Season Championships Decided at Lee County Speedway

  Friday night was Season Championship night at Lee County Speedway on the Lee County Fairgrounds in Donnellson, Iowa. Six regular classes were in action, five IMCA plus Mini Hauler Trucks. It was also the final night of the Weisinger family promotion of the fairgrounds three eighths mile track.

   With several other tracks off for the night or the season, the car count swelled to eighty eight, led by Sport Mods with twenty two, and all but the Mini Haulers hitting double digits. 

   Racing actually began a few ticks early, and things were rolling along fine until those eight Trucks came out for their heat race. Going through turns one and two racing hard for position, the #P40 of Austin Poage went for a wild series of flips, eventually landing on its wheels. Unfortunately fire broke out underneath his ride, and with fuel apparently continuing to pump, the fire crew was unable to knock it down, with flames continuing for several minutes. Emerging under his own power, Poage was apparently uninjured, however the Truck was not so lucky, and when the fire was finally out the track was covered in foam, which then took considerable time to clean up. Between that event and a few delays due to only one wrecker on site, it was after 11:00 before the final checkers, a rarity at the speedway.

   However, there was plenty of close racing, so let's get to it!

   Late Models were up first in the feature order. All but Jason Oenning, who broke a radiator in his heat, came to the track, fifteen strong for twenty five laps. The draw redraw format used all night saw Curtis Glover on the pole, and he shot to the lead ahead of a major scrum exiting turn two which led to the first yellow flag with one lap scored. Outside pole sitter Jackson Frankel was the first casualty, a flat tire ending his run. Meanwhile sixth starting Tommy Elston, having secured the points championship, was shuffled back to tenth for the restart. Another bottle neck ocurred on lap three as Spencer Havermale saw his night end early. Stringing together seven green flag laps, Glover opened a big lead, while Darin Weisinger Jr. also gained separation in second. Austen Becerra, subbing for the injured Mitch Boles in the #4B had climbed from ninth to third before suddenly exiting the track just before halfway. The final caution came with ten to go as someone - Carter Johnson? - dropped a driveshaft on the front stretch. Back to racing, Jayden Johnson fell from third to fifth, trading places with a charging Elston. While Glover again sped away, Elston tried to run down Weisinger Jr. The last ten laps clicked off quickly, with Glover scoring the win. Weisinger Jr. held second, followed by Elston. Jake Griffin ran fourth pretty much the entire race with Denny Woodworth completing the top five. Sam Halstead came next in front of Jayden Johnson, Jeremy Pundt, and Brian Curtis, with Ron Boyse credited with tenth.  

   All twenty two Sport Mods lined up for twenty laps. Kahne Groves took off from the inside front row followed by a multi car crash on the front stretch that eliminated four cars, including top contender Brandon Dale. Back racing it was Adam Birck ahead by a nose at the line, and he continued to open a bit of breathing room, while Cody Agee worked his way from row three to second.. Birck would catch slower traffic at the mid point, but one lap later the caution would come as Jarrett Franzen tried to duck under Will Wolf, clipping the tractor tire, launching in the air. Both cars were sent to the tail, with Wolf apparently not pleased with the attempt.  Kahne retook second on the restart as Birck, Kahne, and Agee pulled away from the pack. A final caution came for Austin Kemp, who slowed in turn one, and with that came the time limit. A two lap dash took us home, with Birck scoring the win. Kahne topped Agee while Chase Johnson started ninth and finished fourth. A. J. Tournear kept his nose clean and advanced eleven spots to round out the top five. Cole Gillenwater picked up his first track championship. 

   Six Trucks lined up for ten laps, and things went downhill from there. With just three laps in the books, we were down to two competitors. The final seven laps saw points champ Nick Wilkerson hold off Ethan Brown for the win. 

