Thursday night we hit the road again, this time to the Marshalltown Speedway for the 4th annual Dale DeFrance Memorial. While this race has been bitten by the weather bug in the past, there would be no such issues in 2021, although we would be well chilled before the final checkers.
Late models are no longer a part of the weekly program, but they would be the highlighted attraction on this night along with the five regular classes that make up the Friday night card at the storied high banked 1/4 mile facility. All six divisions would be competing under the IMCA banner for extra money and generous contingencies with the late model winners' share topping $1,900 as bonus money continued to pour in.
Hot laps kicked off right on time at 6:50 for the 125 cars checked into the pits, and the seventeen qualifying heats clicked off in about one hour and fifteen minutes. With stock cars and sport mods leading the way with twenty four entries each, no B mains would be needed, and as an interesting side note every car in all six divisions took the feature green flag.
There was no intermission, ( thanks, Toby!) as the eighteen mod lites came to the track for fifteen laps. Jason Kinderknecht made the long tow from Salina, Kansas a profitable one. Finishing second in his heat race, he drew the number one chip for the feature, then led flag to flag for the win, while surviving three caution periods. Josh May applied pressure in the early going, settling for a runner up finish.Cory Sonner won a tight battle for third over Ed Griggs, while Mike Kennedy completed the top five.
Eighteen hobby stocks battled for eighteen laps with pole sitter Matt Wahl leading lap one. Luke Schluetter paced the next circuit and sixth starting Kaden Reynolds charged to the front on lap three as Schluetter spun his #35. The race was red flagged with twelve laps to go as a car I could not identify took a tumble off turns one and two, and that was the final stoppage. Reynolds cruised to the win, negotiating slower traffic flawlessly on the final lap. Braden Richards chased the leader, crossing the line in second, however he was disqualified in post race inspection. The runner up slot then went to Eric Knutson, who emerged from a back and forth scrum with Kyle Parizek. Schluetter recovered to run fourth in front of Jeremiah Andrews.
The eighteen lap sport mod feature was pretty much decided during the redraw, as Brayton Carter pulled the number one chip. Three caution periods brought "Speedy Bray" back to the pack, but that only delayed the inevitable. He wheeled his #01 on the low side in turns one and two, then pounded the cushion at the other end, opening a commanding lead after each yellow flag. Izac Mallicoat was able to keep the leader in his sights before he was shuffled back to fifth following a restart with three laps remaining. Johnathon Logue gradually worked his way from row five to second at the checkers ahead of Jenae Gustin and Dylan VanWyk. The only scary moment for the leader came after the checkers waved, as a pair of cars spun in turn one in front of him.
The stock cars came to the track for twenty laps. After a lap one caution, pole sitter Damon Murty paced lap one. Two more cautions came in the first three laps, slowing the momentum. But from there it was clean and green. The elder Murty and third running Chanse Hollatz drove hard around the cushion, while legendary cat fisher Jeff Mueller, driving an unfamiliar #81, worked the inside line. Dallon Murty had failed to earn a redraw spot in his heat, but he advanced from row nine to the top five by lap five. The leaders hit traffic just after the halfway mark, with Mueller getting caught behind a lapped car temporarily falling behind Hollatz. This would be a sign of things to come. Back to second, Mueller closed in on the leader a bit more each lap until another lapped car slowed his momentum ever so slightly in turn three with just a couple laps to go. Recovering quickly, he and Damon crossed the finish line side by side. From our angle it looked as though Mueller had eked out a win, but official scoring had Murty out front by something like three one thousands of a second! Hollatz claimed third followed by Steve Meyer and Dallon Murty.
Pole Sitter Richie Gustin led the opening laps of the eighteen car twenty lap modified feature. Cayden Carter powered from row four to second by lap four and began to run down the leader. As Gustin drove the cushion, Carter used the inside line to take over the lead on the eighth circuit. While Gustin and ninth starting Joel Rust fought for second, Carter quickly pulled away from the pack. Following a lone restart with eight laps to go, Rust jumped to the runner up position. He was able to briefly challenge for the lead before Carter again drove away. Tim Ward drove through the field from the eighth row to take third at the checkers, while tenth starting Dylan Thornton edged Gustin for fourth.
The late model finale was scheduled for forty four laps, a nod to the car number of the nights' honoree. Twenty three cars came to the grid, with a pair of veteran drivers, Joe Zrostlik and Greg Kastli setting on row one. Kastli, the heat one victor shot to the early lead before fourth running Joel Callahan spun in turn two on lap three. By this point, row four starter Justin Kay had entered the top five, and Matt Ryan, who finished out of a redraw position in his heat, had climbed from fourteenth to ninth. Two more circuits and Kay was fourth, even as Kastli built a nice lead. With six laps in the books, Kay was third, and Ryan up to sixth. Kay charged to second on lap ten, Kastli caught the back of the pack, and his lead began to evaporate. With fifteen scored, Kastli and Kay were nose to tail in heavy traffic. As Greg ran a low line, Justin used a strong move through the middle to take the lead out of turn four as lap nineteen was scored, followed by a quick yellow flag. The caution waved again on the restart, but back under green, Kay began to stretch his advantage, opening up a nearly straightaway lead before another caution with twenty five laps down. Zrostlik grabbed second on the Delaware restart, but Kay again put distance on his challengers. Hitting slower traffic with a dozen laps left, Kay remained in control, scoring his one hundredth IMCA late model feature win. Zrostlik claimed runner up honors, while Todd Cooney made a late charge to third. Kastli and Ryan completed the first five. Sean Johnson drove a steady race to finish sixth in front of Jeff Aikey, Logan Duffy, Gary Webb, and Darrel DeFrance.
The final checkers waved shortly after 10:30, completing a top notch night of fast paced, non stop racing! It was good to visit with our central Iowa racing friends, and thanks to the Eiseles for saving us some prime seats. Tonight, Friday, we will return to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for weekly racing, with extra money added to the IMCA late model purse. Hope to see you there!
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