After three weeks in dry dock, it was time to restart our 2024 racing season. The plan would be to travel to the Quincy (Il.) Town Center on Saturday morning to preview the upcoming activities of the Adams County, Il. Speedway at their annual car show. Thirty some racing machines turned out, including an encouraging nine Late Models. Modifieds, Sport Mods, Street Stocks, Compacts, Go Karts and even one Sprint Car were also on hand, with drivers and crew members present to answer questions. After a few practice nights, the racing season at the .29 mile oval will begin on Sunday, April 28.
Now even though the weather might have been more suitable for football, a carload of us headed for Scotland County Speedway for night two of the Memphis (Mo.) Spring Nationals. This is year thirteen for mid west traveling promoter Mike Van Genderen as the front man for the limited schedule of special events at the wide, fast fairgrounds oval, and it seems often as not, this early season extravaganza falls victim to Mother Nature. Indeed, with a forecast of a brief shower on Friday and temps stuck in the 30's or low 40's both days, no one could have blamed MVG and the race committee for pulling the plug once again. But ever the risk takers, they carried on and we were rewarded with some top notch racing!
After 69 teams signed in on Friday, that number was bumped up to 82 for the Saturday action. Slightly warmer temps with less wind and a start time of 4:00 as well as a natural Saturday bump likely all contributed to the increase. Although I was not in attendance on Friday, multiple people who have been around the track for many years told me it was one of if not the coldest night of racing they could remember!
Hot laps kicked off just a few minutes past that 4:00 bell, and the program went pretty much rapid fire to its conclusion just after 7:00. There were eighteen total races with a very brief break following the heats as MVG added a bit of water to the oval.
With the feature lineups set, Hobby Stocks would kick things off, all thirteen cars making the call for fourteen laps. Friday winner Nathan Ballard drew the pole position for the main, and was never headed as he doubled up in the victory column. The race was red flagged early when Jeremy Dooley took flight off turn three. The restart was then waved off as heat two winner Calvin Dhondt saw his night come to an end. As Ballard disappeared from the field, Tom Killen and Dustin Griffiths waged a second place battle. Following a caution at the halfway mark, Dustin used a low side pass to grab the runner up spot. As the laps wound down, David Crimmins and eleventh starting Curt Reed dueled for the fourth position. At the checkers it was Ballard cruising to the win ahead of Griffiths, Killen, Crimmins, and Reed.
B Mods waited on the track for the brief post race picture taking, then all but one of the nineteen cars on hand prepared to roll off for eighteen laps. However Dakota Girard came to a stop on the front stretch with apparent rear end problems on his #0 machine. Again, it was a Friday winner, Kris Jackson starting in row one and taking another checkers. But his trip to victory lane would be no cake walk. As Kris shot to the lead, Brandon Dale and Chris Spalding made it a trio of Missouri hot shoes leading the way. As Dale and Spalding fought for second, row five starter Brayton Carter was headed to the front, picking off cars until he climbed to second at the mid point of the race. As Shadren Turner joined the challengers for third and the front pair put distance on the pack, the yellow came with ten laps down for a slowing car. Adding a new twist to the weekend, the Delaware restart ( leader out front of a two by two formation), was scrapped in favor of the first and second place cars restarting side by side with the leader choosing inside or out. This put the pair of Jackson high and Carter low in what was shaping up to be an epic battle. But three more laps were scored when Carter slowed and pulled to the infield with front end damage after possibly clipping one of the tire barriers. Jackson then completed his weekend sweep, with Turner claiming second. St. Joseph, Minnesota driver Jake Smith in third was the lone interloper in an all Missouri top six, as he topped Dale, Spalding, and Dawson David.
The Compact count swelled by eight to twenty two for Saturday, and again all but one lined up for fourteen laps. A grinding crash as the field entered turn one sent Rachel Kile hard into the turn one guardrail, bringing out a red flag. Although she was able to walk away from the carnage, her #13 machine suffered what looked to be terminal damage. Back under green, Brad Mick paced the opening lap before Brandon Reu took command the next time by the flag stand. But it was ninth starting Barry Taft charging through the traffic, as he arrived in the runner up spot just four laps in. By now it was Reu and Taft well ahead, and it took just one more circuit for Barry to put his #57 out front. As a race for third went on between Bryan Vannausdle and Dyllan Bonk, Taft drove off into the chilly evening. Eleventh starting Jeffery Delonjay and Chuck Fullenkamp worked into the top five as Vannausdle faded a bit and at the checkers it was Taft, Reu, Bonk, Delonjay, and Fullenkamp. Interestingly, both Delonjay and Bonk also had taken part in the Quincy car show earlier in the day, Jeffery with his new Late Model, and Dyllan with a shiny new Street Stock. Friday Compact winner Josh Barnes was a no show on night number two.
Stock Car action saw sixteen of the seventeen signed in line up for twenty laps. Michael Jaennette and David Brandies filled row one, with Michael jumping to the lead. Following a lap three caution for a spinner, fourth starting John Oliver Jr. powered to second. Two more laps were complete when the yellow waved again, and although Oliver Jr. now lined up beside the leader, it was Brandies charging back to the runner up position. The field now mostly migrated to the low line around the track and Jaennette and Brandies began to put distance on the rest of the competitors. Only ninth starting two class star Griffiths was willing to try the high line around the track, but he was unable to improve on his fifth place position. With just a pair of laps remaining, Oliver Jr. and Oshkosh, Wisconsin driver Presley Harrington had closed the gap to the front duo, but it was too little too late, as Jaennette took the flag to flag win over Brandies, Oliver Jr., Harrington, and Griffiths.
Wrapping up the action, it was ten of eleven Modifieds going at it for twenty circuits. Another Friday winner, Ethan Braaksma, stayed hot, drawing the number one pill to start on the pole with Jarrett Brown to his outside. And the race was pretty much over from the green flag as Braaksma, formerly #111, but now apparently just #11, drove off to a full straightaway lead before the race hit the ten lap mark. However there was plenty of intense racing behind the leader. Brown held second for most of the event but a late charge by Chase Rudolf saw him grab runner up honors as the laps wound down in the non stop finale. Brown held off Zack Rawlins and NASCAR legend Kenny Schrader to complete the top five.
On a very chilly evening in front of a respectable sized crowd of hearty fans, it was a textbook Mike Van Genderen presentation, crisp and orderly, again coming in right at three hours from the start of hot laps to the final good night, and we were miles down the road before darkness hit! Thanks to MVG, the race committee, and all involved for their hospitality and for giving all a place to race in March!
Between family commitments and Easter activities, it looks like we will be taking a week off before what is shaping up to be a busy April of racing. Stay tuned, and thanks for reading!
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