Young Guns Lead The Way At 34

    Saturday was 34 For Kids Night at 34 Raceway west of West Burlington. The event, which included tons of giveaways for toddlers all the way through seventeen was rained out the previous week. Additionally, there was a driver meet and greet behind the grandstands, and a fireworks presentation after the races. Five IMCA divisions plus the Mini Hauler Trucks filled out the racing card. Arriving during the heat races, 305 Sprint driver Ryan Jamison swelled the field to 96 competitors. 

   Unlike our last visit, heat race action was plagued by numerous cautions, as some drivers seem to have trouble finding grip on the smooth surface. Still the race of the night may have been the third late model heat when Andy Nezworski and Austen Becerra, subbing in the Boles Racing #4B raced side by side for at least six of the eight laps. 

   While the concession folks worked hard thinning out the lines from the large crowd, 305 Sprints lined up for the first feature, 14 cars for 15 laps. Thirteen year old Braxton Flatt charged to the lead from the outside pole with his row one mate John Barnard in pursuit. Following a yellow flag with one lap scored, those two pulled away from the field.  Dugan Thye began to run down the leaders ahead of a second and final caution with five laps to go. On the restart, Dugan dropped to seventh as Flatt and Barnard again drove off from the pack. The junior high schooler pulled away for the win to the delight of the crowd. Barnard was second, followed by Luke Lane, Riley Scott, and a rebounding Thye. 

   Sport Mods turned out a full field of 24, with all taking the green flag for 20 laps. Korey Stuart took the early lead while Sean Wyett drove from row four to second. Wyett nosed ahead on lap three, but the first of four cautions negated the pass. Back to racing Wyett again grabbed the lead while Bryson Eckrich, aided by the Delaware restart jumped from fifth to second. Following the next restart with seven in the books, it was tenth starting Jarrett Franzen charging to third. Back to green after a lap ten stoppage, it became a two car battle between Wyett and Eckrich. As they crossed the stripe with six laps remaining, Eckrich was out front by a nose. One more caution came with four to go, and this time it was a single file restart. At the checkers it was 16 year old Bryson with his first 34 Raceway feature win, his sixth overall in 2026. Wyett was the bridesmaid followed by Franzen, John Oliver Jr., and Jarrett VanDenBerg.

  Mini Haulers lined up 11 strong for a dozen laps. Austin Roose was the early leader over Nick Wilkerson in a truck with #44 hiding a #9. Lap two saw Wilkerson and Caleb Ealey slip past the leader, then disaster struck as Roose landed upside down exiting turn four, collecting Brett Timmerman. Wilkerson held the top spot through a lap four yellow, then he and Ealey pulled away from the pack. Staying close, Caleb was finally able to make a winning pass with four laps to go. Wilkerson would settle for the runner up spoy ahead of Ethan Brown, Hayden Delzell, and Larry Hooper. 

   Another strong group of 20 Late Models came to the track for 25 circuits. After his heat race win, Andy Nezworski redrew the pole position and charged to the lead ahead of third starting Tommy Elston. Jake Griffin soon joined the front duo in a three car breakaway. On lap eight, Elston climbed the ladder and nosed ahead of Nezworski, but a yellow flag negated the pass. Back under green, Elston was once more able to slip around the #7, but again the caution flag came. The final 17 laps went caution free, with Nezworski now cruising along while Elston battled with Griffin for second. With about four to go, Andy hesitated briefly as he worked to overtake a slower car, and Elston was able to quickly erase what had been a comfortable lead. But "Nez" was up to the challenge, and he held off the track point leader to pick up the win. Griffin briefly gave up third to Travis Denning, but recovered to round out the podium, while Logan Veloz raced home in fifth. Sixth through tenth went to Becerra, Curtis Glover, Mark Burgtorf, Denny Woodworth, and Jesse Bodin. 

   Stock Cars were the "good guys," with 15 caution free laps for the 15 competitors. Cody Staley paced the opening circuit, giving way to Casen Keller and Jordon Miles on lap two. That pair put on a thrilling display of clean, hard racing. While Keller led the final 14 laps, Miles was on his bumper all the way, making one last charge on the final lap. No one in the crowd could be sure who the winner was. Electronic scoring told us it was Keller picking up his first ever Stock Car win by .018 seconds! John Oliver Jr. fought heavy traffic, advancing five positions to third in front of ninth starting David Brandies, and Austin Kemper. 

   Modifieds put a cap on the action, 13 cars for 20 laps. And once again it was the youth movement coming out ahead. Logan Anderson survived a pair of early cautions, holding off first Eric Barnes and then Jed Freiburger driving a #37, small 6 car with his familiar #6 on the roof ? Following a lap seven caution, Jace Eckrich charged to second, battling with Freiburger. A final yellow came just past halfway for a rare Austen Becerra spin as he ran in fourth. Eckrich began to pressure Anderson as racing resumed. With three laps to go, Logan drifted high in turn three allowing the Flyin' 50 to grab the top spot. Like his 16 year old cousin before him, 17 year old Jace Eckrich held on for the win, increasing his track points lead. Anderson Freiburger, Chris Zogg, and Barnes completed the top five. 

   There will be no racing next Saturday at 34 Raceway, with season championship action set for August 22. Thanks to Brad, Jessi, and crew for a fun Saturday night!

Simpson Cashes the Big Check at Dubuque

    Wednesday we made an unscheduled trip north to Dubuque, Iowa Speedway for county fair racing. Premier Late Models headlined the card with a $3,000 to win main event. IMCA Modifieds racing for $2,000, IMCA Hobby Stocks for a grand, and Crown Vics also competed in front of the large crowd on a beautiful evening for racing.

   We arrived in time to grab some delicious fair food and settle into our seats just as hot laps kicked off right at the 6:00 advertised time, followed by qualifying heats for the ninety one competitors. With just one yellow flag, it took a mere fifty five minutes for the dozen preliminary events. 

   A couple of challenging spots in the three eighths mile surface were ironed out during intermission, and soon Crown Vics came to the track seventeen strong for twelve laps of feature racing. Will Schmitt grabbed the initial lead from outside row one, setting the pace until both Ross Crist and Derrick Dean drove to the front on the third circuit. Crist and Dean then pulled away from the pack, racing nose to tail. All twelve laps clicked off caution free, with Crist holding on for the win. Dean waited for the mistake that never came and he followed the winner across the stripe in clean fashion. Rob Culbertson, Ethan Kammerude, and Jacob Welter battled closely in rounding out the top five.

   It was then that a bout of yellow fever hit the speedway as all twenty two Hobby Stocks lined up for fifteen laps. Kyler Hefty shot to the lead again from the outside pole, followed by row two starter Matt Bennett. The first of six caution periods came with one lap scored. Bennett would put a nose out front as lap four went in the books, and one later it was Hefty back in front as a cross up in the front of the field sent Carson Butt for a spin. During the slowdown, Bennett ducked to the work area. Twice more the yellow flag waved at laps eight and nine while eleventh starting Blaise Waters and Jaice Tuttle battled side by side behind the leader. Waters would break free as racing resumed on lap nine, and he quickly moved up in a side by side duel with Hefty for the lead. The restart after a multi car mix up at lap twelve saw Waters grab the lead with Hefty retaking the spot on lap fourteen. The yellow flag would wave a final time setting up a one lap dash, and Hefty then held on for the win. Chasing Waters it was Lucas Short, Tuttle, and a rebounding Bennett completing the first five. Sixth finishing Leah Wroten was the hard charger, advancing fifteen positions. 

   Twenty laps would be the distance for the Modifieds with all twenty six taking the green flag. Pole sitter Charlie Mohr led fourth starting Jeff Larson and Jace Eckrich ahead of the first caution two laps in. Larson powered to the front on the restart while Matt Gansen joined the front runners in third. "Bone" Larson quickly pulled well ahead of the field while Gansen climbed to second on lap six. Larson was approaching slower traffic when the yellow flew once again for a Brad Diercks spin just before the halfway point. A final caution came on the restart, then back under Doug Haacks' green flag the final eleven laps clicked off caution free. With Larson well out front and Gansman in command of second, an entertaining battle developed for third between Mohr, Jed Freiburger, and Austin Stamm. Larson would cruise to the win in front of Gansman while Freiburger (who won my unofficial survey of most shirts seen worn on the midway), gained eight positions to drive home ahead of Mohr, and Stamm. 

   All but two of the solid twenty six car Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Models would round out the program with a thirty lap contest. Bobby Hansen, who saw his #9 end his heat race in an ominous cloud of heavy smoke, and Chase Brunscheen were missing from the line up. The initial start was called back and what was an entertaining race was marred seven more times with yellow flag situations. Nick Marolf took the first lead from outside row one ahead of Jerry King, Eric Pollard, Matt Ryan, Chad Simpson, and C. J. Horn. The yellow flag waved with two laps scored for Matt Mish, and as the field took the restart green, Simpson used the outside line on the Delaware line up to fly all the way to second place as the pack exited turn two. It took just until lap four for Chad to secure the lead and following a lap five stoppage for Casey Shelliam, he methodically stretched his advantage. He caught the back of the pack at lap twelve, and one lap later came upon two cars racing for position blocking his path. But a timely yellow for a Darrel Defrance spin left him with clear track once again. Four more times the caution flag would erase a commanding lead with top contenders Pollard and Marolf each bringing the action to a halt. Working his way through the field after starting thirteenth, Jeff Tharp edged ahead of Horn and found himself in the runner up spot following the caution for Marolf at lap twenty. A single file restart came with just four laps to go, and Simpson drove unchallenged to the checkers. Tharp gained those eleven spots to finish second, besting Horn, Ryan, and his fellow row seven starter, J. D. Auringer. Brennen Chip paced the second five, topping seventeenth starting Joel Callahan, Lincoln, Nebraska racer Cade Richards, and National Dirt Hall of Famer Gary Webb, who won a tight battle over twentieth starting Darren Mish. 

   Even with the unusually high number of cautions, action still wrapped up ahead of the 10:00 hour while lots of folks enjoyed the impressive midway. 

   Family will take center stage this weekend, but we will be back at the track soon!

34 Raceway Celebrates Sixty Years in Style

    Saturday night 34 Raceway owners Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt rolled out the red carpet to celebrate sixty years of racing at the West Burlington speed plant. Grandstand admission when the high banked three eighths mile track opened in 1966 was a buck fifty. While they could not quite match that, the $5.00 Fan Appreciation price was even more of a bargain, and the large crowd on hand apparently thought so as well! A couple of replica Semi Super Modifieds from "back in the day" were on display, and long time racer Ned Fry had his various 34 Raceway history books on sale behind the stands. These text and photo books come highly recommended, I own several myself. While I am not a "charter member" of the track alum, I have been a frequent visitor since the late 1960's and have witnessed many changes to the facility. One thing has not changed, and that is exciting racing, and we had plenty of that on Saturday. 

