First, Second, Second, For Becerra at Shiverfest

    With the immediate future of the Lee County Speedway, Donnellson, Iowa in question, former promoters Brian and Marcie Gaylord stepped up to keep the iconic Shiverfest event alive and kicking. Born of the OG Millennial Grand Finale, what for many years was the final race in the state of Iowa originated in 2000. It has since become a "can't miss" celebration for many racers and fans alike, including yours truly. The excellent fall weather the last couple of years has inspired competition from other tracks, so with the Gaylords coming to the rescue in 2026, a host of local businesses and individuals stepped up to sweeten the pot in the scheduled divisions. Not stopping there, outside requests for additional classes was met with a challenge to find extra contributions, and as a result Hobby Stocks and Crown Vics were added, bringing the total to eight divisions on the card! This may have seemed a tall task, but Gaylord promised a quick show, and with history on his side, there was plenty of pre race excitement. Of course, the long traditions of on track trick or treating and more remains part of what makes Shiverfest special. 

   Weather wise, it was a typical Shiverfest sort of day, cool and cloudy, with intermittent sprinkles and a threat of showers late creating even more incentive to keep things rolling. The intermission box car races and post race interviews fell victim to the sketchy conditions. As it turned out the rain never came and all things considered, conditions were not all that unpleasant. 

  The early cancellation of day two of the Fall Nationals in Maquoketa left many racers with time on their hands and several made the 150 mile trip south, swelling the field to a final total of 138 entries. A special tip of the cap to promoters Ryan Duhme and Timmy Current for encouraging those drivers to head to Lee County for the evening.

   The distribution of those 138 entries was such that only Sport Mods required a B Main following their four heat qualifiers. All other divisions raced two or three heats to set the feature lineups. 

   American Iron Racing Series was up first, with thirteen cars battling for fifteen laps. Blake Chapman wheeled his Studebaker Lark from row three to overtake Tracy Quigley in the non stop opener.

   IMCA Modifieds came next, with rookie driver Gage Smith the only one missing from the fifteen car twenty lap event, Heat one winner Mark Burgtorf drew the pole position, blasting ahead while Ronn Lauritzen and Dylan VanWyk in the Logan Anderson #53 battled for second. As Burgtorf stretched his advantage, intense battles developed throughout the field. Following the first caution nine laps in, Lauritzen used a slide job to grab second from VanWyk. Two more quick yellow flags saw VanWyk retire to the pits, and back to racing Charlie Mohr tried a slider of his own, resulting in contact with Lauritzen. The resulting melee ended the night for top contender Jeff "Bone" Larson. Ninth starting Austen Becerra, driving an unfamiliar #8 would climb to second on the restart ahead of another stoppage when Lauritzen and Mohr again made contact. Back to racing, Becerra began to close on Burgtorf, with a final yellow flag resulting in a single file green, white, checkers finish. Mark held on for the flag to flag win while Becerra settled for second. Joe Huenefeld took third ahead of Brennen Chipp and row seven starter and hard charger Casen Keller. 

   Twenty laps would also be the distance for all twenty IMCA Stock Cars.  Lee County Speedway and IMCA National Champion John Oliver Jr. lined up third, but was out front as lap one was scored, followed closely by Dustin Griffiths. The red flag waved as veteran Dewane Warth launched his #23 over the guardrail in turn four. Warth was uninjured as his car landed wheels up on the access road. Chad Krogmeier moved in to challenge Griffiths for second as racing resumed and Oliver Jr. pulled well ahead. Twice more the yellow flag would fly, but there would be no catching #05Jr., although Griffiths did close the margin at the end, finally separating himself from a battle with Krogmeier and David Brandies. David McCalla completed the top five. 

   Thirteen IMCA Late Models raced twenty five laps for their $1,000 top prize. There was a five car redraw from the heats for starting position in the feature, and announcers Tony Paris and Jeff Broeg highlighted the possibilities when Jeremy Pundt edged Jason Oenning for fifth in heat race two. Sure enough, Pundt redrew the pole position while Oenning was left to line up twelfth. Pundt shot to the lead ahead of his row one mate Denny Woodworth, who moved to the front on lap two. Following a caution for Brian Curtis, Austen Becerra put the Boles Racing #4B in second, then grabbed the lead on lap four. As Becerra opened a lead, Tommy Elston moved up to challenge now second running Pundt. The yellow flag waved again as Oenning made contact with the guardrail about lap ten, and Elston took second on the restart. With Elston hugging the low line and Becerra racing through the middle the duo pulled away from the pack. Around the halfway mark Elston powered to first, quickly stretching his lead in lapped traffic. As the laps wound down Becerra began to gradually close the gap, picking up a few car lengths each time around. With three laps left he was at Elstons' bumper, and they took Kevin Egglestons' white flag side by side. Becerra nosed ahead at the checkers. Pundt was solid in third while Curtis Glover recovered late from a bad draw, gaining six positions to finish fourth in front of Woodworth. Dustin Smith led the second five over Clay Simpson, Dalton Simonsen, Sam Halstead, and Curtis. 

