34 Raceway Celebrates Sixty Years in Style

    Saturday night 34 Raceway owners Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt rolled out the red carpet to celebrate sixty years of racing at the West Burlington speed plant. Grandstand admission when the high banked three eighths mile track opened in 1966 was a buck fifty. While they could not quite match that, the $5.00 Fan Appreciation price was even more of a bargain, and the large crowd on hand apparently thought so as well! A couple of replica Semi Super Modifieds from "back in the day" were on display, and long time racer Ned Fry had his various 34 Raceway history books on sale behind the stands. These text and photo books come highly recommended, I own several myself. While I am not a "charter member" of the track alum, I have been a frequent visitor since the late 1960's and have witnessed many changes to the facility. One thing has not changed, and that is exciting racing, and we had plenty of that on Saturday. 

   Five IMCA divisions plus 305 Sprints were on the bill while IMCA Stock Cars had the night off. A solid total of eighty racers checked in on what turned out to be a beautiful night with just enough cloud cover to mostly override that pesky setting sun. 

   Other than celebration, the theme of the night was patience and self control. Twelve heat races would help determine the feature lineups, and they clicked off caution free in just over an hour. During the twenty minute intermission, Brad, Jessi, and Ned addressed and entertained the crowd, then it was feature time. 

   IMCA Northern Sport Mods were up first with all twelve racing fifteen laps. Tim Tucker led lap one before Mexico, Mo. driver Kahne Groves took over on lap two. That duo raced side by side, Tucker ahead on lap three, Kahne on lap four. By the mid point Kahne had opened a lead while Tucker was also well ahead of the battle for third. With just three laps to go, the first caution flag of the night came as Levi Laymon spun in turn four, collecting Colton Laymon. Jarrett VanDenBerg took advantage of the Delaware restart to charge to second as Tucker was soon challenged for third by Sean Wyett. Kahne would hold on for the win, with VanDenBerg in second. Wyett would come next followed by Tucker and Jason Masengarb. All twelve cars were running at the checkers. 

   Twelve was also the number of 305's, and they lined up for fifteen circuits. Luke Lane sat on the pole and quickly jumped ahead, with fifth starting John Barnard in tow. Daniel Berquist would clear Barnard for second the next time around, as Lane pulled away. Just past the halfway mark Barnard was able to use lapped traffic to retake the runner up spot. With zero yellow flags, Lane spent the second half of the race in lapped traffic. Although Barnard was able to close the gap in the final laps, he could not get close enough for a serious challenge. Berquist crossed in third, trailed by Riley Scott and Ian Steward. Thirteen year old Braxton Flatt drove a steady race to finish in sixth. 

   IMCA Sport Compacts turned out only seven competitors with six taking the green flag for ten laps. Tim Schnathorst climbed from row two to lead every lap in front of Drew Stanek. Behind those two, Brandon Lambert and Darin Smith would race side by side for all ten caution free laps with Smith nosing in front for third at the checkers. Chadrick Edward Poland rounded out the top five. 

   IMCA Late Models topped the roster with twenty one entries. All except Blaise Lewis came to the track for twenty five laps. Teammates Jason Oenning and Denny Woodworth paced the field, with Denny grabbing the lead. The Late Model Lawyer opened a sizable lead before catching the back of the pack with ten laps scored. Oenning closed quickly, but as traffic cleared Woodworth again stretched his lead. As the laps wound down in yet another caution free event, Oenning soon had his hands full with Jeremy Pundt. With Woodworth cruising to the win, Pundt would clear Oenning for second exiting turn two on the final lap. Tommy Elston fought heavy traffic early before finishing fourth while Mitch Boles took hard charger honors gaining eight positions to fifth. Ray Raker, Sam Halstead, Jay Johnson, Curtis Glover, and Jake Griffin also scored top ten finishes. 

   IMCA Hobby Stocks were the "bad guys" with a whole three yellow flags slowing their fifteen lapper! The first came as the pack exited turn four on lap one, a multi car skirmish that resulted in two cars hooked together. A very lengthy delay followed as the safety crew worked diligently to separate the machines. Brett Timmerman would jump ahead on the original restart. Tucker Richardson and seventh starting Nathan Ballard cleared the leader ahead of another stoppage with four laps scored. Back under green Richardson led lap after lap around the cushion with Ballard running in his tire tracks just inches behind. The final yellow flag came with five to go, and Timmerman jumped to second on the Delaware restart. Ballard quickly retook the spot, then set sail after Richardson once again. On the final circuit, Tucker drifted high at the exit of turn two and Ballard blasted through the opening to take his first lead. Just as that looked like the winning move, Nathan then drifted high in turn four, opening the door. However he quickly recovered to take the checkered flag in front of Richardson. Timmerman held off Jaice Tuttle for third while Garrett Porter started and finished fifth. 

