After an eleven day mid season break hampered by a lingering sinus infection, I rejoined the racing world Sunday night at Adams County, Il. Speedway. With Street Stocks a late add from a scheduled night off, seventy four teams signed in for action, topped by eighteen UMP Modifieds.
The only class using time trial qualifying, Rick Conoyer topped the leader board with a lap of 13.801 seconds. Dave Weitholder dove to the infield following his second qualifying lap with a puff of smoke from his #05 spelling disaster. Soon the multi time track champion was loaded up and headed for the shop, only to return before the end of heat racing with a back up race car.
With heat races and intermission out of the way, it was time for the five money events. The track had taken rubber early in the evening, shining black and smooth by feature time, and the added water only seem to drift down the banking of the mostly dust free surface.
Crate Late Models would run first with heat winners Tommy Elston and Jeremy Pundt lining up in row one. Elston quickly assumed the lead over Jason Oenning. By the halfway mark of the twenty lapper, the Keokuk, Iowa veteran had stretched his advantage to more than a full straightaway. Just five laps from the checkers, the yellow flag waved for a Darren Cawthon spin, bringing Tommy back to the pack. In his first visit to the track in 2023, Pundt used the Delaware restart to charge to second, while defending track champion Denny Woodworth rebounded from an ordinary fifth place run by vaulting to third, then overtaking Pundt for second. Two more laps were scored before a second caution, but Elston remained well in control, finally, in his words, getting the monkey off his back, with I believe his first feature win of 2023. Woodworth held off Pundt for second, trailed by Oenning and Braden Bilger. A late race shake up saw Darin Weisinger Jr. come home in sixth followed by Jeff Dotzert, Cody Maguire, Christian Miles, and Derek Hollenstine.
UMP Mods would be up next for eighteen laps. Two of the heat winners, St. Louis area racers Conoyer and Jacob Rexing sat on the front row, while heat three winner Austen Becerra powered to second behind Conoyer on the start. Rexing moved to the lead on lap two, then he and Becerra ran side by side, lap after lap after lap, Becerra around the tires and Rexing in the middle line. As the pair battled hard, Chris Spalding came from row three looking for a seat at the table. Soon a recharged Conoyer and Mark Burgtorf joined the five car party up front. Four laps from the finish, in a rare mistake Becerra went off the track bringing out the yellow flag sending him to the tail. Conoyer then moved to second before a final caution one lap later for Drake Stevenson. The final three lap restart was single file, with Rexing driving off for the $1,000 payday. Conoyer topped Spalding and Burgtorf, while Becerra rebounded to complete the top five, and Weitholder wheeled his back up ride from row eight to sixth.
Fifteen 4 cylinders checked in, with all but two coming to the track for fifteen circuits. Again it was heat winners Kimberly Abbott and Jimmy Dutlinger setting up front. They were quickly joined by Jeffery Delonjay, who moved to second behind the well traveled Dutlinger on lap two. Meanwhile Abbott, Landon Neisen, and Dyllan Bonk waged a tight battle for third before Bonk suddenly exited the track on lap five as Delonjay grabbed the lead. A single caution came with ten in the books for a grinding crash that left Doug White with a badly damaged ride. The Delaware restart presented no problems for Delonjay, who cruised to his fifth Adams County win of the season. It was a four car scramble behind Jeffery, with Neisen showing speed in moving to second. Spencer Coats was involved in a heat race crash, started twelfth on the grid, then charged to third at the checkers. Dutlinger fell to fourth, with Jaden Delonjay coming on late to claim fifth.
A season high twelve Street Stocks signed in, with several first timers in the field. But it was two familiar faces, heat winners Rudy Zaragoza and Robert Cottom pacing the fifteen lapper. A first lap spin by Kale Foster set up an original restart, with Rudy and Robert setting off in a side by side duel. Cottom eased ahead on lap two, gradually stretching his margin by the mid race mark. The yellow flag flew with eight laps down as Ryan Aden was unable to clear the speedway. With the race back to green for one lap, point leader Jake Powers drove to second. One more lap and the caution came for a spin by rookie driver Hunter Bergen who was making his first Quincy start. A red flag waved two laps later as two cars came together in turn three and there was a brief delay as the ambulance was called to the pit area. All this was merely a momentary delay for Cottom, who picked up the win over Powers, Zaragoza, Sage Martin, and Alan Cottom.
IMCA Northern Sport Mods would round out the show, fifteen cars for eighteen laps. The IMCA invert saw Josh Holtman and Quinton Shelton leading the charge to green. Holtman grabbed the top spot, with heat winner Logan Cumby in pursuit. Following a lap two caution for debris, seventh starting Adam Birck moved to the runner up spot. Birck then used the high line to take the lead ahead of a lap five stoppage. One more lap brought another yellow, and now it was point leader Tanner Klingele on the move, taking third after lining up in row five. Two more cautions slowed the action, but Birck stayed in control, picking up his second ACS checkers of the year. Holtman was impressive with a season best second, while first heat winner A. J. Tournear made a late charge to third, topping Cumby and Reed Wolfmeyer, Klingele falling to sixth.
The final checkers waved ahead of the 9:30 hour.
It was announced that the MLRA event at the track, rained out last Sunday, has been rescheduled for Thursday, October 12 ahead of the two night championship finale at Tri City Speedway, Pontoon Beach, Illinois.
With an eye on the weather, next up for us will be the Lucas Oil Late Model event tomorrow, Tuesday at Ricky and Brenda Kays' Davenport Speedway, where IMCA Late Models and IMCA Modifieds will fill out an outstanding night of racing. Hope to see you there!
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