Friday night, grandson Peyton joined me for our first trip of the 2018 season to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa. The 3/8 mile fairgrounds oval has a solid reputation for offering up a smooth, fast racing surface, however the late winter addition of some new dirt in turns one and two coupled with less than desirable weather following created some less than ideal track conditions for the opening race of the season. However, that was a distant memory tonight, as the track was smooth and tacky, making for super fast action.
A total of 69 cars checked in to do battle in six classes, with the IMCA stock cars leading the way with 20 entries. Fellow Positively Racing blogger Brian Neal added money to the feature payout in four of the weekly classes as an added bonus.
The eleven heat races clicked off in good time, followed by a late model meet and greet on the front straightaway, with all drivers signing autographs in front of their cars. Unfortunately that was the highlight of the night for Jeff Guengerich, as he saw his #15R Lynn Richard ride go up in smoke during hot laps.
The first feature of the night was for the IMCA sport compacts. All but one of eleven made the call. Mike Hornung Jr. had to watch his heat race from the infield when he came to the track without his racing gloves, but he was properly attired for the feature behind the wheel of the #35 normally driver by Jeffrey Delonjay. Jake Dietrich gave up his front row start, lining up at the tail of the field and making only one lap before heading to the pits. Mike Reu jumped to the early lead over Barry Taft, as the front five separated themselves from the rest of the pack. With those five running in close formation, Taft grabbed the lead on lap six, and Kimberly Abbott cleared Brandon Reu and Chuck Fullenkamp for third. The only caution came on lap eight when Ashton Blain lost a wheel in turn four. On the Delaware restart Abbott took over the second spot, with Mike Reu dropping to fourth. Kimberly then set her sights on Taft, but her last lap charge fell just short in a photo finish. It was the third win at LCS in 2018 for Taft. Brandon Reu came home third ahead of Mike Reu and Fullenkamp.
The crate late models were next to the grid. Ten cars took the green flag for 20 laps. Gunner Frank had checked out in the first heat, but the second ten lapper had been a three car battle, with Jay Johnson leading early before Brandon Savage took over. Then on the final circuit, Jay and Tommy Elston slipped around Savage. The feature redraw found the son-father duo of Gunner and Todd Frank on the front row. Todd had told me during the meet and greet that his car was not quite right, but he was working on it. Well, there was not much wrong with it early on. The Franks stayed close early, with Todd leading. The caution waved on lap six for Brandon Queen, and on the restart Sam Halstead took the third spot from Johnson. Halstead and the younger Frank swapped the runner up spot on laps nine and ten, while Todd opened a commanding lead. But disaster struck with six laps to go, as the #21 dropped fluid on the track and rolled to a stop in turn two. Gunner inherited the top spot, and Halstead chose the inside line for the restart, then powered to the lead as the next lap was scored. He then opened a nice lead as Johnson rallied to challenge for second. Jay grabbed the spot as the white flag waved, and veteran Ron Boyse followed him through to take third. Gunner settled for fourth, with Tommy Elston completing the top five. Aric Becker made his season debut in sixth, ahead of Savage. Darin Weisinger Jr. made his late model debut in eighth, just ahead of Queen. In victory lane, Halstead reiterated what he had told me earlier, that the track was a little too tacky for his liking, but it all worked out in his favor.
The IMCA sport mod count was down a bit, with a few competitors in both mod classes heading north for the high dollar show in Farley, Iowa. Ten cars took the green, with Austen Becerra on the pole. He took off to a nice lead ahead of Brandon Dale, Brandon Lennox, and Sean Wyatt. Following a caution period with 14 laps to go, Dale and Lennox found their way around the leader. Three circuits later, Lennox crossed the line inches ahead of Dale. As the laps clicked off and slower traffic came into play, Dale again challenged for the lead using the low line around the track. Lennox used the traffic to open some breathing room, and with three laps remaining, Becerra was stalking Dale. As the white flag was displayed, Becerra slid in front of Dale for second, but Brandon returned the favor in turns one and two. At the finish, it was Lennox, Dale, Becerra, and Wyatt.
Only five hobby stocks signed in, but they staged a three car side by side, nose to tail battle early. With eight laps to go, Brok Hopwood suffered a flat tire, ending his run. It was then a two car duel between Nathan Ballard and Aaron Martin. With four laps left, Ballard, who pulled a nifty slider two laps earlier, also suffered a flat. When the checkers waved, it was Martin in victory lane. Gene Nicklas claimed second.
It took the IMCA stock cars a while to find their rhythm, with four yellow flags in the first three laps. From there, it was an edge of your seat affair. Jeremy Pundt had been involved in a great battle with Dean Kratzer and David Brandies in his heat race, and he used his pole position to jump to the feature lead. Meanwhile, John Oliver Jr. and Jason Cook ran side by side for second. Pundt and Cook ran the inside line, while Oliver worked a high groove. Just before halfway through the 20 lapper, Oliver charged to second, and Brandies took the inside line to third, while Abe Huls grabbed fourth. At the ten lap mark, Oliver took the lead, Pundt, Brandies, and Huls ran three wide for second, and Cook and Todd Reitzler made it a six car pack. Two laps later Brandies moved to second, on the next circuit, Oliver, Brandies, and Huls ran side by side. One more lap saw Reitzler nose ahead, then it was Huls on top as they ran side by side. Abe ran a low line, while Reitzler searched the middle of the track. With two laps left, Reitzler used a high to low diamond move, but came up short. Huls sounded thrilled but out of breath as he did the winners interview, praising his fellow competitors. Reitzler, Oliver, Pundt, Cook, and Brandies crossed the line in that order.
It would have been hard to top the stock cars, and the modified finale was a snoozer in comparison. All 12 cars took the green flag, with front row starters Blake Woodruff and Craig Spegal setting the pace early. After a lap three yellow, seventh starting Jeff Waterman charged to third, and one more lap found him in second. On the fifth trip around, the veteran from Quincy,Il. grabbed the lead, quickly opening a sizable advantage. Meanwhile, Spegal had distance between himself and Woodruff, who was doing battle with Dakota Simmons. Bill Roberts began his drive to the front, gaining fourth on lap eleven, then closing on Woodruff. He took over the third spot at the flagstand with a pair of laps remaining, but ran out of time, settling for third behind Waterman and Spegal, and ahead of Woodruff and Simmons.
We were on the road home at 9:56, another outstanding night of racing in the books.
Next up for me will be a Mothers Day Sunday night visit to Quincy Raceways, where the UMP Pro Crate late models will make their season debut.
Thanks for reading!
Friday, May 11, 2018
Monday, May 7, 2018
Kay Stays Perfect in Deery Action
Yogi Berras' " It ain't over 'till it's over! " was never more true than Sunday night at the Quad City Speedway in East Moline, Illinois. The three ten lap heat races for the 25 Deery Brothers Summer Series late models went caution free - as did the seven heats for the support classes - but they were hardly drama free.
After winning the first two outings on the series schedule, Justin Kay came in as the favorite, and his row two starting spot in heat number one put him in good position for a feature starting spot near the front. But a flat tire on the second lap sent him to the pits, saddled with the 25th starting spot in the 50 lap headliner. Curt Martin led the distance for the win.