   All thirteen Modifieds would round out the night with twenty laps of, you guessed it, caution free racing! Kaylin Lopez used his pole start to grab the lead with Adam Shelman in second. Jace Eckrich powered to the runner up spot on lap two, and on the next trip around it was Eckrich, Shelman, and Chris Zogg racing three wide for second. Joined by Logan Anderson and Austen Becerra, the top six soon drove off, battling for positions. Eckrich was able to clear Lopez on lap six, then methodically stretched his advantage as the race hit the halfway point. Now it was Becerra on the move, third by lap ten and second two laps later. While Jace ran a steady line around the middle groove, Austen was pounding the cushion in turns one and two, then using a high to low diamond move to close the gap at the other end. With five laps remaining Becerra had moved to the rear bumper of the leader, who now had lapped traffic to contend with. With the white flag flying Eckrich tried to squeeze below a slower car while Becerra jumped to the cushion, blowing past both cars to take the lead and the thrilling win. Lopez also joined the podium , topping Zogg, Anderson, and Shelman. 

   Four yellow flags total and the final checkers waved just moments ahead of 10:00! Next Saturday is Kids Night at 34 Raceway, with lots of giveaways for the youngsters, mainly focusing on school supplies.

   Thanks to Brad, Jessi, and their crew for a great night of racing!

Elston, Diercks, Brown, Miles, Chapman Times Two Take Davenport Wins

    Weekly points racing is starting to wind down, so having been rained out in two of my three planned visits to Davenport Speedway this season, Friday seemed like a good time to make a trip north to the quick quarter mile. Five IMCA classes plus the Outlaw Street Stocks would be in action at the SR Promotions facility before racing would stop for two weeks during the Mississippi Valley Fair. A trip to Davenport is usually a very enjoyable one, knowing that racing will move along at a brisk pace due in large part to the city enforced curfew, allowing us to get back home at a reasonable time. On this night the track crew outdid themselves! Hot laps began right at 6:30 and even though exactly one hundred cars signed in, the process took less than thirty minutes. Perhaps I sound like a broken record, but it is not only possible but reasonable to hot lap as many as fifteen cars (or more) at a time on the quarter mile with no issues. The first heat race rolled out promptly at 7:00 and those twelve events were completed in about fifty minutes, one after the other as the previous qualifiers rolled across the infield scales. With only eight cars signed in, it was announced that the Street Stocks would run a feature only, and after exactly fifteen minutes of intermission, they hit the track first. 

   Chevy Andreatta was the early leader in the fifteen lapper ahead of a lap three caution. As lap five was scored, Tony Von Dresky took command, holding serve until Cary Brown took over just ahead of a second and final yellow flag with ten in the books. Brown would race home with the win in front of Von Dresky, Scotty Pratt, Austin Riggs, and Jesse Owen. 

   IMCA Northern Sport Mods would be up next, twenty starters going fifteen laps. Keith Wiersema shot from the pole to lead the opening two laps before yellow fever set in. It was mostly the cars running near the back of the pack that seemed to have a great deal of trouble finding traction, as the caution would come four times in the first three laps. Meanwhile ninth starting Ben Chapman was working forward on each restart, moving quickly to second then grabbing the lead after the mid point. Along with Nick Hixson, the front pair would put some distance on the pack, but three more late cautions scrambled the running order. Chapman would drive off to a convincing win, while twelfth starting Trevor Noonan from Dorchester, Ne. made a late charge to second. Oconto Falls, Wi. racer Owen Wilcox advanced eleven spots to third, followed by Yuma, Az. driver Hudson Morris, and Hixson. What a diverse field!

   Caution flags also plagued an otherwise entertaining IMCA Late Model headliner. Outside row two starter Jesse Bodin shot to the front on lap one, joined one lap later by his ageless row two mate, Gary Webb. Three times the yellow flag would wave during a lap three slow down. Finally back under green, tenth starting Travis Denning and twelfth starting surprise visitor Tommy Elston entered the top five, even as Bodin opened a sizable lead. Lap eight saw Elston blast to second, followed one lap later by Denning in third. The caution came again with ten scored, and back to racing Denning took over the lead with Elston close behind. They would then put on a show with Denning pounding the cushion while Elston hugged the inside tire barriers. Lap fourteen saw Elston ease ahead, and the next time around the caution waved as the third running Bodin spun in turns one and two, retiring to the pits. Blaise Lewis inherited the third position, then used the Delaware restart to outrun Denning to the first corner. Once more the race would be stopped with eight laps to go, but Elston was locked in, picking up another win in his quest for national points. Lewis held the runner up spot in front of Denning, while Logan Veloz ran fourth. Cruz Birkhofer made an impressive run late, advancing ten spots to fifth. Mitch Morris, Curtis Glover, Dalton Simonsen, and the Johnsons, Jayden and Carter filled out the top ten. Apparent first heat winner Dustin Smith was disqualified for an engine violation and was the only one of the twenty two signed in to not start the feature. 

