Past and Present Collide at Lee County Speedway

    Friday night was a great night for racing at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. A special attraction evoked memories of days gone by as the newly formed Keokuk Auto Racing Association, KARA presented the first Ramo Stott Australian Pursuit race. For those of newer generations, this was a staple of dirt tracks "back in the day." The format features six cars lined up in single file formation, usually for five or six laps. If at any point a car is passed, they are out of the race, making it a race for survival. These novelty events were extremely popular pre 1980s, both with fans and drivers alike. Bragging rights far outweighed what was generally a minimal payout. For those unfamiliar with KARA, it is the brainchild of the sons of legendary Ramo Stott, both offspring successful Late Model racers in their own right. The organization was formed to honor the accomplishments of the "Keokuk Comets" who put my hometown on the national map, with many of their greatest moments witnessed at this same dirt track. The hope of the group is to maintain a permanent place of honor for those drivers. 

   It was a beautiful evening in southeast Iowa, and sixty eight race teams checked in to compete, led by a season high eighteen IMCA Late Models. Heat race action clicked off quickly followed by the first of several preplanned Australian Pursuits. This first one saw five IMCA Sport Compacts race for five laps with Brandon Reu the victor after Luke Fraise saw his night end with mechanical woes.

   A brief tickle of the track and it was feature time. 

   Late Models were up first, with all but Ed Hollenbeck lining up for twenty five laps. This was easily the race of the night, with three different leaders and the winning pass coming following a caution period with three laps to go. Kruze Miles and Jason Oenning brought the field to green but it was Donnellson driver Jeremy Pundt coming from inside row two to grab the lead. Jackson Frankel, who along with Pundt has struggled in the early season before his win last Sunday in Quincy, shot from row three to second on lap two. As Pundt stretched his advantage, fourth starting Jake Griffin began to close on Frankel for second. At the same time, eleventh starting Darin Weisinger Jr. was suddenly on the move, passing cars as he headed for the top five. Pundt had a comfortable lead until the first yellow flag came with ten laps scored when a tractor tire was kicked onto the racing surface. Back under green Frankel drove around Pundt exiting turn four while fifth place Spencer Havermale powered to third. Now it was Frankel opening a commanding lead but a key moment came when Griffin slipped back around Havermale for third on lap twenty. Two laps later a final caution came as Christian Miles slowed off turn four. setting up a three lap dash. This time it was Griffin charging to the front, then pulling away for his first feature win in the Warner Racing #79. Frankel held the runner up spot with Pundt in third. After giving up the position, Havermale rebounded to fourth ahead of Weisinger Jr. Two time winner Tommy Elston gained six spots to sixth, Denny Woodworth started and finished seventh, trailed by Oenning, Curtis Glover, and Ron Boyse. 

   Twelve of thirteen IMCA Northern Sport Mods were up next for twenty laps. Brandon Lambert charged from outside row one to the lead, taking along fourth starting John Oliver Jr. Oliver took over first one lap later, pulling well ahead as row four starter Cole Gillenwater came roaring through the pack to second. As the race approached the mid point Gillenwater was closing fast, slipping around Oliver Jr. as the two battled side by side. Following a first caution period with seven to go, Gillenwater got crossed up off turn two, turning the lead back over to Oliver and bringing out a second yellow flag. As the green waved it was quickly replaced with a final yellow when contact sent an upset Olivia Hoffman into the front stretch fence along with Chevy Barnes, who had no place to go. After a very long delay to remove those two cars, racing resumed, with tenth starting Adam Birck now charging to the runner up position. With just a pair of circuits left, Birck powered to the front, holding on for the hard fought victory. Oliver crossed the line in second chased by Cody Agee, ninth starting Brandon Dale, and a rebounding Gillenwater. 

   With extra money on the line, only Eight Mini Hauler Trucks signed in, racing for a dozen laps. Nick Wilkerson paced the early portion of the event, with fourth starting Caleb Ealey moving to the lead on lap six. Those two would swap the lead back and forth before Ealey took over for good on lap eight. From there he cruised to the win ahead of Wilkerson, Dawson Tipps, and the Delzells, Hayden and Jason, as fourth running Tate Kronfieldt was apparently DQ'd in post race tech. Ealey might win the unofficial award for biggest fan club, as his feature winners' photo included about twenty people!

   With Fraise done for the night, only five IMCA Sport Compacts remained for twelve laps of non stop racing. Reu quickly assumed the lead, driving off into the Lee County sunset. Kimberly Abbott took runner up honors in front of David and Ethan Prim and Bill Bennett. 

   Randy Rindom scratched from the thirteen IMCA Stock Car lineup. Third starting Beau Taylor cleared pole sitter Rusty Zook for the lap one lead as the two veterans battled early. Following a yellow flag for a Jathan Fuller spin, Chad Krogmeier took up the chase in second. Oliver Jr. lined up in row five, but came roaring to the runner up spot on lap four. He then closed in on Taylor, finally moving to the lead on lap seven of twenty. As Oliver Jr. increased his lead, Taylor soon had his hands full of Derrick Agee. Exiting turn four on lap twelve, Agee pulled a big time slide job to charge to second, still well behind the leader. The race now seemed to be for third as Jason See moved up to challenge Taylor. But on the final lap, Oliver Jr. would slow for an unknown reason while Agee suddenly closed the gap, nipping the #05 at the line for the surprise win. Taylor would hold off See for third while Casen Keller completed the top five. 

