Racin'Thru the Weekend

Last week, I found out that I was expected to not go racing this past Saturday night, but instead help babysit our youngest grandson. Armed with that information, buddy Darryl and I made the trturn trip to Highland,Il Speedway to get our first actual racing fix of 2012 after being rained out on St Patricks Day. Everything was going according to plan until the phone rang Saturday afternoon, with Jeff Broeg on the line. His first question was " Are you going racing somewhere tonight? " " No..." " Would you like to? " Uh oh, that, my friends is a rhetorical question. So after making rash promises at seeking redemption to the Mrs., eldest grandson Keagan and I hooked up with Mr Backstretch and headed to the newly renamed Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 in Pevely, Mo. Jeff has a detailed account of the nights action on the Backstretch, so I will just day that while there were a lot of opening night problems, we still came away happy to have been there. If you gave never been to the Ken Schrader/Ray Marlar owned 1/3 mile facility, I urge you to make the trip. The facilities are good, and the racing is simply bad fast. Two drivers from my area, specifically Quincy,Il, made the trip down, Brothers in law Michael Long with his # 18L modified, and Rickey Frankel making his season debut with his # 33F UMP late model. Michael did not draw well, and cut down a tire in his heat race, sending him to one of two B -mains. While he was able to transfer to the feature event, he started 17th, and could only advance to tenth on the slick track. He still fared better than Rickey, who broke a J-bar bracket as he exited turn two in his heat race. His car made a sharp 180 degree right turn, slamming him drivers side first into the outside concrete retaining wall. At first glance, Frankel said he would not be able to make repairs to race the Sunday home opener at Quincy Raceways, but a lengthy and focused effort by the 33 team had him back on the track as Quincy Raceways entered the UMP late model weekly family for the first time as the track begins its 38 th season of operation. Again, Jeff has a detailed analysis of the action, at least until the lights went out! Following a thirty minute delay for the outage, veteran Tony Dunker, wheeling a number 3 sportmod, picked up the win in the fledgling open wheel class. Why the
" Team 4 Boss " decided to run # 3 in the sport mod class remains a mystery, but he was decidedly fast in holding off first Dean Kratzer, who nabbed third, and young Tanner Klingele, also sporting a number different from his hobby stock. Tanner has his Dads old number, 73 on his open wheeler. For his part, Kratzer should be pleased, as he is still recovering from some rather serious health problems which has put his program somewhat behind in the early going. The hobby stock feature was a crash fest, but young Jake Powers stayed out of trouble to grab the win, while Chuck Fullenkamp made the haul from Fort Madison, Iowa pay off with a Sport Compact win. Congrats to them, as well as late model winner Justin Reed, mod victor Steven Delonjay, and stock car hotshoe Abe Huls on opening night wins. The 91 car field and full grandstands offers hope for a successful 2012 season at Quincy Raceways. If you are thinking of making the trip to Quincy, remember the April and May start times of 4:45 hot laps and 5:30 racing. In two weeks, on April 15, the UMP Northern All Star late models come to town for a $2000 to win show that should draw a large field of top notch late models. It may only be the first week in April but the race season is already in high gear! See you at the track