   Seventeen Modifieds would go at it for twenty circuits. Pole Sitter Jace Eckrich led Blaine Webster before Jarrett Brown, driving the #151 charged to second. Meanwhile eventual track champion Austen Becerra came from an eighth place start to fifth on lap two, fourth one lap later, then to the runner up spot on lap six. Eckrich would catch the back of the pack on lap seven, and three laps later Becerra would make contact with a lapped car, leaving his right side rear fender dangling precariously. The first caution came one lap later, and back under green, Austen was attempting his familiar diamond move through turns three and four when he spun to bring out another yellow. Brown took advantage of the restart to grab the lead, with tenth starting Mark Burgtorf following in second. Eckrich, with an apparent flat tire, took an ill advised sharp right hand turn from the inside line to the pits, collecting Mike Benjamin to bring a final stoppage with six to go. Coming to the flying green signifying two laps to go, Brown drifted a bit off turn four, opening the door for a charging Burgtorf to grab the lead. The veteran star, racing in his forty third season, drove off for yet another win. Brown recovered for second, chased by eleventh starting Brandon Banks, Bill Roberts, Jr., and Jace Whitt. By the way, Whitt deserves some sort of reward for making the three hour plus drive every week from Hamilton, Mo. to race at Lee County and 34 Raceway! 

   Sport Compacts restored some order to the chaos as ten of the dozen cars lined up for twelve laps. Luke Fraise sat on the pole and immediately pulled out to a commanding lead. It took three green flag laps for tenth starting Brandon Reu to move to the runner up spot. But with no cautions to bunch the field, Fraise drove on to a decisive win over the track champion. Michael Grossman debuted his Lem Blankenship tribute car to a third place finish ahead of Paige Sanders and Kimberly Abbott. 

   Quite a few of the nice sized crowd stuck around as all but Cody Staley of the bakers' dozen Stock Cars rolled out for twenty laps. Dustin Griffiths came from row two to pace the opening lap ahead of Beau Taylor before sixth starting track champ John Oliver Jr. moved to second on lap three. Oliver cleared Griffiths for the lead on lap four, then pulled out to a sizable lead. Griffiths was also well in front of an entertaining race long four car scrum involving Casen Keller, Chad Krogmeier, Derrick Agee, and Taylor, who would eventually cross the finish line in that order. With this being another caution free race, Oliver Jr. would work to a half track advantage as he completed a season long domination in the "Class Too Tough To Tame. " 

   As mentioned, this would put a wrap on the Weisinger family promotion efforts and I want to thank, Darin, Debbie, Lee Ann, Darin, and their team for their generous hospitality. It was confirmed last night that there will be one more race at the speedway in 2026 as former promoter Brian Gaylord will take the reigns to promote the very popular Shiverfest event on October 31. As for what happens in 2027, we shall see. The fairboard is actively seeking a promoter, hopefully something will be worked out. 

   Tonight we will step away for some family fun, but it is season championship night at 34 Raceway with a special low admission price. We will be back at the track on Sunday as the points chase will be decided at Quincy Raceways. QR Hall of Famers Terry Gallaher and Dick Crane will be doing a meet and greet before the races and we will be inducting the 2026 class one week later.

   See you at the races!

Pierce a Winner, Huddy Close But No Cigar

    Super Late Models began a two week sojourn through Iowa on Tuesday with a stop at Marshalltown Speedway. Flo Racing Night in America handled the sanction for the $20,000 to win Hoker 50. IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars filled out the card on a very busy night at the high banked quarter mile. It would be the fourth visit to MoTown for the Flo competitors - perhaps the best of the two marquee national series, and Hudson ONeal came in a perfect three for three in the previous stops for the travelling series. What made that feat more incredible is that his three wins had come in three different rides. And on Tuesday, the second generation Indiana hot shoe was wheeling yet another completely different machine, the Keith Rumley #6.

   Thirty Late Models signed in, and early on it looked as though Huddy might keep his streak alive. Qualifying early in Group A, he would be the lone driver to crack the 13 second bracket with a lap of 13.939 seconds. This would put him on the pole of the first heat, as lineups are set straight up off time trials. He would power ahead to an early lead, but two laps in disaster struck as he jumped the cushion entering turn four, spinning out to bring out the yellow flag. In his post quick time interview he had said he did not want to do anything to put himself in a bad position, and he had done just that. While Nick Hoffman went on to capture the heat win after starting third, Oneal was able to work back to fifth, earning him the pole position for the B main. 

   Polesitters Tim McCreadie, Dan Ebert, and Bobby Pierce would top the remaining three eight lap qualifiers while Oneal went the distance to win the lone B main. 

