Close Racing at Lee County Speedway

    Thankfully the rain stayed south of Lee County Speedway in Donnellson on Friday as sunny skies greeted us upon arrival. A beautiful sunset preceded another chilly evening full of close racing on a beautifully prepared racing surface. And even though the spring chill is still with us, a decent sized crowd turned out. With the addition of the American Iron Racing Series a solid total of eighty four racers signed in led by twenty IMCA Late Models. This being the second week for the new promoters, everything moved along smoothly and after a full plate of heat races and intermission, it was time to go feature racing.

   The visiting A.I.R.S. group of thirteen ran first with only one stoppage. For some unknown reason, there was no roster of drivers so I apologize in stating that car #8J one of the Jones clan, picked up the win.

   The Mini Hauler truck class again produced a small number of participants, with five competitors racing ten non stop laps. Nick Wilkerson destroyed the field by about a half lap. Tate Kronfieldt and Hayden Delzell also went the distance behind the winner. 

   IMCA Sport Compacts fared little better, with only six signed in and five still around at feature time. Brandon Reu took off from outside row one to lead the twelve lap distance, chased by Kimberly Abbott and opening night winner, Josh Barnes. 

   The IMCA Stock Car count was down a bit at ten, but as usual they rewarded us with outstanding racing. Matt Jones paced the opening lap ahead of Chad Krogmeier, but it was Jason See coming from outside row two to lead lap two. Soon it was Krogmeier, sixth starting John Oliver Jr. and Derrick Agee locked in a battle for second. Oliver Jr. managed to clear that group on lap six and the chase was on. Halfway through the twenty laps Oliver had caught See and they ran side by side on lap thirteen before Jason was able to pull slightly ahead. With two to go in another non stop event, See caught two cars running at the tail of the field and he was able to use maneuver his way through, creating a bit of separation to secure the win. Following runner up Oliver Jr. it was Agee and Krogmeier, while Kevin Koontz won a race long battle, passing Matt Picray late for fifth. 

   All but one of the thirteen IMCA Modifieds took the green flag for twenty laps in yet another non stop race. Matt Fulton Jr. led his row one mate Fisher Reese in the opening circuits before Jace Eckrich moved into second on lap three. Even as young Eckrich mounted a strong challenge seven laps in, week one winner Austen Becerra came roaring from his row four starting spot to third. Eckrich used a turn three move to grab the lead one lap later, and one more time around saw Becerra charge off turn four to move to the runner up spot. It quickly became a two car breakaway. With six laps remaining the duo raced side by side, and Becerra claimed the lead coming to the flag stand. Ripping around the very top of the three eighths mile oval, Austen then drove off for the win. Eckrich held on for second while Fulton Jr. nipped visiting Chris Zogg at the line for third. Mark Burgtorf started and finished fifth. 

   After a heat race altercation, Ed Hollenbeck and Jason Oenning scratched for the twenty five lap IMCA Late Model headliner, leaving eighteen cars to take the green flag from starter Kevin Eggleston. Darin Weisinger Jr. and Sam Halstead sat on row one, and they blasted ahead in that order. While Weisinger Jr. opened a sizable lead, fifth starting Tommy Elston began his march forward, slipping past Halstead for second on lap six. He then began to run down the leader, racing side by side before taking command just before halfway. Fourteen laps were scored when the caution flag waved as Spencer Havermale found himself facing the wrong way on the front stretch. Thankfully everyone managed to avoid his stopped #7H. On the restart Weisinger seemed a bit slow off the line, losing several positions. Now it was eighth starting Christian Miles showing speed as he pulled a successful slider exiting turn four to clear Halstead for second. Elston drove off into the Lee County night as Miles, Halstead and Late Model rookie Logan Cumby fought for the runner up spot. When the checkers flew, Elston had matched his opening night win, with a straightaway advantage over Miles, Halstead, Cumby and visiting Andy Nezworski. Curtis Glover led the second five over Weisinger Jr., Denny Woodworth, Jake Griffin and Ron Boyse. Miles, Woodworth and Griffin all advanced six positions, Glover five and Elston four on the smooth, racy track. 