When the second heat came to the track, Ryan Dolan was absent from the lineup, but when heat three came out, Ryan came to the track. He had been announced in the second ten lapper, so he was sent to the infield for the final heat, which saw Cayden Carter grab the win and Joe Zrotlik collect a DNF. Heat two went to Nick Marolf, with Matt Ryan and Todd Cooney exchanging slide jobs behind him.
Darryl and I happened to be sitting in front of Roger Dolan, and he called his sons' pit to see what had happened. He said Ryan was told he was scheduled in heat three, then told he had missed his spot in heat two, so anyway...
Following a lengthy intermission in which we were treated to a host of Rogers' tales of the past, the 16 car sport mod feature lined up for 15 laps. Justin Veloz jumped to a big lead from row one, when " yellow fever " began on lap four. Following a lap five restart, Veloz clipped the tractor tire in turn four, kicking it out on the track to bring out another yellow. Curiously, he was allowed to stay out front on the restart. That proved to be the only break he needed, as he survived three more cautions to pick up the win. Jared Waterman and Brandon Setzer staged a spirited battle for second, both survived late contact and crossed the line in that order. Dustin Schram and Gage Neal completed the top five.
The ten lap 15 car sport compact feature was up next. Nick Proehl stayed out front until lap six, when Brandon Forbes took the spot. Proehl had faded to mid pack, but as the white flag flew, he apparently made contact with the #20 of Lisa Benningfield, who went into a series of hard rolls in turn two. As she climbed from her car, the race was called complete, with Forbes the victor. Rob Harding Jr., who had been pressuring the leader was second. Proehl was apparently later disqualified and even suspended for his contact with Benningfield.
Eight mod lites had checked in, with seven starting the feature. Clint Morehouse was scheduled for the pole position, but elected to start on the tail, retiring after one lap. The race stayed green following a false start. with Jon Padilla leading until the final circuit, when Guy Morse muscled past for the win.
All 15 IMCA modifieds took the feature green, 20 laps the scheduled distance. Eric Barnes jumped to the lead from the outside pole, but a yellow flag negated the start, with Milo Veloz being sent to the tail. The next try saw Doug Crampton go for a spin, and on the third attempt, Barnes again grabbed the lead. A lap seven caution involving Rob Toland slowed the action, and Veloz was now back to seventh. One lap later, Veloz entered the top five, and on lap nine he moved to fourth. As Toland came back to the top five, Barnes began to trail a smoke screen in the final five laps. But his #1 held together, and he took the checkered flag. Brandon Durbin and Matt Werner hung around to finish second and third, with Veloz and Toland completing the top five.
Now it was time for the headliner, with all 25 cars making the call. As heat winners, Marolf, Carter, and Martin had went through a complicated redraw process to set the top three spots, and they lined up in that order. In a departure from the past, the rest of the field lined up by passing points. QCS does not have a scoreboard, and watching the full track action, taking notes, and counting laps was more than full time work for yours truly, so my notes, while extensive, may be less than accurate, so ...
Carter jumped to the early lead, as Marolf was shuffled outside the top five. With Martin pushing Carter for the lead, the caution waved on lap four for Chuck Hanna. Dolan had started in row eleven, and was now 16th, Kay had come from last to 19th. A caution on the restart sent Jeremiah Hurst to the tail, and Andy Nezworski used the Delaware restart to take second. Another pair of cautions kept the field bunched, and on lap nine, Dolan entered the top ten. One circuit later, Carter exited with a flat tire, Dolan was eighth, Kay 14th. Rob Toland took over the top spot and appeared to be in control as the pack battled for position behind him. Soon it was Martin who would take a trip to the back, as he spun to avoid a stalled car, and Kay now ducked to the work area in the pits for a tire change. As the laps clicked off, tenth starting Terry Neal moved to third behind Toland and Chad Holladay, Nezworski called it a night, and Dolan entered the top five. Toland opened a commanding lead, and one lap past halfway, Dolan charged to third. A couple circuits later, Kay was now on the move, joining the top ten. When the caution waved for Eric Sanders, Neal gave up the runner up spot, heading pitside. Dolan grabbed second on the restart, Kay took eighth, and Toland was now basically on three wheels, as his left front began to wobble. A caution involving Matt Ryan made it obvious to all that Toland was in trouble, Kay was now in the top five, with Dolan lurking in second. Back to green, Toland got a bit crossed up in turn two and was tagged by Holladay. Rob was done, and Chad took his turn at the back of the pack. Dolan had now completed his journey to the lead, but Kay was lined up in second. The two leaders traded high and low lines at each end of the high banked 1/4 mile before Kay powered to the lead on the top side. He began to stretch his lead as one more yellow slowed the marathon. In the closing laps, Dolan began to fade a bit, as Hurst saw his come from the back stop in second, and Zrostlik, who had started in row twelve, took third. Dolan settled in fourth, with Marolf charging back to fifth. Todd Cooney was scored sixth, Martin edged Holladay for seventh, and Sam Halstead and Gary Webb somehow avoided the carnage to complete the top ten. There were still 14 cars running at the checkers, and with all the cautions, I think only rookie David Norton was not on the lead lap. It was the first time we had seen Norton race, and we applaud him for not impeding the leaders as he stayed out of trouble while making his laps.
Despite the carnage and the drawn out intermission, we were still on the road before 9:30. Thanks to K&S Promotions for their hospitality, and to scorer Kevin Feller for the warm welcome.
I am looking forward next week to finally spending a Friday night closer to home at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa, then at Quincy, Illinois Raceways Sunday as the UMP Pro Crate late models make their first appearance of 2018. Thanks for reading!
After winning the first two outings on the series schedule, Justin Kay came in as the favorite, and his row two starting spot in heat number one put him in good position for a feature starting spot near the front. But a flat tire on the second lap sent him to the pits, saddled with the 25th starting spot in the 50 lap headliner. Curt Martin led the distance for the win.
When the second heat came to the track, Ryan Dolan was absent from the lineup, but when heat three came out, Ryan came to the track. He had been announced in the second ten lapper, so he was sent to the infield for the final heat, which saw Cayden Carter grab the win and Joe Zrotlik collect a DNF. Heat two went to Nick Marolf, with Matt Ryan and Todd Cooney exchanging slide jobs behind him.
Darryl and I happened to be sitting in front of Roger Dolan, and he called his sons' pit to see what had happened. He said Ryan was told he was scheduled in heat three, then told he had missed his spot in heat two, so anyway...
Following a lengthy intermission in which we were treated to a host of Rogers' tales of the past, the 16 car sport mod feature lined up for 15 laps. Justin Veloz jumped to a big lead from row one, when " yellow fever " began on lap four. Following a lap five restart, Veloz clipped the tractor tire in turn four, kicking it out on the track to bring out another yellow. Curiously, he was allowed to stay out front on the restart. That proved to be the only break he needed, as he survived three more cautions to pick up the win. Jared Waterman and Brandon Setzer staged a spirited battle for second, both survived late contact and crossed the line in that order. Dustin Schram and Gage Neal completed the top five.
