Woodworth,Weitholder,Larsen,Birck,Becerra, Taft Tops at Quincy

 Sunday night we wrapped up our three race weekend with a visit to Quincy Raceways. Following hot laps and UMP modified qualifying, the night began with a make up IMCA sport mod feature event from a rain out two weeks prior. Eight of the fourteen sport mods signed in were eligible for the race, which was set at fourteen laps. Following three early yellow flags, race leader Austen Becerra began to click off the laps. But as lap seven was scored, he spun on the front stretch, a mechanical issue ending his run. Points leader Adam Birck then inherited the lead, holding on for the remaining laps to pick up his second win this weekend at the track after topping the sport mods on Saturday during an appearance by the Iowa Sprint League traveling series. Michael Goodwin, Brandon Symmonds, Brandon Lambert, and Kelly Bartz also scored top five finishes.
  Heat race action and a brief intermission brought us to feature racing for the five divisions on hand.
  Nine IMCA sport compacts were up first for a dozen laps. An impromptu crowd fund bounty on Barry Taft generated $90.00 for a driver who could out run the #57. Pole sitter Isaiah Penton shot to the lead as Taft, Kimberly Abbott, and Dylan Schantz raced three wide for second. A lap two caution cleared the way for Taft to grab the lead on the restart, with Abbott coming along in second. From there, Barry cruised to the win. Penton came back to edge Abbott at the line for second, while David Prim and Schantz recored top fives. Taft was awarded $20.00 of the bounty for his win.
  The outlaw stock cars drew an interesting mix of drivers in their
(season high?) fourteen car field. IMCA, UMP, USRA were all represented, as well as three refugees from the defunct two person cruiser class. The top six cars might have fit under a large comforter before row three starter Michael Larsen took command at lap six. With the first caution waving with those six laps scored, Larsen led Brandon Savage and Beau Taylor on the restart. Taylor slipped around his brother in law Savage after a lap ten yellow, but when the caution waved again with four to go, Taylor got shuffled back on the restart, falling to fifth. One final caution at lap fifteen resulted in a single file restart. Larsen was hooked up on the high side, and hit his marks each time to also repeat a Saturday night win. Savage rebounded from a disappointing DNF Friday at Lee County Speedway to grab runner up honors, trailed by Jake Powers, Taylor, and Steve Dieckmann, the top finishing non IMCA car. 
  Only four UMP Pro Crate late models signed in to race, so they contested a fifteen lap feature. Denny Woodworth survived a pair of early cautions to take a flag to flag win. Chuck Mitchell ran second in his #75C, followed by Melvin Linder and Darin Weisinger Jr.
  Dave Weitholder was the winner of heat one for the UMP modifieds, and he lined up on the pole of the twenty lap feature next to heat two winner Craig Spegal. All but one of the fourteen entrants took the green flag. Weitholder shot to the lead, and following two early cautions, fourth starting Rick Stevenson climbed to second. The leader was hard at work riding the cushion, when Stevenson showed his nose on the low side of turn one. After a lap six caution, Weitholder then changed his line, running a middle groove down the chutes and dropping low in the turns. Kevin Blackburn decided to take a run at the cushion, closing within striking of the front duo before dropping back. Cautions at laps fourteen and seventeen produced single file restarts, and Weitholder held off Stevenson for a flag to flag win. He celebrated in victory lane with wife Tanya on their twenty fourth wedding anniversary! Third place went to Blackburn, followed by veteran Steve Grotz and fast qualifier Frankie Wellman.
  The final race of the night was the regularly scheduled eighteen lapper for the IMCA sport mods. Outside row one starter Tyler Burton paced the opening circuit ahead of a caution period. Fifth starting Becerra took over the lead as action resumed. Birck began his run in row four, powering to third on lap three, and second one lap later. Jake Griffin, back from competing in the NASCAR Truck Series race at Eldora Speedway, was wheeling the Patrick Profeta #20 machine again. Unfortunately, starter issues forced Jake to be push started from staging, and he had to forfeit his row four position to start at the back of the field. By lap seven, Griffin was in the top five. Becerra hit slower traffic at lap ten, but continued to stretch his lead. While working lapped traffic at lap fourteen, Birck suddenly spun, stopping between turns one and two, effectively ending his chance at a three peat. Griffin had been running fourth, and now lined up in the row behind the leader in the Delaware format. Becerra was not to be denied, however, as he picked up the win. Griffin was second, while Goodwin finished up a solid night in third. Burton and Reed Wolfmeyer completed the top five.
  The final checkers waved at about 10:00. Thanks to Jason and the gang for a good night of racing.
  Quincy Raceways will host a regular night of racing next Sunday, then the IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series late models make a long awaited return on August 18. Both Lee County Speedway and 34 Raceway are idle next weekend, but there is plenty of "Racin' Down the Road," including a little event known as the Knoxville Sprint Car Nationals!