   IMCA Northern Sport Mods would put a wrap on the evening, seventeen strong for twenty laps. After rolling his car last Friday, Dylan VanWyk started on the pole position, and from there that was basically " all she wrote." He blasted well ahead, while double duty John Oliver Jr. also gained separation in second. The first stoppage came with eight in the books. VanWyk again pulled away, and it was now seventh starting Brandon Dale on the gas, powering to fourth. Two more laps were scored before a second and final caution. Row three starter Charlie Rindom jumped to the runner up spot as racing resumed, and as VanWyk cruised around the oval, Rindom, Oliver Jr. and Dale wrestled behind the leader. At the final checkers it was VanWyk, Rindom, Dale, Oliver Jr. and week one winner Cole Gillenwater in fifth. 

   If you were counting that was a grand total of four caution periods in over one hundred thirty laps of feature racing, a testament to both excellent track prep and driver restraint. Hats off to all involved! All racing was complete around 10:30. Thanks again to the Weisinger family for their gracious hospitality. The sun is shining, it is warming up. Think I will check the schedule and see if I can squeeze in a bonus night of racing. See you at the track!

Rain is the Victor at Lincoln

    Thursday night Fred and I made the drive to Lincoln,Il Speedway for night two of the Flo Racing Night in America events, a part of Illinois Speedweeks. Originally a three race swing, the opener at LaSalle Speedway was weathered out on Tuesday, making the Spoon River Speedway Wednesday show the first of the limited Made for T.V. series. Following Lincoln, many of the cars and stars will move on to Farmer City, then Fairbury with the Lucas Oil Late Models to conclude what was scheduled as a five night mini tour across the Land of Lincoln. 

   The Super Late Model headliner at Lincoln would pay a cool $20,000 to win supported by only one division, open Modifieds chasing a $2,000 payday. As an added attraction, burgeoning NASCAR star Carson Hocevar would be in competition wheeling his #77 Late Model. 

  Lincoln Speedway is a quarter mile facility located on the Logan County Fairgrounds. The covered grandstands retains that old time fairgrounds feel while still offering a good view of the action, with a set of open air bleachers and a sizable area for lawn chair type viewing. 

   Brandon Sheppard led flag to flag to pick up the win at Spoon River on Wednesday, topping a thirty nine car field while Trevor Neville did the same over a group of twenty five open Mods.

   There was sight chance of showers in the forecast, normally not enough for concern. However, this is 2026.

   We arrived early enough to see several changes in the weather, from sprinkles to sunshine, to a drop in temps due to a very chilly breeze, even as a solid field of thirty seven (minus one who left early?) Super Late Models and twenty seven open Modifieds rolled through the gate. Noticeably absent in that latter group was Wednesdays' winner, Neville. 

   The advertised hot lap time of 6:00 came and went as the track crew worked diligently to repack the racing surface after one of the passing showers. Warm ups finally began just a few ticks after 7:00 followed by group time trials for both divisions. Michael Ledford was quickest of the Mods with a lap of 14.239 seconds. Late Models qualified four at a time in groups "A" and "B". Hudson Oneal was tops in the first group at 12.748 seconds while local favorite Brandon Sheppard paced the second flight just a tick slower at 12.750. 

   With opening ceremonies complete. the first Late Model eight lap heat race hit the track. Oneal bested Brandon Overton, Shannon Babb and seventh starting Jason Feger. Just as heat two took the green flag, another more persistent shower hit the grounds. As pack vehicles continued to circle the oval, the first announcement came that when action resumed, the Late Model show would run off completely ahead of any Modified action. However moments later, as rain continued to fall, came word that between the track conditions and the local curfew, all racing was postponed with hopes of resuming at an as yet undetermined future date. A disappointing ending for the large gathering of spectators.

   This year has not been kind thus far to racing in the midwest, and as I do this report on Friday morning, it continues to sprinkle here in Canton. As of 11:00 racing for tonight is still on at Lee County Speedway, so we shall see what happens!

Marolf Stays Hot as Late Models Invade Vinton

    Sunday we decided to switch things up and make our first visit since 2024 to the home of IMCA, the Benton County Speedway - "The Bullring" - in Vinton, Iowa. Five IMCA classes would be in action along with a visit by the Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Models. It was cloudy and cool in Canton, but by the time we pulled into the quarter mile fairgrounds facility, the sun was out and the temp hit the mid seventies. There was a breeze blowing as well, fortunately for those of us in the grandstands it was blowing from west to east - perhaps not so good for those watching from the pits. 

