Back Where I Belong

Sunday night I was back in my regular spot at Quincy Raceways for a full night of racing featuring a $200.00 top prize for the IMCA Sport Compacts. I applaud the new promoters at QR for giving each of the classes more than one shot at some extra cash throughout the season. Last week it was the IMCA stock cars, with Iowa driver John Oliver Jr. rolling in to town to grab the $500.00 check. This week, however, it was business as usual, with defending track champion Austen Becerra taking control on lap two and taking the checkers in the non stop 20 lap event by a large margin. Even though Austen was wheeling the car he normally runs in Iowa rather than his QR car, he still collected his tenth straight feature win at the bullring. Skip Dunker and Kimberly Abbott staged an entertaining battle for the runner up spot, with Dunker winning that battle. Brandon Lambert and Bryce Baker completed the top five. Alex Baker kept us entertained in the grandstands, as he could not get his new engine to fire, and wound up watching his brother while his ride set at home. A member of my extended family, Alyssa Steele, has been turning heads at Lee County Speedway, and the 16 year old journeyed to QR on Sunday for the first time, but broke in the heat race.
As is normal, the IMCA stock car feature ran first, and the ten car field went 18 exciting laps without a caution period. Brandon Savage has struggled in the early weeks of 2014, and cost himself a heat race win with a turn two bobble. But the draw redraw format worked in his favor, as he picked up a front row starting spot for the feature. The new daddy quickly charged to the lead, and pulled away as his pursuers diced it up on the somewhat slick surface which was reworked at intermission. By  the time Terry Houston cleared the pack in second, Savage had a big lead, and he coasted to win number one of 2014. Houston claimed second, while heat one winner Beau Taylor led a four car pack in third. Defending champion Abe Huls emerged fourth after a duel with Jim Lynch, who rounded out the top five.
 The second feature of the night was the IMCA Sport Mod 18 lapper. The sport mods continue to struggle at QR, with cautions flags too frequent to count turning the race into a " when will it end" sort of event. With the time limit expired, the remaining cars put on their longest green flag run of about five laps before another yellow on the white flag circuit ended the fray. Veteran Jim Gillenwater, reportedly in his final season behind the wheel, muscled the # 6 machine of Bobby Six through the many cautions. But second generation driver Brad Holtmeyer worked the top side of the track, and when it came in, he powered to the lead with three laps to go and picked up his first ever feature victory. Tony Dunker extended his incredible streak of top two finishes to I believe 34 or 35, as he also slipped around Gillenwater. Bobby anders and Tanner Klingele completed the top five.
  Fourteen UMP late models checked in, including long time track regular Michael Larsen, who debuted a # 48 machine. " Taco" has been a regular in hobby stocks and stock cars, and when he took a turn behind the wheel of Kevin Tomlinsons late model a couple years back, it became his goal to have one of his own. Last weeks feature winner, Rickey Frankel, set quick time at 13.755 seconds, but rolled a three for the dash invert. He then chased front row starter Justin Reed in the ten lap event, which set the 30 lap feature lineup. While Reed shot to the early lead, Denny Woodworth came from row two to take up the chase. The two leaders ran side by side for a few laps before contact sent Denny spinning and brought out the first caution of the race. Both drivers were sent to the tail, turning the lead over to Frankel. When racing resumed, Frankel protected the lower line, and it was now Mark Burgtorf taking up the chase. Mark put his # 7B in the high groove as he has so many times, ans seemed poised to take the lead when the caution flew again on lap 28. With three laps remaining, Burgtorf could not regain his momentum, and Frankel became the first back to back late model feature winner since August of 2012.
Burgtorf followed in second, with Jason Perry, Jim Moon, and Jamie Wilson filling out the top five.
Kudos to young Alan Westling, racing his # 20 late model even though he suffered a broken wrist on Saturday in an accident at I-55 Raceway. Oh, to be young again...
 The UMP modified division at Quincy is known for its tough competition, and when Nascar veteran Kenny Wallace shows up, the field is that much better. Wallace and defending track champion Steven Delonjay  sat on the front row for the 25 lapper, and Wallace shot to the lead at the green. The first caution waved on lap four, bunching the field, and Michael Long was on the move with his sights set on the top two. Michael, who with wife Shannon welcomed son number three earlier in the week, climbed as hign as third before a flat tire ended his run on lap ten. One lap later, the leaders were side by side, but Wallace found something extra, pulling out to about a five car length lead. The leaders caught slower traffic on lap 20, but Wallace was up to the task, and collected unbelievably, his first ever win at QR. Delonjay held second, while Dave Weitholder shook off his hard luck with a third place run. Keith Pratt picked up fourth, and Shawn Deering, who fought suspension issued early in the night, came from the back to nab fifth.
 By my count, that was three feature race cautions, not counting the sport mods, thanks in no small way to a very well prepared racing surface.
 There is some illness in my family keeping me close to home, but I hope to be back at Quincy Raceways next Sunday, as the Big 10 UMP late models mini series will be feature in a $2,000 to win 40 lap main event, the " Scottie 40," in memory of the tracks founder Albert Scott. The race is part of the 40th anniversary season of the cathedral of commotion known affectionately as the Broadway Bullring. I hope to see you there, or somewhere Racin' Down the Road.