This 'N' That

     So far today it has not rained here in Canton, so it must not be a race night! At this rate, I am on track for my fewest races covered since a medical procedure and that doggone virus wiped out a fair portion of the 2020 season.

    Scrolling through Facebook today it was interesting to see some folks bemoaning the fact that there were multiple races this evening in eastern Iowa as multiple county fairs are going on. I do applaud those who wish to attend as many races as possible rather than watching from the recliner, however in lieu of a workable solution, I hope everyone considers themselves lucky to be at the track. The particular bone of contention this week appears to be that Maquoketa and Dubuque are both racing tonight with Dubuque apparently having switched from a Thursday night event in the past. Given that promoters or race directors or whoever is likely at the mercy of their respective fairboard I would not expect much to change. Just a guess, but I am betting that both tracks will be well attended, and looking at My Race Pass, it would seem there were enough cars for solid programs at both venues. In addition, it would seem there are simply not enough nights to go around. Tuesday night found fair racing in West Union, with Dubuque and Maquoketa ( and Oskaloosa!) tonight, then just down the road in Columbus Junction tomorrow! 

    If only we were so fortunate here in the my area. Perhaps week night racing is the way to go. After rain again washed out racing last weekend in the Tri State area where Iowa, Missouri and Illinois converge a couple of promoters have made some notable decisions. Lee County Speedway promoter Neal Kohlmorgan will take advantage of a scheduled night off (ironically for the county fair) for Quincy Raceways and will present Sunday night racing in Donnellson this week, July 27. Hot laps for the regular six divisions will begin early at 4:00 to hopefully get drivers and fans headed home early. In fairness to his regular racers, this will not be a points paying event. 

   And speaking of Quincy Raceways, after a half dozen or so Sunday night rain outs, track owners/promoters Jeff and Renee Delonjay have already made the announcement that 2026 will see the switch to full time Friday night racing with Sunday as a rain date, a move that had been considered for this season. Meanwhile QR will be back in action Sunday August 3, and the MARS Late Model show that was rained out last Sunday has been rescheduled for Sunday, September14, although the Summit Modifieds will not be on the card. 

   Both of these tracks, as well as 34 Raceways just up the road in West Burlington have had more than their share of weather related cancellations in 2025, so let's fill up those stands here and everywhere as the season enters the "Dog Days" of August! 

      

Fair Food and Close Racing at West Liberty

   Wednesday was race night at West Liberty Raceway as a highlight of the Muscatine County Fair. For the past couple of years the legendary high speed half mile has been silent except for this once a year event.  The 2025 edition was under the direction of the Davenport Speedway team of SR Promotions, headed by Jeff Struck. The Karl Chevrolet Pro Late Model Tour topped the bill with a $1,500 to win contest. IMCA Modifieds battled for a $1,000 top prize while IMCA Sport Mods raced for $500 to win. A non sanctioned Street Stocks/Stock Cars feature paid $600 thanks to an extra donation. Finally the Nostalgia Stock Car Series and Midwest Jalopies filled out the busy card. 

   An ominous forecast once again turned into a pleasant evening for racing, with just a bit too much humidity to call conditions perfect. As a result, the midway was bustling with people, and come race time the grandstands were packed from turn four all the way to turn one!

   Seventy five teams signed in to do battle, a nice turnout for a week night event, especially considering that there is no weekly racing at the facility. 

   It took a while to get the surface rolled in, but heat race action rolled off in fine fashion. Seventeen Late Models were divided into three qualifiers, and although Luke Pestka crossed the line first in heat one driving a Nick Marolf team car, he was scored last in the running order with no explanation given. Veteran Denny Eckrich captured the first of two Modified heats for the seventeen competitors, but he slowed dramatically as he took the checkers, with a puff of smoke behind his #50. He then scratched from the main event.  

   Intermission proved to be a lengthy one as track crews worked to widen the racing surface.

   Midwest Jalopies staged the opening feature, with Matt Fulton Sr. overtaking Austin Honts for the win in the ten lap affair. Tom Honts came home in third. 

