Quincy Raceways Races Through the Raindrops as Season 51 Begins

    36 days...Thirty six days... Due mostly to the consistently lousy weekend weather and in the case of this weekend family obligations, it had been just over five weeks since my bout of racing withdrawal began. So I was more than happy to rush home Sunday, grab my supplies and head to the fifty first home opener for Quincy Raceways. And with the forecast showing no wet stuff until overnight, things were looking up! The good news is that with some adjustments the entire seven class program was completed. The not so good news is that the final three features were run in a light rain. But, hey, it was racing!

   The track crew and the three man management team have been hard at work, putting in many extra hours to prepare for the season, and the result was a good racing surface with just a bit of dust early as the southeast breeze attacked the impressive crowd. 

   The downside was a somewhat disappointing overall car count, although the newly minted IMCA Late Model division was solid with fifteen entries.

  With all the opening night pomp and circumstance complete, racing began about 6:30, with heat race action clicking off in good time ahead of intermission. 

   The visiting vintage class kicked off feature racing. They would run a non stop ten laps, with Bonne Terre, Missouri driver Marshall Skaggs picking up the win over his fellow Bonne Terre competitor Tom Mesey in the PB (peanut butter) car.

  Street Stocks would go next, running twelve caution free laps. Only winner Jacob Rexing and runner up Jake Powers were still around when the checkers waved. 

   Action increased dramatically as all fifteen Late Models lined up for twenty five circuits. Popular local driver Jake Griffin was behind the wheel of the #79 normally driven by Robby Warner, and Jake had issues in hot laps and failed to make his heat race. In fact he was given an extra quick hot lap session to see if his problems were fixed, and it appeared so as he lined up deep in the field for the feature. Spencer Havermale and Jason Oenning filled out row one of the inverted field, with Spencer leading lap one ahead of a caution for debris. Following the Delaware Style restart, Austen Becerra charged to second as he and Havermale put some distance on the pack. But soon Denny Woodworth would join the leaders even as Jamie Wilson, Oenning and tenth starting Tommy Elston waged an entertaining battle for fourth. The yellow flag came out twice with six laps scored, ending the night for Ryan Aden Jr., and back to racing it was Woodworth moving to the lead. Twelfth starting visitor Curtis Glover was now looking strong as he vaulted inside the top five. Becerra would again clear Havermale for second on lap ten, and on the next trip around Jackson Frankel smacked the turn one wall ending his run. Back under green Becerra was mounting a challenge for the lead, clearing Woodworth about lap seventeen ahead of a final caution for Darin Weisinger Jr. As racing resumed, Havermale slipped around Woodworth for second and fifteenth starting Griffin found himself in the top five. Becerra would lengthen his lead and cruise to the win followed by Havermale, Woodworth and Griffin. Jeffery Delonjay made a late charge to round out the top five. Wilson, Elston, Glover, Weisinger Jr. and Oenning would complete the top ten. 

   The Dirtcar Modified field was shockingly short, and with scratches by Dean Vickers and 2025 champ Justin Reed, only four cars took the green flag for a dozen laps. Dave Weitholder ran to a caution free win, although he was challenged late by Shawn Deering. Vance Wilson and Kirkland Cunningham would round out the field. 

   With the sprinkles setting in, Crown Vics lined up for twelve circuits. Brian Kaylor took the early lead from outside row one with pole sitter and 2025 Champion Jake Etter in hot pursuit. Things got even tighter as the front runners hit slower traffic with three laps to go, and as the pair exited turn four to take the white flag, Etter powered to the lead. He would hold off Kaylor for the W. Alex Hatfield in an unlettered "mystery " car would finish third in front of Braxton Dieker and Isaac Little. 

   The raindrops became a bit more persistent as all twelve IMCA Northern Sport Mods came to the oval for their main event, shortened to fifteen laps. Tanner Klingele put his #73X out front from the pole to lead lap one before his row one mate A. J. Tournear nosed ahead as lap two was scored. Meanwhile Reed Wolfmeyer and Kyler Girard came from rows three and four to join the party up front. Klingele edged back to the front just ahead of a caution four laps in. As racing resumed Wolfmeyer charged to the runner up spot and began to hound the leader. The caution would wave two more times, the last caused by contact which sent Tournear for a spin, knocking him out of the top five. Klingele would hold off Wolfmeyer for the victory, with Girard claiming third. Cole Gillenwater made a late charge to fourth after starting in row four, while Alec Cain picked up five spots to finish fifth. Tournear would charge back through the field to sixth as the checkers. An interesting aside, Cole Gillenwater is a third generation QR driver and on this night his father Jim turned over the wheel of his #10 to young Chevy Barnes, a Sport Compact driver making his first start in a Sport Mod. Chevy is the fourth generation of a well known racing family, as his great grandfather was Don White, from my and Chevys' hometown of Keokuk. Racing historians will note that Don was a many time Stock Car champion in the touring days of IMCA and USAC. Chevys father Josh continues to compete in the Sport Compact division also. 

