Marolf Tops SLMR At CJ Speedway

    The race track on the Louisa County Fairgrounds has a long and rich history of dirt track action. My first time at the iconic speedway as I recall came on opening night of 1971 - if anyone could let me know who won that night, I would greatly appreciate it - and it quickly became a favorite venue. Of course the cars and stars of the old MVSC made trips to Columbus Junction, and West Liberty, as well, something special. In those days CJ was a big ol' half mile, since then it has been shortened to something close to a four tenths mile still with the unique levee off the back stretch. Of course the Mississippi Valley Speed Club is only a distant memory and several promoters, some successful and some not so much, have followed. Currently part time race Dan Keltner is the man in charge and on Friday he welcomed in Joe Kosiskis' traveling Super Late Model Series. And when the high powered Late Models come roaring in to town, it becomes a highlight of my season schedule.

   Dubbed the Tony Stewart Tribute Race after a long time popular area competitor, the 2024 edition drew twenty seven entrants with the victory going to Nebraska driver Bill Leighton Jr.

    The regular Friday night line up at CJ Speedway showcased four IMCA classes, Modifieds, Stock Cars, Sport Mods and Hobby Stocks, and they would fill out the card on this night. 

   Since our last visit, a cut has been made in that backstretch levee to keep cars from using it as banking. And entering turn one a series of concrete blocks have been put down to eliminate using the banking there. Before the races, one Late Model driver, upon viewing the "wall" for the first time said that would result in a destroyed car. More on that later.

   SLMR uses time trials to set the heat race lineups, but rather than starting "straight up" there is a six car invert. Passing and finishing points then lock in the top sixteen points earners for a straight up feature starting grid. While a bit confusing, it does generally make for more exciting heat races.  

   Chad Simpson has yet to win a feature event as the series staged their fifth race of 2025, but with three consecutive runner up finishes, he began the night as the points leader. Building on that momentum, he set quick time with a lap of 18.829 seconds as the only driver to break the nineteen second barrier. On this night all three eight lap heats were won from the front row, with Jeff Tharp and Bill Leighton Jr. going flag to flag from the pole position while Brian Kosiski was victorious from outside row one.

   As the Hobby Stocks ran their heat races the backstretch lights went out just as dusk was upon us. To their credit, officials continued on until it became a bit too dark, but it was only a brief delay before Stock Cars finished up the heats. A ten lap Late Model B Main took four more qualifiers to the feature, with Andy Eckrich victorious from the outside pole. Three provisional starters were added to give us a twenty three car starting grid. 

   Following intermission, Sport Mods kicked off feature racing, twelve strong for sixteen laps. Levi Gaunt charged from row two to lead lap one ahead of the first yellow flag for a Sheldon Herbert spin.  Back to racing Dustin Griffiths moved from a row four start to grab the lead about lap four (CJ needs a scoreboard?) One lap later tenth starting Dylan VanWyk moved to second, then cleared the leader out of turn four for the top spot on lap five. He quickly opened a comfortable advantage, and with no more stops, VanWyk cruised to the win. Griffiths came home second chased by Cole Vanderwal, Tyler Heckart and Levi Laymon. 

   It was now Late Model time, and Nick Marolf and Charlie McKenna led the field to green. Marolf powered ahead with Chargin' Charlie in tow. Nick soon opened a sizable lead while Charlie also pulled away from the pack. By now the fast groove was around the top side and the leaders all seemed to migrate to the high line. About halfway through the twenty five lapper, Marolf missed his mark in turn one, allowing McKenna to close the gap, and by lap sixteen, Andrew Kosiski and Simpson had closed on the front two in a high speed chase. One more time around, and fifth running C.J. Horn lost the handle, spinning between turns three and four to bring out the first yellow flag. Curiously the field would restart single file, and following a called back start, the preferred groove seemed to now be one lane lower on the track. With four circuits left, McKenna suddenly slowed going down the back chute to bring a second and final caution. He would restart at the tail and showed plenty of speed, so I am not sure what happened to spoil his run. Again Marolf would drive off from the pack, scoring a popular win, his first ever with the SLMR series. A. Kosiski took runner up honors ahead of Simpson, Jesse Sobbing, and Dallon Murty. Leighton Jr. would pace the second five over B. Kosiski, Tim Ward, Derrick Stewart and Dylan Thornton.  

   Following the usual pomp and circumstance, Hobby Stocks lined up, a dozen cars for a dozen laps. Kyler Burmeister led seventh starting Nathan Ballard ahead of a lap two caution, and back under green it was Ballard in front by a nose as lap three was scored. Ballard began to pull away before a lap six yellow slowed the action. Preston McDonald would claim second as racing resumed, but he could not run down the leader as Ballard cruised to the win. Brett Timmerman, Burmeister and Jamie Hixson also scored top five finishes. 

   The IMCA Modified field was a bit light with nine cars, but it was a stacked group that took the green for sixteen laps. Shane Paris shot to the front from outside row one with fourth starting Kurt Kile hot on his heels. But soon Kile had his hands full with fifth starting Drew Janssen bearing down on the #77.  Paris was able to pull well ahead before Janssen secured the runner up position at the mid point of the non stop event. By the time ninth starting Logan Anderson, who pulled out of the heat race, moved to third, Paris held a full straightaway advantage. As the laps wound down Janssen began to narrow the gap, but with no stops Paris sailed home to the checkers. Kile settled for fourth and Jerry King rounded out the top five. 