   As many in the nice sized crowd stuck around, nine IMCA Modifieds - missing Jesse Belez - lined up for twenty laps. JaceWhitt, who makes the three hour trek each week from Hamilton, Missouri, raced to the early lead from the pole position ahead of Bill Roberts Jr. and fifth starting Austen Becerra. Back to racing after a lap four caution for Dennis Laveine, Becerra shot to the lead. From there the battles were for second on back as Austen slowly opened a full straightaway advantage on the field. Jared Eckrich began to stalk Whitt, and when the duo encountered a lapped car on the backstretch Eckrich was able to power to the spot with just two laps remaining. Mark Burgtorf advanced three positions to come home fourth while Roberts Jr. rounded out the top five. 

   It was a bit of a late night, but the racing was good, with plenty of room for passing as the track was on point! 

   Thanks as always to the Weisinger family for their hospitality. Plans for today are up in the air, possibly a trip to 34 Raceway. Remember, no racing this Sunday at Quincy. Thanks for reading!

Bloomfield Was The Place To Be On Monday

    Back in my younger days, holiday weekends meant an extra day off work, afternoons around the grill, then an extra day of racing! Some time between 1986 and 2026 habits changed and track promoters crunched the numbers and apparently decided that holiday Monday racing was not a profitable venture. I can't say if this Memorial Day was a "one off " or a trend, but a full grandstand at the Bloomfield Speedway certainly bucked the trend. 

   Mike Van Genderen typically schedules a handful of races each season at the fast dirt oval on the Davis County Fairgrounds, and he had planned to bring back Late Models this season with the Friday opener of a three day trek across Iowa for the east division of the SLMR series. However wet conditions made that a no go. But rather than cancel the show entirely, the decisions was made to move the race to Monday with an early start time, and what a good decision it was!

   It was not just the fans, but the racers turned out as well, with eighty five entrants across the five divisions checking in. With sponsor money coming in late, IMCA Modifieds were a late addition to the program, and unfortunately only seven cars were on hand, however the original four scheduled classes turned out a range between seventeen Late Models and twenty two IMCA Stock Cars. And those in the pits represented at least seven different states!

   A 6:00 start combined with unlimited sunshine, warm temps, and a steady breeze created less than favorable track conditions early, as the heat races were mostly a one lane follow the leader affair. But during intermission MVG reworked the (one third, three eighths? mile) oval, and feature racing was multi groove, back and forth action. 

   Racing began with time trial qualifying for the Late Models, and South Dakota driver Blair Nothdurft topped the field with a lap of 18.313 seconds. Top contender Tad Pospisil encountered issues during hot laps and was unable to take his qualifying laps, but made repairs by heat race time. To counter the "start the fastest cars up front," SLMR uses a six car invert for heat race action. However they do reward time trial with a points system to reward the quick qualifiers. Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a fan of  passing points and SLMR uses the process along with the time trial points to set feature lineups. However it seems like they must have used government mathematicians to come up with such a complicated system! 

   Anyway, feature racing kicked off with all twenty one IMCA Northern Sport Mods lining up for eighteen laps. Cole Gillenwater jumped to the lead before a multi car mess on the front stretch eliminated three cars and resulted in an otherwise original restart. Now it was Cody Agee powering to the front, opening a sizable lead over Gillenwater. Meanwhile it was Brayton Carter on the move from row three to third on lap five. Also on the move was Will Wolf, as Agee continued to set a fast pace. Further back in the pack cars raced three wide, fighting for position. Agee caught slower traffic as Carter moved to second at the halfway point followed by a second yellow flag. Back under green, Carter powered to the lead while Agee and Wolf now battled for second. Carter would pull well ahead until a final caution at lap fourteen brought him back to the field. Now it was Brandon Dale finding late speed, and he grabbed the runner up spot as the white flag flew. Carter breezed to his third victory of the weekend, while Dale held off Wolf, twelfth starting Dylan VanWyk, and Agee. Always the gambler, at his special events Van Genderen offers all drivers the opportunity to drop an extra thirty bucks at check in for a chance at a double payoff for a feature win. "Speedy Bray" was one of several who took the challenge, and he collected a cool $1,000 for his win. 

   The travelling SLMR series has a challenge of their own a Skyline Materials Lucky Six bonus to the top points earner who can elect to start and win from sixth, collecting the rolling bonus which sat at $2,750 on top of the $3,000 feature payday. On this night pole sitter Jesse Sobbing declined, passing the torch to outside row one starter Chad Simpson who accepted the challenge. 

   This would move Nothdurft to outside row one, and he would lead Sobbing early. Meanwhile Simpson and eighth starting Dylan Thornton were on the move, climbing to third and fourth by lap five. Soon Sobbing would begin to apply pressure, grabbing the lead on lap ten, and Simpson also cleared Nothdurft for second. The top four continued to battle closely, separated a bit from the pack. On lap fifteen Simpson jumped to the high line and shot past Sobbing off turn two for the lead. The race stayed green and Chad caught heavy traffic by lap nineteen, but he was patient and moved smoothly through the slower cars. He would eventually open a nearly straightaway advantage, cruising to the win and the big payday in the non stop twenty five lapper. Sobbing was second followed by Thornton, Nothdurft and Jason Hahne. Jacob Hobscheidt led the next five over Pospisil, Derrick Stewart, C. J. Horn, and Charlie McKenna. 