   The rain drops were now creating havoc with pen and paper, and I will admit to heading towards the parking lot as the Dirtcar 4 Cylinders prepared to put a cap on the action. Peeking at the scoreboard as I climbed in my vehicle, I saw the Devin Harrell led the race at about the mid point, and thanks to My Race Pass, I see he picked up the win over Ethan Zumwalt.

   Thanks as always to the Delonjays and their team for their hospitality and for keeping racing alive in Quincy. 

   Even though some big events have been lost, there is still a long season ahead, and just maybe Mother Nature will start playing nice!

Dallon Murty Doubles up at Memphis, Brown, Reimers, Kriegel and Reu Also Winners

    I love it when a plan comes together, and Saturday night we were able to make the trip to Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri. The very large crowd was on hand for night two of the Memphis Spring Nationals. We felt lucky with the great weather last weekend in Springfield only to follow up with record breaking heat on this first weekend of Spring. Short sleeves and no jacket, as 9:30 found us on our way home! And that happened even though hot laps were pushed back, as the heat of the sun required multiple watering and packing sessions to get the track in racing condition. While turns one and two developed a bit of "character " that made for a bit of a challenge at times, the interviewed podium finishers were very complimentary with regards to the racing surface. Considering the amount of snow fall early in the week, I would say kudos all around to the preparation crew. And of course there is no one better than a Mike VanGenderen led staff at moving a show along once the first green flag drops!

   Ninety one cars in the five divisions checked in to race with B Mods leading the way at twenty eight. They would be the only class in line for a B Main, but when one scratch plus an early on track incident whittled the field to a qualifying field of four cars, the race was called. Again, some tracks would have run eight unnecessary laps...

   Following intermission, it would be Compacts first on the feature grid, with all but one of the eighteen signed in competing for a dozen laps around the big three eighths mile. Pole sitter Luke Fraise shot to the early lead over his row one mate Alvin Cooney. Soon it would be sixth starting Dyllan Bonk and ninth starting Brandon Reu up to battle behind Fraise. By the time Reu took control of the second spot, Luke had built a sizable advantage. Slower traffic came into play on lap eight, but Fraise was up to the task at hand. The white flag waved and I began to write down the order when the impending checkers was replaced by the yellow caution flag, setting up a green, white, checkered finish. Fraise restarted out front of the Delaware Style lineup, but as the white waved once more, Reu pulled alongside going down the backstretch. Through the final set of turns they raced in tandem, but Reu won the drag race to the finish line. Fraise was justifiably disappointed with his runner up finish, but that is racing. (Although I am a fan of a one lap shootout in these situations, especially on tracks bigger than a quarter mile, but I am not in charge!) Bonk held on for third ahead of a good battle behind him. Michael Gardner traveled from Des Moines to take fourth over Katelynn Watts. 

   Twenty four B Mods lined up next for twenty laps, although we lost two cars on the parade lap. A first lap pile up also eliminated Jamie Aleshire. Austen Becerra, driving the Bobby Six #6 and Cam Reimers sat on the front row, with Reimers jumping out to the lead. Along with Brandon Dale, the trio ran three wide as lap one was scored. Reimers took control the next trip around. and quickly stretched his lead. He caught the back of the pack on lap eight, and one lap later Dale dropped out with a flat tire. With eleven in the books, the red flag waved, as a violent crash on the backstretch sent Moberly, Missouri racer Colten Gerry barrel rolling and flipping end over end. After a few anxious moments, Gerry was declared uninjured, however his #93 was as mangled a mess as I have seen in a very long time. Thankfully he had taken no shortcuts with his safety equipment. Back to racing Reimers again pulled away as it was now Becerra working to hold back Colton Livezey for second. At the same time, Dakota Girard, Cody Agee, and Brayton Carter were locked in a tight duel for fourth. Reimers would build a straightaway lead, taking the checkers as the next group of five finished in that very same order. 

   All but one of the twenty Stock Cars were now up for twenty laps. Outside pole sitter Derrick Agee led third starting Dallon Murty through lap one before Stock Car rookie Bradley Graham charged from outside row two to the lead on lap two. With sixth starting David Brandies moving to second, he led a charge of Agee and Murty in pursuit of Graham and his sharp looking #2G. At the same time, Nathan Wood and John Oliver Jr. worked side by side to join the fray. Following a lap six caution, Wood climbed to fourth. Somewhere around lap twelve, (no scoreboard here!) Brandies powered to the lead taking Murty along in second. Those two would swap the position, running side by side as the laps clicked off. Meanwhile Wood was on the move to third and a three wide scrum developed for fourth. Murty would take the white flag first, but again the yellow would replace the checkered, creating another two lap shootout. Back under green, Young Murty, fresh off his first Super Late Model races in Florida, pulled ahead to make it two for two for the weekend. Brandies expressed some displeasure in victory lane, although I am not certain who the target was. "Papa" Damon Murty came on strong late to finish third, while Wood and Graham completed the top five. As is nearly always the case, the Stock Cars "stole" the show!