Unfinished Business

After traveling six hours round trip on St Patricks Day and having nothing more to show for it than a partial list of who was in the pits at the Highland Speedway and some spectacular lightning, we were not in the mood for another rainout. So it was pretty much decided early in the week that the questionable forecast for this past Saturday precluded another attempt to see some green flag racin'. Then Saturday morning while my wife and I enjoyed a Hy Vee buffet breakfast with my racing buddy Darryl, My wife mentioned that I was otherwise commited on Saturday the 31st. So we took another look at the radar and decided to take the chance. As grandson Keagan and buddy Fred had other plans, Darryl and I headed south and east for another shot at the rescheduled $ 1500 to win " Lucky 40." Soon after arriving at the quaint facility on the Madison, Il fairgrounds, the clouds started to build and there was talk of rain up the road in Granite City. On this night, however, the wet stuff held off, and our 2012 season officially got under way. 22 UMP late models signed in, and we counted at least five that did not make the return trip from the week before. A scheduled UMP modified special at Belleville, Il for this night was cancelled due to wet grounds, and as a result, 36 mods jammed the pit area to race for the $750 top prize. 22 factory stocks and 25 sport compacts swelled the field to 105 cars in the four classes running on this night. Even though pit road was still jammed as the drivers meeting began, the show started close to the advertised time, and as Highland only hot laps late models and mods, we were racing shortly after 6:30. The show was originally part of back to back nights at Belleville and Highland, each paying $1500 to win, plus a $1000 bonus for a sweep. If each night had a different winner, the bonus would be split between the top three combined finishers. " The Flatland Flash, " Kevin Weaver was victorious at Belleville, and he put himself in a good position for the sweep by capturing the third heat ahead of young Brandon Sheppard. Springfield,Il driver John Beck outlasted Michael kloos in heat one, while local favorite Brent Helmkamp held off UMP national champion Ryan Unzicker in heat two, much to the delight of the large crowd. Following ten support class heat races, those six moved on the the dash to set the first three rows of the 40 lap finale on the tight 1/4 mile. Weaver again outlasted Sheppard, and the field was set. A mod dash and two consys at up some valuable time, and then the lowlight of the night occured, a 20 plus minute " non itermission " starting at about 9:40. As the track sets in a residential area, this did not seem like a good plan to me, but I may have been thinking more about the three hour drive home. Still we were plenty excited when the feature hit the track, with 20 cars set to do battle. Missing from the line up was Kerry Gaultney, who was jammed into the front stretch concrete wall at the start of heat one, and Dan Jacober, who was never able to take the green flag with possible engine problems. Most of the heat race action had been contested in the inside and middle grooves, and despite an inch of rain on Friday, there was only one rough spot on the track, that being in turns one and two, where 4 cylinder driver David Berry had taken a hard spill earlier. As the main event began, Weaver took off in the middle groove and looked to be on his way to a sweep. Young Sheppard had other ideas, however, and began running the cushion, making another groove for himself. about five laps in, Brandon put his # B5 out front and began to stretch out his lead. Weaver stayed in the hunt, and eventually regained the top spot, only to have Sheppards overtake him again. Only two caution periods slowed the event, and when the first came after 22 laps, all 20 starters were still running, although three dropped out at that time, including defending track champion Chad Zobrist, who was running sixth and moving forward. Caution number two came for third running Unzicker, who came to a stop on the backstretch. On the restart, Weaver bobbled slightly, and that was all Sheppard needed to collect the win. Wever recovered to grab the runnerup spot, with Kloos third. Kevin Cole wheeled a Riggs Motorsports entry to a fourth place run, with Mark Voigt fifth. The next five spots went to local hotshoe Frankie Martin, veteran Bobby Martinoni who has moved up from the crates, Nike Manville, Mike Schulte and Mike Hammerle. Only the top six remained on the lead lap. While Sheppard took the win, Weaver collected $ 500 of the bonus money, Kloos $300, and Sheppard $200. Although the mod main event was shaped up to be agood one, the clock showed 10:30, and we decided to head for the car.
As we drove through town, it began to rain, and we wondered if the show would be completed. The mod feature, at least did run, as former late model driver Aaron Kleine backed up his Belleville win by outlasting Brian Bielong and Rusty Griffaw to the flag. Griffaw elected to leave his new late model at home and bring a sharp looking mod to Highland.
All in all, it was a great way to start the new season.
This coming Sunday, Quincy Raceways will begin the new season, and they kicked things off on Sunday with the first of three practice nights.
As I sat down at the computer, I received word that B47 promotions, headed by racer Brandon Savage will not be promoting the special events he had mapped out for the season at the Scotland County Speedway in Memphis, Mo. Brandon has been working very hard since his sucessful
" Fall Nationals " last October, but apparently has run into contract issues and has suspended his plans for the time being.
There is plenty of racing this weekend, so if you have not been to the track yet, now is the time. See you down the road!