   The late addition drew an amazing nineteen IMCA Hobby Stocks, who raced for sixteen laps. Shullsburg, Wisconsin drivers Landon and Matt Bennett brough the field to green, pacing lap one in that order ahead of a yellow flag. Seventh starting double duty Dustin Griffiths moved to fourth on the restart, second one lap later, then to the lead on lap five. A solid run for Matt Bennett ended with a flat tire on lap six, and as the green flag waved, a pile up exiting turn four again brought action to a halt. When racing resumed, twelfth starting Tucker Richardson charged to the runner up spot. Twice more the caution came, resulting in a single file three lap shootout. Braden Gifford slipped around Richardson, but Tucker retook the position on the final lap. But there would be no catching Griffiths who scored a dominant win. Former track regular Tom Killen Jr. from Des Moines came home fourth in front of hard charger Garrett Porter, who moved up twelve spots. 

   The twenty eight car IMCA Northern Sport Mod field had been whittled down to twenty four for a twenty lap feature. Unfortunately, Spencer Coats missed the call after trailing smoke as he grabbed third in the B Main. When the king of the Sport Mods, Brayton Carter redrew the pole position it might have been assumed the race would be for second. and in this case that assumption would be correct. "Speedy Bray" drove off into the Lee County night, catching the tail of the field by lap seven. Things were heating up behind Carter, with Sean Wyett slipping around A. J. Tournear to take up the chase. Meanwhile it was Austen Becerra, racing in his third division - none of which were his personal cars - charging through the field from row six. One lap before the halfway mark, Becerra claimed third, then cleared Wyett for second on lap thirteen. Incredibly, the often times misbehaving Sport Mods clicked off twenty caution free laps, leaving Becerra with no chance of running down the leader. At the checkers it was Carter, Becerra in the Bobby Six #6, Wyett, Dakota Girard, and Tournear. 

   The very good sized hearty crowd began to thin as sixteen of nineteen IMCA Sport Compacts lined up for fifteen laps. Pole sitter Katelynn Watts led her first row companion Josh Barnes and third starting Brandon Reu as lap one was scored. Reu snatched the lead the next time around, with Barnes following in second. The pair of Lee County regulars raced away from the field ahead of a lone caution with six in the books. Back to racing Reu pulled well ahead, cruising to the victory. Barnes held the runner up position while Michael Grossman gained six spots to best Watts and hard charger Chuck Fullenkamp. 

   Crown Vics would wrap up the long night of racing and the season, with ten cars dueling for a dozen laps. Brenden Nantz paced lap one ahead of Peoria Heights, Il. racer Jeff Hall. It would be Hall moving to the lead on lap two, while Russell Bauer climbed to second on lap five, then cleared Hall for the top spot as they raced through slower traffic. Meanwhile long time racer Tim Folkerts lined up in tenth, gradually working through the field. When Bauer had his run end with a flat about lap ten, Hall regained the lead but with Folkerts bearing down in second. Those two swapped the lead on the final lap, with Folkerts declared the winner by inches. Nantz, Brandon Boden, and Mason Hall rounded out the top five. It was yet another non stop event.

   As promised, Gaylord, Brian Neal and crew did a fine job of moving the show along, with a little drama mixed in with lots of competitive racing and a couple of photo finishes. My several conversations emphasized the point that no one is sure what the future holds for Lee County Speedway, but for sure it is too fine a facility to set empty, so hopefully there are good things to come. 

   The calendar has turned to November, but we are not through racing just yet. Next up for yours truly is a trip to I-55 Federated Raceway Park in Pevely, Missouri for the MLRA Late Model finale next Saturday as part of the tracks' three night Fall Frost extravaganza. It is worth the trip if you so desire, but be sure and check back here for the rundown. Thanks for reading!

   

Murty Cashes the Big Check at West Liberty

    For the second time this month I was fortunate to attend a revived 100 lap feature race for Late Models.  This time it was the iconic Liberty 100 at the legendary West Liberty Raceway. It would be the Super Lates racing under the MLRA sanction waging a non stop 100 laps on the lightning fast half mile. Saturday night would be the culmination of the two night extravaganza for the Late Models after time trials and double heat races were contested on Friday to set the opening rows for the main event. Saturday would also include a B Main to fill out the remainder of the field for the whopping $20,000 top prize. 

   Both nights also featured full shows with healthy payoffs for three other classes, Modifieds, Sport Mods, and Stock Cars. SR Promotions under the leadership of Jeff Struck handled the event, concluding their limited schedule this season at West Liberty along with a full docket of racing in Davenport. Yours truly would attend only the Saturday finale.

   Tony Jackson Jr. came into the weekend with a nearly insurmountable lead in the quest for the MLRA championship, as only this weekend and one at Pevely, Missouri in early November remain on the schedule.