   A dozen IMCA Sport Mods lined up for fifteen laps. Tim Plummer has dominated this class my last several visits to West Liberty, so when he redrew the outside pole position I was expecting to see the blue #66 in victory lane. Indeed, he shot to the front, pulling away quickly before the yellow flag waved with one lap scored. Nick Aupperle was sitting facing the wrong way in turn two, and as the field shuffled to avoid his stalled car, Jason Bear drove over his #5, getting upside down. After a delay. Bears' #?4U was finally towed away while Aupperle was able to make enough repairs to rejoin the pack. Once again Plummer pulled out to a nearly straightaway advantage while a great battle raged behind him for positions two through five. A final caution came with four laps to go, but Plummer again drove off to a convincing win. Trey Rock used this Delaware Style restart to grab second from Matt Fulton Jr., who then held off Jason Roth by inches for third. Shaun Slaughter completed the first five. In victory lane, Plummer stated how he prefers running the "big" tracks, saying this was his first race of 2025!

   Only nine of the twelve Street Stock/Stock Cars survived to race for fifteen circuits. Donnie Louck charged ahead from outside row one chased by Cary Brown and Johnny Spaw. About three laps in (the scoreboard was not operational), the lone yellow flag came out, and on the restart Brown took the inside, leaving the high line for Spaw. The veteran powered his #600 to the front as he and Louck pulled away in a two car duel. Behind those two, Brown, Matt Picray, Casey Shelliam and Keegan Wells battled for position. With five laps remaining, Shelliam saw his run end with a flat tire. In the closing laps, Spaw was able to increase his lead while Brown also gained separation in third. Spaw cruised to a popular win, with Louck second and Brown in third. Picray narrowly topped Wells for fourth. 

   The Late Model headliner was shortened by five laps to twenty, with all seventeen cars taking the green flag. Division rookie Dallon Murty rocketed from outside row two to take the lead down the long back stretch, with J.D. Auringer in pursuit. Six laps in the caution flag would fly as Scott Strauss slowed in front of the grandstands, turning into the pit area with fire showing in the engine compartment of his #34. Andy Eckrich was the fair race winner one year ago, started sixth on the grid, and lined up Delaware Style with seventh starting Nick Marolf behind the leader. Marolf was able to ease past Eckrich for second, but Murty had already opened a commanding lead. Marolf was only making small gains when Murty finally caught the tail of the field, with a gaggle of cars racing for position. Just as Marolf appeared ready to make his move, Murty was able to split a pair of slower cars and open a bit of breathing room. But Marolf surely had the faster car on this night, and running up close to the turns one and two barrier on the final lap, he used his momentum to charge to the front down the back straightaway. The thrilling finish found a very excited Marolf in victory lane. Murty held on for runner up honors while Eckrich raced home in third. Auringer and pole sitter C.J. Horn rounded out the top five. Brandon Hamburg was steady in sixth followed by Matt Ryan, National Dirt Hall of Famer Jeff Aikey in a #1X machine, Chase Brunscheen and Jess Bodin.

   With post race festivities complete, just six of the seven Nostalgia Late Models came to the track for ten laps. As the yellow flag waved, the clock passed 10:30, and with early calls for the three of us, we regretfully began the long distance walk to our parking place. Long time racer Bert McDaniel was leading the pack in the Curt Hansen #9 tribute Camaro as we made our way to the car, and a check of the results showed Bert picking up the win over Terry Matty in the Benny Hofer replica #50 and Dan Kessler in his #00. 

   Results for the IMCA Modified twenty lap finale show Spencer Diercks with the win from P2 over Kurt Kile, Chris Zogg, Eric Barnes and Mitch Way. 

   We have heard the rumblings before about the possibility of the big half mile track being shortened, and always take such talk with a grain of salt. But either way, the West Liberty RACEWAY holds a lot of memories, and I look forward to the next race there, whenever that may be.

   Plans for the upcoming weekend are to get back to Lee County Speedway on Saturday for another UMP Pro Late Model Drive for Five, and then Quincy Raceways on Sunday as the MARS Series comes to town featuring $5,000 to win for the Late Models and $2.000 for Modifieds. Don't forget to stop by and say "Hi!."

Becerra Triples Up, "Speedy Bray" and Oliver Jr. Hit Doubles at 34 Raceway

    Saturday night I found my way back to 34 Raceway near West Burlington, Iowa. On tap was the remaining features from last weeks' early rain out followed by a regular six division program. Only the 305 Sprint feature from the prior Saturday had been completed along with six laps of the IMCA Late Model main event. As there was extra money on the line for the rained out portion it was expected that most of the competitors would return for a crack at two paydays. Indeed, one hundred and sixteen cars filled the pit area, and even with a scheduled early start time, everyone settled in for a twenty seven race marathon! Around three inches of rain had fallen at the track on Friday night, so it was a minor miracle that track crews were even able to get the grounds in shape. In fact when I arrived at 4:30 tractors were working the pit area non stop to create parking spots. With a lot of hard work, the track stayed smooth and fast throughout the program. 

