Chad Simpson Is MLRA Champion, Marrant Wins ROY

   Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach, Il. was the site of championship night for the Lucas Oil MLRA Super Late Model series on Friday. Originally scheduled as a two night event, the Saturday finale was canceled by the promoters due to family issues. It has been a tough season for the Gundaker family run facility as they elected to switch from weekly racing to specials only in 2024 only to see many of their events fall victim to wet conditions. And now family illness will force their season to conclude one day early.  Ironically this second week in October would offer an unseasonably warm and dry day followed by a cool evening, great for late season racing. In addition, the points race has tightened considerably during the last few events, creating an exciting atmosphere in both the grandstands and the pits. The concluding race would pay $7,000 to win, with UMP Modifieds filling out the card with a $1,000 winners' share up for grabs. 

   With a modest field of twenty Super Late Models and twenty five Modifieds, we hoped for a quick show, but unfortunately that would not be the case. Heavy rains, remnants of Hurricane Helene created a soggy infield and a track with as they say "character," but other than perhaps a couple extra flat tires, that only made things a bit more interesting. The real culprit, apparently also blamed on the storms, was a malfunctioning timing loop, which caused qualifying to stretch well beyond the one hour mark. Early on in Modified hot lap/qualifying several cars were checked for transponder issues. ( Note to all tracks  that do time trial group qualifying :if you need to pull a car in to check the transponder, please pull the next in line out for time during the process. NO ONE wants dead time watching track personnel crawl under a car to do the check.) After Late Model driver Chris Fetter turned roughly eight qualifying laps it was decided to finish off the Late Models one at a time. Time trials finally wrapped up about 8:19, then three heat races in each division clicked off in just under thirty minutes. The announcement came that the MLRA thirty lap feature would be up first, but with their heat races just complete, we then had a thirty minute plus intermission as the headline class readied their machines.

   All but one, Adam Tischauser, lined up for the main event. Heat winners Tony Jackson Jr., Chris Simpson, Chad Simpson and fast timer Kayden Clatt would fill out the top two rows. In search of a third straight and fifth overall series championship, Chad would start the night atop the points while brother Chris held a slim five point advantage over Tony for second. All three were still on the hunt for the $20,000 championship payday. Chris would grab the early lead with Tony, Kayden and Chad in pursuit. Following a lap three caution Chad would move to third. Three more yellow flags would slow the action, and after the final restart eleven laps in only a dozen cars remained on the track. The final nineteen circuits saw Jackson Jr. in hot pursuit of the leader, nearly completing the pass on a couple of occasions. But even as Chris would bounce off the turn two concrete in the later laps he was able to slightly increase his margin, taking a flag to flag win. Chad would, by his own words drive a "conservative" race, ensuring the series title. Rickey Frankel gained eight positions to come home fourth, while series Rookie of the Year Aaron Marrant came from tenth to complete the top five. Trevor Gundaker, Jeff Herzog and Steve Stultz rounded out the cars running at the checkers, with Lane Ehlert and Allen Middendorf credited with ninth and tenth. 

   With post race and season ending ceremonies complete, twenty three Modifieds would line up for twenty five laps. Unfortunately, the open wheelers seemed unable to negotiate the tricky surface, and after a half dozen or so yellow flags in the first half of the event we took our leave as the clock ticked past 10:30. Up to that point it had been Danny Ems holding off Kenny Wallace in a battle of #36s', but results show Wallace grabbing the win over Ems, fast qualifier Ryan Hamilton, Jacob Steinkoenig and Rick Stevenson. Ems, Wallace and Hamilton were heat race winners. 

   Several upcoming improvements to the facilities at Tri City were announced for the upcoming off season - they still have a B Modified Bash coming up in two weeks, and a return to weekly racing is also scheduled for 2025.

    Plans for yours truly for next weekend remain up in the air, but be sure and check back to see which direction I will be Racin' Down the Road in search of some dirt track action!