   The Modified car count of nine was disappointing for sure, and only seven survived to take the twenty lap feature green. "Downtown" Kyle Brown sat on the pole and wasted no time leaving the field behind. A caution for Fisher Reese at lap seven brought second running Austen Becerra and the rest of the pack back to the leader, but again Brown drove away. Jace Eckrich used the restart to climb two spots to third. Once more the yellow waved with thirteen laps scored, but there would be no stopping Brown. He raced a middle line around the oval as Becerra ripped the top in turns one and two, then dove low at the other end, all to no avail. Brown scored the win while Becerra collected his second runner up finish of the night. Eckrich, Kurt Kile, and Charlie Mohr would round out the top five. 

   Hobby Stocks would cap off the evening, with all sixteen lining up for fourteen circuits. That previously mentioned "character" in the first corner triggered a melee on the opening lap, stacking up several cars. Back under green, pole sitter Briar Kriegel, making the long tow from Brooklyn, Iowa, jumped ahead of Des Moines hot shoe Tom Killen, Jr. Daniel Wauters in the Jared Miller #17M and Dustin Griffiths waged a duel behind the leaders. Wauters broke free, and by lap seven was challenging for second when the caution came. On the restart, Wauters got shuffled back on the high side while Brayden Wood charged to third. Lap after lap Kriegel and Killen battled side by side, swapping the lead in front of some very vocal and enthusiastic supporters. Mimicking the Compact feature, the pair exited turn four side by side with Kriegel crossing the line first for the hard fought victory. Killen Jr., Wood, Keaton Gordon, and Wauters rounded out the top five. 

   As previously mentioned, those final checkers from starter Kevin Eggleston waved just before 9:30. Thanks to MVG, his staff, the fair board and all the workers who came together to give us great racing in March! As the local racing schedule and prior commitments pan out, it may be a couple weeks or so before our next trip to the track, but be sure and check in with yours truly and my Positively Racing colleagues as the mid west season ramps up. Thanks for reading!

Jackson Jr. Sweeps the MLRA Weekend at Springfield

   On opening night of the MLRA revival weekend at Jerry Hoffmans' Springfield Raceway, Tony Jackson Jr.  more or less cruised to the thirty lap win. On Saturday night, Jackson would again visit victory lane, but he had to work much harder to collect the $5,000 payoff.

   Two new Super Late Models, Kayden Clatt and Tucker Cox, would make their initial appearance on Saturday, while five drivers did not return after Fridays' action, leaving us with thirty seven competitors. 

Once again the action kicked off with limited hot laps at the advertised time of 6:15, but the welcomed quick show of night number one could not be duplicated. The five division program turned out one hundred and twenty one race teams, with a different lineup of classes in support of the Late Models. The track was a bit slower than Friday, with the 12.337 quick time of Iowan Derrick Stewart about three tenths less than on Friday. Once again the Late Models would contest four eight lap heats with the top three moving on to the thirty lap finale. Jackson Jr. and National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Billy Moyer - the Group "B" fast timer both nights - would repeat heat race wins, joined by Clay Stuckey and Eli Ross, all from the front row. It was a short night for Minnesota youngster Matthew Larson, who lost a wheel lining up on the outside front row of heat four. Apparently there was more damage, as he failed to appear for his B Main. Also Joey Smith was a no show for the evening following hot laps. Later on in the program Sawyer Crigler came from row two to capture a B Main while Illinois driver Daniel Adam topped the final qualiflier. 

   In between, the program was plagued by fits and starts as racers in the other classes suffered from yellow fever. I know I sound like a broken record, but if there was one change I could make at this track, it would be a "spin and you're in" rule in the preliminary events. Thank goodness the local flag man is not opposed to ignoring a stopped car long enough to wave a checkered flag!

   With the main event fields set, Midwest A Mods lined up, nineteen cars for twenty laps. As the green flag waved, four cars piled up between turns one and two. Back to racing outside pole sitter Dakota Girard, a regular Sport Mod racer at my "local" tracks, jumped to the lead in front of pole sitter Jaren Powrie. While Girard built his advantage, Powrie also pulled away from the rest of the pack. Dakota had nearly a full straightaway lead by the time he caught the back of the pack at lap thirteen. With four circuits remaining, a disabled car was unable to exit the track, bringing out the caution flag. The lapped cars went to the back, giving Powrie another shot at the leader. As the green waved third place on back stacked up in turn four. With clean up finally complete racing resumed. Powrie would stay close to the leader, but could not mount a challenge, as Girard took a flag to flag win. Jordon Cater came all the way from row nine to finish third, and his row nine mate Jerry Brown followed in fourth. Gary Krebs rounded out the top five, as only eight cars remained on track at the checkers. 