The ten lap 15 car sport compact feature was up next. Nick Proehl stayed out front until lap six, when Brandon Forbes took the spot. Proehl had faded to mid pack, but as the white flag flew, he apparently made contact with the #20 of Lisa Benningfield, who went into a series of hard rolls in turn two. As she climbed from her car, the race was called complete, with Forbes the victor. Rob Harding Jr., who had been pressuring the leader was second. Proehl was apparently later disqualified and even suspended for his contact with Benningfield.
Eight mod lites had checked in, with seven starting the feature. Clint Morehouse was scheduled for the pole position, but elected to start on the tail, retiring after one lap. The race stayed green following a false start. with Jon Padilla leading until the final circuit, when Guy Morse muscled past for the win.
All 15 IMCA modifieds took the feature green, 20 laps the scheduled distance. Eric Barnes jumped to the lead from the outside pole, but a yellow flag negated the start, with Milo Veloz being sent to the tail. The next try saw Doug Crampton go for a spin, and on the third attempt, Barnes again grabbed the lead. A lap seven caution involving Rob Toland slowed the action, and Veloz was now back to seventh. One lap later, Veloz entered the top five, and on lap nine he moved to fourth. As Toland came back to the top five, Barnes began to trail a smoke screen in the final five laps. But his #1 held together, and he took the checkered flag. Brandon Durbin and Matt Werner hung around to finish second and third, with Veloz and Toland completing the top five.
Now it was time for the headliner, with all 25 cars making the call. As heat winners, Marolf, Carter, and Martin had went through a complicated redraw process to set the top three spots, and they lined up in that order. In a departure from the past, the rest of the field lined up by passing points. QCS does not have a scoreboard, and watching the full track action, taking notes, and counting laps was more than full time work for yours truly, so my notes, while extensive, may be less than accurate, so ...
Carter jumped to the early lead, as Marolf was shuffled outside the top five. With Martin pushing Carter for the lead, the caution waved on lap four for Chuck Hanna. Dolan had started in row eleven, and was now 16th, Kay had come from last to 19th. A caution on the restart sent Jeremiah Hurst to the tail, and Andy Nezworski used the Delaware restart to take second. Another pair of cautions kept the field bunched, and on lap nine, Dolan entered the top ten. One circuit later, Carter exited with a flat tire, Dolan was eighth, Kay 14th. Rob Toland took over the top spot and appeared to be in control as the pack battled for position behind him. Soon it was Martin who would take a trip to the back, as he spun to avoid a stalled car, and Kay now ducked to the work area in the pits for a tire change. As the laps clicked off, tenth starting Terry Neal moved to third behind Toland and Chad Holladay, Nezworski called it a night, and Dolan entered the top five. Toland opened a commanding lead, and one lap past halfway, Dolan charged to third. A couple circuits later, Kay was now on the move, joining the top ten. When the caution waved for Eric Sanders, Neal gave up the runner up spot, heading pitside. Dolan grabbed second on the restart, Kay took eighth, and Toland was now basically on three wheels, as his left front began to wobble. A caution involving Matt Ryan made it obvious to all that Toland was in trouble, Kay was now in the top five, with Dolan lurking in second. Back to green, Toland got a bit crossed up in turn two and was tagged by Holladay. Rob was done, and Chad took his turn at the back of the pack. Dolan had now completed his journey to the lead, but Kay was lined up in second. The two leaders traded high and low lines at each end of the high banked 1/4 mile before Kay powered to the lead on the top side. He began to stretch his lead as one more yellow slowed the marathon. In the closing laps, Dolan began to fade a bit, as Hurst saw his come from the back stop in second, and Zrostlik, who had started in row twelve, took third. Dolan settled in fourth, with Marolf charging back to fifth. Todd Cooney was scored sixth, Martin edged Holladay for seventh, and Sam Halstead and Gary Webb somehow avoided the carnage to complete the top ten. There were still 14 cars running at the checkers, and with all the cautions, I think only rookie David Norton was not on the lead lap. It was the first time we had seen Norton race, and we applaud him for not impeding the leaders as he stayed out of trouble while making his laps.
Despite the carnage and the drawn out intermission, we were still on the road before 9:30. Thanks to K&S Promotions for their hospitality, and to scorer Kevin Feller for the warm welcome.
I am looking forward next week to finally spending a Friday night closer to home at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, Iowa, then at Quincy, Illinois Raceways Sunday as the UMP Pro Crate late models make their first appearance of 2018. Thanks for reading!
Saturday, May 5, 2018
More MLRA, Equals More Simpson
In the last two seasons, I have been able to cover six Midwest Late Model Racing Association shows, and five of those found one of the Simpson brothers in victory lane. The only misfire was the recent Slocum 50 at 34 Raceway, where Shannon Babb edged out the brothers, who finished second and third that night.
Friday night it was a second 2018 visit to the Davenport Speedway, with the action this time on the 1/4 mile inside oval, which is used for weekly racing at the fairgrounds facility. While the predicted mid week monsoons had pretty much skirted my home base, the Quad City area was dumped upon, particularly on Wednesday night, with around three inches of rain leaving us somewhat skeptical that racing would take place Friday. MLRA race director Ernie Leftwich described the issues his team faced in trying to bury a scoring loop sensor on the front stretch Friday, hoping that the extensive work done by track crews with the grader and " whatever else they used out there " to prepare the racing surface had not dislodged the transmitter, which would have forced some old school hand scoring!
Although there was an inside wall of mud, the racing action actually produced a fair amount of dust throughout the evening.
I found it somewhat ironic that many drivers had indicated that they would have preferred to race on the 1/4 mile during the event two weeks prior, yet there were ten less cars racing on this night, with several series " regulars " missing from the field. Perhaps a somewhat smaller payout had something to do with it?
But the Simpsons and 23 other super late models checked in do battle in the 40 lap headliner. Leftwich stated during the drivers meeting that 25 or more cars would add a B-main qualifier to the three heat races, but come feature time, 24 starters were listed on the lineup, with only Luke Goedert absent. The former IMCA hotshoe did indeed join the line up, but went pitside following the parade lap. Once again, drivers drew for their heat race starting spot, with a passing points system used to set the feature lineup. Chad Simpson came from the fourth starting spot in an absolutely loaded first heat to take the win over polesitter Jonathon Brauns, earning the pole for the headliner. A resurgent JC Wyman advanced four positions in heat two, finishing second to polesitter Payton Looney, earning an inside row two starting slot, flanked by Looney. Tony Jackson JR. charged from outside row one to capture the final ten lapper ahead of third starting Will Vaught, giving Jackson the outside pole spot for the feature.
