Delonjays Dominate, Wilson, Deering, Klingele Top Quincy Action

    After being weathered out earlier this season, the MLRA Late Models planned to come back to Quincy Raceways Sunday for a late season $5,000 to win special. However as has happened so many times in 2026, Mother Nature had something to say about that plan. With a less than favorable forecast, the travelling series elected to cancel their trip. Quincy Raceways officials then decided to stay on the horse, adjusting plans to a more conventional weekly program. The new lineup would now feature IMCA Late Models for $1,000 to win, with national points available. This was particularly crucial for two top contenders, as Tommy Elston sits in second, just four markers behind leader Zach Zeitner while Jake Griffin holds sixth while also atop the Rookie of the Year race. IMCA Sport Mods would also race for national points. The track was also working to make sure UMP points would be awarded for 4 Cylinders and Crown Vics would also be in action. Modifieds were also a last minute addition.  

   Whether it was due to the questionable forecast or the late pivot, or perhaps a bit of each, both the car and fan count was somewhat less than hoped for. And that is too bad, as it turned out to be a beautiful evening for racing on a track that was in excellent condition that produced good racing.

   Modifieds kicked off feature racing, and with track points ended there was a handful of Sport Mod/B Mod drivers who took the opportunity to try their luck with the "A" Mods. Vance Wilson and Shawn Deering paced the field, with Deering leading lap one. Wilson took over the next time around, holding the top spot before bringing out the first of four yellow flags with eight laps scored, as he slowed, his night over. Deering would inherit the lead, with Dave Weitholder charging to second. Weitholder had missed his heat race, then started last in the feature. His gremlins continued as he suddenly slowed with seven laps to go, ending his charge. Tenth starting Lucas Schieferdecker and Kirk Cunningham then battled hard behind Deering before Cunningham looped his ride four laps from the checkers. One more yellow flag slowed the action before Deering picked up the checkered flag. Schieferdecker, Cunningham, Logan Cumby, and seventy nine year old Hall of Famer Dick Crane would round out the top five. 

   Unfortunately the Late Model count stood at eight, which I believe was not enough for full national points. Still it was a stacked field. A popular saying is that you cannot win the race on the first lap, but in this case the winning move came before a lap was scored. Curtis Glover and Griffin lined up in row one with the initial start called back with Glover deemed to have fired too early. He was then penalized one row, putting Jamie Wilson on the pole. Jamie would then drive a flawless race, running a middle line to lead all twenty five laps to claim his first victory of 2026. The race was stopped only one other time, as contact with one lap scored sent Elston for a spin. Griffin and Glover battled hard behind Wilson for most of the race before Jake took command of the position and briefly mounted a challenge to Wilson. At the end Wilson held a comfortable lead over Griffin, Glover, Austen Becerra, and Elston. 

   Jaden Delonjay and Kimberly Abbott paced the 4 Cylinder fifteen lapper. Along with Landon Neisen, the top three raced in tight formation before Delonjay gradually pulled away. Cole Reed soon joined the fun, taking third on lap three, then battling Niesen for second. As the race stayed clean and green, Reed took over the runner up spot about lap nine, but Delonjay was long gone. Delonjay would score the win, chased by Reed and Niesen. Abbott held off a late challenge by Jeremy Elmore to finish fourth. 

   Top contender Alec Cain lined up outside row one for the Sport Mod eighteen lapper, but pulled to the infield on the parade lap. Track champion Tanner Klingele powered to the lead by inches over first time visitor Chris Burke, who made the surprise trip from Altoona, Iowa. Klingele and Burke would race side by side, with Burke taking over the lead on lap four. Following back to back yellow flags Klingele grabbed the lead and one lap later the red flag was briefly displayed as rookie Hudson Hayes smacked the turn three concrete. Back to racing, Klingele cruised to the win ahead of Burke and Josh Dietrich. Spencer Coats was out for the first time in a Sport Mod after his 4 Cylinder career, and at the finish line he nipped out of retirement Jim Powell and his familiar #48 for fourth. 

   Crown Vics would complete the action, a dozen cars for fifteen circuits. Leaving his Late Model at home, Jeffrey Delonjay lined up fourth but grabbed the lap one lead over Kevin Horner. A pair of quick yellows eliminated Carter Goodwin and Brian Moore. As racing resumed, tenth starting Jacob Jones jumped to second. But his challenge would end as he rolled to a stop with five laps scored. Traveler Jeff Hall, in his first action at QR, then moved in to battle Horner for second. Delonjay saw his half lap lead evaporate when a ute tire was kicked to the track with just three laps to go. But Delonjay had no issues with the single file restart, picking up the win. Horner won the battle for second over Hall, Chance Bailey, and Chris Moore. 

   With tracks beginning to call it a season, Quincy Raceways still has three nights of scheduled racing. Sunday, September 27 will be "Topless" night, then plans are complete for a two day King of the Bullring Friday and Saturday, October 2-3. Open 4 Cylinders will battle for $4,000 to win while Crown Vics will race for s $2,000 payday. Late Models and B Mods will also be on the card for a $1,000 top prize each night. 