   Twenty six Late Models signed in on night #1, perhaps a bit fewer than hoped for, but enough for three quality heats times two, with the second round lined up in reverse finishing order from the first. The same cars would race against each other both times. A point system that I assume involved time trials and heat race success would determine who would be locked in to their starting spot on Saturday and who would line up in the B Main on Saturday. With the number of cars entered combined with any attrition, I would also assume the B Main would function as a "position dash." Fourteen cars were locked in to the first seven rows of the main event.

   As it turned out, with Zach Zeitner not returning after a hard crash on Friday, the B Main was scratched and all twenty five cars started the headline event.

   Before that took place, IMCA Sport Mods opened the show, fifteen cars racing for fifteen laps on the big half mile. Front row starters Tim Plummer and Jarett Franzen raced side by side on the opening circuit, but a yellow flag resulted in a complete restart. Once more the caution flag waved, and when racing finally began, third starting Jason Roth (pronounced rOth) powered to the lead. Row three starter Bryson Eckrich moved quickly to battle Plummer for second, with young Eckrich taking over the runner up spot on lap eight. The race stayed green and Roth remained in control until the final turns of lap fifteen when he suddenly slowed with mechanical issues. Eckrich would charge by to take the checkered flag first with Plummer in hot pursuit. Roth would limp across the line in third followed by Franzen and ninth starting Lee Kinsella. 

   Track officials then took considerable time to rework the surface ahead of the IMCA Modified feature. All nineteen entries would then line up for eighteen laps. Row one starters Jace Eckrich and Charlie Mohr would cross the line in that order before a yellow flag once again negated the start. On the second attempt, Eckrich pulled quickly ahead while fifth starting veteran Mark Burgtorf moved up to challenge Mohr. Burgtorf took the spot on lap three, chasing the leader, who caught the back of the pack on lap seven. Working smoothly through the traffic, Eckrich had pulled away to a straightaway lead when the caution flag waved with eleven laps scored. Back under green, Jace again drove off, while Eric Barnes used the outside line on the Delaware restart to power past Burgtorf in turn two for second. Mohr was shuffled out of the top five, with Mitch Way moving up to fourth. A final stoppage came three laps from the finish, and this time it was Way who lost positions as racing resumed. Eckrich would cruise to the win, matching his cousin with the win. Barnes and Burgtorf would follow while tenth starting Brandon Durbin and fourteenth starting West Liberty veteran Kurt Kile completed the top five. 

   In a rather curious move, the 100 lap headliner would come next, ahead of the IMCA Stock Cars. All twenty five drivers lined up, with top point earners Chris Simpson and Dallon Murty pacing the field. The "Game Changer" Murty would charge to the lead and on lap five Chad Simpson would slip around brother Chris for second. Slower traffic came into play on lap seven as the top three ran in close formation. The first caution came at lap fourteen for Chad Walter, and twenty fifth starting Nick Marolf received the "lucky dog," to move to seventh position on the lead lap. Back to racing, Chris moved to second, and by lap twenty he was hounding Murty for the lead. He would drive around Murty in traffic on lap twenty two, and that duo would battle before Chris began to stretch his lead around lap thirty. The race would stay green with the leaders once again in heavy traffic all the way until sixty laps were scored. Mike Mataragas would bring out a yellow flag, and by this point only five cars remained on the lead lap. Several drivers would then roll to the hot pit for tires and or fuel, including the third, fourth, and fifth place cars. The "lucky dog" would move Matt Furman back to the lead lap in sixth. Chad Simpson would clear Murty for second on the restart, and only five more laps were completed before the yellow came again for Furman. Dillon McCowan was this time the "lucky dog." As the green flag waved again, a huge nine car pile up off turn four eliminated several cars, and when the red flag turned to yellow Chris Simpson and Murty made their pit stops. Chad would inherit the lead, with Murty holding second and Chris dropping to fourth behind Daniel Hilsabeck. A final caution came two laps later for Tyler Smith. As the leaders again took off, Chad seemed in control, but as the laps clicked to eighty Murty began to close the gap. Murty took the lead once more as the pair made contact exiting turn four on lap eighty two. The correct pit strategy paid off as Murty then stretched out to a commanding lead all the way to the checkers and the $20,000 payday. Chad Simpson held the runner up spot over the steady run by Hilsabeck. Chris Simpson restarted and finished in fourth and McCowan rounded out the top five. Jackson Jr. finished where he started in sixth followed by Furman, third and second place MLRA points men Aaron Marrant and Jeff Herzog, with Tim Simpson completing the top ten. 