   Five IMCA divisions plus 305 Sprints were on the bill while IMCA Stock Cars had the night off. A solid total of eighty racers checked in on what turned out to be a beautiful night with just enough cloud cover to mostly override that pesky setting sun. 

   Other than celebration, the theme of the night was patience and self control. Twelve heat races would help determine the feature lineups, and they clicked off caution free in just over an hour. During the twenty minute intermission, Brad, Jessi, and Ned addressed and entertained the crowd, then it was feature time. 

   IMCA Northern Sport Mods were up first with all twelve racing fifteen laps. Tim Tucker led lap one before Mexico, Mo. driver Kahne Groves took over on lap two. That duo raced side by side, Tucker ahead on lap three, Kahne on lap four. By the mid point Kahne had opened a lead while Tucker was also well ahead of the battle for third. With just three laps to go, the first caution flag of the night came as Levi Laymon spun in turn four, collecting Colton Laymon. Jarrett VanDenBerg took advantage of the Delaware restart to charge to second as Tucker was soon challenged for third by Sean Wyett. Kahne would hold on for the win, with VanDenBerg in second. Wyett would come next followed by Tucker and Jason Masengarb. All twelve cars were running at the checkers. 

   Twelve was also the number of 305's, and they lined up for fifteen circuits. Luke Lane sat on the pole and quickly jumped ahead, with fifth starting John Barnard in tow. Daniel Berquist would clear Barnard for second the next time around, as Lane pulled away. Just past the halfway mark Barnard was able to use lapped traffic to retake the runner up spot. With zero yellow flags, Lane spent the second half of the race in lapped traffic. Although Barnard was able to close the gap in the final laps, he could not get close enough for a serious challenge. Berquist crossed in third, trailed by Riley Scott and Ian Steward. Thirteen year old Braxton Flatt drove a steady race to finish in sixth. 

   IMCA Sport Compacts turned out only seven competitors with six taking the green flag for ten laps. Tim Schnathorst climbed from row two to lead every lap in front of Drew Stanek. Behind those two, Brandon Lambert and Darin Smith would race side by side for all ten caution free laps with Smith nosing in front for third at the checkers. Chadrick Edward Poland rounded out the top five. 

   IMCA Late Models topped the roster with twenty one entries. All except Blaise Lewis came to the track for twenty five laps. Teammates Jason Oenning and Denny Woodworth paced the field, with Denny grabbing the lead. The Late Model Lawyer opened a sizable lead before catching the back of the pack with ten laps scored. Oenning closed quickly, but as traffic cleared Woodworth again stretched his lead. As the laps wound down in yet another caution free event, Oenning soon had his hands full with Jeremy Pundt. With Woodworth cruising to the win, Pundt would clear Oenning for second exiting turn two on the final lap. Tommy Elston fought heavy traffic early before finishing fourth while Mitch Boles took hard charger honors gaining eight positions to fifth. Ray Raker, Sam Halstead, Jay Johnson, Curtis Glover, and Jake Griffin also scored top ten finishes. 

   IMCA Hobby Stocks were the "bad guys" with a whole three yellow flags slowing their fifteen lapper! The first came as the pack exited turn four on lap one, a multi car skirmish that resulted in two cars hooked together. A very lengthy delay followed as the safety crew worked diligently to separate the machines. Brett Timmerman would jump ahead on the original restart. Tucker Richardson and seventh starting Nathan Ballard cleared the leader ahead of another stoppage with four laps scored. Back under green Richardson led lap after lap around the cushion with Ballard running in his tire tracks just inches behind. The final yellow flag came with five to go, and Timmerman jumped to second on the Delaware restart. Ballard quickly retook the spot, then set sail after Richardson once again. On the final circuit, Tucker drifted high at the exit of turn two and Ballard blasted through the opening to take his first lead. Just as that looked like the winning move, Nathan then drifted high in turn four, opening the door. However he quickly recovered to take the checkered flag in front of Richardson. Timmerman held off Jaice Tuttle for third while Garrett Porter started and finished fifth. 

   All thirteen Modifieds would round out the night with twenty laps of, you guessed it, caution free racing! Kaylin Lopez used his pole start to grab the lead with Adam Shelman in second. Jace Eckrich powered to the runner up spot on lap two, and on the next trip around it was Eckrich, Shelman, and Chris Zogg racing three wide for second. Joined by Logan Anderson and Austen Becerra, the top six soon drove off, battling for positions. Eckrich was able to clear Lopez on lap six, then methodically stretched his advantage as the race hit the halfway point. Now it was Becerra on the move, third by lap ten and second two laps later. While Jace ran a steady line around the middle groove, Austen was pounding the cushion in turns one and two, then using a high to low diamond move to close the gap at the other end. With five laps remaining Becerra had moved to the rear bumper of the leader, who now had lapped traffic to contend with. With the white flag flying Eckrich tried to squeeze below a slower car while Becerra jumped to the cushion, blowing past both cars to take the lead and the thrilling win. Lopez also joined the podium , topping Zogg, Anderson, and Shelman. 

   Four yellow flags total and the final checkers waved just moments ahead of 10:00! Next Saturday is Kids Night at 34 Raceway, with lots of giveaways for the youngsters, mainly focusing on school supplies.

   Thanks to Brad, Jessi, and their crew for a great night of racing!

Elston, Diercks, Brown, Miles, Chapman Times Two Take Davenport Wins

    Weekly points racing is starting to wind down, so having been rained out in two of my three planned visits to Davenport Speedway this season, Friday seemed like a good time to make a trip north to the quick quarter mile. Five IMCA classes plus the Outlaw Street Stocks would be in action at the SR Promotions facility before racing would stop for two weeks during the Mississippi Valley Fair. A trip to Davenport is usually a very enjoyable one, knowing that racing will move along at a brisk pace due in large part to the city enforced curfew, allowing us to get back home at a reasonable time. On this night the track crew outdid themselves! Hot laps began right at 6:30 and even though exactly one hundred cars signed in, the process took less than thirty minutes. Perhaps I sound like a broken record, but it is not only possible but reasonable to hot lap as many as fifteen cars (or more) at a time on the quarter mile with no issues. The first heat race rolled out promptly at 7:00 and those twelve events were completed in about fifty minutes, one after the other as the previous qualifiers rolled across the infield scales. With only eight cars signed in, it was announced that the Street Stocks would run a feature only, and after exactly fifteen minutes of intermission, they hit the track first. 

   Chevy Andreatta was the early leader in the fifteen lapper ahead of a lap three caution. As lap five was scored, Tony Von Dresky took command, holding serve until Cary Brown took over just ahead of a second and final yellow flag with ten in the books. Brown would race home with the win in front of Von Dresky, Scotty Pratt, Austin Riggs, and Jesse Owen. 

   IMCA Northern Sport Mods would be up next, twenty starters going fifteen laps. Keith Wiersema shot from the pole to lead the opening two laps before yellow fever set in. It was mostly the cars running near the back of the pack that seemed to have a great deal of trouble finding traction, as the caution would come four times in the first three laps. Meanwhile ninth starting Ben Chapman was working forward on each restart, moving quickly to second then grabbing the lead after the mid point. Along with Nick Hixson, the front pair would put some distance on the pack, but three more late cautions scrambled the running order. Chapman would drive off to a convincing win, while twelfth starting Trevor Noonan from Dorchester, Ne. made a late charge to second. Oconto Falls, Wi. racer Owen Wilcox advanced eleven spots to third, followed by Yuma, Az. driver Hudson Morris, and Hixson. What a diverse field!

   Caution flags also plagued an otherwise entertaining IMCA Late Model headliner. Outside row two starter Jesse Bodin shot to the front on lap one, joined one lap later by his ageless row two mate, Gary Webb. Three times the yellow flag would wave during a lap three slow down. Finally back under green, tenth starting Travis Denning and twelfth starting surprise visitor Tommy Elston entered the top five, even as Bodin opened a sizable lead. Lap eight saw Elston blast to second, followed one lap later by Denning in third. The caution came again with ten scored, and back to racing Denning took over the lead with Elston close behind. They would then put on a show with Denning pounding the cushion while Elston hugged the inside tire barriers. Lap fourteen saw Elston ease ahead, and the next time around the caution waved as the third running Bodin spun in turns one and two, retiring to the pits. Blaise Lewis inherited the third position, then used the Delaware restart to outrun Denning to the first corner. Once more the race would be stopped with eight laps to go, but Elston was locked in, picking up another win in his quest for national points. Lewis held the runner up spot in front of Denning, while Logan Veloz ran fourth. Cruz Birkhofer made an impressive run late, advancing ten spots to fifth. Mitch Morris, Curtis Glover, Dalton Simonsen, and the Johnsons, Jayden and Carter filled out the top ten. Apparent first heat winner Dustin Smith was disqualified for an engine violation and was the only one of the twenty two signed in to not start the feature. 

   Sixteen IMCA Hobby Stocks took the green flag and promptly put an end to the yellow fever outbreak. They would run fifteen laps green to checkers. Karter Miles moved quickly from row three to the front, soon joined by eighth starting Randy LaMar. That pair would pull ahead of the field, soon to be joined by Carson Butt. With no stoppages, heavy lapped traffic became a challenge, but Miles was not to be denied as he moved seemingly effortlessly through the back markers for a flag to flag win. LaMar and Butt followed, with double duty Josh Starr and Christian Jordon rounding out the first five. 

   All but one, Donavon Lodge, of the eighteen IMCA Modifieds lined up for twenty laps. Eric Barnes charged ahead from the outside pole with fourth starting Shane Paris in pursuit. With nine laps in the books, sixth starting Matt Werner was able to power to second, but once more around and it was track points leader Spencer Diercks climbing to the runner up spot, with Paris also clearing Werner for third. Diercks would continue to apply heavy pressure, and as the leaders came to the line to complete lap twelve, Diercks was ahead by a nose. He then opened a more comfortable lead, and with again no yellow flags, he cruised to the win. Barnes would settle for the second spot while Werner got back around Paris for third. Brandon Durbin completed the top five. 

   IMCA Stock Cars would round out the night as we headed for the car. MY Race Pass tells me that Ben Chapman became a two time winner on the night, besting Kodey Miles, Jacob Ellithorpe, David Brandies, and Jeremy Gustaf. 

