Friday night found us back at our usual haunt at Lee County Speedway, Donnellson, Iowa. This week the program would be a different animal as POWRi 410 Outlaw Bandit Sprints would take center stage, battling for a $5,000 top prize. IMCA Stock Cars and IMCA Northern Sport Mods would also be on the card, and thanks to additional sponsors, IMCA Late Models were a late addition to the show. As the original schedule had the Late Models off this week, no track points would be earned in this division.
Cool, cloudy, and breezy conditions once again dominated the area throughout the day, and the most accurate way to describe the night would be cold! Still a sizable crowd turned out to watch the proceedings, with Sprint Car fans in abundance.
Eighty two teams signed in for the four divisions, thirty sprinters as well as a season high twenty Late Models. A sign of things to come came early when the announcement was made that not only would the Sprint Cars time trial, but they would do so one at a time! So after Aaron Reutzel set a quick time of 13.927 seconds as the twenty third car out followed by some track work, it was about 45 minutes later than normal for the opening heat race.
An even dozen heat races plus a B main for the sprinters set the feature fields, then all twelve Stock Cars lined up for eighteen laps. Jerry Jansen paced the opening circuit before Jeremy Pundt took command. Early on Dalton Simonsen moved to the runner up spot, soon giving way to Jason Cook. Lap seven saw visiting Cole Mather, Oelwein, Iowa, who had lined up in tenth drive to third behind Pundt and Cook. With most of the field hugging the inside line, Cook took a shot up top before dropping back down to try and fend off Mather, who suddenly found a middle groove to his liking. After battling side by side with Cook, Mather claimed second with just two laps remaining, and as the white flag waved he drove to the outside of Pundt, then won the drag race to the checkers. A large quilt might have covered the top three, Mather, Pundt, and Cook as they crossed the line. Simonsen came home fourth, with Derrick Agee in fifth. The race was caution free.
The advertised "five or ten minute" break for track prep became a major undertaking, and within ten laps of the Sprint Car thirty lapper, we were back to a bottom dominate surface anyway. Twenty three cars took the feature green, with the only two drivers who cracked the 14 second barrier in time trials lining up in row one, Reutzel and Buddy Kofoid. On the initial start, Joe B Miller rocketed from row two to the lead, but a three car pile up in turn three brought us back to an original restart minus top contenders Carson McCarl and Roger Crockett. Crockett was not involved in the skirmish, but apparently had mechanical issues. Kofoid grabbed the lead, with the yellow waving again on lap three. On this restart it was Reutzel shooting to the front, and he slowly stretched his lead ahead of lapped traffic eleven laps in. Kofoid took the opportunity to close in on the leader, and by the half way point Ayrton Gennetten had joined the front duo in third. As the leaders raced around the tire barriers, Gennetten was caught temporarily behind a lapped car as Reutzel and Kofoid pulled away. Soon Reutzel had gained some breathing room and Ayrton was again hounding Kofoid. As the white flag waved, however, Gage Montgomery went spinning in turn one, setting up a single file two lap dash to the checkers. Reutzel was up to the challenge, collecting the win and the $5,000 payday. Kofoid took second trailed by Gennetten, seventh starting Ian Madsen, and Miller.
With the lengthy post race festivities finished, all but two of the IMCA Late Models came to the track for twenty five laps. Pole Sitter Jeff Guengerich jumped to the lead, with third starting Denny Woodworth in second. Two yellow flags in the first five laps saw fifth starting Andy Nezworski power to the runner up spot while ninth starting Tommy Elston climbed to third. A final caution at the half way mark was followed by Chuck Hanna charging from fifth to third, but with the track now reduced to one lane there would be no more passing up front. Guengerich had opened a nice lead but with just a couple laps to go, he was caught behind a slower car operating in his preferred line. Nezworski quickly closed the gap, but Jeff was finally able to sneak inside the lapped car and drive on to his second feature win of the season, his first at LCS. With Davenport Speedway not in action tonight, five of their weekly competitors made the trip south, and two of them, Nezworski and Hanna ran second and third. Elston and Woodworth completed the top five, followed by Simonsen, Ray Raker, Pundt, Sam Halstead, and Jason Oenning.
We were hoping for a smooth IMCA Sport Mod twenty car eighteen lapper. Front row starters Brandon Lambert and Brandt Ames paced lap one, ahead of a caution for Adam Birck with two in the books. The restart saw Lambert, Kyler Girard and tenth starting Brayton Carter running three wide before Carter took command. With five laps down, the red flag waved for a five car melee in turn three. Looking at a possible lengthy clean up, the clock showing 11:30, and a Saturday morning commitment on my schedule, we regretfully headed for the car. Arriving home, My Race Pass lists Carter the winner followed by Brandon Dale, Carter VanDenBerg, John Oliver Jr., and Nicholas Profeta.
Thanks as always to the Gaylords for another entertaining night of racing in Donnellson!
Our racin' weekend is set to continue on Saturday with our second visit of the year to 34 Raceway in West Burlington, where Lucas Oil Late Models top the card, competing for $15,000 to win. Just a pair of divisions, IMCA Northern Sport Mods and IMCA Sport Compacts round out the lineup. Then on Sunday, the MARS Super Late Models, MARS Modifieds, and Hart Limited Modifieds all invade Adams County, Illinois Speedway in Quincy. Hope you can join us at one or better yet both shows!
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