Chad Simpson seemed a good bet from his pole position in the main event, but Wyman got the jump on the front row, crossing the stripe first on the opening lap ahead of a multi car mess in turn four. Local racer Matt Ryan and tour regular Jeff Roth saw their night end early as a result. If I heard correctly in the drivers meeting, Leftwich announced that if the first five cars crossed the start finish line, then a lap would be scored, and this was apparently the case, as the field was realigned in the Delaware format, with Wyman and his #4 out front. Back under green, Chad began to get some heat in his fresh tires, and he was beginning to challenge from the third spot when on lap three, Jordon Yaggy looped his ride in turn one. Jeremy Grady, who had pulled out of his heat with heavy smoke coming from his car, and Billy Drake, both retired at this point. Back to racing, Simpson found has way to the front by way of the high side on lap four, and he and Wyman began to put some distance on the pack. Slower traffic became a factor on lap ten, but Simpson was up to the task. With Will Vaught running a strong third, he suddenly slowed on lap 13, and he headed to the work area as the caution waved. He remained off the track as racing finally resumed and that turned out to be the final yellow of the 40 lapper. Wisconsin driver Mitch McGrath, who fired off seventh, slipped by Wyman on lap 15, as Simpson opened a sizable lead. Wyman retook the runner up spot two laps later. Now most of the field was using a low groove around the track, with McGrath and Justin Kay searching a higher line. Traffic again came into play on the 22nd circuit, but Simpson handled it with ease. Brother Chris Simpson had fallen to fourth in that loaded first heat after lining up third, leaving him in row seven on the feature grid. But he picked his way forward, grabbing the fourth position with ten laps to go. The winner from two weeks ago then made a run at McGrath before settling in to fourth. At the checkers, it was Chad out front to split the pair of Davenport shows with his brother. Wyman ran a season best second ahead of McGrath, Chris Simpson, and Looney. Jackson headed the second five in front of Kay, Brauns, Tyler Bruening, and Dave Eckrich. It was the second series win for Chad, who took the checkers one week before in Oklahoma.
The late models had been third on the feature card, with the weekly street stock class leading things off. The starting field had numbered 14 for 15 laps, with apparently late arriving Jeremy Gustaf tagging the tail. Numerous lead changes and a host of caution periods dominated the first half of the race, with Jesse Owen grabbing the top spot on lap nine. With three laps remaining, three cars raced three wide for the second spot, with Gustaf being one of those, but he suddenly exited the speedway. As the white flag waved, with Jeff Struck Jr. out front, the caution came out one last time, setting up a two lap finish. Struck held on for the win, with Owen in second. Gene Ehlers came home third ahead of Kevin Goben.
The IMCA sport mods, also a weekly class at Davenport, showed a strong 22 car field, with all but one taking the green for 15 laps. A multi car pile up in turn one on lap three took out visiting hot shoe Tyler Soppe, and forced top contender Tony Olson to the tail. Following a lengthy delay as the mess was cleaned up, racing resumed, but unfortunately it was only the first of several lap three caution periods. But with field whittled down to about 14, the rest of the event went caution free. Keith Blum was impressive in leading flag to flag. Jared Waterman took runner up honors over Joe Nemitz and Brandon Setzer.
The final race of the night was another weekly points class, the IMCA modifieds. Again a nice 23 car field was on hand, with 20 laps scheduled to complete the program. A lap one crash took out Rob Toland, who along with Kay was one of the two drivers doing double duty. When the first lap was scored, one of a host of former late model drivers, Stephan Kammerer was on top. As he was stalked by Bob Dominacki, the #77 began to build a comfortable lead. Doug Crampton battled his way to the second spot on lap seven, but one circuit later, Kay, who started deep in the field took over the runner up spot. A pair of yellow flags slowed the action, and Chris Zogg charged to third. With Kammerer out front, a three wide scramble for second highlighted lap ten, with Crampton, Kay, and Zogg in the hunt. Kay eventually cleared the others, and began to chase down the leader. On lap 13, Kay took the top spot, but a multi car caution put him back in the runner up spot. It was at this point that we headed for the car for the long trip home. Reports this morning indicate that Kay did pick up the win, with Kurt Kile claiming second. Bryce Garnhart and Eric Barnes came next, as Crampton, who apparently had an issue after we left, came back to fifth.
A big thanks to Bob Wagener and crew for going above and beyond to overcome rough conditions and put on an entertaining show, and special thanks to Carrie Rouse for her hospitality. Davenport Speedway is a leader in weekly racing, and with it being 10:00 sharp when we left the facility, it is a recommended racing destination.
Next up if the weather man cooperates is another Quad Cities adventure, with a Sunday visit to the Quad City Speedway across the river in East Moline,Illinois for our first Deery Brothers IMCA late model Summer Series show of 2018. Spring is finally here, so enjoy the action whenever and wherever you can!
Friday night it was a second 2018 visit to the Davenport Speedway, with the action this time on the 1/4 mile inside oval, which is used for weekly racing at the fairgrounds facility. While the predicted mid week monsoons had pretty much skirted my home base, the Quad City area was dumped upon, particularly on Wednesday night, with around three inches of rain leaving us somewhat skeptical that racing would take place Friday. MLRA race director Ernie Leftwich described the issues his team faced in trying to bury a scoring loop sensor on the front stretch Friday, hoping that the extensive work done by track crews with the grader and " whatever else they used out there " to prepare the racing surface had not dislodged the transmitter, which would have forced some old school hand scoring!
Although there was an inside wall of mud, the racing action actually produced a fair amount of dust throughout the evening.
I found it somewhat ironic that many drivers had indicated that they would have preferred to race on the 1/4 mile during the event two weeks prior, yet there were ten less cars racing on this night, with several series " regulars " missing from the field. Perhaps a somewhat smaller payout had something to do with it?
But the Simpsons and 23 other super late models checked in do battle in the 40 lap headliner. Leftwich stated during the drivers meeting that 25 or more cars would add a B-main qualifier to the three heat races, but come feature time, 24 starters were listed on the lineup, with only Luke Goedert absent. The former IMCA hotshoe did indeed join the line up, but went pitside following the parade lap. Once again, drivers drew for their heat race starting spot, with a passing points system used to set the feature lineup. Chad Simpson came from the fourth starting spot in an absolutely loaded first heat to take the win over polesitter Jonathon Brauns, earning the pole for the headliner. A resurgent JC Wyman advanced four positions in heat two, finishing second to polesitter Payton Looney, earning an inside row two starting slot, flanked by Looney. Tony Jackson JR. charged from outside row one to capture the final ten lapper ahead of third starting Will Vaught, giving Jackson the outside pole spot for the feature.
