Past and Present Collide at Lee County Speedway

    Friday night was a great night for racing at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. A special attraction evoked memories of days gone by as the newly formed Keokuk Auto Racing Association, KARA presented the first Ramo Stott Australian Pursuit race. For those of newer generations, this was a staple of dirt tracks "back in the day." The format features six cars lined up in single file formation, usually for five or six laps. If at any point a car is passed, they are out of the race, making it a race for survival. These novelty events were extremely popular pre 1980s, both with fans and drivers alike. Bragging rights far outweighed what was generally a minimal payout. For those unfamiliar with KARA, it is the brainchild of the sons of legendary Ramo Stott, both offspring successful Late Model racers in their own right. The organization was formed to honor the accomplishments of the "Keokuk Comets" who put my hometown on the national map, with many of their greatest moments witnessed at this same dirt track. The hope of the group is to maintain a permanent place of honor for those drivers. 

   It was a beautiful evening in southeast Iowa, and sixty eight race teams checked in to compete, led by a season high eighteen IMCA Late Models. Heat race action clicked off quickly followed by the first of several preplanned Australian Pursuits. This first one saw five IMCA Sport Compacts race for five laps with Brandon Reu the victor after Luke Fraise saw his night end with mechanical woes.

   A brief tickle of the track and it was feature time. 

   Late Models were up first, with all but Ed Hollenbeck lining up for twenty five laps. This was easily the race of the night, with three different leaders and the winning pass coming following a caution period with three laps to go. Kruze Miles and Jason Oenning brought the field to green but it was Donnellson driver Jeremy Pundt coming from inside row two to grab the lead. Jackson Frankel, who along with Pundt has struggled in the early season before his win last Sunday in Quincy, shot from row three to second on lap two. As Pundt stretched his advantage, fourth starting Jake Griffin began to close on Frankel for second. At the same time, eleventh starting Darin Weisinger Jr. was suddenly on the move, passing cars as he headed for the top five. Pundt had a comfortable lead until the first yellow flag came with ten laps scored when a tractor tire was kicked onto the racing surface. Back under green Frankel drove around Pundt exiting turn four while fifth place Spencer Havermale powered to third. Now it was Frankel opening a commanding lead but a key moment came when Griffin slipped back around Havermale for third on lap twenty. Two laps later a final caution came as Christian Miles slowed off turn four. setting up a three lap dash. This time it was Griffin charging to the front, then pulling away for his first feature win in the Warner Racing #79. Frankel held the runner up spot with Pundt in third. After giving up the position, Havermale rebounded to fourth ahead of Weisinger Jr. Two time winner Tommy Elston gained six spots to sixth, Denny Woodworth started and finished seventh, trailed by Oenning, Curtis Glover, and Ron Boyse. 

   Twelve of thirteen IMCA Northern Sport Mods were up next for twenty laps. Brandon Lambert charged from outside row one to the lead, taking along fourth starting John Oliver Jr. Oliver took over first one lap later, pulling well ahead as row four starter Cole Gillenwater came roaring through the pack to second. As the race approached the mid point Gillenwater was closing fast, slipping around Oliver Jr. as the two battled side by side. Following a first caution period with seven to go, Gillenwater got crossed up off turn two, turning the lead back over to Oliver and bringing out a second yellow flag. As the green waved it was quickly replaced with a final yellow when contact sent an upset Olivia Hoffman into the front stretch fence along with Chevy Barnes, who had no place to go. After a very long delay to remove those two cars, racing resumed, with tenth starting Adam Birck now charging to the runner up position. With just a pair of circuits left, Birck powered to the front, holding on for the hard fought victory. Oliver crossed the line in second chased by Cody Agee, ninth starting Brandon Dale, and a rebounding Gillenwater. 

   With extra money on the line, only Eight Mini Hauler Trucks signed in, racing for a dozen laps. Nick Wilkerson paced the early portion of the event, with fourth starting Caleb Ealey moving to the lead on lap six. Those two would swap the lead back and forth before Ealey took over for good on lap eight. From there he cruised to the win ahead of Wilkerson, Dawson Tipps, and the Delzells, Hayden and Jason, as fourth running Tate Kronfieldt was apparently DQ'd in post race tech. Ealey might win the unofficial award for biggest fan club, as his feature winners' photo included about twenty people!

   With Fraise done for the night, only five IMCA Sport Compacts remained for twelve laps of non stop racing. Reu quickly assumed the lead, driving off into the Lee County sunset. Kimberly Abbott took runner up honors in front of David and Ethan Prim and Bill Bennett. 

   Randy Rindom scratched from the thirteen IMCA Stock Car lineup. Third starting Beau Taylor cleared pole sitter Rusty Zook for the lap one lead as the two veterans battled early. Following a yellow flag for a Jathan Fuller spin, Chad Krogmeier took up the chase in second. Oliver Jr. lined up in row five, but came roaring to the runner up spot on lap four. He then closed in on Taylor, finally moving to the lead on lap seven of twenty. As Oliver Jr. increased his lead, Taylor soon had his hands full of Derrick Agee. Exiting turn four on lap twelve, Agee pulled a big time slide job to charge to second, still well behind the leader. The race now seemed to be for third as Jason See moved up to challenge Taylor. But on the final lap, Oliver Jr. would slow for an unknown reason while Agee suddenly closed the gap, nipping the #05 at the line for the surprise win. Taylor would hold off See for third while Casen Keller completed the top five. 

   As many in the nice sized crowd stuck around, nine IMCA Modifieds - missing Jesse Belez - lined up for twenty laps. JaceWhitt, who makes the three hour trek each week from Hamilton, Missouri, raced to the early lead from the pole position ahead of Bill Roberts Jr. and fifth starting Austen Becerra. Back to racing after a lap four caution for Dennis Laveine, Becerra shot to the lead. From there the battles were for second on back as Austen slowly opened a full straightaway advantage on the field. Jared Eckrich began to stalk Whitt, and when the duo encountered a lapped car on the backstretch Eckrich was able to power to the spot with just two laps remaining. Mark Burgtorf advanced three positions to come home fourth while Roberts Jr. rounded out the top five. 

   It was a bit of a late night, but the racing was good, with plenty of room for passing as the track was on point! 

   Thanks as always to the Weisinger family for their hospitality. Plans for today are up in the air, possibly a trip to 34 Raceway. Remember, no racing this Sunday at Quincy. Thanks for reading!

Bloomfield Was The Place To Be On Monday

    Back in my younger days, holiday weekends meant an extra day off work, afternoons around the grill, then an extra day of racing! Some time between 1986 and 2026 habits changed and track promoters crunched the numbers and apparently decided that holiday Monday racing was not a profitable venture. I can't say if this Memorial Day was a "one off " or a trend, but a full grandstand at the Bloomfield Speedway certainly bucked the trend. 

   Mike Van Genderen typically schedules a handful of races each season at the fast dirt oval on the Davis County Fairgrounds, and he had planned to bring back Late Models this season with the Friday opener of a three day trek across Iowa for the east division of the SLMR series. However wet conditions made that a no go. But rather than cancel the show entirely, the decisions was made to move the race to Monday with an early start time, and what a good decision it was!

   It was not just the fans, but the racers turned out as well, with eighty five entrants across the five divisions checking in. With sponsor money coming in late, IMCA Modifieds were a late addition to the program, and unfortunately only seven cars were on hand, however the original four scheduled classes turned out a range between seventeen Late Models and twenty two IMCA Stock Cars. And those in the pits represented at least seven different states!

   A 6:00 start combined with unlimited sunshine, warm temps, and a steady breeze created less than favorable track conditions early, as the heat races were mostly a one lane follow the leader affair. But during intermission MVG reworked the (one third, three eighths? mile) oval, and feature racing was multi groove, back and forth action. 

   Racing began with time trial qualifying for the Late Models, and South Dakota driver Blair Nothdurft topped the field with a lap of 18.313 seconds. Top contender Tad Pospisil encountered issues during hot laps and was unable to take his qualifying laps, but made repairs by heat race time. To counter the "start the fastest cars up front," SLMR uses a six car invert for heat race action. However they do reward time trial with a points system to reward the quick qualifiers. Regular readers of this blog will know that I am a fan of  passing points and SLMR uses the process along with the time trial points to set feature lineups. However it seems like they must have used government mathematicians to come up with such a complicated system! 

   Anyway, feature racing kicked off with all twenty one IMCA Northern Sport Mods lining up for eighteen laps. Cole Gillenwater jumped to the lead before a multi car mess on the front stretch eliminated three cars and resulted in an otherwise original restart. Now it was Cody Agee powering to the front, opening a sizable lead over Gillenwater. Meanwhile it was Brayton Carter on the move from row three to third on lap five. Also on the move was Will Wolf, as Agee continued to set a fast pace. Further back in the pack cars raced three wide, fighting for position. Agee caught slower traffic as Carter moved to second at the halfway point followed by a second yellow flag. Back under green, Carter powered to the lead while Agee and Wolf now battled for second. Carter would pull well ahead until a final caution at lap fourteen brought him back to the field. Now it was Brandon Dale finding late speed, and he grabbed the runner up spot as the white flag flew. Carter breezed to his third victory of the weekend, while Dale held off Wolf, twelfth starting Dylan VanWyk, and Agee. Always the gambler, at his special events Van Genderen offers all drivers the opportunity to drop an extra thirty bucks at check in for a chance at a double payoff for a feature win. "Speedy Bray" was one of several who took the challenge, and he collected a cool $1,000 for his win. 

   The travelling SLMR series has a challenge of their own a Skyline Materials Lucky Six bonus to the top points earner who can elect to start and win from sixth, collecting the rolling bonus which sat at $2,750 on top of the $3,000 feature payday. On this night pole sitter Jesse Sobbing declined, passing the torch to outside row one starter Chad Simpson who accepted the challenge. 

   This would move Nothdurft to outside row one, and he would lead Sobbing early. Meanwhile Simpson and eighth starting Dylan Thornton were on the move, climbing to third and fourth by lap five. Soon Sobbing would begin to apply pressure, grabbing the lead on lap ten, and Simpson also cleared Nothdurft for second. The top four continued to battle closely, separated a bit from the pack. On lap fifteen Simpson jumped to the high line and shot past Sobbing off turn two for the lead. The race stayed green and Chad caught heavy traffic by lap nineteen, but he was patient and moved smoothly through the slower cars. He would eventually open a nearly straightaway advantage, cruising to the win and the big payday in the non stop twenty five lapper. Sobbing was second followed by Thornton, Nothdurft and Jason Hahne. Jacob Hobscheidt led the next five over Pospisil, Derrick Stewart, C. J. Horn, and Charlie McKenna. 