   It was a quickly run yet very entertaining show, thanks to Jeff Struck and his team for a fun Friday night. 

   Tonight we will head to 34 Raceway in West Burlington for Fan Appreciation Night as part of the 60th year celebration of the beloved speedway. No rain in sight, $5.00 to get in, so get off the couch and come to the races!

Sheppard and Ledford Dominate at Lincoln

    Tuesday we made a return visit to Lincoln Speedway on the Logan County, Il. Fairgrounds for the completion of the Flo Racing Night in America program. The original event on May 7 was postponed as the second Super Late Model heat race came to the track. Thirty six Late Models had qualified, with Hudson O'Neal setting fast time then picking up the win in the first heat before the off and on showers finally created a situation where the show could not be completed by the town curfew. The twenty seven Modifieds in the pits had also qualified, but while the Late Models would pick up their program with heat two, the Modifieds would start over, beginning with time trial qualifying. Twenty seven Mods had turned out for the May show.

   It was a beautiful afternoon and evening and the fans responded as a huge crowd filled the covered grandstands. Unfortunately the driver turnout was not quite as expected. A combination of factors were perhaps at work as an unusually high amount of mechanical issues with transport vehicles seems to be happening - including Sam Seawright who broke down enroute. Also being the same week as the Prairie Dirt Classic may have kept some away, although it would seem like perhaps a good test session before going to Fairbury. Lastly the fact of a poor qualifying position from the May time trials may have been a deterrent. As it was, thirteen of the original thirty six drivers failed to return, while local hot shoe Myles Moos was allowed to join the field and tag the tail of the final heat race. Keeping the original heat race lineups created an interesting situation, as heat two, the first of the night, would roll off with six cars, heat three would see only four starters, and with the addition of Moos and one subtraction, heat four would have nine starters. With just twenty four cars on hand, no B Main was needed, leaving just three heats and the fifty lap feature to entertain the paying customers, many of whom were not in attendance for the original show. 

    I am not sure what the excuse might be for the Modifieds, as only sixteen would sign in even though their portion of the night would be a complete new show with a $2,000 to win top prize. However the stellar announcing crew from Flo Racing did a bang up job of making one set of time trials, five heat races and two features seem like a full night of racing!

   Hudson O'Neal had been the top qualifier and heat one winner back in May, earning him the pole start for the $20,000 to win Late Model headliner. Mike Spatola, Brandon Sheppard, and Bobby Pierce would also capture heat wins to set the first two rows of the main event. Curiously, Brandon Overton, who was locked in to a third row slot did not make the return trip, no explanation given. 

   The Late Model fifty lapper would roll out first. O'Neal would pace lap one ahead of Sheppard, but it was fifth starting Shannon Babb getting a good run on the start and charging to the front on lap two. Sheppard would make it three different cars up front as lap three was scored, and would stay there for forty seven more laps. But the drive would not be an easy one. After getting shuffled back a bit, O'Neal would take second on lap six, and one lap later Pierce would enter the conversation in third. One more time around and the "Smooth Operator" would climb to the runner up spot, just ahead of the first caution for a Moos spin. Austin Howes and Brian Shirley would call it a night at this point. Three more laps were scored before a crash involving Josh Rice and Jake Little would send both to the pits. As the green flag waved, fourth place O'Neal was shuffled back with obvious rear right side damage. Ricky Thornton Jr. was now the man on the move ahead of a yellow flag at lap fourteen for Kyle Bronson. As racing resumed Devin Moran began a march forward, even as Sheppard and Pierce turned the race into a classic two car battle while Babb and Thornton Jr. ran side by side for third. The leaders would close in on the back of the pack on lap twenty seven just as Moos slowed between turns one and two. Sheppard would clip the rear of the Moos ride and continue on, but with nowhere to go Pierce would lock up his brakes and slam into the #84. Pierce would then head for the hot pit to check for damage and take advantage of the misfortune to bolt on a new right rear tire, a very fortuitous decision.  With the "choose cone" restarts used by Flo where each driver behind the leader can pick inside or out, Pierce would line up somewhere around fifteenth. Thornton would charge to second on the restart, but now all eyes were on Pierce. By the time the next stoppage came at lap thirty four for a Spatola spin, Bobby was back up to seventh. He would reenter the top five five laps later, but Sheppard was now well ahead of his nearest challenger. Moran jumped to second at lap forty three as Pierce gained another spot. With an ill timed flat, Thornton Jr. would bring out a final caution six laps from the finish, turning third over to Pierce. That would however be the best the controversial driver could do. "Sheppy" would once again drive off from the field while Moran stayed strong in the runner up position. Tyler Erb would climb six positions to finish fourth and through all the moves, Garrett Alberson would seemingly hold fifth throughout the race. Nick Hoffman came home sixth, topping Babb, the damaged car of O'Neal, and Ryan Gustin. Dennis Erb Jr. made a late charge to complete the top ten. An obvious crowd favorite, up and coming NASCAR star Carson Hocevar would hang around all race as he learns the tricks of the dirt world while moving up nine spots to finish fifteenth. Sheppard, who lives not far down the road in New Berlin emerged from his car to huge applause from the appreciative crowd. 

   With the T.V. hoopla complete and most of the crowd still around, all sixteen Modifieds came to the track for twenty laps. First heat winner Michael Ledford would shoot to the lead with his row one mate, heat two winner Ray Bollinger in tow. Overall fast qualifier Charlie Mefford would clear Bollinger on lap two. Ledford was clearly the class of the field on this night as he methodically increased his lead to a full straightaway on the black dirt quarter mile by the mid point of the race. With zero cautions slowing the action, Ledford cruised to the win, moving smoothly through slower traffic as needed. Mefford crossed in second while Cole Falloway cleared Bollinger for third. Torrance, California hot shoe Cody Laney rounded out the top five, chased by Kelly Kovski, Matthew Baker, Steven Brooks, Brandon Roberts, and Carter Sinkhorn. Fourteen cars were still around at the checkers. 

   It was just after 9:00 when the final checkers fell. For those who like to spend hours at the track, it may have been a disappointing night, but for those of us hours from home, it was a bonus! Thanks to the staff of Lincoln Speedway and Flo Racing for their help and hospitality. The Flo crowd moves on to Fairbury tonight, then it will be PDC time over the weekend. At this time I am still weighing several good options closer to home for the weekend, so don't forget to check back for more Racin' Down the Road. 

Checkers AND Wreckers Highlight Quincy Action

    Hat tip to my buddy Keith Reed for that headline. More on that later, but first...

   Quincy Raceways switched things up a bit on Sunday night. For the first time this year, 305 Sprints paid a visit to the Bullring. Not to be relegated to a "support class," track owner/promoter Jeff Delonjay issued a challenge to the IMCA Late Models - turn out at least twenty cars and the feature would pay $1,000 to win. Outside parties then came on board, raising the winners' share to a cool $1,750, plus an extra 50 bucks for spots nineteen and twenty. Dirtcar Modifieds, open B Mods, Dirtcar 4 Cylinders, and a Vintage class were set to fill out the card, however Crown Vics were also added late as a non points feature only event, making for a busy night of racing.

   Unfortunately, as is most often the case, adding money to the top of the purse does not necessarily increase car count, so even though a quality field of fourteen Late Models turned out I have no idea if any of the extra money was collected. But on to the racing.

   Despite the early heat from the clear, sunny skies, a very nice crowd filed in, likely boosted by the appearance of the winged warriors.  Things got off to a dramatic start in the first Late Model heat when second running top contender Curtis Glover saw his #30 go up in such a heavy cloud of smoke that the cars behind him stopped on the track, unable to see while disappearing completely from the grandstand side. Spencer Havermale would lead that same race for seven and a quarter laps before drifting high in turn four coming to the checkers allowing Austen Becerra to drive past for the win.

   Ten Vintage cars signed in, all from Missouri representing everything from Sprint/Midget bodies to Model A's to an immaculate Oldsmobile Cutlass kicked off feature racing. All but one took the green flag for twelve laps of non stop racing, led from start to finish by a fifty nine year racing veteran, seventy one year old Kevin Buckley, from Bonne Terre. To the delight of many,  Quincy Raceways Hall of Famer Terry Gallaher was also in the field, but retired early.

   A solid group of seventeen 305 Sprinters were on hand, all but two lining up for twenty laps. Paul Haley charged to the lead from outside row one, taking along fourth starting Braxton Flatt. The yellow flag waved with one lap scored for a Deke Brooks spin. One more lap went in the books before a red flag went Cole Helmerson flipped multiple times in turns one and two. The driver appeared to be okay, his #52H not so much. By the time Cody Wehrle climbed to second on lap five, Haley had checked out to a big lead. Running high on the cushion, he would catch the back of the pack by lap eight but the slower cars stayed low, giving him plenty of room. With no more delays, Haley would cruise to the win, lapping all the way up to the fifth running car. But... as he entered turn one on the cool down lap, he somehow got sideways and toppled upside down! The wrecker then towed the winning car and driver to victory lane, where he never the less celebrated his first Sprint Car win after thirty seven years of racing! I hope he earned enough money to pay for repairs! Wehrle would come home second followed by Flatt, Austin Motley and hometown hero Riley Scott, whose family built, owned, and operated Quincy Raceways for many years. 

   Judging from the now very black track, it seemed the remainder of the races might be of the follow the leader variety, but not so. Twelve IMCA Late Models remained for twenty five laps. Frankie Wellman and Havermale led the field to green. Wellman paced lap one before Havermale nosed ahead on lap two. As he ran the treacherous cushion, Jamie Wilson and ninth starting Becerra began to move forward. Havermale had a commanding lead before the yellow waved at lap ten. following another quick yellow as the field brake checked coming to the green, Becerra used the Delaware restart to grab second while tenth starting Tommy Elston charged to fourth. There would be one more quick caution, then the final fourteen laps would stay green. Quickly Wilson and Becerra moved to the front, soon joined by Elston in a three car breakaway. With just a pair of laps remaining, Becerra crossed over Wilson for the lead exiting turn four only to have Wilson return the favor off turn two. They would take the white flag side by side before Becerra pulled slightly ahead, picking up his second consecutive QR win. Wilson would settle for second in front of Elston, Jake Griffin, and Havermale. Darin Weisinger Jr. ran sixth ahead of Denny Woodworth, Jason Oenning, Wellman, and Logan Cumby. The only traveler in the field was Brady Parmeley, who made the three hour plus haul from Cadet, Missouri.