   To help keep the week night show moving, the 26 Modifieds and 28 Stock Cars were bunched into three heats each, with all still running transferring to their feature events. 

   Keeping with the made for T.V. event, the 50 lap Late Model headliner would be up first, with 24 cars taking the green flag once again in a straight up start. Hoffman would jump to the lead while fourth starting Pierce vaulted to second. That duo gradually gained separation from the pack, and as they closed in on the back of the pack Pierce pulled alongside the leader around lap twelve. Three circuits later Pierce used a low side charge to grab the lead. One lap later the first yellow flag came as third running Ebert slowed with a flat tire. As the field realigned using the unique "choose cone" format, Oneal had advanced six spots to eleventh. Brandon Sheppard lined up on the first outside row behind Pierce and he quickly cleared Hoffman for second. One more lap was scored before Hoffman smacked the backstretch guardrail, bringing a second caution period. As racing resumed, Oneal was a rocket, using the high line to charge to fifth by lap 19. Three more laps would find the #6 in fourth, but by now Pierce and Sheppard were well ahead of the field, catching slower traffic around lap 29. By now most of the pack had settled into the inside line, but Oneal continued to pound the treacherous cushion. Josh Rice would bring a third and final yellow, looping his ride on lap 33. Oneal continued his march as the laps clicked off, clearing Devin Moran for third with eleven to go. Soon Sheppard would have to contend with Oneal, and Pierce was able to open some breathing room. Just four laps from the checkers Hudson powered to second, but once again he jumped the turn four berm, continuing on but falling back to third. The checkers waved with Pierce now comfortably in front of Sheppard, Oneal, Moran and a late charging Ricky Thornton Jr. McCreadie topped the second five ahead of eighteenth starting hometown favorite Ryan Gustin, Brian Shirley, Dennis Erb Jr., and Chris Simpson. Although Pierce was rightfully the post race focus, the fourteen position march forward by Oneal was the talk of the large gathering of fans. 

   Following the post race hoopla, 26 IMCA Stock Cars lined up for twenty laps. Heat winners in the "Class too tough to tame" were Hunter Smith, Tommy Fain, and Johnny Spaw, with Smith and Fain pacing the field. Fain jumped out front taking along fourth starting Austin Kaplan in second. With four laps scored, the red flag waved as Lincoln Vansickel went for a series of hard rolls in turn four. Fortunately he appeared uninjured. Four more laps clicked off before the yellow waved for an Aaron Martin spin in turn two. The final stoppage came one lap later as Logan Frederick went for a spin. Back under green, it was a two car battle between Fain and Kaplan. As the green flag waved signaling two laps to go, Fains' lead was barely a bumper. Fain would take the white flag out front, but suddenly slow on the final lap, turning the lead and the win over to Kaplan. Like Oneal before him, Jake McBirnie was the talk of the crowd, as he moved up fifteen positions to finish as the runner up! Racer Hulin, Smith, and Spaw completed the top five while a surely disappointed Fain limped across the line in tenth. 

   The large and well dusted crowd continued to disperse as 25 IMCA Modifieds came to the track for 20 laps and a shot at the $1,000 prize. After plenty of drama in the previous features, the nightcap would prove anticlimactic.  While heat wins went to Joel Rust, Matt Crafton, and "downtown" Kyle Brown, it was  Milton, Florida driver Owen Barnhill and Brown filling row one. Brown would power to the front, while fourth starting Izac Mallicoat jumped to the runner up spot on lap two. The only slowdown then  came for Garrett Nelson, and by the half way mark Brown had built a commanding lead. He would catch heavy traffic with six laps to go, but would have no trouble as the tail end cars ran mostly single file. Kyle would cruise to the win, with Mallicoat in the bridesmaid seat. Rust came home third while Cody Laney advanced eight spots to fourth. Janae Gustin would make a successful transition to "A" Mods, picking up a fifth place finish. Zack VanderBeek was the hard charger, moving up sixteen positions to finish eighth. 