Becerra Times Two, Reitzler, Van Wyk, Griffiths, Delonjay Tops at Harvest Hustle

    Following a cancellation following overnight and early morning rains on Friday, the annual Harvest Hustle event at Lee County Speedway was reduced to a one night show on Saturday. There were no such issues on Saturday as unseasonably warm temperatures and a stiff breeze greeted us at our late afternoon arrival. 

   One hundred and four race teams signed in to do battle in six classes on the super fast three eighths mile D shaped oval. Fifteen heat races clicked off in a timely fashion, and only the hybrid Sport Mod/B Mod division required a B Main to whittle their thirty competitors down to twenty four for the feature.

   Following intermission and the awarding of Junior Fan Club prizes, a short field of seven Hobby Stocks lined up for fifteen laps. Dustin Griffiths lined up outside row two, grabbed the lead on the opening circuit, then led all fifteen caution free laps to continue his 2024 unbeaten streak at the speedway. Shane Richardson cleared James Pilkington for second on lap three, but could not run down Griffiths, who opened a half lap lead by the end. Having returned from a lengthy "retirement," Harley Hill ran fourth after an entertaining top five battle with Aaron Martin. 

   Fifteen laps was also the distance for the Limited Mod main event. Cody Agee and Logan Anderson brought the field to green, running in that order ahead of a lap three caution. Following the Delaware Style restart, Dylan VanWyk charged from fourth to the runner up position with another yellow flag waving one lap later. Back to racing, the leaders ran three wide as Van Wyk grabbed the lead. Agee would go over the treacherous turn four cushion allowing both Anderson and Mexico, Missouri racer Parker Smith to drive by. With the race staying green the rest of the way, VanWyk opened a commanding lead. He would catch the back of the pack with just two laps remaining, but he worked the traffic smoothly to collect the win. Anderson, Smith, Brandon Lennox and Agee would complete the first five. 

   Sixteen Stock Cars would go at it for twenty laps. Derrick Agee outgunned Todd Reitzler as the green flag flew, but a yellow flag would set up an original restart. This time it was Reitzler gaining the advantage from the outside pole. Racing around the top of the track, Reitzler opened a lead before he also went over the cushion in turn four allowing Agee to erase his advantage. As the race hit the half way mark, Johnny Spaw began to close on the top two. Two more times the caution flag would be displayed with six then four laps remaining. On the final restart Reitzler appeared to pick up the pace, and he drove on to a flag to flag victory. Agee and Spaw were trailed by a back and forth battle between Abe Huls and Jason See to round out the first five positions. 

   The rules were also relaxed in the 4 cylinder Compact division, and eighteen cars checked in. Outside row one starter Jaden Delonjay and fourth starting Travis Demint would pace the opening circuit before the red flag would fly for an accident on the front stretch. Harrison Horn clipped the guardrail, then did a complete rollover in his #58 machine. He was uninjured, and soon it was back to racing. Delonjay would open up a lead as the next five cars battled side by side and nose to tail behind him. A final stoppage came at lap five as Joey Laws and Kimberly Abbott got together, eliminating both cars from the action. Brandon Reu would join the leaders in third as racing resumed, now chasing Jeffery Delonjay in second. While Jaden again extended his lead Jeffery would dart to the infield on lap ten of the fifteen lapper. Jaden would drive off for the win ahead of a close battle for second between Reu and Demint. Cincinnati, Ohio visitors Jack and Joe Pflum would bookend fifth place Barry Taft at the checkers.  

   A solid field of eighteen Late Models lined up to contest twenty five laps. Dustin Smith in the Leroy Brenner #53 and Freeport, Il. driver Mike Fryer paced the field. Smith would lead lap one ahead of track regular Darin Weisinger Jr., but fifth starting Quad City ace Evan Miller would pick up the chase on lap two. Miller would move to the front out of turn four as lap five was scored, and one lap later Austen Becerra would drive to third while Jackson Frankel powered his new ride to fourth. Those three soon gained separation from the pack, and on lap eleven Becerra cleared Smith for second. Miller was working the inside line as Becerra pounded the cushion. The first yellow came at the mid point as Weisinger Jr. saw his #11 go up in smoke. Back under green the top three again pulled ahead and Becerra began to hound Miller lap after lap. With just five laps left Becerra worked a partially successful slide job exiting turn two with Miller making contact with the left rear of his car. Both maintained control as the yellow waved a final time one lap later. With a final wave of the green by starter Kevin Eggleston Becerra drove away for the win. Miller would take the runner up spot in front of Frankel. Sport Mod hot shoe Logan Anderson made I believe his first Late Model start wheeling the Travis Denning #56D and turned in an impressive run coming from row six to fourth at the checkers. Denny Woodworth gained four positions to complete the top five. C. J. Horn advanced seven spots to sixth besting Tommy Elston, Jeffery Delonjay, Gary Webb, and first time visitor Fryer. 