   Chris Spalding and winner the past two weeks, Rick Conoyer would lead the eleven UMP Dirtcar Modifieds to green for twenty laps. They would pace the early laps as quick qualifier Dave Weitholder inched closer in third. Back to racing after a lap six caution, Weitholder took over the runner up position. As the race stayed green, those three remained at the front with some distance separating each from the other. In the closing laps both Weitholder and Conoyer moved within striking distance of the leader. but never close enough to make a serious challenge. Spalding, known locally as "Spidey", led from flag to flag for his first QR win. Weitholder took the runner up spot over Conoyer, Justin Reed, and Jacob Rexing. 

   B Mods would be next, racing for eighteen laps. The caution flag would wave for an original restart, with Cruz Griffaw backed up a row. Drake Stevenson would assume the pole and the lead, with his row one mate, double duty Weitholder in second. The only other caution would come with four laps scored, and back under green Adam Birck would power to third. But it would be the front pair racing nose to tail as the veteran Weitholder waited for the mistake that Stevenson never made. Drake would score the win while Weitholder took bridesmaid honors two races in a row. Birck held third over Griffaw and Josh Dietrich. 

   Dirtcar 4 Cylinders lined up for fifteen trips around the .29 mile oval. Dyllan Bonk and Landon Neisen filled out row one, and they wowed the crowd racing side by side for the first six laps, Neisen scored the leader each time. As they passed under the flag stand completing lap six Neisen got sideways, smacking the concrete wall, ending his night. Bonk then drove away into the Adams County night. Kimberly Abbott charged to second, but was overtaken on lap seven by Gage Elston in a Bonk team car. With no more stoppages, Bonk opened a straightaway plus lead, cruising to the win. Elston, Abbott, Ethan Zumwalt, and Bryce Baker would follow. 

   There were still many in the stands enjoying the much cooler breeze as the Crown Vics lined up, eleven strong for fifteen laps. After a couple early yellows, double duty Jeffrey Delonjay led the opening lap before Jake Etter took over on lap two. That duo gained separation from the pack with a final caution four laps in. Back to racing Etter, who also races a B Mod, gradually pulled away, cruising to the win. Delonjay was runnerup chased by Jacob Jones, Carter Goodwin, and Skipp Dunker.

   It was a long night of racing but with plenty of action. Quincy Raceways will be back at it next Sunday before taking a night off for the Adams County Fair on August 2. Thanks as always to the hard working crew at QR for their generous hospitality. We will now be making the journey on Tuesday to Lincoln, Il. Speedway for the completion of the rain interrupted Flo Racing Night in America event from May. 

   

Johnson, Becerra, Oliver Jr., Klingele, Fraise, and Meeker Grab Donnellson Checkers

    Friday was points racing at Lee County Speedway. The regular five IMCA classes plus Mini Haulers filled out the card. It was to put it mildly a scorchingly hot evening which no doubt had a negative effect on car count, fan attendance, and track conditions. The only saving grace was a somewhat cool(?) breeze that popped up as the evening wore on. Looking at comments on line it would seem that LCS was not the only track affected by the challenging conditions, and I see that 34 Raceway has decided to scrap races for tonight at least partly due to those same elements. 

   But on to the show! Heat races clicked off in less than one hour, and after a short break, it was feature time, where amazingly three of the six money races went flag to flag, with only four yellow flags in the Modifieds and one for the Late Models and Mini Haulers slowing the action!

   Sport Compacts would roll out first, racing for twelve laps. Kimberly Abbott would lead heat winner Luke Fraise through a tight battle before Fraise eased into the top spot on lap five. Fifth starting Tim Schnathorst would move to second two laps later, but by then Fraise had checked out. With no cautions to bunch the field, Luke cruised to the win. Schnathorst held off Brandon Reu for second while Abbott and Bill Bennett completed the top five. 

   Stock Cars came next, racing for twenty laps. A lap one skirmish eliminated heat winner Austin O'Donnell, with outside pole sitter Jathan Fuller leading the way early. John Oliver Jr. suffered a broken rear end while leading the heat, forcing him to the tail of the main event after a quick replacement. He then began to work his way through the pack, and soon it was Fuller, Chad Krogmeier, Oliver Jr., and Cason Keller running nose to tail NASCAR style at the front of the field. As they continued around the inside line, Oliver Jr. moved up a line, charging to second on lap nine, then using a dandy crossover move to grab the lead at the halfway mark, even as Keller saw his night come to an end. Oliver began to pull away as Fuller and Krogmeier battled for the runner up position. Once again, with no stoppages, Oliver Jr. cruised to another victory. Fuller won the duel for second, while Kevin Koontz came home fourth. Jerry Jansen claimed fifth by a tight margin over Scott Jordon, and his #06 began to spew smoke  as the checkers waved. 

 Modifieds would be the "bad boys," with most of the problems coming at the back of the pack on the somewhat tricky surface. Fisher Reese paced the opening circuit before Jace Whitt and heat two winner Mark Burgtorf drove to the front using the high line on lap two. Austen Becerra lined up in row four, but charged to third the next trip around the three eighths mile oval. As the top three pulled away from the field, Becerra moved to second just ahead of the first caution with six laps scored. Back to racing Austen powered to the front, then began to drive away, leaving Whitt and Burgtorf to fight for second. Becerra was on cruise control before the yellow flag waved three times in the final four of the twenty laps, during which time third running Whitt retired to the pits. The final rundown saw Becerra pick up the win and Burgtorf hold off a late charge by Adam Shelman for second. First heat winner Bill Roberts was fourth while Brian Reed would record a fifth place finish. 

   Ron Boyse saw his night end on the first lap of his heat race, and he would be the only one of the dozen Late Models absent from the feature lineup. When Nick Leary elected to start at the tail it would be Jason Oenning and heat two winner Jay Johnson bringing the field to green for twenty five laps. Johnson quickly opened a sizable lead ahead of the only caution with nine in the books. Denny Woodworth had been running in second, but he was shuffled back to fifth on the Delaware Style restart, with eighth starting Spencer Havermale taking up the chase. After once again building a commanding lead, Johnson soon had Havermale closing fast as the laps wound down. With just four circuits remaining, the leaders would come upon a slower car, and while Johnson was able to maneuver around, Havermale suddenly fell off the pace after clipping one of the tractor tires and folding under the nose of his #7H. While Jay then drove off to the win, Havermale would fall to fourth behind the hard charging duo of row five starters, Jake Griffin and Tommy Elston. Woodworth would round out the top five. First heat winner Darin Weisinger Jr. would come next after a tight battle with Curtis Glover. Oenning, Jeremy Pundt, and Leary would round out the finishers. 

   For all intents, the Sport Mod fifteen lapper was over when the green flag waved. Tanner Klingele was a rocket from outside row one, charging ahead of Brandon Lambert. Cole Gillenwater drove to second on lap two, but by then Klingele was well out front. Jim Gillenwater moved to third on lap three. Klingele completed the heat and feature sweep ahead of Cole Gillenwater. Lambert would get back around Jim Gillenwater for third while Grady Jones claimed fifth in the non stop event. 

   Ten laps for the ten Mini Haulers would put a cap on the night. Nick Wilkerson and Tate Kronfieldt would pick up heat wins, but it would be Austin Poage and Jim Hooper pacing the feature field to green. Following a first lap caution and an original restart, Poage would lead Colton Meeker for a pair of laps. Then Meeker would take command on lap three, and two circuits later Wilkerson would move to second. Those two would drive off from the pack in a tight nose to tail formation. Wilkerson waited for the mistake that never came as Meeker picked up his first ever feature win. Three Missouri drivers would chase the Iowa Boys, as Poage would race home third ahead of Cody Webster and Derek Hooper.

   The final checkered flag waved by Darin Weisinger would come just minutes past 9:30, a very welcome outcome. Thanks as always to Darin and his crew for their gracious hospitality. Just a reminder, Lee County will take next week off before returning to action on July 31. Yours truly will next be at Quincy Raceways tomorrow, Sunday before a return trip Tuesday to Lincoln, Il. Speedway for the completion of the May 7 Flo Racing Night in America rainout. 

Tight Battles, Late Passes Highlight Quincy Action

    Quincy Raceways was back in action on Sunday, six regular classes in competition. It was Quincy Auto Supply Night with discounted tickets available which helped swell the large gathering. Sixty seven cars checked in on a warm, humid night. The green, white, checkers format for hot laps got things off to a fine start, with heat race action firing off near 6:30 and clicking off in a timely fashion. 

   A bit of track work came during intermission, and it was quickly time for feature racing. 

   Dirtcar Street Stocks were up first and even with a couple of first timers on hand this class continues to struggle with car count. Nick Proehl made the trip from Colona, Il. and paced lap one before giving way to Jacob Rexing. With the race staying green throughout the fifteen laps, Rexing opened about a half lap lead. Proehl held second until slowing dramatically on the final circuit with a flat tire. He would then drop to fourth, with Brandon Boden and Richie Wagy filling out the podium while Don Hoffstadt brought his sharp looking Dodge home in fifth. 

   All but one of the dozen IMCA Northern Sport Mods lined up for eighteen laps. Todd Wolfmeyer and Olivia Hoffman led the opening circuit. A.J. Tournear powered to second on lap two, then to the front two laps later. Meanwhile seventh starting Tanner Klingele was on the move, climbing to second on lap five. Reed Wolfmeyer and Adam Birck charged from rows four and five to join the hunt, and as the race approached the half way mark, Klingeke snagged the lead followed in second by Reed Wolfmeyer. The first caution came with six laps to go, and back to racing Birck moved to third. The yellow flag came again two laps later and as racing resumed a turn four mix up brought out the red flag as Jordan Zumwalt got upside down. The final restart was single file and Klingele raced home to the win. Reed Wolfmeyer . Birck, Tournear, and Coal Valley, Il. driver T.J. Patz completed the top five. 

   Dyllan Bonk won the drag race to turn one over Landon Neisen as the Dirtcar 4 Cylinders came to the track for fifteen laps. They would race nose to tail in the early laps ahead of an entertaining battle between Austin Harris, Kenny Butterfield, and Devin Harrell. As the laps clicked off in the non stop event, Bonk began to pull away, even as Harris and Butterfield closed the gap to Neisen. The final two laps saw both Harris and Butterfield move to second and third, but there would be no catching Bonk. Neisen crossed the line in fourth while Harrell rounded out the top five. 