   Normally Legend cars turn out strong numbers at Springfield, but on this night only a bakers' dozen checked in. And with considerable attrition - only two cars left in one heat after first lap mayhem - nine cars lined up for a fifteen lap feature. Not finished with their difficulties, the caution flag came as racing began. Pole sitter Devin Lawson avoided the carnage, survived two more yellows, and scored a flag to flag win. His strong run was nearly negated, however, as Jett Stovall (sounds like a familiar surname!), pulled alongside out of turn four coming to the checkers, but had to settle for second. At the same time, third place Jacob Horn was but a car length back in third. Scott Merrell and Dustin Blair completed the top five. 

    The clock read 9:44 as intermission began. As track work started, the four Late Model heat winners came to the front stretch to shoot baskets to determine their starting positions. Confessing to playing regularly, Jackson Jr. immediately sunk a bucket to earn the pole, then it took a few rounds for Stuckey to claim the outside pole. The advertised event offering $20,000 for a half court made basket found one young lady come up short, then we were treated to a fireworks display. Also during this time, the previous two feature winners came back to the track for pictures, an interesting time saving measure.

   After about thirty minutes, twenty three Late Models came to the track to work in the considerable amount of water added to the quarter mile. When the field began to increase speed, Moyer belched a cloud of smoke and headed for the trailer, his run over before it began. Adam also exited before the green flag, leaving us a field of twenty one. Although somewhat frustrating, the rework of the surface did pay dividends, as the track was very racy, with multiple grooves for the thirty laps. Jackson shot to the lead over Stuckey ahead of a lap three yellow for Caden McWhorter and Glen Powell. Back under green, Stewart charged to second, Jackson stretched his lead, and sixth starting Dillon McCowan jumped to third. As McCowan moved in to battle Stewart, eighth starting Jeff Herzog climbed to fifth, then fourth. Lap eleven saw the caution come for Ross, ending his night behind the wrecker. As the green flag waved, a Tyler Kuykendall spin brought another yellow. The next restart saw McCowan on the cushion as he pulled alongside the leader, then slid through turn four to the front, with Herzog charging to third, soon followed by another stoppage for Corey Zeitner. Having been shown the fast lane, Jackson Jr. move up top on the restart, returning the slide job favor to retake the advantage in turn one. As Herzog stalked the leaders, his bad luck weekend continued with a flat tire on lap nineteen. Back to racing one more time, McCowen briefly moved back out front using the low line, but Jackson was too strong on the high side, retaking then extending his lead. Tony would then cruise to the win. McCowan raced home second while local favorite Terry Phillips gradually worked from row seven to complete the podium. Stewart came home fourth and Stuckey recorded his second top five of the mini series. Sixth through tenth went to "Opie" Mike Spatola, Timothy Culp, Aaron Marrant, Brennon Willard, and McWhorter. 

   We were now past the 11:00 mark on a cool yet comfortable and mostly dust free evening, so as post race festivities began, we headed for the car. Congratulations to Full Body feature winner Tanner Foster, and B Mod victor James Thompson.

   Thanks to Jerry Hoffman for gambling on potentially fickle March weather to offer up a fun weekend of racing. While the crowd was a bit light on Friday, Saturday saw a nice turnout of spectators. Also, thanks to Ernie for bringing back the legendary MLRA. Our 2026 plans include several more series events. For now, we hope to enjoy at least one night of the Memphis Spring Nationals next weekend at Scotland County Speedway. Say "Hi!" if you see me there!

   

MLRA Roars Back to Life in Springfield

   At the end of the 2024 racing season, the Lucas Oil group pulled the plug on the historic and still well supported Midwest Late Model Racing Association - MLRA, after thirty six seasons. The void was quickly filled for 2025 by multiple upstart series in the Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas, Oklahoma area while the MARS series picked up the handful of events in the state of Iowa. But promoter Ernie Leftwich, who headed up the final seasons of the MLRA was not ready to see the popular organization fade into the sunset. So after one season with the Comp Cams series, he decided to take the plunge and breathe new life into the MLRA brand. He purchased the dormant series and along with his wife Kayli, set about a rebuilding process from the ground up for 2026. And what better place to kick things off but at the track often visited by MLRA, the Springfield Raceway quarter mile! 

   With high expectations, Fred and I made plans to begin our 2026 season at Jerry Hoffmans' iconic speedway, the same venue where I began and ended my 2025 season. Speaking of Hoffman, as a showman as well as a race promoter, we also were witness to selected fans attempting to make a highly difficult basketball shot into a basket for a $20,000 payoff. When it comes to Springfield Raceway, there is always more than on track action! Of course, even planning this excursion came with a challenge as Springfield also hosted the Missouri state high school basketball playoffs on this same March 13-14 weekend, with hotels near or at capacity and with inflated room rates!