   All twenty two IMCA Stock Cars would contest eighteen laps. Front row starters Jason See and Wisconsin racer Tyler Wilson quickly pulled away from the pack before a single caution with five laps scored brought them back to the field. Now Derrick Agee and Dustin Griffiths joined the leaders in a four car scramble. Agee charged to the runner up spot on lap nine, then ran side by side with See, grabbing the top spot two laps later. As the laps would down, Wilson also cleared See for second, but Agee remained in control, also becoming a " double down" $1,000 winner. The final rundown would be Agee, Wilson, See, and Griffiths, with Corey Strothman holding off John Oliver Jr. for fifth.

   A solid eighteen car field of IMCA Hobby Stocks checked in, with only Billy Scott missing the fifteen lap feature call. Garrett Porter paced lap one before Tom Killen Jr. climbed to the front one lap later ahead of the only yellow flag. Back to racing Killen Jr. drove off from the pack as cars battled three wide behind him. The Des Moines driver was never seriously challenged in picking up the win. A pair of #55's came next with Brett Maasdam in the runner up slot chased by Corey VanDerwilt. Keaton Gordon and Porter would complete the top five. 

   Eighteen laps of IMCA Modified racing would put a wrap on the racing. Cory Sample, who calls Winnemucca, Nevada home charged from outside row one to pace the opening circuit over Colton Nelson. Jace Whitt moved to second on lap two just ahead of the lone stoppage of the event. Brandon Banks moved in to battle Whitt as racing resumed, taking over second briefly before Whitt retook the spot on lap five. Sample was not to be denied, however, as he led all eighteen laps to score the win. Whitt held off Banks and Dakota Simmons, with Nelson the last car running in fifth. 

   The final checkers came a bit after 9:30 and we headed for the exit ahead of what looked to be a quality fireworks show. 

   Thanks to MVG and his team for their hospitality and as usual a tight, well run show. 

   Next up for us will be a return to weekly racing Friday at Lee County Speedway. School is out, summer weather is here, let's go racing!

First Time Winners Dominate at Quincy

   Summer like weather finally arrived at Quincy Raceways for holiday weekend racing. Another large crowd turned out, the car count was up about ten, and the racing was intense on Sunday. Several drivers picked up their first wins of the 2026 season. With school out and the late afternoon sun bearing down, the start time was moved back by one half hour in an effort to help "save" the track. One negative that continues to baffle me about Quincy Raceways is the practice of only hot lapping six cars at a time for several laps, drawing out what might otherwise be a fifteen minute procedure. An exception did come last night when only one session was held for the twelve Dirtcar 4 Cylinders in attendance. But I suppose they have their reasons...

   Heat race action clicked off quickly and the track received some TLC during intermission, leaving us with a fast and racy surface for the six features. With the special event up the road at Spoon River Speedway, Dirtcar Modifieds were off the card for this night, while the more open style B Modifieds were added, bringing several cars from the St. Louis area to the track.

   Crown Vics were up first with all but one of the season high twelve cars lining up for a dozen laps. A first lap pile up eliminated top contender Jacob Jones. With an otherwise complete restart, outside pole sitter Jake Etter shot to the lead. By the mid point, Alex Hatfield was pushing hard for the top spot, and he was scored first at lap nine. The next time around it was Etter back in front, and he would hold on for the hard fought victory. Following the two front runners it was Braxton Dieker, Isaac Little, and Josh Little to round out the top five. Hopefully one of the benefits of a low budget class such as the Crown Vics is that it serves as a feeder class, and we are seeing this as Etter, the 2025 class champion now has a B Mod, as well. 

    Eleven 4 Cylinders came next for fifteen laps. Front row starters Jaden Delonjay and Spencer Coats paced the opening lap, with Dyllan Bonk clearing Coats for second on lap two. The first caution period came at the halfway mark, but when racing resumed, the red flag was displayed as Ethan Zumwalt rolled his #22S multiple times starting in turn one. He was quick to exit the car, then riding behind the wrecker in his heavily damaged machine while reacting to the cheering crowd! Delonjay would continue to hold serve, beating Bonk to the checkers. Landen Neisen slipped around Coats on the final lap for third while Cole Reed completed the first five. 

   The visiting B Mods turned out fourteen cars, again all but one took the green flag. Drake Stevenson would charge to the lead chased by Bret Eilerman. The yellow flag waved with one lap scored, and back under green, A. J. Cline used the Delaware restart to power to second. Stevenson would build a five or so car length advantage before catching the tail of the field around the halfway point of the eighteen laps. Cline would quickly erase the distance to the leader, however Stevenson was smooth in traffic, maintaining the top spot. A final caution came with four circuits to go. With a clear track ahead, Stevenson a former track regular, kept his #77D out front for his first win of the season. Cline stayed close in second followed by Eilerman. Reed Wolfmeyer would race his IMCA Northern Sport Mod in both open wheel classes, and he would come home fourth ahead of Gage Walker. 

   A solid group of fifteen IMCA Late Models checked in, with all coming to the track for twenty five laps of action. Front row starters Jackson Frankel and Jeffrey Delonjay raced side by side for the opening laps ahead of a yellow flag three laps in when Jamie Wilson made contact with the turn three wall. Back to racing it was Denny Woodworth using the Delaware lineup to move to the runner up position. While Frankel opened a sizable lead, seventh starting Austen Becerra and ninth starting Tommy Elston began a march forward. A final caution would come as Frankie Wellman got out of shape on lap eight. On the restart Becerra would move quickly to third, then second while Elston climbed to fourth. It was a near disaster around lap twelve when Frankel made contact with a slower car, but he was able to straighten back out while losing considerable ground to the oncoming Becerra. But at nearly the same time, Becerra suddenly slowed, ducking to the infield, his night over. Elston would then take up the chase in second. Frankel now held a commanding lead as Jake Griffin muscled his way around Woodworth for third before Denny pulled to the infield seven laps from the finish. At the checkers it was Frankel with his first win of 2026. Elston came home second followed by Griffin, Delonjay, and eleventh starting Spencer Havermale. Jason Perry started and finished sixth trailed by Curtis Glover, Logan Cumby, and Sam Halstead, while Woodworth was credited with tenth. 

   The Street Stocks continued to struggle, with only five cars signed in. First time visitor Justin Layne and defending champion Jacob Rexing raced side by side, swapping the lead before Layne finally nosed ahead. Only once did the caution flag wave, five laps from the finish. But Layne would again pull ahead, scoring a surprise win in his first ever visit to the speedway. Rexing would follow ahead of Levi Long, Brandon Boden and Cletus Coats. 

   IMCA Northern Sport Mods would put a wrap on the night, with nine of the ten cars racing eighteen laps. Austin McLean would lead early before Alec Cain took over on lap three, taking along Quinton Shelton in second. A pair of quick yellows came, then it was Tanner Klingele jumping from third to the lead. On lap six Reed Wolfmeyer would power to second after lining up in row five and the chase was on. Meanwhile Shelton, Kahne Groves, and Cain were locked in a tight scrum for third. Klingele was in charge before a final caution with just three laps remaining. The final restart was single file, and Tanner held on for the victory. Wolfmeyer completed a solid night in second over Groves, and Cain, while Shelton rebounded to nip Olivia Hoffman on the final lap for fifth. 

   Thanks as always to the crew at QR for an entertaining night of action. 

   We hope to round out our holiday weekend with a long overdue trip to Bloomfield Speedway for the rescheduled SLMR Late Model special event, which also features Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars, and Hobby Stocks. Hope to see you there!

Feger Cleans House at Davenport

    On paper it looked like a relatively easy night for Jason Feger as he swept the MARS Late Model action during the Corn State Nationals at Davenport Speedway to open the holiday weekend racing action. That would, however, be far from the truth. 

   But I digress a bit. My daughter and her husband recently moved across the mighty Mississippi to a new abode in Davenport, where we found ourselves spending the weekend with family time. And thankfully I received a "hall pass" to make the twenty minute journey from there to the Mississippi Valley Fairgrounds for the Friday night special. 

    Thirty one Super Late Models signed in for a shot at the $5,000 top prize, with drivers from as far away as Alabama and Georgia wandering north for what I assume will be the full three day swing of MARS events. 

    As the twenty seventh car to time, Feger led the way  at 13.666 seconds, about three tenths of a second off the Late Model track record. In what I assume was a coordinated event, the first two cars out to time were the #8 of Jeffrey Ledford and #51 of J.T. Wasmund, representing numbers driven by Kyle Busch. The crowd stood during their two laps in tribute to the fallen legend.

     Three packed eight lap heat races qualified the top five in each with pole sitters Feger and series points leader Ryan Unzicker along with outside row one starter Dennis Erb Jr. first to the checkers. These three along with runners up Chad Simpson, Tanner English, and Shannon Babb would redraw for the top two rows of the forty lap finale, with Feger and Unzicker set to pace the field. A loaded group of fourteen starters contested a stacked B main also transferring five to the feature lineup. Jake Little raced from the pole to hold off Austin Howes in the final ten lap preliminary event. A pair of series points provisionals, Caden McWhorter and Jorden Bauer would round out the twenty two starters. 

    The qualifying races were not without some drama. Heat one saw surprise entrant Terry Casey come from row five to nip Little on the final lap for the last transfer spot. Ditto heat two where another Wisconsonite, Mitch McGrath worked around Myles Moos on the final circuit for fifth. The "no biscuit" run for Moos continued in the B main as he fell out of fifth just a couple laps from the checkers.  

    With a short intermission complete, eighteen of twenty IMCA Modifieds lined up for twenty laps. Oddly, the two drivers not making the call were heat one winner Shane Paris and veteran Bob Dominacki, would raced home third in heat three.  

    Pole sitter Charlie Mohr would lead Brandon Durbin and Chris Zogg as the green flag waved. Zogg would clear Durbin for second on lap three ahead of the first of two quick yellow flags. Durbin would retake the spot following the Delaware restart, moving up to battle with Mohr for the lead. Durbin would power to the front out of turn four on lap six, with Mohr then bringing out the caution flag in turn one. Zogg would also disappear from the field at the same time. Another yellow on the restart, then we would remain green the rest of the way. Jed Freiburger and eighteenth starting Brad Diercks took up the chase, with Freiburger stalking the leader. Just after the halfway mark Freiburger cleared Durbin for the lead. Durbin stayed close, but Freiburger was able to put a lapped car between himself and Durbin with four laps to go, and he then cruised to the win. At the checkers it was Freiburger, Durbin, Diercks, Matt Werner, and Eric Barnes. 