   Even with the pomp and circumstance of the television festivities, the final checkers waved just after 10:30. Despite the stubborn breeze that left us all well dusted, it was a fun night of racing. The Super Late Model trek through the Hawkeye state continues Wednesday as the Flo Racing group moves north to Mason City Motor Speedway. The focus then shifts to the World of Outlaw Late Model sanction with the weekend extravaganza in Maquoketa. Adding to the large purses, there is a generous four night points payout being contested.

   Next up for Racin' Down the Road is season championship night Friday at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. Perhaps we will see you there!

Delonjay Doubles Up, Barnard Wins Rematch at Quincy

    Jaden Delonjay visited victory lane twice on Back to School night Sunday at Quincy Raceways. For the second consecutive race night, 305 Sprints were also on the card, and their main event turned into a rematch of Saturday night action at 34 Raceway. But this time John Barnard executed a lap seven pass of 13 year old Braxton Flatt to take home the win. Curtis Glover ( IMCA Late Models,) Dave Weitholder (Dirtcar Modifieds,) and Tanner Klingele (IMCA Northern Sport Mods) also collected checkered flags. 

   It was a warm and muggy night at the Broadway Bullring, especially after the strong southerly breeze abandoned the large crowd. Thankfully the track crew was up to the task, putting many loads of water on the .29 mile oval to avert a potential dusty of the south facing grandstands early on.

   A handful of late arrivals swelled the car count to 82 in the six divisions, with the Sprints leading the way at 19. By feature time only 15 were left standing. Among those not making the call for the 20 lap finale, Tyler Crow appeared to lose an engine in hot laps, and heat three saw Deke Brooks flip off turn two, clearing the concrete barrier separating the track from pit road. Fortunately he was not injured. 

  Along with the back to school giveaways there was a silent auction of many donated door panels, T shirts and other items to benefit Miss Harlow, granddaughter of long time QR fixture Rick Girard. The three year old was recently diagnosed with leukemia, and is now receiving treatment. At intermission, drivers also passed their helmets in the stands.

   Now it was feature time, with Sport Mods up first, ten cars for eighteen laps. Things got off to a rocky start as the caution came on the opening lap when the heavy traffic forced Jordon Zumwalt into a spin landing atop one of the tire barriers. It took quite some time to separate car and tire. Back to racing, outside pole sitter Alec Cain vaulted to the lead ahead of Brandon Lambert. By lap three, ninth starting Tanner Klingele had moved to third, and three laps later he cleared Lambert for second. But on the eighth circuit he suddenly slowed, bringing out the second yellow flag. Following a quick trip to the infield work area, he rejoined the tail of the field. Now it was A.J. Tournear taking up the challenge of Cain. With the white flag in the air, Cain was headed to victory lane when he made contact with a slower car in turns three and four, just feet from the checkers, ending his run. By now Klingele had charged back to second, and he was able to clear Tournear in the one lap shootout to score the improbable win. Tournear, Lambert, Josh Dietrich, and Todd Wolfmeyer rounded out the top five. 

   The 305 Sprints were next, racing for 20 laps. Pole sitter Braxton Flatt took the early lead over Luke Lane, with the caution coming with one lap scored, ending the night for popular local driver Riley Scott. Three more laps clicked off before another stoppage included Lane, turning second over to seventh starting John Barnard. Barnard then came out ahead of Flatt after a side by side battle, grabbing the lead for good on lap seven. He then opened a comfortable lead until the red flag waved with just six laps to go. Having rebounded to sixth position, Lane was going for fifth when he ran out of room at the top of turn three and flipped his #9. Back under green, Barnard cruised to the win. Flatt was runner up chased by Ryan Jamison, Austin Motley, and Kevin Battefeld.

   Ten Modifieds battled for 20 laps. Justin Reed grabbed the early advantage with Dave Weitholder on his bumper. Meanwhile Rick Conoyer and Jacob Rexing ran close behind. The first caution came at the mid point for a Kirkland Cunningham spin. Two more laps were scored before Reed and Weitholder made contact on the front stretch, then ran side by side before Weitholder eased ahead at the line as lap 14 went in the books. Three laps later Conoyer also cleared Reed for second. A second and final caution came with just two laps remaining, resulting in a single file restart. But Weitholder was up to the challenge, securing the win. Conoyer, Reed, Rexing, and John Dimmitt would follow him across the line. 