   But all's well that ends well, so let's move on to the actual racing programs. In addition to qualifying events, the MLRA field would add provisionals based on 2024 final points standings for this weekend only. And thanks to Race On.com, each night there would be one more provisional starter. This position would be based on fifteen drivers who preregistered then selected by a fan vote. The top two vote getters not otherwise qualified would be added, one each night. Got it? So here we go!

   Ninety two cars in four divisions filled out the card for night number one, with a more than solid field of forty Super Late Models leading the way. Hot laps kicked off right on time at 6:15, and with only three classes hot lapping (front wheel drives did not take laps), Late Model time trials kicked off at 6:30 in what became a fast paced program. Mike Spatola made the long haul from Manhatten, Illinois, and topped qualifying with a lap of 12.049 seconds. Veteran Billy Moyer was fastest in group two.

     The twenty eight Midwest B Mods then ran three heats ahead of four eight lap qualifiers for the Late Models. Tony Jackson Jr., Moyer, and Tyler Kuykendall were victorious from row one, while Iowa driver Derrick Stewart captured heat two from the second row.

   Twenty 4 cylinders and a tiny group of four Bombers plus a lone B main for the Midwest Mods set their feature fields, while the MLRA teams contested a pair of ten lap B's. Sawyer Crigler and Clay Stuckey led the four transfers, both from the pole. Three, rather than the advertised two provisionals were added, while Dayton Pursley was the "fan favorite " recipient for night number one. 

   Twenty laps would be determine the Midwest B Mod winner for the eighteen starters.A lap one pile up in turns one and two involved six cars, with four done for the night. Back to racing, polesitter Rafe Duncun pulled away ahead of another caution seven laps in. The field then restarted single file, with row six starter Jordon Cater on the move to the top five, pounding the high side of the quick quarter mile. Meanwhile sixth starting Karter Jackson was applying pressure to the leader while Joe Beard stayed close in third. The yellow waved a final time at lap thirteen when a slowing car stayed on the track. Cater shot to third as the green flag waved, but Duncan now found an extra gear, stretching his lead a bit. At the checkers it was Duncan with a flag to flag win followed by Jackson, Cater, Beard, and eighth starting Jacob Cater.

   A quick intermission was taken to "tickle" the track, then it was thirty laps of Late Models for $5,000 to win. Jackson Jr. and Moyer would lead the pack to green, pulling away from the field. Stewart would trigger the first yellow, his night ended with three laps scored. Back to racing both Spatola and Eli Ross, third row mates, cleared Moyer for second and third. With Jackson in command, the red flag came with eleven laps down as Kylan Garner got upside down off turn four. A flat tire would also effectively end the night for Moyer at this time, as well. By now Stuckey was up to fourth after lining up in row seven. Again Jackson pulled away as Spatola and Ross battled for the runner up position. But it was Stuckey, who captured one of the 2025 MLRA tribute features here last spring that was on the loud pedal. On lap eighteen he cleared Ross, then charged to second one lap later. The leader would catch heavy traffic on lap twenty four, but he showed veteran poise as he skillfully dispatched the slower cars. At the checkers it was Jackson with the win chased by Stuckey, Ross, Spatola, and Caden McWhorter. Daniel Adam charged from row nine to sixth, followed by provisional starter Dillon McCowan, Kuykendall, Timothy Culp, and Terry Phillips. 

   Pleased but covered in dust, we took our leave about 9:45 as the top three interviews were attempted over a less than effective P.A. system.  A check of results shows Justin Day a FWD winner from the pole, while Ben Chapman did the same in the Bomber class.

   Tonight, Saturday, we will be back at it with the Late Models again going for $5,000 backed by B Mods, Midwest "A" class, Full Body, and Legends. 

Putting a Wrap on 2025

    With the mid west dirt track season coming to a close, it is time for a review of another exciting season for Racin' Down the Road. Family activities and some contrary spring weather led to a bit fewer shows than normal, while a poorly timed "bug" wiped out my best chance at adding a "new" track to my list for 2025, leaving me stuck temporarily at 76 venues in thirteen states. 

   Still a look at the book shows 49 race nights over ten months beginning February 28 in Springfield, Missouri, and ending November 15 at that same facility.  

   Rechristened Quincy Raceways led the way with eleven nights of action, followed by Lee County Speedway in Donnellson at ten. 34 Raceway in West Burlington was a destination for eight events while the two and a half hour trip to Davenport Speedway took place on five occasions. Two trips south resulted in three race nights at previously mentioned Springfield Raceway, and Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. was visited twice. 

