the field. The program kicked off one hour earlier with hot laps rolling as advertised at 6:15. 

   Eighteen qualifying heat races, again with zero B mains set the main event line ups, and with only an eight minute break we were feature racing. 

   Stock Cars would lead things off, and after being the race of the night on Friday, this twenty lapper would be less than stellar. A whopping seven yellow flags would mar what was otherwise a very competitive affair. All twenty seven cars would take then green flag, with Kaden Reynolds setting the pace early. The youngster from Cedar Rapids would survive five of those caution periods, holding off first Jason Bahrs, then fellow C. R. veteran Johnny Spaw. With just six laps to go, Kaden suddenly slowed after jumping the turn four cushion, then drove to the pits , perhaps with a tire down. Spaw would assume the lead as racing resumed, and he would need to withstand one more yellow flag two laps from the finish. During this final slowdown, John Oliver Jr. would give up a top five run, heading for the pit area. Spaw would hold on for the win and his second top five of the weekend. Dustin Vis would gain six positions to finish as the runner up chased by Bahrs, twelfth starting Abe Huls, and row five starter David Brandies. 

   Sixteen A.I.R.S. cars checked in, with all but one coming to the track for fifteen laps of action. It took a pair of yellow flags to get lap one in the books, but then Doak Allen Jr. and Bart Miller ran side by side for several laps until just after the half way point when Miller put his 1962 Ford out front to stay. Allen came home second in his black Chevy Nova. 

   The Sport Mods cleaned things up a bit, with two dozen of the twenty eight signed in lining up for twenty laps. Pole sitter Carter VanDenBerg shot to the front with Jim Gillenwater on his heels. Soon Friday winner Brayton Carter arrived from row three to join the front runners. VanDenBerg and Gillenwater raced side by side as Carter moved around behind the duo, looking for an opening. On about lap six, Carter was able to split the leaders in turn four, and from there it was no looking back. As Carter caught the back of the pack on lap seven, he began to put distance on his challengers. Once again, cars were fighting for position all around the three eighths mile oval. The first caution came with six laps to go as Jim Powell climbed the turn one guardrail, riding it for several yards before coming to a stop on the track. Before the yellow, all eyes were on a great battle for third through sixth between Dylan VanWyk, VanDenBerg, Shane Paris, and track regular Sean Wyett. One more stoppage saw VanWyk charge to second, and along with leader Carter the front pair drove off from the pack in nose to tail fashion. The checkers would wave over "Speedy Bray," his second win of the weekend. VanWyk, VanDenBerg, Paris, and Wyett would round out the top five. 

   Jay Johnson pulled his #93 Late Model to the pit area during hot laps and was soon loaded and on the way home leaving us with twenty four cars for the twenty five lap feature. Tommy Elston topped his outside row one redraw of Friday by pulling the number one pole position on Saturday with first year Late Model driver Jesse Bodin alongside. The front pair shot out front joined by sixth starting Matt Jones. Following a lap three caution, Elston and Bodin put distance on the pack while tenth starting Jeremy Pundt charged through the field to third. By the halfway point the leaders were in lapped traffic and Bodin was nipping at the heels of the #54. Elston gained a bit of breathing room as he put worked the slower cars, but with five laps to go Bodin had pulled alongside. Jesse was working high on the track while Tommy ran a low line through turns one and two and a higher groove at the other end. With just two laps remaining, Bodin executed a slide job in turn three, but Elston was able to cross him over to regain the lead. Elston then led the final laps, completing a weekend sweep of heat races and features. Bodin settled for runner up honors while Pundt scored his second third place run of the weekend. C.J. Horn came from row six to finish fourth while Vance Wilson came on strong, starting in row ten and charging all the way to fifth. Late Model rookie Josh Foster advanced ten positions to six ahead of Jason Oenning, teenager Kayden Clatt, Nick Marolf, and Andy Nezworski. 

   Modifieds would be up next for twenty laps, all but one of the twenty four signed in lining up. It took three tries to get lap one in the books, with a five car tangle in turn three eliminating top contender Denny Eckrich. Bill Roberts Jr. grabbed the early lead from the pole position with fifth starting Kurt Kile in tow. Ethan Braaksma was behind the wheel of the #12J, and with four laps scored he had powered from row six to second. Two more laps and Braaksma moved to the front, quickly distancing himself from the field. Seemingly on a rail, by the mid point of the race he had opened a full straightaway advantage. Meanwhile the battle behind him was on going, and with ten in the books eighth starting Matt Werner drove to the runner up spot. With the race staying green, Ethan pulled ahead even more, racing a full half lap in front of second place Werner as the laps wound down. At the checkers it was Braaksma, Werner, Roberts Jr. , Eric Barnes, and Missouri USRA competitor Robby Reed. For both Braaksma and Werner it was two Harvest Hustle top fives.

