Woodworth, Cumby, Rexing, Kaylor, and a Pair of Reeds Tops at Quincy

    Although the points chase is over at Quincy Raceways, the season is far from done. The regular six classes were in action to wrap up the month of August in a season where rain outs claimed a large number of events. As expected, the turn out in a couple of classes was a bit light, with a couple of special events in the area along with several drivers competing in the IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Iowa. Still sixty cars came through the pit gate and there was a nice sized holiday weekend crowd on hand. As an added bonus, mechanics races were held at the conclusion of the regular program. 

    Tommy Elston in the UMP ProCrate Late Models and Kenny Wallace in the UMP Dirtcar Modifieds set quick times in their classes followed by a quick round of heat race action. A quick intermission led us into feature racing.

     Late Models were up first with heat winners Elston and Denny Woodworth filling out row one in the thirteen car, twenty five lap event. Track champ Woodworth shot to the lead followed by Elston and Jamie Wilson. The race was plagued by five yellow flags, but each time Woodworth would drive away from the pack. Wilson moved to second following a lap six restart while first time visitor Kade Ballinger charged from row four into the top five using the high side of the track. Following a restart with ten laps to go, contact from Ballinger sent fourth running Jason Oenning for a spin, bringing another caution with both drivers restarting at the back of the field. Those two would get together once more with six laps remaining. One final yellow flag slowed the action, but Woodworth remained in command, picking up a dominant win. Wilson and Elston followed ahead of a fierce battle for the next three positions. Robby Warner topped that tussle, with Jeffrey Delonjay completing the top five. The Frankels, Jackson and Rickey III came next, with Spencer Havermale the last car still running. Oenning and Ballinger were credited with ninth and tenth. 

   Wallace and Justin Reed were heat race winners and row one starters in the Modified twenty lapper. Wallace would lead laps one and three, with Reed out front on laps two and four. From that point on the race belonged to Reed. Seven times the yellow flag would wave with a lap eight restart bunching the field and eliminating third running Rick Stevenson. A final single file restart saw Reed once again pull away from the pack to make him two for two in feature wins in his new to him #B4. Wallace would run second throughout, with Mike Vanderiet Jr. coming on late to grab third, nosing out Shawn Deering. Making his first visit of 2025, Bill Roberts Jr. rounded out the top five. 

   Dirtcar 4 Cylinders was one of the short classes, with only seven checked in. Heat winner Dustin Forbes paced the race through a lone yellow flag with ten laps scored. One lap later Cole Reed pulled a dandy move to jump from third to first as he ran in tight formation with Forbes and Ethan Zumwalt. Reed then stretched his lead before Forbes changed lanes and made a late bid for the lead that fell short at the line. Zumwalt settled for third ahead of Devin Harrell and Zachary Pappas. 

   
   IMCA Sport Mods came to the track, eleven strong for fifteen laps. Heat two winner Tanner Klingele charged to the front with Reed Wolfmeyer in pursuit. As Klingele opened a nice lead, Wolfmeyer also separated from the pack. Following a lone caution with six in the books, sixth starting Logan Cumby made it a three car scrum. Cumby managed to clear Wolfmeyer, then just three laps from payday, he drove low around Klingele for the lead. At the checkers it was Cumby, Klingele and Wolfmeyer ahead of a couple of visitors, heat one winner Sean Wyett and Kevin Goben. 

   As far as I know, there were no Crown Vic races anywhere around, so I have no idea why only four came to the track, but there you go! They were granted a twelve lap feature, with Brian Kaylor jumping out to a big lead. Three laps in, however, Jacob Jones had run him down and powered to the front. The yellow flag came at the half way mark, and when racing resumed Jones suddenly slowed on the backstretch, ducking to the pits, his run over. Kaylor and Matt Little then battled until Little tried a bit to hard out of turn four, spinning with three laps to go. He would recover to move back to second, but it was Kaylor with his first win in the Crown Vic division. Kalee Foster would finish in third.  

   A dozen Street Stocks would wrap up the regular action, racing for fifteen circuits. Per My Race Pass, it was Jeremy Nichols wheeling the #67R normally driven by Rudy Zaragoza. But  my announcer friend Doug Mealy gave driver credit to Zaragoza, so...At any rate, #67R grabbed the lead from the outside pole with Eddie Dieker hot on his heels and Jacob Rexing in third. Rexing powered to second on lap three ahead of a pair of yellows on the next two scored laps. Finally, with six laps remaining Rexing charged to the top spot, holding off 67R for I believe his seventh win of the season in the Street Stocks. Jake Powers battled hard with Nick Justice to claim third while Brayden Beiler made the long haul from Blue Mound, Illinois and put on a wall banging show before settling for fifth.   

   With the regular part of the show wrapping up about 9:00, I decided to pass on the specialty races and head for home. Racing is scheduled to continue next week at Quincy Raceways, and in two weeks the MARS Late Models will make a second visit to the speedway. 

   With a short turnaround, the plan is to be at Boone Speedway tomorrow for the opening night of the Super Nationals featuring IMCA Late Models, Sport Mods, and Hobby Stocks. It is fall specials time, so pick your favorites, and enjoy! 