   Cars continued to roll through the pit gate right up until hot lap time, but things got going just a couple ticks after 6:00 under hot, sunny skies. 

  First up was the remaining nineteen laps of the rained out Late Model feature. Matt Ryan brought the returning eighteen cars to green. Three times the yellow flag would fly, but each time the "Worlds' Fastest Art Teacher" would drive off from his challengers. There was an interesting battle for second between Logan Veloz, Austen Becerra, and Jay Johnson, who crossed the stripe behind Ryan in that order while Evan Miller was close in fifth. Mark Burgtorf led the second five, topping Tommy Elston, Dustin Smith, Gary Webb and Sam Halstead. 

   Seventeen IMCA Sport Mods lined up for twenty laps.The caution flag waved numerous times even after a lap one pile up. Brayton Carter took command early, a good thing for him as this race actually hit the time limit around the mid point. Kevin Goben gained seven positions from his scheduled starting spot to take second ahead of twelfth starting Trey Rock, Ryan Reed and fifteenth starting A. J. Tournear.

   Next came IMCA Stock Cars, again seventeen starters for twenty laps. David Brandies and John Oliver Jr. battled at the front before Oliver took command on lap four. He slowly increased his advantage, cruising to the win. Brandies held on to second chased by double duty Brayton Carter in #7V, Corey Strothman and Jared Miller.  

   Nineteen IMCA Modifieds lined up for another twenty lapper. Charlie Mohr powered to the early lead with Andrew Hamburg close behind. Fourteenth on the original line up, another two division racer Becerra was on the move and with a bit of help from an early caution, he charged to the runner up spot on lap six. He then quickly ran down the leader, driving around Mohr on lap fourteen after a hard fought duel. Austen then pulled away for his first win of the night. Mohr came home second followed by Trevor Fitz and Denny Eckrich. Spencer Diercks used a last lap pass to advance from the tail of the field to round out the top five. 

   All fifteen IMCA Sport Compacts on hand started the make up twelve lap feature. Luke Fraise was the early leader before his #9 gave out, ending his run. A close back and forth battle then developed between Lukas Rick and Caleb Giese. Rick would prevail to pick up the win with Giese settling for second. Dyllan Bonk was strong in third, finishing ahead of Alex Hayes and Darin Smith. 

   Breaking up the feature action, the 305 Sprints had run their pair of heat races, and following the Compact make up track crews went to work tickling the racing surface while co promoter Jessi Mynatt entertained the sizable gathering with scavenger hunt games.  

   With the number of events on the docket, the plethora of caution flags and the track rework, I decided early to not be a clock watcher, but I know we were deep into the evening when the remainder of the regular race program began. Fourteen more heat races would be needed to set the feature lineups, and during that action the 305 Sprints came to the track for their fifteen lap feature. Only nine of the eleven cars on hand made the call. Following some first lap hanky panky, row two was moved up to take the green flag. McCain Richards grabbed the initial lead, battling hard with Riley Scott. Meanwhile John Barnard, Sherman, Il. lurked in third. Back to racing after a lap five caution Barnard shot to the lead after restarting in third, taking along Tanner Gebhardt in second. Although Tanner continued to apply pressure in a two car scrum, the race belonged to Barnart. Scott drove a steady race to grab third ahead of Richards and Lincoln Martin. Barnard had come from row three while Gebhardt lined up ninth. 