   All twenty two IMCA Stock Cars would contest eighteen laps. Front row starters Jason See and Wisconsin racer Tyler Wilson quickly pulled away from the pack before a single caution with five laps scored brought them back to the field. Now Derrick Agee and Dustin Griffiths joined the leaders in a four car scramble. Agee charged to the runner up spot on lap nine, then ran side by side with See, grabbing the top spot two laps later. As the laps would down, Wilson also cleared See for second, but Agee remained in control, also becoming a " double down" $1,000 winner. The final rundown would be Agee, Wilson, See, and Griffiths, with Corey Strothman holding off John Oliver Jr. for fifth.

   A solid eighteen car field of IMCA Hobby Stocks checked in, with only Billy Scott missing the fifteen lap feature call. Garrett Porter paced lap one before Tom Killen Jr. climbed to the front one lap later ahead of the only yellow flag. Back to racing Killen Jr. drove off from the pack as cars battled three wide behind him. The Des Moines driver was never seriously challenged in picking up the win. A pair of #55's came next with Brett Maasdam in the runner up slot chased by Corey VanDerwilt. Keaton Gordon and Porter would complete the top five. 

   Eighteen laps of IMCA Modified racing would put a wrap on the racing. Cory Sample, who calls Winnemucca, Nevada home charged from outside row one to pace the opening circuit over Colton Nelson. Jace Whitt moved to second on lap two just ahead of the lone stoppage of the event. Brandon Banks moved in to battle Whitt as racing resumed, taking over second briefly before Whitt retook the spot on lap five. Sample was not to be denied, however, as he led all eighteen laps to score the win. Whitt held off Banks and Dakota Simmons, with Nelson the last car running in fifth. 

   The final checkers came a bit after 9:30 and we headed for the exit ahead of what looked to be a quality fireworks show. 

   Thanks to MVG and his team for their hospitality and as usual a tight, well run show. 

   Next up for us will be a return to weekly racing Friday at Lee County Speedway. School is out, summer weather is here, let's go racing!

First Time Winners Dominate at Quincy

   Summer like weather finally arrived at Quincy Raceways for holiday weekend racing. Another large crowd turned out, the car count was up about ten, and the racing was intense on Sunday. Several drivers picked up their first wins of the 2026 season. With school out and the late afternoon sun bearing down, the start time was moved back by one half hour in an effort to help "save" the track. One negative that continues to baffle me about Quincy Raceways is the practice of only hot lapping six cars at a time for several laps, drawing out what might otherwise be a fifteen minute procedure. An exception did come last night when only one session was held for the twelve Dirtcar 4 Cylinders in attendance. But I suppose they have their reasons...

   Heat race action clicked off quickly and the track received some TLC during intermission, leaving us with a fast and racy surface for the six features. With the special event up the road at Spoon River Speedway, Dirtcar Modifieds were off the card for this night, while the more open style B Modifieds were added, bringing several cars from the St. Louis area to the track.

   Crown Vics were up first with all but one of the season high twelve cars lining up for a dozen laps. A first lap pile up eliminated top contender Jacob Jones. With an otherwise complete restart, outside pole sitter Jake Etter shot to the lead. By the mid point, Alex Hatfield was pushing hard for the top spot, and he was scored first at lap nine. The next time around it was Etter back in front, and he would hold on for the hard fought victory. Following the two front runners it was Braxton Dieker, Isaac Little, and Josh Little to round out the top five. Hopefully one of the benefits of a low budget class such as the Crown Vics is that it serves as a feeder class, and we are seeing this as Etter, the 2025 class champion now has a B Mod, as well. 

    Eleven 4 Cylinders came next for fifteen laps. Front row starters Jaden Delonjay and Spencer Coats paced the opening lap, with Dyllan Bonk clearing Coats for second on lap two. The first caution period came at the halfway mark, but when racing resumed, the red flag was displayed as Ethan Zumwalt rolled his #22S multiple times starting in turn one. He was quick to exit the car, then riding behind the wrecker in his heavily damaged machine while reacting to the cheering crowd! Delonjay would continue to hold serve, beating Bonk to the checkers. Landen Neisen slipped around Coats on the final lap for third while Cole Reed completed the first five. 

   The visiting B Mods turned out fourteen cars, again all but one took the green flag. Drake Stevenson would charge to the lead chased by Bret Eilerman. The yellow flag waved with one lap scored, and back under green, A. J. Cline used the Delaware restart to power to second. Stevenson would build a five or so car length advantage before catching the tail of the field around the halfway point of the eighteen laps. Cline would quickly erase the distance to the leader, however Stevenson was smooth in traffic, maintaining the top spot. A final caution came with four circuits to go. With a clear track ahead, Stevenson a former track regular, kept his #77D out front for his first win of the season. Cline stayed close in second followed by Eilerman. Reed Wolfmeyer would race his IMCA Northern Sport Mod in both open wheel classes, and he would come home fourth ahead of Gage Walker. 