    

Lots of Action at Night One of the Yankee Dirt Track Classic

    It has been a few seasons since my last visit to 300 Raceway in Farley, but I hold fond memories of the Yankee Dirt Track Classic at this track and going back to the birth of the event at Hawkeye Downs some 48 years ago. So when Jeff offered a ride for opening night, it was an easy decision. Five IMCA divisions as well as Crown Vics would be in action on Thursday with generous payouts including $2,000 for Stock Cars.

   The program started on time, with hot laps at 6:30 and the first heat hitting the track about 7:03. Unfortunately the steady pace could not be maintained throughout the night, beginning with the rather curious scheduling of three heat races for the sixteen Sport Mods signed in. Still the seventeen heat races, a brief hot lap session for the Sport Compacts which will race in night two, and a B main for the thirty two strong Stock Car class ran off in decent time considering several yellow flag slowdowns on the very fast three eighths mile oval. 

   Intermission became a bit of a drawn out affair with an unusual amount of track rework for( I believe) a Ricky and Dr. Al prepared track. Of course I am sure that the lack of races at the facility made it a bit tricky to find the best combination! 

   Finally it was feature time, with the IMCA Northern Sport Mods up first. All but one of the sixteen lined up for fifteen laps. Cole Stichter would jump to the lead from outside row one, taking along pole sitter Tyler Maschmann. On lap four Maschmann tagged the treacherous turn three wall, which would jump up and bite more than a few cars during the night. Levi Heath would take up the chase next, but nine laps in eighth starting Jason Roth had worked his way forward to clear Heath for second. Following a quick caution, Heath and Roth would battle side by side behind the leader. Roth was finally able to clear Heath, and on the backstretch of the final circuit he drove around Stichter, holding on for the win. Stichter led fourteen and one half laps before settling for second. Josh Starr ran third ahead of Rusty DeShaw, while Maschmann came back from the tail to finish fifth. 

   With the IMCA Stock Car field whittled to twenty four, they came to the track for twenty laps. After a delay at the start, Curt Lund assumed the lead from the third starting spot. Four times the yellow flag would fly, and each time the Redwood Falls, Minnesota driver would pull away to a commanding lead. Tom Schmitt and Kodey Miles waged a back and forth duel for the runner up spot throughout. Pulaski, Wisconsin racer Devin Snellenberger was charging through the field in his plain black #21X, coming from row seven before he went up in smoke late, ending his top five challenge. Lund cruised to the win over Schmitt. Johnny Spaw made a late move to slip around Miles for third, and eleventh starting Gage Neal also made a late charge to complete the top five. 

   Twenty eight IMCA Hobby Stocks contested three heat races with all but two still around for their fifteen lap feature. Another Wisconsin wheel man, Blaise Watters was the early leader ahead of a lap four yellow. Another quick caution followed and on that restart a car clipped the tractor tire in turn four. Trailing behind, Corey Cullen drove over the tire, vaulting him in the air and into a series of at least four barrel rolls. He was a bit shaken, but apparently not seriously injured. Back under green, ninth starting Nathan Ballard had been moving quickly through the field, and he now challenged Watters for the lead. With just three circuits remaining, Ballard executed a successful slide job in turns one and two to grab the lead. Then Watters became the latest victim of that pesky turn three wall, ending his good run. Ballard would survive yet one more stoppage, driving off to a convincing win. Jordon Miles advanced fourteen positions to finish behind Ballard, followed by Carsen Udelhofen and Wisconsin drivers Jimmy Doescher and Mark Neis, who both gained nine spots. Only a dozen cars took the checkered flag. 

   The IMCA Modified count was nineteen, with seventeen left at feature time. With just one of twenty laps scored the first yellow came, and during the reset pole sitter Jed Freiburger ducked to the infield to change a flat. Jeff Larson raced to the front from row two, with National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Jeff Aikey in pursuit. Ethan Braaksma was wheeling the #12TC this night, and by lap five he had come from row four to battle Aikey for second. The top three pulled ahead, and at the half way mark, Braaksma powered to the front. As Ethan stretched his advantage, Tim Ward joined the leaders in the Eckrich Racing #151. Twice the caution flag would fly in the second half of the race, but it was only a momentary setback for Braaksma, who scored the victory. Ward hustled to take runner up honors with Larson in third. Veteran Kelly Shryock moved up ten spots to outgun sixteen year old Jace Eckrich to round out the top five. 

   Not to disparage the fledgling class, but a collective groan went through the hearty crowd as the Crown Vics came to the track while the IMCA Late Models lined up in staging. Fifteen of the solid sixteen car turnout raced for a dozen laps, not counting those under caution. Wisconsin drivers continued to show their strength as Brandon Riedner came from row three to grab the win. Travis Nesteby, and Jacob Welter followed. Fourth went to the 80085 car of last starting Jon Merfeld, with Rob Culbertson in fifth. 

   And lastly it was twenty trips around for all but one of the twenty two IMCA Late Models. It was an early ending for Dustin Smith who was a no show following hot laps. Eric Pollard took off from the pole with his row one mate Curtis Glover in tow. Seventh starting Late Model rookie Logan Veloz showed strength early, wheeling his pink #43LV to fourth ahead of a lap ten caution. Possible contact between Brandon Hamburg and Dave Wadsager sent Wadsager hard into the infield concrete barriers, ending the night for both drivers. Back to racing Veloz charged to third while Matt Ryan moved to fourth. Pollard appeared to be in control as Veloz and Ryan both gained one more spot on laps thirteen and fourteen. With just five circuits left Veloz seemed to be closing on Pollard, but the leader appeared to have a little extra power, as he crossed the line by a comfortable margin. Glover chased Veloz and Ryan in fourth while Nebraska hot shoe Robbie Jorgensen scored a top five run. Jesse Bodin paced the second five in front of Zach Zeitner, twentieth starting Cody Thompson, Joel Callahan and Ryan Hill. 