   Following completion of the heats it was back to feature action. Now twenty of the Sport Mods on hand would try again to run twenty laps. Sadly, the result was only marginally better than the first attempt. At least a half dozen yellow flags somewhat spoiled what was a great race up front. On the third try at a start, Levi Laymon grabbed the lead, battling with Jarrett VanDenBerg. Jarrett would move ahead on lap three only to have Levi take it back one lap later. On the fifth circuit seventh starting Sean Wyett cleared VanDenBerg for second. Another pair of caution periods followed, and now the field was lined up single file. Wyett powered to the lead, then tucked into the low groove along with his two pursuers. Brayton Carter had started in row five, was now up to fourth, and decided to try the high side. Bingo! He rocketed to third on lap seven, then dove low to move to the runner up spot on lap eight. Again the caution stopped the action one lap later, then back to racing Carter went downstairs to grab the lead on lap eleven. Wyett fought back with a successful slide job on lap twelve to regain the top spot, but Carter then muscled his way back to the front ahead of a final yellow flag period during which Wyett appeared to express some displeasure with the proceedings. With a final green flag, Carter drove off for win number two on the night. Wyett held second while Kevin Goben added a third place finish to his earlier runner up after starting in row six. Cole Stichter advanced six positions to fourth, and A.J. Tournear made it a pair of fifths for the #14AJ.

   I will now confess that I had been peeking at the time on my cell phone, and it was now not only past my loosely self imposed curfew of 11:30, but Saturday night had turned into Sunday morning. But all except Josh Schneiderman of the two dozen Late Models were lined up for twenty five laps, too good to resist! Seventy six year old National Dirt Hall of Famer Gary Webb and twenty five year old Evan Miller filled out row one, with Miller jumping out front of a very busy Austen Becerra, Webb and Jay Johnson. Miller opened a nice lead before a lap four caution for debris. Following the restart, the caution waved as Dustin Smith rolled to a stop in turn two in a cloud of smoke, and at the same time a multi car pileup occurred between turns three and four. It took a bit to detach the cars of Jeremy Pundt and Chris Zogg, then back to racing Miller and Becerra drove off in a two car battle while Logan Veloz and Matt Ryan moved to the next two spots. Things were about to get interesting as Miller caught the tail of the field, but the yellow waved for a final time on lap eleven. The lineup was set single file, and Veloz and Ryan both slipped around Becerra. Now it was Veloz pressuring the leader while Becerra and Ryan battled close behind. As Carter had done the race prior, Becerra now moved to the top, clearing Ryan for third. Slower traffic came into play on lap eighteen, and absolutely "ripping the lip," Austen drove around Veloz and closed quickly on Miller, finally making the winning pass in thrilling fashion three laps from the checkers. He continued to drive off into the night, scoring his second win in three tries. Miller came home second and I must have been really tired, because I apparently missed some closing lap action! Ray Raker was third at the line followed by Curtis Glover and Jay Johnson. Cruz Birkhofer struggled early in the night, but advanced fourteen positions to come home sixth in front of Webb, Tommy Elston, Sam Halstead and twenty first starting Brandon Hamburg. Veloz and Ryan fell to thirteenth and fourteenth in the running order. 

   There were three features still to run, but it was a couple minutes ahead of 12:30, and this old timer was gassed with a seventy five minute solo drive ahead! With a hat tip to My Race Pass, congratulations to John Oliver Jr., yet another double duty driver, on his Stock Car win, and to Becerra, who collected three firsts by sweeping the Modified main events to go with his Late Model checkers! And also to Luke Fraise, who rebounded from a DNF to grab the regular Compact main. 

   A special thanks to Brad, Jessi and their crew, who not only had a quick turnaround from a great Thursday show, but for putting in the extra work thumbing their nose at the weather and delivering another excellent racing surface with lots of action. 

   After a very short night and early church, it feels like nap time, then hopefully the skies clear so I can land in my regular perch tonight at Quincy Raceways. Hope to see you there! 

   Update: Quincy Raceways rained out Sunday, July 13. Next up is a visit by the MARS series on Sunday, July20. 

Alberson Wins a Thriller at 34 Raceway

    Thursday night we journeyed north to 34 Raceway near West Burlington, Iowa for their annual Lucas Oil Late Model Series event sponsored in part by Denny Woodworth, Attorney at Law. The stars of the traveling series came in pursuit of championship points and a $15,000 winners' check. Keeping in mind that this was a week night show, track owners/promoters Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt wisely scheduled just a pair of additional classes to fill out the program. One of their regular weekly divisions, IMCA Modifieds chased a $1,000 payday, while another "part time" class, Mini Hauler Trucks competed for $200 to win. 