Chad Simpson seemed a good bet from his pole position in the main event, but Wyman got the jump on the front row, crossing the stripe first on the opening lap ahead of a multi car mess in turn four. Local racer Matt Ryan and tour regular Jeff Roth saw their night end early as a result. If I heard correctly in the drivers meeting, Leftwich announced that if the first five cars crossed the start finish line, then a lap would be scored, and this was apparently the case, as the field was realigned in the Delaware format, with Wyman and his #4 out front. Back under green, Chad began to get some heat in his fresh tires, and he was beginning to challenge from the third spot when on lap three, Jordon Yaggy looped his ride in turn one. Jeremy Grady, who had pulled out of his heat with heavy smoke coming from his car, and Billy Drake, both retired at this point. Back to racing, Simpson found has way to the front by way of the high side on lap four, and he and Wyman began to put some distance on the pack. Slower traffic became a factor on lap ten, but Simpson was up to the task. With Will Vaught running a strong third, he suddenly slowed on lap 13, and he headed to the work area as the caution waved. He remained off the track as racing finally resumed and that turned out to be the final yellow of the 40 lapper. Wisconsin driver Mitch McGrath, who fired off seventh, slipped by Wyman on lap 15, as Simpson opened a sizable lead. Wyman retook the runner up spot two laps later. Now most of the field was using a low groove around the track, with McGrath and Justin Kay searching a higher line. Traffic again came into play on the 22nd circuit, but Simpson handled it with ease. Brother Chris Simpson had fallen to fourth in that loaded first heat after lining up third, leaving him in row seven on the feature grid. But he picked his way forward, grabbing the fourth position with ten laps to go. The winner from two weeks ago then made a run at McGrath before settling in to fourth. At the checkers, it was Chad out front to split the pair of Davenport shows with his brother. Wyman ran a season best second ahead of McGrath, Chris Simpson, and Looney. Jackson headed the second five in front of Kay, Brauns, Tyler Bruening, and Dave Eckrich. It was the second series win for Chad, who took the checkers one week before in Oklahoma.
The late models had been third on the feature card, with the weekly street stock class leading things off. The starting field had numbered 14 for 15 laps, with apparently late arriving Jeremy Gustaf tagging the tail. Numerous lead changes and a host of caution periods dominated the first half of the race, with Jesse Owen grabbing the top spot on lap nine. With three laps remaining, three cars raced three wide for the second spot, with Gustaf being one of those, but he suddenly exited the speedway. As the white flag waved, with Jeff Struck Jr. out front, the caution came out one last time, setting up a two lap finish. Struck held on for the win, with Owen in second. Gene Ehlers came home third ahead of Kevin Goben.
The IMCA sport mods, also a weekly class at Davenport, showed a strong 22 car field, with all but one taking the green for 15 laps. A multi car pile up in turn one on lap three took out visiting hot shoe Tyler Soppe, and forced top contender Tony Olson to the tail. Following a lengthy delay as the mess was cleaned up, racing resumed, but unfortunately it was only the first of several lap three caution periods. But with field whittled down to about 14, the rest of the event went caution free. Keith Blum was impressive in leading flag to flag. Jared Waterman took runner up honors over Joe Nemitz and Brandon Setzer.
The final race of the night was another weekly points class, the IMCA modifieds. Again a nice 23 car field was on hand, with 20 laps scheduled to complete the program. A lap one crash took out Rob Toland, who along with Kay was one of the two drivers doing double duty. When the first lap was scored, one of a host of former late model drivers, Stephan Kammerer was on top. As he was stalked by Bob Dominacki, the #77 began to build a comfortable lead. Doug Crampton battled his way to the second spot on lap seven, but one circuit later, Kay, who started deep in the field took over the runner up spot. A pair of yellow flags slowed the action, and Chris Zogg charged to third. With Kammerer out front, a three wide scramble for second highlighted lap ten, with Crampton, Kay, and Zogg in the hunt. Kay eventually cleared the others, and began to chase down the leader. On lap 13, Kay took the top spot, but a multi car caution put him back in the runner up spot. It was at this point that we headed for the car for the long trip home. Reports this morning indicate that Kay did pick up the win, with Kurt Kile claiming second. Bryce Garnhart and Eric Barnes came next, as Crampton, who apparently had an issue after we left, came back to fifth.
A big thanks to Bob Wagener and crew for going above and beyond to overcome rough conditions and put on an entertaining show, and special thanks to Carrie Rouse for her hospitality. Davenport Speedway is a leader in weekly racing, and with it being 10:00 sharp when we left the facility, it is a recommended racing destination.
Next up if the weather man cooperates is another Quad Cities adventure, with a Sunday visit to the Quad City Speedway across the river in East Moline,Illinois for our first Deery Brothers IMCA late model Summer Series show of 2018. Spring is finally here, so enjoy the action whenever and wherever you can!
Saturday, April 28, 2018
Pierce Enjoys Some Home Cookin'
2018 has not been kind to Bobby Pierce, at least on the race track as he took over the Dunn Bensen Ford late model driving duties and set out on the Lucas Oil tour. After driving the family house car running an independent schedule, the 21 year old suddenly found himself with a new chassis, new crew, and visiting a bunch of race tracks that he had not competed on. The early results have not been as positive as the young up and comer is used to, and the naysayers have been quick to criticize his performance. So this weekend loomed large, as the #32 team was coming to Illinois, where Pierce would finally get the chance to race on a pair of tracks where he has had success. Friday night marked a return to the Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach,Illinois for the $12,000 to win Busch beer 50 at the 3/8 mile Kevin and Tammy Gundaker owned facility.
A solid field of 34 open late models checked in supported by 24 UMP modifieds and 42 UMP B modifieds.
The late models and mods qualified using the group format, with the mods actually hot lapping and qualifying at the same time. Rick Conoyer paced the mods with a lap of 16.342 seconds, while Pierce topped the late models at 14.810 seconds.
Lucas Lee was second fast in the mods, but suffered rear end issues at the end of qualifying, going pitside on the hook and missing his chance to start pole in heat two.
Following three modified heats, the late models took the stage for four ten lap qualifying events. Pierce led the distance in heat one, with Brian Shirley coming from row two to finish second ahead of Chris Simpson and Josh Richards. Mason Ziegler came from the outside pole in heat two, leading all the way to turn four of the final lap when he spun his #25z. He actually recovered to cross the finish line in the fourth and final transfer spot, but the yellow flag had waved and the field was lined up for a green white checkers finish with Ziegler in the back. Jimmy Owens then took the win over Tim Manville, Darrell Lanigan, and Dennis Erb Jr., leaving Ziegler headed for a B main.Scott Bloomquist took off from the pole to lead in heat three, but seemed to be fighting a push in his ride, going high several times in turns three and four. On the white flag lap, Nick Hoffman slipped around Bloomer, taking the win. Michael Kloos and Jonathon Davenport completed the top four. Kyle Bronson led the distance in heat four, finishing ahead of Tim McCreadie, Don Oneal, and Billy Drake.
A whopping six B mod heats clicked off in good time ahead of a pair of late model B- mains. The top three in each of the twelve lappers would move to the feature. 17 year old Hudson Oneal outran Earl Pearson Jr. and Frank Heckenast Jr. in the first consy, with Kolby Vandenbergh running away from the field in the final qualifier. Tanner English finished second and Austin Rettig used a jack rabbit start to secure the third spot. A pair of Lucas Oil provisionals were awarded to Ziegler for fastest time trial not qualified and Gregg Satterlee on highest series point driver not qualified. Tri City then awarded two track provisionals to Gordy Gundaker and Billy Laycock.
A couple of B-mains for the mods and B mods set the feature fields, and we were ready for feature racing. The very best thing the Gundakers do on the nights when Lucas Oil comes to town is to run the late model feature first.