   Sixteen IMCA Hobby Stocks took the green flag and promptly put an end to the yellow fever outbreak. They would run fifteen laps green to checkers. Karter Miles moved quickly from row three to the front, soon joined by eighth starting Randy LaMar. That pair would pull ahead of the field, soon to be joined by Carson Butt. With no stoppages, heavy lapped traffic became a challenge, but Miles was not to be denied as he moved seemingly effortlessly through the back markers for a flag to flag win. LaMar and Butt followed, with double duty Josh Starr and Christian Jordon rounding out the first five. 

   All but one, Donavon Lodge, of the eighteen IMCA Modifieds lined up for twenty laps. Eric Barnes charged ahead from the outside pole with fourth starting Shane Paris in pursuit. With nine laps in the books, sixth starting Matt Werner was able to power to second, but once more around and it was track points leader Spencer Diercks climbing to the runner up spot, with Paris also clearing Werner for third. Diercks would continue to apply heavy pressure, and as the leaders came to the line to complete lap twelve, Diercks was ahead by a nose. He then opened a more comfortable lead, and with again no yellow flags, he cruised to the win. Barnes would settle for the second spot while Werner got back around Paris for third. Brandon Durbin completed the top five. 

   IMCA Stock Cars would round out the night as we headed for the car. MY Race Pass tells me that Ben Chapman became a two time winner on the night, besting Kodey Miles, Jacob Ellithorpe, David Brandies, and Jeremy Gustaf. 

   It was a quickly run yet very entertaining show, thanks to Jeff Struck and his team for a fun Friday night. 

   Tonight we will head to 34 Raceway in West Burlington for Fan Appreciation Night as part of the 60th year celebration of the beloved speedway. No rain in sight, $5.00 to get in, so get off the couch and come to the races!

Sheppard and Ledford Dominate at Lincoln

    Tuesday we made a return visit to Lincoln Speedway on the Logan County, Il. Fairgrounds for the completion of the Flo Racing Night in America program. The original event on May 7 was postponed as the second Super Late Model heat race came to the track. Thirty six Late Models had qualified, with Hudson O'Neal setting fast time then picking up the win in the first heat before the off and on showers finally created a situation where the show could not be completed by the town curfew. The twenty seven Modifieds in the pits had also qualified, but while the Late Models would pick up their program with heat two, the Modifieds would start over, beginning with time trial qualifying. Twenty seven Mods had turned out for the May show.

   It was a beautiful afternoon and evening and the fans responded as a huge crowd filled the covered grandstands. Unfortunately the driver turnout was not quite as expected. A combination of factors were perhaps at work as an unusually high amount of mechanical issues with transport vehicles seems to be happening - including Sam Seawright who broke down enroute. Also being the same week as the Prairie Dirt Classic may have kept some away, although it would seem like perhaps a good test session before going to Fairbury. Lastly the fact of a poor qualifying position from the May time trials may have been a deterrent. As it was, thirteen of the original thirty six drivers failed to return, while local hot shoe Myles Moos was allowed to join the field and tag the tail of the final heat race. Keeping the original heat race lineups created an interesting situation, as heat two, the first of the night, would roll off with six cars, heat three would see only four starters, and with the addition of Moos and one subtraction, heat four would have nine starters. With just twenty four cars on hand, no B Main was needed, leaving just three heats and the fifty lap feature to entertain the paying customers, many of whom were not in attendance for the original show. 

    I am not sure what the excuse might be for the Modifieds, as only sixteen would sign in even though their portion of the night would be a complete new show with a $2,000 to win top prize. However the stellar announcing crew from Flo Racing did a bang up job of making one set of time trials, five heat races and two features seem like a full night of racing!

   Hudson O'Neal had been the top qualifier and heat one winner back in May, earning him the pole start for the $20,000 to win Late Model headliner. Mike Spatola, Brandon Sheppard, and Bobby Pierce would also capture heat wins to set the first two rows of the main event. Curiously, Brandon Overton, who was locked in to a third row slot did not make the return trip, no explanation given. 