    English would get the jump from inside row two as the Late Models took the green flag. He and Feger raced side by side as lap two was scored. Racing out of turn two, Unzicker got out of shape while running third, but a yellow flag for Howes negated his mistake. Back to racing it was Feger out front ripping the cushion as English worked the inside line around the quarter mile oval. As the laps clicked towards half way, Erb Jr. found speed, moving to fourth with Simpson also in the mix in fifth. Unzicker slipped to second on lap twenty four, closing on Feger, and two laps later Ryan took the lead in traffic. Now it was Ryan Gustin entering the top five. Lap twenty eight saw Feger regain the lead as slower traffic continued to be a factor. Gustin charged to third, ahead of a final yellow for Derrick Stewart who may have been unhappy with another driver. On the restart Gustin took up the chase in second, but with a now clear track Feger stretched his lead. As the race stayed green, Gustin would fade a bit to fourth as Unzicker moved to the runner up spot taking along late charging Dylan Thornton in third. English completed the top five ahead of Babb, Erb Jr., twenty first starting McWhorter, Simpson, and Dallon Murty. 

    My promise was to head to the house after the Late Model feature even though there was till three main events to complete. Thanks to My Race Pass, I see that it was Karter Miles topping the eighteen Hobby Stocks, Derrick Dean pacing the Crown Vics, and Randy Christner first in the Midwest Vintage Late Models.  

    It will be family time tonight with a goal of making it back to Quincy Raceways on Sunday. Monday we have plans for the rescheduled SLMR Late Model special at Bloomfield Speedway. 

    A special "Thank You!" to all our veterans, everyone enjoy your weekend! 

MARS Invades Quincy Raceways, Bauer and Neville Lead the Way

    In a rare Friday night program, Quincy Raceways welcomed their annual visit of the cars and stars of the MARS Late Model and Modified touring series. In addition, open B Modifieds, Dirtcar 4 Cylinders and Crown Vics raced in a non points competition. The Late Model headliner would pay a cool $5,000 to win, while the open Mod winner would cash a $2,000 check. In addition, both classes benefit from lap money raised locally, $25 per lap for the leader in their respective features. Even more aggressive fundraising bumped the 4 Cylinder purse, highlighted by a whopping $1,000 to the feature winner as well as extra money throughout.

   Overnight rains threw a monkey wrench into event plans, and upon early arrival it was obvious track personnel had been working hard to get things into shape, particularly the pit area. The north pit where most of the "big rigs" are parked had some swampy areas, but hard work and strategic planning saved the day. As for the racing surface, it was in good condition, although it definitely developed some "character" as the night wore on. All in all, praise is deserved for a job well done!

   Last arriving Derek Fetter capped the Late Model count at twenty three, a number which meant everyone could start the main event. Likewise for the star studded field of nineteen Modifieds. The other three divisions produced just enough entrants for a pair of heat races in each class. 

   The program would kick off at the advertised time of 6:30 in front of a large crowd estimated just under 3,000. Following Late Model hot laps, the Mods did the now popular hot lap/qualifying, with Trevor Neville atop the leader board at 14.186 seconds. St. Jacob, Il. driver Jordon Bauer then began his memorable evening with a quick lap of 13.017 to top the Late Models. 

   Following heat racing for all divisions, the track crew went to work to smooth out a couple of rough spots, and soon it was time for feature racing. With no offense meant to the local classes, it is beneficial in many ways that the travelling series see to it that their features run early in the order, as it is helpful both for track conditions and "crowd control."

   All nineteen MARS Modifieds lined up first for twenty five laps around the roughly .38 mile oval. With fast time and a heat race win in his pocket, Neville would claim the pole position, with the other heat winner, Mike McKinney alongside. As the field exited turn four trying to complete lap one, a huge pile up stopped the action. Damaged cars, some heavily, some not as much, were scattered along the front stretch, with several top contenders including local favorite Michael Long, Tyler Nicely, Cole Falloway, and Jeff Curl done for the night. Another hot shoe with many laps at Quincy, Ray Bollinger, probably wishes he had called it quits as well. Left with a flat tire after the melee, he ducked to the hot pit for a quick change, then rejoined the shortened field. On the next attempt at a start, Bollinger clipped the concrete off turn four, turning his #77 sideways then upside down to bring out the red flag. Fortunately he was uninjured, but with even more damage to his ride. With one lap in the books, the next restart proved less eventful, with Neville rocketing to the lead. As the race stayed green, he would build a comfortable advantage until catching the back of the pack with ten laps to go. Two cars racing side by side for position would slow his momentum, allowing second running McKinney to close the gap. As the leaders sliced and diced through slower cars, a final caution came with five laps remaining. With clear track ahead, Neville now pulled away, cruising to the clean sweep victory. McKinney would roll home second chased by seventh starting Michael Ledford and three Quincy favorites, ninth starting Dave Weitholder, 2025 track champion Justin Reed and twelfth starting Shawn Deering. Zeke McKenzie, track regular John Dimmitt from Macomb, Matthew Baker, and Owen Steinkoenig would complete the top ten. 

   It was now Late Model time and all twenty three would take the green flag for thirty laps. Heat winners Bauer, Dylan Thornton, and former popular track regular Austin Howes would occupy the top three spots. Bauer led the way ahead of the first caution period two laps in for the disabled car of veteran racer Mark Voigt. Back under green, Bauer continued to lead as seventh starting Ryan Unzicker jumped to the top five. The leaders raced nose to tail at high speed, mostly around the top of the quickly blackening track. Bauer would catch the tail of the field about lap twelve, moving efficiently through the slower cars. Things would tighten up, however when a second and final yellow flag came with just six laps remaining. Following the Delaware Style restart it was Unzicker again on the gas, and when Caden McWhorter suffered a pronounced wheel hop off turn two, Ryan gained a pair of spots to third. On the final circuit, Thornton gave it "all she's got," out of turn four, bringing the gathered throng to their feet. But it was Bauer with a slight edge at the line, completing his own sweep in front of the cheering crowd. He collected the $5,000 prize, plus all thirty laps of extra cash. Thornton and Unzicker joined Bauer on the podium, while Daniel Adam was strong, finishing where he started in fourth ahead of sixth starting McWhorter. Jason Feger led the next five followed by Bob Gardner, Howes, Tanner English, and Jake Little. 

   That crowd control aspect now showed as many headed for the exits ahead of the three remaining features. 

   Open B Mods would see their ten car field down to seven by feature time as they raced for eighteen circuits. Visiting A. J. Cline took off from outside row one in what looked like a rout. Local Sport Mod favorite Reed Wolfmeyer advanced to second on lap four, but by then Cline was in another time zone, building a nearly straightaway lead by the mid point. But with zero stoppages, Cline caught a pair of cars racing side by side for position seven laps from the finish. As he looked for room to pass, Wolfmeyer was closing fast, and just three laps later, the #2W would charge to the lead. It would be a non stop eighteen laps, and it was an excited Wolfmeyer who claimed victory. Cline would hold on to second, while former track regular Drake Stevenson came home third ahead of Joshua Christian and weekly competitor Austin McClean. It was also good to see 2025 Crown Vic champion Jake Etter make his debut in this class. 

   I am sure the folks who worked hard to raise the awesome purse for the 4 Cylinders were disappointed in the dozen car turnout, but there were some hot shoes who did take notice. Iowa speedster Jake Benischek made the one hundred fifty plus mile haul from Durant, Iowa, and quickly showed why. Joining Kenny Butterfield as a heat race winner, they would fill out row one and shoot quickly to the front of the eighteen lapper. Dyllan Bonk, a popular local who does his own share of travelling, was racing with the leaders until his #2B suddenly gave up on lap three. The only caution came one lap later, and on the restart another Quincy favorite, Jaden Delonjay, cleared Butterfield for second. Benischek opened a sizable lead as attention turned to a tight race for third between Butterfield and Derrick DeFord, before DeFord dove to the infield two laps from the checkers. Benischek would hold off the charging Delonjay for the win, Butterfield came next in front of yet another local hot shoe, Spencer Coats, and Travis Demint. 

   There was still a large contingent of fans on hand as a dozen Crown Vics lined up for fifteen laps. Clean sweeps was the theme of the night, and it would be no different in this finale. Jacob Jones put his #32 out front on lap one, pulling well ahead of the pack. Late Model local Jeffrey Delonjay climbed in a Vic for the night and was closing on the leader in traffic ahead of a caution flag at the halfway mark. But with clear track ahead, Jones again drove away, surviving one more yellow flag two laps from the finish. The single file restart proved no issue as Jones picked up the win. Brian Kaylor worked his way to runner up honors followed by Isaac Little, Alex Hatfield, and Carter Goodwin. 

   Kudos to the track crew for overcoming challenging conditions, and to the fans who turned out in large numbers. There will be no racing this Sunday at Quincy Raceways, they will be back in action next Sunday, May 24. Meanwhile the MARS stars and cars move south to the Highland, Il. Speedway tonight, Saturday, before winding up the weekend at Coles County, Il Speedway on Sunday. 

Glover, Weitholder, Wolfmeyer, Hatfield, Bonk and Rexing All Winners at Quincy

    Sunday night it was regular racing at Quincy Raceways, with six divisions in action. The beautiful weather came as we concluded a stretch of four races in four days, dodging rain drops, fighting cool temps and enjoying sporadic sunshine and clear skies. Bright sunshine and a stubborn northerly breeze made track conditions less than perfect early in the evening. However track officials took some extra time during intermission and the result was a very fast surface for feature racing.

   The switch to IMCA Late Models has had a positive affect on car counts in that division, and a nice field of sixteen signed in on Sunday. Counts in the other five classes continue to be less than hoped for, but there is still plenty of good, hard racing. Following heat race action and the newly added Late Model dash, it was time for the main events. 

   Dirtcar Modifieds would roll off first, racing for twenty laps. Dave Weitholder would shoot to the front from outside row one with pole sitter Jacob Rexing close behind. Weitholder would drive off to a comfortable advantage before a lone caution flag at the mid point of the race. Defending track champion Justin Reed used the Delaware Style restart to grab the runner up spot, but could not overtake the leader. Following the top two it was Rexing in third chased by visiting Josh Reed and John Dimmitt. 