When the 26 cars came to the track, Bloomquist was not lined up in his outside row three slot. It was then announced that he had changed both rear tires, and it had been announced in the drivers meeting that only the left rear could be changed. Still, he was allowed to line up at the tail of the field.
Pierce and outside pole sitter Hoffman came to the line as lap one was scored in a dead heat, with Bobby taking command the next lap. The only caution of the race came on lap four, with a multi car scrum in turn three that resulted from Manville getting turned around. While he was able to continue, English was done for the night, and Hudson Oneal suffered front end damage.Back to green, Bronson used the Delaware restart to take second, with McCreadie slipping around Shirley for fourth. One lap later, TMac moved to third, and on the sixth time around, third starting Owens rebounded to fourth. Pierce began to pull away from the field, and soon the leaders were all hugging the low line. Anyone trying a higher groove was not finding any bite, unusual for the Tri City oval. By lap 15, Pierce had caught slower traffic, and he had to move up the track to get around the limping Hudson Oneal. Meanwhile Bronson was closing in, and by lap 21 he was on the back bumper of Pierce. For his part, Bobby was looking to get around Satterlee, knowing that a move up the track would likely cost him the lead. But Satterlee was not giving up the low groove. As the laps clicked off, Pierce continued to stick his nose inside the #22 to no avail. McCreadie took a look up top, but quickly fell back in line, and then it was Bronson attempting to take a higher line around Pierce and Satterlee. The result was him falling to fourth before he could get back in line. Pierce finally managed to clear Satterlee on lap 33, but the second running McCreadie followed him around. What the leader then found was side by side traffic racing for position. With McCreadie literally on his rear bumper, Pierce showed amazing patience, holding his line all the way to the checkers to the delight of the large crowd. McCreadie was obviously disappointed in his second place finish, indicating there was no line to get around the leader. Owens ran a steady race in third, followed by Bronson and Shirley. Davenport came from 14th to finish sixth followed by Lanigan, Simpson, Don Oneal, and 16th starting Drake.
Following the rather lengthy interviews for the television and internet viewers, who clearly hold more importance to the series announcer than the paying customers in the stands, the B mods lined up for 15 laps of action. The smaller tires on the open wheel machines were actually able to widen the track a bit, although Chuck Goodman was dominant early in his #327. Veteran St Louis metro driver Jeff LaBaube stayed within striking distance in the non stop race, and when the checkers waved, the two were in a dead heat as they passed the flag stand. In fact, Goodman drove to victory land even as LaBaube was handed the checkered flag. But the transponders gave the win to Goodman. Tommy Seets grabbed the third spot.
The final event on the card was the UMP modified feature. Conoyer and Brian Shaw sat on row one, with Tyler Nicely and Mike Harrison in row two. The opening lap saw Conoyer get hit from behind, and he went pitside with a flat tire. From where we sat, I could not tell if he slowed because of the flat and was tapped, or the contact flattened the tire, but the result was the same. With Nicely now out front, the action came to a halt for a multi car mess in turn one. With the clock having ticked past 11:00, we headed for the car. Later reports show that Nicely picked up the win over sixth starting Michael Long and Harrison.
With two nights of racing in the books this week, I will now set my sights on the Lee County Speedway this coming Thursday, as the MLRA late models make their only 2018 appearance at the 3/8 fairgrounds facility. Hopefully Mother Nature changes what this far out looks like a possibility of rain on Thursday.
A solid field of 34 open late models checked in supported by 24 UMP modifieds and 42 UMP B modifieds.
The late models and mods qualified using the group format, with the mods actually hot lapping and qualifying at the same time. Rick Conoyer paced the mods with a lap of 16.342 seconds, while Pierce topped the late models at 14.810 seconds.
Lucas Lee was second fast in the mods, but suffered rear end issues at the end of qualifying, going pitside on the hook and missing his chance to start pole in heat two.
Following three modified heats, the late models took the stage for four ten lap qualifying events. Pierce led the distance in heat one, with Brian Shirley coming from row two to finish second ahead of Chris Simpson and Josh Richards. Mason Ziegler came from the outside pole in heat two, leading all the way to turn four of the final lap when he spun his #25z. He actually recovered to cross the finish line in the fourth and final transfer spot, but the yellow flag had waved and the field was lined up for a green white checkers finish with Ziegler in the back. Jimmy Owens then took the win over Tim Manville, Darrell Lanigan, and Dennis Erb Jr., leaving Ziegler headed for a B main.Scott Bloomquist took off from the pole to lead in heat three, but seemed to be fighting a push in his ride, going high several times in turns three and four. On the white flag lap, Nick Hoffman slipped around Bloomer, taking the win. Michael Kloos and Jonathon Davenport completed the top four. Kyle Bronson led the distance in heat four, finishing ahead of Tim McCreadie, Don Oneal, and Billy Drake.
A whopping six B mod heats clicked off in good time ahead of a pair of late model B- mains. The top three in each of the twelve lappers would move to the feature. 17 year old Hudson Oneal outran Earl Pearson Jr. and Frank Heckenast Jr. in the first consy, with Kolby Vandenbergh running away from the field in the final qualifier. Tanner English finished second and Austin Rettig used a jack rabbit start to secure the third spot. A pair of Lucas Oil provisionals were awarded to Ziegler for fastest time trial not qualified and Gregg Satterlee on highest series point driver not qualified. Tri City then awarded two track provisionals to Gordy Gundaker and Billy Laycock.
A couple of B-mains for the mods and B mods set the feature fields, and we were ready for feature racing. The very best thing the Gundakers do on the nights when Lucas Oil comes to town is to run the late model feature first.
When the 26 cars came to the track, Bloomquist was not lined up in his outside row three slot. It was then announced that he had changed both rear tires, and it had been announced in the drivers meeting that only the left rear could be changed. Still, he was allowed to line up at the tail of the field.
Pierce and outside pole sitter Hoffman came to the line as lap one was scored in a dead heat, with Bobby taking command the next lap. The only caution of the race came on lap four, with a multi car scrum in turn three that resulted from Manville getting turned around. While he was able to continue, English was done for the night, and Hudson Oneal suffered front end damage.Back to green, Bronson used the Delaware restart to take second, with McCreadie slipping around Shirley for fourth. One lap later, TMac moved to third, and on the sixth time around, third starting Owens rebounded to fourth. Pierce began to pull away from the field, and soon the leaders were all hugging the low line. Anyone trying a higher groove was not finding any bite, unusual for the Tri City oval. By lap 15, Pierce had caught slower traffic, and he had to move up the track to get around the limping Hudson Oneal. Meanwhile Bronson was closing in, and by lap 21 he was on the back bumper of Pierce. For his part, Bobby was looking to get around Satterlee, knowing that a move up the track would likely cost him the lead. But Satterlee was not giving up the low groove. As the laps clicked off, Pierce continued to stick his nose inside the #22 to no avail. McCreadie took a look up top, but quickly fell back in line, and then it was Bronson attempting to take a higher line around Pierce and Satterlee. The result was him falling to fourth before he could get back in line. Pierce finally managed to clear Satterlee on lap 33, but the second running McCreadie followed him around. What the leader then found was side by side traffic racing for position. With McCreadie literally on his rear bumper, Pierce showed amazing patience, holding his line all the way to the checkers to the delight of the large crowd. McCreadie was obviously disappointed in his second place finish, indicating there was no line to get around the leader. Owens ran a steady race in third, followed by Bronson and Shirley. Davenport came from 14th to finish sixth followed by Lanigan, Simpson, Don Oneal, and 16th starting Drake.
