Marlar, Hoffman Top Quincy Summernationals

  Quincy Raceways may not lead the world in rain outs in 2019, but they have had more than their share. As a result, Jason Goble, in his first full season at QR was due for a little luck. And Sunday night, he hit the jackpot. As the UMP Summernationals tour - itself victimized by numerous rain outs - rolled in to town, the stars lined up just right. Car counts for the touring late models and modifieds were solid, along with a good count of IMCA sport mods. The weatherman gave us a zero chance of rain and knocked a few degrees off the 90 plus temps we have had all week. As a result, the largest crowd in at least a year filled the stands. And to top things off, the track was perfectly prepared, with multiple racing grooves lasting throughout the night.
  Twenty one late models, twenty modifieds, and nineteen sport mods checked in, with hot laps starting at 6:30 for the late models. They were followed by modified time trials, five at a time. Michael Long set quick time with a lap of 13.854, which would have put him middle of the pack in the late models! Lucas Oil series regular Kyle Bronson stopped in and recorded the fastest lap for the high powered late models at 13.164 seconds around the .29 mile oval.
  Summit modified nationals point leader Nick Hoffman ( from North Carolina ) and second in points Tyler Nicely  ( Kentucky ) topped the eight lap heat races for the touring open wheelers.            
  Bobby Pierce, a QR favorite, came from third to win the first ten lapper for the late models over pole sitter Bronson, Frank Heckenast Jr., and Bob Gardner. Rusty Schlenk won a close battle with surprise entrant Mike Marlar in heat two, followed by Dylan Hoover, and track points leader Denny Woodworth. Brian Shirley lost the series point lead to Pierce on Saturday night, but he showed his muscle in topping heat three ahead of David Jaeger, Dewayne Kiefer, and hometown driver Jamie Wilson. The heat races were truly the best I have seen at the four tour races I have been to this season.
  With all qualifiers complete and a thirty minute intermission in the books, the modifieds came to the track for twenty five laps.
   Nicely and Hoffman sat on row one, but it was track points leader Dave Weitholder coming from inside row two to lead the opening lap. At this time, the low groove appeared to be the faster line, and fifth starting Kevin Blackburn used the low side to take second on lap three. But Hoffman rebounded to grab second on lap five using the top groove, leaving Blackburn and Nicely to battle for third. Two more circuits, and Hoffman was up to challenge Weitholder, while Nicely joined the party down low. Both cleared the leader and quickly pulled away in a two car scrum, Hoffman running a middle line as Nicely ran around the tire barrier. Slower traffic came into play at the half way mark, and the leaders ran side by side as they negotiated the lapped cars. Just as Hoffman was beginning to stretch his lead, the first and only caution came out for debris with four laps to go. With less than five laps remaining, the restart was single file, and Blackburn headed to the pits, giving up a top five run. Hoffman stayed in control, picking up the win over Nicely, Weitholder, Long, and Kenny Wallace.
  The late model headliner was next, forty laps with a top prize of $5,000. Schlenk and Pierce paced the field to green, as Jason Feger, Rusty Griffaw, Woodworth, and Melvin Linder all retired in the first couple of laps. Schlenk led the opening circuit, with third starting Shirley in tow, even as Pierce fell outside the top five. The first of only two yellows came at lap three, and following the Delaware restart, Shirley used the inside line to grab the lead. Schlenk stayed close running the middle of the track, and fifth starting Marlar ran around the tires in third. Heckenast Jr. in fourth and Pierce in sixth went to the top side while Bronson stayed down low in fifth. As slower traffic became a factor about lap twelve, Marlar took over the runner up spot. Shirley was handling lapped cars with ease while maintaining a lead of several car lengths, when the final caution came at lap twenty one. Jaeger was fighting to stay on the lead lap while battling for tenth position when he spun in front of the leader. Fortunately, Shirley was able to avoid the #13, but he now had the field on his tail for the restart. As he took off with Marlar in pursuit, you could have thrown a blanket over Schlenk, Heckenast Jr., and Pierce as they fought for third place. Suddenly Marlar decided to try the high line, and he blew past Shirley at lap twenty six. Shirley stayed within striking distance until Marlar successfully split a pair of lapped cars four laps from the finish. He then cruised to the win, while Shirley regained the series points lead with his second place finish. Schlenk, Heckenast Jr., and Pierce completed the top five, followed by Bronson, Kiefer, hard charger Rickey Frankel ( sixteenth to eighth ), Wilson, and Jaeger.
  There was extra money on the line for the IMCA sport mods, including a winners' share of $1,000, so the feature was increased to thirty laps on what was now a black, slick racing surface. Outside row one starter Tanner Klingele led pole sitter Reed Wolfmeyer until a lap three caution. Austen Becerra had dropped out of his heat race, relegating him to a row nine starting spot, but when the yellow came out, he was already up to eighth. Terry Wilson and Nathan Bringer slipped around Wolfmeyer on the restart, but contact in turn four on lap five ended Bringers' chances, with Daniel Fellows moving to third, track points leader Adam Birck to fourth, while Becerra was now up to sixth. Following a second caution, Fellows and Birck charged to second and third, and two more laps scored found Becerra in fourth. Now the leaders were all running the low groove, as Klingele opened a lead of a dozen car lengths, and Fellows and Birck battled for second. A caution at lap twelve wiped out Klingeles' lead, and Birck took the runner up spot one lap later. But now Becerra decided to check out the empty top groove, and he quickly picked off Fellows, then Birck at lap seventeen, and Klingele one lap later, as he rode the very top of the banking. The yellow waved again at lap nineteen, and back to racing, Birck jumped to the high side and cleared Klingele for second. Now the leaders all suddenly went to the high groove ahead of a caution at lap twenty six. With a single file restart this time, Klingele and Fellows decided to look low one more time, and Wolfmeyer took advantage to slip around Fellows for fourth. He then cleared Klingele for third as one final caution came as the white flag waved. This set up a one lap dash to the checkers. It was no problem, though for Becerra, who completed his improbable run from seventeenth to victory lane. Birck took runner up honors, with Wolfmeyer and Klingele next. Fellows rebounded to edge Wilson for fifth.
  The final checkers waved ahead of the 10 PM hour, capping off a fun night of racing. Thanks to Jason and crew, as well as the UMP bunch for a good Sunday night!
  Although the Summernationals tour will be heading east out of the area after completing a suspended show tomorrow at Sycamore, Il., there is plenty of racing to be viewed in the coming days, including a Wednesday show at the Knox County, Ill. fair, and Thursday racing at the Lee County fair, as well as rescheduled events at Marshalltown, Ia., and Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. Pick you favorite, and say " Hi " if you see me there!