Lee County Speedway in Donnellson roared back to life on Friday with night number one of the first of a pair of consecutive two race weekends. This weekend would feature Poweri 410 Sprints both nights, the action dubbed the "Hawkeye Nationals." The Friday card also included Pro Crate Late Models, Hobby Stocks and Sport Compacts. The Sprint car field was a strong collection of thirty three top 410 competitors battling on yet another beautiful early fall evening. Unfortunately the car count was disappointing in the other divisions, however the Sprint Car heavy grandstands I would think went home more than pleased with what they witnessed. Those stands seemed a bit bare as hot lap time approached, and with Central Lee High School Homecoming football just a few miles down the road one might have been concerned. But it was a late arriving crowd that became a solid gathering on this October Friday night.
Poweri hot laps came first, and as each of the four sessions finished, they then staged in the infield, qualifying immediately after. Although timing one at a time, the efficiency of the tour officials shown through and the process went off quickly. Fremont, Ohio racer Sean Rayhall was quickest with a lap of 13.105 seconds, and a quick calculation by Google translated that into an average speed of about 103 miles per hour!
With hot laps for the other three classes complete, it was heat race time for the Sprints. A four car invert set the line ups for the eight lap events. Hank Davis, Riley Goodno and Joe B. Miller all picked up wins from the pole position while Brady Bacon claimed heat four from outside row one.
It took just one heat each to set the lineups for the other classes, then a bit of track work ahead of a single stacked twelve lap B main for the 410s. Xavier Doney would lead the top six feature transfers in a race that saw the first competition yellow flag of the night. Gage Montgomery would take a provisional starting spot for the feature, giving us a twenty three car starting grid for the main event.
The tire barriers in the turns were than pushed in and this low groove was then manicured ahead of feature racing. Again the Sprints would be up first, and it was twenty five laps of "edge of your seat" action! The finishing and passing points preliminary racing found Roger Crockett and Rayhall sharing the front row. Crocket paced lap one ahead of Rayhall while fifth starting Bacon and his row three mate Clinton Boyles followed. Rayhall moved to the front one lap later while fourth starting Emerson Axsom rebounded to fourth. As Rayhall, Crockett and Bacon pulled away from the pack, Bacon used a turn four slider to move to second on lap seven. Now on the charge, Aaron Reutzel powered to third one lap later. Heading down the backstretch in heavy traffic on lap ten, Bacon charged to the top spot. Once more around the three eighths mile oval and Reutzel drove to second, quickly closing on the leader. Reutzel seemed poised to make a move until Bacon was able to split a pair of slower cars racing for position, pulling away to gain some breathing room. Axsom was able to clear Reutzel for second on lap nineteen, but by now Bacon was cruising well out front. However just four laps from the checkers, the first caution of the race came as Montgomery dove to the infield with a brief engine fire. The restart was single file and the final four trips around were high drama. Reutzel found a burst of speed, using the high line to charge to second. He then executed slide jobs on Bacon in turn four as laps twenty three and twenty four went in the books. But each time Brady was quick to cross him back over, scored the leader each time across the line. Bacon then held on the final lap to score the win and the $5,000 top prize in his first ever trip to Lee County Speedway. A surprisingly disappointed Reutzel settled for second, while Austin McCarl was much more upbeat after staring twelfth, then advancing two positions after the caution to finish third. Axsom and Davis completed the top five. Ian Madsen was the hard charger, gaining fourteen spots to claim sixth, topping Boyles, Rayhall, Crockett and Ayrton Gennetten to round out the top ten.
Surprisingly only four Late Models signed in for the night. Tommy Elston debuted his new black #54 and raced away to the feature win. Heat winner Austen Becerra ran second in front of Sam Halstead and Mark Burgtorf in the non stop fifteen lapper.
Seven Hobby Stocks took the green flag for fifteen circuits. Dustin Griffiths started on the pole, and led beginning to end. Jake Wenig was behind the wheel of the #22 normally driven by James Pilkington, and he stalked Griffiths early not quite able to get close enough to take a shot at the lead. Meanwhile Austin Stalder and Jeremy Dooley staged a back and forth battle for third. As the laps wound down, both Stalder and Dooley closed on Wenig, who seemed to be losing speed. As the checkers waved on another non stop race, it was Griffiths with the win followed by Stalder, Dooley, Wenig and Eric Glass.
Sport Compacts put a wrap on the action. A late arriving Luke Fraise gave us a nine car starting grid. Track points champion Brandon Reu lined up on the pole and drove away to a full straightaway win. Josh Barnes stayed close early on as visiting Ethan Zumwalt also showed some early muscle. Fraise started scratch on the field, but moved to fourth by the time lap two went in the books. He then jumped to third on lap five, meanwhile the next four cars raced side by side and nose to tail, even three wide at one point. As the laps clicked off, Fraise challenged Barnes for the runner up spot, but at the checkers it was Reu, Barnes and Fraise. Darin Smith and Chuck Fullenkamp would complete the top five.
The Poweri Sprint Cars will be back at it tonight, Saturday, starting with hot laps at 6:00 P,M. Modifieds, Stock Cars and Sport Mods will fill out the card this time.
Meanwhile I will now look ahead to Sunday evening, as Quincy Raceways wraps up their successful season with a full card of regular racing beginning with hot laps one hour earlier than normal, starting at 4:30. There is still lots of racing going on in the mid west, so take advantage of this great weather and get to a track near you!
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