   It was a beautiful July day that greeted the drivers and the large group of fans to the high banked three eighths mile speed plant. At the same time, storms were rolling across central Iowa, victimizing another special event in Tipton. And as several IMCA Modified drivers hustled the one and a half hours from there to West Burlington, a pesky sprinkle brought a temporary halt to the action at 34. Hot laps had been completed and six of the twenty seven Super Late Models had made their time trial run before the drizzle became to much to continue. It took about thirty minutes for action to resume, and officials decided to start from scratch. A quick round of hot laps and then Late Model qualifying began from the beginning on what was a lightning fast racing surface. In fact the 14.683 fast lap by Tyler Bruening was almost a half second faster than the quick time turned in during the Slocum 50 weekend in April. 

   If you are a regular reader of my ramblings (Thank you!), you know that I am not a fan of the time 'em and start the fast cars up front in the heat races. But as my science teachers stated many years ago, there will be exceptions that prove the rule. And Thursday night was the exception! In heat race one it was third starting Garrett Alberson pulling out to a dominant win while his row two mate Brandon Sheppard won a hard fought battle with Chris Simpson for second. Fast timer Bruening suffered a flat tire on lap three, rejoined the tail of the field, but could not crack the qualifying top six in the remaining five laps. Multiple lead changes were featured in heat two before series points leader Ricky Thornton Jr. claimed victory after lining up in fourth. Amazingly this eight lapper included the top four in Lucas Oil series points in the top four finishing spots, with the winner followed by Devin Moran, Jonathon Davenport and Hudson Oneal. The final qualifier was captured by pole sitter Carson Ferguson only after a tight battle with his row one partner Brandon Overton. 

   With Missouri youngster Kayden Clatt dropping out of heat three and scratching for the remainder of the program, track promoters elected the increase the feature starting field to twenty six, so the B Main was dropped. 

   Following a brief intermission all but two of the fifteen Mini Haulers lined up for twelve trips around the high banked three eighths mile oval. The only caution period came on the opening start when Brett Timmerman looped his machine in turns three and four. On the original restart, pole sitter Brian Tipps shot to the front chased by Caleb Ealey. Just before the half way mark Ealey went above the cushion exiting turn two, falling back to sixth before he could recover. Tipps was sailing around the speedway, catching a group of trucks racing for position on lap ten. But the veteran had no trouble weaving through the traffic, cruising to the win to go along with his heat race win. Payton Lain took runner up honors ahead of Timmerman, Darin Ronner and Lyle Timmerman. Sixth finishing Ealy was the other heat race winner.  

   It would now be fifty laps for the headline class. Alberson and Thornton Jr. would fill out row one, with Garrett putting his #58 out front. Five times the yellow flag would fly in the first ten circuits, the worst coming with four laps scored, ending the night for Chris Simpson with Sheppard and Clay Stuckey also involved. Moran had now moved from row three to the second spot, and as racing resumed he was locked in a great battle with Thornton Jr. for the position. Fifteen laps in Thornton apparently blew a tire, contacting the turn three concrete. He was able to make quick repairs, but reentered the track about a half lap behind the field as Overton used the high line to take second on this restart. As the race stayed green and failing to gain much ground, Thornton spun in turn two, now rejoining the pack at the tail. As Alberson continued to lead, Moran powered to second. Around the mid point of the event, the fast line seemed to switch to the treacherous top groove, and there was much back and forth race going on throughout the field. Alberson would finally catch the tail of the pack , but the yellow flag would again fly thirty laps in as Moran suffered a flat tire while running second. After pacing the field for thirty five circuits, Alberson suddenly saw Overton charge around using that fast high line. A final caution came with eleven laps to go when Thornton again slowed between turns three and four and was hit hard by Daulton Wilson. This would end the night for the #20RT. Oneal charged to second on the restart while Overton appeared to be on cruise control, opening a nice lead. But as they raced each other hard, Oneal and Alberson all of a sudden were closing on the leader, and with three laps to go Oneal took a look down low, Overton moved to block and Alberson, who had spent much of the race running a lower line, came roaring past on the high side! With the excited grandstand on their collective feet, Alberson took the checkers for his first series win of 2025. Oneal also slipped around Overton for second, with Davenport and the steady Ferguson also recording top fives. Chad Simpson used his somewhat under powered crate engine to work from row eight to a sixth place finish ahead of Daniel Hilsabeck, twenty second starting Bruening, and rebounding Sheppard and Moran. With Thornton scored in twentieth, Davenport now becomes the points leader as the series heads to Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri for two nights of action Friday and Saturday. I would have to agree with announcers James Essex and Dustin Jarrett that this fifty lapper is a candidate for "Race of the Year!"