   It was an entertaining night with an interesting mix of drivers from as far away as Wyoming. However the final checkers flying about 11:30 made for a challenging drive home! Racing will resume tonight with more money on the line at the 48th annual Yankee Dirt Track Classic. 

   Edit: Night two has been cancelled due to weather.

 

Quincy Raceways Crowns Season Champs

    In a season ravaged by numerous rain outs, Quincy Raceways arrived at championship night under perfect conditions. Bright sunshine gave way to cool temps and a large crowd turned out for close, competitive racing with bragging rights on the line. Also an on track "meet and greet" at intermission was an added bonus. 

   A couple of late arrivals swelled the car count to seventy eight for the six division program, with double digit counts in all classes.  

   Time trial qualifying set heat race lineups for the UMP Pro Crate and Modified cars, topped by Tommy Elston in the Lates at 14.585 and Mods by Kenny Wallace at 14.694. It was a rough start to the night for a couple of  track regulars. Joey Gower appeared to lose an engine in his Modified, and in the Late Model class, number two points driver Jackson Frankel suffered a night long DQ following hot laps due to a reported technical issue under the hood. Sam Halstead then graciously loaned his ride to Frankel for the evening.

   A dozen heat races set the feature fields with much on the line. 

   Twelve IMCA Sport Mods were able to take the feature green for fifteen laps. First heat winner A. J. Tournear took off from the pole position with third starting Kyler Girard in pursuit. Heat two winner Logan Cumby soon joined them in a three car breakaway despite a dangling spoiler as he bounced off the concrete barricades. The race stayed clean and green until after the white flag waved, followed by a quick yellow. But the one lap shootout would not change the order, as Tournear hung on for a flag to flag win, his first of 2025. Girard held off Cumby for second, followed by Tanner Klingele and Reed Wolfmeyer. It was announced that there was a tie atop the points chart with the winner to be determined by feature wins, and as of this writing I have not heard the outcome.  Edit: Kyler Girard captured the points title.

   Next up it was Street Stock time, with only nine of the eleven cars lining up for fifteen circuits. Following a yellow flag on the initial start, Rudy Zaragoza took off ahead of Jacob Rexing. As lap three was scored Rexing was out front and as visiting Nick Justice moved to second Rexing had opened a commanding lead. Another caution would come with six laps to go, but it was just a minor disturbance for Rexing, who cruised to the win. Justice came home second ahead of points champion Jake Powers, Eddie Dieker and Zaragoza.  

   A dozen Modifieds came to the track for twenty laps. After a major crash last race night Justin Reed was driving what I assume was a new to him #B4, and he powered quickly to the lead from outside row one. After a lap one caution, Reed took off, pounding the cushion in turns one and two while dipping to the low line at the other end of the .29 mile oval. As he lengthened his lead, Dave Weitholder slipped around Wallace in a spirited battle for second. The yellow flag would wave a final time with four circuits remaining, But Reed was too strong, capturing both the feature win and the track title. Weitholder, Wallace and Chase Holland came next, with Rick Conoyer nipping double duty Rexing for fifth. 

   A nice field of fifteen Late Models checked in with fourteen starting the twenty five lap money race including Jackson Frankel in the #84. The yellow flag would fly on the start as Frankie Wellman and Frankel got together on the front stretch. As the field lined back up, Darin Weisinger Jr. ducked to the infield, his run over without a lap scored. Pole sitter Elston jumped out front with third starting Denny Woodworth in pursuit. Three laps in the caution came as Benet Duesterhaus rolled to a stop. Back to racing Elston catfished around the bottom of the track, widening his lead. With a dozen laps counted, the yellow waved as cars spun at each end of the track. This proved to be dramatic, as back to racing, visiting Dakota Ewing, who had been hanging around behind the leaders suddenly powered past both Woodworth and Elston in turns three and four. Woodworth was also able to clear Elston, but once out front Ewing drove away to a full straightaway advantage. With no more stops, Ewing sailed to the victory. Elston slipped around Woodworth at the checkers for second, while Jamie Wilson and Wellman completed the top five. Rickey Frankel III, Jeffrey Delonjay, Jason Oenning, Robby Warner and Jackson Frankel would round out the top ten. Woodworth, who leads the UMP Pro Crate national point chase picked up the track title for 2025.  

   All but one of the fourteen Dirtcar 4 Cylinders lined up for fifteen laps. Points leader and eventual champion Jay Kunce sat on row one with another visitor, Cole Reed. As Kunce slipped back on the start, Reed charged ahead with Matthew Mackey close behind. Joined by Matt Mackey, an entertaining three car battle ensued. The race stayed green, and with just two laps remaining, Matthew drove low around the leader. But the yellow would fly before the lap was counted, putting Reed back out front. Reed then held off the Mackeys for the win, with Matthew second and Matt in third. Kunce crossed the line fourth while Devin Harrell rounded out the top five. 