   So things were moving along nicely as the usually reliable Stock Cars lined up, sixteen strong for a sixteen lap finale. And that is when things went a bit south! John Oliver Jr. would line up on the pole, and would lead throughout what turned out to be a thirty minute plus marathon. Trenton Witt chased the leader through the first six caution free laps. Double duty Dustin Griffiths and tenth starting Gage Neal had worked into the top five when the first caution came about lap seven as Neal lost the handle in turn two. Griffiths climbed to third on the restart ahead of another yellow two laps later. Now row four starter Damon Murty jumped to third after languishing near the back in the early laps. Meanwhile Neal was already back in the first five. Three more yellow flags slowed the action at lap twelve. Then with just a couple laps remaining that first turn wall claimed its' victim. Robert Barnes and his #97 rode the top of the concrete, shooting sparks before flipping hard off the barrier. With what looked like a lengthy cleanup and the clock ticking near 11:00, we headed for the parking lot. The final running order did not appear to change, with Oliver Jr. scoring the flag to flag win over Witt, Murty, Griffiths and Neal.  

   It was overall an enjoyable evening with a large and enthusiastic crowd on hand. Many thanks to Dan Keltner and crew for their hospitality. Tonight, Joe Kosiski will bring his traveling warriors south to Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for another $3,000 to win spectacular. Modifieds, Sport Mods and Stock Cars will fill out the card, each racing for a cool $1,000 payday. Hot laps kick off around 6:00 P.M. Hope to see you there!

A Full Night of Holiday Racing in Quincy

    Despite threatening skies throughout the day, Quincy Raceways was able to move forward with their holiday weekend racing program. In fact, the sun shone brightly just before dusk, treating another large crowd to a brief warm up. Track officials had added plenty of moisture to the racing surface, and the mostly cloudy conditions, light winds and continuous packing of the high side between races created an excellent racing surface with two distinct grooves. 

  Vintage cars were added to the other six classes and in fact turned out the top number of entries at fourteen. With the scoring loop not operational perhaps due to a lightning strike, there would be no time trials on the night, with the Pro Late Model and Modified drivers drawing for their heat race starting positions. The loss of the automatic scoring also created an issue as officials were looking for help with "old fashioned" hand scoring. I am not sure if that was a contributing factor in the DirtCar 4 Cylinder class contesting a pair of three car heat races, but I digress.

   With all preliminaries complete, the Vintage class was the first feature on the track. Long time local fans received a special treat, as Quincy Raceways Hall of Famer Terry Gallaher returned to the track with a familiar #0 machine. Unfortunately Terry was an early exit from the fifteen lapper which was won by Adam Parmeley, Cadet, Missouri in his #21P Ford Coupe. I am not certain if this is the same driver who competes in the Late Model class in southern, Missouri, but the name, hometown and number are the same, so... 

   Street Stocks would be the first of the regular classes in the feature lineup, racing for fifteen laps. Double duty Jacob Rexing would start on the pole position after his heat race win, and he would jump out front ahead of an early caution. Back to racing Jacob would drive away from the six car field. A second and final caution came with five laps remaining, but once again he would pull well ahead in his #59R for a flag to flag win. Only three cars would finish the event, with Jake Powers on top of a tight battle with Levi Long for second.

   Jay Kunce, who calls Coosada, Alabama home but races regularly at the Bullring jumped ahead in the 4 Cylinder fifteen lapper with Dyllan Bonk in hot pursuit. Kunce was able to steadily increase his advantage in the non stop event, scoring his first QR feature victory. Bonk held the runner up spot throughout while challenged by Devin Harrell. Landon Neisen and Kimberly Abbott rounded out the finishers.  

   First time visitor Jacob Doolen and multi time track champ Denny Woodworth brought the eight car Pro Crate Late Model field to green. Woodworth shot to the lead with Jackson Frankel close behind. The lone yellow flag of the twenty five laps came on lap two as Frankie Wellman stopped between turns one and two. As the laps clicked off, the racing attorney opened a commanding lead over Frankel. Darin Weisinger Jr. had lined up in row three, and as the race moved along he began to close on Frankel in what became a most entertaining duel. As the pair exited turn four just three circuits from the finish, Weisinger powered to second. But by now Woodworth held an insurmountable lead and cruised to the win, his second of the weekend after collecting a victory Saturday at Spoon River Speedway. Weisinger was second, matching his Saturday finish at Lee County Speedway. Frankel was third ahead of Aiden Perry and Jeffery Delonjay. Doolen came next, with Wellman credited with seventh. Jamie Wilson was the opening night winner this season, then badly damaged his #56 the following week. Returning after missing a couple of race nights he was a no show in the feature after discovering more broken parts on his ride. 