   

Glover and Raffurty are Super Nationals Champions

    On Monday, Labor Day, our motley crew made our way to Boone, Iowa Speedway for night one of the 44th IMCA Super Nationals. Late Models would be the featured class in their only competition of the week long extravaganza. A portion of the qualifying races for Sport Mods and Hobby Stocks would add to the long day and night of racing. 

   But first, the rains came. Pretty much all day Sunday, so they say. Much of the racing for that "preliminary" day was cancelled. But it was "Big Dance" day for the Mod Lites, so their Sunday 25 lap qualifier, 30 lap feature, and 12 lap Race of Champions would be folded into the already chock full Monday itinerary. 

   And then more rain came to the already saturated grounds on Monday morning, pushing things back by more than an hour. So after a very satisfying meal at Hickory Park in Ames, we arrived to : 437 individual cars in competition, plus approximately another 100 Stock Cars hot lapping only, 69 total races (we made it through 62 of them!), 7 "track farming sessions" (if you have never witnessed one, imagine 9 big John Deere tractors, one water truck, and a handful of pack vehicles doing a 10 minute total track rework followed by 5 minutes of hot lapping), 11 plus hours at the track, not to mention so much mud that we would be parking across the highway, a roughly 15 minute stroll from the ticket gate. Oh, and then there were a few DQ's thrown in, as well!

   Now none of this should be seen as a knock on the track or its' operations - this is simply Boone Super Nationals! Something over 1100 race teams would be in competition in what has unofficially become an eight day extravaganza plus the Saturday night "Prelude." Any time spent at the track during this time is really not for the casual fan, this is hard core stuff! Close racing, warm tempers, crashes leading to upside down race cars all packed into for us 11 plus hours of action, and we hit the go button with 2 plus hours still to go!

   Covering all the racing blow by blow would be a fools' errand, so I will attempt to hit some of the highlights. 

   Murfreesboro, Tn. driver Jaedon McDowell topped Kansas City, Mo. ace Dillon Raffurty to win the Mod Lite 25 lap qualifier, but from there on it was the Raffurty show. He would top Bryce Voman, Chaz Baca, Jon Padilla, and McDowell to capture the Big Dance trophy, then come back later to win the Race of Champions over Padilla, Bryan Zehm, Texas driver Scott Jordon, and Josh May in the race involving points champions from eleven represented IMCA sanctioned tracks. 

   Sprinkled throughout were 20 heat races each for the 181 entered IMCA Sport Mods, and 189 IMCA Hobby Stocks, as well as B Mains and Race of Champion qualifiers for each of those divisions. Both of those classes also raced a pair of Feature qualifiers for the Saturday Big Dance finale, only one of which hit the track before our departure. 

   That 25 lap Sport Mod event saw Iowa racers Mike Smith on top, chased by Brett Thomas, Hunter Longnecker and Minnesota driver Brayden Ahlers with those four locking into the Saturday finals.

   As mentioned earlier, the IMCA Late Models ran a complete program as this was their only night on the card. A solid field of 37 turned out, split into 4 heats, with the top 3 moving on to the 50 lap $3,000 to win Big Dance feature. Curtis Glover and Andy Nezworski were victorious from row three of their 8 lappers, while Jesse Sobbing and Beau Johnson picked up wins from row two. A pair of 12 lap B Mains added a dozen more to the feature field, with outside row one starters Tommy Elston and Logan Veloz claiming wins. The 50 lap feature got off to a rough start on the opening lap when Gregg Hamman spun in turn one and as the field slowed, Robbie Thome made contact with the back of Nezworski, apparently locking them together. As a result all three would restart at the tail. Glover had redrawn the pole position and he then shot to the lead ahead of his row one mate Zach Zeitner and third starting Darin Weisinger Jr. As that trio pulled away from the pack, Weisinger moved to second on lap two, then slipped around Glover the next time around. Glover would retake the top spot on lap four as he ran high on the one third mile track and Weisinger worked down low. Row seven starter Elston, who is locked in a tight battle with Zeitner for the national points title, quickly advanced to sixth before stalling out. About lap eight Zeitner cleared Weisinger Jr. for second while Beau Johnson joined the leaders in a four car breakaway. The leaders soon found themselves in heavy lapped traffic, and when Zeitner dove low to try and slide past Glover, Johnson charged to second. With just a dozen laps remaining, a second yellow flag came as Bobby Hansen and Kale Kosiski got together. Zeitner reclaimed second on the Delaware restart, and as he battled with Johnson Glover stretched his lead a bit. Just when it looked as though we would stay green to the checkers, a final caution came with two to go for Drew Baker. That would be only a temporary delay for Glover, who picked up the prestigious win. Zeitner would hold second over Johnson, Weisinger Jr., and Shane Demey. Veloz gained eight positions to run sixth, besting Sobbing, Elston, Kole Nordquist, and Cooper Tilley. 

