Dodging the Raindrops at Tri City

 Going into the holiday weekend, it looked like Friday would be the pick day for racing. But with my regular work schedule, making a Friday night race is problematic at best. Saturday was already set aside for family activities, so there would have been no racing then, even if everything within 200 miles had not been rained out! Sunday presented several possibilities, but a possible trip north did not pan out, so Keagan and I were set for a night at Quincy Raceways to enjoy the MOWA 410 sprint cars. Sunday morning did not look promising, and sure enough, when track workers arrived at the speedway, they quickly saw that the pit area was too wet to  support the big haulers, and they pulled the plug about 10:30. Keagan then headed out on vacation, and left to my own devices, I was soon on the phone " just checking " to see if Darryl and Fred might want to take a chance on Mother Nature smiling on Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. Promoters Kevin and Tammy Gundaker would be hosting the UMP super late models in a $ 10,000 to win 50 lap event on the 3/8 mile, joined by the UMP modifieds, and UMP Pro Crate late models. With the Show Me 100 being run off on schedule, it was likely some of the heavy hitters would head for Tri City to finish off the weekend. So we shrugged off the 40% rain chances and headed south. The skies improved as we neared the St Louis metro area, and after doing a bit of " tailgating " on pit road, we decided to buy our tickets and find a seat inside.
  Tri City always produces good car counts, especially for special events, and Sunday was no exception. The pits were packed with 34 supers, 46 mods, and 35 crates, 115 total cars for the three class program.
  Up first was group qualifying for the supers. Brian Birkhofer set the pace early, as he ran in group one, but Shannon Babb soon broke his mark with a lap of 14.730. As qualifying moved along the times moved higher, and Babb topped the field with his mark. Still the track stayed unusually tacky, and the crates ran three heat races with minimal cautions. The late models ran next, with Babb checking out from the pole to capture heat one over Randy Korte. Heat two had a tough time getting started, with three first lap yellows. The third was for third starting Rickey Frankel, and after three attempts, the field was set in single file formation, with Rickey having to start ninth. Scott Bloomquist also had issues, making comtact with the wall, sending him to the infield and the B-main. Dennis Erb Jr. came from sixth to take the win over polesitter Mike Marlar. Brandon Sheppard shot from the pole to take heat three over third starting Bobby Pierce. As the final heat got going, Dewayne Kiefer contacted the back of Billy Moyer in turn four, turning him around and sending both front row starters to the back. Tyler Reddick then took over to outgun Brady Smith for the win. Moyer managed to come back to fourth behind Billy Faust to transfer to the main, with Kiefer was headed for the consy. The UMP ran five heat races, with The " Showstopper " Ray Walsh, and NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader both coming from eighth starting slot to finish in the runner up slots in their respective heats.
 In a bit of a complicated formula, the four late model heat winners then came to the track and drew for starting positions in the six lap dash. Drawing first, Babb pulled the number one, and he used the start to lead all six laps, holding off Reddick, earning the pole for the 50 lap finale. One late model B-main was set to transfer seven cars to the " A, and all 18 entrants took the green in the 12 lapper. Springfield, Il driver Brian Dively checked out for an easy win, with Randy Weaver wheeling his # 116 to the runner up spot.
  The crates had a bit of trouble getting started in their B-main, but the clicked off ten laps, and the mods followed with two efficiently run B's. In the second of those, Joe Walsh rolled off from row six to take the third and final transfer spot. We had the feeling he could have moved higher, but when he moved into the transfer spot, he wisely tucked his # 98 in the low groove and protected his position.
 At this point, only a couple of early renegade sprinkles had landed on the facility, but with darkness came some heavier cloud cover. Perhaps with this in mind, a very short intermission was taken, and the late model headliner was called to the track. Two time track feature winner Craig Smith was added to the 23 qualifiers as a track provisional, and Bloomquist was the 25th starter as the fast in time that had not qualified. Smith never came to staging, so 24 cars lined up for 50 laps and a $ 10,000 top prize on the multiple grooved smooth and tacky track. Babb again took off from the pole, but as the filed passed under the flagstand to complete lap one, a melee ensued, collecting a half dozen or so cars. Michael Kloos appeared to get the worst of things, collecting the front stretch wall. Kloos, Marlar, Kiefer, Moyer and Scott Weber were all unable to continue, while Mark Burgtorf, who did a broadslide into Kiefer rejoined the back of the pack.
 As racing resumed, Babb again checked out, but on lap four, Brian Shirley pounded the turn three wall, sliding back into the groove. Again Burgtorf had nowhere to go, and slid into Shirley. Even so, Mark suffered no serious damage, continuing on, with Shirley leaving on the hook. The remaining 18 cars restarted with 47 laps to go, and never again did the caution wave. Although Babb led the distance, the racing was intense behind him. Reddick applied pressure early, but Brady Smith was the man on the move. Starting Eighth, the Wisconsin ace eventually worked his way around Sheppard, Erb, Pierce, and finally Reddick to claim the runner up finish. Pierce was able to get by Reddick late to finish third, with Erb running a stead race to take fifth. That may have felt like a win for Erb, who has had a spate of blown engines of late. Sheppard and Weaver had a spirited duel in the middle stages of the race for sixth before Sheppard took the spot, and Ryan Unzicker and Bloomquist ran side by side lap after lap, swapping the eighth spot, with Unzicker ahead at the checkers. Korte held off Burgtorf for tenth, with Babb the remaining cars.
 As the post race interview of the top three was conducted, a few more sprinkles dotted the landscape. There were still two features to run and it was just coming up on 10:30, but we elected to try to beat the weather and head for home. As it was, we did get an hour or so up the road before yet another monsoon made for an adventurous trip home. Checking the results, I see that for super late model ace Matt Taylor took the crate win, and not surprisingly Ray Walsh took home the $1,000 top modified prize. Quincy regular Dave Weitholder was forced to make an early exit from the mod finale, while Tri City point leader and QR regular Michael Long was a spectator on Sunday, unable to repair an engine that gave out on him on the final lap Friday night at Tri City, costing him a win.
  Thanks to the Gundakers for an efficient, well run show before a large crowd  and threatening skies.
  The long range forecast does not sound good for next weekend, but hopefully we will be able to do some
" Racin' Down the Road."