   The race of the night came in DirtCar UMP Modified action. A dozen drivers lined up for twenty laps. Heat winners Josh Harris, Utica, Kentucky, and Dave Weitholder filled out row one with Dave pacing the opening circuit. By lap four the front duo were battling side by side, and that duel allowed sixth starting Rick Conoyer to close in, making a three car breakaway. Meanwhile, Mike Vanderiet Jr., Justin Reed and Drake Stevenson were engaged a tight battle for fourth. There were no yellow flags to slow the action, and lap after lap Harris dogged the leader, looking for an opening. As flagman Richard Vandermaiden waved the green flag signaling two laps to go, Harris was able to duck inside Weitholder to grab the point. He then opened enough of a lead to hold off any last lap challenge from Weitholder in the hotly contested event. Conoyer had the best seat in the house in third, trailed by Reed, Stevenson and Vanderiet Jr. 

   Thirteen open B Mods were checked in, but only eleven were left to battle for fifteen laps at feature time. Weitholder and Chris Spalding would quickly climb from their modifieds and strap in for B Mod action. Dean Vickers and Weitholder would bring the field to green, but it was Weitholder and fourth starting Tyler Worley pacing lap one. A pair of yellow flags slowed the racing with three scored, and back to racing, the front two battled for the top spot. Behind them Tanner Klingele and Vickers fought for third. Around the half way mark Worley slipped back to fourth leaving Weitholder to pull away. With no more cautions, Dave completed a super successful evening with the win to go along with his Modified runner up finish. Klingele was fast all night and took second place honors ahead of Reed Wolfmeyer. My bleacher seat scoring did not match up with My Race Pass, which lists Worley in fourth followed by Vickers. But then it also lists only six starters, so I am not sure what happened there. But I am pretty sure I heard announcer Doug Mealy say that the remainder of the 2025 season would see open B Mods taking over the IMCA Sport Mod scheduled nights.

   The Crown Vics were on deck to finish the action, but as the clock ticked to 10:30 I needed to head for the parking lot. Congratulations to Jordon Zumwalt on the feature win. 

   Thanks to Jeff, Renee, Chance and the gang for their hospitality. Although I could not get confirmation, my schedule shows Quincy Raceways taking next Sunday night off, so I would encourage their many fans and drivers to double check before making plans. Update: Quincy Raceways Will Not have racing, Sunday, June 1.

   Racing season is in full gear, so turn off the television and get to the track, and maybe we will see you there!

Blowouts and Thrilling Finishes Highlight Lee County Raceway Action

    Saturday night was the second installment of the UMP Pro Crate Late Model Drive for Five qualifiers at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. $1,000 would be on the line for the Late Models as well as for a "mystery class" determined at the drivers meeting, picked among the Modifieds Sport Mods, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks, or Sport Compacts. In addition, we were treated to a tribute to our military heroes during the playing of taps by my good friend Larry Loney.

    Although it took a bit of help to roll in, the three eighths mile black Iowa dirt oval was in pristine condition, with multiple racing grooves and plenty of "bite."

   A total of sixty nine race teams across the six divisions checked in, with sixteen Sport Mods and fifteen Stock Cars leading the way. 

   The heat races clicked of quickly followed by intermission, and then it was feature time. In a bit of a curious development, Modifieds ran the final heats, then the first feature event. 

   Ten cars lined up for twenty laps. Following a called back start, Blaine Webster led Jadin Fuller through the first two circuits before Fuller charged to the lead in turn one on lap three. Soon Kurt Kile moved in to challenge Webster for second, racing side by side before Kile claimed the spot on lap six. As the race approached the mid point Fuller was slowly stretching his advantage before encountering slower traffic on lap twelve. But Fuller had little problem with the lapped cars, gradually opening a comfortable lead to take the non stop win. Kile, Webster and Dakota Simmons came next while the young Eckrich boys, Jace and Adam battled side by side in an entertaining duel for fifth with Jace pulling ahead at the checkers. 

   All but one of the Stock Cars, Lewis Lynch in his bright green #71, came to the track for twenty laps of action. Long time West Liberty Raceway competitor Rusty Zook was back behind the wheel of a familiar #18z, and he paced a three car battle early in front of David McCalla  and Derrick Agee. The first yellow flag flew with a pair of laps scored as Reid Sammons rolled to a stop just off turn three. The trio of front runners raced three wide as racing resumed, with McCalla now in front. Agee then moved to the high side of the track and roared to the lead as a five car scrum developed behind the two leaders. Agee gradually increased his lead, cruising to the checkers and the $1,000 payday. McCalla finished where he started in second followed by Shane Richardson, Beau Taylor and Zook. 

   Kyler Girard and Logan Cumby raced side by side under the flag stand for lap one, with fourth starting Cumby gaining the advantage on lap two. They separated from the pack ahead of a lap six caution for first time driver Preston Bridgeman. The caution reappeared twice with nine in the books, and back under green Cumby pulled away slightly. At the same time, an intense three car battle for third raged between Brandon Dale, Tyler Heckart and Cody Agee. A final caution came with just two laps remaining, and on the restart Dale was shuffled back to seventh. Girard was up for one final charge at the leader, and Cumby won the drag race out of turn four by mere inches! Heckart was right with those two while Agee and Cole Gillenwater completed the top five. 