   There were still a pair of features remaining, but early calls persuaded our driver to head for the parking lot as the clock read about 10:20. The results show Daniel Wauters capturing the eleven car Hobby Stock main event over Tom Killen Jr., Bradly Graham, Calvin Dhondt, and Eric Knutson. For all but Knutson, who made his first appearance of the weekend,  it was back to back top fives for the others. 

   While the Hobby Stock count dropped by six, the Sport Compacts gained six cars from Friday. with twenty starting the finale. Double duty Jeffrey Delonjay crawled from his Late Model and captured the Compact main in his only visit of the weekend. Kimberly Abbott and Barry Taft made it a pair of top fives, while first timers Chuck Fullenkamp and Dyllan Bonk completed the top five. 

   Although we needed to check out early, it was a solid night of enjoyable, competitive racing, with a bit larger crowd, no doubt aided by better weather and no high school football.

   Thanks again to Brian and Marcie Gaylord as they wind down their tenure as outstanding stewards of the speedway. Before they go from promoters back to fans however, there is still one more race on the docket, the immensely popular and highly anticipated Shiverfest on Saturday, October 28. It is much an event as a race, so check the track website for times and attractions. And to those wondering, things sound positive for continued racing at Lee County for the 2024 season, hopefully there will be news on that front before long!

   The next Racin' Down the Road is scheduled for Friday night  as the MLRA Late Models begin their championship weekend at Kevin and Tammy Gundakers' Tri City Speedway near Granite City, Illinois. 

   There is still time to find a race near you, so get out and enjoy!

Elston, Burgtorf, Reitzler, Carter, Taft, and Griffiths Top Harvest Hustle Night One

    Racing resumed at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson with night number one of the Harvest Hustle on Friday. The event lived up to its' name as Fall weather made its' debut, a crisp evening enjoyed by those in attendance. 

   The original five division program was supplemented by the addition of Hobby Stocks thanks to a  sponsor coming on board late who wished to include the class. With the rules opened up to allow for certain non IMCA legal cars to participate, the pit area swelled to one hundred thirty three cars on a blustery night! Still track officials did an amazing job. Hot laps started right at the advertised time of 7:15 and just a ten minute break separated the sixteen qualifying heats from the six feature events, with the entire show wrapping up at 11:00, the races clicking off in rapid fire fashion. Even so, there was but a hearty few still in the stands when that final checkers waved.

   Kudos to the promoters for giving all drivers the opportunity to start their respective feature, as a couple of classes might otherwise have used a B main. As it turned out, natural attrition eliminated a few competitors along the way.

   Sport Mods would roll out first for twenty laps. All twenty five cars lined up although John Oliver Jr. retired to the pits before the green flag flew. Logan Anderson shot to the lead from outside row one ahead of pole sitter Braden Richards. The first caution came with just one lap scored and back under green fourth starting Tanner Klingele charged to second taking along fifth starting Brayton Carter in third. Carter soon powered to second as he and Anderson pulled ahead of the pack. On lap eight Carter used a fourth turn slide job to take the lead. One lap before the halfway mark, as Carter caught the tail of the field, the yellow flag waved for a second and final time. Klingele again took advantage of the Delaware style restart to move to second while Carter VanDenBerg powered to third. Again "Speedy Bray" pulled away from his challengers, with slower traffic coming in to play on lap sixteen. He smoothly moved through the back of the pack, cruising to the win. Klingele held the runner up spot, while Shane Paris showed speed late, advancing from his row four start to third. VanDenBerg and Anderson completed the top five.

   Sport Compacts would be up next with all but two of the sixteen checked in racing for fifteen laps. Barry Taft lined up outside row one and charged to the lead followed by third starting Travis Demint. Outside row two starter Jake Benischek came up to battle Demint for second, finally taking the spot just ahead of the lone caution on lap seven, but the field then reverted back to six laps scored. As racing resumed, Jake temporarily rolled to the lead but was soon overtaken by Taft. The three front runners raced side by side and nose to tail while Kimberly Abbott and Rick DeFord ran close behind looking for room to move up. As he entered turn three for the final time, DeFord looped his #00, but the checkers was already out for Taft, who picked up the hard fought win. Demint came in second, followed by Benischek, Abbott, and Corey Crispin.