   With such an outstanding Late Model race and with the track still looking plenty racy, we eagerly anticipated more of the same from the stacked eighteen car Modified field. But for whatever reason, it simply did not happen. The twenty lap finale went caution free with minimal passing. In fact, the top four would finish exactly as they lined up, running in formation. In  the early laps Austen Becerra and Trevor Fitz staged a tight battle for second before Becerra finally broke free. Pole sitter Tripp Gaylord cruised to the win. First heat winner Cayden Carter raced home in fourth while heat two victor Dylan Thornton charged from row five early before settling in fifth. Dakota Simmons and Eric Barnes, topped John Oliver Jr., who raced in the top five early before dropping back. Chris Zogg and Logan Anderson rounded out the top ten. 

   Even with the rain delay, racing was completed by 10:30. Thanks to Brad, Jessi and the Lucas Oil crew for a great night of mid week action. And a special thanks from my group to Denny and Jason.

   Tonight we look forward to a special Friday night program at Quincy Raceways, then a regular night of action plus make up features Saturday back at 34 Raceway. 

    

    

Hall of Fame Night Highlights Quincy Raceways Action

     Sunday, July 6 was induction night for the 2025 class of the Quincy Raceways Hall of Fame. New inductees featured the late Brent Slocum, retired drivers Mike Dyche and Tony Dunker as well as former Bomber champion and current Sport Mod competitor Jim Gillenwater. In addition, long time sponsor and racing photographer the late Wayne Walbring and "man of many faces" Jeff Carter filled out the lineup. Special recognition also went out to Jeff Scott and the entire Scott Family who opened the famed facility in 1975 and promoted it through the glorious NASCAR Winston Racing Series era.  Fans also got the opportunity to meet several past inductees who came in support of the new class, as well as many family members and friends. In addition there were tables of memorabilia from the 50 years of Quincy Raceways. And oh yeah, there was even some racing going on!

A purse featuring $1,000 to win for Pro Late Models, DirtCar Modifieds, Sport Mods, Sport Compacts and Crown Vics. was on the line sponsored by Parrish Truck Lines. Street Stocks and a special appearance by the Vintage Cars filled out the racing card.

   Heavy rains overnight left the grounds wet, but the track crew stepped up to get everything ready. Also the racing surface was not in prime condition due to the precipitation, but the crew worked hard, regrooming the oval during the awards break at intermission.

   Eighty four teams signed in to do battle, with the IMCA Northern Sport Mods the first feature to hit the track. Tanner Klingele shot to the front early in the fifteen lapper, and soon it was a two car tussle between the yellow #73X and Reed Wolfmeyer #2W. The third and final yellow flag came with just two laps remaining and although Wolfmeyer made it interesting, a very excited Klingele drove off into victory lane. Logan Cumby raced home third in front of the battle scarred #00 of Kyler Girard. A.J. Tournear completed the top five. 

   The sixteen Vintage cars were split into a pair of twelve lap features. Seventy nine year old Allen Guthrie from Raymore, Mo. out dueled Steve Tanner, Richmond, Mo. to take feature one, while  Ronny Bunn, Nevada, Mo. ran off from the field in his Six Pack (the movie) #49 tribute ride in feature two. Fans also got to see another QR Hall of Famer, Terry Gallaher in action in his #0 Vintage machine.  

   A dozen DirtCar Pro Late Models checked in, but top competitors Jackson Frankel and Aiden Perry were no shows come feature time. First heat winner Denny Woodworth used his pole position starting spot to jump ahead, with third starting Austen Becerra soon nipping at his heels. The lone caution came with eleven of the twenty five laps scored when Becerra made contact with the turn four concrete, ending his run. Jamie Wilson had dropped out of his heat race and lined up at the tail of the feature, and after steadily moving up he vaulted to third on the restart behind Woodworth and fifth starting Jeffrey Delonjay. But there would be no catching Woodworth, as the Late Model Lawyer picked up another win. Following Delonjay and Wilson it was Darin Weisinger Jr., rookie Benet Duesterhaus, Jason Oenning, and Rickey Frankel III, the only cars still running at the checkers.  