   The IMCA Late Model class continues to turn out strong numbers, with seventeen competitors checked in. Missing from the starting grid was Logan Cumby, who saw his #8C erupt in a cloud of smoke in his heat race. Heat winners Frankie Wellman and Jason Oenning would pace lap one, with Jeffrey Delonjay moving to second on lap two. Disaster was averted on lap three when Spencer Havermale stalled at the entrance of turn one, as somehow everyone managed to avoid contact. Jake Griffin lined up in row four but now used the Delaware Style restart to jump to third. Delonjay would drive to the front on lap six with Griffin taking the runner up spot one lap later. With eight laps remaining twelfth starting Austen Becerra had entered the picture in third. Griffin took over the lead one lap later and with just five laps to go Becerra cleared Delonjay for second. He then moved up to challenge for the lead and the front duo ran side by side before Becerra nosed ahead two laps from the checkers. He would then hold on for the hard fought win. Griffin, Delonjay, Jackson Frankel, and Oenning would complete the first five. Travis Denning would claim sixth in front of Tommy Elston, Jamie Wilson, Curtis Glover, and Darin Weisinger Jr. Becerra advanced eleven positions while Frankel and Denning moved up seven and Griffin six in the wild and wooly event. 

   Justin Reed was a scratch in the Dirtcar Modified twenty lapper. Chris Spalding shot to the lead over Dave Weitholder, only to see Weitholder drive to the front on lap two. Rick Conoyer eased around Spalding on lap four as the three front runners pulled away from the pack. The yellow came with five laps scored, but it would take four more circuits before Conoyer nosed ahead of Weitholder at the line. Rick began to increase his lead and now double duty Rexing moved up to challenge Spalding for third. Twice more the yellow flag would fly, creating an open track for the leader. On the final restart with four laps to go, Spading used the Delaware lineup to clear Weitholder for second. Chasing those three would be Rexing in fourth and Shawn Deering close behind. The win would be the second in a row for Conoyer. 

   Double duty Jeffrey Delonjay would come from row four to grab the Crown Vic feature win. Braxton Dieker ran second followed by Alex Hatfield, Skipp Dunker, and Carter Goodwin. 

   Thanks again to the Delonjays' and their crew for their hospitality and a fun place to spend Sunday nights!

   Quincy Raceways will mix it up a bit next Sunday as the lineup will include 305 Sprints, IMCA Late Models, Dirtcar Modifieds, B Mods, Dirtcar 4 Cylinders, and Vintage cars. Hope to see you there!

Sheppard Corrals Slocum Honors, Burgtorf and Becerra Also Winners

    After the 18th annual Slocum 50 was rained out in April, the event was moved to become a part of the yearly visit by the Lucas Oil Late Model series on Thursday, July 9. This would be the second consecutive Thursday for racing at 34 Raceway, west of West Burlington, Iowa. The highlight of the traveling series would be the $15, 000 to win main event. IMCA Late Models and IMCA Modifieds, weekly staples at the 3/8 mile high banked facility would also be in action with $1,000 to win features. 

   Although hard rains prior to race time fell throughout the area, the race grounds remained dry with a beautiful rainbow and in fact the sun shone brightly before setting off turn two. Although a bit late arriving, likely due to the weather, a great and enthusiastic crowd would eventually file in.

  Twenty nine Super Late Models came through the pit gate backed up by twenty two IMCA Late Models and a rather disappointing eleven IMCA Modifieds. The evening began with Lucas Oil time trials, and it would be the first car out, Brandon Overton, who would set overall quick time at 14.796 seconds, about three tenths off the track record for Late Models. Brandon Sheppard would pace group B at 15.015.

   Heat race drama in IMCA heat three saw a two car spin in turn four coming to the white flag. Running in a top four redraw position, Sam Halstead had nowhere to go, and the hard contact eliminated him from competition for the night. Lucas Oil heat two saw Shannon Babb spin in that same corner on the opening lap taking out himself as well as two other cars. Babb also was done for the night. Further issues would whittle the field to just two cars as the checkers waved. 

   Overton, Carson Ferguson, Sheppard, and Rickey Thornton Jr. would capture heat wins while Clay Stuckey grabbed B main honors. The Smith brothers, Brenden and Brody would grab the two provisional starting spots for the fifty lap money race. 

   Pole sitter Overton would beat Sheppard to turn one as those two soon separated themselves from the field. Soon Thornton Jr. would join the leaders, and with the race staying green they would catch slower traffic about lap fourteen. Overton would gain a bit of separation moving through the lapped cars as Sheppard now had a battle on his hands for second. The first yellow flag would come after thirty one laps as fifth running Josh Rice ducked to the work area. Back under green Overton would again pull away from the battle for second. Soon Sheppard would close in on the leader as Devin Moran moved in to challenge for third. With just thirteen laps to go Sheppard, running the inside line around the high banks eased past the leader while Moran powered to third. Even as Overton stayed close on the high side, Moran made it a three car scrum for the lead. Devin would charge to second about lap forty two and one lap later the second and final caution would come for Hudson Oneal. This would set up a single file seven lap dash to the checkers. Despite pressure from Moran and Overton, B Shepp would hang on for his first Slocum victory, unofficially jumping to the series points lead in the process. Moran, Overton, Max Blair, and Thornton Jr. would record top fives, trailed by Brian Shirley, Ferguson, Kyle Bronson, and the Simpson brothers, Chad and Chris, who would be the hard charger, gaining eight spots. 

   With all the post race television hoopla finally complete, the IMCA Late Models would lineup twenty strong for twenty five laps. Jeremy Pundt and Mark Burgtorf would redraw the front row and take off in that order before a first lap caution ended the night for Cody Washburne. Pundt would again lead the original restart with C.J. Horn slipping around Burgtorf on lap two. Travis Denning would also clear Burgtorf on lap five, but Mark would retake the position one lap later. As Pundt opened a comfortable lead, Burgtorf moved up to challenge Horn for second. around lap ten. As the race stayed green, the wily veteran Burgtorf cleared Horn with just four laps to go and set off after the leader. When the front duo came through turns three and four to the "two to go" signal, Burgtorf charged to his first lead of the race. He then held on for an emotional win. Pundt settled for runner up honors over Horn. Mitch Boles won a late battle with eleventh starting Tommy Elston for fourth. Denning, Jay Johnson, Andy Nezworski, Dustin Smith, and row nine starter Cruz Birkhofer would round out the top ten. 

   IMCA Modifieds would close out the action. A first lap four car pile up in turn three would end the night early for Andrew Hamburg and Bill Roberts Jr. Dennis Laveine would rocket to the lead as racing resumed with Austen Becerra on his heels. Running the top line, Becerra powered to the lead on lap three while Jace Eckrich entered the conversation in third. Following a quick yellow flag Eckrich would use the Delaware Style restart to move to second. After a lap five caution Becerra would open a sizable advantage while Eckrich also gained clearance ahead of a great three car battle between Laveine, Kolton Osborn, and Logan Anderson for third. One final time the caution would come at the halfway mark and the field would now go single file. But there would be no catching Becerra, who cruised to the win. Eckrich held the runner up spot while Anderson claimed third. Osborn nipped Laveine at the line in a tight scrum for fourth. Tom Bowling Jr., Blaine Bryant, and Matthew Lundry would follow in that order.  

   It was a solid night of racing on a well prepared track. Special thanks to Brad, Jessi, and all the crew for a memorable night honoring a great friend. 

   We will take a couple night s off then be back at Quincy Raceways for weekly racing on Sunday. 

Quincy Raceways Gets Back in Action

    After going zero for the month of June, Quincy Raceways officials, fans, and drivers were eager to get back to action. July 5 was an off day on the original schedule, but an unfortunate stretch of weather related cancellations resulted in a change of plans. All six regular divisions were in action with extra money coming in from outside sources for the Crown Vics. Start times were backed up one hour in reaction to the anticipated heat. 

   Heat race action rolled off in a timely fashion, and following the late model dash and intermission it was feature time. 

   Crown Vics kicked off the main events, thirteen strong for a dozen laps. Following a pair of early cautions, Carter Goodwin pulled out to a commanding lead. But with four laps to go, Goodwin came in contact with a slower car, ending his run. Alex Hatfield inherited the lead for the restart, then held off Jaden Delonjay to pick up the win. A multi car mix up on the final lap scrambled the finish but Brian Kaylor held on for third in front of Skipp Dunker and Richie Berghager.

   Sixteen IMCA Late Models checked in with all making the twenty five lap feature call. Jackson Frankel and Denny Woodworth brought the field to green. Frankel paced the opening circuit before Woodworth slipped around him to lead lap two. Austen Becerra (4th) and Tommy Elston (3rd) powered to second and third ahead of a lap ten caution for a Ryan Aden Jr. spin. Elston would clear Becerra for second at the half way mark. The yellow flag would fly again at lap fourteen and as the cars worked to realign the red flag came out for a medical issue in the pits. When racing resumed, Woodworth and Elston gained separation from the pack, Woodworth running a middle line while Elston worked low on the .29 mile oval. As those two battled Becerra began to gain ground, and with just two laps remaining he cleared Elston for second. But there would be no catching the Late Model Lawyer, as Woodworth picked up his first feature win of the season. Following Becerra and Elston it was visiting Travis Denning in fourth and Frankel in fifth. Jamie Wilson started and finished sixth while Jason Perry did the same in seventh. Jake Griffin, Curtis Glover, and Jeffrey Delonjay completed the top ten. 

   "Yellow Fever" then became the dominating theme as the two Modified classes were next. Twenty laps of UMP Dirtcar Modified racing produced five yellows, one of which eventually turned red. Wentzville, Missouri driver Rick Conoyer sat on the pole of the thirteen entries and made his visit pay off, leading from start to finish. The first stoppage came with just two laps scored and on the restart third running Justin Reed got sideways in turn four stacking up the field, necessitating the yellow to red to clear the track. Three more quick cautions resulted in a single file restart, with Conoyer and double duty Jacob Rexing driving away from the pack. Only six cars remained at the end. Visiting Ken Schrader topped a battle with Shawn Deering for third while Dave Weitholder came back from a hot pit visit to claim fifth. 

   Seven was the number of cautions in the eleven car twenty lap IMCA Northern Sport Mod money race. Once again it was a flag to flag win through the carnage for Reed Wolfmeyer. Alec Cain and Tanner Klingele waged an entertaining battle for the runner up spot before Cain went too hot into turns three and four, smacking the concrete, ending his run twelve laps in. Finally with five laps to go the realignment went single file, staying green to the finish. Klingele applied heavy pressure to the leader, but Wolfmeyer held on for the victory. Josh Dietrich and Todd Wolfmeyer were the remaining survivors of the calamity.

   The struggling Street Stock class produced only four entries. Jacob Rexing ran away in the ten lap non stop event, winning by about a half lap. Brandon Boden drove past George Wilson for second with James Stanton rounding out the field. 