   The Late Model fifty lapper would roll out first. O'Neal would pace lap one ahead of Sheppard, but it was fifth starting Shannon Babb getting a good run on the start and charging to the front on lap two. Sheppard would make it three different cars up front as lap three was scored, and would stay there for forty seven more laps. But the drive would not be an easy one. After getting shuffled back a bit, O'Neal would take second on lap six, and one lap later Pierce would enter the conversation in third. One more time around and the "Smooth Operator" would climb to the runner up spot, just ahead of the first caution for a Moos spin. Austin Howes and Brian Shirley would call it a night at this point. Three more laps were scored before a crash involving Josh Rice and Jake Little would send both to the pits. As the green flag waved, fourth place O'Neal was shuffled back with obvious rear right side damage. Ricky Thornton Jr. was now the man on the move ahead of a yellow flag at lap fourteen for Kyle Bronson. As racing resumed Devin Moran began a march forward, even as Sheppard and Pierce turned the race into a classic two car battle while Babb and Thornton Jr. ran side by side for third. The leaders would close in on the back of the pack on lap twenty seven just as Moos slowed between turns one and two. Sheppard would clip the rear of the Moos ride and continue on, but with nowhere to go Pierce would lock up his brakes and slam into the #84. Pierce would then head for the hot pit to check for damage and take advantage of the misfortune to bolt on a new right rear tire, a very fortuitous decision.  With the "choose cone" restarts used by Flo where each driver behind the leader can pick inside or out, Pierce would line up somewhere around fifteenth. Thornton would charge to second on the restart, but now all eyes were on Pierce. By the time the next stoppage came at lap thirty four for a Spatola spin, Bobby was back up to seventh. He would reenter the top five five laps later, but Sheppard was now well ahead of his nearest challenger. Moran jumped to second at lap forty three as Pierce gained another spot. With an ill timed flat, Thornton Jr. would bring out a final caution six laps from the finish, turning third over to Pierce. That would however be the best the controversial driver could do. "Sheppy" would once again drive off from the field while Moran stayed strong in the runner up position. Tyler Erb would climb six positions to finish fourth and through all the moves, Garrett Alberson would seemingly hold fifth throughout the race. Nick Hoffman came home sixth, topping Babb, the damaged car of O'Neal, and Ryan Gustin. Dennis Erb Jr. made a late charge to complete the top ten. An obvious crowd favorite, up and coming NASCAR star Carson Hocevar would hang around all race as he learns the tricks of the dirt world while moving up nine spots to finish fifteenth. Sheppard, who lives not far down the road in New Berlin emerged from his car to huge applause from the appreciative crowd. 

   With the T.V. hoopla complete and most of the crowd still around, all sixteen Modifieds came to the track for twenty laps. First heat winner Michael Ledford would shoot to the lead with his row one mate, heat two winner Ray Bollinger in tow. Overall fast qualifier Charlie Mefford would clear Bollinger on lap two. Ledford was clearly the class of the field on this night as he methodically increased his lead to a full straightaway on the black dirt quarter mile by the mid point of the race. With zero cautions slowing the action, Ledford cruised to the win, moving smoothly through slower traffic as needed. Mefford crossed in second while Cole Falloway cleared Bollinger for third. Torrance, California hot shoe Cody Laney rounded out the top five, chased by Kelly Kovski, Matthew Baker, Steven Brooks, Brandon Roberts, and Carter Sinkhorn. Fourteen cars were still around at the checkers. 

   It was just after 9:00 when the final checkers fell. For those who like to spend hours at the track, it may have been a disappointing night, but for those of us hours from home, it was a bonus! Thanks to the staff of Lincoln Speedway and Flo Racing for their help and hospitality. The Flo crowd moves on to Fairbury tonight, then it will be PDC time over the weekend. At this time I am still weighing several good options closer to home for the weekend, so don't forget to check back for more Racin' Down the Road. 

Checkers AND Wreckers Highlight Quincy Action

    Hat tip to my buddy Keith Reed for that headline. More on that later, but first...

   Quincy Raceways switched things up a bit on Sunday night. For the first time this year, 305 Sprints paid a visit to the Bullring. Not to be relegated to a "support class," track owner/promoter Jeff Delonjay issued a challenge to the IMCA Late Models - turn out at least twenty cars and the feature would pay $1,000 to win. Outside parties then came on board, raising the winners' share to a cool $1,750, plus an extra 50 bucks for spots nineteen and twenty. Dirtcar Modifieds, open B Mods, Dirtcar 4 Cylinders, and a Vintage class were set to fill out the card, however Crown Vics were also added late as a non points feature only event, making for a busy night of racing.

   Unfortunately, as is most often the case, adding money to the top of the purse does not necessarily increase car count, so even though a quality field of fourteen Late Models turned out I have no idea if any of the extra money was collected. But on to the racing.

   Despite the early heat from the clear, sunny skies, a very nice crowd filed in, likely boosted by the appearance of the winged warriors.  Things got off to a dramatic start in the first Late Model heat when second running top contender Curtis Glover saw his #30 go up in such a heavy cloud of smoke that the cars behind him stopped on the track, unable to see while disappearing completely from the grandstand side. Spencer Havermale would lead that same race for seven and a quarter laps before drifting high in turn four coming to the checkers allowing Austen Becerra to drive past for the win.

   Ten Vintage cars signed in, all from Missouri representing everything from Sprint/Midget bodies to Model A's to an immaculate Oldsmobile Cutlass kicked off feature racing. All but one took the green flag for twelve laps of non stop racing, led from start to finish by a fifty nine year racing veteran, seventy one year old Kevin Buckley, from Bonne Terre. To the delight of many,  Quincy Raceways Hall of Famer Terry Gallaher was also in the field, but retired early.