   Twelve laps of Crown Vic racing would cap off the night. Eight of the ten cars signed in did battle, with Jake Etter leading from flag to flag for the win and the track championship.Alex Hatfield took runner up honors over Trevor Hagerbaumer, Brian Kaylor and Isaac Little.  

   Thanks as always to Jeff, Renee and their crew for their hospitality. Although point titles are settled, Sunday night racing will continue, so check the track website and Facebook for more info. 

    

    

An Action Packed Championship Night at 34 Raceway

    Saturday night was season championship night at 34 Raceway west of West Burlington, Iowa. Seven classes filled out the card, with 96 race teams signed in on a beautiful, much cooler August evening. It was also Fan Appreciation Night, with 5:00 adult admission, and an on track "meet and great" with drivers and their cars during intermission. Also, seven track championships would be determined in what unfortunately became a bit of a marathon night before a nice sized crowd.

   Normally I would run down the feature events in order, but this time we will begin with the final event, which was the IMCA Late Model finale. All sixteen cars took the green flag on a still very racy track for what we expected would hopefully be a quick, smooth twenty five laps. Nope. I do have about a half page of notes from the race, but perhaps it is best left to various social media sites to describe the happenings as I imagine there are plenty of differing opinions. Let's just say lap one was led by outside pole sitter Jeremy Pundt, who was overtaken on lap four by third starting Jesse Bodin. Only a lap two spin by Gary Webb had slowed the action until fifteen laps in when an altercation sent Bodin into the turn three wall resulting in Logan Veloz assuming the lead only after Bodin indicated his unhappiness before retiring to the pits. After realignment the green flag waved only to have turn three contact between Dustin Smith and Veloz sending Veloz towards the wall with several others caught up in the red flag melee creating significant body damage. Another lengthy delay came and after some discussion Veloz roared off to the work area, returning to tag the rear of the now eleven car field along with Smith. Pundt would now lead the restart, but his #52J resembled a demo derby card in the back end, and it seemed likely the handling on his ride would be minimal. However as the final ten laps thankfully clicked off caution free, Pundt continued to pace the field despite heavy pressure from Jay Johnson. Meanwhile Veloz was on a mission, quickly charging to third, although still a considerable distance behind the top two. As the laps wound down he closed the gap, challenging Johnson for second as the checkers finally came. Pundt would collect his second win of the season, with Johnson edging Veloz for second. Smith also roared from the tail to fourth ahead of Tommy Elston in the #7B. Curtis Glover would collect enough points in sixth to claim the track championship while Ray Raker, Ron Boyse, Michael Leal, Kyle Hollenbeck and Scott Strauss rounded out the field.

   The opening feature of the night was for the IMCA Sport Mods. Fifteen cars competed for sixteen laps. Things got off to a rough start when a spin at the front of the field stacked up a group of five cars. On the restart Kyler Girard paced the pack in front of Dylan VanWyk. VanWyk moved to the front but a lap two caution, allowed Girard to retain the top spot. Back under green that duo continued to battle with Girard high on the track and VanWyk working down low. They then swapped the lead back and forth with VanWyk taking command for good on lap ten. Dylan slowly pulled away to claim both the feature and the championship trophy. Girard finished second chased by Sean Wyett, Logan Cumby and Dustin Griffiths. 

   The Sport Compacts turned out a short field of seven cars, and their feature was shortened to ten laps. Tim Schnathorst lined up on the pole position and led the distance mostly unchallenged. Points champion Barry Taft and Darin Smith waged an entertaining battle for second with Taft eventually taking the spot. Smith was followed by Blaine Lambert and Brian Wendel. 

   Outside pole sitter Trenton Witt paced the thirteen cars remaining for the IMCA Stock Car twenty lapper. Fourth starting double duty Griffiths moved up to challenge in the early laps. Meanwhile track champion John Oliver Jr. quickly came from row four, running the inside line to third on lap six. Racing well behind the leaders, he then climbed to the high groove and set sail towards the front. As Griffiths tried to dive underneath Witt in each turn, Oliver quickly erased his deficit. With just three circuits remaining in the non stop event, Oliver had caught the top two, driving to the runner up spot. On the final lap the top three raced in close formation with Griffiths taking one final shot in the low line. But Witt held on for the flag to flag win while Oliver Jr. crossed the line in second, edging Griffiths. Corey Strothman, who would also compete in a Modified,  and Jared Miller completed the top five. 

   The 305 Sprints were also a bit short, with ten cars signed in and they would run fifteen laps. A spin in turn two on the opening circuit involved multiple cars and jumbled the field for the restart. Nate Parks grabbed the point on that restart with track champ Tanner Gebhardt in pursuit. Twice more the yellow flag would fly, and each time the front pair would drive away, running precariously close to the concrete wall in turns three and four. Methodically Parks was able to increase his lead over the final seven circuits as he cruised to the win over Gebhardt. Veteran Ryan Jamison filled out the podium with Cole Helmerson and Riley Scott also recording top fives.  