   Dirtcar 4 Cylinders wrapped up the on track action. Spencer Coats and Dyllan Bonk brought the remaining nine of the ten car field to green for fifteen laps. Bonk charged ahead while Landon Neisen eased around Coats for second. Contact between those two ended the night for both top contenders in the only stoppage of the race. Bonk would fly away to a half track lead, picking up the win. Kimberly Abbott was steady in second, topping visitors Tim Westenhaver Jr. and Bryan Gregg as attrition took the rest of the field.

   Much of the large gathering stayed around for the fireworks show after the races. 

   Thanks as always to Jeff, Renee and their staff for their hospitality. QR will be back in action next Sunday for regular six class racing with discount tickets offered at Quincy Auto Supply. 

   Next up for yours truly is the rescheduled Slocum 50 at 34 Raceway, the April rainout making it a part of the annual visit by the Lucas Oil Late Model series. IMCA Late Models and IMCA Modifieds will fill out the spectacular card. This is a Thursday, July 9 event, with no other close by racing. The Thursday night special last week at 34 drew a field of thirty two IMCA Late Models and twenty five IMCA Mods. Pair that with the stars and cars of the Lucas Oil series and the Slocum 50 tradition and you have got a "can't miss" event! See you there!

Lee County Beats the Storms on Friday

    Friday was Midwest Auto Collision Night at Lee County Speedway, with free admission for military, past and present. The regular six classes were in action while K.A.R.A., the Keokuk Auto Racers Association was once again on hand to stage their second Australian Pursuit, this time for the Mini Hauler division. Also at intermission there was a candy/quarter dash and bicycles giveaway for the kids and fireworks to wrap up the night. It was indeed a full night of action!

   Once again conditions were far from comfortable, at least at the beginning of the evening, but for those who stuck around until fireworks time, the nearby storms dropped the temperature to a very pleasant level.

   The swampy conditions I know did affect the car count a bit, but still there were enough hearty souls to give us a pair of heat races in all except the Mini Hauler class. Once again the crowd was treated to a special visit by former NASCAR star Kenny Schrader wheeling his #9 Modified.

   Heat races rolled off quickly and Nick Wilkerson picked up the Australian Pursuit as we headed to intermission.

   IMCA Stock Cars would roll out first in the feature lineup. Chad Krogmeier would lead Casen Keller as lap one of twenty was scored. John Oliver Jr. was on the move, charging from row four in the draw redraw thirteen car lineup to third on lap two. The lone caution came at lap four as a spin by Jathan Fuller collected Jake Powers and Corey Strothman, eliminating all three contenders. Oliver Jr. grabbed the runner up spot on the Delaware Style restart, then overtook the leader coming to the flag stand one lap later. The #05 then pulled away in front of a battle between Krogmeier and Keller. Oliver Jr. cruised to the win while Krogmeier nipped Keller at the line for second. David McCalla and Leremy Jackson rounded out the top five. 

   IMCA Modifieds would be up next, eleven strong for twenty laps. After starter Kevin Eggleston called back the original start, the race remained clean and green to the checkers. Bill Roberts Jr. paced the opening circuit in front of Jace Eckrich while seventh starting Austen Becerra powered to third. Eckrich would move to the lead on lap two and Becerra would take second one lap later. The frontrunners would pull away from the pack with Becerra changing lines looking for the opening he needed. As the white flag waved a slower car running in his preferred lane temporarily boxed Eckrich giving Becerra one last shot at the lead. As the duo exited turn four Jace would hold on for the hard fought win. Mark Burgtorf was steady all race long in third chased by Roberts Jr. Dakota Simmons held off Schrader for fifth. 

   Fourteen IMCA Late Models lined up for twenty five laps. The move of the race came in the infield when Tommy Elston redrew the pole position. The Keokuk veteran would lead all twenty five laps. Twice the yellow flag would bring him back to the pack, but on each occasion he would drive away to a commanding lead. Sam Halstead and Rickey Frankel III would battle back and forth early for the runner up position. Two time winner Jake Griffin drew the number seven pill, advancing to third on lap nine. Meanwhile a gaggle of cars raced closely for position behind the top three of Elston, Frankel III and Griffin. The final caution came at lap sixteen as Frankel III slowed with steam rolling from his #33. His cousin Jackson Frankel would inherit the third spot, then use the Delaware restart to move to second as eighth starting Curtis Glover charged from seventh to fourth. Once more Elston pulled away for by my count his third LCS win of the season followed by Jackson Frankel, Griffin, Glover, and C.J. Horn. Mitch Boles, Darin Weisinger Jr., Ron Boyse, Carter Johnson, and Kruze Miles would complete the top ten. 

   Twenty laps would decide the eleven car IMCA Northern Sport Mod winner. Before lap one was complete the yellow flag would fly as Olivia Hoffman and Grady Jones would come together in turn three, eliminating both cars. Pole sitter Cole Gillenwater would lead fourth starting Brandon Dale ahead of a second and final caution with one lap scored as rookie Kindel Droege had issues on the backstretch. Gillenwater would begin to stretch his lead as Bryson Eckrich moved up to challenge Dale for second, three second generation hot shoes setting the pace. Besides close racing we were now being treated(?) to some intense lightning strikes seemingly not too far north of the speedway as well as a welcome cool breeze and a noticeable drop in temperatures. As it turned out the track racing fifty plus miles to the northeast saw their program washed out mid race, so we were the lucky ones! In any event, Gillenwater would open a straightaway advantage to cruise to victory. Eckrich won the battle for second over Dale, while Brandon Lambert and Chevy Barnes also collected top five finishes.  

   Track officials now went into a much appreciated hurry up mode, dispensing with post race activities, parade laps, etc. as the Mini Haulers came to the track for ten laps of racing. One caution with two laps in the books would slow the action, but it was merely a small distraction for pole sitter and eventual winner Nick Wilkerson, who missed a clean sweep with a second place heat race finish. Nick would drive away to the feature win over heat winner Dawson Tipps, Hayden Delzell, Larry Hooper, and Jason Delzell, the only survivors of the seven truck field. 

   IMCA Sport Compacts would wrap up racing, eleven cars cut to a ten lap main event. Tim Schnathorst would redraw the front row pole and lead all laps as the race went non stop green to checkers. Kimberly Abbott would challenge the leader before rare mechanical issues ended her pursuit in the early laps. Brandon Reu would work from row three to the runner up spot by lap three, soon applying pressure to Schnathorst. Several car lengths would separate the two leaders even as Reu worked hard to close the gap. As the final checkers of the night waved, it was Schnathorst with the win over Reu and Luke Fraise. Ethan Prim had a solid run in fourth while visiting Paige Sanders, Montezuma, Iowa rounded out the first five.

   Thanks once again to the Weisinger family and their capable team for a fun Friday night!

    Regular racing will at LCS will take a pause next week as the Mohrfield Sprint Invaders take center stage during Iowas' oldest county fair. 

   We will enjoy family activities and celebrate our nations' birthday today along with the big block party and legendary fireworks display in our former hometown of Lagrange, Missouri, then be back in our regular seats Sunday as Quincy Raceways recovers from a complete washout in June. Race times have been backed up one hour on Sunday, check the track Facebook page for details. Hope to see you there!

    

Laveine Sanitation Night a Big Success at 34 Raceway

      Thursday was a special night at 34 Raceway, West Burlington, Iowa. The now apparent annual event was sponsored by Laveine Sanitation, the business of longtime racer Dennis Laveine. The veteran competitor along with track owners/promoters Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt rolled out the red carpet for race teams and fans alike. All fans and drivers received free admission! In addition there were many prizes and contingencies for the racers as well as prize drawings for fans. To top things off, all five divisions in action saw their feature race pay $1,500 to win and $150 to start! In "old school" fashion, sponsors were lined up to award payouts for heat race finishes, a custom seldom seen since the 1980's! And as racing wrapped up in the wee hours, a fireworks display entertained the many hearty souls still around, as even with the extremely warm conditions, a large and enthusiastic crowd turned out.

   One hundred and thirty eight race teams was the official tally in the five featured divisions, with IMCA Sport Mods leading the way with thirty seven drivers. They along with the thirty two IMCA Late Models needed B mains to whittle feature fields down to twenty four. Only 305 Sprints, eighteen strong turned out less than a "full field." It was a very interesting mix of drivers from various areas, many of whom were likely not familiar with the track.

   With the high humidity, the track stayed in excellent condition throughout the twenty three race program, with just a slight amount of tickling of the three eighths mile high banks during intermission. 

   Of course there is always a downside to an affair of this magnitude, and on this night it would be a possible case of carpal tunnel for the lone flagman, who was forced to wave the yellow flag somewhere north of three dozen times! Many drivers unfortunately struggled finding a grip on the smooth, fast, and somewhat slippery corners of the oval. 

   With all preliminaries in the books, IMCA Northern Sport Mods kicked off feature racing, two dozen strong for twenty laps. Following a yellow flag on the first attempt at a start, pole sitter Cole Stichter led third starting Dylan VanWyk. Sport Mod standout Brayton Carter would enter the mix on lap three, moving to third after lining up in row five. Two more cautions came before Carter took command using the high line, taking VanWyk along in second. As Carter stretched his advantage, Cole Gillenwater would climb to third before a turn two spin ended his run just seven laps from the checkers. The field would now realign single file with only one more caution slowing the action. VanWyk would get close enough to the leader to attempt a slide job in turn three, but Carter was able to cross back over for the lead. Dylan would stay close but could not mount another serious challenge as "Speedy Bray" drove on to his sixteenth feature win of 2026. After dropping out of his heat race, double duty John Oliver Jr. lined up in row eleven but methodically worked his way to third at the finish. Stichter came home fourth while Bryson Eckrich won an entertaining back and forth battle with Quinton Shelton for fifth. 

   All but one of the eighteen 305 Winged Sprints made the twenty lap feature call. Cody Wehrle, subbing for Tanner Gebhardt in the #27I sat on the pole position, jumped to the lead and was never headed as the yellow flag would wave just a single time. However that one stoppage was nearly a disaster for second running John Barnard. As the front duo attempted to put car a lap down in turns three and four, the slower car got crossed up causing Bernard to get sideways and stop. Fortunately track officials allowed him to retain his position, which he held the rest of the way to the checkers. But there would be no catching Wehrle, although Barnard was able to draw closer in traffic on the final laps. Kyle Steffens started and finished third while Riley Scott moved up eight positions to fourth. Jeff Wilke also came from deep in the field to round out the first five. 