   A solid group of fifteen IMCA Late Models checked in, with all coming to the track for twenty five laps of action. Front row starters Jackson Frankel and Jeffrey Delonjay raced side by side for the opening laps ahead of a yellow flag three laps in when Jamie Wilson made contact with the turn three wall. Back to racing it was Denny Woodworth using the Delaware lineup to move to the runner up position. While Frankel opened a sizable lead, seventh starting Austen Becerra and ninth starting Tommy Elston began a march forward. A final caution would come as Frankie Wellman got out of shape on lap eight. On the restart Becerra would move quickly to third, then second while Elston climbed to fourth. It was a near disaster around lap twelve when Frankel made contact with a slower car, but he was able to straighten back out while losing considerable ground to the oncoming Becerra. But at nearly the same time, Becerra suddenly slowed, ducking to the infield, his night over. Elston would then take up the chase in second. Frankel now held a commanding lead as Jake Griffin muscled his way around Woodworth for third before Denny pulled to the infield seven laps from the finish. At the checkers it was Frankel with his first win of 2026. Elston came home second followed by Griffin, Delonjay, and eleventh starting Spencer Havermale. Jason Perry started and finished sixth trailed by Curtis Glover, Logan Cumby, and Sam Halstead, while Woodworth was credited with tenth. 

   The Street Stocks continued to struggle, with only five cars signed in. First time visitor Justin Layne and defending champion Jacob Rexing raced side by side, swapping the lead before Layne finally nosed ahead. Only once did the caution flag wave, five laps from the finish. But Layne would again pull ahead, scoring a surprise win in his first ever visit to the speedway. Rexing would follow ahead of Levi Long, Brandon Boden and Cletus Coats. 

   IMCA Northern Sport Mods would put a wrap on the night, with nine of the ten cars racing eighteen laps. Austin McLean would lead early before Alec Cain took over on lap three, taking along Quinton Shelton in second. A pair of quick yellows came, then it was Tanner Klingele jumping from third to the lead. On lap six Reed Wolfmeyer would power to second after lining up in row five and the chase was on. Meanwhile Shelton, Kahne Groves, and Cain were locked in a tight scrum for third. Klingele was in charge before a final caution with just three laps remaining. The final restart was single file, and Tanner held on for the victory. Wolfmeyer completed a solid night in second over Groves, and Cain, while Shelton rebounded to nip Olivia Hoffman on the final lap for fifth. 

   Thanks as always to the crew at QR for an entertaining night of action. 

   We hope to round out our holiday weekend with a long overdue trip to Bloomfield Speedway for the rescheduled SLMR Late Model special event, which also features Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars, and Hobby Stocks. Hope to see you there!

Feger Cleans House at Davenport

    On paper it looked like a relatively easy night for Jason Feger as he swept the MARS Late Model action during the Corn State Nationals at Davenport Speedway to open the holiday weekend racing action. That would, however, be far from the truth. 

   But I digress a bit. My daughter and her husband recently moved across the mighty Mississippi to a new abode in Davenport, where we found ourselves spending the weekend with family time. And thankfully I received a "hall pass" to make the twenty minute journey from there to the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds for the Friday night special. 

    Thirty one Super Late Models signed in for a shot at the $5,000 top prize, with drivers from as far away as Alabama and Georgia wandering north for what I assume will be the full three day swing of MARS events. 

    As the twenty seventh car to time, Feger led the way  at 13.666 seconds, about three tenths of a second off the Late Model track record. In what I assume was a coordinated event, the first two cars out to time were the #8 of Jeffrey Ledford and #51 of J.T. Wasmund, representing numbers driven by Kyle Busch. The crowd stood during their two laps in tribute to the fallen legend.

     Three packed eight lap heat races qualified the top five in each with pole sitters Feger and series points leader Ryan Unzicker along with outside row one starter Dennis Erb Jr. first to the checkers. These three along with runners up Chad Simpson, Tanner English, and Shannon Babb would redraw for the top two rows of the forty lap finale, with Feger and Unzicker set to pace the field. A loaded group of fourteen starters contested a stacked B main also transferring five to the feature lineup. Jake Little raced from the pole to hold off Austin Howes in the final ten lap preliminary event. A pair of series points provisionals, Caden McWhorter and Jorden Bauer would round out the twenty two starters. 

    The qualifying races were not without some drama. Heat one saw surprise entrant Terry Casey come from row five to nip Little on the final lap for the last transfer spot. Ditto heat two where another Wisconsonite, Mitch McGrath worked around Myles Moos on the final circuit for fifth. The "no biscuit" run for Moos continued in the B main as he fell out of fifth just a couple laps from the checkers.  

    With a short intermission complete, eighteen of twenty IMCA Modifieds lined up for twenty laps. Oddly, the two drivers not making the call were heat one winner Shane Paris and veteran Bob Dominacki, would raced home third in heat three.  