   Somewhat surprisingly, the largest car count of the night belonged to the IMCA Modifieds with a field of eighteen. Only Danny Brau, who appeared to lose an engine in his heat, failed to start the twenty lap shootout. As Logan Anderson took off from outside row one, third starting Blaise Lewis brought out the caution, sending him to the tail for the original restart. Dennis Laveine shadowed Anderson early, but on lap four he was headed for the concrete barrier bordering pit road and was forced out of the gas, losing several positions. As the laps clicked off, Anderson opened a huge lead. But with eight in the books, Laveine found himself in a similar spot, this time stopping, drawing a caution, and heading to the tail of the pack. Twice more the caution would come, and each time the #53 would drive away from the field. The final stoppage came with five laps to go, but there was no issue for Anderson, as he picked up the win. Points champ double duty Chris Zogg advanced four positions to take runner up honors while yet another two class competitor, Oliver Jr.moved up five slots to third. Bill Roberts Jr. raced the distance in the top five to grab fourth, and with a bit of help from the cautions, Laveine and Lewis fought back to fifth and sixth. 

   Darin Ronner entered the Mini Hauler finale the leader in a tight points battle. As the green flag waved over the sixteen truck, twelve lap feature, Ronner suddenly ducked to the infield before trying to reenter the track in turn two. As most of those gathered focused on his issues, the red light came on as action in turn four found the #89L machine of Payton Lain upside down. Although he was apparently uninjured, it took considerable time for his truck to be uprighted and hauled away while track crews spread fresh dirt over the fluid leakage from the accident. Ronner was still on the track, but when the green flag waved for the restart he drove to the pits, spoiling his championship chase. Colton Meeker led lap one, but it was Caleb Ealey putting his #4 in front on the second circuit. As Ealey drove away, four trucks battled side by side and nose to tail well behind the front runner. Caution flags bunched the field at laps seven and eight, with the final one followed by a single file restart. The delays only postponed the inevitable, as Ealey raced home with both the feature win and the track title. Sheldon Brockett won the race for runner up honors, topping Meeker and Dawson Tipps. Brett Timmerman made a late pit stop, then charged from the tail to fifth at the checkers.

   It was a long night of racing that was both interesting and entertaining. Thanks to Brad, Jessi, and their team for their year long hospitality. 34 Raceway has two more events on the schedule, the next being a visit next Friday by the always exciting 410 Sprint Cars. 

   Tonight we will try it again at Quincy Raceways, hopefully the rain clouds will finally stay away!

   On a personal note, this week I lost a good friend well known to the Tri State racing community. Larry Larson was in victory lane many times at tracks in Keokuk, Iowa, Memphis, Mo., and Quincy,Il. I was honored to be a small part of that team for a few special seasons. Race on, #67. 

    

Lee County Crowns Champs, Elston Tops Drive For Five

    After yet another rain out, Saturday was season championship night at Lee County Speedway. Although the points chase is wrapping up early, there are still several more races scheduled, culminating with the highly popular Shiverfest near the end of October. All six regular regular divisions were in action on this very warm summer evening. The Late Model championship was rolled into the Drive for Five 50 lap finale. In a somewhat complicated scenario, the points season wrapped up as the checkered flag signaled the end of the first twenty five lap segment of the feature.Then another twenty five laps would determine the Drive for Five champion. Got it?

   Just five drivers had enough nights to qualify for the top prize of $5,000 for the Late Model headliner, Darin Weisinger Jr., Jason Oenning, Tommy Elston, Jackson Frankel and Spencer Havermale. If none of those five took the checkers, the payoff would still be a tidy $2,000.

   For the championship, Weisinger Jr. had already claimed his first Late Model track title come feature time. 

   Although the Late Model headliner ran last, we will talk about it first. Thirteen cars signed in, unfortunately Havermale was a no show after breaking in his heat race. Elston and Weisinger lined up in row one, with Tommy jumping quickly to the lead. The only caution of the race came with one lap in the books as Kruze Miles looped his ride and kicked a ute tire onto the surface. Back to racing Elston opened a bit of a lead while Denny Woodworth and Weisinger Jr. also ran unchallenged in pursuit. Austen Becerra worked through the field, clearing Weisinger on lap sixteen. The high temperatures were likely the cause of the heavy attrition, and as the stoppage came at lap twenty five only seven cars remained on the track. Following a fifteen minute break for minor adjustments Rickey Frankel III retired, leaving just six drivers for the final segment. Back under green Elston hugged the inside line while Woodworth challenged briefly working a higher line, but #54 was the class of the field on this night. With ten circuits remaining Becerra moved to the rear bumper of Woodworth, taking the runner up position two laps later. With just a pair of laps to go Becerra was ready to make a move for the lead, but Elston held on to claim the $5,000 prize. Becerra finished second ahead of Woodworth. Jason Oenning won a spirited second half battle with Weisinger for fourth and Frankie Wellman rounded out the pack in sixth. Frankel III, Tanner Klingele in his Late Model debut, Benet Duesterhaus, and Kruze Miles completed the top ten.