   The twenty five lap Late Model headliner had plenty of drama and plenty of action. Jamie Wilson and Frankie Wellman paced the field early with Austen Becerra in third. As Wilson pulled away, contact between Jake Griffin and Becerra found Griffin in third and Becerra shuffled back to sixth with some front end suspension damage. The high speed, high line action was halted on lap ten as the leader was about to catch the back of the pack when Jackson Frankel ran out of real estate and smacked the front stretch wall ending his run. Last weeks' winner Curtis Glover had been biding his time in fourth, but he charged to second on the restart while Tommy Elston also entered the fray, jumping from seventh to fourth. Just past the halfway mark, the yellow flag waved again for a Ryan Aden Jr. spin. Following this restart, Griffin executed a slide job to try and grab the lead, but in the ensuing chaos it was Glover taking over the first position while Griffin lost several spots. Once more the caution flag waved with just four laps remaining and now it was Wilson and Elston in a battle for second. As the field came to the white flag it was quickly replaced by the red as Becerra went tumbling one and a half times on the front stretch, his hot rod landing upside down. He was uninjured, but his #22 machine did not fare as well. A one lap shootout saw Glover repeat his win, adding to his victory Saturday at 34 Raceway. Wilson won the battle for second ahead of Elston. Spencer Havermale started tenth and came home fourth and Rickey Frankel III gained three spots to round out the top five. Griffin led the second five over Wellman, Jason Oenning, Logan Cumby and Jason Perry. 

   With the large crowd still buzzing, IMCA Northern Sport Mods lined up for eighteen laps. Alec Cain powered to the lead from his pole position with his row one mate Olivia Hoffman in second. Reed Wolfmeyer lined up outside row four, but he charged to the runner up slot on lap three. Three more times around and Wolfmeyer shot to the front with a power move off turn two. By the mid point he was well out front, but a single yellow flag brought him back to the pack with five laps to go. Ninth starting 2025 champion Tanner Klingele worked his way to second just a pair of laps from the checkers after an entertaining battle with Cain. As the field came through the final two corners to the checkers, Cain would spin, ending his solid run. Wolfmeyer would secure the win, with Klingele close behind in second. Mexico, Missouri driver Kahne Groves drove a steady race to take third, A.J. Tournear came on late to finish fourth and a quickly improving Hoffman completed the first five. 

   Ten Crown Vics would compete for a dozen laps. Front row starters Alex Hatfield and Braxton Dieker fired off in that order, leading a tight four car pack. The first caution came eight laps in as Brian Kaylor slowed with a flat tire while running fourth. Jacob Jones moved to second as racing resumed. Dieker began to fall back, bringing a final caution with just one lap to go when he tagged the turn three concrete. Hatfield would continue to hold serve, taking the flag to flag win over Jones, 2025 champ Jake Etter, tenth starting Jaden Delonjay and Isaac Little. 

   Dirtcar 4 Cylinders and Dirtcar Street Stocks continue to struggle with car counts. Seven of the compact machines signed in, lining up for fifteen laps. Fielding a pair of cars on this night, Dyllan Bonk sat on the pole alongside Spencer Coats. Bonk, who has had success while visiting other tracks, shot to the lead, pulling well ahead while Cris Courson came up to challenge for second, taking the spot on lap six. With Bonk well out front, a single yellow flag halted the action as Courson slowed with just five laps remaining. Back under green Bonk again drove off from the field as Landon Neisen in the second #2B won a tight battle with Coats for second. Kimberly Abbott and Ethan Zumwalt would round out the top five. 

 Street Stocks put a cap on the action, racing for fifteen laps. After a false start, the front row cars were moved back one row, putting Jacob Rexing on the pole. That turned out to be the move of the race, as Rexing drove off into the Adams County night. Chuck Mitchell and young second generation racer Cruz Griffaw traded the runner up spot before Cruz suddenly ducked to the infield with just two circuits remaining. The checkers waved for Rexing followed by Mitchell and Brandon Boden.

   The final checkers waved a few minutes before 9:30. Thanks as always to the staff at QR for their gracious hospitality. Just a reminder, the track will come back to life this week on Friday. It will be the annual visit by the stars and cars of the MARS Late Model and Modified series, backed by B Modifieds, 4 Cylinders and Crown Vics. Additionally there will be no racing at Quincy Raceways next Sunday. 

Triple Digit Cars Counts and Good Racing at 34

    Sunny skies and warm temps were too much to resist, so we made the decision to head north to 34 Raceway in West Burlington for Saturday night racing. Due to the cranky spring weather, this would be our first visit of 2026 to Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatts' legendary three eighths mile high banked speed plant. Seven classes filled out the card, with extra money on the line for the 305 Sprint Cars. Other rule changes have been implemented in an attempt to increase car counts in this crowd favorite division. Late Models, Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars, Hobby Stocks and Mini Haulers filled out the card. And even though the radar showed showers in the area, nothing developed at the track and it was a cool but pleasant spring evening.

   The racing family must have agreed with my opinion as a nice crowd filled in to watch a very solid one hundred and three race teams come through the pit gate. The track was in excellent condition and remained so throughout the night with three distinct fast lines around the oval, even as it slicked off late in the program.

   Heat race action kicked off just after 7:00, with fifteen qualifiers clicking off in quick fashion, with the "one and done" rule in evidence. Following a short intermission, it was time to go feature racing.

   The extra incentive sadly did not seem to impress the 305 community as only ten signed in to race. A first lap collision eliminated Riley Scott, but after that it was fifteen caution free laps. Daniel Berquist led early before Dugan Thye blasted to the front on lap seven, coming from a row three start. Dugan then pulled well ahead to score a popular victory. Ryan Jamison came on strong late, taking runner up honors after starting in eighth. Berquist was third followed by McCain Richards and Nick Guernsey.

   Eighteen Sport Mods came to race, with all but one lining up for fifteen circuits. Dylan VanWyk fired off from row two to the front as racing began and never gave up the top spot. Three caution periods slowed the action with close racing behind the leader. VanWyk cruised out to a comfortable lead as did seventh starting Sean Wyett in second. Rookie driver Bryson Eckrich also gained separation to finish third while Jarrett VanDenBerg and Joe Roller completed the top five. 

   Hobby Stocks were not a part of the original lineup at the track for 2026, but after an early successful trial, they have been included on a part time basis. Fifteen signed in on Saturday and all of them lined up for fifteen laps. Again a first lap yellow flag scrambled the line up and four times more cautions would interrupt the action. Daniel Wauters was wheeling the #17M car and he shot off from the pole to grab the early lead. While Wauters remained in control, an intense battle for second developed between John Richardson and Jorden Patz. Eventually the field was reset in single file order, and the plethora of solo spins spoiled some good racing among the top five drivers. Wauters would go unchallenged for the win, with Patz claiming runner up honors. Garrett Porter made a late charge to third ahead of Richardson and Billy Stanford.

   Calm was restored as the Late Models came to the track for twenty five circuits. Only Ed Hollenbeck, who was involved in a heat race crash with Jay Johnson, was absent from the seventeen car field. Mark Burgtorf and Jeremy Pundt paced the pack, but it was third starting Curtis Glover powering to the lap one lead over Burgtorf and fifth starting Andy Nezworski. Glovers' big lead was erased on lap ten as Cruz Birkhofer came to a stop above turn two, the only caution of the race. Nezworski charged to the runner up position following the Delaware restart, but he was unable to run down the flying #30 of Glover. As the quick twenty five circuits came to a close, it was Glover, Nezworski and Burgtorf with podium finishes. Tommy Elston finished where he started in fourth and Dustin Smith advanced six spots to round out the top five. Logan Veloz led Jake Griffin, Blaise Lewis, Ray Raker and Darin Weisinger Jr. sixth through tenth. 

   An increase in start money seemed to be an incentive for the Modifieds, as a late arrival pushed the count to eighteen. First lap issues eliminated pole sitter Dennis Laveine in one of only two caution periods. Jace Whitt is making the long tow from Hamilton, Missouri to race at Lee County and 34, and he shot to the early lead over Adam Shelman and Austen Becerra. Becerra climbed to second on lap three, taking along the Eckrich boys, Jace and Jared. The final caution came at that lap three mark, and back under green, Jace moved to the runner up position while tenth starting Chris Zogg advanced to fourth. On lap five Becerra regained the second spot and the chase was on. Whitt was running Becerras' preferred high line forcing Austen to operate in the middle groove. In what proved to be a mistake, Whitt dropped down on lap ten, opening the top side for Becerra, who rocketed to the lead. He then drove off into the Des Moines county night. Five laps later, Jace Eckrich was able to clear Whitt for second using an inside move. As the checkers flew it was Becerra, Jace Eckrich, Whitt and Zogg, while after lining up in row eight Eric Barnes slipped around Jared Eckrich in the closing laps to finish fifth. 

   Sixteen strong were the Stock Cars, with Austin Kemper leading lap one. The next time under the flag stand it was fourth starting John Oliver Jr. out front where he would stay for the remainder of the fifteen laps. Two times the yellow flag waved in the first three circuits, then it was green flag racing until the end. Oliver Jr. moved well out front while Greg Gill and Jordon Miles staged the race of the night, running side by side and nose to tail, swapping the runner up spot several times on the now black slick track. At the same time, Casen Keller and Chad Krogmeier waged a tight battle for fourth. The final running order saw Oliver Jr. with win number seven on the young season, followed by Gill, Miles, Keller and Krogmeier. 

   We had hit the 10:30 mark with an early Sunday call as the Mini Haulers headed to the track, so it was off to the parking lot for our band of three. Congrats to Caleb Ealey on his feature win. 

   Thanks to Brad, Jessi and their group for a fun Saturday night of racing. Despite several early season rain outs, there are still many special events on the 34 Raceway schedule in 2026, so check the website for more info.

   Tonight we will be back in our familiar spot at Quincy Raceways, hope to see you there!

Close Racing at Lee County Speedway

    Thankfully the rain stayed south of Lee County Speedway in Donnellson on Friday as sunny skies greeted us upon arrival. A beautiful sunset preceded another chilly evening full of close racing on a beautifully prepared racing surface. And even though the spring chill is still with us, a decent sized crowd turned out. With the addition of the American Iron Racing Series a solid total of eighty four racers signed in led by twenty IMCA Late Models. This being the second week for the new promoters, everything moved along smoothly and after a full plate of heat races and intermission, it was time to go feature racing.

   The visiting A.I.R.S. group of thirteen ran first with only one stoppage. For some unknown reason, there was no roster of drivers so I apologize in stating that car #8J one of the Jones clan, picked up the win.

   The Mini Hauler truck class again produced a small number of participants, with five competitors racing ten non stop laps. Nick Wilkerson destroyed the field by about a half lap. Tate Kronfieldt and Hayden Delzell also went the distance behind the winner. 