   Fifteen laps would determine the Hobby Stock victor, and Jeremy Dooley Tom Killen Jr. and Tucker Richardson battled three wide for the top spot on the opening lap. Richardson would lead lap two and Killen lap three as Dooley fell back just a bit. Twice the caution flag waved with five laps down, then no more as the race stayed green. Tucker and Shane Richardson fought for second and soon Austin Stalder joined the fray, giving us a four car battle. Shane would grab the lead with five laps to go, but Killen came roaring back and the duo were side by side coming to the white flag of starter Kevin Eggleston. Killen edged ahead at the line, and the final lap was another "on your feet finish," as Killen Jr. held on by a whisker! Shane settled for the runner up finish, in front of Tucker, Stalder and Dooley. 

   The seven car fifteen lap Sport Compact feature was a walk away win for pole sitter Brandon Reu, but the action was intense behind the #27. Kimberly Abbott, Barry Taft and Alex Hayes raced three wide early before Abbott took command of the position on lap two. Those three then raced door to door and nose to tail behind Reu to the completion of the non stop event. They would cross the line in that order, with Kyle Rysdam claiming fifth. 

   Rounding out the evening would be the Pro Crate Late Models, as all ten lined up for twenty five laps of door to door slam bang action. Rookie driver Aiden Perry grabbed the lead from the pole position with outside row one starter Spencer Havermale in tow. On lap two, Sam Halstead, back in his familiar #84 lost the handle in turn one, collecting Brian Harris in #7B and Jason Oenning. Harris moved to second on the restart while eighth starting Tommy Elston shot to third on lap three. But as the field exited turn two, Havermale made contact with Elston, sending him for a spin. Havermale then headed to the pits and Elston was allowed to restart in third. Following the Delaware Style restart, Tommy moved to second as a duel began for third between Harris and Darin Weisinger Jr. On lap fifteen Harris ducked to the infield, his run over. Meanwhile Perry continued to lead as Elston worked lap after lap to try and drive underneath the #27 and Weisinger made up ground on the front pair. With eighteen laps scored Elston switched to the high side, powered around Perry for the lead, and began to pull away, while Weisinger Jr. now contended with Jackson Frankel for third and Oenning and Halstead fought behind those two. Weisinger Jr. was able to break free of Frankel, rapidly closing on Perry, and executed a perfect slide job in turn four of the final lap to move to the runner up spot behind the victorious Elston. Perry, Frankel and Halstead. Oenning and Reid Sammons came next, with Rickey Frankel III, Harris and Havermale scored next. 

   Although the final checkers came a bit later than normal, it was a full and exciting night of racing action. Next Saturday the traveling SLMR Late Model series will come to town following a Friday night stop in Columbus Junction, bringing an expected 25-30 cars to the storied Lee County facility. 

  Thanks to Neal and the LCS crew for their hospitality. Now I will watch the weather with the hope of completing a three race weekend at the newly upgraded Quincy Raceways. Hope to see you there!

Winger Invades MARS With A Tri City Victory

    After a family vacation last weekend, it was time to get back to the track! While rain leading to wet grounds played havoc throughout eastern Iowa, we decided to make the opening salvo of what we hope will be a three race weekend our first 2025 visit to Tri City Speedway near Granite City, Il. MARS Late Models topped the bill, racing for $5,000 to win, backed up by UMP Modifieds, B Mods, Factory Stocks and 4 Cylinders. St. Louis traffic is always a treat, especially on Friday afternoons. Add in the beginning of the Memorial Day weekend, never ending road construction, and well when you wanna race, you wanna race!

   It has been a nightmare spring for the folks at Tri City, as rain and wet conditions have wiped out several attempts to kick off their racing season, and even on what would be opening night, there was excess moisture resulting in a track with a lot of "character."

   I imagine there are race fans who enjoy time trial qualifying paired up with "start the fast cars up front" events, I just don't know any who will admit to it. So we were pleased when it was announced they had a transponder issue, and would instead use a draw redraw format for the thirty one Late Models and twenty two Modifieds. However even with the revised format, all four Late Model heat winners came from the front row, as Jason Feger, Justin Duty, series points leader Tony Jackson Jr. and fast improving Guy Taylor recorded victories. The MARS format still qualified the top sixteen in passing points for feature starting spots, and this resulted in an oddity I do not recall ever witnessing. In the first eight lapper, only four cars finished the event, however seventh starting Reid Millard was credited with a fifth place finish, giving him enough points to line up sixteenth on the feature grid. 

   With Adam Tischauser and Tony Wolf scratched after hot laps and front row starter Ryan Unzicker and Bob Gardner electing to hold out for feature provisionals, the two scheduled B Mains were combined in to one ten lap eleven car last chance race transferring the top four to the thirty lap finale. Veteran Mark Voigt shook off his early season bad luck to lead this one flag to flag. One of the better runs of the night was by up and coming Austin Howes, who lined up ninth on the grid, and after having a pair of daring high side passes negated by caution flags, he managed to climb to the fourth and final qualifying position. 