    With the considerable hoopla concluded and much of the large crowd sticking around, sixteen IMCA Stock Cars came to the oval for fifteen laps. Veterans Johnny Spaw and David Brandies paced the field, Brandies grabbing the lead as row two starter Andrew Schroeder cleared Spaw for second. Brandies and Schroeder were staging a tight battle when they appeared to get together in turn two on lap eleven. With both sent to the tail of the lead lap cars, Keegen Wells and Spaw would take the green flag side by side. Wells would get the jump, but on the final lap Spaw made his move on the inside. The pair exited turn four in a dead heat with Wells winning the drag race to the checkers. Greg Gill gained five spots to take third in front of Aaron Martin and Cody Staley. 

   The entertaining show concluded somewhere around 10:30. The sizable crowd was a positive sign and I hope the Liberty 100 will once again be a staple of late season racing at the storied half mile. 

   Hoping the great fall weather holds, as next Saturday is one of my "can't miss" events, year twenty eight of the race known every season following year one as "Shiverfest" at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Hope to see you there!

Feger, Alexander, Sheppard, Doyle Fall Nationals Night One Winners

    As has been the case so often around the midwest this fall, officials at Lincoln Speedway made the correct decision to move the Illinois DIRTcar Nationals back one day, with racing on Saturday and Sunday following a Friday practice night. Much cooler temps and mid week rains made the change a no brainer, and in another smart move, start times were also moved ahead by two hours with hot laps both days at 4:00 to counteract the brisk conditions. Saturday would be our best opportunity to make the trip to the Logan County Fairgrounds quarter mile facility. What was now the opening night featured four UMP divisions, Super Late Models, open Modifieds, Pro Late Models and Pro Mods competing on a final weekend for national points honors. Street Stocks would join the Sunday program. 

   A solid field of 114 entries produced time trials in all divisions, followed by 14 heat races, 4 B mains, and 4 features with action still wrapping up by the hoped for 9:00 hour. Weather conditions were tolerable for mid October racing and a late arriving but nice sized crowd witnessed exciting racing across the classes. Also, the new lighting at the track is a nice touch.

   The track was "hammer down" early on, in fact the Pro Modified one lap record was broken three times with Mason Duncan topping the board at 14.874 seconds. Brandon Sweitzer led the Pro Late Models at 14.227, Collin Alexander was fastest in the Modifieds at 13.935, and Jason Feger bested the Late Models with a lap of 12.928 seconds over Tanner English at 12.929. Not coincidentally, those two are locked in a tight battle to be decided on Sunday for the UMP national championship, which pays $25,000 to the winner. English currently holds a small lead over Feger.

  By heat race time the racing surface was slick enough to be a bit treacherous, especially in turns three and four, with the Pro Mods having the most trouble resulting in more than a few spin outs. But as the night wore on and the track took rubber, the racing improved dramatically, and with a bit of manicuring during a short intermission, the feature action was top notch. 

   Pro Late Models were up first, with all twenty one entries going at it for twenty laps. Heat winners Colby Sheppard and Tim Luttrell filled out row one, with Sheppard jumping to the lead. Fourth starting Braden Johnson overtook Luttrell on lap two and the chase was on. Sheppard opened a sizable lead, but as he caught the back of the pack on lap six, two of the back markers collided. Sheppard locked up his brakes but still made contact and was himself then hit by oncoming traffic. Although he had come to a complete stop, Sheppard was allowed to restart in front and fortunately seemed to have no issues with his #27. Back to racing Sheppard and Johnson again left the pack behind, catching slower traffic again about lap fifteen. Just as Johnson would close in, Sheppard would make a dandy move through the heavy traffic and pull away. On the final circuit there were no lapped cars in the way and Johnson took one more shot, but could not get close enough for an attempt at the lead. Following that duo, third running Ryan Miller made contact with a lapped car exiting turn four, sliding sideways across the line to hold his position. Austin Mccarty and Sweitzer completed the top five. Parker Perry crossed the line first in heat three, but was DQ'd for an unknown infraction, started twentieth in the feature and gained fourteen spots to finish in sixth. Fifty dollar per lap bonus money went to Sheppard in addition to his $1,000 first place prize. 

   Dirtcar Modifieds were up next. the thirty three cars whittled down to a twenty four car starting field racing for twenty five laps. Interestingly, series points leader Mike McKinney, who just rolled around behind a B Main field, and Kenny Wallace lined up in row eleven after taking provisional starting spots. Pole sitter Collin Alexander grabbed the lead as the green flag waved, quickly increasing his lead as the laps clicked off quickly. Meanwhile McKinney was charging through the pack, entering the top ten on lap nine. The top two cars bobbled in turn four on lap eleven, with third running Ray Bollinger driving to the runner up spot and closing quickly on Alexander. Things looked to get interesting as the leader caught the tail of the field on lap fourteen, but a timely yellow flag ended that drama. On the restart, Bollinger executed a slide job but Alexander was able to cross him back over in what turned out to be the decisive move of the race. The top runners were literally bouncing off the concrete walls, sending sparks flying as the laps wound down. Bollinger was able to make it close at the end, but Alexander was up to the challenge, collecting a flag to flag win. Austin Friedman came home third ahead of Brayden Doyle, and hard charger McKinney, who gained sixteen positions. 