   IMCA Sport Compacts fared little better, with only six signed in and five still around at feature time. Brandon Reu took off from outside row one to lead the twelve lap distance, chased by Kimberly Abbott and opening night winner, Josh Barnes. 

   The IMCA Stock Car count was down a bit at ten, but as usual they rewarded us with outstanding racing. Matt Jones paced the opening lap ahead of Chad Krogmeier, but it was Jason See coming from outside row two to lead lap two. Soon it was Krogmeier, sixth starting John Oliver Jr. and Derrick Agee locked in a battle for second. Oliver Jr. managed to clear that group on lap six and the chase was on. Halfway through the twenty laps Oliver had caught See and they ran side by side on lap thirteen before Jason was able to pull slightly ahead. With two to go in another non stop event, See caught two cars running at the tail of the field and he was able to use maneuver his way through, creating a bit of separation to secure the win. Following runner up Oliver Jr. it was Agee and Krogmeier, while Kevin Koontz won a race long battle, passing Matt Picray late for fifth. 

   All but one of the thirteen IMCA Modifieds took the green flag for twenty laps in yet another non stop race. Matt Fulton Jr. led his row one mate Fisher Reese in the opening circuits before Jace Eckrich moved into second on lap three. Even as young Eckrich mounted a strong challenge seven laps in, week one winner Austen Becerra came roaring from his row four starting spot to third. Eckrich used a turn three move to grab the lead one lap later, and one more time around saw Becerra charge off turn four to move to the runner up spot. It quickly became a two car breakaway. With six laps remaining the duo raced side by side, and Becerra claimed the lead coming to the flag stand. Ripping around the very top of the three eighths mile oval, Austen then drove off for the win. Eckrich held on for second while Fulton Jr. nipped visiting Chris Zogg at the line for third. Mark Burgtorf started and finished fifth. 

   After a heat race altercation, Ed Hollenbeck and Jason Oenning scratched for the twenty five lap IMCA Late Model headliner, leaving eighteen cars to take the green flag from starter Kevin Eggleston. Darin Weisinger Jr. and Sam Halstead sat on row one, and they blasted ahead in that order. While Weisinger Jr. opened a sizable lead, fifth starting Tommy Elston began his march forward, slipping past Halstead for second on lap six. He then began to run down the leader, racing side by side before taking command just before halfway. Fourteen laps were scored when the caution flag waved as Spencer Havermale found himself facing the wrong way on the front stretch. Thankfully everyone managed to avoid his stopped #7H. On the restart Weisinger seemed a bit slow off the line, losing several positions. Now it was eighth starting Christian Miles showing speed as he pulled a successful slider exiting turn four to clear Halstead for second. Elston drove off into the Lee County night as Miles, Halstead and Late Model rookie Logan Cumby fought for the runner up spot. When the checkers flew, Elston had matched his opening night win, with a straightaway advantage over Miles, Halstead, Cumby and visiting Andy Nezworski. Curtis Glover led the second five over Weisinger Jr., Denny Woodworth, Jake Griffin and Ron Boyse. Miles, Woodworth and Griffin all advanced six positions, Glover five and Elston four on the smooth, racy track. 

   IMCA Northern Sport Mods would put a wrap on the evening, seventeen strong for twenty laps. After rolling his car last Friday, Dylan VanWyk started on the pole position, and from there that was basically " all she wrote." He blasted well ahead, while double duty John Oliver Jr. also gained separation in second. The first stoppage came with eight in the books. VanWyk again pulled away, and it was now seventh starting Brandon Dale on the gas, powering to fourth. Two more laps were scored before a second and final caution. Row three starter Charlie Rindom jumped to the runner up spot as racing resumed, and as VanWyk cruised around the oval, Rindom, Oliver Jr. and Dale wrestled behind the leader. At the final checkers it was VanWyk, Rindom, Dale, Oliver Jr. and week one winner Cole Gillenwater in fifth. 

   If you were counting that was a grand total of four caution periods in over one hundred thirty laps of feature racing, a testament to both excellent track prep and driver restraint. Hats off to all involved! All racing was complete around 10:30. Thanks again to the Weisinger family for their gracious hospitality. The sun is shining, it is warming up. Think I will check the schedule and see if I can squeeze in a bonus night of racing. See you at the track!

Rain is the Victor at Lincoln

    Thursday night Fred and I made the drive to Lincoln,Il Speedway for night two of the Flo Racing Night in America events, a part of Illinois Speedweeks. Originally a three race swing, the opener at LaSalle Speedway was weathered out on Tuesday, making the Spoon River Speedway Wednesday show the first of the limited Made for T.V. series. Following Lincoln, many of the cars and stars will move on to Farmer City, then Fairbury with the Lucas Oil Late Models to conclude what was scheduled as a five night mini tour across the Land of Lincoln. 

   The Super Late Model headliner at Lincoln would pay a cool $20,000 to win supported by only one division, open Modifieds chasing a $2,000 payday. As an added attraction, burgeoning NASCAR star Carson Hocevar would be in competition wheeling his #77 Late Model. 

  Lincoln Speedway is a quarter mile facility located on the Logan County Fairgrounds. The covered grandstands retains that old time fairgrounds feel while still offering a good view of the action, with a set of open air bleachers and a sizable area for lawn chair type viewing. 

   Brandon Sheppard led flag to flag to pick up the win at Spoon River on Wednesday, topping a thirty nine car field while Trevor Neville did the same over a group of twenty five open Mods.

   There was sight chance of showers in the forecast, normally not enough for concern. However, this is 2026.

   We arrived early enough to see several changes in the weather, from sprinkles to sunshine, to a drop in temps due to a very chilly breeze, even as a solid field of thirty seven (minus one who left early?) Super Late Models and twenty seven open Modifieds rolled through the gate. Noticeably absent in that latter group was Wednesdays' winner, Neville. 

   The advertised hot lap time of 6:00 came and went as the track crew worked diligently to repack the racing surface after one of the passing showers. Warm ups finally began just a few ticks after 7:00 followed by group time trials for both divisions. Michael Ledford was quickest of the Mods with a lap of 14.239 seconds. Late Models qualified four at a time in groups "A" and "B". Hudson Oneal was tops in the first group at 12.748 seconds while local favorite Brandon Sheppard paced the second flight just a tick slower at 12.750. 

   With opening ceremonies complete. the first Late Model eight lap heat race hit the track. Oneal bested Brandon Overton, Shannon Babb and seventh starting Jason Feger. Just as heat two took the green flag, another more persistent shower hit the grounds. As pack vehicles continued to circle the oval, the first announcement came that when action resumed, the Late Model show would run off completely ahead of any Modified action. However moments later, as rain continued to fall, came word that between the track conditions and the local curfew, all racing was postponed with hopes of resuming at an as yet undetermined future date. A disappointing ending for the large gathering of spectators.

   This year has not been kind thus far to racing in the midwest, and as I do this report on Friday morning, it continues to sprinkle here in Canton. As of 11:00 racing for tonight is still on at Lee County Speedway, so we shall see what happens!

Marolf Stays Hot as Late Models Invade Vinton

    Sunday we decided to switch things up and make our first visit since 2024 to the home of IMCA, the Benton County Speedway - "The Bullring" - in Vinton, Iowa. Five IMCA classes would be in action along with a visit by the Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Models. It was cloudy and cool in Canton, but by the time we pulled into the quarter mile fairgrounds facility, the sun was out and the temp hit the mid seventies. There was a breeze blowing as well, fortunately for those of us in the grandstands it was blowing from west to east - perhaps not so good for those watching from the pits. 

   One hundred and sixteen race teams checked in, and with the big rig Late Model haulers, both the regular and overflow pit area was bulging. As a side note, for those who have not had the opportunity, grab a pit pass and take in a drivers' meeting at the track. Corey Dripps definitely has a way with words and leaves no doubt about policies and procedures!

   Hot laps were due to kick off at 4:30 with racing to follow. Unfortunately, it felt more like mid summer than early May as the sun and wind did the racing surface no favors. The track crew worked hard and by feature time there were multiple grooves, as least in the early events. 

   Each class had two or three heat races except for the Hobby Stocks who turned out a whopping thirty two cars, requiring four heats plus a B main to whittle the starting grid to twenty four.

   With their consy tucked in ahead of the Stock Car heats, the Hobbys would be up first in the feature lineup. Leah Wroten blasted to the lead from outside row one in the fifteen lapper, taking along pole sitter Darin Bloomquist. Eighth starting Justin Wacha would take up the chase on lap two ahead of the first of six caution periods. The worst of those came when a trio of cars got together off the top of turn three. Cameron Graham would take the blunt of the damage as he flipped his #33 machine, ripping the body away from the frame. A Delaware restart just before the halfway mark saw row five starter Zach McNeese, who had been involved in a tight battle with Wacha for second, power around both Justin and Leah to grab the lead. Five circuits later it would be sixteenth starting Karter Miles charging to the runner up spot. Two more caution periods would come in the final three laps, and Wacha saw his strong run end as he slipped off the track on the backstretch. McNeese was able to hold serve through a final single file restart to pick up the win. Miles advance fourteen positions to take second followed by Jaice Tuttle, Wroten and Joren Fisher. 

   Twelve laps would be the distance for the twenty two Sport Compacts. As the green flag flew, nine cars would stack up at the exit of turn two! Aaron Swearingen would then pace lap one before seventh starting Cristian Grady took over the next trip around ahead of a second yellow flag. Back to racing, Grady built a nice lead even as runner up Lukas Rick also separated from the pack. The leaders were exiting turn four coming to the checkers when there was a hard flip in turn one. After a brief pause, the race was called complete. Grady took the win chased by Rick, Devin Coghlan, Jake Anderson and Robert Rundle. Only nine cars were still running at the conclusion of the dozen scored laps. 

   `All but one of the eighteen Northern Sport Mods lined up for fifteen laps. Outside row one starter Jacob Berry grabbed the initial lead ahead of Jackson Carey. Brady Hilmer climbed to second before a lap two caution. Berry could not hold on as racing resumed, gradually falling back in the field. It was sixth starting Will Wolf moving to the front, chased now by Hilmer and Ben Chapman. Following a caution four laps in, the three leaders pulled away from the pack, Wolf running a high line while Hilmer and Chapman worked around the tire barriers. With five laps to go, the caution flag waved again, and back under green Wolf dropped to the inside line in turns one and two, gaining a bit of separation from his challengers. A final stoppage set up a green, white, checkers finish, but there would be no catching the #7W. Hilmer and Chapman would follow, with Tony Olson coming home in fourth. Josh Banes was the mover of the race, picking up twelve spots to finish in fifth. 