    Pole sitter Charlie Mohr would lead Brandon Durbin and Chris Zogg as the green flag waved. Zogg would clear Durbin for second on lap three ahead of the first of two quick yellow flags. Durbin would retake the spot following the Delaware restart, moving up to battle with Mohr for the lead. Durbin would power to the front out of turn four on lap six, with Mohr then bringing out the caution flag in turn one. Zogg would also disappear from the field at the same time. Another yellow on the restart, then we would remain green the rest of the way. Jed Freiburger and eighteenth starting Brad Diercks took up the chase, with Freiburger stalking the leader. Just after the halfway mark Freiburger cleared Durbin for the lead. Durbin stayed close, but Freiburger was able to put a lapped car between himself and Durbin with four laps to go, and he then cruised to the win. At the checkers it was Freiburger, Durbin, Diercks, Matt Werner, and Eric Barnes. 

    English would get the jump from inside row two as the Late Models took the green flag. He and Feger raced side by side as lap two was scored. Racing out of turn two, Unzicker got out of shape while running third, but a yellow flag for Howes negated his mistake. Back to racing it was Feger out front ripping the cushion as English worked the inside line around the quarter mile oval. As the laps clicked towards half way, Erb Jr. found speed, moving to fourth with Simpson also in the mix in fifth. Unzicker slipped to second on lap twenty four, closing on Feger, and two laps later Ryan took the lead in traffic. Now it was Ryan Gustin entering the top five. Lap twenty eight saw Feger regain the lead as slower traffic continued to be a factor. Gustin charged to third, ahead of a final yellow for Derrick Stewart who may have been unhappy with another driver. On the restart Gustin took up the chase in second, but with a now clear track Feger stretched his lead. As the race stayed green, Gustin would fade a bit to fourth as Unzicker moved to the runner up spot taking along late charging Dylan Thornton in third. English completed the top five ahead of Babb, Erb Jr., twenty first starting McWhorter, Simpson, and Dallon Murty. 

    My promise was to head to the house after the Late Model feature even though there was till three main events to complete. Thanks to My Race Pass, I see that it was Karter Miles topping the eighteen Hobby Stocks, Derrick Dean pacing the Crown Vics, and Randy Christner first in the Midwest Vintage Late Models.  

    It will be family time tonight with a goal of making it back to Quincy Raceways on Sunday. Monday we have plans for the rescheduled SLMR Late Model special at Bloomfield Speedway. 

    A special "Thank You!" to all our veterans, everyone enjoy your weekend! 

MARS Invades Quincy Raceways, Bauer and Neville Lead the Way

    In a rare Friday night program, Quincy Raceways welcomed their annual visit of the cars and stars of the MARS Late Model and Modified touring series. In addition, open B Modifieds, Dirtcar 4 Cylinders and Crown Vics raced in a non points competition. The Late Model headliner would pay a cool $5,000 to win, while the open Mod winner would cash a $2,000 check. In addition, both classes benefit from lap money raised locally, $25 per lap for the leader in their respective features. Even more aggressive fundraising bumped the 4 Cylinder purse, highlighted by a whopping $1,000 to the feature winner as well as extra money throughout.

   Overnight rains threw a monkey wrench into event plans, and upon early arrival it was obvious track personnel had been working hard to get things into shape, particularly the pit area. The north pit where most of the "big rigs" are parked had some swampy areas, but hard work and strategic planning saved the day. As for the racing surface, it was in good condition, although it definitely developed some "character" as the night wore on. All in all, praise is deserved for a job well done!

   Last arriving Derek Fetter capped the Late Model count at twenty three, a number which meant everyone could start the main event. Likewise for the star studded field of nineteen Modifieds. The other three divisions produced just enough entrants for a pair of heat races in each class. 

   The program would kick off at the advertised time of 6:30 in front of a large crowd estimated just under 3,000. Following Late Model hot laps, the Mods did the now popular hot lap/qualifying, with Trevor Neville atop the leader board at 14.186 seconds. St. Jacob, Il. driver Jordon Bauer then began his memorable evening with a quick lap of 13.017 to top the Late Models. 

   Following heat racing for all divisions, the track crew went to work to smooth out a couple of rough spots, and soon it was time for feature racing. With no offense meant to the local classes, it is beneficial in many ways that the travelling series see to it that their features run early in the order, as it is helpful both for track conditions and "crowd control."

   All nineteen MARS Modifieds lined up first for twenty five laps around the roughly .38 mile oval. With fast time and a heat race win in his pocket, Neville would claim the pole position, with the other heat winner, Mike McKinney alongside. As the field exited turn four trying to complete lap one, a huge pile up stopped the action. Damaged cars, some heavily, some not as much, were scattered along the front stretch, with several top contenders including local favorite Michael Long, Tyler Nicely, Cole Falloway, and Jeff Curl done for the night. Another hot shoe with many laps at Quincy, Ray Bollinger, probably wishes he had called it quits as well. Left with a flat tire after the melee, he ducked to the hot pit for a quick change, then rejoined the shortened field. On the next attempt at a start, Bollinger clipped the concrete off turn four, turning his #77 sideways then upside down to bring out the red flag. Fortunately he was uninjured, but with even more damage to his ride. With one lap in the books, the next restart proved less eventful, with Neville rocketing to the lead. As the race stayed green, he would build a comfortable advantage until catching the back of the pack with ten laps to go. Two cars racing side by side for position would slow his momentum, allowing second running McKinney to close the gap. As the leaders sliced and diced through slower cars, a final caution came with five laps remaining. With clear track ahead, Neville now pulled away, cruising to the clean sweep victory. McKinney would roll home second chased by seventh starting Michael Ledford and three Quincy favorites, ninth starting Dave Weitholder, 2025 track champion Justin Reed and twelfth starting Shawn Deering. Zeke McKenzie, track regular John Dimmitt from Macomb, Matthew Baker, and Owen Steinkoenig would complete the top ten. 