   A solid group of seventeen 305 Sprinters were on hand, all but two lining up for twenty laps. Paul Haley charged to the lead from outside row one, taking along fourth starting Braxton Flatt. The yellow flag waved with one lap scored for a Deke Brooks spin. One more lap went in the books before a red flag went Cole Helmerson flipped multiple times in turns one and two. The driver appeared to be okay, his #52H not so much. By the time Cody Wehrle climbed to second on lap five, Haley had checked out to a big lead. Running high on the cushion, he would catch the back of the pack by lap eight but the slower cars stayed low, giving him plenty of room. With no more delays, Haley would cruise to the win, lapping all the way up to the fifth running car. But... as he entered turn one on the cool down lap, he somehow got sideways and toppled upside down! The wrecker then towed the winning car and driver to victory lane, where he never the less celebrated his first Sprint Car win after thirty seven years of racing! I hope he earned enough money to pay for repairs! Wehrle would come home second followed by Flatt, Austin Motley and hometown hero Riley Scott, whose family built, owned, and operated Quincy Raceways for many years. 

   Judging from the now very black track, it seemed the remainder of the races might be of the follow the leader variety, but not so. Twelve IMCA Late Models remained for twenty five laps. Frankie Wellman and Havermale led the field to green. Wellman paced lap one before Havermale nosed ahead on lap two. As he ran the treacherous cushion, Jamie Wilson and ninth starting Becerra began to move forward. Havermale had a commanding lead before the yellow waved at lap ten. following another quick yellow as the field brake checked coming to the green, Becerra used the Delaware restart to grab second while tenth starting Tommy Elston charged to fourth. There would be one more quick caution, then the final fourteen laps would stay green. Quickly Wilson and Becerra moved to the front, soon joined by Elston in a three car breakaway. With just a pair of laps remaining, Becerra crossed over Wilson for the lead exiting turn four only to have Wilson return the favor off turn two. They would take the white flag side by side before Becerra pulled slightly ahead, picking up his second consecutive QR win. Wilson would settle for second in front of Elston, Jake Griffin, and Havermale. Darin Weisinger Jr. ran sixth ahead of Denny Woodworth, Jason Oenning, Wellman, and Logan Cumby. The only traveler in the field was Brady Parmeley, who made the three hour plus haul from Cadet, Missouri.

   Chris Spalding and winner the past two weeks, Rick Conoyer would lead the eleven UMP Dirtcar Modifieds to green for twenty laps. They would pace the early laps as quick qualifier Dave Weitholder inched closer in third. Back to racing after a lap six caution, Weitholder took over the runner up position. As the race stayed green, those three remained at the front with some distance separating each from the other. In the closing laps both Weitholder and Conoyer moved within striking distance of the leader. but never close enough to make a serious challenge. Spalding, known locally as "Spidey", led from flag to flag for his first QR win. Weitholder took the runner up spot over Conoyer, Justin Reed, and Jacob Rexing. 

   B Mods would be next, racing for eighteen laps. The caution flag would wave for an original restart, with Cruz Griffaw backed up a row. Drake Stevenson would assume the pole and the lead, with his row one mate, double duty Weitholder in second. The only other caution would come with four laps scored, and back under green Adam Birck would power to third. But it would be the front pair racing nose to tail as the veteran Weitholder waited for the mistake that Stevenson never made. Drake would score the win while Weitholder took bridesmaid honors two races in a row. Birck held third over Griffaw and Josh Dietrich. 

   Dirtcar 4 Cylinders lined up for fifteen trips around the .29 mile oval. Dyllan Bonk and Landon Neisen filled out row one, and they wowed the crowd racing side by side for the first six laps, Neisen scored the leader each time. As they passed under the flag stand completing lap six Neisen got sideways, smacking the concrete wall, ending his night. Bonk then drove away into the Adams County night. Kimberly Abbott charged to second, but was overtaken on lap seven by Gage Elston in a Bonk team car. With no more stoppages, Bonk opened a straightaway plus lead, cruising to the win. Elston, Abbott, Ethan Zumwalt, and Bryce Baker would follow. 

   There were still many in the stands enjoying the much cooler breeze as the Crown Vics lined up, eleven strong for fifteen laps. After a couple early yellows, double duty Jeffrey Delonjay led the opening lap before Jake Etter took over on lap two. That duo gained separation from the pack with a final caution four laps in. Back to racing Etter, who also races a B Mod, gradually pulled away, cruising to the win. Delonjay was runnerup chased by Jacob Jones, Carter Goodwin, and Skipp Dunker.

   It was a long night of racing but with plenty of action. Quincy Raceways will be back at it next Sunday before taking a night off for the Adams County Fair on August 2. Thanks as always to the hard working crew at QR for their generous hospitality. We will now be making the journey on Tuesday to Lincoln, Il. Speedway for the completion of the rain interrupted Flo Racing Night in America event from May. 

   

Johnson, Becerra, Oliver Jr., Klingele, Fraise, and Meeker Grab Donnellson Checkers

    Friday was points racing at Lee County Speedway. The regular five IMCA classes plus Mini Haulers filled out the card. It was to put it mildly a scorchingly hot evening which no doubt had a negative effect on car count, fan attendance, and track conditions. The only saving grace was a somewhat cool(?) breeze that popped up as the evening wore on. Looking at comments on line it would seem that LCS was not the only track affected by the challenging conditions, and I see that 34 Raceway has decided to scrap races for tonight at least partly due to those same elements. 