   The Karl Chevrolet Pro Late Model  16 car twenty five lapper proved a bit anti climatic. Nick Marolf drew the pole position and he set sail in search of his third series win of the young season. Third starting Troy Morris III tagged along in second as the field mostly migrated to the inside line around the speedway. Morris kept the pressure on, staying close, looking inside and waiting for Marolf to make the mistake that never came. The race ran caution free with the leader catching the back of the pack just before halfway, then encountering heavy traffic about lap nineteen. But the driver from Moscow was up to the task, scoring the flag to flag victory. Morris III had to be content with a runner up finish. Jerry King would round out the podium while Jeff Aikey and C.J. Horn finished where they started to complete the top five. Luke Pestka ran sixth in front of Matt Ryan, J.D. Auringer, and the Duffys, Logan and Landon.

   Two features remained on the card, but I was staring at a full plate starting early on Monday (thus this somewhat late report,) so we regretfully headed for the exit. Thanks to MY Race Pass, the Modified win went to row one starter Ethan Krall over pole sitter Rayce Mullen, Patrick Flannagan, Jed Freiburger and hometown driver Jerry Dedrick. 

   Kyle Olson came from row four to top the Stock Car finale ahead of Brandon Tharp, Shawn Stinger, Kodey Miles and Dakoda Sellers.

   A big thank you to Rick, Corey and staff for their hospitality. It was fun to visit with some "racin'" folks we don't get to see often enough!

   Our next planned stop will be Thursday at Lincoln, Illinois Speedway as the Flo Racing Night in America tour makes their third stop of a five night swing, supported by open Modifieds. Stop and say "Hi!" if you see us there!

A New Chapter Begins in Donnellson

       After an opening night cancellation due to a saturated racing surface, it would be race night Friday at Lee County Speedway. And it would be the first night for the new promoters at the fairgrounds three eighths mile oval in Donnellson, Iowa. The Weisinger family has seen several generations compete on Tri State area tracks for many decades and it has always been a true family affair. So when the fair board found themselves searching for a new promoter for 2026 it was patriarch Darin taking the plunge. And as might be expected it soon became a group effort. While Darin will be the "face" of the operation, it will be daughter Lee Ann Lambert - of National Anthem and numerous local bands fame - handling race director chores.

   The most obvious change to the program is the return to Friday night racing and along with that comes a return to IMCA sanctioning in five of the six classes. Late Models, Modifieds, Sport Mods, Stock Cars and Sport Compacts will again be on the weekly card, with unsanctioned Mini Hauler Trucks replacing Hobby Stocks in an attempt to increase car counts. This would also be the first points paying night at the track.

   Seventy three race teams checked in on what turned into a very chilly evening, and there were even a couple of rain showers in the area before race time. All things considered, it seemed like a decent opening night crowd. As might be expected, the program was a bit late getting started, but the races clicked off in good fashion, with the final checkers just past 10:30 on a near perfect racing surface.

   It was a memorable beginning for the new promotion team, as in the very first heat race of the night contact on the backstretch sent the #11E of Ethan Prim for a wild ride as his flipping Sport Compact might have cleared the wall were it not for the catch fence. Fortunately he was able to walk away from the accident although his car did not fare as well. It would be the first of two roll overs on the night, as Dylan VanWyk would also take a tumble in the Sport Mod feature even as the yellow flag came out for a spin at the other end of the track. He was running in second place at the time, and I am not sure what happened as I was focused on the spinner in turn four as Dylan did a complete roll over off turn two.

   Feature racing began with the Sport Compacts, and although only five of the seven cars on hand took the green flag, this may have been the race of the night. Chuck Fullenkamp paced the opening lap before Brandon Reu took over one lap later. Soon it was Josh Barnes applying pressure to the leader, and he was out front by inches as lap four of ten was scored. The frontrunners then ran side by side lap after lap with Reu leading as lap eight went in the books. But when Kevin Eggleston waved the checkers it was Barnes again ahead by a nose, picking up the win over Reu. Heat winner Kimberly Abbott was third in front of David Prim and Fullenkamp. 

  All fourteen Stock Cars lined up next for twenty laps. David Brandies led the opening circuit over Chad Krogmeier. John Oliver Jr. started inside row two, and by lap four he was the new leader. With Brandies now second, Krogmeier and Jason See locked in a battle for third. Just past the halfway mark, See spun in turn three while running in third. Derrick Agee moved to third following the Delaware restart, but was soon overtaken by Leremy Jackson. As Oliver built a commanding lead, the next six cars ran in tight formation. On the white flag lap Agee was able to regain third, but it was Oliver Jr. and Brandies first across the line. Jackson barely held off a charging See for fourth. 

   Twenty laps would be the distance for the Modifieds. Austen Becerra redrew the pole position, jumped quickly out front and stayed there in the second caution free feature. Jared Eckrich moved around birthday boy Bill Roberts Jr. for the runner up spot on lap two and while Becerra built a half track lead Eckrich also put distance on the rest of the field. Becerra would cruise to the win, followed by Eckrich, Roberts and Blaine Webster. Mark Burgtorf used a late race pass of Jace Whitt to climb to fifth. 

   A strong field of seventeen Late Models signed in for the night. Jason Oenning finished fifth in heat one while Tommy Elston could do no better than fourth in heat two, but the opening night redraw found those two sharing row one for the twenty five lap feature. And much like the Modified main event, the redraw told the tale. Elston blasted out to a lead he would never relinquish. Third starting Spencer Havermale soon powered to second, and even as Elston moved to a different time zone, Havermale also pulled away from the pack. However behind those two the action was intense. Oenning held on to third before suddenly ducking to the infield. Meanwhile Darin Weisinger Jr., Sam Halstead and Denny Woodworth were locked in a tight scrum for fourth. With just seven laps remaining, Woodworth and Halstead went synchronized spinning in turn four to trigger the first yellow of the race. Halstead retired to the pits and Woodworth was allowed to keep his position in the running order. Eighth starting Curtis Glover used the Delaware restart to power around Havermale for second but there would be no catching Elston. Havermale would hold third, chased by Woodworth and Weisinger Jr. Like Woodworth, Jackson Frankel advanced five spots to finish six, topping Ron Boyse, Jake Griffin, Jeremy Pundt and Jayden Johnson. 

   The largest field of the night was eighteen Sport Mods, and they all came to the track for twenty laps of action. And once more the redraw told the story. Cole Gillenwater lined up on the pole position and shot to the lead, pulling away from the pack with double duty John Oliver Jr. in tow. Soon it was a charging VanWyk clearing Oliver for second. The first caution came five laps in, and VanWyk was soon challenging Gillenwater for the lead as they ran side by side until the yellow flag waved at the lap eight mark. That is when disaster struck, ending VanWyks' night. Twice more the caution would wave, and on the final restart Brandon Dale cleared Oliver for second before John drove to the infield, his charge finished. Gillenwater would pull away to a comfortable lead, then drive off to his first ever feature win. Dale came home second besting young Bryson Eckrich, Charlie Rindom and Jason  Van Zomeren. 

   With an early call Saturday morning I will confess to heading to the parking lot as the Mini Haulers lined up for the finale of the night. Congrats to Caleb Ealy on his win over Colton Meeker and Nick Wilkerson.

   A big thanks to Darin and the Weisinger family for their hospitality. Remember, 2026 is once again Friday night racing at Lee County Speedway!

Pierce Takes WoO Honors at Indee

    After finally getting back to the track on Sunday, raindrops and all, we were looking for our first midweek event of the season. Things did not look too good, at least here in northeast Missouri with another inch plus of precipitation lasting into Monday morning. But as the storms moved on, word came from the powers that be at Independence, Iowa Motor Speedway that they would be good to go for their second Tuesday race in a row. With a stacked program of World of Outlaw Late Models, Karl Chevrolet Premier Late Models, IMCA Modifieds and IMCA Stock Cars along with a near zero chance of the "R" word, we were more than pumped, cool temps be darned! It had been a couple of seasons since I had checked in on the Race Indee folks and the improvements made to the racing surface since my last visit. Scott Webb Concrete would be the presenting sponsor for this marquee event. 

   It was a very large and early arriving crowd, but the lines at both the ticket booth and concession stands moved smoothly and efficiently as obviously a lot of planning went into this event. The track surface was in good condition except for a pesky dip in turn one that was mostly corrected during a manicuring session before the feature races. And even the eventual World of Outlaw feature winner admitted in victory lane that he was initially not pleased with the amount of water laid down on the three eighths mile, but the yield was two or three good racing lanes, so "I guess they know the track better than I do." Kudos to Mike Van Genderen, Dana Benning and crew for a job well done!

   The WoO visit scheduled for 2025 at Indee was washed out, so having been two years since the Super Late Models had hit the oval, the track record was ripe for picking. And sure enough, it was eclipsed on multiple occasions before Nick Hoffman set the bar at 12.549 seconds in Group A qualifying. The Iowa dominate crowd soon erupted in cheers as native son Dallon Murty paced Group B at 12.854 seconds.

   Thirty two competitors were divided into four eight lap heat races, and with "straight up" starts, it was no surprise that all four winners came from the front row. Hoffman, Jonathon Davenport and Murty all led the distance from the pole position while Bobby Pierce did the same from outside row one after pole sitter Daulton Wilson was penalized for jumping the start. Still there was a fair amount of movement in the qualifiers, including a charge from seventh to third by Justin Duty in heat two. Later in the program the sixteen non qualified cars ran a pair of Last Chance races with the top three moving on. Ethan Dotson and Dustin Sorensen both advanced from row two to victory lane, while another Iowa favorite, Chad Simpson made a dramatic late charge from seventh to third to earn a feature spot. Three provisionals would round out the twenty five car starting grid.  

   A solid field of twenty five Premier Late Models checked in, and they too ran four heats. National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Jeff Aikey, defending series champion J.D. Auringer, Travis Smock and Logan Duffy picked up eight lap wins. 

   Sixteen IMCA Modifieds and twenty two IMCA Stock Cars would round out the ninety five car field. Kollin Hibdon ran off with Mod heat one and Etham Braaksma roared from sixth to take heat two. Stock Car heats came after intermission, with Gage Neal, Tom Schmitt and Braden Richards victorious. 