   Announcers Ryan Clark and Jerry VanSickel had already invoked Patsy Clines' " After Midnight," so we began the journey home, where I arrived just shy of 4:30 A.M.! It was great catching up with friends I get to see often as well as those only once or twice a year, and we are already discussing the 2027 edition of this marathon event!

   

Fisher Sweeps Sprint Invaders at Quincy

    Sunday marked the annual visit by the 360 C.I. Mohrfeld Solar Sprint Invaders to Quincy Raceways. With the start of the IMCA Super Nationals in Boone, Ia. the remaining class lineup for Sunday was also adjusted. Open Crate Late Models, open B Modifieds, and Crown Vics were on the card along with two regular UMP Dirtcar divisions, Street Stocks and 4 Cylinders. Even so, several weekly competitors were absent, already in or on their way to the week long Super Nats. 

   Still sixty three race teams signed in, led by seventeen of the traveling sprinters. Things got off to a rousing start in hot laps when long time open wheel competitor Ryan Jamison had something break in his #51J sending him tumbling over the turn two wall. He was fortunately not injured, but his race machine was done for the night. Not to be outdone, Nate Parks also went for a hard ride when he flipped his #17 Sprint Car in turn one during heat race two. 2025 Invader champion Tasker Phillips and Mediapolis, Iowa hot shoe Colton Fisher picked up heat wins and Fisher then led the distance in the six car six lap dash to set the first three rows of the feature. 

   Street Stocks led off feature racing and the class continues to suffer low car counts. Only two cars came out for their main event, with Jake Powers topping Levi Long for the win. 

   Twenty laps was the distance for fifteen surviving Invaders. Fisher and Cody Wehrle brought the field to green, taking off in that order. Fisher opened a nice lead, catching slower traffic on lap seven, blasting the high line with little problem. One lap later the first caution came for a Sawyer Phillips spin. The single file restart lasted only one lap when McCain Richards looped his #31 in turn two followed by a final stoppage on the restart. Prior to these stops, Wehrle and Tasker Phillips had been battling hard for second, but back under green Wehrle opened a bit of breathing room even as Fisher once again pulled well ahead. Fisher again caught the back of the pack with about five circuits remaining and while Wehrle was able to close the gap, he could not get close enough to mount a challenge as Colton completed a sweep of the nights' action. Tasker Phillips held on to third followed by Tony Shilling and Alex Vande Voort. Jackson Gray topped the second five over Jaden Alexander, Sawyer Phillips, Joey Moughan, and Dustin Clark. 

   As anticipated, the Late Model count lagged a bit with nine entries. Jake Griffin and Jeffrey Delonjay brought the field to green for twenty five laps. Griffin and fast qualifier, third starting Sam Halstead quickly gained separation from the pack. Griffin slowly increased his lead as the race stayed green. Jake was ripping the cushion while his challengers worked the low groove. As the laps wound down in the non stop event Halstead elected to move to the high line as well, allowing third running Jason Oenning to quickly mount a challenge. At the checkers it was Griffin cruising to the win while Halstead held off Oenning for second. Logan Cumby was strong in fourth ahead of Jackson Frankel, Jamie Wilson, Frankie Wellman, Delonjay, and Russ Coultas. 

   Dirtcar 4 Cylinders raced for fifteen laps. Landon Neisen charged ahead from the outside pole with the first of two yellow flags coming with one lap scored. Jordon Ohaver chased the leader before giving way to Ethan Zumwalt on lap four. Neisen was at least a straightaway in front before a lap twelve caution brought him back to the field. However he once more pulled away to pick up his second consecutive win. Zumwalt came home the runner up chased by Justin Ohaver and Hunter Ohaver while Jeremy Elmore completed the first five. 

   Fourteen B Mods came next for eighteen laps. Matthew Edler and A.J. Cline filled out row one. Edler charged ahead, but a quick yellow sent us back to an original restart. This time it was Cline with the advantage, as he and Edler pulled away in a two car scrum. Edler used the high line to grab the lead on lap six, quickly catching the back of the pack before a second caution seven laps in. Twice more the yellow flag waved at lap ten before things settled down. With just five to go, Treb Jacoby moved to second after an entertaining battle with Cline and Kahne Groves. But there would be no catching Edler, who cruised to the victory. Jacoby, Groves, Cline, and Zack Huegen rounded out the top five. 

   Crown Vics put a cap on the night, a dozen cars contesting fifteen laps. Richie Berghager led Jaden Delonjay through numerous stoppages as that duo raced nose to tail and side by side. The outcome would be decided at the finish line, with Delonjay taking the win. Berghager would settle for second followed by Brian Moore, Jeff Adkison, and Kole Foster. 

   Thanks as always to the Delonjay family and their team for a fun Sunday night at the races. Quincy Raceways will take next Sunday off before returning in September 20 when the high powered MLRA Late Models come to town! As for yours truly, it will be a quick turnaround as we head for Boone Speedway Monday morning for the Late Model portion of the IMCA Super Nationals. Look for a recap on Tuesday.