   It was now Late Model time and all twenty three would take the green flag for thirty laps. Heat winners Bauer, Dylan Thornton, and former popular track regular Austin Howes would occupy the top three spots. Bauer led the way ahead of the first caution period two laps in for the disabled car of veteran racer Mark Voigt. Back under green, Bauer continued to lead as seventh starting Ryan Unzicker jumped to the top five. The leaders raced nose to tail at high speed, mostly around the top of the quickly blackening track. Bauer would catch the tail of the field about lap twelve, moving efficiently through the slower cars. Things would tighten up, however when a second and final yellow flag came with just six laps remaining. Following the Delaware Style restart it was Unzicker again on the gas, and when Caden McWhorter suffered a pronounced wheel hop off turn two, Ryan gained a pair of spots to third. On the final circuit, Thornton gave it "all she's got," out of turn four, bringing the gathered throng to their feet. But it was Bauer with a slight edge at the line, completing his own sweep in front of the cheering crowd. He collected the $5,000 prize, plus all thirty laps of extra cash. Thornton and Unzicker joined Bauer on the podium, while Daniel Adam was strong, finishing where he started in fourth ahead of sixth starting McWhorter. Jason Feger led the next five followed by Bob Gardner, Howes, Tanner English, and Jake Little. 

   That crowd control aspect now showed as many headed for the exits ahead of the three remaining features. 

   Open B Mods would see their ten car field down to seven by feature time as they raced for eighteen circuits. Visiting A. J. Cline took off from outside row one in what looked like a rout. Local Sport Mod favorite Reed Wolfmeyer advanced to second on lap four, but by then Cline was in another time zone, building a nearly straightaway lead by the mid point. But with zero stoppages, Cline caught a pair of cars racing side by side for position seven laps from the finish. As he looked for room to pass, Wolfmeyer was closing fast, and just three laps later, the #2W would charge to the lead. It would be a non stop eighteen laps, and it was an excited Wolfmeyer who claimed victory. Cline would hold on to second, while former track regular Drake Stevenson came home third ahead of Joshua Christian and weekly competitor Austin McClean. It was also good to see 2025 Crown Vic champion Jake Etter make his debut in this class. 

   I am sure the folks who worked hard to raise the awesome purse for the 4 Cylinders were disappointed in the dozen car turnout, but there were some hot shoes who did take notice. Iowa speedster Jake Benischek made the one hundred fifty plus mile haul from Durant, Iowa, and quickly showed why. Joining Kenny Butterfield as a heat race winner, they would fill out row one and shoot quickly to the front of the eighteen lapper. Dyllan Bonk, a popular local who does his own share of travelling, was racing with the leaders until his #2B suddenly gave up on lap three. The only caution came one lap later, and on the restart another Quincy favorite, Jaden Delonjay, cleared Butterfield for second. Benischek opened a sizable lead as attention turned to a tight race for third between Butterfield and Derrick DeFord, before DeFord dove to the infield two laps from the checkers. Benischek would hold off the charging Delonjay for the win, Butterfield came next in front of yet another local hot shoe, Spencer Coats, and Travis Demint. 

   There was still a large contingent of fans on hand as a dozen Crown Vics lined up for fifteen laps. Clean sweeps was the theme of the night, and it would be no different in this finale. Jacob Jones put his #32 out front on lap one, pulling well ahead of the pack. Late Model local Jeffrey Delonjay climbed in a Vic for the night and was closing on the leader in traffic ahead of a caution flag at the halfway mark. But with clear track ahead, Jones again drove away, surviving one more yellow flag two laps from the finish. The single file restart proved no issue as Jones picked up the win. Brian Kaylor worked his way to runner up honors followed by Isaac Little, Alex Hatfield, and Carter Goodwin. 

   Kudos to the track crew for overcoming challenging conditions, and to the fans who turned out in large numbers. There will be no racing this Sunday at Quincy Raceways, they will be back in action next Sunday, May 24. Meanwhile the MARS stars and cars move south to the Highland, Il. Speedway tonight, Saturday, before winding up the weekend at Coles County, Il Speedway on Sunday. 

Glover, Weitholder, Wolfmeyer, Hatfield, Bonk and Rexing All Winners at Quincy

    Sunday night it was regular racing at Quincy Raceways, with six divisions in action. The beautiful weather came as we concluded a stretch of four races in four days, dodging rain drops, fighting cool temps and enjoying sporadic sunshine and clear skies. Bright sunshine and a stubborn northerly breeze made track conditions less than perfect early in the evening. However track officials took some extra time during intermission and the result was a very fast surface for feature racing.

   The switch to IMCA Late Models has had a positive affect on car counts in that division, and a nice field of sixteen signed in on Sunday. Counts in the other five classes continue to be less than hoped for, but there is still plenty of good, hard racing. Following heat race action and the newly added Late Model dash, it was time for the main events. 