   One hundred and sixteen race teams checked in, and with the big rig Late Model haulers, both the regular and overflow pit area was bulging. As a side note, for those who have not had the opportunity, grab a pit pass and take in a drivers' meeting at the track. Corey Dripps definitely has a way with words and leaves no doubt about policies and procedures!

   Hot laps were due to kick off at 4:30 with racing to follow. Unfortunately, it felt more like mid summer than early May as the sun and wind did the racing surface no favors. The track crew worked hard and by feature time there were multiple grooves, as least in the early events. 

   Each class had two or three heat races except for the Hobby Stocks who turned out a whopping thirty two cars, requiring four heats plus a B main to whittle the starting grid to twenty four.

   With their consy tucked in ahead of the Stock Car heats, the Hobbys would be up first in the feature lineup. Leah Wroten blasted to the lead from outside row one in the fifteen lapper, taking along pole sitter Darin Bloomquist. Eighth starting Justin Wacha would take up the chase on lap two ahead of the first of six caution periods. The worst of those came when a trio of cars got together off the top of turn three. Cameron Graham would take the blunt of the damage as he flipped his #33 machine, ripping the body away from the frame. A Delaware restart just before the halfway mark saw row five starter Zach McNeese, who had been involved in a tight battle with Wacha for second, power around both Justin and Leah to grab the lead. Five circuits later it would be sixteenth starting Karter Miles charging to the runner up spot. Two more caution periods would come in the final three laps, and Wacha saw his strong run end as he slipped off the track on the backstretch. McNeese was able to hold serve through a final single file restart to pick up the win. Miles advance fourteen positions to take second followed by Jaice Tuttle, Wroten and Joren Fisher. 

   Twelve laps would be the distance for the twenty two Sport Compacts. As the green flag flew, nine cars would stack up at the exit of turn two! Aaron Swearingen would then pace lap one before seventh starting Cristian Grady took over the next trip around ahead of a second yellow flag. Back to racing, Grady built a nice lead even as runner up Lukas Rick also separated from the pack. The leaders were exiting turn four coming to the checkers when there was a hard flip in turn one. After a brief pause, the race was called complete. Grady took the win chased by Rick, Devin Coghlan, Jake Anderson and Robert Rundle. Only nine cars were still running at the conclusion of the dozen scored laps. 

   `All but one of the eighteen Northern Sport Mods lined up for fifteen laps. Outside row one starter Jacob Berry grabbed the initial lead ahead of Jackson Carey. Brady Hilmer climbed to second before a lap two caution. Berry could not hold on as racing resumed, gradually falling back in the field. It was sixth starting Will Wolf moving to the front, chased now by Hilmer and Ben Chapman. Following a caution four laps in, the three leaders pulled away from the pack, Wolf running a high line while Hilmer and Chapman worked around the tire barriers. With five laps to go, the caution flag waved again, and back under green Wolf dropped to the inside line in turns one and two, gaining a bit of separation from his challengers. A final stoppage set up a green, white, checkers finish, but there would be no catching the #7W. Hilmer and Chapman would follow, with Tony Olson coming home in fourth. Josh Banes was the mover of the race, picking up twelve spots to finish in fifth. 

   The Karl Chevrolet Pro Late Model  16 car twenty five lapper proved a bit anti climatic. Nick Marolf drew the pole position and he set sail in search of his third series win of the young season. Third starting Troy Morris III tagged along in second as the field mostly migrated to the inside line around the speedway. Morris kept the pressure on, staying close, looking inside and waiting for Marolf to make the mistake that never came. The race ran caution free with the leader catching the back of the pack just before halfway, then encountering heavy traffic about lap nineteen. But the driver from Moscow was up to the task, scoring the flag to flag victory. Morris III had to be content with a runner up finish. Jerry King would round out the podium while Jeff Aikey and C.J. Horn finished where they started to complete the top five. Luke Pestka ran sixth in front of Matt Ryan, J.D. Auringer, and the Duffys, Logan and Landon.

   Two features remained on the card, but I was staring at a full plate starting early on Monday (thus this somewhat late report,) so we regretfully headed for the exit. Thanks to MY Race Pass, the Modified win went to row one starter Ethan Krall over pole sitter Rayce Mullen, Patrick Flannagan, Jed Freiburger and hometown driver Jerry Dedrick. 