Following the rather lengthy interviews for the television and internet viewers, who clearly hold more importance to the series announcer than the paying customers in the stands, the B mods lined up for 15 laps of action. The smaller tires on the open wheel machines were actually able to widen the track a bit, although Chuck Goodman was dominant early in his #327. Veteran St Louis metro driver Jeff LaBaube stayed within striking distance in the non stop race, and when the checkers waved, the two were in a dead heat as they passed the flag stand. In fact, Goodman drove to victory land even as LaBaube was handed the checkered flag. But the transponders gave the win to Goodman. Tommy Seets grabbed the third spot.
The final event on the card was the UMP modified feature. Conoyer and Brian Shaw sat on row one, with Tyler Nicely and Mike Harrison in row two. The opening lap saw Conoyer get hit from behind, and he went pitside with a flat tire. From where we sat, I could not tell if he slowed because of the flat and was tapped, or the contact flattened the tire, but the result was the same. With Nicely now out front, the action came to a halt for a multi car mess in turn one. With the clock having ticked past 11:00, we headed for the car. Later reports show that Nicely picked up the win over sixth starting Michael Long and Harrison.
With two nights of racing in the books this week, I will now set my sights on the Lee County Speedway this coming Thursday, as the MLRA late models make their only 2018 appearance at the 3/8 fairgrounds facility. Hopefully Mother Nature changes what this far out looks like a possibility of rain on Thursday.
Friday, April 27, 2018
" New " Track, Still No Spring
I was able to join Jeff Broeg for a rare Thursday night show at the Marshalltown Speedway. I had only been to the historic 1/4 mile facility one time several years ago for a Deery Brothers Summer Series late model show. Unfortunately on an overcast evening with a steady drizzle and with four late models in the pits, promoter Toby Kruse had pulled the plug on the show before any cars hit the track. With a work schedule that would not afford me the chance to travel that far for their weekly Friday night show and needing two vacation days to visit during the week, I put Marshalltown on my bucket list for retirement. So when Jeff offered his shotgun seat for Thursday, I was more than ready.
Joining him in Mt. Pleasant, we set sail about 4:30 PM after he finished his work day,for the two plus hour drive, knowing that fellow bloggers Joyce and Dick Eisele of the 4D Fan Race Report would have room for us alongside their top row seats near the middle of the front straightaway. In my earlier visit to the track, Darryl and I had checked out the facilities as well as the site lines, and had decided that it would be a good place to watch a race, and with cars now on the track, that observation was confirmed.
The line up for this special show, which had been postponed the week prior had the tracks regular five classes on the card racing for extra money. I have to admit that many of the locals were unfamiliar to me, but there was also a healthy mix of travelers on hand, with drivers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, California, Arizona, and even Canada. With their thorough and expert reporting, I decided that I would leave the " hard " reporting to Dick and Joyce, and at Jeffs suggestion, I am just going to offer up some random observations from this first night.
It was a beautiful spring day when we left Mt. Pleasant and the temperature still hovered around 70 degrees when we arrived in Marshalltown. We noticed on the drive that there was a brisk breeze, and when we took our seats, we realized quickly that more than a breeze, it was a cold wind that did not subside even as the sun went down. Fortunately this spring, if you can call it that, has prepared us for such things, and the winter coats, gloves, etc. came out quickly.
The show started about 15 minutes past the advertised 7:30 start time, and perhaps the fact that it was opening night is the reason the 119 cars in attendance were given extended hot laps.
The 15 heat races and three B-mains clicked off with a minimum of caution periods, as the track stayed smooth and fast, although the top side was clearly the fast way around the banked oval.
The IMCA Northern sport mod feature field had been pared down from 27 to a starting field of 24, and the 20 laps clicked off with only one caution period, and made me wonder why that does not happen at my local tracks. Jered Vandeest scored the win by a good margin over Brayton Carter, while Austin Luellen came from row eleven to third ahead of Dusty Masolini.
The hobby stock main proved to be the problem child of the night, taking four tries to get one lap in. Shannon Anderson had originally lined up sixth, but by the fourth green flag try he was in row two, and he jumped to the lead on lap one, leading all the way despite heavy pressure from Eric Stanton.
Damon Murty worked to the lead in the IMCA stock car main event on lap eight and cruised to the win. A great three car battle for second saw Jeff Mueller take the spot ahead of Jay Schmidt and Paul Shepard in a caution free 20 laps.
An amazing 43 IMCA modifieds had checked in for a shot at the $1,000 winners check. Jeff had commented that the star studded 24 car field might pull off another non stop race, and in fact only one yellow flag period on the 16th lap slowed the action! Joel Rust jumped out to the early lead, and with the cars battling hard for position behind him, he stayed in control. Missouri hot shoe Hunter Marriott won the spirited duel for second over a hard charging Tyler Droste and Tim Ward.
Although the track hosts IMCA late models weekly, it was obvious that we were in modified country by the number of folks who headed for the parking lot as the late model feature lined up. As a late model fan, I was both surprised and somewhat disappointed by the fact that only eleven cars signed in for a chance at a $750 pay day. As local legend Darrell Defrance shot to the lead from the pole position, things took a turn for the worse on the second lap when Joe Zrostlik got crossed up on the backstretch after possible contact from another car. Ninth starting Todd Cooney had no where to go, flying off the track near the turn three entrance, rolling his #30 machine. Curtis Glover also crashed into the melee, and his # 32 wound up upside down. With what looked like a lengthy cleanup ahead and the clock having ticked well past 10:30, two chilled travelers elected to head for the parking lot . Checking results this Friday morning, I see that Defrance picked up the win, with Chad Holladay, Rob Toland, Curt Schroeder, and Luke Pestka recording top fives. As several of the eleven cars on hand would be expected to be spending Friday nights at the Davenport Speedway, it will be interesting to see what the late model count at Marshalltown will be tonight and going forward. Of course a week night show is not always an effective gauge of car counts for weekly shows, on both sides of the ledger.
For such an uncomfortable evening with school and work in play, the crowd was I thought acceptable.
All things considered, I certainly enjoyed my visit to Marshalltown, and now that I am retired, I look for to going back in the near future. Thanks to Jeff for the ride, to Dick and Joyce for the hospitality, and to Toby for being brave enough to host a weekday show.
This afternoon, I am joining Fred and Darryl for a trip to Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach,Illinois for the Lucas Oil late models, along with UMP modifieds and B mods. And even though we are headed south, you can bet I will be dressing warm!