   The IMCA Stock Car field was down to twenty one for their twenty lap finale. The usually well behaved class would see four cautions in the first half of the event, finally going single file and settling down with just one more caution two laps from the finish. Outside row one starter Kenny O'Donnell led fourth starting Chad Krogmeier through three yellow flags as the opening lap was scored. Cayden Carter would power to second as the laps began to click off and Oliver Jr. charged from row five to third on lap three. Two mores trip past the flag stand and Carter grabbed the top spot followed by Oliver in second one lap later. As the two veterans and most of the field hugged the inside line, eleventh starting Maguire DeJong moved to the top side and began quickly picking off cars, charging to third by a lap twelve caution. An early yellow flag had sent David Brandies to the tail for the restart, but back to racing he mirrored DeJong, climbing to the high line and advancing quickly to fifth. With Carter still locked on the bottom, Oliver now moved up a lane to challenge, and along with DeJong they now locked in an entertaining three car battle. But coming out of turn two on the way to the white flag, Oliver began to slow, dropping fluid through turns three and four, ending his bold pursuit. On the final restart Carter moved higher on the track to protect his lead, holding on to pick up the hard fought win. It would be DeJong in second followed by Brandies, O'Donnell, and Krogmeier with top five finishes. 

   Pole sitter Mark Burgtorf led fourth starting Jesse Bodin as the twenty four car IMCA Late Models began their twenty five lap event. The first of only two cautions came with one lap scored as Jake Griffin and Rickey Frankel III got together in turn four. Back under green fifth starting Travis Denning drove to second followed by third starting Tommy Elston. Denning would use the high line to ease around the bottom hugging Burgtorf on lap five. The second and final caution came with seven laps scored, and Elston used the Delaware Style restart to power to second. It took three more trips around the oval before Elston was able to slip past Denning for the lead. Now it was Denning and Burgtorf in a side by side, back and forth battle for second all while still staying close to the leader. As the laps clicked off, third generation driver Cruz Birkhofer began a charge forward after lining up in row seven. Elston drove off to the win as Denning finally topped the fight for second over Burgtorf. Bodin finished where he started in fourth while Birkhofer gained eight spots to fifth. Buried in the starting field, Andy Nezworski came on strong late, advancing ten positions to finish sixth. C.J. Horn, Sam Halstead, Jamie Wilson, and Dustin Smith would round out the top ten. 

   IMCA Modifieds would complete the racing action, twenty five strong for twenty laps. The finale was a marathon marred by nine (ten?) yellow flags. Spencer Diercks would fire off ahead of the start zone and be penalized one row as the first stoppage came. But it would take him just three circuits to overtake early leader Jace Eckrich for the position. Single file restarts would begin with just four laps in the books. While Diercks built a commanding lead, Eckrich and seventh starting Austen Becerra raced hot and heavy for second. On each of the numerous restarts, Diercks would pull away while Eckrich and Becerra continued their duel. The final six laps would mercifully stay green, with Diercks cruising to the win. Becerra would score the runner up spot over Eckrich, double duty Cayden Carter would add a fourth to his Stock Car win, and Logan Anderson would ease around Chris Zogg on the final lap for fifth. 

   While it was for sure a bit warm and muggy, there was a nice breeze early as we watched that oh so familiar 34 Raceway sunset, somehow it wouldn't seem right any other way! Special thanks to Dennis Laveine, Brad and Jessi, and their hard working crew for a such a special night of non stop action. The track will be idle this Saturday as they plan for their next big event, the rescheduled Slocum 50, held next Thursday, July 9 in conjunction with the yearly visit by the high powered Lucas Oil Late Models. The three division program will also feature, IMCA Late Models, and IMCA Modifieds in what is a "can't miss" show for yours truly and hopefully you as well! 

   Check back tomorrow, as we will hopefully have a run down of more holiday weekend racing from tonight at Lee County Speedway. Hope to see you there!

   

Memphis Main Event Goes to Chargin' Charlie

   Saturday the high powered Malvern Bank SLMR Late Models rolled into Scotland County Speedway, the fairgrounds three eighths mile oval on the west edge of Memphis, Missouri. The Nebraska based Super Late Model Racing Series - the brainchild of National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Joe Kosiski - boasts both east and west division events plus several multi division races. While some drivers may focus on "points racing" in one or the other division, there is much cross over among the competitors. This east division race would pay a cool $3,000 to win the feature winner. Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks and B Modifieds racing for a strong purse would fill out the Saturday night card. 

   Like everywhere in the mid west, Memphis has experienced more than their share of rainfall, but through the hard work of promoter Mike Van Genderen and many volunteers, the race track and pit area were transformed in to race shape. The huge berm of mud surrounding the inside of the racing surface was a testimony as to how much work was needed. And although the track had a bit of "character" early, it was  hammer down all night and relatively smooth and multi groove by feature time. 

   South Dakota driver Blair Nothdurft topped time trial efforts with a fast lap of 17.019 seconds, breaking a three race fast qualifier string by Jason Hahne. SLMR uses a somewhat complicated qualifying procedure involving descending points for time trials with a six car heat race invert where passing points are accumulated. This combination ( along with a top car redraw?) sets the starting order for the feature which also offers a challenge to the top point man to drop to the sixth starting spot for a shot at bonus money. On this night it was number two points earner Tad Pospisil who accepted the Skyline Materials challenge after Jake Neal passed. As it turned out Tad was "only" able to move up to third at the checkers, increasing the bonus money for the next event.

   Heat two winner Jacob Hobscheidt and Charlie McKenna sat on row one for the twenty five lap main event. "Chargin" Charlie powered to the early lead followed by Hobscheidt and Neal. A quick yellow came as Ron Boyse came up lame with both right side tires down. Neal took second on the Delaware Style restart before the caution flag waved again on lap two for a four car mix up in turn four. From there the race would stay clean and green. McKenna and Neal gradually pulled away from the pack, running nose to tail, building a nearly straightaway advantage. Around the mid point of the race, the leaders began to catch slower traffic, with several pulling to the infield before going a lap down. Eventually McKenna closed in on a car running in his preferred lane, and Neal took advantage to close up what little margin the leader had. After a few laps, McKenna was able to make a dandy move in turns one and two to put a pair of cars between himself and his challenger. He then built what looked like an insurmountable lead of more than three seconds. But Neal finally cleared the lapped cars and with two laps remaining he was once again at the back bumper of the #22. However McKenna continued to hit his marks, and came away with a flag to flag win of less than one second! Neal was runner up with Pospisil in third ahead of Hobscheidt and Nothdurft. Jesse Sobbing would top the second five in front of Dylan Silman, Jeff Tharp, Hahne, and Andrew Kosiski. Fourteen of the eighteen starters were around at the finish, while Troy Morris III was well down the road after heat race woes put him in the toter.  

   Feature racing began with all twenty four B Mods lining up for sixteen laps. As the green flag waved, Austen Becerra made hard contact with the turn two fence, putting him and his Bobby Six #6 out of contention early. Pole sitter Brandon Lambert charged to the lead with the yellow coming again on lap two as possible contact sent ninth starting Daniel Fellows in the Jim Gillenwater #10 for a spin. Another top contender, Brandon Dale drove to the infield at this time, ending his run. Back to racing, Lambert pulled away along with second running Cole Gillenwater as they opened about a five car length advantage before encountering heavy traffic at about the mid point. With just five laps remaining, the caution flag bunched the field as Dylan Heidenwith took a ride off turn three. Twelfth starting Dylan VanWyk had been steadily advancing through the pack, and he now jumped from fifth to third in a battle with Cody Agee. Just as the white flag flew, it was replaced by a final yellow and as the cars waited to realign, VanWyk had his night end with an engine fire in the #117. It would be a green, white, checkers to determine the finish, and Lambert would hold on for a popular victory. Agee jumped to second on the final restart as Gillenwater fell back to eighth with obvious issues. Lucas Eddy was the hard charger, moving up twelve spots to third chased by Jordon Jones and Chris Leathers. 

   Thirteen Stock Cars signed in, with all taking the green for fifteen laps. As has been a trend lately, the class was not particularly well behaved, as four yellow flags marred the action. Thor Anderson sat on the pole and he powered to the front ahead of Randy Rindom, Derrick Agee, and Leremy Jackson. As Anderson stretched his lead Rindom and Jackson survived contact, but the yellow would come soon after for more contact between Jackson and Jason See. See was awarded his spot back with Jackson charged with the caution. However when another quick caution came for debris, See retired to the infield with a flat tire. Another quick caution followed the restart and now Jackson flew off turn three before reentering the track off turn four! Soon he would head to the infield along with Kevin Koontz while track workers removed the hood from the #14 of Agee who had already given up his front nose piece. A final yellow came for a Jathan Fuller spin with six laps to go. Finally, Thor Anderson would drive away to a convincing flag to flag win. Agee held on for second while Rindom and Fuller recovered to take third and fourth. Only six cars completed the fifteen laps. 

   Hobby Stocks would wrap up the night, racing for a dozen circuits. Pole sitter Mason Rush would lead the first half of the event  followed by a four car scramble for second, finally taken by Spenscer Hopwood. Rush stayed in control before the caution came at the lap six mark. Hopwood would then grab the top spot and go on to collect the win. Rush settled for runner up honors ahead of Garrett Porter, and the Wenigs, Tristan and Dan. 

   Thanks as always to MVG and his cracker jack crew for a much needed night of racing action. Scotland County will host a few more events throughout the season, check the website for more info.

   Our next planned event is the rescheduled and highly anticipated Laveine Sanitation extravaganza this coming Thursday, July 2 at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. There are lots of giveaways for fans and drivers, serious extra money for the racers including $1,500 to win in all classes, and to top things off, all DRIVERS AND FANS GET IN FREE! No excuses on this one, so we will see you there!

Close Finishes Highlight Lee County Action

    Lee County Speedway was one a handful of tracks spared by Mother Nature on Friday night. In fact, the cloudy skies made for a very pleasant racing evening. The pits were already filling with a larger than average turnout when a late shower forced cancellation during check in fifty plus miles up the road in Columbus Junction, and brought a steady stream of competitors rolling through the Donnellson pit gate even as race time approached. In fact, a handful of cars would miss the heat races. In the end, the final car count wound up in the low nineties, including surprise visitor Kenny Schrader with his IMCA Modified making for a long and full night of action. The regular six divisions saw the addition of the Crown Vics, the first time the fledgling class has appeared at Lee County. They would bring nine competitors who regularly race at Quincy Raceways for a test run on the three eighths mile oval. 

   The action still kicked off in time, and a dozen heat races clicked off quickly, followed by a brief intermission. 