   The first feature of the night was fifteen Sport Mods for fifteen laps. Tyler Heckart paced the first two laps with Kyler Girard pulling even as lap three was scored. Moving to the lead, third starting Girard pulled away ahead of a lap five caution. Back under green, Brandon Dale used the Delaware Style restart to power to second followed by Logan Cumby and Dakota Girard as Heckart faded to fifth. Cumby was able to use a low side move to second on lap ten, then began to narrow the gap to the leader. The yellow flag waved again with four to go, and Cumby resumed working hard to try and overtake Girard. Just as the white flag was displayed, the yellow light came on for a final time, setting up a green, white, checkers shootout. Kyler got a solid restart and cruised to the win, while Dale was able to clear Cumby on the closing lap for second. Dakota Girard started and finished fourth, while Cole Gillenwater gained three positions in fifth. Cumby was the points champion.

   All sixteen Stock Cars made the call for twenty laps. Derrick Agee took off from outside row one followed closely by David McCalla. Three laps in McCalla lost the handle in turn two, stacking up several cars and eliminating Austin O'Donnell. Agee paced the restart while Matt Picray and Jason See battled for second before See suddenly ducked to the infield. Johnny Spaw then took up the chase in second, although by this time Agee had opened a huge advantage. Kirk Kinsley had lined up in row four, and he jumped to third on lap seven. With no further cautions, Agee cruised to the win, with Johnny Spaw and Kinsley next in line. Picray topped a tight battle for fourth over Bronson Spaw, a rebounding McCalla and Jathan Fuller. Kevin Koontz finished eighth, good enough for the track title. 

   Sport Compacts were the lightest of the eighty three entries, with only nine cars on hand. Their fifteen laps went non stop, with Brandon Reu leading the distance. While Reu drove away, Kimberly Abbott, Michael Grossman and David Prim waged an entertaining battle for positions two through four. Grossman took control of the runner up spot at the half way mark, but Abbott fought back to claim second at the checkers. Prim rolled home fourth with Brandon Koch nosing out Katelynn Watts for fifth.  Reu won yet another track championship. 

   The Hobby Stock Title was on the line, with Jeremy Dooley leading Austin Stalder  by a single point come race time. But it was outside row one starter Tucker Richardson in control after an early three wide tussle with Harley Hill and Tom Killen Jr. Eventually it was Richardson and Killen driving away in a two car contest. Again the fifteen laps went non stop with Richardson claiming a narrow victory over Killen Jr. Stalder outran Dooley for third and Kyler Burmeister completed the top five. By virtue of their finish, Stalder and Dolley were declared co champions. 

   The outcome of the Modified title seemed in little doubt, although a late race event might have altered the order. Again sixteen cars lined up for twenty laps. Kurt Kile charged ahead from the pole, with Jared Eckrich in pursuit. By the third trip past the flag stand fifth starting Austen Becerra had powered to second, and two more laps were scored when he crossed the line side by side with Kile for the lead. Lap six saw the double duty Becerra in command. As he increased his advantage over Kile, a tight three car battle developed behind them between Jared and Jace Eckrich and Jaden Fuller. With just four laps remaining, the presumptive track champion, Jace Eckrich got crossed up exiting turn two and was briefly pointed towards the infield. Fortunately the rookie diver was able to "right the ship," only losing two spots as opposed to a potentially disastrous trip to the tail of the field. Owing to the tremendously good condition of the three eighths mile oval, this was yet another non stop feature. Becerra cruised to the win followed by Kile, Jared and Jace and Fuller. As mentioned Jace Eckrich drove the Flyin' 50 to the track title. 

   The final checkers waved about 10:30 with a twenty minute fireworks show following. Lee County will be in action next Friday night with the rained out Lee County Fair Sprint Invader contest on tap followed by a Night of Mayhem on Saturday. Check the track website for details.  

   Quincy Raceways will be in action tonight, Sunday August 17, however hot laps have been pushed back to 7:00 P.M. in an effort to counteract the heat. Hope to see you there! 

A Night of Mayhem at Quincy Raceways

    For the first time in nearly a month, Quincy Raceways came alive on Sunday night. For the rescheduling of the rained out Quincy Auto Supply event, a huge crowd turned out on a beautiful fall like evening. In addition, a nice field of seventy one race teams signed in to do battle. The track was ready to go in near perfect condition, with hot laps/qualifying kicking off right the 5;30 advertised time. 

   The racing took an interesting turn early when UMP Pro Crate Late Model National points leader Denny Woodworth could not keep his car running to record a qualifying time trial, which would relegate him to the back of his heat race. Meanwhile, it was Jamie Wilson topping the fourteen car field with a lap of 14.436 seconds, while Success, Mississippi hot shoe Chase Holland bested a dozen UMP Modifieds at 14.518 seconds.First time visitor Tyler Brown smacked the wall in his sharp looking #2 Modified, bringing his night to an early end. 

   Ten heat races clicked off quickly, and following a timely intermission we seemed on track for a quick program. And then... 

   Crown Vics were up first in the feature order, eleven strong for a dozen laps. Dakota Damron would lead the first half of the race, surviving one yellow flag before Jacob Jones moved to the front on lap six. Just as Jones took over, a second and final yellow came when rim riding Braxton Dieker smacked the turn three concrete, ripping off a wheel and also putting a hole in his radiator. Following a rather lengthy delay for clean up, tenth starting Jake Etter came roaring through the pack, taking over the runner up position on lap nine. That was as far as the track points leader could go, as Jones drove on for the win. Damron, Alex Hatfield and Isaac Little also collected top fives.