   DirtCar UMP Modifieds would go at it for twenty laps, and for nineteen and a half it looked as though Dave Weitholder would score another win. The many time track champion maintained a steady pace out front through three caution periods before a final yellow came as the white flag appeared. This final restart was single file and Weitholder hit his marks well. But Justin Reed, who had chased the leader throughout, went for broke in turns three and four, and with the big crowd now on their collective feet, crossed the finish line inches ahead to steal the win. A trio of St. Louis area drivers, Rick Conoyer, Kenny Wallace and Drake Stevenson rounded out the top five. 

   Although the Modified finish would probably make the highlight reel, surprisingly the Street Stock main event may have been the race of the night. Surprisingly because only four cars were left to take the green flag, with the laps cut to a dozen. And only three laps in Eddie Dieker saw his night come to an end. One lap later, leader Rudy Zaragoza got crossed up exiting turn two, creating contact with the two remaining cars and eliminating Levi Long. So we were left with only Zaragoza and Jake Powers. But those final laps saw the pair racing side by side, never more than a car length apart, exchanging slide jobs with multiple lead changes. When the checkered flag waved, it was Zaragoza with the win. 

   All but one of the eleven DirtCar 4 Cylinder drivers took the feature green for fifteen laps. Following a mix up on the start, Michael Grossman charged to the front from outside row one, with Jaden Delonjay chasing in second. Following  another early caution Delonjay powered to the top spot exiting turn two on lap four. Jaden maintained his advantage until an apparent flat tire sent him into the turn four concrete just before the halfway mark. Grossman retook command, leading through a final caution with six laps to go. But one circuit later his night came to an abrupt halt. Jay Kunce, who calls Coosada, Alabama home, but races weekly in Quincy assumed the lead all the way to the big payday. The battered machine of Dyllan Bonk took the runner up honors ahead of Kimberly Abbott and Aden Watkins, as the only cars left standing. 

   Crown Vics would round out the night. With a top prize several times more than normal, this might have been expected to be a slam bang affair. Correct. I will confess to gathering up my stuff and heading to the car after about the third caution near the mid point of the fifteen laps. Apparently I missed some unnecessary on track drama! Hat tip to My Race Pass, which shows the win going to Jake Etter, followed by Brian Kaylor, Jacob Jones, Glen Wiley and Levi Brierton. 

   Besides being a small part of the Hall of Fame ceremonies, I was happy to have grandson Keagan and his lovely bride Megan join me in the grandstands. Even more special, it was the first race night for great grandson Chester, who just turned five years old last Tuesday. He was trooper who was still going strong as the clock moved past 9:30, so maybe (hopefully) I will have another generation of race fan to carry on!

  Among the many on hand, it was good to visit with Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt, as we plan to attend the Lucas Oil Late Model extravaganza this coming Thursday at their southeast Iowa showplace, 34 Raceway in West Burlington. Then it will be back to Quincy Raceways for a special Friday night, July 11 program featuring the Pro Late Models racing for a $1,000 to win. There are also special county fair racing events next weekend at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Ia. and Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo., so no excuses, get to the races!

    

"Turbo" Stays Hot at Spoon River

      After two weekends of family activities and unfortunate rain outs the last two Wednesdays, I eagerly planned to rejoin the UMP Summer National Late Models at Spoon River Speedway. The fast three eighths mile speed plant is nestled squarely in the middle of Nowhere, Illinois! The Wednesday night event would also be a stop on the Summit Racing Equipment Modified Tour, with three local classes, Pro Late Models, Compacts and B Mods filling out the card. While it looked like a lot for a week night, we were hoping the advertised early start time would still get everyone on the road at a decent hour. 

   Weather would not be a concern on this beautiful afternoon at the three eighths mile high banked speed plant. In fact, somewhat ominous looking clouds rolled through, giving us a nice breeze. Unfortunately, it was blowing the wrong direction and we were forced to eat a bit of dust.

   Hot laps began about 6:00, and with all five classes qualifying, the first heat race would roll out about 7:10. The "Pink Panther", Bob Gardner set quick time for the thirty Super Late Models with a lap of 13.242 seconds, a few ticks off the track record. Cole Falloway paced the nineteen Summit Modifieds while Brandon Sweitzer topped the eight Pro Lates. 