   IMCA Modifieds would be up first in the feature lineup, with fourteen cars racing for twenty laps. Dennis Laveine would lead his row one mate Jace Whitt ahead of the first yellow flag with one lap scored. Bill Roberts Jr. would clear Whitt for second on the restart, and as the laps clicked off those two would swap the position in a hard fought battle behind Laveine. Austen Becerra had lined up in row four, and with eight circuits remaining on the lightning fast surface, he would power to third. Laveine had built a nice lead, but a second and final caution came as a tire was kicked onto the racing surface with just three laps remaining. As the green flag waved, fifth running Mark Burgtorf moved to the high line and charged all the way to the runner up spot while second running Whitt was shuffled back through the field. Becerra was now also on the gas, and he cleared Burgtorf for second, then closed quickly on the leader. That duo exited turn four to the checkers side by side, with Laveine holding on by 0.2 seconds for the thrilling victory. Burgtorf, Roberts Jr., and Whitt completed the top five. 

   An excellent field of twenty one IMCA Late Models signed in, with all making the twenty five lap feature call. Jason Oenning and Dalton Simonsen brought the field to green with Simonsen jumping out ahead of fourth starting Denny Woodworth. Lap two saw the Late Model lawyer power to the lead while sixth starting Jake Griffin advanced to third. The next time around it was Griffin in second and Rickey Frankel III following in third. Woodworth opened a sizable lead until the lone caution came with six laps scored. Back under green, Griffin executed a "bad" slider in turn four, making contact with Woodworth while taking over the lead. Now it was Woodworth, Frankel III, and ninth starting Tommy Elston battling three wide for second, a position Elston would secure about lap ten. By this time Griffin was well out front but beginning to catch the back of the pack. Elston methodically cut into the gap, and with three laps to go he was within striking distance. But at that point Griffin was able to clear a slower car, giving him enough cushion to race home with his second win of the season, both coming at LCS. Elston crossed the line in second, as those two reversed their finish from the night before at Eldon Raceway. Frankel III had a strong run in third while Curtis Glover and twelfth starting C. J. Horn rounded out the front five. Visiting third generation driver Cruz Birkhofer ran sixth ahead of Blaise Lewis, Darin Weisinger Jr., Mitch Boles, and Spencer Havermale. 

   Eighteen cars would line up for the twenty lap IMCA Northern Sport Mod money race. Brandon Lambert got the jump on his front row partner Tanner Klingele ahead of a lap two caution, Back to racing Cole Gillenwater powered to the lead with Klingele still in second. One lap later Klingele took his first lead while fifth starting John Oliver Jr. drove to third. Row four starter Adam Birck was on the move, and he secured the third spot on lap six. Klingele had a sizable lead, but a lap eight yellow flag brought him back to the pack, and on the restart Birck rode the top side to the front. With Klingele staying in the low line, the two veterans raced side by side before Tanner reclaimed the top spot near the halfway mark. Again Klingele would open a nice lead ahead of a caution with just two laps remaining. That is when the wheels came off of an otherwise entertaining race. Caution after caution flag flew as the field was unable to complete even one more lap, including a turn three melee that eliminated several top contenders. Mercifully the time limit was invoked with a final single file run to the checkers. Klingele held on for the win trailed by Birck and Brandon Dale. A. J. Tournear was involved in an early caution, restarted deep in the field then rebounded to fourth at the checkers while Lambert came home fifth. Only eight cars were still on track at the end.

   The Mini Hauler division continues to be a mostly failed experience, as only Five trucks showed up. Nick Wilkerson is established as a dominant force in the division as he took over the lead on lap three of twelve, then drove away to a full straightaway win. Sheldon Brockett and Larry Hooper filled out the final spots still racing at the checkers. 

   The lineup showed nine, but including Gordon Blankenship Jr. there were ten IMCA Sport Compacts taking the green flag. Luke Fraise grabbed the early lead with fourth starting Brandon Reu close behind. That duo raced side by side with Reu nosing ahead on the fifth circuit. Fraise would stay close, battling side by side and nose to tail with Reu, lap after lap. The white flag was replaced with a lone yellow as Drew Stanek would lose a wheel while fighting for a top five spot. The green, white, checkers finish was no problem for Reu as he picked up another win. Fraise held second while three cars crossed the line side by side by side for third! Kimberly Abbott took the podium finish trailed closely by David Prim and Deep River, Iowa driver Ryan Cheney. 

   After witnessing two frustrating Stock Car features this week, this fourteen car IMCA group staged an entertaining twenty lapper. Beau Taylor was the early leader from outside row one chased by fourth starting double duty John Oliver Jr. Oliver would grab the lead on lap two while Nathan Wood moved one lap later to second. Oliver Jr. drove away to a straightaway lead, moving effortlessly through slower traffic before the yellow flag flew six laps from the checkers for a spinner.  As racing resumed, the red flag came quickly as the #15RS of Reid Sammons gave up in a heavy cloud of smoke. With a clear track ahead, Oliver Jr. again drove away into the Lee County night to claim victory. Wood hung around in the runner up position while Bernard, Iowa driver Jordon Miles made a late charge to slip around Taylor for third. Austin O'Donnell made the quick drive to Donnellson to take home fifth. Among the surprise entrants on this night were a pair of racers from Oklahoma presumably making their way north for some upcoming specials. Brandon Gritz from Edmond and Hesston Shaw from Hennessey, apparent teammates with similar looking #42 and 42S machines would cross the line seventh and eighth in the main event. 

   The clock ticked near 11:00 as we slipped out ahead of the Crown Vic twelve lap finale. Lewistown, Missouri racer Brian Kaylor will be the answer to a trivia question as the first driver to capture a feature win in the division at LCS. With a decent first night turnout, I suspect we may see the Vics again in 2026.

   Thanks as always to the Weisinger family and their crew for their hospitality and hard work turning an early week swamp into a very raceable surface on a fun Friday night. And we even got to here a couple of interviews from one of the best, Dustin Jarrett!

   With other commitments, this will put a wrap on weekend racing for me, next stop will be the UMP Summer Nationals stop at Quincy Raceways on Wednesday. The touring Super Late Models and Modifieds will be joined by B Modifieds and Crown Vics, you won't want to miss this one! 

Elston Cashes in at Eldon

    Thursday we made our way to the Wapello County Fairgrounds in Eldon, Iowa. It is county fair time, with a pair of race nights scheduled on the fast half mile where many fun nights were spent by yours truly a half century ago. On this special night, IMCA Late Models topped the card, racing for a $1,200 payday backed by $300 to start the main event. Stock Cars, Sport Mods, Hobby Stocks, 4 Cylinders, and Crown Vics were also on the card. 

   Hot laps kicked off about thirty minutes late, but after that the show moved along at a reasonable pace. A couple quick spritzes of water solved an early dust issue, and by race time a nice sized crowd filled in to both the rustic covered grandstands and the open air concrete seating closer to turn four. 

   Car counts are not the best at Eldon, and this night was no different, with only Stock Cars and Late Models able to register double digit counts. Tony Paris was doing his usual fine job on the mic, however there were some issues with the PA throughout the evening in the main grandstands, and I must confess to missing more than a couple names of drivers with whom I am unfamiliar. So I apologize in advance for any I may misidentify. Rumor has it that the track is working on collaborating with My Race Pass, which would be a positive development to the many race fans and reporters who rely on it. 

   Compacts would run the first feature of the night, contesting ten laps on the big half mile. Katelynn Watts shot to the early lead, and stayed out front for the distance despite heavy pressure from Seth Meinders. Cole Hughes, competing in two classes this night would race home in third followed by James Haring. 

   Sport Mods would also go ten circuits. with Colton Livezey jumping out front of Chase Johnson and Brandon Dale early on. As lap two was completed, Dale powered to second and began to stalk the leader in what shaped up to be a two car scrum. Eventually Livezey was able to put some distance on his challenger. For the second feature in a row, the race stayed green to the end, with Colton picking up his second win in three nights. Dale ran second, followed by VanZandt and Johnson.

   Crown Vics brought our first feature caution. Cole Hughes grabbed the lead after the front runner spun exiting turn four on the opening lap. The lone caution came on lap five, but Hughes stayed out front. Folkerts worked to cut into his lead, and crossed the finish line a scant half car length behind. Carter Stutsman would come home third.

   Next up it was Hobby Stocks. Keaton Gordon grabbed the lead over Rick VanDusseldorp. Top contender Dustin Griffiths, who was an early exit in the heat race, was out on the opening lap. VanDusseldorp was ahead by a nose as lap two went in the books only to see Gordon regain the spot two laps later. Once back in the lead, Gordon pulled away to a convincing win while VanDusseldorp held on for the runner up honors. Dan Honderd was strong in third.

  For our second straight night, the usually reliable Stock Cars had issues completing their twelve lap main event. Five yellow flags marred the action. Jason McDaniel powered to the lead as the green flag waved with Dustin Griffiths on his tail. Andrew Schroeder joined the fray ahead of the first stoppage,  Three more cautions came rapid fire, and on the final one of the three Griffiths headed to the work area with a flat tire following on track contact. Schroeder, who found himself at the tail early after triggering one of the cautions soon found himself back in second as the race passed the mid point. The final restart came at lap nine, and back under green Schroeder completed his come back, roaring to the front. He then drove away from the pack for a popular win. McDaniel held second ahead of Aaron Martin, Leremy Jackson, and Griffiths.

   A dozen IMCA Late Models put a wrap on the action. Dalton Simonsen and Gary Webb brought the field to green with Simonsen out front, but a complete restart followed the lone caution of the race. On the next attempt Dalton again took the lead with third starting Jake Griffin now in second. Griffin began to apply pressure to the leader while fourth starting Tommy Elston found his footing, moving to third on lap six and quickly closing on the leaders. Both Jake and Tommy drove around the front runner on lap seven, quickly putting distance on the pack in an entertaining two car duel. Lap eleven saw Elston make the move of the race as he grabbed the top spot. From there he would hold off Griffin for the $1,200 payday. Simonsen grabbed a podium spot in third, followed by "Superman" Sam Halstead, and C.J.Horn (I vividly recall watching his grandfather Fred win a feature here opening night in 1975!) A pair of wily veterans, Webb and Ron Boyse came next, chased by Jay Johnson, Mitch Boles, and Denny Woodworth.

   Racing wrapped up ahead of the 11:00 hour and there were fireworks in the distance as we headed out on Highway 16. 

   Tonight we will be back at Lee County Speedway where seven classes will be on the card. Maybe we will see you there!