   But on to the show! Heat races clicked off in less than one hour, and after a short break, it was feature time, where amazingly three of the six money races went flag to flag, with only four yellow flags in the Modifieds and one for the Late Models and Mini Haulers slowing the action!

   Sport Compacts would roll out first, racing for twelve laps. Kimberly Abbott would lead heat winner Luke Fraise through a tight battle before Fraise eased into the top spot on lap five. Fifth starting Tim Schnathorst would move to second two laps later, but by then Fraise had checked out. With no cautions to bunch the field, Luke cruised to the win. Schnathorst held off Brandon Reu for second while Abbott and Bill Bennett completed the top five. 

   Stock Cars came next, racing for twenty laps. A lap one skirmish eliminated heat winner Austin O'Donnell, with outside pole sitter Jathan Fuller leading the way early. John Oliver Jr. suffered a broken rear end while leading the heat, forcing him to the tail of the main event after a quick replacement. He then began to work his way through the pack, and soon it was Fuller, Chad Krogmeier, Oliver Jr., and Cason Keller running nose to tail NASCAR style at the front of the field. As they continued around the inside line, Oliver Jr. moved up a line, charging to second on lap nine, then using a dandy crossover move to grab the lead at the halfway mark, even as Keller saw his night come to an end. Oliver began to pull away as Fuller and Krogmeier battled for the runner up position. Once again, with no stoppages, Oliver Jr. cruised to another victory. Fuller won the duel for second, while Kevin Koontz came home fourth. Jerry Jansen claimed fifth by a tight margin over Scott Jordon, and his #06 began to spew smoke  as the checkers waved. 

 Modifieds would be the "bad boys," with most of the problems coming at the back of the pack on the somewhat tricky surface. Fisher Reese paced the opening circuit before Jace Whitt and heat two winner Mark Burgtorf drove to the front using the high line on lap two. Austen Becerra lined up in row four, but charged to third the next trip around the three eighths mile oval. As the top three pulled away from the field, Becerra moved to second just ahead of the first caution with six laps scored. Back to racing Austen powered to the front, then began to drive away, leaving Whitt and Burgtorf to fight for second. Becerra was on cruise control before the yellow flag waved three times in the final four of the twenty laps, during which time third running Whitt retired to the pits. The final rundown saw Becerra pick up the win and Burgtorf hold off a late charge by Adam Shelman for second. First heat winner Bill Roberts was fourth while Brian Reed would record a fifth place finish. 

   Ron Boyse saw his night end on the first lap of his heat race, and he would be the only one of the dozen Late Models absent from the feature lineup. When Nick Leary elected to start at the tail it would be Jason Oenning and heat two winner Jay Johnson bringing the field to green for twenty five laps. Johnson quickly opened a sizable lead ahead of the only caution with nine in the books. Denny Woodworth had been running in second, but he was shuffled back to fifth on the Delaware Style restart, with eighth starting Spencer Havermale taking up the chase. After once again building a commanding lead, Johnson soon had Havermale closing fast as the laps wound down. With just four circuits remaining, the leaders would come upon a slower car, and while Johnson was able to maneuver around, Havermale suddenly fell off the pace after clipping one of the tractor tires and folding under the nose of his #7H. While Jay then drove off to the win, Havermale would fall to fourth behind the hard charging duo of row five starters, Jake Griffin and Tommy Elston. Woodworth would round out the top five. First heat winner Darin Weisinger Jr. would come next after a tight battle with Curtis Glover. Oenning, Jeremy Pundt, and Leary would round out the finishers. 

   For all intents, the Sport Mod fifteen lapper was over when the green flag waved. Tanner Klingele was a rocket from outside row one, charging ahead of Brandon Lambert. Cole Gillenwater drove to second on lap two, but by then Klingele was well out front. Jim Gillenwater moved to third on lap three. Klingele completed the heat and feature sweep ahead of Cole Gillenwater. Lambert would get back around Jim Gillenwater for third while Grady Jones claimed fifth in the non stop event. 

   Ten laps for the ten Mini Haulers would put a cap on the night. Nick Wilkerson and Tate Kronfieldt would pick up heat wins, but it would be Austin Poage and Jim Hooper pacing the feature field to green. Following a first lap caution and an original restart, Poage would lead Colton Meeker for a pair of laps. Then Meeker would take command on lap three, and two circuits later Wilkerson would move to second. Those two would drive off from the pack in a tight nose to tail formation. Wilkerson waited for the mistake that never came as Meeker picked up his first ever feature win. Three Missouri drivers would chase the Iowa Boys, as Poage would race home third ahead of Cody Webster and Derek Hooper.

   The final checkered flag waved by Darin Weisinger would come just minutes past 9:30, a very welcome outcome. Thanks as always to Darin and his crew for their gracious hospitality. Just a reminder, Lee County will take next week off before returning to action on July 31. Yours truly will next be at Quincy Raceways tomorrow, Sunday before a return trip Tuesday to Lincoln, Il. Speedway for the completion of the May 7 Flo Racing Night in America rainout. 

