Hurst the Comeback Kid at 34

 Saturday evening we headed for 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa with IMCA late models receiving top billing in a draw/redraw event with a $1,000 top prize on the line. While the weekly IMCA tracks point season is complete for late models, the other sanctioned classes in action, including modifieds, sport mods, and sport compacts were running their regular point invert rules. In addition, 305 winged sprint cars, a popular attraction at the high banked 3/8 mile facility were also in action. It was High 5 for Kids night, with 83 bikes, 25 scooters, school supplies, and various other gifts for the throng of youngsters on hand. I could not help but wonder how many of these kids had been to a race track before last night, and hoping just a few might get hooked on racing in the way I did as a four or five year old attending my first race!
  Seventy cars across the five divisions signed in, with the late models leading the way with nineteen competitors. In addition, a pair of vintage cars did some hot lapping/racing during the evening.
  With heat races in the books, the IMCA sport mods led off the features, twelve strong for fifteen laps. As is too often the case with the sport mods, "yellow fever" dominated the event, with a total of five caution periods interrupting the race, four coming in the first five laps resulting in the field be realigned single file for the next restart. Ron Kibbe started on the outside pole, and quickly established himself as the man to beat. Following each restart, he pulled away to a comfortable lead. Pole sitter Colton Livezey gave chase, as row five starter Sean Wyatt steadily worked his way through the pack. Following a final caution at lap eleven, Wyatt took over the runner up spot, but fell short in his attempt to make it two wins in two nights after his Friday victory in Donnellson. It was an excited Kibbe with the win, with Wyatt, Livezey, Kevin Goben, and Adam Shelman completing the top five.
  The 305 winged sprints, perhaps the most popular class at 34, came to the track next, with sixteen cars racing for twenty laps. Dan Keltner shot to the lead from his pole position, taking along his row one mate, Brayden Gaylord. Following a pair of lap two cautions, the front pair drove nose to tail away from the field. With slower traffic coming in to play at lap eight, Keltner was able to put some distance on Gaylord, but a caution at lap ten brought the pack back to the leader. Back to racing, Keltner again stretched his lead, but the race was red flagged at lap fourteen when Nick Guernsey came to a stop off turn two when he was splashed with hot water from his #7 machine. After being checked out, Nick was deemed to be okay, and racing resumed. Behind the leader, Gaylord, Tanner Gebhardt, and Wyatt Wilkerson were engaged in a close battle, and when Wilkerson tried to find a high line around Gaylord coming off turn two, he ran out of real estate, spinning into the boundary tire marking the entrance to the pit area, bringing out one final caution. He was able to restart at the back of the field for the final three laps. As lap eighteen was scored, Gebhardt headed to the pits, his top three run over. As the checkers waved, it was Keltner with a flag to flag win. Gaylord took the runner up spot, with Justin Parrish starting seventh and finishing third in front of row three starter Daniel Berquist. Wilkerson passed a half dozen or so cars in the closing laps to score the fifth position.
  Ten IMCA modifieds were up next for fifteen laps. Chris Zogg started outside row one, leading the first circuit over row two starters John Oliver Jr., and Dennis Laveine. There was a treacherous spot high on the cushion between turns three and four, and twice in the early laps, Oliver found himself sucked into the concrete barrier, falling to fourth after contact on lap six. By the time the modified rookie made his way back to second, Zogg had opened a commanding lead. However, a lap ten spin by Tyler Smith wiped out Zoggs' adavantage. Back under green, Oliver again tagged the wall, this time losing several positions. Another spin by Smith set up a green, white, checkers finish, and although Laveine was able to pull alongside the leader, he was unable to complete the pass. Zogg took the hard fought win in front of Laveine and Newton, Iowa driver Ethan Braaksma. Veteran Dean McGee edged Jeff Waterman for the fourth spot.
  Thirteen IMCA sport compacts made the call for their twelve lap feature. The only caution of the race came for debris on lap one. Adam Christy held the top spot after starting outside row one, with Jason Ash battling alongside, and Barry Taft looking to join the party in third. With Ash taking over the lead, Christy and Taft now fought for second, with Barry taking over at lap nine. But the race belonged to Ash, who took the checkers ahead of Taft, Christy, Jerrod Nichols in the pink pig, and Cody Bowman.
  The final race of the night was the IMCA late model headliner. All nineteen cars made the call to battle for twenty five laps. Jeremiah Hurst redrew the pole position after winning the second heat, while John Emerson, again driving the Richie Gustin #19G, sat alongside. Hurst was trying to erase the memory of Friday, when he was leading the first heat at Donnellson only to have his car die, ending his night. Hurst and Emerson paced the field through the early laps, with Matt Ryan, Chad Holladay, and Matt Strasshein lurking in the top five. With the leaders catching the back of the pack, the first caution came just before halfway, as Ray Raker stopped off turn two. One more lap was scored before a caution for a spin by late model rookie Jared Miller. As racing resumed, row six starters Tommy Elston, and Mark Burgtorf, behind the wheel of the Lynn Richard #15R, began to ease through the field. On lap fifteen, Strassheim moved to fourth as Ryan found the problem spot in turns three and four. Lap nineteen saw a final caution, as modified driver Damion Stewart, driving a car from the Nick Marolf stable, went for a spin. As Strassheim began to have issues with his #41, Holladay was now the man on the move, as he took the runner up spot following the Delaware restart and began applying heavy pressure to Hurst. The veteran duo raced door to door on the final lap, but Jeremiah used his top side momentum to arrive first at the stripe, taking a flag to flag but still hard fought win. Holladay settled for second, besting Emerson and Ryan. Sam Halstead crossed the line in fifth, but apparently failed to stop at the tech area, resulting in a disqualification. This moved Elston to fifth, with the remainder of the top ten going to Burgtorf, Jay Johnson, Marolf, Brandon Queen, and Darrell Defrance. It was a nice comeback for Queen, who started in row seven after exiting his heat race when a radiator hose blew on his #12, spewing water and steam over the track.
 As Hurst headed to victory lane, we were treated to a quick and colorful fireworks display, courtesy of J & M! Thanks to Jessi and Brad for a fun filled Saturday night at 34 Raceway.
  Tonight we will cap off our three night weekend in our usual perch at Quincy Raceways., as five classes of cars will be in competition.
  Thanks for reading!