   The Crown Vic class continues to grow, and all 16 cars lined up for a dozen laps. Following a lap one caution, pole sitter Jaden Delonjay charged to the lead ahead of Josh Little. Braxton Dieker would quickly power to second as Delonjay opened a big lead. Delonjay caught slower traffic at the mid point   with a half lap advantage. The yellow flag waved once more with three to go, but again Jaden pulled away to an easy win. Dieker took runner up honors in front of Jake Etter, Brian Kaylor, and Richie Berghager. 

   Late arriving visitor Adam Parker was the 14th Late Model, and only Dylan Krigbaum missed the green for 25 laps. Rickey Frankel III led Spencer Havermale early before Curtis Glover charged to second on lap six. Jason Perry also cleared Havermale for third. Glover overtook the leader and quickly disappeared into the Adams County night. Tommy Elston was on the move before getting crossed up with a slowing Havermale, who saw his night come to an end. Frankel III and Perry battled hard for second ahead of the only caution with 14 laps scored. Jamie Wilson charged to third on the restart as Elston was shuffled back out of the top five. Again Glover drove away from the pack. Now it was Jake Griffin on the move while hard charging Austen Becerra moved up to challenge Frankel III for second. With no more stoppages, a worn out Glover drove to the win. Frankel III held off all challenges for second, Becerra, Griffin, and Wilson turned in top fives. Perry, Elston, Jeffrey Delonjay, Ryan Aden Jr. and Parker completed the top ten. 

   The long night came to an end as 11 Four Cylinders battled for 15 circuits. Once more Jaden Delonjay was able to use a front row start to jump to the lead while Dyllan Bonk raced an unfamiliar #32 into second. Twice the caution flag would fly, but each time Delonjay proved to be the class of the field, racing away to his second checkered flag of the night. Bonk took the runner up spot followed by Kimberly Abbott and Aden Watkins. Landon Neisen came home fifth, losing two positions on the final lap. 

   Thanks to all the folks at QR , and congratulations to Dakoda Richard, who did a fine job making his announcing debut subbing for regular mic man Doug Mealy. 

Young Guns Lead The Way At 34

    Saturday was 34 For Kids Night at 34 Raceway west of West Burlington. The event, which included tons of giveaways for toddlers all the way through seventeen was rained out the previous week. Additionally, there was a driver meet and greet behind the grandstands, and a fireworks presentation after the races. Five IMCA divisions plus the Mini Hauler Trucks filled out the racing card. Arriving during the heat races, 305 Sprint driver Ryan Jamison swelled the field to 96 competitors. 

   Unlike our last visit, heat race action was plagued by numerous cautions, as some drivers seem to have trouble finding grip on the smooth surface. Still the race of the night may have been the third late model heat when Andy Nezworski and Austen Becerra, subbing in the Boles Racing #4B raced side by side for at least six of the eight laps. 

   While the concession folks worked hard thinning out the lines from the large crowd, 305 Sprints lined up for the first feature, 14 cars for 15 laps. Thirteen year old Braxton Flatt charged to the lead from the outside pole with his row one mate John Barnard in pursuit. Following a yellow flag with one lap scored, those two pulled away from the field.  Dugan Thye began to run down the leaders ahead of a second and final caution with five laps to go. On the restart, Dugan dropped to seventh as Flatt and Barnard again drove off from the pack. The junior high schooler pulled away for the win to the delight of the crowd. Barnard was second, followed by Luke Lane, Riley Scott, and a rebounding Thye. 

   Sport Mods turned out a full field of 24, with all taking the green flag for 20 laps. Korey Stuart took the early lead while Sean Wyett drove from row four to second. Wyett nosed ahead on lap three, but the first of four cautions negated the pass. Back to racing Wyett again grabbed the lead while Bryson Eckrich, aided by the Delaware restart jumped from fifth to second. Following the next restart with seven in the books, it was tenth starting Jarrett Franzen charging to third. Back to green after a lap ten stoppage, it became a two car battle between Wyett and Eckrich. As they crossed the stripe with six laps remaining, Eckrich was out front by a nose. One more caution came with four to go, and this time it was a single file restart. At the checkers it was 16 year old Bryson with his first 34 Raceway feature win, his sixth overall in 2026. Wyett was the bridesmaid followed by Franzen, John Oliver Jr., and Jarrett VanDenBerg.