   Nine of the eleven DirtCar 4 Cylinders were able to line up for fifteen laps. This race ran non stop, with third starting Spencer Coats leading from start to finish. Jay Kunce chased the #7C after moving to second on lap three, but was unable to mount a serious challenge. Matthew Mackey and Dyllan Bonk came next. Landon Neisen was a late arrival after competing in the $100,000 to win event at Kokomo, Indiana, and he rolled home in fifth. 

   The program was still moving along rather quickly as the Late Models came to the track. Darin Weisinger Jr. paced lap one before his front row mate Jamie Wilson edged ahead on lap two ahead of a yellow flag for Frankie Wellman. Jason Oenning took advantage of the Delaware Style restart to drive to second, and another caution came with four scored for Rickey Frankel III. With his issues fixed, sixth starting Woodworth was on the move, powering to third on lap six. A third stoppage came at lap nine for a slowing Bill Berghaus, and on the restart disaster struck! Second generation rookie Aiden Perry may have contacted the concrete in turn two, vaulting high in the air, clearing the wall and landing on the pit road gravel. All I saw was the car high above the wall as he then disappeared from sight. After a while it was determined that Perry would not need the quickly on the scene EMT's. Unfortunately, the Kryptonite #27 was not as fortunate as the driver. Following cleanup Woodworth outran teammate Oenning from the Delaware start to take over second. Three more times the yellow flag would fly before staying green for the final five circuits. Woodworth would make several attempts at Wilson, and as they came to the white flag Denny made the winning pass. It would be the second victory in two nights for the Late Model Lawyer. Wilson would settle for second. Oenning, Christian Miles, Jackson Frankel, Weisinger Jr. and Kruze Miles would survive the carnage, while Spencer Havermale, Ryan Aden Jr. and Jeffery Delonjay would be credited with top tens. 

   As it turned out, I would have plenty of time to check on the Perry team during the Modified twenty lapper. First heat winner Dave Weitholder jumped to the early lead ahead of Holland, with the first caution two laps in. Back to racing, double duty Jacob Rexing charged from third to the lead before Weitholder regained the position ahead of a lap three stoppage. The green flag again waved, and exiting turn two Weitholder suddenly appeared to lose power, creating a pile up of epic proportions. In total five cars were eliminated, with Justin Reed perhaps receiving the worst damage. The #B4 was hit multiple times while sideways and knocked perpendicular to the track, nearly going upside down. As might be expected the clean up was quite a lengthy one, although again thankfully the medical team was not needed. Only five cars remained when racing resumed, with the yellow flag waving one more time. Rexing was now the leader as Holland stayed in his shadow. Finally with three laps to go Holland used a diamond move off turn and gained enough momentum to drive past Rexing for the lead and the win. Shawn Deering and Michael Vanderiet Jr. were the only other survivors, with rookie Jonoth Nelson credited with fifth. 

   Only six cars started the Street Stock fifteen lap feature, and order was restored for a bit as this race went non stop. Levi Long set the early pace while Rexing moved past Chris Spalding for second on lap four. On the next trip around Rexing moved to the front as Long, Spalding and Jake Powers ran side by side and nose to tail for second. Rexing would pull well ahead, cruising to the win. Long made a white flag pass of Powers for second, as only those three remained at the checkers. Spalding and Rudy Zaragoza received credit for fourth and fifth. 

   B Mods had the top car count at sixteen, and they all came to the track for twenty laps. Tanner Klingele led A. J. Tournear early, with Reed Wolfmeyer using a Delaware restart to power to second.  The lead duo raced in tight formation before Klingele finally managed to break away. But as the race stayed green, Tanner caught slower traffic near the mid point allowing Wolfmeyer to close the gap. With just three laps remaining Klingele was caught behind a slower car while Reed was able to thread the needle to take over the lead. The yellow flag then waved and it was determined that Wolfmeyer was in fact the leader. The final restart was single file, and Wolfmeyer drove home to the win. Klingele came next, with Bobby Anders third in a Dave Weitholder #05. Double duty Spalding and Tournear also recorded top fives. 

   Even with the considerable carnage, the well run program still wrapped up just after 9:30. Thanks to the QR team for their hospitality. A couple of important notes, although the schedule shows no racing next Sunday, August 10, the decision was made to host a non points event with the six regular classes. I am sure the unusual number of rain outs made this an easy call. And in case you missed it, the call has also been made to switch to weekly Friday racing in 2026 with Sundays being a rain date. 

"New Generation" Shines at LCS

      With Mother Nature finally deciding to cooperate, promoter Neal Kohlmorgan was able to get the Lee County Speedway ready for racing on Saturday. Incredibly this would already be the final Drive for Five qualifier for the UMP Pro Crate Late Models, with $1,000 on the line for the feature winner. The five other regular weekly classes filled out the card on an evening that felt more like late September than early August. Toys for Tots would be the beneficiary of the program, with an unwrapped toy able to be swapped for free admission at the spectator gate. 

    The three eighths mile D shaped oval was in top racing condition for the 73 race teams that rolled through the pit gate, including a handful of late arrivals. With racing action sparse everywhere in the month of July, there was an interesting mix of drivers, old and new that came to race this Saturday. 

   In addition to the late arriving drivers, the average sized crowd was slow to fill in, and with hot laps complete and racing actually kicking off a few minutes before 6:30, some folks missed more than a handful of qualifiers.