   Twenty two Dirtcar Super Late Models were on hand, and only Tanner Butkovich, racing for his first time in a second Mark Voigt car, was absent from the starting lineup. Thirty laps would be the distance, with a $2,000 check and more lap money on the line along with those important UMP points.  Feger, English, and Mike Spatola were heat race winners, and they would claim the top starting spots along with fourth starting Ryan Unzicker, the recently crowned MARS series champion. Spatola would get the jump to lead the first three circuits before a Jake Little spin brought the first yellow flag. Back under green, "Opie" drove through the middle of turn one while Feger lived up to his "Highside" nickname, pounding the cushion and powering to the front off turn two. Quickly the front runners formed a line around the top, with slower traffic coming in to play about lap twelve. Again Spatola would close the margin only to have Feger find a way around a slower car and pull away once more. When English and Unzicker moved in to battle with Spatola, Feger used the opportunity to drive away. By the time English took second in the heavy traffic, Feger had opened a full straightaway advantage. What looked to be an easy win suddenly evaporated with five laps remaining when the sixth and seventh place cars of Rich Bell and Chevy Boyer came to a crashing halt on the front stretch. The field would reset single file, a final five lap rule, and with clear track ahead Feger walked away for the win, gaining not only a nice payday, but a few precious points in pursuit of English. Tanner would hold second in front of Spatola, Unzicker, and Daniel Adam. Veteran Steve Sheppard Jr. ran sixth in front of Devin McLean, Little, Bell, and Timmy Dick. 

   Pro Mods started out with a whopping thirty eight entries with twenty six lining up for twenty laps. Pole sitter Drake Compton led from the start. Following a stoppage, double duty Brayden Doyle charged to the front. Once more it looked like smooth sailing for the leader, but a final caution bunched the field once more. As in the prior race, the battle for second worked to the leaders' advantage, as Doyle picked up his second top four of the night, this one in victory lane. Kade Ballinger gained six positions for runner up honors followed by another double duty pilot, Luttrell, and ninth starting Drew Schwartz. National points leader Zach Whaley started and finished in fifth, one spot ahead of his closest challenger, Compton. 

   Thanks to the folks at Lincoln for their hospitality. We were able to make the two and a half hour trip three times in 2026 and hope to visit again next season. October (and November!) racing used to be a rare treat, but there is still plenty on the calendar, so get off the couch, grab your coat, and let's go racing!

Wait, What? Horn is Dirt Stars Winner

    Right or wrong, I have long subscribed to the adage "don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see." Well, Saturday night proved it to be correct. We watched Dustin Smith lead the Davenport Dirt Stars feature event at Davenport Speedway the full twenty five laps, then celebrate victory on the podium. "Trust but verify," we checked My Race Pass during the two hour plus drive home for complete results. But when I awoke this Sunday morning, I was greeted with a post questioning why Smith was DQ'd at some point following the race. I do not know what the infraction was, only that I am glad I waited until this morning to file this report. 

   Smith had apparently survived four caution periods, including two in the final five laps which wiped out commanding leads followed by single file restarts. With just eight laps to go the #53 had encountered a slower car racing for position in his lane allowing second running Brandon Hamburg to close the gap before a well timed yellow flag left the leader with a clear track ahead. C.J. Horn used the Delaware restart to move into second which turned out to be the winning move of the race. The final stoppage was followed by a bit of a dust up between Matt Ryan and Joe Beal, sending both to the tail. Those final three laps saw Smith pull away as Horn and ninth starting Nick Marolf battled side by side for what would turn out to be the victory in the final Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Model event of the season. The revised order would have Horn the winner followed by Marolf, tenth starting Jeff Aikey, Andy Nezworski, and Hamburg. Dustin Schram led the second five in front of Dave Eckrich, Nathan Balensiefen, Ryan, and Gary Webb. Twenty cars started the race, with Justin Heuer unable to make the call.

   Feature racing started innocently enough as eighteen Sport Mods battled for fifteen caution free laps. Ben Chapman lined up outside row one, shot to the lead ahead of pole sitter Finn Oppenheimer, then led the distance for the win. Jarrett Franzen was wheeling a #75 machine, and he charged from row five to the runner up spot. In the final five laps Franzen narrowed the gap considerably, but could never quite get close enough to challenge for the lead. Bryson Eckrich started in row four, fell out of the top ten, then came charging back late to complete the podium finishers. Oppenheimer and Levi Laymon rounded out the top five. 

   The caution free racing continued as all fifteen Stock Cars came to the track for fifteen laps around the quarter mile. Pole sitter Braden Richards led Jordon Miles and David Brandies in a three car breakaway in the opening laps. Brandies powered to second on lap ten, but by then Richards had checked out. With zero yellow flags, Richards cruised to the victory. Brandies held second over Jordon Miles, Kodey Miles, and co hard charger John Oliver Jr., who started ninth. 