   All but one of the twenty six Stock Cars took the green flag for twenty laps. Derrick Agee charged from row two to pace the opening circuit in front of pole Sitter Dustin Vis. By now the super racy three eighths mile had multiple grooves, and the normally bottom hugging Stockers were using all lines with varying degrees of success. The caution came with six laps scored, and Dustin Griffiths put his #10G in second on the restart. Todd Reitzler had taken the green from outside row four, but he now moved to third with seven laps scored. Agee was driving around the inside boundary tires while Griffiths and Reitzler pounded the cushion. With the crossed flags indicating the halfway mark, they were replaced with a second yellow, and back to racing Reitzler jumped to second. Three more trips around and Todd was able to use his top side momentum to clear Agee for the lead. He then put considerable distance on the pack, but with the white flag displayed it was replaced by the yellow setting up a green, white, checkers finish. (Personally, I am in favor of a one lap shootout in these cases, but I digress.) Reitzler was never the less up to the challenge, scoring the victory. John Oliver Jr. was the beneficiary of the late caution, powering to runner up honors, trailed by Agee, Griffiths, and tenth starting Johnny Spaw. 

   Wayne Kniffen was the lone Modified of the twenty two on hand not showing for the twenty lap feature. Dustin Kroening and Mark Burgtorf brought the field to green, and the veteran Burgtorf quickly shot to the lead. Matt Werner drove to second on lap two as row three starters Jarrett Brown and Denny Eckrich raced side by side for third. Meanwhile Burgtorf opened a nearly straightaway lead as the race hit the mid point. By now Mark was in heavy slower traffic, but he was skillfully picking his way through. At the same time, an intense battle was going on behind him between Werner, Brown, Eckrich, and twelfth starting Ethan Braaksma. Finally Brown was able to clear that group and he began to run down the leader. As the laps clicked off in the non stop event, Brown was shaving off seconds each trip past the flag stand. When the checkers waved, he was close to showing his nose to the leader, but it was Burgtorf with the flag to flag win. Braaksma claimed third followed by Werner and Eckrich. 

   Again, all but one of the seventeen Hobby Stocks - a great count considering they were a late addition, came trackside for sixteen laps. Double duty Dustin Griffiths came from outside row two to lead Daniel Wauters on lap one and an early caution, while Bradly Graham powered from sixth to second on the next trip around. Billy Stanford was racing hard for second when he brought out the second caution, spinning with two laps scored. There was another stop on the restart, then Griffiths took off running the top of the track while Graham raced around the low line, both gaining separation. A fourth and final caution at the halfway mark reset the field single file while bringing the front duo back to the pack. It proved only a temporary inconvenience, however, as Griffiths cruised to the win with Graham in second. Calvin Dhondt came from row four to third, followed by ninth starting Des Moines driver Tom Killen Jr.. Wauters completed the first five. 

   Closing out the night would be twenty five laps of Late Model action. No shows Frank Mason and Kyle Hollenbeck in the #39 normally piloted by Ed, left us with twenty five starters! A pair of veterans, Chuck Hanna and Tommy Elston sat on row one. Tommy shot quickly to the lead while fourth starting Nick Marolf took over second on lap two. With four laps scored, the only yellow came as long time Modified ace Scott Boles had problems with his shiny new #4B Late Model. On the restart Elston went to another time zone as C.J. Horn moved to third after starting in row three. Elston built a straightaway lead before catching the back of the pack around the mid point of the race. Although the traffic was heavy as cars raced for positions, Elston navigated his way through with no issues. Meanwhile, Marolf, who we last saw at LCS behind a wrecker with a heavily damaged machine, gained separation in second. Suddenly it was eleventh starting Jeremy Pundt capturing every ones attention as seemingly from nowhere he entered the top five, then continued to pick off cars, charging to third as the laps wound down. Elston cruised to his first feature win at LCS this season. Marolf  took runner up honors with Pundt in third. After that, I am not sure what happened, as by my eyes and the original scoring it was Horn in fourth. However the official results show Denny Woodworth and Hanna rounding out the top five, with Horn in sixth, so I am guessing there may have been some sort of penalty imposed? In any event, seventh through tenth went to Vance Wilson, Bobby Hansen, Darin Weisinger Jr., and Andy Nezworski. 