   Dirtcar Modifieds would roll off first, racing for twenty laps. Dave Weitholder would shoot to the front from outside row one with pole sitter Jacob Rexing close behind. Weitholder would drive off to a comfortable advantage before a lone caution flag at the mid point of the race. Defending track champion Justin Reed used the Delaware Style restart to grab the runner up spot, but could not overtake the leader. Following the top two it was Rexing in third chased by visiting Josh Reed and John Dimmitt. 

   The twenty five lap Late Model headliner had plenty of drama and plenty of action. Jamie Wilson and Frankie Wellman paced the field early with Austen Becerra in third. As Wilson pulled away, contact between Jake Griffin and Becerra found Griffin in third and Becerra shuffled back to sixth with some front end suspension damage. The high speed, high line action was halted on lap ten as the leader was about to catch the back of the pack when Jackson Frankel ran out of real estate and smacked the front stretch wall ending his run. Last weeks' winner Curtis Glover had been biding his time in fourth, but he charged to second on the restart while Tommy Elston also entered the fray, jumping from seventh to fourth. Just past the halfway mark, the yellow flag waved again for a Ryan Aden Jr. spin. Following this restart, Griffin executed a slide job to try and grab the lead, but in the ensuing chaos it was Glover taking over the first position while Griffin lost several spots. Once more the caution flag waved with just four laps remaining and now it was Wilson and Elston in a battle for second. As the field came to the white flag it was quickly replaced by the red as Becerra went tumbling one and a half times on the front stretch, his hot rod landing upside down. He was uninjured, but his #22 machine did not fare as well. A one lap shootout saw Glover repeat his win, adding to his victory Saturday at 34 Raceway. Wilson won the battle for second ahead of Elston. Spencer Havermale started tenth and came home fourth and Rickey Frankel III gained three spots to round out the top five. Griffin led the second five over Wellman, Jason Oenning, Logan Cumby and Jason Perry. 

   With the large crowd still buzzing, IMCA Northern Sport Mods lined up for eighteen laps. Alec Cain powered to the lead from his pole position with his row one mate Olivia Hoffman in second. Reed Wolfmeyer lined up outside row four, but he charged to the runner up slot on lap three. Three more times around and Wolfmeyer shot to the front with a power move off turn two. By the mid point he was well out front, but a single yellow flag brought him back to the pack with five laps to go. Ninth starting 2025 champion Tanner Klingele worked his way to second just a pair of laps from the checkers after an entertaining battle with Cain. As the field came through the final two corners to the checkers, Cain would spin, ending his solid run. Wolfmeyer would secure the win, with Klingele close behind in second. Mexico, Missouri driver Kahne Groves drove a steady race to take third, A.J. Tournear came on late to finish fourth and a quickly improving Hoffman completed the first five. 

   Ten Crown Vics would compete for a dozen laps. Front row starters Alex Hatfield and Braxton Dieker fired off in that order, leading a tight four car pack. The first caution came eight laps in as Brian Kaylor slowed with a flat tire while running fourth. Jacob Jones moved to second as racing resumed. Dieker began to fall back, bringing a final caution with just one lap to go when he tagged the turn three concrete. Hatfield would continue to hold serve, taking the flag to flag win over Jones, 2025 champ Jake Etter, tenth starting Jaden Delonjay and Isaac Little. 

   Dirtcar 4 Cylinders and Dirtcar Street Stocks continue to struggle with car counts. Seven of the compact machines signed in, lining up for fifteen laps. Fielding a pair of cars on this night, Dyllan Bonk sat on the pole alongside Spencer Coats. Bonk, who has had success while visiting other tracks, shot to the lead, pulling well ahead while Cris Courson came up to challenge for second, taking the spot on lap six. With Bonk well out front, a single yellow flag halted the action as Courson slowed with just five laps remaining. Back under green Bonk again drove off from the field as Landon Neisen in the second #2B won a tight battle with Coats for second. Kimberly Abbott and Ethan Zumwalt would round out the top five. 

 Street Stocks put a cap on the action, racing for fifteen laps. After a false start, the front row cars were moved back one row, putting Jacob Rexing on the pole. That turned out to be the move of the race, as Rexing drove off into the Adams County night. Chuck Mitchell and young second generation racer Cruz Griffaw traded the runner up spot before Cruz suddenly ducked to the infield with just two circuits remaining. The checkers waved for Rexing followed by Mitchell and Brandon Boden.

   The final checkers waved a few minutes before 9:30. Thanks as always to the staff at QR for their gracious hospitality. Just a reminder, the track will come back to life this week on Friday. It will be the annual visit by the stars and cars of the MARS Late Model and Modified series, backed by B Modifieds, 4 Cylinders and Crown Vics. Additionally there will be no racing at Quincy Raceways next Sunday. 

Triple Digit Cars Counts and Good Racing at 34

    Sunny skies and warm temps were too much to resist, so we made the decision to head north to 34 Raceway in West Burlington for Saturday night racing. Due to the cranky spring weather, this would be our first visit of 2026 to Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatts' legendary three eighths mile high banked speed plant. Seven classes filled out the card, with extra money on the line for the 305 Sprint Cars. Other rule changes have been implemented in an attempt to increase car counts in this crowd favorite division. Late Models, Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks and Mini Haulers filled out the card. And even though the radar showed showers in the area, nothing developed at the track and it was a cool but pleasant spring evening.