   Modifieds would follow the Late Models, all twenty one entrants going at it for twenty laps. The yellow flag came on the start as Logan Veloz and Mike Garland got together coming to the green flag. On the restart, third starting Jace Eckrich paced the first lap. Jason Schueller was out front the next time around, holding the position ahead of a red flag on lap three as Charlie Mohr rolled his #99 on the backstretch. Back under green, Eckrich retook the lead as ninth starting Matt Werner moved in to battle Schueller for second. As Eckrich drove off ahead of Werner, a tight four car scrum developed for third through sixth. Jace Whitt would soon emerge from that tussle to take command of third while tenth starting Brandon Durbin moved to fourth. Whittg would power to second about lap thirteen and two laps later Durbin would clear Werner for third. But by now Eckrich was moving smoothly through lapped traffic while maintaining a comfortable lead. At the checkers it was Eckrich, Whitt, Durbin, and  Werner, while Shane Paris finished where he started in fifth. Although not visible from our vantage point, there was apparently an incident on the backstretch of the final lap which left Veloz with a heavily damaged race car. As track crews worked to clean that up and nearing the 10:00 hour, we decided to head for home. 

   Congratulations to feature winners Carson Butt who lined up seventh in the Hobby Stock main event and bested thirteenth starting Matt Bennett, and Street Stock winner Scotty Pratt who topped Jesse Owen for the victory.

   Kudos to the track crew! The quarter mile was in excellent condition as witnessed by just three caution flags during the fifteen qualifying heats. And a tip of the cap also to the race director, as hot laps began right at 6;30 with heat races beginning just a tick past 7:00 for the 102 cars in competition. 

Elston, Becerra First Kings of the Bullring at Quincy Raceways

    Friday was the opening night for the circle track season ending "King of the Bullring" at Quincy Raceways. The two day extravaganza is a showcase event for 4 Cylinders and Crown Vics. The 4 bangers will work towards a $4,000 to win Saturday finale, while outside contributions have swelled the Crown Vic Saturday feature to a first place payout of $3,333! 

   But in order to reach the finals, Friday was qualifying night, with qualifying and heat races for the two headline classes, while Late Models contested a full show for a $1,000 to win and B Mods did the same for a $1,050 top prize. 

   The race weekend was originally scheduled one week prior, but wet conditions forced the reschedule. And this week produced perfect early fall conditions for both racers and fans eager for one more helping of action.

   Entries ranged from as far away as Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Kentucky, but I imagine the folks in charge might have been a bit disappointed in the total car counts in the two featured divisions. Twenty one 4 Cylinders and an even two dozen Crown Vics signed in for night number one. A solid field of twenty two B Modifieds and a dozen Late Models rounded out the seventy nine car gathering. 

   It was interesting to have time trial qualifying in the classes where lap times are usually not paid much attention. Verona, Kentucky racer Brandon Gibson Jr. topped the 4 Cylinders with a lap of 16.168 seconds on the immaculately prepared .29 mile oval, while Dubuque, Iowa visitor Derrick Dean was the only Vic driver to break the 18 second mark with a lap of 17.981 seconds. By contrast, the fastest lap in competition for the B Mods came in heat one, 15.341 by Chris Spalding. The top Late Model lap was by Curtis Glover, a 13.842 in heat one. 

  Only two features were contested on this opening night, with eighteen of the twenty two B Mods still around to go at it for twenty laps. Good, close racing was unfortunately interrupted by seven yellow flags, which eliminated a few top contenders. Austen Becerra, driving the Bobby Six #6 and Patrick Phillips sat in row one, with Becerra jumping to the early lead. He was quickly followed by row two starters Tanner Klingele, Kahne Groves, and sixth starting Spalding in a four car breakaway ahead of a lap six caution for a spinning Dakota Girard. Following a lap eight caution for Jake Etter, Olivia Hoffman made hard contact with the turn one wall, ending her night with apparent heavy damage. Spalding with then bring out the yellow flag, contact up front ending his run, and on the restart Alec Cain joined the party as Groves was shuffled back to fifth. Now Becerra and Klingele would pull away from the pack ahead of a final stoppage twelve laps in as Josh Dietrich pounded the turn two concrete. On this final restart, Becerra pulled away, cruising to the win. Klingele held off Cain for second in front of Groves, and row seven starter Brandon Lennox. Chri Burke, Phillips, A. J. Tournear, hard charger Spencer Coats, and Shannon Schmidt completed the top ten. 