   This brought an end to a great night of racing on an immaculately prepared track. I also want to offer up props to flagman Rodney Bleisner and his capable assistant who did an awesome job of keeping the show moving, especially by allowing out of shape cars to right themselves and not throwing a hair trigger caution. This alone shaved several minutes off what could have been a much longer evening!

   Thanks as always to Brian and Marcie Gaylord, as their tenure as capable stewards of the famed fairgrounds oval winds down. But in the meantime, we will do it all again tonight, with action kicking off an hour earlier with hot laps at 6:15. Due to the solid car count, Hobby Stocks have again been added to the card, and the always entertaining American Iron Racing Series cars will be on hand as well. So dress warm and join us, won't you please?

Neville is Chad McCoy Memorial Champ, Elston, Rexing, Kiefer and Delonjay Also Winners

    Sunday night was the third annual Chad McCoy Memorial at Adams County, Illinois Speedway east of Quincy. Shortened from an originally scheduled two day event, there was still big money on the line in all five divisions. UMP Modifieds would highlight the program, with a winners' purse of $4,545 plus lap money. Street Stocks, Hart Series B Mods, and Crate Late Models would all have first place money in excess of $1,000, while 4 Cylinders would compete for a top prize of $645. The festive fall atmosphere would also include a Hay Rack Ride courtesy of B Mod and Street Stock racer Pete Stodgel, a costume contest, silent as well as a live auction, and more. Unfortunately, all of the hoopla combined with more cars, extra laps, and a plethora of caution flags contributed to a marathon event which saw the final checkers wave just as the clock ticked past 11:00.

   Ninety three drivers checked in, led as expected by the UMP Modifieds with twenty eight teams. Only the Mods needed a B main to set their feature field, so after thirteen heats, that lone B main and intermission, the qualified Modifieds came to the track for the King of the Dirt Finale. Ten drivers were eligible, having competed in four of the five preliminary events staged throughout the season. The twelve lap affair was captured by young Drake Stevenson, who overtook early leader Austen Becerra mid race, then held on for the first major win of his fledgling career. 

   Feature racing began with a twenty lapper for the dozen Street Stocks on hand. Following a first lap caution, Rudy Zaragoza and Jacob Rexing drove off from the pack in a side by side battle. The yellow came again with seven in the books for Kimberly Abbott, out for only the second time in the George Wilson #77. Back under green the red flag quickly came for a multi car tangle which eliminated four cars. One more time the caution flag waved before Rexing took the checkers for the second time since he added the #59R Street Stock to his stable. Zaragoza came home second ahead of track champion Jake Powers, opening night winner Leremy Jackson, and Pete Stodgel. 

  Thirteen Late Models lined up next for twenty laps. Again, a lap one caution set up an original restart. Pole sitter Denny Woodworth shot ahead of his row one mate, Tommy Elston. At this point the fast way around the oval appeared to be the inside line, but Elston operated in a higher groove as he hounded the leader. Jason Perry joined the front duo between a pair of yellows on laps four and six. Finally Elston was able to ease past Woodworth on the top side with a dozen laps in the books while Perry followed using the low line. With just four circuits remaining, Perry suddenly slowed, coming to a stop at the exit of turn two, his run ended. Vance Wilson cleared Woodworth for second on the Delaware style restart even as points champion Elston pulled away for another second half win. Vance Wilson, Woodworth, Jamie Wilson, and Jason Oenning scored top five finishes. Darin Weisinger Jr. ran sixth ahead of Austin Poage, first time visitor Eric Rutherford, and Marty Hull Jr.. Perry was credited with tenth. 

   Paced by the #45 Modified of the late Chad McCoy, the headline event of the night came next. The field was whittled a bit to twenty five starters going at it for forty five laps. A pair of travelers, fast timer and first heat winner Jared Thomas, Edinburg, Il., and heat two winner Chase Holland from Success, Mississippi filled out row one. Along with third heat winner Michael Long they shot to the front with Thomas overtaken for the lead by Long on lap three. As Michael stretched his advantage fourth heat winner Trevor Neville found speed on the top side of the blackened surface, racing to the runner up spot on lap nine. The first caution came after that ninth lap was scored and three circuits later Rick Conoyer joined the party in third followed one lap later by track champ Austen Becerra. Just as Long caught the back of the pack on lap seventeen, the caution flag would come again. At this point Becerra exited the track with his front bumper apparently folded under the front end of his #22. Back to racing it was Long working down low and Neville on the cushion when slower traffic again came into play. With cars racing for position in his preferred low line, Long appeared to clip the tractor tire barrier in turn four possibly nudging it a bit onto the track. In any event, fourth running Dave Weitholder apparently hit the tire, causing enough damage to end his run as the caution flag waved. On the restart Long charged hard into turn one, losing the handle and spinning to bring the yellow back out. He then retired to the pits. As racing resumed, it was Holland in second while Mike Chasteen Jr. powered to third. With nine laps to go, Chasteen Jr. charged to the runner up spot, while Neville had opened a sizable lead. One final caution brought the #777 back to the field with four laps remaining, but the single file restart presented only a temporary delay for Neville, who picked up the big payday. Chasteen Jr. advanced nine spots to take runner up honors followed by Holland. Chris Spalding started tenth and finished fourth in front of Rick Conoyer. Sixth through tenth went to Stevenson, Treb Jacoby, twentieth starting Shawn Deering, Steve Picou and Thomas.

