Friday night found us at the Bloomfield Speedway for the first time since 2017, as Mike Van Genderen presented the fall special at the Davis County Fairgrounds three eighths mile speed plant. Stock Cars, B Mods, Hobby Stocks, and Sport Compacts would fill out the card, using the same rules from the highly successful event the week prior at Scotland County Speedway. Friday would be the first of two separate weekend shows, with the Stocks and B Mods racing for $1,200 to win, Hobbys battling for $500, and Compacts fighting it out for $300.
An even one hundred race teams signed in, topped by a whopping forty B mods/sport mods. Twenty two would be the count for Stocks and Hobbys, while Compacts were a bit short at sixteen. Heat race action kicked off right at the advertised time of 7:30. It took thirteen heats and a pair of B mains to set the feature fields, with all Stock, Hobby, and Compact cars moving to feature racing. Incredibly, there were only a handful of actual cautions in preliminary action, although for some reason it took multiple tries to get going on several events as drivers on the front row consistently jumped the start. In fact, a couple of drivers were moved from their front row positions to try and remedy the situation.
Just a quick bit of track work during a ten minute or so intermission and it was feature time. Although track personnel worked throughout the night to widen the track, it proved not necessary as drivers seemed content to use the low and middle lines around the oval. This was hardly an issue, however, as the track was smooth as glass and lightning fast, and those two lines proved to be equally a quick way around.
Hobby Stocks would be up first, racing for sixteen laps. Calvin Dhondt would grab the early lead, followed by his front row mate, Solomon Bennett. Seventh starting Eric Stanton was the man on the move, advancing to third on lap six. It took three more circuits for him to clear the top two, and he was out front as lap nine went in the books. He then began to put distance on the pack, and although he was working in slower traffic by lap twelve, he continued to work effortlessly through the slower cars. With no cautions to slow his charge, Stanton rolled his #7B into victory lane. Dhondt ran a solid race in second, after a close battle with double duty Dustin Griffith. Bennett and Aaron Martin completed the top five.
Sport Mods/B Mods would be next, with twenty laps the distance for the two dozen qualifiers. Back racing after nearly a year off due to injury, Brandon Dale put his #12D out front from outside row one, as third starting Dylan VanWyk powered to second and fifth starting Austen Becerra drove to third. On lap two, row four starter Cayden Carter, driving the #01 normally driven by Brayton Carter joined the party in fourth. Along with eighth starting Maguire DeJong, the front five pulled away in an intense battle. The first feature caution came with six laps down, and on the Delaware style restart, Becerra charged to second. One more lap was scored before a second and final caution for Nebraska driver Jim Blazina. On this return to action, VanWyk retook the runner up spot. Two more trips around and Dylan drove to the lead, and Carter cleared Becerra for third. Just past the crossed flags of starter Kevin Eggleston signalling the half way point, Carter eased around Dale for second and DeJong ducked to the infield, his run over. As the leaders entered lapped traffic, the order stayed the same. As the checkers waved, it was VanWyk with the win trailed by Carter, Dale, Becerra, and Jim Gillenwater.
Fourteen laps would determine the Compact victor. Lee County Speedway track champion Brandon Reu shot from row two to lead the opening lap, followed by Bob "Gabby" Hayes and sixth starting Chuck Fullenkamp. As Reu opened a commanding lead, Fullenkamp drove around Hayes for second on lap five. Justin Stevenson entered the top three on lap seven, but there would be no catching Reu, as he claimed the $300 prize. Fullenkamp held runner up honors, ahead of Stevenson, Hayes, and Kolby Sabin.
Stock Cars would round out the evening, racing twenty laps. Cayden Carter was doing double duty also, and he raced side by side with Griffiths as lap one was scored. Driving the Peterson Racing #1X , he then assumed the lead after starting inside row two. A lone caution came with four in the books, and on the restart seventh starting Todd Reitzler charged to third. John Oliver Jr. had lined up behind Reitzler and he now turned on the jets, coming from ninth into the top five. But the man on the move was Johnny Spaw. Following a heat race incident, Spaw found himself starting in row nine, but by lap seven he was up to sixth. At the lap ten half way point, it was Carter, Griffith, Reitzler, Oliver Jr., and Spaw in the top five. Tow more laps and Oliver jumped to third, then to the runner up spot one lap later as Spaw cleared Reitzler for fourth. With four to go, Spaw cleared Griffith for third, and now the front three ran nose to tail. In the final two circuits, Oliver moved up the track hoping to find an extra bite to get around Carter. The shot at victory wound up costing him a spot, as Spaw worked inside the #05 for second. The checkers flew over Carter, with Spaw, Oliver Jr., Griffith, and Andrew Schroeder completing the top five.
Racing concluded at 10:15 in front of a nice sized crowd on a chilly Friday night. Thanks to MVG and his team for a fun night of early fall racing! They will be back at it tonight, starting one hour earlier, hot laps at 6:00. Family activities will keep me away from the track tonight. Next on our calender is the two night Harvest Hustle at Lee County Speedway next Friday and Saturday.
An unfortunate turn of events earlier this week had cancelled our plans to take in the opening night of the Darkside Promotions Fall Bash at Cedar County Raceway in Tipton. The wife of one of my loyal racing companions, Fred, unexpectedly passed away earlier this week. R.I.P., Judy.
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