   With all preliminary action complete, there was about a fifteen minute intermission before the Late Models came to the track for the first feature. Series regular Feger and Georgia invader Ashton Winger filled out row one, with Winger jumping out front trailed by Feger, Jake Little and Jackson Jr. Winger quickly shot to the top of the rough and fast three eighths mile track, catching the tail of the field by lap six. Feger appeared to have set up to run a lower line, but the high side was the place to be, and Little blew past the #25 for second on lap eleven followed one lap later by Jackson Jr. Winger had built a comfortable lead by the time the first caution came with thirteen laps down as Mike McKinney slowed in turn one. Feger continued to fall back in the field as racing resumed, and Winger again pulled away from the pack. On lap seventeen however, the leader missed his mark a bit, contacting the concrete wall in turn two, slowing his momentum and allowing Little to close in. But he quickly recovered and was cruising out front when the second and final yellow flag waved with nine to go for a slowing Howes. Little did all he could to stay close as the final laps clicked off, but this race belonged to Winger, who led flag to flag. Jackson Jr. was steady in third, while Duty and Taylor completed the top five. Trevor Gundaker was the hard charger, gaining six spots to claim sixth followed by Feger, Rusty Griffaw, Mike Harrison and McKay Wenger. Thirteen of the twenty two starters were running at the checkers. 

   The MARS Late Models have a full weekend, with Saturday racing at Fairbury, Il., then winding up Sunday at Spoon River Speedway

   With post race activities over, all but one of the Modifieds, David Cannon, lined up for twenty laps of action. First heat winner Treb Jacoby charged to the lead from inside row one, leading heat two winner Ryan Hamilton and Kenny Wallace, who raced side by side behind the leader. Timmy Hill had his #51 hooked up, coming from row five to third on lap five. At this point Jacoby had checked out on the field, but a wave of the yellow flag brought him back to the pack. Hill powered to second on the restart, but again Jacoby drove away. Around the half way point it was heat three winner Chase Holland on the move. The Mississippi driver had fallen back several spots after lining up inside row two, but he was now back to third. Jacoby was smooth in traffic, while Hill was giving his all to try to run down the leader, including sending sparks flying as he continually banked off the turn four concrete. Although Hill closed the gap considerably in the final laps, Jacoby worked the heavy traffic of the final couple laps to perfection, picking up a flag to flag win. Following third finishing Holland was Wallace, then Dean Hoffman, who made a late race pass of Hamilton to move into the top five. Rick Conoyer, Owen Steinkoenig, Clint Young, and Dylan Sharp rounded out the top ten. 

   Although it was still just minutes ahead of 10:00P.M. we were pleased with what we had witnessed and decided to call it a night. Congratulations to Matthew Edler (B Mods), Trevor Isaak ( Factory Stocks), and Chris Rakers ( 4 Cylinders) for their victories. 

   Tonight (Saturday) we are heading to Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa for the second installment of their UMP Pro Crate Late Model Drive for Five series. There is lots of quality racing throughout the mid west tonight, so get off the couch and get to the track!

Close Racing a Mothers Day Highlight at Quincy Raceways

    Sunday was Mothers' Day, but it was also Race Day at Quincy Raceways. Street Stocks rejoined the six division lineup after a week off, replaced by open B Mods. As might be expected on this particular day of celebration, the car count was a bit light, although there was still a nice sized crowd in the bleachers. 

   The two premier classes at the Broadway Bullring, UMP Modifieds and DIRTcar Pro Late Models set their heat race order with time trials. Late Model rookie and second generation driver Aiden Perry, in only his second start in the #27 he shares with father Jason topped the division with a lap of 14.755 seconds around the .29 mile track. Mid west traveler Chase Holland capped off a busy week of racing through Illinois by pacing the Mods at 14.623.

  Heat race action clicked off in timely fashion, and after about a thirty minute break, it was feature time. 

   Street Stocks were up first, with just seven cars taking the green flag for fifteen laps after Cletus Coats loaded up after hot laps. Jake Powers led the opening circuit with Brandon Boden close behind. The first caution came with four laps scored for Ryan Aden, and when racing resumed Jacob Rexing powered to second. The yellow waved one lap later when Boden smacked the concrete wall between turns one and two, ending his run. Back under green Rexing continued to pressure Powers, finally grabbing the lead near the halfway mark. Rexing was slowly extending his lead when a final caution came as he was heading through the final set of turns, setting up a one lap dash. Jacob would continue to pace the field, taking the win over Powers, Levi Long, Eddie Dieker and Rudy Zaragoza. 

   Next up it was DIRTcar 4 Cylinders for fifteen laps. Spencer Coats and Kimberly Abbott filled out row one, taking off in that order. The red flag was displayed two laps in when Matthew Brogden found his #214 resting on its side off turn four. Back under green, Abbott was all over the leader, looking for a way around as Coats stayed glue to the inside line. Racing one lane higher, Kimberly pulled even with six to go before Spencer was able to pull slightly ahead. Abbott made one last charge as they came to the checkers side by side, but it was Coats holding on for his first ever Quincy Raceways feature win. Devin Harrell, Landon Neisen and Jay Kunce would fill out the top five. 