   Single race nights came at ten different facilities, I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Mo., Tri City Speedway in Granite City, Spoon River Speedway near Banner, and Lincoln Speedway, all in Illinois.  

   As usual, Iowa tracks led the way, with one event each at CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction, West Liberty Raceway, Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, 300 Raceway in Farley, Boone Speedway, and "Dirt at the Downs," in Cedar Rapids for again a bit lower total of sixteen tracks. 

   Although all were familiar tracks, it had been more than a couple years since I had visited several, especially Boone and Hawkeye Downs, and I owe a special thanks to Jeff for handling a lot of the driving chores. 

    There are significant changes coming at a couple of tracks closest to home, and we will take a look at those as the off season unfolds. A couple that we will mention is the new promotion team at Lee County, the Weisinger family, specifically Darin, Debbie, and daughter Lee Ann Lambert. I have counted this well known racing family as friends for many years, and wish them the best. Also the track will be switching back to Friday night racing and IMCA sanctioning, which should be a positive development for the Tri State area. And upon further consideration, Quincy Raceways will stay with a weekly Sunday night program, sprinkled with a couple of Late Model specials on Friday nights. At this time they are still awaiting sanctioning approval for their weekly Late Model division, so stay tuned!

   It may only be December, but I am already building my 2026 calendar, but more importantly, keep checking the Positively Racing calendars for another exciting racing season! 

   Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and we will see you all soon! 

Turley Bowl XIX Car Count Tops 500

    Saturday, November 15 Fred and I headed south to Jerry Hoffmans' Springfield Raceway for the final night of the 19th edition of his super popular Turkey Bowl. Complete with generous payouts and very unique trophies, the now four day (including a practice night) event continues to grow each year. With the late addition of Super Stocks, there are now nine divisions competing during three jammed packed nights of full on racing. Due to the time of year and the enormous car counts, three of those divisions, Front Wheel Drive, Pure Stock, and the Midwest Mod "B" class wrap up their turkey trophy pursuit earlier in the weekend. This leaves six classes for Saturday night. In a further nod to time and temperature concerns, only the Super Late Models and now the Super Stocks run full shows on the final night. Last chance B mains and features fill out the card for A Mods, B Mods, Midwest A Mods and Legends. And thankfully and wisely only the two full show classes run hot laps around the quick quarter mile, slated to roll off "about" 4:30. The atmosphere is pure country at this rustic facility and while the amenities are far from state of the art, the racing is always top shelf and even though it is a strong four hours plus from home, Turkey Bowl has become one of those " can't miss" events on the Racin' Down the Road calendar, cold weather and all. 

   Fortunately the weatherman was unusually kind this year, at least in the early going, with temps in the record breaking high70's in southwest Missouri, dropping to the low 50's by the time we made our premature exit. 

   The eight divisions that competed in 2024 turned out a record 500 cars on the nose, and the addition of twenty nine Super Stocks boosted that number even higher. By the time everyone was checked in for the six classes on Saturday, a whopping 366 cars were set to do battle! 

   The first qualifying event took the green flag at 5:08. Forty one races would be on the docket for Saturday, thirty five qualifying events clicking off with only slight delays for an occasional spritzing and rolling in of the water. But that many races just takes a considerable amount of time. Perhaps the passing points format from the heat races transferring only eight to the features could be adjusted upwards to save a race here and there, and perhaps the B mains might be formed into larger fields (or fewer laps), but I digress. An adjustment was made due to an odd circumstance with the Late Models, where a pair of the six heat winners did not make the top eight cut, so they were then added to the qualified cars. 

   As might be expected with so many cars, the racing for a spot in the main events was intense. The quick quarter mile offered two distinct lanes, with the high side perhaps only a tad quicker. A mind boggling seventy Super Late Models signed in, up twenty one from last year. Austin Howes was a couple laps from the first heat win when his #17A suddenly quit, turning the checkers over to Myles Moos. Scott Crigler, Dillon McCowen and Brandon Baldridge also transferred with their wins, while Brennon Willard and Tony Jackson Jr. were the two heat winners added to the starting grid. 

   Twenty four would start the Legends A Main, with all other classes qualifying twenty cars, then one provisional starter was added as I understand it based on social media participation? Of course with eight teams already qualified in several divisions, that meant that a handful of drivers waited until the wee hours of Sunday to hit the track! 

   Following a brief break, the twenty lap Legend turkey chase was up first. Preston Martin made a nearly one thousand mile tow from Lincoln, North Dakota to line up in row five for the event, quickly slicing and dicing his way to the front. He then held off eighth row starter Trenton Simon by less than a car length to take home the cash and trophy. After Simon dove under the leader off turn four on the final lap Martin had just enough momentum to grab the win. 