   The four car Super Late redraw saw point leader Hoffman and Murty line up in row one for the 40 lap #12,000 to win headliner. Hoffman shot to the lead taking along third starting Davenport and his row two mate Pierce. Davenport was absolutely ripping the lip all night, and on lap five he went over the top of turn two, falling to fifth. One lap later the first yellow came for Tyler Bruening. It was now Hoffman, Pierce, Garrett Alberson and Cade Dillard out front. Back to racing, Pierce shot below Hoffman, blasting to the lead out of turn two, Davenport rebounded to third and Drake Troutman powered to fourth. Pierce and Hoffman put some distance on the field and the leader had caught the back of the pack when the caution flag waved with thirteen laps scored. Two more laps went in the books before a third yellow as Murty drove off the top exiting turn two. Back under green, young Trey Mills found speed, entering the top five. On lap eighteen Davenport again went over the top of turn two losing several positions, but he caught a break as the yellow flag negated his mistake. To this point "Turbo" Tyler Erb had been a non factor, but suddenly he was on the charge, climbing to fourth. Pierce was now comfortably ahead, but he would again catch the tail of the field with about a dozen laps left, and with cars running side by side for position Hoffman would quickly close the gap. But just as things were getting interesting the yellow flag waved for a final time on lap thirty one. Erb would move to third as Davenport jumped the turn two cushion for a third time. With clear track ahead Pierce went on cruise control as Hoffman now found himself working to fend off Erb. On the final lap as Pierce drove to the win and the series points lead Erb eased around Hoffman for second place honors after starting in eighth. Troutman gained five spots to finish fourth while Mills crossed in fifth. Alberson paced the second five ahead of Davenport, Dotson, Sorensen and Dillard.

   The clock was ticking as the Outlaws performed their made for TV post race festivities. Finally the Premier Late Models lined up for twenty five laps of action. Pole sitter Smock would lead his row one challenger Aikey as the green flag dropped. Smock would survive an early yellow, but as lap five was scored Aikey was ahead by a nose. One more lap went in the books before another caution, and on the restart Auringer muscled his way to second, Joel Callahan and Nick Marolf followed as Smock fell to fifth. Aikey held a nice lead as the race hit the mid point while Marolf picked off Callahan for third. Lap sixteen saw Nick clear Auringer for second, however Aikey was still in control. That would change when the caution flag would fly at lap twenty. Back to racing Marolf was all over the leader, finally moving to the front on lap twenty two. One more stoppage would set up a green, white, checkers finish. As Auringer faded back, Aikey missed his mark coming to the green, scrambling the field on the final laps. At the checkers it was Marolf taking his second series win. Quiet for most of the night, C. J. Horn suddenly found himself in the runner up spot after starting in row six. Troy Morris III advanced seven spots to third while Matt Ryan charged from row seven to fourth. Auringer completed the top five. Callahan, Aikey, Logan Duffy, Jason Hahne and Bobby Hansen rounded out the top ten. 

   Our self imposed curfew of 10:30 was moments away, so we headed for the car and the three hour journey home. Thanks to My Race Pass, for results, as Spencer Diercks picked up the Modified win over Cody Laney, Braaksma, Hibdon and Jed Freiburger. Richards took the Stock Car top prize, besting Schmitt, Damon Murty, Dakoda Sellers and Rowdy VanGenderen. 

   This event has been on my "can't miss" list since it was announced, and it did not disappoint! 

   Next up is a planned Friday visit closer to home as Darin Weisinger and crew try again to open a new chapter at Lee County Speedway in Donnellson. 

Quincy Raceways Races Through the Raindrops as Season 51 Begins

    36 days...Thirty six days... Due mostly to the consistently lousy weekend weather and in the case of this weekend family obligations, it had been just over five weeks since my bout of racing withdrawal began. So I was more than happy to rush home Sunday, grab my supplies and head to the fifty first home opener for Quincy Raceways. And with the forecast showing no wet stuff until overnight, things were looking up! The good news is that with some adjustments the entire seven class program was completed. The not so good news is that the final three features were run in a light rain. But, hey, it was racing!

   The track crew and the three man management team have been hard at work, putting in many extra hours to prepare for the season, and the result was a good racing surface with just a bit of dust early as the southeast breeze attacked the impressive crowd. 

   The downside was a somewhat disappointing overall car count, although the newly minted IMCA Late Model division was solid with fifteen entries.

  With all the opening night pomp and circumstance complete, racing began about 6:30, with heat race action clicking off in good time ahead of intermission. 

   The visiting vintage class kicked off feature racing. They would run a non stop ten laps, with Bonne Terre, Missouri driver Marshall Skaggs picking up the win over his fellow Bonne Terre competitor Tom Mesey in the PB (peanut butter) car.

  Street Stocks would go next, running twelve caution free laps. Only winner Jacob Rexing and runner up Jake Powers were still around when the checkers waved. 

   Action increased dramatically as all fifteen Late Models lined up for twenty five circuits. Popular local driver Jake Griffin was behind the wheel of the #79 normally driven by Robby Warner, and Jake had issues in hot laps and failed to make his heat race. In fact he was given an extra quick hot lap session to see if his problems were fixed, and it appeared so as he lined up deep in the field for the feature. Spencer Havermale and Jason Oenning filled out row one of the inverted field, with Spencer leading lap one ahead of a caution for debris. Following the Delaware Style restart, Austen Becerra charged to second as he and Havermale put some distance on the pack. But soon Denny Woodworth would join the leaders even as Jamie Wilson, Oenning and tenth starting Tommy Elston waged an entertaining battle for fourth. The yellow flag came out twice with six laps scored, ending the night for Ryan Aden Jr., and back to racing it was Woodworth moving to the lead. Twelfth starting visitor Curtis Glover was now looking strong as he vaulted inside the top five. Becerra would again clear Havermale for second on lap ten, and on the next trip around Jackson Frankel smacked the turn one wall ending his run. Back under green Becerra was mounting a challenge for the lead, clearing Woodworth about lap seventeen ahead of a final caution for Darin Weisinger Jr. As racing resumed, Havermale slipped around Woodworth for second and fifteenth starting Griffin found himself in the top five. Becerra would lengthen his lead and cruise to the win followed by Havermale, Woodworth and Griffin. Jeffery Delonjay made a late charge to round out the top five. Wilson, Elston, Glover, Weisinger Jr. and Oenning would complete the top ten. 

   The Dirtcar Modified field was shockingly short, and with scratches by Dean Vickers and 2025 champ Justin Reed, only four cars took the green flag for a dozen laps. Dave Weitholder ran to a caution free win, although he was challenged late by Shawn Deering. Vance Wilson and Kirkland Cunningham would round out the field. 

   With the sprinkles setting in, Crown Vics lined up for twelve circuits. Brian Kaylor took the early lead from outside row one with pole sitter and 2025 Champion Jake Etter in hot pursuit. Things got even tighter as the front runners hit slower traffic with three laps to go, and as the pair exited turn four to take the white flag, Etter powered to the lead. He would hold off Kaylor for the W. Alex Hatfield in an unlettered "mystery " car would finish third in front of Braxton Dieker and Isaac Little. 

   The raindrops became a bit more persistent as all twelve IMCA Northern Sport Mods came to the oval for their main event, shortened to fifteen laps. Tanner Klingele put his #73X out front from the pole to lead lap one before his row one mate A. J. Tournear nosed ahead as lap two was scored. Meanwhile Reed Wolfmeyer and Kyler Girard came from rows three and four to join the party up front. Klingele edged back to the front just ahead of a caution four laps in. As racing resumed Wolfmeyer charged to the runner up spot and began to hound the leader. The caution would wave two more times, the last caused by contact which sent Tournear for a spin, knocking him out of the top five. Klingele would hold off Wolfmeyer for the victory, with Girard claiming third. Cole Gillenwater made a late charge to fourth after starting in row four, while Alec Cain picked up five spots to finish fifth. Tournear would charge back through the field to sixth as the checkers. An interesting aside, Cole Gillenwater is a third generation QR driver and on this night his father Jim turned over the wheel of his #10 to young Chevy Barnes, a Sport Compact driver making his first start in a Sport Mod. Chevy is the fourth generation of a well known racing family, as his great grandfather was Don White, from my and Chevys' hometown of Keokuk. Racing historians will note that Don was a many time Stock Car champion in the touring days of IMCA and USAC. Chevys father Josh continues to compete in the Sport Compact division also. 

   The rain drops were now creating havoc with pen and paper, and I will admit to heading towards the parking lot as the Dirtcar 4 Cylinders prepared to put a cap on the action. Peeking at the scoreboard as I climbed in my vehicle, I saw the Devin Harrell led the race at about the mid point, and thanks to My Race Pass, I see he picked up the win over Ethan Zumwalt.

   Thanks as always to the Delonjays and their team for their hospitality and for keeping racing alive in Quincy. 

   Even though some big events have been lost, there is still a long season ahead, and just maybe Mother Nature will start playing nice!

Dallon Murty Doubles up at Memphis, Brown, Reimers, Kriegel and Reu Also Winners

    I love it when a plan comes together, and Saturday night we were able to make the trip to Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Missouri. The very large crowd was on hand for night two of the Memphis Spring Nationals. We felt lucky with the great weather last weekend in Springfield only to follow up with record breaking heat on this first weekend of Spring. Short sleeves and no jacket, as 9:30 found us on our way home! And that happened even though hot laps were pushed back, as the heat of the sun required multiple watering and packing sessions to get the track in racing condition. While turns one and two developed a bit of "character " that made for a bit of a challenge at times, the interviewed podium finishers were very complimentary with regards to the racing surface. Considering the amount of snow fall early in the week, I would say kudos all around to the preparation crew. And of course there is no one better than a Mike VanGenderen led staff at moving a show along once the first green flag drops!

   Ninety one cars in the five divisions checked in to race with B Mods leading the way at twenty eight. They would be the only class in line for a B Main, but when one scratch plus an early on track incident whittled the field to a qualifying field of four cars, the race was called. Again, some tracks would have run eight unnecessary laps...

   Following intermission, it would be Compacts first on the feature grid, with all but one of the eighteen signed in competing for a dozen laps around the big three eighths mile. Pole sitter Luke Fraise shot to the early lead over his row one mate Alvin Cooney. Soon it would be sixth starting Dyllan Bonk and ninth starting Brandon Reu up to battle behind Fraise. By the time Reu took control of the second spot, Luke had built a sizable advantage. Slower traffic came into play on lap eight, but Fraise was up to the task at hand. The white flag waved and I began to write down the order when the impending checkers was replaced by the yellow caution flag, setting up a green, white, checkered finish. Fraise restarted out front of the Delaware Style lineup, but as the white waved once more, Reu pulled alongside going down the backstretch. Through the final set of turns they raced in tandem, but Reu won the drag race to the finish line. Fraise was justifiably disappointed with his runner up finish, but that is racing. (Although I am a fan of a one lap shootout in these situations, especially on tracks bigger than a quarter mile, but I am not in charge!) Bonk held on for third ahead of a good battle behind him. Michael Gardner traveled from Des Moines to take fourth over Katelynn Watts. 