   Kyle Olson came from row four to top the Stock Car finale ahead of Brandon Tharp, Shawn Stinger, Kodey Miles and Dakoda Sellers.

   A big thank you to Rick, Corey and staff for their hospitality. It was fun to visit with some "racin'" folks we don't get to see often enough!

   Our next planned stop will be Thursday at Lincoln, Illinois Speedway as the Flo Racing Night in America tour makes their third stop of a five night swing, supported by open Modifieds. Stop and say "Hi!" if you see us there!

A New Chapter Begins in Donnellson

       After an opening night cancellation due to a saturated racing surface, it would be race night Friday at Lee County Speedway. And it would be the first night for the new promoters at the fairgrounds three eighths mile oval in Donnellson, Iowa. The Weisinger family has seen several generations compete on Tri State area tracks for many decades and it has always been a true family affair. So when the fair board found themselves searching for a new promoter for 2026 it was patriarch Darin taking the plunge. And as might be expected it soon became a group effort. While Darin will be the "face" of the operation, it will be daughter Lee Ann Lambert - of National Anthem and numerous local bands fame - handling race director chores.

   The most obvious change to the program is the return to Friday night racing and along with that comes a return to IMCA sanctioning in five of the six classes. Late Models, Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars and Sport Compacts will again be on the weekly card, with unsanctioned Mini Hauler Trucks replacing Hobby Stocks in an attempt to increase car counts. This would also be the first points paying night at the track.

   Seventy three race teams checked in on what turned into a very chilly evening, and there were even a couple of rain showers in the area before race time. All things considered, it seemed like a decent opening night crowd. As might be expected, the program was a bit late getting started, but the races clicked off in good fashion, with the final checkers just past 10:30 on a near perfect racing surface.

   It was a memorable beginning for the new promotion team, as in the very first heat race of the night contact on the backstretch sent the #11E of Ethan Prim for a wild ride as his flipping Sport Compact might have cleared the wall were it not for the catch fence. Fortunately he was able to walk away from the accident although his car did not fare as well. It would be the first of two roll overs on the night, as Dylan VanWyk would also take a tumble in the Sport Mod feature even as the yellow flag came out for a spin at the other end of the track. He was running in second place at the time, and I am not sure what happened as I was focused on the spinner in turn four as Dylan did a complete roll over off turn two.

   Feature racing began with the Sport Compacts, and although only five of the seven cars on hand took the green flag, this may have been the race of the night. Chuck Fullenkamp paced the opening lap before Brandon Reu took over one lap later. Soon it was Josh Barnes applying pressure to the leader, and he was out front by inches as lap four of ten was scored. The frontrunners then ran side by side lap after lap with Reu leading as lap eight went in the books. But when Kevin Eggleston waved the checkers it was Barnes again ahead by a nose, picking up the win over Reu. Heat winner Kimberly Abbott was third in front of David Prim and Fullenkamp. 

  All fourteen Stock Cars lined up next for twenty laps. David Brandies led the opening circuit over Chad Krogmeier. John Oliver Jr. started inside row two, and by lap four he was the new leader. With Brandies now second, Krogmeier and Jason See locked in a battle for third. Just past the halfway mark, See spun in turn three while running in third. Derrick Agee moved to third following the Delaware restart, but was soon overtaken by Leremy Jackson. As Oliver built a commanding lead, the next six cars ran in tight formation. On the white flag lap Agee was able to regain third, but it was Oliver Jr. and Brandies first across the line. Jackson barely held off a charging See for fourth. 

   Twenty laps would be the distance for the Modifieds. Austen Becerra redrew the pole position, jumped quickly out front and stayed there in the second caution free feature. Jared Eckrich moved around birthday boy Bill Roberts Jr. for the runner up spot on lap two and while Becerra built a half track lead Eckrich also put distance on the rest of the field. Becerra would cruise to the win, followed by Eckrich, Roberts and Blaine Webster. Mark Burgtorf used a late race pass of Jace Whitt to climb to fifth. 