   Midwest A Mods would be next, twenty one strong for twenty laps. Following a pile up on the start, Trenton Brookshire opened a sizable advantage. A second caution came just before half way, and back to racing Brookshire moved to the inside line. A final stoppage came with eight laps remaining, and now Mark Simon began to pressure the leader running a high line. As the laps wound down, Brookshire slowly increased his margin all the way to the checkers. Unfortunately his flag to flag dominance turned to disappointment in the tech area, with an unknown violation turning the win over to Simon. The DQ moved Andy Aust up to second followed by Caden Bolin, Cory Johnson and Michael Maggard. James Lee also lost a top five finish in tech. 

   The official intermission now came at 10:50 as the decision was made to tear up, water and repack a pretty good track. To keep the large crowd entertained, announcer Jerry Vansickel conducted a football toss competition among the top eight A Mod qualifiers from Friday and the top four Late Model points earners to set the front of their respective features. This was followed by a fireworks display. Combined with the requisite repacking session, we were back to racing in about thirty minutes.

   The star studded A Modified field was whittled down from seventy six to twenty one for a thirty lap $6,023 to win event. Osage, Iowa hot shoe Jim Chisholm shot from the outside pole to lead football toss winner Reece Solander to turn one. As the race stayed green, Chisholm searched the remade surface, looking for his sweet spot. Soon he and Solander had left the pack behind, catching slower traffic about lap twelve. Around the mid point, Sloander made a strong bid for the lead, running an inside line as Chisholm continued to move around. The #24 car of the leader was showing a bit of rear quarter damage apparently a battle scar from a lapped car skirmish, but the driver still maintained a one to two car length advantage over Solander. Thirty caution free circuits in just over seven minutes left Chisholm slightly breathless in victory lane, celebrating a flag to flag win. Solander held the runner up spot in front of Tanner Mullens, Kyle Steffens and Chris Spalding. 

   Perhaps still not happy with track conditions, another session of ripping, watering and packing preceded the Late Model headliner. Fortunately or unfortunately, the results were very similar. Twenty three cars would take the green flag for thirty laps.  Shane DeMay was best at quarterbacking, but it was Scott Crigler jumping ahead from the outside front row. Cruising along, Crigler caught the back of the pack about lap eight. Ten circuits later, the only yellow flag came as contact from the rear sent seventh running Tony Jackson Jr. spinning in turn one. As Jackson ducked to the work area for a quick once over, Eli Ross did the same, giving up a top five run. They would then restart at the back of the lead lap cars, in sixteenth and seventeenth. Moos would power his #84 to second on the Delaware style restart. Working the top side Moos would make a run at the leader with four to go, but he bobbled on the turn two cushion, dropping him to fourth. Crigler would then sail home to the flag to flag victory. DeMay rebounded to second, chased by twelfth starting double duty Terry Phillips, Moos and 2024 winner McCowan, who finished where he started. Baldridge was solid gaining two spots to sixth and Tim Ward finished where he started in seventh. Scott Crigler advanced eight spots to eighth followed by McKenzie, Tennesee driver Matt Cooper and Joey Smith to round out the top ten. 

   The clock had now rolled past the midnight hour, so Fred and I headed for our hotel, more than satisfied with what we had seen. It seems as though the remaining two classes found the track surface to their liking as Donnie Miller came from row two to outrun row four starters Michael Muskrat and Aaron Poe for Street Stock honors. Finally Waylon Dimmitt came from fourth to collect the B Mod checkers over his row two mate Brayton Carter, eleventh starting Kris Jackson, J.C. Morton and Ryan Gilmore. 

   Thanks to Jerry Hoffman and his entire team for a great night of racing to most likely wind up our 2025 season. But be sure and check back often as there is plenty of "silly season" happenings to be confirmed in the coming weeks! 

Fall Frost Classic Late Model Title to Harrison

    With the exceptionally mild late season weather, first year track owner/promoter Josh Carroll decided to schedule one more event at I-55 Federated Auto Parts Raceway near Pevely, Missouri. The three night extravaganza, dubbed the Fall Frost Classic featured nine different divisions, with a $5,000 to win, $500 to start Late Model headliner on Saturday. It had been four seasons since I had been to the one third mile high banked clay oval, and I was eager to see how Carroll had begun to put his stamp on the high speed one third mile facility.

   So watching the ever changing forecast Jeff, Fred and I headed south on Saturday afternoon, never finding the predicted sunshine, but instead off and on sprinkles, persistent enough at one point to create an approximate fifteen minute delay in racing. Coupled with a steady breeze, the less than comfortable conditions no doubt held down the crowd that was spread throughout the large capacity facility. 