   Modifieds would round out the action, fifteen strong for twenty laps. Becerra redrew the outside pole position, and as the saying goes, "that was all she wrote." He would open a sizable lead over pole sitter Dakota Simmons and former track promoter Mike Van Genderen ahead of a caution period with three in the books. As the green flag again waved, Becerra pulled away and seventh starting Kurt Kile charged to second. By the halfway nark, Austen had caught slower traffic, but he was now working with a full straightaway advantage. He would extend that lead to a full half lap before the yellow would wave a final time as Van Genderen tagged the turn one guardrail flattening a tire during a close battle with Robbie Reed for third. This yellow would replace the white flag to set up a green, white, checkers finish. It was no issue for Becerra, who collected win number two for the night. Reed cleared Kile for second in the closing laps, Simmons outran Jesse Belez for fourth. 

   The final checkers on the crisp, well run show waved just past 10:00 P.M. Thanks as always to Neal, Patrick and the LCS crew for their hospitality. We now await one final show at the track for 2024, the highly anticipated Shiverfest event on Saturday, October 26. The now legendary program, drawing cars from several states features trick or treating and hay rack rides for the youngsters and exciting racing for all, so don't miss out! In the meantime, there is still plenty of racing throughout the mid west, so check back to see where we show up next!

One Hundred and Seventy Nine Race Teams Highlight Fall Bash Night One

    Thursday we traveled north for night number one of the Darkside Promotions annual Fall Bash at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton, Iowa. Five divisions would be in action for the opening night, including four IMCA classes,  Late Models, Stock Cars, Modifieds and Sport Mods as well as open 4 Stocks, with both Late Models and Modifieds racing for a $1,000 top prize. Additionally the Late Models would compete for twenty eight laps in their feature in memory of long time car owner and driver Brad Coin. This would be the only night for Late Models, while the other divisions would race two more times, accumulating points towards the awarding of a championship belt. Additionally a Modified points fund upwards of $12,000 would be awarded. 

   There would be no hot laps on this night, with heat race action kicking off moments after the 6:30 advertised start time. It would take twenty three heat races and seven B Mains to set feature fields for the huge one hundred and seventy nine cars checked in. An outstanding group of fifty Modifieds needed six heats and three B mains to trim their field to twenty four!

   Following the qualifying events, the first feature hit the track with no sign of an intermission, likely to the delight of the large crowd, as the eighty plus degree daytime temps had descended quickly into fall sweatshirt conditions.

   With no B Main required, Late Models would be up first as all twenty cars lined up to decide who would claim the championship belt. The luck of the redraw left long time fans with a bit of deja vu, as the front row found a pair of Iowa legends, National Dirt Late Model Hall Of Famers, on the front row. Gary Webb would pull the number one pill, while semi retired Ray Guss Jr. would line up to his outside. Ray was behind the wheel of the Joe Beal #77 for the night. Guss would jump to the early lead but the pack would have a hard time stringing laps together in the opening laps. After very minimal caution periods in all preliminaries, the yellow flag would fly four times in the first four circuits. With the jitters finally over, fourth starting Jeremiah Hurst put the Joel Callahan #40 out front. As Guss settled into the runner up spot, Matt Ryan and Mitch Morris battled for the third position. The laps now clicked off to the halfway mark as Guss, Ryan and Morris duked it out, and by the time Ryan took control of second sixteen laps in, Hurst had opened a nearly straightaway advantage. But a fifth and final yellow flag would bring Jeremiah back to the pack, and as racing resumed the top two dueled nose to tail and side by side, while Morris, Guss and third heat winner but twelfth starting Nick Marolf contested third behind them. Hurst maintained a slim lead as starter Doug Haack displayed the white flag, but down the backstretch for the final time, a slower car meant the leaders had to pick their line. Turn four saw contact between Ryan and Hurst, with Matt leading a scant few feet to take the checkers first. Jeremiah voiced his displeasure with the contact in victory lane, but it was the #07 claiming the belt between the two heat race winners. Guss topped the battle for third over Marolf and Morris. Steve Johnson led the second five, besting Fred Remley, Webb, Bobby Hansen, and T.J. Fortmann. 