   The racing family must have agreed with my opinion as a nice crowd filled in to watch a very solid one hundred and three race teams come through the pit gate. The track was in excellent condition and remained so throughout the night with three distinct fast lines around the oval, even as it slicked off late in the program.

   Heat race action kicked off just after 7:00, with fifteen qualifiers clicking off in quick fashion, with the "one and done" rule in evidence. Following a short intermission, it was time to go feature racing.

   The extra incentive sadly did not seem to impress the 305 community as only ten signed in to race. A first lap collision eliminated Riley Scott, but after that it was fifteen caution free laps. Daniel Berquist led early before Dugan Thye blasted to the front on lap seven, coming from a row three start. Dugan then pulled well ahead to score a popular victory. Ryan Jamison came on strong late, taking runner up honors after starting in eighth. Berquist was third followed by McCain Richards and Nick Guernsey.

   Eighteen Sport Mods came to race, with all but one lining up for fifteen circuits. Dylan VanWyk fired off from row two to the front as racing began and never gave up the top spot. Three caution periods slowed the action with close racing behind the leader. VanWyk cruised out to a comfortable lead as did seventh starting Sean Wyett in second. Rookie driver Bryson Eckrich also gained separation to finish third while Jarrett VanDenBerg and Joe Roller completed the top five. 

   Hobby Stocks were not a part of the original lineup at the track for 2026, but after an early successful trial, they have been included on a part time basis. Fifteen signed in on Saturday and all of them lined up for fifteen laps. Again a first lap yellow flag scrambled the line up and four times more cautions would interrupt the action. Daniel Wauters was wheeling the #17M car and he shot off from the pole to grab the early lead. While Wauters remained in control, an intense battle for second developed between John Richardson and Jorden Patz. Eventually the field was reset in single file order, and the plethora of solo spins spoiled some good racing among the top five drivers. Wauters would go unchallenged for the win, with Patz claiming runner up honors. Garrett Porter made a late charge to third ahead of Richardson and Billy Stanford.

   Calm was restored as the Late Models came to the track for twenty five circuits. Only Ed Hollenbeck, who was involved in a heat race crash with Jay Johnson, was absent from the seventeen car field. Mark Burgtorf and Jeremy Pundt paced the pack, but it was third starting Curtis Glover powering to the lap one lead over Burgtorf and fifth starting Andy Nezworski. Glovers' big lead was erased on lap ten as Cruz Birkhofer came to a stop above turn two, the only caution of the race. Nezworski charged to the runner up position following the Delaware restart, but he was unable to run down the flying #30 of Glover. As the quick twenty five circuits came to a close, it was Glover, Nezworski and Burgtorf with podium finishes. Tommy Elston finished where he started in fourth and Dustin Smith advanced six spots to round out the top five. Logan Veloz led Jake Griffin, Blaise Lewis, Ray Raker and Darin Weisinger Jr. sixth through tenth. 

   An increase in start money seemed to be an incentive for the Modifieds, as a late arrival pushed the count to eighteen. First lap issues eliminated pole sitter Dennis Laveine in one of only two caution periods. Jace Whitt is making the long tow from Hamilton, Missouri to race at Lee County and 34, and he shot to the early lead over Adam Shelman and Austen Becerra. Becerra climbed to second on lap three, taking along the Eckrich boys, Jace and Jared. The final caution came at that lap three mark, and back under green, Jace moved to the runner up position while tenth starting Chris Zogg advanced to fourth. On lap five Becerra regained the second spot and the chase was on. Whitt was running Becerras' preferred high line forcing Austen to operate in the middle groove. In what proved to be a mistake, Whitt dropped down on lap ten, opening the top side for Becerra, who rocketed to the lead. He then drove off into the Des Moines county night. Five laps later, Jace Eckrich was able to clear Whitt for second using an inside move. As the checkers flew it was Becerra, Jace Eckrich, Whitt and Zogg, while after lining up in row eight Eric Barnes slipped around Jared Eckrich in the closing laps to finish fifth. 

   Sixteen strong were the Stock Cars, with Austin Kemper leading lap one. The next time under the flag stand it was fourth starting John Oliver Jr. out front where he would stay for the remainder of the fifteen laps. Two times the yellow flag waved in the first three circuits, then it was green flag racing until the end. Oliver Jr. moved well out front while Greg Gill and Jordon Miles staged the race of the night, running side by side and nose to tail, swapping the runner up spot several times on the now black slick track. At the same time, Casen Keller and Chad Krogmeier waged a tight battle for fourth. The final running order saw Oliver Jr. with win number seven on the young season, followed by Gill, Miles, Keller and Krogmeier. 

   We had hit the 10:30 mark with an early Sunday call as the Mini Haulers headed to the track, so it was off to the parking lot for our band of three. Congrats to Caleb Ealey on his feature win. 

   Thanks to Brad, Jessi and their group for a fun Saturday night of racing. Despite several early season rain outs, there are still many special events on the 34 Raceway schedule in 2026, so check the website for more info.

   Tonight we will be back in our familiar spot at Quincy Raceways, hope to see you there!