   Jackson Frankel blew his engine in Late Model heat two, which also saw visiting Don Pataska limp to a stop, leaving ten cars for the 25 lap feature. Sam Halstead, and another first timer, third generation hot shoe Cruz Birkhofer filled out row one. "Superman" Sam powered to the lead with third starting Tommy Elston in pursuit. Elston would move to the lead on lap two, quickly pulling away as Glover moved in to challenge Halstead for second. As the race stayed green, Elston caught the back of the pack with eight laps to go, but they would present no problems. Seventh starting Jake Griffin found the top lane to his liking in the second half of the race, charging to the runner up spot with just five laps to go. A nearly full straightaway lead for Elston was wiped out when the lone yellow flag came with three laps remaining. The field was reset single file, but there would be no catching the IMCA national points runner up, as Elston drove to the win. Griffin settled for second while Halstead won his race long battle with Glover for third. Birkhofer rounded out the top five. Sixth through tenth went to Jamie Wilson in the Krigbaum #11D, Denny Woodworth, Jason Oenning, Ryan Aden Jr., and Cody Washburne. 

   Those two features were then followed by the qualifying heats for the 4 Cylinders and Crown Vics. Those two classes then each ran a Grudge Match to round out the action, apparently with some prize money offered. Cincinnati, Ohio traveler Jason Todd topped the 4 Cylinders while Derrick Dean took Crown Vic honors. 

   Action resumes on Saturday night with any newcomers starting in the back of B mains for 4 Cylinders and Vics ahead of their main events. A full show for Late Models, A Mods, and B Mods are also on the card, as Quincy Raceways wraps up their 2026 season. 

   Thanks to all the folks involved at QR for their season long hospitality. 

Glenz Tops Dirt on the Downs

    With all the rain this past week, very few venues would be able to stage a racing event this weekend. Fortunately, Hawkeye Downs Speedway in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is one of those venues. The highlight of the Dirt on the Downs post season came Saturday night with the revived Miller 100 for Late Model Stock Cars. A " can't miss" staple of the 1980's when the Downs was a premier half mile dirt track was back on the quarter mile featuring Brandon Davis' Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Model series. The event was run in two segments of 50 laps each with a ten minute fuel stop at or near the mid point. 

   Mod Lites, Legends cars, and a vintage class filled out the card on a cool evening in front of the packed covered grandstand. 

   As every race fan by now surely knows, after a decades long experiment with pavement racing, the good folks of C.R. came to their senses and put high quality dirt on the inside quarter mile track. It has been stated that there will still be some pavement racing on the half mile, but the emphasis will now be on dirt events. The return to dirt began last fall when Benton County Speedway promoters Rick and Corey Dripps joined the Downs crew for a four week trial of dirt racing featuring a mix of classes which produced solid car counts and exciting racing, most importantly in front of big crowds. The Late Model headliner in 2025 drew 40 competitors, with Nick Marolf taking the win in the 25 lap feature.

   While for a variety of reasons the car count was down a bit this year, there was still a full field of quality Late Models, and a very manageable total of 83 cars in the four divisions. 

   Hot laps kicked off just a tick after the advertised time of 5:30, and racing began about 6:20 as a number of disappointed Hawkeye fans filtered in to a rapidly filling grandstands. The highlight, or more like low light of the ten heat races came in Mod Lite heat one when the #P58 of Hoffman Grenz came high off of turn four and was sucked into the concrete wall, flipping his ride multiple times. Fortunately the driver was uninjured, but the car appeared to sustain major damage. 

   Throughout the qualifying races, during intermission, and as the features rolled on, track crews worked to smooth out the surface as much as possible, attempting to make up for the large amount of rain that had restricted track work until the last couple of days. And even though the track had a bit of character, there was plenty of passing mixed in with entertaining competition. 

   Midwest Jalopies would kick off feature racing with all 11 entries going at it for 15 laps. The results show Michael Hulsing leading the distance from outside row one, but that hardly tells the story. The #09 was pushed all the way by third starting Austin Honts as those two quickly separated from the pack in a nose to tail battle. With zero cautions to slow the action, Honts finally drew close enough on the final lap, pulling alongside the leader as they exited turn two on the final circuit. Hulsing held off the charge by a car length as the checkers waved. The hard charging duo lapped all but the third and fourth place cars of Jayson Blunt and Jeff Blunt. All 11 cars were still on track at the end.

   All but three of the 25 Mod Lites took the feature green, racing for 20 laps. The first main event caution came on the start as Derek Foster came to a stop, his run over. Pole sitter Colby Oberembt shot to the lead on the restart, with his row one partner Jaxon Carr in tow. Austin Gray would come from row three to second as lap two was scored, and it took another two laps for Gray to grab the lead. Austin then slowly opened a sizable advantage even as Oberembt also gained separation from the pack. When the front runner caught the back of the pack near the halfway point, Oberembt was able to draw close, but soon Gray was once again in clean air and increasing his lead. An untimely caution brought Gray back to the pack for a two lap shootout, but he was up to the challenge, cruising to the win. The restart was not kind to Oberembt, who was shuffled back to fourth behind Josh May and Matt Suzuki. Scott Bailey completed the top five as 13 cars crossed under the checkered flag. 