  Mini Haulers lined up 11 strong for a dozen laps. Austin Roose was the early leader over Nick Wilkerson in a truck with #44 hiding a #9. Lap two saw Wilkerson and Caleb Ealey slip past the leader, then disaster struck as Roose landed upside down exiting turn four, collecting Brett Timmerman. Wilkerson held the top spot through a lap four yellow, then he and Ealey pulled away from the pack. Staying close, Caleb was finally able to make a winning pass with four laps to go. Wilkerson would settle for the runner up spoy ahead of Ethan Brown, Hayden Delzell, and Larry Hooper. 

   Another strong group of 20 Late Models came to the track for 25 circuits. After his heat race win, Andy Nezworski redrew the pole position and charged to the lead ahead of third starting Tommy Elston. Jake Griffin soon joined the front duo in a three car breakaway. On lap eight, Elston climbed the ladder and nosed ahead of Nezworski, but a yellow flag negated the pass. Back under green, Elston was once more able to slip around the #7, but again the caution flag came. The final 17 laps went caution free, with Nezworski now cruising along while Elston battled with Griffin for second. With about four to go, Andy hesitated briefly as he worked to overtake a slower car, and Elston was able to quickly erase what had been a comfortable lead. But "Nez" was up to the challenge, and he held off the track point leader to pick up the win. Griffin briefly gave up third to Travis Denning, but recovered to round out the podium, while Logan Veloz raced home in fifth. Sixth through tenth went to Becerra, Curtis Glover, Mark Burgtorf, Denny Woodworth, and Jesse Bodin. 

   Stock Cars were the "good guys," with 15 caution free laps for the 15 competitors. Cody Staley paced the opening circuit, giving way to Casen Keller and Jordon Miles on lap two. That pair put on a thrilling display of clean, hard racing. While Keller led the final 14 laps, Miles was on his bumper all the way, making one last charge on the final lap. No one in the crowd could be sure who the winner was. Electronic scoring told us it was Keller picking up his first ever Stock Car win by .018 seconds! John Oliver Jr. fought heavy traffic, advancing five positions to third in front of ninth starting David Brandies, and Austin Kemper. 

   Modifieds put a cap on the action, 13 cars for 20 laps. And once again it was the youth movement coming out ahead. Logan Anderson survived a pair of early cautions, holding off first Eric Barnes and then Jed Freiburger driving a #37, small 6 car with his familiar #6 on the roof ? Following a lap seven caution, Jace Eckrich charged to second, battling with Freiburger. A final yellow came just past halfway for a rare Austen Becerra spin as he ran in fourth. Eckrich began to pressure Anderson as racing resumed. With three laps to go, Logan drifted high in turn three allowing the Flyin' 50 to grab the top spot. Like his 16 year old cousin before him, 17 year old Jace Eckrich held on for the win, increasing his track points lead. Anderson Freiburger, Chris Zogg, and Barnes completed the top five. 

   There will be no racing next Saturday at 34 Raceway, with season championship action set for August 22. Thanks to Brad, Jessi, and crew for a fun Saturday night!

Simpson Cashes the Big Check at Dubuque

    Wednesday we made an unscheduled trip north to Dubuque, Iowa Speedway for county fair racing. Premier Late Models headlined the card with a $3,000 to win main event. IMCA Modifieds racing for $2,000, IMCA Hobby Stocks for a grand, and Crown Vics also competed in front of the large crowd on a beautiful evening for racing.

   We arrived in time to grab some delicious fair food and settle into our seats just as hot laps kicked off right at the 6:00 advertised time, followed by qualifying heats for the ninety one competitors. With just one yellow flag, it took a mere fifty five minutes for the dozen preliminary events. 