Rainout Number One

Although our plans were to start the 2012 season at Quincy Raceways on opening night April 1, the continued beautiful weather proved too nice to ignore. After reading the results of the Friday night opener at Bell Clair Speedway in Belleville,Il., we decided it was time to go racing. Saturday was to be night two of a double header combo, with the UMP late models moving down the road to Highland,Il. Each night featured a $ 1500 to win 40 lap main event with a $1000 bonus to sweep both shows. If no driver won both nights, the bonus would be split among the top three points finishers. Plus the UMP modifieds were running for $750 to win each night, and each track had two weekly support classes. Belleville had a healthy late model count of 29, with the mod count seemingly a bit low at 15. Veteran Kevin Weaver, defending UMP champion Ryan Unzicker and St Louis area hot shoe Michael Kloos topped the Shamrock 40, with many other big dogs in the field, enough to make the 170 plus mile trip to Highland look attractive. The forecast Saturday morning looked less than perfect, and as we prepared to leave, it was literally changing by the minute. The besr guess looked like we would drive through some showers, but it should all be out of the Highland area by 5:00PM. So if the showers were not too heavy...Sure enough, the rain began north of Troy,Mo, and was coming down in sheets as we drove through St Louis. A pair of calls to the speedway were answered with the good news that it was not raining and indeed had not. And we could see clear skies in their direction. By the time we arrived at the track - way too early, as usual,- the sky looked good. But as we scoured the pits from the hillside high above, the clouds began to build in the west. By 5:00PM, when the rain should have been coming to a close, it was obvious the track was going to get wet and the question became how soon and for how long. I'm not sure of the answer to either question, but I do know it was enough to force postponement of our first action of the 2012 season. Heavy rain and sharp lightning was still present as we started the drive home. For those who have never been to the Madison County track, both the pits and the track set in something of a canyon, and although there is a paved road up the hill from the pit area, it looks a bit challenging to get everyone out in those conditions. Even as the weather worsened, cars continued to roll in and I was able to identify a dozen late models including the top finishers from Friday night. Plus there were several big rigs who never bothered to unload, and I would guess the actual count was two or three higher when the rains came. It also looked as though the mod count would easily surpass that of Friday night. Although not totally unexpected, it was still a disappointing start to the season, especially in light of current fuel prices, which could very well curtail our traveling as the summer arrives. Indeed, the race has been rescheduled for next Saturday, March 24, and although we likely won't be able to return, it should be a good show for someone looking for a March race. One big name that probably won't return is Randy Korte, who will be taking some time off as he fights a blood disorder and some residual spinal issues, presumably from his back surgery a while back. " King Kong " anticipates a full recovery, but will not be behind the wheel of his # 00 for a period of time.
Although we were not able to see any action, we want to offer thanks to these tracks for taking a chance on March racing within reasonable driving distance, and we wish Highland success next week and throughout 2012.

Showin' Off the New Rides

The weekend marked the annual Quincy Raceways show at the Quincy,Il Mall. A record 38 cars spread out through the six classes jammed the mall, with lots of fans checking out the machines and talking to the competitors. The top preseason story of 2012 is the switch to UMP sanction for the late model class. Ten teams had their machines on display, and as expected there were some interesting story lines. Defending point champion Justin Reed was quick to mention that the open rules package was new to him, and he would likely have a learning curve. Justin has mapped out a 50 odd race schedule he would like to undertake in 2012. Conversely, point runner up Denny Woodworth has done a lot of open racing for several seasons, and should have a bit of a comfort level. Matt Bailey will begin the season with an IMCA spec engine, competing on Saturdays at 34 Raceways, then swapping out wheels and tires to run at his hometown track on Sundays. Dustin Griffin will be back on his hometown dirt after capturing the UMP Pro Crate national championship in 2012. Meanwhile, his 13 year old cousin, Jake Griffin, back from Speedweeks racing has mapped out an ambitious schedule. Jake will be racing Friday nights with the asphalt late models at Hawkeye Downs in Cedar Rapids, with an assist from veteran driver Johnny Spaw. Plans are to race modifieds, perhaps both A and B, at Spoon River Speedway on Saturday, then the youngster will hit the QR bullring on Sundays with both his UMP late model, and UMP modified. Vance Wilson is back in a late model for this season after spending 2011 in the modified division.
A nice group of 15 modifieds, split between UMP A's, and IMCA sport mods were on hand. Veteran Tony Dunker displayed a car for each division, although he has traded his trademark # 4 for #3 in the sport mods. Dave Weitholder is already on his second body after a couple of weeks of hard racing in Florida! Points champ Steven Delonjay will be back to defend his A mod title.
The big story in the IMCA stock car class was the appearance of a car unfamiliar to many QR fans. Ty Hill, who is a regular at the Boone Speedway had his # 3H ride in the show. Ty is originally from the Quincy area, and has raced in Quincy during stock car specials. With his parents still living just a few miles from the track, Ty has made tentative plans to be at QR for at least half the shows in 2012.
Those who read this column know that I am a big late model fan, but it was a hobby stock that stole the show for me. Rounding a corner at the far end of the mall from where I started, I came upon the # 1 of Richie Wagy. Richie has been an off and on racer for many seasons at QR, but his new ride will make him a legend among us old timers. Richie spent the winter putting together a 1957 Chevy to compete with hobby stocks. Seeing this machine took me back to the days when my hair was black, and guys I knew actually made money racing. It would not be appropriate for me to root for Wagy to win every Sunday, but i will sure be rooting for him to do well enough to keep the old Bel Air on the track all season!
Racing in the area kicked off Saturday with Jack Sullivan taking the checkers ahead of 29 other late models at Springfield,Mo Raceway. This weekend, the UMP cars will battle, weather permitting in a two night combo series at Belleville and Highland, Il. Quincy Raceways will drop the green flag on April 1 with a full program. Let's hope the weather holds!

