With cool temps we felt right at home as the Shiverfest event at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson continued a tradition that began in 1999 as the Grand Millenium Finale before transitioning to Shiverfest the following year. A Halloween celebration for the youngsters as well as a nightcap for Iowa racing, it is a melting pot of competitors from far and wide, including states as far away as Wyoming. Under first year promoters Neal Kohlmorgan and Patrick Profeta, the highly anticipated Hay rack Rides, front stretch Trick or Treating from the gathered race teams, and Box Car Races for the youngsters continued, and oh, by the way, there would be seven divisions of competitive racing!
One hundred thirty seven cars would be the final tally, a mixture ranging from sixteen Late Models to twenty eight Sport Mods / B Mods.
Heat race action clicked off in quick fashion, and it was a welcome turn to see qualifying events with as many as ten cars involved, creating some real racing for redraw positions.
Intermission included the Box Car Races and some track work, as the late week rain left the three eighths mile oval with a bit of "character," particularly between turns one and two. In fact, most of the caution periods throughout the night began with competitors failing to navigate that set of turns successfully!
Feature racing began with the American Iron Racing Series rolling out for fifteen laps. Robin Atkins would grab the lead in the early laps, then hold off first Doak Allen Jr., who retired early, then Bart Miller, to notch the win. Atkins pilots a 1967 Ford Fairlane. In fact, the top five finishers were all wheeling FoMoCo products.
A solid field of twenty Stock Cars signed in, with all but two lining up for twenty laps. John Oliver Jr. has sold his 2024 machine, but was behind the wheel of the Chad Krogmeier #12. Oliver redrew the pole position, then took off, leading row one mate Andrew Burk in an early two car race. The lone yellow flag came on lap four when Leremy Jackson spun on the back chute and had the nose of his #35LJ ripped apart. Back under green, heat one winner Tony Olson in the Kaden Reynolds #1 charged to the runner up spot as Oliver began to put distance on the field. Dustin Griffiths would drive to third on lap seven before giving way to heat two winner Keegan Wells with four laps remaining. Meanwhile, Oliver Jr. would cruise to the win, besting Olson, Wells, Griffiths, and Burk.
Cyle Hawkins claimed heat one in the Compact division, started on the pole of the fifteen lap feature, and drove on to win number one hundred of his 4 Cylinder career. Four yellow flags would slow the action, mostly for debris. Three drivers would trade the runner up spot and take a run at Hawkins, who had built a commanding lead ahead of the final yellow flag with just four laps remaining. Josh Barnes, Spencer Coats, and Chuck Fullenkamp had all held the second position throughout the race, and they would follow Hawkins across the line in that order, with Tim Schnathorst holding off heat two winner Michael Snyder for fifth. Top contender Travis Demint was the only one of the eighteen signed in to miss the feature call.
Wisconsin visitor Lance Mish was unable to answer the bell in the Late Model twenty five lapper. The two most dominant drivers at the speedway, pole sitter Austen Becerra and third starting heat two winner Tommy Elston would shoot to the front at the drop of the green. Heat one winner Jeremiah Hurst, wheeling the Joel Callahan #40 would power around rookie Jackson Frankel for third before Frankel looped his ride in turn two on lap three, bringing out the yellow. On the restart, Dubuque hot shoe Ron Klein grabbed third away from Hurst. Elston continued to stalk Becerra, and they crossed the line nearly side by side as lap five was scored. Becerra was still in control, but he smacked the guard rail on lap seven, badly damaging the spoiler on his #22, allowing Elston to take over the top spot. Now Hurst was again on the move, charging to third on lap nine, then second one lap later. With Becerra falling back in his now ill handling car, Klein took third on lap eleven. When the caution came at lap twelve for debris, Becerra decided to call it a night. Back to racing it was Elston and Hurst in a tight battle, with Jeremiah moving to the front on lap fourteen, as eighth starting C. J. Horn advanced to third. One last caution came on the next circuit for a Dustin Smith spin, and Klein retired at that point with front end issues. As the green flag waved once again, Hurst opened a sizable advantage, and with just three laps left Horn cleared Elston for second. Jeremy Pundt drove a steady race to claim fourth, while Frankel rebounded to fifth, nipping veteran Iron Man Darrel Defrance. Smith bounced back to seventh ahead of Austin Poage and Jerry Johnson. Klein was credited with tenth.