   A couple of challenging spots in the three eighths mile surface were ironed out during intermission, and soon Crown Vics came to the track seventeen strong for twelve laps of feature racing. Will Schmitt grabbed the initial lead from outside row one, setting the pace until both Ross Crist and Derrick Dean drove to the front on the third circuit. Crist and Dean then pulled away from the pack, racing nose to tail. All twelve laps clicked off caution free, with Crist holding on for the win. Dean waited for the mistake that never came and he followed the winner across the stripe in clean fashion. Rob Culbertson, Ethan Kammerude, and Jacob Welter battled closely in rounding out the top five.

   It was then that a bout of yellow fever hit the speedway as all twenty two Hobby Stocks lined up for fifteen laps. Kyler Hefty shot to the lead again from the outside pole, followed by row two starter Matt Bennett. The first of six caution periods came with one lap scored. Bennett would put a nose out front as lap four went in the books, and one later it was Hefty back in front as a cross up in the front of the field sent Carson Butt for a spin. During the slowdown, Bennett ducked to the work area. Twice more the yellow flag waved at laps eight and nine while eleventh starting Blaise Waters and Jaice Tuttle battled side by side behind the leader. Waters would break free as racing resumed on lap nine, and he quickly moved up in a side by side duel with Hefty for the lead. The restart after a multi car mix up at lap twelve saw Waters grab the lead with Hefty retaking the spot on lap fourteen. The yellow flag would wave a final time setting up a one lap dash, and Hefty then held on for the win. Chasing Waters it was Lucas Short, Tuttle, and a rebounding Bennett completing the first five. Sixth finishing Leah Wroten was the hard charger, advancing fifteen positions. 

   Twenty laps would be the distance for the Modifieds with all twenty six taking the green flag. Pole sitter Charlie Mohr led fourth starting Jeff Larson and Jace Eckrich ahead of the first caution two laps in. Larson powered to the front on the restart while Matt Gansen joined the front runners in third. "Bone" Larson quickly pulled well ahead of the field while Gansen climbed to second on lap six. Larson was approaching slower traffic when the yellow flew once again for a Brad Diercks spin just before the halfway point. A final caution came on the restart, then back under Doug Haacks' green flag the final eleven laps clicked off caution free. With Larson well out front and Gansman in command of second, an entertaining battle developed for third between Mohr, Jed Freiburger, and Austin Stamm. Larson would cruise to the win in front of Gansman while Freiburger (who won my unofficial survey of most shirts seen worn on the midway), gained eight positions to drive home ahead of Mohr, and Stamm. 

   All but two of the solid twenty six car Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Models would round out the program with a thirty lap contest. Bobby Hansen, who saw his #9 end his heat race in an ominous cloud of heavy smoke, and Chase Brunscheen were missing from the line up. The initial start was called back and what was an entertaining race was marred seven more times with yellow flag situations. Nick Marolf took the first lead from outside row one ahead of Jerry King, Eric Pollard, Matt Ryan, Chad Simpson, and C. J. Horn. The yellow flag waved with two laps scored for Matt Mish, and as the field took the restart green, Simpson used the outside line on the Delaware line up to fly all the way to second place as the pack exited turn two. It took just until lap four for Chad to secure the lead and following a lap five stoppage for Casey Shelliam, he methodically stretched his advantage. He caught the back of the pack at lap twelve, and one lap later came upon two cars racing for position blocking his path. But a timely yellow for a Darrel Defrance spin left him with clear track once again. Four more times the caution flag would erase a commanding lead with top contenders Pollard and Marolf each bringing the action to a halt. Working his way through the field after starting thirteenth, Jeff Tharp edged ahead of Horn and found himself in the runner up spot following the caution for Marolf at lap twenty. A single file restart came with just four laps to go, and Simpson drove unchallenged to the checkers. Tharp gained those eleven spots to finish second, besting Horn, Ryan, and his fellow row seven starter, J. D. Auringer. Brennen Chip paced the second five, topping seventeenth starting Joel Callahan, Lincoln, Nebraska racer Cade Richards, and National Dirt Hall of Famer Gary Webb, who won a tight battle over twentieth starting Darren Mish. 

   Even with the unusually high number of cautions, action still wrapped up ahead of the 10:00 hour while lots of folks enjoyed the impressive midway. 

   Family will take center stage this weekend, but we will be back at the track soon!

34 Raceway Celebrates Sixty Years in Style

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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