   Aided by the always appreciated "one and done" rule, the eleven preliminary events clicked off in timely fashion, with just a short break leading us into feature racing.  

   Late Models were first on the card all evening, and come feature time all eleven lined up for twenty five laps. Polesitter Spencer Havermale paced the opening pair of laps before his row one mate Denny Woodworth moved to the front on lap three. Early contact between Jackson Frankel and Christian Miles left Miles with a flat left rear tire with both drivers out of the event. While Woodworth opened a commanding lead, Havermale and track points leader Darin Weisinger Jr. battled hard for second. Second generation Weisinger finally completed the pass for the runner up spot with eleven laps remaining, but by now Woodworth had more than a straightaway advantage. In the closing laps Denny came upon a gaggle of cars racing for position causing his lead to shrink a bit, but with zero yellow flags he cruised to victory. Weisinger Jr. and Havemale followed while Kruze Mile topped a tight battle with Tommy Elston to round out the first five. First year Late Model racer Frankie Wellman ran sixth ahead of Jason Oenning and Jeff Dotzert. The Frankel cousins, Rickey III and Jackson were credited with ninth and tenth. Woodworth is currently the UMP Pro Crate Western division and National Points leader.

   Fifteen Stock Cars signed in to do battle for twenty laps. Shane Richardson led a tight pack early with Dave McCalla nipping at his heels. On lap four Beau Taylor jumped to the runner up spot taking along Derrick Agee in third. The caution fest started at lap six, with the action stopped a total of five times, quite unexpected for the usually well behaved Stockers. Following the first yellow flag, Agee used the Delaware restart to climb to second, then began to hound Richardson for the lead. Those two swapped the position through the mid point of the event while seventh starting Nathan Wood worked his way to third. Six laps from the checkers Wood used a high side move to power from third to the lead, negated by a final caution. With five laps left on the board Wood muscled his way to the front, then held on for the win. Agee won a close duel with Richardson for second. Fourth running Taylor contacted the guardrail in the closing laps, ending his run, with McCalla and Matt Picray completing the top five. 

   Starter Kevin Eggleston continued to risk carpel tunnel as all twenty one Sport Mods raced in spurts for fifteen circuits. Again five times the yellow flag waved during the fifteen lap skirmish. Although he gave up the lead a couple of times, those passes were called back and I believe Kyler Girard was scored in first for each official lap. Adam Birck was the early challenger before heading to the infield while running in third with four laps to go. Logan Cumby took up the chase using the top side while Girard hugged the tires down low. The field went single file after caution number four and Cumby eased ahead with two circuits left before a final caution restored Girard to the top spot. The #00 stayed out front for the final two times around, giving Girard the hard fought win as Cumby settled for second. Cody Agee finished where he started in third as did Colton Livezey in fourth. Tyler Heckart advanced five positions to round out the top five. 

   Both the Sport Compacts and Hobby Stocks were short on cars, with only one heat for each. Five cars took the feature green for the Compacts, with all fifteen laps going caution free. Brandon Reu shot to the early lead and paced the field throughout. Luke Fraise stayed within striking distance, but could never close the gap enough to make a move. Kimberly Abbott worked her way around Blaine Lambert for third, while Christopher Harding came home in fifth.  

   Seven Hobby Stocks also ran a non stop fifteen circuits. Austin Stalder took the point at the green while Tom Killen Jr. and Tucker Richardson battled side by side for second. Killen was able to break free, and he grabbed the lead on lap four. One lap later Richardson also cleared Stalder as the front three pulled well away from the rest of the field. For several laps Richardson tried to put the nose of his #28 inside of the leader, but to no avail. As the laps wound down, Killen gained a bit of separation and Richardson soon had to contend with a charging Stalder. Killen Jr. made the long drive from Des Moines a successful one with the victory. Richardson held off Stalder for a runner up finish while Jeremy Dooley and Brayden Wood rounded out the first five. 

   It took until the final feature for the title of this recap to write itself. All fourteen Modifieds lined up for twenty laps. Dakota Simmons grabbed the lead from the pole position with fourth starting Adam Eckrich in second. As Simmons stretched his advantage, third starting Jace Eckrich moved to second on lap five. It took just one more time around and Jace was up to challenge Simmons for the top spot. As those two raced ahead of the pack, Jace made his move to the front on lap ten. Simmons stayed on the bumper of #50 as the laps wound down. Fifteen laps in, third running Blaine Webster suddenly lost the handle on his #7, bringing out the only yellow flag. On the restart Jace Eckrich drove off to the win. But in my mind, the story of this race was three of the next generation of the dirt track famous Eckrich family finishing in the top five! Simmons held second with Adam Eckrich in the #151 in third. Jordon Walker made a late pass to claim fourth over the #58 of Jared Eckrich in fifth. While brothers Dave, Denny and Andy Eckrich continue to carve out wins around the mid west, it looks like an upcoming generation of Eckrichs are preparing to carry on a proud family tradition!

   A satisfying night of racing concluded at about 9:30. Lee County Speedway will present the final night of track points next Saturday, with the Drive for Five finale on August 16 before heading to their "post season" schedule. 

   This beautiful Sunday has us anxious to get back to Quincy Raceways tonight with the heat and rain cancellations hopefully just bad memories going forward.