   Twenty four B Mods lined up next for twenty laps, although we lost two cars on the parade lap. A first lap pile up also eliminated Jamie Aleshire. Austen Becerra, driving the Bobby Six #6 and Cam Reimers sat on the front row, with Reimers jumping out to the lead. Along with Brandon Dale, the trio ran three wide as lap one was scored. Reimers took control the next trip around. and quickly stretched his lead. He caught the back of the pack on lap eight, and one lap later Dale dropped out with a flat tire. With eleven in the books, the red flag waved, as a violent crash on the backstretch sent Moberly, Missouri racer Colten Gerry barrel rolling and flipping end over end. After a few anxious moments, Gerry was declared uninjured, however his #93 was as mangled a mess as I have seen in a very long time. Thankfully he had taken no shortcuts with his safety equipment. Back to racing Reimers again pulled away as it was now Becerra working to hold back Colton Livezey for second. At the same time, Dakota Girard, Cody Agee, and Brayton Carter were locked in a tight duel for fourth. Reimers would build a straightaway lead, taking the checkers as the next group of five finished in that very same order. 

   All but one of the twenty Stock Cars were now up for twenty laps. Outside pole sitter Derrick Agee led third starting Dallon Murty through lap one before Stock Car rookie Bradley Graham charged from outside row two to the lead on lap two. With sixth starting David Brandies moving to second, he led a charge of Agee and Murty in pursuit of Graham and his sharp looking #2G. At the same time, Nathan Wood and John Oliver Jr. worked side by side to join the fray. Following a lap six caution, Wood climbed to fourth. Somewhere around lap twelve, (no scoreboard here!) Brandies powered to the lead taking Murty along in second. Those two would swap the position, running side by side as the laps clicked off. Meanwhile Wood was on the move to third and a three wide scrum developed for fourth. Murty would take the white flag first, but again the yellow would replace the checkered, creating another two lap shootout. Back under green, Young Murty, fresh off his first Super Late Model races in Florida, pulled ahead to make it two for two for the weekend. Brandies expressed some displeasure in victory lane, although I am not certain who the target was. "Papa" Damon Murty came on strong late to finish third, while Wood and Graham completed the top five. As is nearly always the case, the Stock Cars "stole" the show!

   The Modified car count of nine was disappointing for sure, and only seven survived to take the twenty lap feature green. "Downtown" Kyle Brown sat on the pole and wasted no time leaving the field behind. A caution for Fisher Reese at lap seven brought second running Austen Becerra and the rest of the pack back to the leader, but again Brown drove away. Jace Eckrich used the restart to climb two spots to third. Once more the yellow waved with thirteen laps scored, but there would be no stopping Brown. He raced a middle line around the oval as Becerra ripped the top in turns one and two, then dove low at the other end, all to no avail. Brown scored the win while Becerra collected his second runner up finish of the night. Eckrich, Kurt Kile, and Charlie Mohr would round out the top five. 

   Hobby Stocks would cap off the evening, with all sixteen lining up for fourteen circuits. That previously mentioned "character" in the first corner triggered a melee on the opening lap, stacking up several cars. Back under green, pole sitter Briar Kriegel, making the long tow from Brooklyn, Iowa, jumped ahead of Des Moines hot shoe Tom Killen, Jr. Daniel Wauters in the Jared Miller #17M and Dustin Griffiths waged a duel behind the leaders. Wauters broke free, and by lap seven was challenging for second when the caution came. On the restart, Wauters got shuffled back on the high side while Brayden Wood charged to third. Lap after lap Kriegel and Killen battled side by side, swapping the lead in front of some very vocal and enthusiastic supporters. Mimicking the Compact feature, the pair exited turn four side by side with Kriegel crossing the line first for the hard fought victory. Killen Jr., Wood, Keaton Gordon, and Wauters rounded out the top five. 

   As previously mentioned, those final checkers from starter Kevin Eggleston waved just before 9:30. Thanks to MVG, his staff, the fair board and all the workers who came together to give us great racing in March! As the local racing schedule and prior commitments pan out, it may be a couple weeks or so before our next trip to the track, but be sure and check in with yours truly and my Positively Racing colleagues as the mid west season ramps up. Thanks for reading!

Jackson Jr. Sweeps the MLRA Weekend at Springfield

   On opening night of the MLRA revival weekend at Jerry Hoffmans' Springfield Raceway, Tony Jackson Jr.  more or less cruised to the thirty lap win. On Saturday night, Jackson would again visit victory lane, but he had to work much harder to collect the $5,000 payoff.

   Two new Super Late Models, Kayden Clatt and Tucker Cox, would make their initial appearance on Saturday, while five drivers did not return after Fridays' action, leaving us with thirty seven competitors. 

Once again the action kicked off with limited hot laps at the advertised time of 6:15, but the welcomed quick show of night number one could not be duplicated. The five division program turned out one hundred and twenty one race teams, with a different lineup of classes in support of the Late Models. The track was a bit slower than Friday, with the 12.337 quick time of Iowan Derrick Stewart about three tenths less than on Friday. Once again the Late Models would contest four eight lap heats with the top three moving on to the thirty lap finale. Jackson Jr. and National Dirt Late Model Hall of Famer Billy Moyer - the Group "B" fast timer both nights - would repeat heat race wins, joined by Clay Stuckey and Eli Ross, all from the front row. It was a short night for Minnesota youngster Matthew Larson, who lost a wheel lining up on the outside front row of heat four. Apparently there was more damage, as he failed to appear for his B Main. Also Joey Smith was a no show for the evening following hot laps. Later on in the program Sawyer Crigler came from row two to capture a B Main while Illinois driver Daniel Adam topped the final qualiflier. 

   In between, the program was plagued by fits and starts as racers in the other classes suffered from yellow fever. I know I sound like a broken record, but if there was one change I could make at this track, it would be a "spin and you're in" rule in the preliminary events. Thank goodness the local flag man is not opposed to ignoring a stopped car long enough to wave a checkered flag!

   With the main event fields set, Midwest A Mods lined up, nineteen cars for twenty laps. As the green flag waved, four cars piled up between turns one and two. Back to racing outside pole sitter Dakota Girard, a regular Sport Mod racer at my "local" tracks, jumped to the lead in front of pole sitter Jaren Powrie. While Girard built his advantage, Powrie also pulled away from the rest of the pack. Dakota had nearly a full straightaway lead by the time he caught the back of the pack at lap thirteen. With four circuits remaining, a disabled car was unable to exit the track, bringing out the caution flag. The lapped cars went to the back, giving Powrie another shot at the leader. As the green waved third place on back stacked up in turn four. With clean up finally complete racing resumed. Powrie would stay close to the leader, but could not mount a challenge, as Girard took a flag to flag win. Jordon Cater came all the way from row nine to finish third, and his row nine mate Jerry Brown followed in fourth. Gary Krebs rounded out the top five, as only eight cars remained on track at the checkers. 

   Normally Legend cars turn out strong numbers at Springfield, but on this night only a bakers' dozen checked in. And with considerable attrition - only two cars left in one heat after first lap mayhem - nine cars lined up for a fifteen lap feature. Not finished with their difficulties, the caution flag came as racing began. Pole sitter Devin Lawson avoided the carnage, survived two more yellows, and scored a flag to flag win. His strong run was nearly negated, however, as Jett Stovall (sounds like a familiar surname!), pulled alongside out of turn four coming to the checkers, but had to settle for second. At the same time, third place Jacob Horn was but a car length back in third. Scott Merrell and Dustin Blair completed the top five. 

    The clock read 9:44 as intermission began. As track work started, the four Late Model heat winners came to the front stretch to shoot baskets to determine their starting positions. Confessing to playing regularly, Jackson Jr. immediately sunk a bucket to earn the pole, then it took a few rounds for Stuckey to claim the outside pole. The advertised event offering $20,000 for a half court made basket found one young lady come up short, then we were treated to a fireworks display. Also during this time, the previous two feature winners came back to the track for pictures, an interesting time saving measure.

   After about thirty minutes, twenty three Late Models came to the track to work in the considerable amount of water added to the quarter mile. When the field began to increase speed, Moyer belched a cloud of smoke and headed for the trailer, his run over before it began. Adam also exited before the green flag, leaving us a field of twenty one. Although somewhat frustrating, the rework of the surface did pay dividends, as the track was very racy, with multiple grooves for the thirty laps. Jackson shot to the lead over Stuckey ahead of a lap three yellow for Caden McWhorter and Glen Powell. Back under green, Stewart charged to second, Jackson stretched his lead, and sixth starting Dillon McCowan jumped to third. As McCowan moved in to battle Stewart, eighth starting Jeff Herzog climbed to fifth, then fourth. Lap eleven saw the caution come for Ross, ending his night behind the wrecker. As the green flag waved, a Tyler Kuykendall spin brought another yellow. The next restart saw McCowan on the cushion as he pulled alongside the leader, then slid through turn four to the front, with Herzog charging to third, soon followed by another stoppage for Corey Zeitner. Having been shown the fast lane, Jackson Jr. move up top on the restart, returning the slide job favor to retake the advantage in turn one. As Herzog stalked the leaders, his bad luck weekend continued with a flat tire on lap nineteen. Back to racing one more time, McCowen briefly moved back out front using the low line, but Jackson was too strong on the high side, retaking then extending his lead. Tony would then cruise to the win. McCowan raced home second while local favorite Terry Phillips gradually worked from row seven to complete the podium. Stewart came home fourth and Stuckey recorded his second top five of the mini series. Sixth through tenth went to "Opie" Mike Spatola, Timothy Culp, Aaron Marrant, Brennon Willard, and McWhorter. 

   We were now past the 11:00 mark on a cool yet comfortable and mostly dust free evening, so as post race festivities began, we headed for the car. Congratulations to Full Body feature winner Tanner Foster, and B Mod victor James Thompson.

   Thanks to Jerry Hoffman for gambling on potentially fickle March weather to offer up a fun weekend of racing. While the crowd was a bit light on Friday, Saturday saw a nice turnout of spectators. Also, thanks to Ernie for bringing back the legendary MLRA. Our 2026 plans include several more series events. For now, we hope to enjoy at least one night of the Memphis Spring Nationals next weekend at Scotland County Speedway. Say "Hi!" if you see me there!