   As exciting as the 4 Cylinder race was, the UMP Modified twenty lapper was edge of your seat action. Heat winners Holland and Shawn Deering brought the field to green, but it was Austen Becerra sneaking into second behind Holland as the pack was jumbled up on the start. But on lap two, fourth starting Rick Conoyer used the high line to power past Becerra for second. Holland stayed in front rolling around the bottom before Conoyer gained enough momentum to charge ahead on lap six. Now it was the front three running the top side while Dave Weitholder searched the middle, and those four separated from the pack. Just past halfway, slower traffic came into play, and Becerra was able to clear Holland for the runner up position. He then stayed on the heels of the leader lap after lap. Becerra tried to shoot below Conoyer off turn two on a couple of occasions, but would then lose a few car lengths in doing so. Austen would stay close, but this non stop race belonged to Conoyer. Holland held off Weitholder for third, while Treb Jacoby slipped past Justin Reed late for fifth. 

   The Crown Vics turned out a dozen cars to race for fifteen laps, but it became a race of attrition. Four yellow flags would slow the action, eliminating several contenders. Glen Wiley charged to the early lead from outside row one, and would lead throughout, taking the win by a large margin. Jake Etter lined up last on the grid, but came home in the runner up spot, topping Alex Hatfield, Austin Johnson and Brian Kaylor. 

   IMCA Northern Sport Mods battled for fifteen circuits. A pair of rookie drivers, Todd Wolfmeyer and Olivia Hofman were scheduled to start in row one, but both decided to tag the back of the field. This put A.J. Tournear and Logan Cumby up front, and Tournear paced the opening two circuits. Cumby drove to the lead on lap three, but before the lap was scored, Kyler Girard had cleared both front runners by blasting around the top of the track. Following a lap six caution, Cumby retook the point, and he and Girard then pulled away from the pack. Tournear was shuffled back in the field as Dakota Girard and Reed Wolfmeyer now fought for third. Cumby found the inside line to his liking while Kyler Girard literally bounced off the turn one concrete in his effort to move to the front. But Cumby continued his impressive weekend, taking the checkered flag. The Girard brothers, Kyler and Dakota, came next, trailed by Reed Wolfmeyer and Tanner Klingele. 

   Late Models put a wrap on the program, going for twenty five caution free laps. Jackson Frankel sat on the pole, leading third starting Denny Woodworth as lap one went in the books. As the laps clicked off, Frankel pulled away to a full straightaway lead, before losing just a bit of ground late as he worked a bit of slower traffic. In the early laps Braden Bilger challenged Woodworth for second before Denny pulled away. Soon Bilger had his hands full with Darin Weisinger Jr, who had started in the last position after transmission woes knocked him out of the heat race. As the final checkers waved it was Frankel grabbing his second main event win in two nights, followed by Woodworth, Bilger, Weisinger Jr., Jeffrey Delonjay, Jason Oenning and Perry.

   The final checkers flew just before 10:00 P.M. 

   Thanks as always to the Delonjays, Chance Bailey and the crew for an entertaining Sunday night of racing. Quincy Raceways will turn the lights on this Friday, as the MARS Late Models and Modifieds roll into town supported by open B Mods and Crown Vics. The track will then be silent next Sunday. However there will be no Racin' Down the Road next weekend as I will be attending college graduation festivities for my grandson and long time racing companion Keagan. 

   If you have been waiting on the weather to warm, now is the time to head to the track and enjoy some racing!

Points Racing Returns to Lee County Speedway

    After fighting wet conditions for the past two weeks, Lee County Speedway promoters were finally able to open their 2025 points season on Saturday. With only one race night in the books so far this year, drivers and fans as well as the track operators were anxious for some dirt track action. In addition to this being a $1,000 to win Drive for Five qualifier for the Pro Crate Late Models, another of the regular classes would also be picked to receive a $1,000 top prize, with the choice announced at the drivers' meeting. A new division of Vintage cars was on the schedule, but none signed in, so we would go with the six regular classes.

   With hot lap complete, the first heat race kicked off right on time at 6:30 under a (finally!) warm, sunny sky! The qualifying events rolled off quickly, with just a single caution flag throughout on the well prepared three eighths mile racing surface.  

   Following a brief intermission, it was feature time. UMP Pro Crate Late Models would be up first. Denny Woodworth and Darin Weisinger Jr. would share the front row for the twenty five lap $1,000 to win headliner. Woodworth would pace the early laps while fourth starting Jackson Frankel eased past Weisinger on lap two. By the fourth time around Frankel was up to challenge Woodworth, and he completed the pass for the lead on lap five racing around the low line on the track. Woodworth continued in the middle groove and on lap eleven Weisinger also ducked under the Late Model lawyer to reclaim the runner up spot. But there would be no catching Frankel, who picked up his first win of 2025 in the non stop event. Weisinger Jr., Woodworth, and Jason Oenning would be the only cars still running at the end, with Spencer Havermale, rookie Late Model drivers Reid Sammons and Frankie Wellman, and Melvin Linder in a Woodworth "back up" car retiring early. 

