Thursday night it was back to the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton for night one of the annual Fall Bash. The car count from the Gary Reinhart Memorial the night prior grew by twenty three to one hundred and seventy four, with only the Late Model count dropping, from twenty seven to twenty one. With the way the counts were distributed, it became necessary to add B mains in the IMCA Stock Cars (which replaced the Outlaw Stocks), and the 4 Stocks. With the added heat races, there would be a whopping thirty two races scheduled. But with much better on track behavior from the drivers, it took only four hours from the onset of hot laps to the final checkers, with the action nearly non stop!
As every other class required a pair of B mains to set their twenty four car starting grids, Late Models would be first in the feature order. This race would go twenty eight laps in honor of long time car owner/driver Brad Coin, whose Late Models sported that number during his colorful career. As the field ran their pace laps, Brandon Loos needed a push around the banked quarter mile. Unfortunately his #57 would not fire off, and he would be the only driver unable to take the green flag. Ryan Claeys and Dustin Schram redrew the front row, but the start was waved off when Joel Callahan spun in turn two. Schram jumped to the lead on the restart with third starting Jesse Bodin in tow. As lap two went in the books, fourth starting Evan Miller cleared Jesse for second. Following a lap five caution for a Thomas Stevens spin, Matt Ryan charged from the second double file row to the runner up position, while Miller was shuffled outside the top five. Ryan was racing around the top of the track while Schram, Bodin, and oncoming Justin Kay did business around the inside tire barriers. As Ryan and Bodin swapped positions, these four cars broke well ahead of the pack. On about lap eighteen Kay was able to advance to second, quickly closing on the bumper of the leader. With nine of the twenty eight laps showing on the scoreboard and the leaders in traffic, Justin eased ahead out of turn two. He quickly put distance on the pack, and needed only to survive another pair of cautions in the final laps to pick up his second Late Model win in two nights of hard fought action. Ryan collected his second top five of the week in second followed by Schram, Bodin, and ninth starting Bobby Hansen. Callahan worked his way back through the field to record a sixth, trailed by Joe Beal, Ron Klein, Miller, and veteran Steve Johnson.
Stock Cars would be up next for twenty laps. Kay, who was once again racing in three classes, sat outside Jacob Ellithorpe on row one. With a good idea of track conditions, Justin shot to the lead and held on through three quick caution flags just past the half way mark to record another win. Dustin Vis had come from row two to second on lap two and was cruising when Stan O'Brien jumped over the cushion in turn three, came back on the track on the front straightaway and made contact with Vis who then looped his #20V bringing out the yellow flag and sending him to the tail. Two more stoppages followed in the next scored lap, and then we were treated to an entertaining three wide battle for second between Gage Neal, Cole Czarneski, and Ellithorpe. Neal eventually broke away from that group, but could not run down Kay, settling for runner up honors. Czarneski, Ellithorpe, and twenty first starting Charlie Sancinati from West Allis, Wisconsin completed the first five.
Two dozen Sport Mods came to the track for twenty trips around the oval. A pair of Iowa hot shoes, Jarett Franzen and Kyle Olson brought the field to green. Franzen was the early leader with Olson on his heels. By this point cars were able to move freely around the blackened surface with the growing cushion while the fast line seemed to change back and forth within just a few laps. Happily, only one yellow flag slowed the action, that coming with three laps in the books. The low riding Franzen held the top spot until lap nine when Olson used a top side charge to grab the lead. Running high on the treacherous cushion, Kyle slowly pulled away from the field. With no more cautions, he cruised to the win. Franzen was solid in second while Cole Fenske advanced four positions to claim third. Austin Stamm ran fourth and Brayton Carter was able to drive from row five to fill out the top five.
Four Stocks would battle for a dozen laps with only two yellow flags in the first half of the event slowing the action. Wednesday winner Jake Benischek led in the early going before fourth starting Dustin Forbes used a restart with three laps scored to power to the front. After the final caution five laps in, Joe Zrostlik, Josh Starr, and Benischeck raced three wide for second while Michael Snyder stayed hot on their tail looking for a way around the trio. As the laps wound down, Forbes remained in command, the first time I have written down #815 as a race winner! Hometown driver Starr took second with Zrostlik, Snyder, and Benischek next in line.
The finale of the evening was the featured Modified division, and what a finale it was! Twenty four cars, twenty five laps, and not a yellow flag in sight! A pair of Late Model standouts, Spencer Diercks and Chris Simpson came away from the front stretch redraw with front row starts. And as it turns out, pulling the Hoker Trucking beer can with the number one on the bottom from the Yeti cooler that will go to the overall three night point champion proved to be the winning move for Diercks. Spencer would charge ahead as starter Doug Haack waved the green flag and lead all twenty five trips around the oval. Sixth starting Dylan Thornton, the Californian who summers in Iowa, would find his way around Simpson with eight laps to go and was able to close the margin to the front as the leaders worked in slower traffic. But Diercks was up to the challenge, going flag to flag in the non stop event. Thornton and Simpson came next followed by a pair of #12s, Ethan Braaksma and Jeff "Bone" Larson.
As mentioned, the final checkers waved just after 10 PM, and the party was already underway as we headed out for the long drive back to Missouri (and Illinois for my companions.) Many thanks to Ryan , Timmy, and the Darkside crew for their hospitality and for a superb night of racing. Kudos to "Dr. Al" for a another perfectly prepared racing surface. And last but not least, thanks to announcer Jerry Mackey not only for the kind words for yours truly and Positively Racing, but also for another fine job behind the mic keeping us both informed and entertained throughout the evening. Racing will continue for two more nights as the Fall Bash kicks into high gear. Check the website for details.
We will take tonight (Friday) off even as we make plans for another couple of nights of "post season" racing on this gorgeous weekend. There are lots of good choices, don't let 'em pass you by!
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