Tight Battles, Late Passes Highlight Quincy Action

    Quincy Raceways was back in action on Sunday, six regular classes in competition. It was Quincy Auto Supply Night with discounted tickets available which helped swell the large gathering. Sixty seven cars checked in on a warm, humid night. The green, white, checkers format for hot laps got things off to a fine start, with heat race action firing off near 6:30 and clicking off in a timely fashion. 

   A bit of track work came during intermission, and it was quickly time for feature racing. 

   Dirtcar Street Stocks were up first and even with a couple of first timers on hand this class continues to struggle with car count. Nick Proehl made the trip from Colona, Il. and paced lap one before giving way to Jacob Rexing. With the race staying green throughout the fifteen laps, Rexing opened about a half lap lead. Proehl held second until slowing dramatically on the final circuit with a flat tire. He would then drop to fourth, with Brandon Boden and Richie Wagy filling out the podium while Don Hoffstadt brought his sharp looking Dodge home in fifth. 

   All but one of the dozen IMCA Northern Sport Mods lined up for eighteen laps. Todd Wolfmeyer and Olivia Hoffman led the opening circuit. A.J. Tournear powered to second on lap two, then to the front two laps later. Meanwhile seventh starting Tanner Klingele was on the move, climbing to second on lap five. Reed Wolfmeyer and Adam Birck charged from rows four and five to join the hunt, and as the race approached the half way mark, Klingeke snagged the lead followed in second by Reed Wolfmeyer. The first caution came with six laps to go, and back to racing Birck moved to third. The yellow flag came again two laps later and as racing resumed a turn four mix up brought out the red flag as Jordan Zumwalt got upside down. The final restart was single file and Klingele raced home to the win. Reed Wolfmeyer . Birck, Tournear, and Coal Valley, Il. driver T.J. Patz completed the top five. 

   Dyllan Bonk won the drag race to turn one over Landon Neisen as the Dirtcar 4 Cylinders came to the track for fifteen laps. They would race nose to tail in the early laps ahead of an entertaining battle between Austin Harris, Kenny Butterfield, and Devin Harrell. As the laps clicked off in the non stop event, Bonk began to pull away, even as Harris and Butterfield closed the gap to Neisen. The final two laps saw both Harris and Butterfield move to second and third, but there would be no catching Bonk. Neisen crossed the line in fourth while Harrell rounded out the top five. 

   The IMCA Late Model class continues to turn out strong numbers, with seventeen competitors checked in. Missing from the starting grid was Logan Cumby, who saw his #8C erupt in a cloud of smoke in his heat race. Heat winners Frankie Wellman and Jason Oenning would pace lap one, with Jeffrey Delonjay moving to second on lap two. Disaster was averted on lap three when Spencer Havermale stalled at the entrance of turn one, as somehow everyone managed to avoid contact. Jake Griffin lined up in row four but now used the Delaware Style restart to jump to third. Delonjay would drive to the front on lap six with Griffin taking the runner up spot one lap later. With eight laps remaining twelfth starting Austen Becerra had entered the picture in third. Griffin took over the lead one lap later and with just five laps to go Becerra cleared Delonjay for second. He then moved up to challenge for the lead and the front duo ran side by side before Becerra nosed ahead two laps from the checkers. He would then hold on for the hard fought win. Griffin, Delonjay, Jackson Frankel, and Oenning would complete the first five. Travis Denning would claim sixth in front of Tommy Elston, Jamie Wilson, Curtis Glover, and Darin Weisinger Jr. Becerra advanced eleven positions while Frankel and Denning moved up seven and Griffin six in the wild and wooly event. 

   Justin Reed was a scratch in the Dirtcar Modified twenty lapper. Chris Spalding shot to the lead over Dave Weitholder, only to see Weitholder drive to the front on lap two. Rick Conoyer eased around Spalding on lap four as the three front runners pulled away from the pack. The yellow came with five laps scored, but it would take four more circuits before Conoyer nosed ahead of Weitholder at the line. Rick began to increase his lead and now double duty Rexing moved up to challenge Spalding for third. Twice more the yellow flag would fly, creating an open track for the leader. On the final restart with four laps to go, Spading used the Delaware lineup to clear Weitholder for second. Chasing those three would be Rexing in fourth and Shawn Deering close behind. The win would be the second in a row for Conoyer. 

   Double duty Jeffrey Delonjay would come from row four to grab the Crown Vic feature win. Braxton Dieker ran second followed by Alex Hatfield, Skipp Dunker, and Carter Goodwin. 

   Thanks again to the Delonjays' and their crew for their hospitality and a fun place to spend Sunday nights!

   Quincy Raceways will mix it up a bit next Sunday as the lineup will include 305 Sprints, IMCA Late Models, Dirtcar Modifieds, B Mods, Dirtcar 4 Cylinders, and Vintage cars. Hope to see you there!

