Back in the Saddle

 My 2020 season finally got started in a big way Friday night at the Davenport Speedway. Jumping in the car with Jeff Broeg, we were lucky to get signed in at the fairgrounds track just ahead of a deluge of racers eager to put some laps on 160 bright and shiny racing machines. Forty six sport mods led the way, with thirty nine  modifieds, thirty two four cylinders, twenty two late models and twenty one street stocks widely spaced throughout the massive pit area, with the four plus hour show staged in front of an eerily empty and equally massive grandstand, conforming to Iowa state Covid-19 standards.
  With the long lines at the pit gate on this opening night, it seemed starting on time would be a pipe dream, but there we were, hot lapping at 6:15 with heat races on the track shortly after 7:00. After a rocky start in street stock heat number one, the twenty one qualifying races clicked off in good time, and kudos to the race organizers for giving us heat race lineups with as many as eleven cars to help move the show along!
   With the briefest of a break, seventeen street stocks lined up for fifteen laps of action to start the feature parade. Again it was a rocky start, with a pair of cautions before one lap was scored. When the green flag waved for good, a dozen cars remained on the track, with pole sitter Jesse Owen setting the pace. It was Frank Waters and Jeff Struck battling behind the leader with Struck finally grabbing the top spot. On lap ten, Justin VanDrunen moved to the runner up spot, but with the race staying green, he could advance no further, as Struck picked up the win. Owen held on for third ahead of Waters and Cord Williams.
   Twenty four IMCA modifieds were up next with twenty laps the distance around the 1/4 mile. Justin Kay and Chris Zogg brought the field to green, but several cars stacked up in turn four to bring out the caution. The complete restart found row two starter Jeff Larson near the tail after a quick trip to the pits for repairs. With nineteen cars surviving, Zogg charged to the lead. Timmy Current slipped past Kay for second as Zogg opened up his lead. By the halfway point of the race, Zogg was in slower traffic, and Kay retook second and began to close on the #9z. With the pair in a nearly dead heat, the yellow waved at lap fifteen, with Zogg still scored the leader. Following a false start, Kay powered to the front at lap seventeen even as fourth running Austin Howes and seventh place Spencer Diercks headed to the pits. The checkers flew for Kay, followed closely by Zogg, Current, Tyler Madigan, and B main two winner Brad Durbin.
  The IMCA sport mod field had been whittled down to two dozen for their fifteen lap finale. Jason Roth and Chance Huston sat up front, and Roth took the top spot with row two starter Shane Paris in tow. Fifth starting Gage Neal roared to second on lap two. Austen Becerra joined the party in third just ahead of a lap nine yellow. The field stacked up on the restart, and the red flag waved as Bryan Moreland rolled his hot rod between turns three and four. Back to green, Neal came out on top of the three car battle with Roth and Becerra. Becerra challenged for the spot on lap eleven, but one lap later Neal was out front for good. The second generation driver took the win in front of Becerra and Roth. Tony Olson made a last lap charge to capture fourth, with Huston completing the top five.
   All but one of the twenty two IMCA late models took the green flag for twenty five laps of racing. Veteran Jim Sandusky was signed in as the driver of the Claeys Racing #35c, but he failed to make the call for his heat or the feature. Dirt track Hall of Famer Gary Webb gave up his outside pole start, tagging the tail, running one scored lap and heading to the trailer. The red flag came out on the initial lap, but whatever occurred was out of my view on the stage, however Lyle Klein was done for the night with a wrecker tow to the pits. Although the track crew headed by promoter Ricky Kay had done an incredible job to make a raceable track, the heavy overnight rains eventually left their mark, as the track developed a few ruts in an otherwise lightning fast surface. With pole sitter Nick Marolf jumping to the lead, Don Pataska and Lake Knutti got together on lap two to bring the caution out again. Back under green, it was Brian Harris in the Lynn Richard #15R and double duty Justin Kay applying pressure to the leader. Kay took over second on lap five, but he and Harris were running side by side as lap seven was scored. The caution was out again for a Knutti spin on lap ten. Kay challenged for the top spot on the restart as Harris was shuffled back through the field. Soon Marolf was extending his lead. Meanwhile Chuck Hanna was working his way forward, and he caught the front duo on the fourteenth circuit. Five laps later, Kay briefly slipped over the front stretch berm separating the 1/2 mile surface, and Hanna took advantage to grab the second position. As the checkers waved, it was Marolf with the hard fought win, besting Hanna, Kay, thirteenth starting Andy Nezworski and defending track champion Matt Ryan. B J Jackson led the second five in front of Harris, Matt Strassheim in the Barton Racing #7B, late model rookie Jacob Waterman, and Dave Wada.
   The evening finale was the sport compact twelve lapper. Bravely, the track was planning to start all thirty two entrants, but seven scratches left us with a twenty five car field. Nick Johnson took off from row one to lead the opening lap ahead of a yellow flag. Back racing, his front row mate Mitch Bielenberg took over until the caution came out again at lap four. Two circuits later it was Jake Benischek out front, but he retired to the pits as the yellow waved again. Now it was Bielenberg and Adam Christy in a dog fight for the lead. When the final checkers of the night was displayed, it was Bielenberg out front followed by Christy, Ashley Reuman, Shawn McDermott, and Travis Hawkins.
  Super kudos to Ricky and Brenda Kay, not only for their hospitality, but for putting in the work needed for this show in spite of the rain and the many unknowns of racing with zero fans in the stands.
   With the racing landscape changing every day, I am not sure where or when my next race will be, but thankfully several of our Iowa friends as well as the Kays are gambling on racing in front of empty grandstands, while my home state tracks are able to " social distance " in their facilities. So we will look at the options and see where we can finally go Racin' Down the Road.