   Hot lap / qualifying had been moved up thirty minutes to 5:00 P.M. to better accommodate the anticipated large field of cars, which reached one hundred and sixty four. However what was eventually a super smooth and fast clay surface took quite a bit of extra packing which "ate up" the extra half hour. Between hot laps for all, including time trials for the twenty two Late Models, twenty UMP Modifieds and a whopping forty one B Mods, it was about 7:00 before the first of twenty one heat races hit the track. A pair of B mains for the B mods, plus one for the thirty one Mod Lites were also needed to set the feature fields! Just a personal observation here, I know time trial qualifying is deemed a necessity in UMP country, but perhaps after one night of practice and another full show for all but the Late Models, perhaps it might be wise to dispense with hot laps for the other six divisions on the final night? But I digress...

   Popular local legend Kenny Wallace topped Mod qualifying with a lap of 15.129 seconds, and as the track worked in, Steve Meyer Jr. actually topped that for the B's at 15.105! Richmond, Missouri driver Aaron Marrant then paced the Super Late Models at 13.073 to round out the timed classes.  

   Once the heat races began, track officials tried their best to keep the show moving, but with so many events and many drivers unfamiliar with the facility, there were plenty of yellow flag periods to deal with. And there were a surprising number of  problems negotiating the track exit off turn one, especially for the Mod Lites, some of which appeared to become high centered. 

   Finally it was feature time, with the eight Kid Modz up first, eight strong for twelve laps. It was obvious that despite their young age at least a couple of ten year olds may be ready to graduate to a higher class. With strong racing family roots, Cole Stolzer and Cruz Griffaw waged a tight nose to tail and side by side battle for the lead before Cruz nearly upset his #16 during contact with the outside concrete wall near the end of the backstretch. Stolzer then cruised to the win ahead of Brodix Burrows and another second generation driver, Cody Vanover Jr. 

   Twenty five laps of UMP Modifieds came next, with only Caleb Slaughter missing from the lineup. A roll of the dice had set a four car invert for I believe all of the features, and this put Chris Spalding and heat three winner Timmy Hill on row one. Six times the caution would come in the opening eight circuits before things settled down. Spalding was the early leader with heat one winner Wallace advancing from fourth to second following a lap four yellow. Stalking the leader, Wallace perfectly executed a slide job off turn four on lap seven to grab to top spot. Heat two winner Dylan Sharp was running third when he smacked the concrete in turn two one lap later, ending his run. As the race crossed the mid point it was Wallace and Hill pulling away from the pack with Hill running in the tire tracks of  #36. They caught slower traffic on lap fifteen, and one lap later Hill bobbled on the backstretch, allowing Wallace to open a bit of a cushion. By lap twenty Hill was again at the rear bumper of the leader, but he smacked the turn one wall, heavily damaging his rear spoiler, effectively ending his chances. Meanwhile "Herman" worked the traffic smoothly, racing to the sweep of his events. Hill was second chased by Spalding, Chasten Boen and Friday winner Clint Young.

   Cody Vanover failed to make the call for the forty lap Late Model headliner. Eventual hard charger Jeff Herzog had timed in tenth but was unable to start his heat race, putting him alone in row eleven for the feature before gaining eleven positions to finish eleventh. Following a caution flag on the start, pole sitter Marrant pulled ahead of heat winners Daryn Klein, Micheal Kloos and Mike Harrison. Marrant opened a commanding lead, catching the back of the pack on lap six. Two circuits later the caution came again as sixth starting Mark Voigt rolled to a stop, his night over. Harrison would line up in the outside lane for the restart, clearing Klein for the runner up position while Versailles, Kentucky hot shoe Tripp Gerrald powered to third. Harrison began to pressure the leader, using a successful slider to grab the lead off turn two on lap fourteen, taking Gerrald along in second. Those two then began to pull away, but it was Harrison disappearing from the pack.in the #33 machine. Marrant and Gerrald would swap positions back and forth as Harrison opened a half track advantage. A solid run for Rusty Griffaw would end with a yellow flag at lap thirty one, and back to racing it was Kloos now moving to second. Again Harrison drove away, but one final stop came just three laps from the checkers. The single file restart offered no challenges up front as Harrison cruised to the $5,000 win. Kloos was the in the bridesmaid spot, ahead of Gerrald, Klein and thirteenth starting Jose Parga in the T6 normally driven by Tommy Sheppard Jr. Bob Gardner paced the second five over Marrant and eighth starting and finishing Rich Bell. Austin Howes debuted a brand new ride in ninth while Myles Moos was tenth. The night should have been better for Moos, as he spun out of the heat two lead while avoiding a soon to be lapped car.  

   With a nearly four hour drive for the wheel man, we had hit our self imposed 10:30 curfew as the Mod Lite main came to the track, with five more features still on the docket, so we regretfully headed for the warmth of the car and the long trip home. Still it was fun to get back to one of my favorite long distance venues, and racing in November is always special! 

   At this time of year, I always treat each race as perhaps the last of the season, but Fred and I are once again watching the forecast for a possible trip to Jerry Hoffmans' Springfield Raceway next week for another favorite, the annual Turkey Bowl. Perhaps we will see you there!