Sheppard Corrals Slocum Honors, Burgtorf and Becerra Also Winners

    After the 18th annual Slocum 50 was rained out in April, the event was moved to become a part of the yearly visit by the Lucas Oil Late Model series on Thursday, July 9. This would be the second consecutive Thursday for racing at 34 Raceway, west of West Burlington, Iowa. The highlight of the traveling series would be the $15, 000 to win main event. IMCA Late Models and IMCA Modifieds, weekly staples at the 3/8 mile high banked facility would also be in action with $1,000 to win features. 

   Although hard rains prior to race time fell throughout the area, the race grounds remained dry with a beautiful rainbow and in fact the sun shone brightly before setting off turn two. Although a bit late arriving, likely due to the weather, a great and enthusiastic crowd would eventually file in.

  Twenty nine Super Late Models came through the pit gate backed up by twenty two IMCA Late Models and a rather disappointing eleven IMCA Modifieds. The evening began with Lucas Oil time trials, and it would be the first car out, Brandon Overton, who would set overall quick time at 14.796 seconds, about three tenths off the track record for Late Models. Brandon Sheppard would pace group B at 15.015.

   Heat race drama in IMCA heat three saw a two car spin in turn four coming to the white flag. Running in a top four redraw position, Sam Halstead had nowhere to go, and the hard contact eliminated him from competition for the night. Lucas Oil heat two saw Shannon Babb spin in that same corner on the opening lap taking out himself as well as two other cars. Babb also was done for the night. Further issues would whittle the field to just two cars as the checkers waved. 

   Overton, Carson Ferguson, Sheppard, and Rickey Thornton Jr. would capture heat wins while Clay Stuckey grabbed B main honors. The Smith brothers, Brenden and Brody would grab the two provisional starting spots for the fifty lap money race. 

   Pole sitter Overton would beat Sheppard to turn one as those two soon separated themselves from the field. Soon Thornton Jr. would join the leaders, and with the race staying green they would catch slower traffic about lap fourteen. Overton would gain a bit of separation moving through the lapped cars as Sheppard now had a battle on his hands for second. The first yellow flag would come after thirty one laps as fifth running Josh Rice ducked to the work area. Back under green Overton would again pull away from the battle for second. Soon Sheppard would close in on the leader as Devin Moran moved in to challenge for third. With just thirteen laps to go Sheppard, running the inside line around the high banks eased past the leader while Moran powered to third. Even as Overton stayed close on the high side, Moran made it a three car scrum for the lead. Devin would charge to second about lap forty two and one lap later the second and final caution would come for Hudson Oneal. This would set up a single file seven lap dash to the checkers. Despite pressure from Moran and Overton, B Shepp would hang on for his first Slocum victory, unofficially jumping to the series points lead in the process. Moran, Overton, Max Blair, and Thornton Jr. would record top fives, trailed by Brian Shirley, Ferguson, Kyle Bronson, and the Simpson brothers, Chad and Chris, who would be the hard charger, gaining eight spots. 

   With all the post race television hoopla finally complete, the IMCA Late Models would lineup twenty strong for twenty five laps. Jeremy Pundt and Mark Burgtorf would redraw the front row and take off in that order before a first lap caution ended the night for Cody Washburne. Pundt would again lead the original restart with C.J. Horn slipping around Burgtorf on lap two. Travis Denning would also clear Burgtorf on lap five, but Mark would retake the position one lap later. As Pundt opened a comfortable lead, Burgtorf moved up to challenge Horn for second. around lap ten. As the race stayed green, the wily veteran Burgtorf cleared Horn with just four laps to go and set off after the leader. When the front duo came through turns three and four to the "two to go" signal, Burgtorf charged to his first lead of the race. He then held on for an emotional win. Pundt settled for runner up honors over Horn. Mitch Boles won a late battle with eleventh starting Tommy Elston for fourth. Denning, Jay Johnson, Andy Nezworski, Dustin Smith, and row nine starter Cruz Birkhofer would round out the top ten. 

   IMCA Modifieds would close out the action. A first lap four car pile up in turn three would end the night early for Andrew Hamburg and Bill Roberts Jr. Dennis Laveine would rocket to the lead as racing resumed with Austen Becerra on his heels. Running the top line, Becerra powered to the lead on lap three while Jace Eckrich entered the conversation in third. Following a quick yellow flag Eckrich would use the Delaware Style restart to move to second. After a lap five caution Becerra would open a sizable advantage while Eckrich also gained clearance ahead of a great three car battle between Laveine, Kolton Osborn, and Logan Anderson for third. One final time the caution would come at the halfway mark and the field would now go single file. But there would be no catching Becerra, who cruised to the win. Eckrich held the runner up spot while Anderson claimed third. Osborn nipped Laveine at the line in a tight scrum for fourth. Tom Bowling Jr., Blaine Bryant, and Matthew Lundry would follow in that order.  

   It was a solid night of racing on a well prepared track. Special thanks to Brad, Jessi, and all the crew for a memorable night honoring a great friend. 

   We will take a couple night s off then be back at Quincy Raceways for weekly racing on Sunday.