   A strong field of seventeen Late Models signed in for the night. Jason Oenning finished fifth in heat one while Tommy Elston could do no better than fourth in heat two, but the opening night redraw found those two sharing row one for the twenty five lap feature. And much like the Modified main event, the redraw told the tale. Elston blasted out to a lead he would never relinquish. Third starting Spencer Havermale soon powered to second, and even as Elston moved to a different time zone, Havermale also pulled away from the pack. However behind those two the action was intense. Oenning held on to third before suddenly ducking to the infield. Meanwhile Darin Weisinger Jr., Sam Halstead and Denny Woodworth were locked in a tight scrum for fourth. With just seven laps remaining, Woodworth and Halstead went synchronized spinning in turn four to trigger the first yellow of the race. Halstead retired to the pits and Woodworth was allowed to keep his position in the running order. Eighth starting Curtis Glover used the Delaware restart to power around Havermale for second but there would be no catching Elston. Havermale would hold third, chased by Woodworth and Weisinger Jr. Like Woodworth, Jackson Frankel advanced five spots to finish six, topping Ron Boyse, Jake Griffin, Jeremy Pundt and Jayden Johnson. 

   The largest field of the night was eighteen Sport Mods, and they all came to the track for twenty laps of action. And once more the redraw told the story. Cole Gillenwater lined up on the pole position and shot to the lead, pulling away from the pack with double duty John Oliver Jr. in tow. Soon it was a charging VanWyk clearing Oliver for second. The first caution came five laps in, and VanWyk was soon challenging Gillenwater for the lead as they ran side by side until the yellow flag waved at the lap eight mark. That is when disaster struck, ending VanWyks' night. Twice more the caution would wave, and on the final restart Brandon Dale cleared Oliver for second before John drove to the infield, his charge finished. Gillenwater would pull away to a comfortable lead, then drive off to his first ever feature win. Dale came home second besting young Bryson Eckrich, Charlie Rindom and Jason  Van Zomeren. 

   With an early call Saturday morning I will confess to heading to the parking lot as the Mini Haulers lined up for the finale of the night. Congrats to Caleb Ealy on his win over Colton Meeker and Nick Wilkerson.

   A big thanks to Darin and the Weisinger family for their hospitality. Remember, 2026 is once again Friday night racing at Lee County Speedway!

Pierce Takes WoO Honors at Indee

    After finally getting back to the track on Sunday, raindrops and all, we were looking for our first midweek event of the season. Things did not look too good, at least here in northeast Missouri with another inch plus of precipitation lasting into Monday morning. But as the storms moved on, word came from the powers that be at Independence, Iowa Motor Speedway that they would be good to go for their second Tuesday race in a row. With a stacked program of World of Outlaw Late Models, Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Models, IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars along with a near zero chance of the "R" word, we were more than pumped, cool temps be darned! It had been a couple of seasons since I had checked in on the Race Indee folks and the improvements made to the racing surface since my last visit. Scott Webb Concrete would be the presenting sponsor for this marquee event. 

   It was a very large and early arriving crowd, but the lines at both the ticket booth and concession stands moved smoothly and efficiently as obviously a lot of planning went into this event. The track surface was in good condition except for a pesky dip in turn one that was mostly corrected during a manicuring session before the feature races. And even the eventual World of Outlaw feature winner admitted in victory lane that he was initially not pleased with the amount of water laid down on the three eighths mile, but the yield was two or three good racing lanes, so "I guess they know the track better than I do." Kudos to Mike Van Genderen, Dana Benning and crew for a job well done!

   The WoO visit scheduled for 2025 at Indee was washed out, so having been two years since the Super Late Models had hit the oval, the track record was ripe for picking. And sure enough, it was eclipsed on multiple occasions before Nick Hoffman set the bar at 12.549 seconds in Group A qualifying. The Iowa dominate crowd soon erupted in cheers as native son Dallon Murty paced Group B at 12.854 seconds.

   Thirty two competitors were divided into four eight lap heat races, and with "straight up" starts, it was no surprise that all four winners came from the front row. Hoffman, Jonathon Davenport and Murty all led the distance from the pole position while Bobby Pierce did the same from outside row one after pole sitter Daulton Wilson was penalized for jumping the start. Still there was a fair amount of movement in the qualifiers, including a charge from seventh to third by Justin Duty in heat two. Later in the program the sixteen non qualified cars ran a pair of Last Chance races with the top three moving on. Ethan Dotson and Dustin Sorensen both advanced from row two to victory lane, while another Iowa favorite, Chad Simpson made a dramatic late charge from seventh to third to earn a feature spot. Three provisionals would round out the twenty five car starting grid.  

