Friday would be the opening night of the tenth annual Harvest Hustle at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. Each installment of the two day event would be complete shows, featuring late models, modifieds, stock cars, sport mods and sport compacts. All but the compacts would race for a winning share of $1,000 on Friday, with dramatic increases on night number two. $200 would be tops for the compacts this night. A total of one hundred thirty three cars from six states signed in with thirty six modifieds and thirty four sport mods leading the way on an absolutely beautiful fall evening.
It took sixteen heat races and four B mains to whittle the field down for feature racing on a surface that was smooth as glass and lightning fast. With a starting time a bit later than normal and extra races taking place, we moved directly into the feature events with zero down time.
Stock cars came first to the speedway, with fifteen of the seventeen on hand set to due battle for twenty laps. Co announcer for the night Jerry Mackey called Dallon Murty the luckiest person he knows, as the youngster who has dominated the stock car ranks this season pulled the number one pill for the redraw. Dallon would then lead each lap, although it was far from an easy win. Veteran racer and car builder Johnny Spaw started alongside the #99x and dogged Murty the entire race. With Abe Huls and David Brandies also in the hunt, the first yellow flag came with four in the books for a spinning Pete Stodgell. Back to racing, eighth starting Jeff Mueller charged to fifth using the high line around the three eighths mile oval. The first five then pulled away from the rest of the pack, running in nose to tail formation. Just after the halfway mark, Mueller, now up to third, slowed with a flat tire, bringing out the final caution flag, ending his run. Over the final laps, Murty and Spaw made it a two car race. Spaw made a final charge, pulling alongside Dallon with three laps to go, but he could not complete the pass. At the checkers it was Murty, Spaw, Huls, Brandies, and Chris Wibbell. Jason Cook and Brandies were heat race winners.
Twenty six sport compacts signed in, and all were eligible for the main event, with a pair of scratches leaving two dozen lined up for fifteen laps. Track champion Brandon Reu set the early pace from the outside pole. On lap two Josh Barnes, wheeling an unfamiliar #21 slipped around Nathan Chandler for second. Fifth starting Jake Benischeck joined the four car tussle on lap five, and two laps later he was out front. With Reu ducking to the infield to end his night, it was Jake and Josh in a two car battle. Two laps from the finish, Jaden Delonjay also pulled off, ending his top five charge. With the field heading to the checkers, a stalled car in turn three brought out the only yellow, setting up a green, white, checkers finish. It was just a momentary set back for Benischeck, who claimed victory over Barnes, Chandler, Chuck Fullenkamp, and twelfth starting Jimmy Dutlinger, over from Peoria, Illinois. Heat wins went to Barnes, Chandler, and Fullenkamp.
A smaller than anticipated field of twenty late models were on hand, with only Brian Webb failing to make the call for the twenty five lap feature. Kirby Schultz and Darin Duffy sat on the front row, with Duffy rocketing to the lead as the green flag waved. The caution came out with sixteen laps left on the scoreboard as Brandon Rothzen nailed the same turn three guardrail that had ended his heat race run. Duffy stretched his advantage on the restart, while second running Jeff Aikey - a recent inductee in the National Dirt Late Model Hall of Fame - did the same over the rest of the pack. Meanwhile, Shultz, Hall of Famer Gary Webb, and eighth starting Andy Nezworski dueled for third. With seven circuits remaining, Nezworski broke free to take the spot. As the race stayed green, Duffy cruised to the win, while his "teammate" for the night, Aikey claimed second. Nezworski was third and Jeff Larson in the Doug Curless #99 outgunned Webb for fourth. Andy Eckrich made a late charge to sixth after lining up fourteenth, topping C.J. Horn, Mark Burgtorf, Tommy Elston, and Schultz to round out the top ten. Chuck Hanna, driving the #32 he recently purchased from Chris Simpson, Horn, and Elston were heat race winners.
Four heats, captured by Sean Wyett, Logan Anderson, Tanner Klingele, and Tyler Soppe, and B mains won by Dennis Laveine and Tim Plummer, set the twenty four car sport mod feature field, racing for twenty laps. Things began slowly, with a pair of cautions in the first two laps sandwiched around a false start. From there, pole sitter Brayton Carter stretched his lead, first over Klingele, then onrushing Carter VanDenBerg in a car formerly driven by "A" mod graduate Austen Becerra. VanDenBerg was reeling in "Speedy Bray" as the race hit the halfway point, but lost ground as slower traffic came into play. Now the focus was a four car scrum for third between Klingele, Wyett, Anderson, and Brandon Savage. Following a final caution with six laps to go, Anderson powered to fourth, then third, as Carter cruised to the win. VanDenBerg held second over Anderson, Klingele and Wyett.
Modifieds wrapped up the long night of racing. Three Illinois hot shoes, Travis Denning, Dave Weitholder, and Matt Werner, along with Davenport Speedway regular Dustin Smith took heat race wins. Eric Barnes, Colona, Illinois, and Dubuque, Iowas' Tyler Madigan captured B mains, giving us two dozen survivors racing for twenty two circuits. It was pole sitter Dustin Kroening, Hebron, Illinois, leading lap one ahead of a mixup that sent both Weitholder and Werner to the trailer with damage. Back under green, sixth starting Smith powered to the front using the top side of the track. The pair of Smith and Kroening paced the field, while fourteenth starting Becerra, another of the Illinois Boys, moved in to challenge Laveine for third. Two more circuits, and he claimed the position as the leaders worked through heavy lapped traffic. With a pair of laps left, Becerra pulled a successful slide job in turn two to take second, then Kroening did the same at the other end. The white flag waved, and Becerra gained the advantage again coming off turn two. This battle was all Smith needed to drive to the win. Becerra took runner up honors, with Kroening scored in third. Laveine held on to fourth, while Denning made a late charge to round out the top five.
The final checkers waved a few minutes after 11:00 P.M., wrapping up a superb night of action, and leaving everyone eager for night number two. We can expect more cars in the pits, and more folks in the stands, with top prizes of $3,000 for late models, modifieds, and compacts, and $2,000 for the stock cars and sport mods. Also the action kicks off one hour earlier tonight, with hot laps set for 6:00 P.M. The weather looks to be even better tonight, so don't miss out!
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