    Sport Mods would come to the track next fifteen strong for fifteen laps. The random drivers meeting draw had designated the Sport Mods as the other class to compete for a $1,000 payday. A pair of top contenders, Adam Birck and Logan Cumby led the field to green. With Birck hugging the infield tire barrier and Cumby ripping the cushion, they continued to lead the charge. Meanwhile Dakota Girard slipped around Brandon Dale on lap six in a frantic duel for third. As the race approached the half way mark, Cumby was able to close the gap on Birck, and now both drivers began moving around on the track searching for some moisture to create some extra grip. In  the closing laps Birck was able to open a bit more of a lead as Cumby suddenly had to work to fend off Girard. Again this race went non stop with a very exuberant Birck taking the win. Cumby would hold off Girard for second, Dale was solid in fourth, and Jason Von Zomeren drove a steady race to a fifth pace finish. But it was Cumby who became my latest "hero," as he quickly loaded up and made the short drive to 34 Raceway in West Burlington where he tagged the tail of the sixteen car feature and raced to a third place finish. Way to go, Racer!

   Fifteen laps was also the distance for the Sport Compacts. Brandon Reu sat on the pole position, out raced Tim Schnathorst to lead lap one, then held on for yet another flag to flag non stop victory. As the defending track champion stretched his lead, the battle of the night developed behind him. Schnathorst, Barry Taft and Luke Fraise raced two and three wide, lap after lap, swapping positions in the race for second. At the checkers it was Reu out front while Fraise barely outdistanced Taft, with Schnathorst right there in fourth. Kimberly Abbott completed the top five. 

  Tucker Richardson paced lap one of the Hobby Stock fifteen lapper over Darin DeZwarte. But as the pair charged down the back chute on lap two, contact sent Richardson for a spin to bring out the first feature yellow flag. Richardson would restart at the back of the pack, and DeZwarte was also sent to the tail for his role in the incident. Jeremy Dooley then inherited the lead for the restart, followed closely by Austin Stalder, while Richardson quickly worked his way back to third. With just four laps to go, Stalder pulled alongside the leader, using a slide job to move to the front. Dooley, however was able to cross back over to regain the top spot. Two more laps were scored as Richardson was able to move around Stalder for second, and on the final trip around, Tucker was able to muscle his way around Dooley in turn three for the win. Stalder and DeZwarte followed, with Bobby Pearson rounding out the top five. 

   Normally one of the better behaved classes, on this night the Stock Cars struggled a bit with three cautions slowing their twenty lap feature. Derrick Agee lined up in row two, but was out front of the twelve car field as lap one was scored. He was joined by pole sitter Dave McCalla as that pair separated from the pack ahead of a lap five caution for a spin by rookie Jathan Fuller. Back to racing, Agee pulled well ahead as the leaders all migrated to the low line around the oval. Two more cautions at laps eleven and thirteen were only minor distractions for the flying Agee. McCalla, who made the trip down from Cedar Rapids was strong in second, chased by Tom Cannon, Bronson Spaw and Kevin Koontz.

    Modifieds would provide the night cap, going at it for twenty circuits. The only stoppage in this event came as a result of a lap one melee, which resulted in Levi Smith facing the wrong way in turn one. The original restart saw inside row one starter Blaine Webster shoot to the lead in front of sixth starting Kurt Kile. As Kile stalked the leader, he suddenly ducked to the infield off turn four on the third lap, his run over. Webster then opened a considerable advantage, as eighth starting Jadin Fuller methodically worked his way to second by lap six. Fuller then worked to cut into the lead, and as starter Kevin Eggleston displayed the crossed flags signally the halfway mark of the race, Jadin had moved to the rear bumper of the front runner. As the front pair worked through slower traffic, Fuller had problems getting around a lapped car, allowing Webster to pull away, seemingly building an insurmountable advantage. But just as quickly, Blaine made contact with a lapped car, slowing his momentum, allowing Fuller to drive by and off into the night. With no more issues, Fuller would march to the checkers. Webster held on for second ahead of a pair of rookies with a familiar last name, Jace Eckrich in third and Adam Eckrich in fourth. Levi Smith would rebound from his early problem to turn in a top five run.

   With minimal cautions, the well run program saw the final checkers fly right at 9:00 P.M.! Thanks as always to Neal, Patrick and the gang for an entertaining Saturday night.

    Lee County Speedway will take a scheduled night off next week for graduations, then return the following Saturday featuring another Drive for Five for the Late Models. I will also be away from the tracks next weekend as we will celebrate grandson Keagans' graduation as he continues his work in fire sciences. But before that will be a Sunday night back at Quincy Raceways for weekly racing, so check back tomorrow for all the details. 

   And happy Mothers' Day to all you deserving ladies!

 

Becerra, Diercks, Oliver Jr., VanWyk, Helmerson and Schnathorst in 34 Victory Lane

    Despite a week filled with rain leading to many cancellations, through perseverance and hard work, 34 Raceway personnel managed to prepare the three eighths mile high banked clay oval for a Saturday night of racing action. Six classes filled out the card with eighty seven race teams signed in on another cool evening in West Burlington.