Fifteen laps would be the distance for the twenty seven Sport Mod / B Mods able to make the call, with Jason Riegel absent. A yellow on the opening lap was followed by four more as several cars had issues on the challenging track. Hazel Green, Wisconsin ace Jason Roth took off from the pole with outside row one starter Brandon Lennox in pursuit. With two laps and three cautions in the books, Dylan VanWyk moved to second. Roth opened a several car length lead, but struggled a bit as he caught a slower car at lap nine. A timely yellow flag created an open track ahead, but Van Wyk powered to the high line and cleared Roth for the lead ten laps in. Dylan then stretched his margin, while Lennox came charging back to second. One final yellow set up a two lap, single file restart, with an excited VanWyk holding on for the win. Lennox claimed second, while double duty Tony Olson ( one of several racing multiple classes), finished third. Tanner Klingele came on strong late, advancing five spots to fourth, topping Jarrett Franzen and a fading Roth. Lennox, Franzen, and Reed Wolfmeyer claimed heat wins.
Hobby Stocks turned out sixteen entries. Back to racing after a twenty year layoff, Harley Hill could not make the call for the feature, along with Derek Kirkland, who took a vicious multiple time rollover in his heat race after apparently clipping a tractor tire in turn two. Jason Schutterle led Daniel Campbell early, with undefeated track champion Dustin Griffiths charging to third on lap two. It took just two more trips around the oval for Griffiths to move to the lead and set off on his own. Meanwhile there were good battles behind the leader, as cars raced multiple grooves around the oval. Griffiths held a full straightaway lead before the only stoppage came three circuits short of the fifteen lap distance when a small fire erupted underneath the #H2O of Daniel Wauters. As racing resumed, Griffiths drove on the victory, declaring in the winners' circle it was his fifty second checkers in two divisions this season!Tucker Richardson had the drive of the night, gaining a dozen spots to finish second. followed by Tom Killen Jr., Campbell, and thirteenth starting James Pilkington. Heat winners were Jeremy Dooley and Griffiths.
The finale of the night and the season was the twenty lap Modified money race for the twenty four car field ( featuring long distance traveler Daniel Miller, Bar Nunn, Wyoming!) Again, the open wheel cars seemed to have extra trouble on the night, with three yellow flags in the first two laps. But the green light would then remain on until the closing laps. Denny Eckrich would lead heat two winner Mark Schulte, then Blaine Webster early, with Schulte back to second and first heat winner Becerra moving from row four to third on lap three. Becerra got a strong run off turn four as lap eight was completed, taking second at the line, then powering to the lead down the front straightaway. Austen was soon in heavy traffic, but was moving through seemingly effortlessly. But four laps from the finish, his #22 showed a broken left front end, with the tire and wheel unable to turn. He was able to muscle the car around the track, but with just three circuits left, the caution flag would wave. Lining up behind the leader, Schulte would take second from Eckrich on the restart, but Becerra remained out front. Then coming to the white flag, Austen nearly lost the handle in turn four, with Schulte and Eckrich making it a three car battle. Somehow Becerra held on for the final lap, a dramatic finish to say the least. Eckrich and Schulte followed, chased by heat three winner Kurt Kile, who came back from an early spin to finish fourth. Garrett Wilson would round out the top five.
It was exciting racing, with good turnouts in all classes on a cool but enjoyable Saturday night, made special spent with racing friends from far and wide. Thanks to Neal, Patrick, and everyone at LCS for a seasons' worth of hospitality and a plan for more of the same in 2025!
Next up, we will journey to Webster City, Iowa to celebrate the much deserved induction into the Iowa Dirt Racing Hall of Fame of my good friend and Positively Racing, All Iowa Points founder, Jeff Broeg. Then, weather permitting, we have at least one more event on our racing calendar, the Turkey Bowl at Springfield, Mo. Speedway in mid November. If you have not been there, it is worth the trip, but dress warm!
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