   Sixteen 4 Cylinders would run next, going eighteen laps. After finishing third in his heat race, points champion Jeffery Delonjay redrew the number one pill for the feature lineup. He then paced the field through a lap three caution, holding off a four car scrum behind him. Eventually Jeffery and brother Jaden broke free in nose to tail fashion. After Jeffery was able to put a lapped car between himself and Jaden, he stretched his margin, cruising to the win. Visitor Matt Mackey was able to close on Jaden, but settled for third at the checkers. Spencer Coats edged Jimmy Dutlinger for fourth at the line. 

   The final event on the card saw two dozen Hart Series B Mods line up for twenty laps. Popular local driver Tanner Klingele suffered a flat tire during the parade laps, dashing to the work area for a quick change, then tagged the tail of the field. Troy, Mo. driver A.J.Cline and St. Louis pilot Matthew Edler filled out row one with Cline leading lap one before Edler took over on lap two. After a lap two restart, Cline looped his ride, bringing a second caution. The next stop came with eight laps scored, and as the race reached the mid point, Damien Kiefer completed his run from row six to the lead. The second generation racer from St. Genevieve, Mo. then survived three more caution periods, the final coming with just two laps to go, to score the hard fought win. Part time local driver Bobby Anders was strong and steady in second followed by Edler and local hot shoes Reed Wolfmeyer and Adam Birck. It was a quick comeback for young Kiefer who rolled his car the night before in Memphis, Mo. action. 

   Thanks to J.T. Promotions for their continuing hospitality and for offering up October racing.

   Next up for Racin' Down the Road will be Friday and Saturday Harvest Hustle racing at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Hope to see you there!

Carter Times Two, Brown, Ramsey, and Taft are Scotland County Winners

    Saturday night we made our first visit of the season to the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri. The occasion would be night number two of the Jim Oliver Memorial honoring a gentleman who was a long time racer, the patriarch of three generations of dirt track racers, as well as being a  friend to many, including yours truly. The fairgrounds track plays host to only a handful of events each season under the capable hands of race director Mike VanGenderen, this weekend being the sixth annual affair. Besides the usual healthy purse offered up to the five divisions of competitors, there was $5,015 in bonus cash donated by Oliver Heating and Air, swelling the two day total to over $45,000! In addition, the top four finishers from the Friday features would be locked in to the inside four rows on this night.

   As usual, the super wide oval, be it three eighths or four tenths mile, was smooth and lightning fast. Somewhat surprisingly, a handful of the pre qualified drivers did not return, but still more than eighty cars were checked in on a perfect night, weather wise. Hot laps would kick off shortly after the advertised time of 6:00, and we were racing thirty minutes later.

   The count was light in the 4 Cylinder division, with only one more qualifying heat while it took three for the Stock Cars and a pair of heats for the Modifieds, Sport Mods, and Hobby Stocks to round out the feature fields. 

   A brief intermission with a bit of track work set things up for feature racing in front of a nice sized gathering.

   Sport Mods would go first, with sixteen cars coming to the track for twenty laps.Although the line up board listed Friday winner Carter VanDenBerg as the driver of the #7V, it was announced post race that his cousin Cayden Carter was behind the wheel. Carter would shoot to the early lead from the pole taking Tim Plummer and Jim Gillenwater along. Those three would break away from the pack ahead of a lap three caution for debris. Gillenwater and Plummer would swap the runner up spot before a second and final yellow flag for a Patrick Phillips spin on lap seven. Carter again checked out on the field while the race to watch was for second. Gillenwater, celebrating his birthday, was hugging the low line while Plummer rode the cushion. They would continue to swap the position and it was Plummer in second when the leader caught slower traffic on lap eighteen. With a pair of cars going side by side for position, Cayden was able to split them out of turn two to seal the deal. He would then drive off to the flag to flag win. Plummer topped Gillenwater for second while Colton Livezey advanced four spots to outrun Tyler Heckert for fifth.