    Starting right on time, thirteen heat races set the feature fields, and incredibly there were no yellow flags to slow the preliminary action. With barely five minutes of down time, the Sport Compacts came to the track for their twelve lap feature. Unfortunately there were only six of the 4 Cylinder hot rods signed in. Tim Schnathorst and Barry Taft filled out row one, and they ran in tight formation throughout the race. The first caution flag of the night came with two laps scored, and then it was clean and green to the checkers. The front pair stayed close, with Schnathorst picking up the win. T.J. Weyls slipped past Brandon Crawley for third on the final lap with Chadrick Edward Poland the final car still on the track.

   Next came the 305 Sprints, with all but one of the dozen signed in lining up for fifteen circuits. Cole Helmerson jumped to the early lead while Matt Krieger and Cody Wehrle battled for second. By the time Wehrle secured the runner up position, Helmerson had checked out to a near straightaway advantage. But as slower traffic came into play, Wehrle quickly closed the gap. Exiting turn four coming to the white flag, the front two made contact bringing out the lone caution as Wehrle spun to the infield, his run over. This set up a green, white, checkers run, and while Helmerson drove on to a flag to flag win, Tanner Gebhardt finished off his run from row four, grabbing second place honors. Krieger was steady in third followed by Riley Scott and Nick Guernsey. 

   Nineteen IMCA Late Models came to the track for twenty five laps in search of the $1,000 top prize. Outside pole sitter Andy Nezworski led his row one partner Ray Raker as lap one was scored. But it was fifth starting Austen Becerra on the move, as he grabbed third on lap two. Jeremy Pundt charged from row four to fourth one lap later ahead of a yellow flag for rookie Reid Sammons. Back to racing Becerra jumped to second. Lap five saw Pundt use the low line to move to third ahead of another caution for Adam Parker. Even though Becerra would elect the inside line on the restart, Pundt was able to power to the runner up spot. Together the front three pulled away from the pack and on lap eight Becerra cleared Pundt to retake second. One lap later Austen powered around the top side to overtake Nezworski for the lead. Riding the treacherous rim around turns one and two, Becerra slowly strteched his lead. He caught the back of the pack with four to go, but he was able to split a pair of cars running side by side, then cruise home to the win. Nezworski followed in second ahead of Pundt, while Jesse Bodin and Mitch Morris turned in top five runs. Jake Morris led the second five in front of Tommy Elston, last weeks' winner Curtis Glover, Jay Johnson and Dustin Smith. 

   Sport Mods topped the car count and all but one of the twenty signed in lined up for twenty laps. Chase Johnson led lap one before fourth starting Jarett Franzen charged to the front out of turn four on lap two. Johnson got shuffled back one lap later while Matt Tucker and Sean Wyatt battled side by side behind the leader. Just as ninth starting Dylan VanWyk joined the race for second the yellow flag waved with eight in the books. Tucker jumped the turn one and two cushion, dropping to seventh as Wyatt took command of the runner up spot. But he then was overtaken by a battle between Van Wyk and Logan Cumby as they continued to chase Franzen. Six laps from the checkers, VanWyk used a top side run to charge to the lead just ahead of a final yellow flag. Cumby snagged second on the restart, but VanWyk cruised to the win. Franzen finished third in front of a rebounding Tucker and Jarrett VanDenBerg.

   The fast paced program then hit a couple of bumps. Sixteen IMCA Modifieds came to the track for twenty laps and a $1,000 payday. Spencer Diercks shot ahead from outside row one taking along fourth starting Matt Werner. The yellow flag wave with two laps scored, and on the restart a gaggle of cars exited turn four on lap three, and there was not enough real estate for everyone. Logan Anderson began to get out of shape coming down the front stretch, and he smacked the guardrail under the flag stand, then flipped his #53. Logan appeared uninjured, but perhaps the same was not true for his car. A tight battle resumed behind Diercks and Werner as racing resumed, with a third stoppage at lap twelve. Back under green, double duty Becerra began to move around the slickening track, climbing from eighth into the top five. Diercks would hold serve for the win with Werner the runner up. John Oliver Jr. chased the leaders in third and Denny Eckrich held off Becerra to round out the first five.

   IMCA Stock Cars waited patiently for a $750 payday, and all fourteen lined up for twenty laps in the evenings' finale. A mix up as lap one was complete saw Kirk Kinsley spin off turn one triggering a yellow flag. Trenton Witt paced Oliver Jr, again driving the Krogmeier #12 before John took the lead on lap two. Another pair of laps ticked off and seventh starting Dustin Griffiths worked his way to third. Five circuits in, Thor Anderson appeared to hook that tricky turn two cushion, and he flipped his #41 to trigger another red flag. Following the clean up, Griffiths used the Delaware Style restart to power to second. A final slow down came with seven scored, but it was only a momentary delay for the high flying Oliver Jr. He cruised to the win while Griffiths settled for the runner up spot. Witt was solid in third while David Brandies took fourth on lap eighteen after an entertaining battle with Corey Strothman and Andrew Burk. 

   The non stop racing concluded about 10:15, a welcome development as I had set a self imposed curfew of 10:30 with an extra early Sunday morning ahead. So thanks to Brad, Jessi and the crew for not only their hospitality, but for a very efficient and entertaining race night!

   As of now, I am uncertain as to where or when my next race will be, but there is plenty of racing ahead and perhaps FINALLY we are going to get some warmer weather, so head to a track near you!