   As the crowd buzzed over the dramatic finish, 4 Stocks lined up for a dozen laps. Alex Hayes charged ahead from the pole taking along fourth starting Cyle Hawkins. A side by side battle saw Hawkins use the inside groove on the constantly shifting fast line to move to the lead with four laps scored. Hayes would fight back to lead lap five, but it would be Hawkins out front at the crossed flags. Slower traffic came into play just ahead of a lone caution eight laps in. As the field restarted, Hayes dropped out, possibly with a tire issue. Hawkins would hold on for the win ahead of Dustin Forbes, eighth starting Shawn McDermott, Mitch Bielenberg and home town racer Josh Starr.

   Jeff "Bone" Larson and Jeff Mueller would bring the twenty four Stock Cars to green, racing for twenty laps. They would take off in that order with Gage Neal in third. Again yellow flags would interrupt the action, five times in total. While the inside line seemed the fastest way around, several times Larson would drift high in turns three and four, opening the door for Mueller, who could not quite complete the pass. As Larson finally settled on the bottom, one driver was making the higher line work. Dallon Murty had started in the eleventh position, and found the higher grooves his only opportunity to move forward. With four laps remaining he had climbed to fourth and had a run going that may have taken him to second, but a yellow flag left him restarting on the inside of the Delaware Style line up. Two more cautions marred the closing laps, but Larson held on for a flag to flag win in the Lee Kinsella #21. Mueller came home second while Murty nipped Neal for third. Winton, California driver Paul Stone wheeled his #66 to a fifth place finish. 

   Thirty one Hobby Stocks checked in and twenty four lined up for fifteen feature laps. Following an original restart, outside pole sitter Jordon Miles powered to the lead ahead of third starting Bradly Graham. Miles found the top line around the high banked quarter mile to his liking while Graham worked down low. Restarting after a lap two yellow, Miles opened a nice lead before a caution with ten circuits in brought him back to the pack. Once more the caution came, but it was of no consequence as Miles took a flag to flag victory. Graham held the runner up slot all the way, as Corey VanDerwilt advanced seven spots to slip around Daniel Wauters in the closing laps for third. Randy LaMar started and finished fifth. 

   We were now facing our self imposed 10:30 curfew, so with thirty four races down in just four hours and two to go, we headed for the parking lot. Sport Mod action saw veteran Tony Olson redraw poorly, but move up ten spots to claim the twenty lap win over Jason Roth, Tyler Bannister, Jarrett Franzen and Justin Veloz. 

   The twenty five lap Modified finale went to Torrance, California hot shoe Cody Laney after starting in row three. The next three in line at the checkers all climbed seven positions, fellow Californian Dylan Thornton in second followed by Zack VanderBeek and Drew Janssen. Tom Berry Jr. would top that, starting fourteenth and coming home in fifth. 

   As mentioned, the Fall Bash will continue for the next two nights on the quick quarter mile. Thanks to Ryan, Timmy and the entire Darkside crew not only for their hospitality, but for presenting an ultra competitive and lightning fast program. 

   Plans for the next two nights should find yours truly closer to home at Lee County Speedway for the annual Harvest Hustle. Six classes of cars will compete in separate shows with plenty of cash and bragging rights on the line. The weather looks great, so I hope you will attend one of these great fall specials!