   Next up would be Hobby Stocks going for fifteen circuits. Tom Killen and Kale Hensley brought the eighteen starters to the green flag. Before that happened, however, Luke Phillips would shed a wheel and axle on his #33. As it turned out, that would be the only delay in the action. Hensley led Killen on lap one with third starting Luke Ramsey powering to second on lap three. By the eighth trip around the leaders were racing side by side, and Ramsey was in front as that lap was scored. At the same time, row four starter Aaron Martin was moving forward, and he slipped into third on lap ten. Three laps later Martin used a low side move to clear Hensley for second, but he could not run down the leader in the final two laps. As Kevin Eggleston waved the checkers, it was Ramsey, Martin, Hensley, Killen, and ninth starting John Watson rounding out the top five. 

   Moving along quickly, the eight car Four Cylinder fourteen lapper was next. With Brandon Reu sitting on the pole he seemed to be the odds on favorite, and he maintained the top spot as Barry Taft and Tim Schnathorst battled side by side for second. Taft was able to secure the runner up spot, and on lap four he drove around Reu for the lead. Meanwhile Schnathorst now found himself in a third place duel with Michael Grossman. Schnathorst soon began to fade back, eventually crossing the line in sixth. There would be no catching Taft, who topped Reu, Grossman, Kimberly Abbott, and Garrett Porter. Again there would be zero caution periods to slow the action.

   The full field of Stock Cars saw twenty three line up for twenty laps. Cayden Carter was behind the wheel of the Michael Petersen #1X, and he would lead the pack to green ahead of Johnny Spaw, Jason See, and Nathan Wood. John Oliver Jr. would start from row seven, but by the fourth trip past the flag stand he had entered the top five. Soon the leaders were in heavy traffic, but Carter maintained a safe lead while Spaw raced well ahead of a three car scrum for third between Wood, Oliver Jr. and See. The first caution period came just three laps from the checkers when Dennis Elliot looped his #29 on the now black racing surface. The yellow flag would wave once more on the restart, and when racing resumed Wood used the Delaware style restart to clear Spaw for second with Oliver Jr. following in third. Likely the fastest car on the track at this point, Oliver Jr. then drove around Wood for second on the final circuit, but his charge ended there. Carter picked up his second win of the night, besting Oliver Jr., Wood, Spaw, and See.

   Modifieds would be the headliners on this night, and sixteen of the high powered machines came to the track for twenty five laps. Following a first lap caution, pole sitter Jarrett Brown and third starting Austen Becerra paced the field. A tight three car battle behind the leaders entertained the crowd as Michael Jaennette, Robbie Reed, and Jerad Fuller fought for position. On lap five the red flag flew as a massive pile up out of turn one saw the #OK of Damien Kiefer doing a pair of roll overs. Fortunately there were no injuries, but about six cars were eliminated in the melee. Back to racing, Reed powered his #5 into the runner up spot, then set his sights on the leader. Brown was committed to the inside line while Reed worked high around the turns. By lap fourteen Reed had closed the gap, and one lap later he was in front by a nose at the line. Two more yellows would come in the next pair of laps. On the final restart, Chris Zogg, who had suffered considerable damage on Friday, would charge to fourth after lining up in row five. On the final lap Brown was able to get a run on the leader and they came out of turn four in a near dead heat. Not being sure where the finish line was, we had to wait for the announcement declaring Brown the winner by no more than six inches! Reed, Becerra, Jaennette and Zogg would complete the top five. It was a thrilling cap to the evening that had the crowd buzzing.

   To top off the excellent racing, the final checkers flew before 9:30, leaving the many campers and racers plenty of time for bench racing and partying!

   Thanks as always to MVG and his friendly and efficient crew for an outstanding night of action at one of my long time favorite tracks. 

   On this Sunday we will head back to Adams County, Il. Speedway for the now one day Chad McCoy Memorial, with UMP Modifieds topping the bill as they race for big dollars. Extra money will also be on the line for Crate Late Models, Hart Series B Modifieds, Street Stocks, and 4 Cylinders. In addition, the promoters have a host of other activities planned, including a Hay Rack Ride, costume contest, silent auction, and more. The weather is great, so let's go racing!