   A solid field of twenty five Premier Late Models checked in, and they too ran four heats. National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Jeff Aikey, defending series champion J.D. Auringer, Travis Smock and Logan Duffy picked up eight lap wins. 

   Sixteen IMCA Modifieds and twenty two IMCA Stock Cars would round out the ninety five car field. Kollin Hibdon ran off with Mod heat one and Etham Braaksma roared from sixth to take heat two. Stock Car heats came after intermission, with Gage Neal, Tom Schmitt and Braden Richards victorious. 

   The four car Super Late redraw saw point leader Hoffman and Murty line up in row one for the 40 lap #12,000 to win headliner. Hoffman shot to the lead taking along third starting Davenport and his row two mate Pierce. Davenport was absolutely ripping the lip all night, and on lap five he went over the top of turn two, falling to fifth. One lap later the first yellow came for Tyler Bruening. It was now Hoffman, Pierce, Garrett Alberson and Cade Dillard out front. Back to racing, Pierce shot below Hoffman, blasting to the lead out of turn two, Davenport rebounded to third and Drake Troutman powered to fourth. Pierce and Hoffman put some distance on the field and the leader had caught the back of the pack when the caution flag waved with thirteen laps scored. Two more laps went in the books before a third yellow as Murty drove off the top exiting turn two. Back under green, young Trey Mills found speed, entering the top five. On lap eighteen Davenport again went over the top of turn two losing several positions, but he caught a break as the yellow flag negated his mistake. To this point "Turbo" Tyler Erb had been a non factor, but suddenly he was on the charge, climbing to fourth. Pierce was now comfortably ahead, but he would again catch the tail of the field with about a dozen laps left, and with cars running side by side for position Hoffman would quickly close the gap. But just as things were getting interesting the yellow flag waved for a final time on lap thirty one. Erb would move to third as Davenport jumped the turn two cushion for a third time. With clear track ahead Pierce went on cruise control as Hoffman now found himself working to fend off Erb. On the final lap as Pierce drove to the win and the series points lead Erb eased around Hoffman for second place honors after starting in eighth. Troutman gained five spots to finish fourth while Mills crossed in fifth. Alberson paced the second five ahead of Davenport, Dotson, Sorensen and Dillard.

   The clock was ticking as the Outlaws performed their made for TV post race festivities. Finally the Premier Late Models lined up for twenty five laps of action. Pole sitter Smock would lead his row one challenger Aikey as the green flag dropped. Smock would survive an early yellow, but as lap five was scored Aikey was ahead by a nose. One more lap went in the books before another caution, and on the restart Auringer muscled his way to second, Joel Callahan and Nick Marolf followed as Smock fell to fifth. Aikey held a nice lead as the race hit the mid point while Marolf picked off Callahan for third. Lap sixteen saw Nick clear Auringer for second, however Aikey was still in control. That would change when the caution flag would fly at lap twenty. Back to racing Marolf was all over the leader, finally moving to the front on lap twenty two. One more stoppage would set up a green, white, checkers finish. As Auringer faded back, Aikey missed his mark coming to the green, scrambling the field on the final laps. At the checkers it was Marolf taking his second series win. Quiet for most of the night, C. J. Horn suddenly found himself in the runner up spot after starting in row six. Troy Morris III advanced seven spots to third while Matt Ryan charged from row seven to fourth. Auringer completed the top five. Callahan, Aikey, Logan Duffy, Jason Hahne and Bobby Hansen rounded out the top ten. 

   Our self imposed curfew of 10:30 was moments away, so we headed for the car and the three hour journey home. Thanks to My Race Pass, for results, as Spencer Diercks picked up the Modified win over Cody Laney, Braaksma, Hibdon and Jed Freiburger. Richards took the Stock Car top prize, besting Schmitt, Damon Murty, Dakoda Sellers and Rowdy VanGenderen. 

   This event has been on my "can't miss" list since it was announced, and it did not disappoint! 

   Next up is a planned Friday visit closer to home as Darin Weisinger and crew try again to open a new chapter at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. 

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!