   A large field of 23 Legend cars signed in, with 21 lining up for their 20 lap feature. Once again the yellow flag flew on the start, as first heat winner Tony Olson came to a stop in his #33. Osseo, Wi. racer Chris Sleep shot to the lead ahead of fourth starting Michael Weber. Weber was able to grab the lead before a lap six caution. He then pulled well in front as racing resumed, while a gaggle of cars battled nose to tail and side by side behind him. A pair of yellow flags came around the mid point, bringing the pack back to the bumper of the leader. Once more Weber opened a nice lead before a final stoppage six laps from the end as an engine fire broke out in the #04 of Adam Meyer. Back under green for a final time, Weber drove off to victory lane. Cohen Henze took runner up honors followed by Kacey Korsmo, Robby Morrison, and Diesel Ostby. Some interesting names in the Wisconsin pit area!

   It was now time for the headline event. Only Jeff Tharp who was an early exit in heat two, was absent as the field lined up for 100 laps paying $4,000 to the victor. The passing points format found heat two winner Troy Morris III and Eric Pollard sitting in row one. It had been determined days earlier that any and all caution laps would count towards the 100 except for the final ten, which would be green flag only. Although I did not keep a close count, the result was likely perhaps between 60 and 70 laps of actual racing, which in no way detracted from the action. Morris would power to the lead, while third starting Wisconsin visitor Jesse Glenz, Pollard, and heat winners C.J. Horn and Matt Ryan filled out the top five. Slower traffic came into play by lap seven, with Glenz taking the lead while Morris was shuffled back to fifth. The first caution came with 13 scored for Logan Duffy, by which time Morris had rebounded to third. With some left side sheet metal damage, Morris would charge to second on the restart, chasing Glenz as they put distance on the pack. The next stoppage came at lap 27 as Landon Duffy tried unsuccessfully to exit the oval. During the realignment, Morris ducked to the work area along with Horn and they would then restart at the tail of the lead lap cars. Glenz again pulled away as Ryan used the Delaware restart to clear Pollard for second. The leader would once again catch the back of the pack around lap 43, but a yellow flag two laps later brought us to our half way stop. Only a couple of cars elected to give up their position to make a tire change, including Horn and tenth running Bobby Hansen, those two moving to the tail for the restart. J.D. Auringer would then join the lead pack in fourth, advancing to third following a restart on lap 58. Glenz and Ryan pulled well ahead while Jeff Aikey found a line to his liking, charging from mid pack to forth by lap 66. Slower traffic allowed Ryan to draw close to Glenz as the laps clicked past 70, but as Matt was in position to make a move for the lead, the caution flag waved once again. With clear track ahead, Ryan could no longer stay in striking distance. The final yellow flag came as the race approached those final ten laps as Ron Klein gave up a top ten run. But Glenz was on a rail, and he cruised to victory lane. Ryan settled for second, chased by hard charger Auringer who gained nine positions, Aikey, and Dustin Smith. Pollard ran sixth, topping Ben Lerch, Horn, Scott Strauss, and Brennen Chipp. Just ten of the 23 starters were still around at the checkers. 

   Those final checkers came just after 10:00 on a gorgeous night for racing. Special thanks to Rick Dripps and the staff for their gracious hospitality. Dirt on the Downs has two more action packed Saturday nights on the schedule, with rumors of an exciting slate of events planned for 2027, so stay tuned! It may be October, but there is still lots of fall specials to be had, so grab a hoodie and head to the track!

"Topless" Night a Washout at Quincy

      With the track points season over, Quincy Raceways looked to have some fun, hosting Topless night at the speedway on Sunday.  All six regular divisions were on the card for the final time this year - the two day show next weekend will feature a different mix of classes. Perhaps "Topless" should have included a wet T shirt contest. Rain had once again plagued the Tri State area, although the race track had missed the brunt of it. But with heat race action complete for the fifty six entries, a light but stubborn drizzle began to fall. Although track crews tried to keep up with it, eventually the sprinkles won out and the track was lost. With this being the final night of regular racing, a drivers' meeting was then called to determine how the purse would be divided, the decision coming after I had left the facilities. 

    Although they were unable to add to their points, several QR regulars finished near the top in the national IMCA Late Model standings. Unofficially Tommy Elston finished in the runner up position to one time visitor Zach Zeitner. Jake Griffin was sixth as well as first in the Rookie of the Year chase, and Curtis Glover came home ninth after making the six hour plus round trip each week to Quincy from Runnells, Iowa. Additionally, Darin Weisinger, Denny Woodworth, Sam Halstead, and Jason Oenning placed in the top thirty nationwide. Congratulations to those drivers!

   As mentioned, QR will round out the season with a two day extravaganza Friday and Saturday, October 2nd and 3rd featuring $2,000 to win for the Crown Vics, $4,000 for the 4 Cylinders, plus each day top prizes of $1,000 for Late Models and B Modifieds.