Sunday Feb 19 Update

Quincy Raceways modified drivers had another good day on Sunday at Volusia, Florida. Michael Long turned in another top ten run by nabbing fifth, while Dave Weitholder made the big show, unofficially finishing 14th!

OneTrack Gone, Another Back?

I was dismayed at the news that Shepps Speedway near Alexander,Il was closing. Because the tracks regular race night had been Sunday for the three seasons of its existence, I had only been there a handful of times, as my Sunday nights are spent at Quincy Raceways. However races such as the UMP Summernationals, held on nights other than Sunday had given me the opportunity to make the trip of just over 100 miles, and each time I came away impressed. Due to a very limited area between the old highway and the railroad tracks, the set up for the tight 1/4 mile was a bit unique, but the facility was still more than satisfactory, and the racing was of the edge of your seat variety, especially when the ground pounding super late models took the green flag. With the early off season announcement by track owner Steve Sheppard Jr. that the track would be switching to Fridays and would at least occasionally host the super lates, I had already penciled in a few flying trips to the east after work on Fridays. So the abrupt press release announcing the track not only would not open, but would become the new home of the family salvage business only added to the sinking feeling regarding the many tracks within driving distance of my home that were either shuttered completely or running a limited schedule. So when word came late this week that an interested party from Wentzville,Mo. had applied for a special use permit with the intention of refurbishing and reopening the Montgomery County Speedway near the junction of Highway 19 and I-70 at Danville, Mo., I wanted to share the news. Not unlike Shepps, MCS is a tight 1/4 mile that offered up some breathtaking super late model and A modified action in the mid to late 2000's before closing a few seasons ago. It had been my understanding that the track fixtures were being sold off and the land around it would be otherwise developed, but based on what I assume are recent photos, the track, grandstands and other buildings appear to remain. Just recently news broke that a drag strip is being developed just down the road from the oval track, so there is reason for optimism that the permit will be granted. At this time no other details have been released, but at least there is reason to hope that another dirt oval will come back to life!
Combined with the plans for a " specials " schedule at Memphis, Mo., a return to full time racing at Bloomfield, Ia, and confirmation of racing again this season at Columbus Junction, Ia., brings hope of the beginning of a return to health for area tracks!
Quincy Raceways has been weel represented at Speedweeks, with regular competitors Michael Long, Dave Weitholder, and Jake Griffin all competing in modified action. Long has enjoyed considerable success, with several top ten finishes, including a second to NASCAR veteran Kenny Wallace. Weitholder had mechanical issues early, then had an outstanding qualifying effort washed out by rain. 13 year old Griffin had success in the Bullrush dash before losing an engine. Jake is looking to branch out this season, as he will be competing not only at Quincy with his UMP late model and UMP modified, but also on Friday nights at Hawkeye Downs in the asphalt late model division. The diminutive youngster has made great strides in his dirt program, and will be someone to watch as he tackles pavement racing.
While our 2012 season is set to kick off the last weekend in March, Belleville, Il Speedway and Highland, Il Speedway have schedule a two night event March 16 and 17 for the UMP late models, paying $1500 to win each night, plus a bonus to sweep both nights. If the weatherman cooperates, I might have to change my thinking...

I Shoulda Waited

Looks like I jumped the gun just a bit on the Quincy Raceways schedule. After discussions held at the UMP banquet last weekend, the dates for the two Northern All Stars $2,000 to win events at the speedway have changed. Both Sunday visits have tentatively been moved up one week, with the first visit on April 15, and the second on May 20. This second date make moew sense, as Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach,Il - the track commonly known as
" Granite City" - has a $10,000 to win UMP late model special on Sunday,
May 27. From the sounds of things, the AllStars may be making another stop in the area in 2012, but we will wait for further word on this. In the meantime, the countdown to the 2012 season continues!