   All three eight lap Super heats were captured from the pole position, with Rodney Melvin, Gardner, and Tyler Erb taking wins. Allen Weisser and Falloway grabbed Modified heats from the pole, while Tyler Nicely took the middle qualifier from outside row one. Sweitzer went flag to flag in the Pro Late eight lapper. Fast qualifier Jeremy Hancock and Spencer Coats topped Compact heats, with the six car B Mod field racing a feature only after Jake Allen topped time trials. Mike Spatola was the Late Model Last Chance winner, and with four provisional starters selected, we were ready for feature racing. 

   By now the track was black slick, and we thought perhaps they would do a bit of manicuring of the surface during the break, but only watering and packing filled the down time. 

 As is standard procedure for the series, the thirty lap $5,000 to win headliner would roll off first.  Erb took off from the outside pole, dragging along Melvin, Gardner and Mark Whitener. He quickly put distance on the field with only Melvin staying close. The only yellow flag came with five laps scored when Dillon McCowan spun in turn two. Already the inside low line was the fast way around the track, and on the Delaware Style restart Gardner jumped to second as fifth running Tyler Millwood moved to fourth. With a burst of speed, Millwood charged to third on lap seven while Erb began to drive away from the pack. The leader caught the tail of the field about lap nineteen, and Gardner was able to make up ground fast. The bad news for Erb was that the cars directly in front were running his line, the good news they were nearly as fast as the front runners. So he wisely stayed in the inside groove all the way to the checkers with Gardner never getting close enough for a serious challenge. Millwood filled out the podium ahead of Melvin and Whitener. Weekly points leader Jason Feger was sixth in front of Haiden Cowan, Shannon Babb, Christian Hanger and Carson Brown. Twenty of the twenty two starters took the checkered flag. 

   With the television interview finished, all nineteen Modifieds came out for twenty five laps and a $1,500 payday. Nicely had drawn the pole position, and he shot to the front ahead of Falloway and row two starters Weisser and Josh Allen. Much like the Super Lates, the top two pulled away from the field as the cars lined up mostly single file on the bottom. Nicely dispatched the first slower car at lap nine, but as the race hit the half way mark he was facing a gaggle of cars in his groove. But before it became an issue, the caution flag waved for a spin by Ethan Boomsma. With the field finally reset, Zach Brandt brought out the second and final yellow before another lap was scored. Perhaps recognizing the disadvantage of the outside line, this restart was lined up single file. Once again Nicely and Falloway drove off all the way to the checkers, with Tyler crossing just a couple car lengths in front. Weisser, Allen and Mike McKinney came next, with all five finishing where they started. Michael Ledford, Mike Chasteen Jr., Ray Bollinger, Dave Weitholder and Mike Brooks completed the top ten. Only Daniel Adam and Mark Burgtorf failed to finish the twenty five circuits.

   After waiting patiently for their chance, the B Mods now lined up for fifteen laps. Jake Allen grabbed the early lead with Brent Weaver close behind. the lone caution came with seven laps down, and sure enoughBlake Monroe used the Delaware restart to charge to the runner up spot. But there would be no catching Allen, who cruised to the win. Monroe, Weaver, Dakota Traver and Steve David would follow, with the 6 Pack of T. J. Bolen rounding out the field.  

   Seven of the eight Pro Lates on the line up board came track side for twenty laps. Sweitzer got the jump on Dakota Ewing, and along with Tommy Elston we soon had a three car battle. While holding his lead, Sweitzer was also having trouble keeping his car in the bottom groove, and Ewing took several looks inside. But at about the mid point of the caution free race, he pushed too hard in turn four, went up the track and fell back to fourth, eventually dropping out of the event. Elston was there to power to second, but he was unable to overtake Sweitzer. Jeff Dotzert won a tight battle with Jason Oenning for third followed by Michael Maestas.

   With a two hour plus trip home and our driver working Thursday, we headed for the gate ahead of the Compact finale, which was captured by Hancock, topping Matthew Mackey Jr., Nick Johnson, Ryan Harbaugh and Barandon Cornwell. 

   Thanks to the promoters as well as the folks at UMP for a fun week night adventure.

   Yours truly will be celebrating TWO family gatherings on Saturday, so slipping away for the free admission, increased purse event at 34 Raceway may not happen, but it should be a great night of racing! Then on Sunday it is back to Quincy Raceways where there will also be extra money on the line plus the 2025 Hall of Fame inductions at intermission will make for a special night. And next Thursday it is Lucas Oil Late Models making their yearly visit to 34 Raceway. Let's go racing!