Joining him in Mt. Pleasant, we set sail about 4:30 PM after he finished his work day,for the two plus hour drive, knowing that fellow bloggers Joyce and Dick Eisele of the 4D Fan Race Report would have room for us alongside their top row seats near the middle of the front straightaway. In my earlier visit to the track, Darryl and I had checked out the facilities as well as the site lines, and had decided that it would be a good place to watch a race, and with cars now on the track, that observation was confirmed.
The line up for this special show, which had been postponed the week prior had the tracks regular five classes on the card racing for extra money. I have to admit that many of the locals were unfamiliar to me, but there was also a healthy mix of travelers on hand, with drivers from Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, California, Arizona, and even Canada. With their thorough and expert reporting, I decided that I would leave the " hard " reporting to Dick and Joyce, and at Jeffs suggestion, I am just going to offer up some random observations from this first night.
It was a beautiful spring day when we left Mt. Pleasant and the temperature still hovered around 70 degrees when we arrived in Marshalltown. We noticed on the drive that there was a brisk breeze, and when we took our seats, we realized quickly that more than a breeze, it was a cold wind that did not subside even as the sun went down. Fortunately this spring, if you can call it that, has prepared us for such things, and the winter coats, gloves, etc. came out quickly.
The show started about 15 minutes past the advertised 7:30 start time, and perhaps the fact that it was opening night is the reason the 119 cars in attendance were given extended hot laps.
The 15 heat races and three B-mains clicked off with a minimum of caution periods, as the track stayed smooth and fast, although the top side was clearly the fast way around the banked oval.
The IMCA Northern sport mod feature field had been pared down from 27 to a starting field of 24, and the 20 laps clicked off with only one caution period, and made me wonder why that does not happen at my local tracks. Jered Vandeest scored the win by a good margin over Brayton Carter, while Austin Luellen came from row eleven to third ahead of Dusty Masolini.
The hobby stock main proved to be the problem child of the night, taking four tries to get one lap in. Shannon Anderson had originally lined up sixth, but by the fourth green flag try he was in row two, and he jumped to the lead on lap one, leading all the way despite heavy pressure from Eric Stanton.
Damon Murty worked to the lead in the IMCA stock car main event on lap eight and cruised to the win. A great three car battle for second saw Jeff Mueller take the spot ahead of Jay Schmidt and Paul Shepard in a caution free 20 laps.
An amazing 43 IMCA modifieds had checked in for a shot at the $1,000 winners check. Jeff had commented that the star studded 24 car field might pull off another non stop race, and in fact only one yellow flag period on the 16th lap slowed the action! Joel Rust jumped out to the early lead, and with the cars battling hard for position behind him, he stayed in control. Missouri hot shoe Hunter Marriott won the spirited duel for second over a hard charging Tyler Droste and Tim Ward.
Although the track hosts IMCA late models weekly, it was obvious that we were in modified country by the number of folks who headed for the parking lot as the late model feature lined up. As a late model fan, I was both surprised and somewhat disappointed by the fact that only eleven cars signed in for a chance at a $750 pay day. As local legend Darrell Defrance shot to the lead from the pole position, things took a turn for the worse on the second lap when Joe Zrostlik got crossed up on the backstretch after possible contact from another car. Ninth starting Todd Cooney had no where to go, flying off the track near the turn three entrance, rolling his #30 machine. Curtis Glover also crashed into the melee, and his # 32 wound up upside down. With what looked like a lengthy cleanup ahead and the clock having ticked well past 10:30, two chilled travelers elected to head for the parking lot . Checking results this Friday morning, I see that Defrance picked up the win, with Chad Holladay, Rob Toland, Curt Schroeder, and Luke Pestka recording top fives. As several of the eleven cars on hand would be expected to be spending Friday nights at the Davenport Speedway, it will be interesting to see what the late model count at Marshalltown will be tonight and going forward. Of course a week night show is not always an effective gauge of car counts for weekly shows, on both sides of the ledger.
For such an uncomfortable evening with school and work in play, the crowd was I thought acceptable.
All things considered, I certainly enjoyed my visit to Marshalltown, and now that I am retired, I look for to going back in the near future. Thanks to Jeff for the ride, to Dick and Joyce for the hospitality, and to Toby for being brave enough to host a weekday show.
This afternoon, I am joining Fred and Darryl for a trip to Tri City Speedway in Pontoon Beach,Illinois for the Lucas Oil late models, along with UMP modifieds and B mods. And even though we are headed south, you can bet I will be dressing warm!
Monday, April 23, 2018
Quincy Raceways Says " Let's Go Racing!"
The weatherman finally smiled on Quincy Raceways, at least enough to get the 2018 lid lifter in the books. New owner/promoter Jason Goble is entering his first full season at QR, and it is obvious that he has been busy during the off season. The most notable change - read "improvement" - was burying tires in the turns. I would like to have a dollar for every yellow flag at QR over the years for a tractor tire kicked out on the racing surface! Jason also moved the tires much lower in the corners, creating a wider surface for racing, and creating a different look, with the inside line flat before a gradual increase in the banking, which looks to have perhaps been cut down a bit. Another change that most folks would not notice is the creation of a brush free path behind the pit road barriers. This is most appreciated for those of us who make trips back and forth from grandstands to pits during the night.
The unfortunate part of opening night was a stiff breeze that created a lot of dust for the drivers. The easterly direction of the wind kept the dust out of the grandstands, although the cars sometimes disappeared in turns one and two, and one driver told me he just raced around the turns hoping no one stopped in front of him. This also created a somewhat slippery surface, but surprisingly there were minimal caution periods throughout the night. Track workers did do some extra watering during intermission, and the nice sized opening night crowd seemed to be having a good time on this cool April evening.
As Goble looks for what classes will create the most interest, excitement, and car counts, he will be rotating about nine classes in 2018 with a count of six on most nights. With the extra class added, start times have been moved up, and hot laps on Sunday began close to 5:15 as advertised.
The UMP modifieds were the only class to time trial, with Ray Bollinger setting quick time to open the season. The eleven heat races clicked off in good time, and as it turned out only five classes raced, as there was only one entrant in the reincarnated two person cruiser class. I had no idea what to expect for the class that once drew close to 100 cars for a stand alone Thursday night show 20 plus years ago. So we will see if there is indeed enough interest in the cars going forward.
After a candy dash for the large group of youngsters in attendance and some track prep, it was feature time.
First on the card was 305 sprint cars, eight entrants for 20 laps. The top two from the Saturday night show at 34 Raceway, Brayden Gaylord and Tanner Gebhardt sat on row one. Tanner got the early lead, and quickly moved to the inside line around the oval. Gaylord stayed within striking distance, but with zero caution periods, Gebhardt maintained his advantage all the way to the checkers, as the front duo swapped their finishing spots from the night before. Ben Wagner came home third ahead of Daniel Bergquist and Dillon Tuxhorn.
The UMP mods were up next, ten cars strong for 20 laps. The car count was a bit light, but some of the best UMP drivers around were ready to do battle. Local hot shoe Michael Long and Bollinger sat on row one, and they crossed the stripe to score lap one in that order, with defending track champion Dave Weitholder in third. Michael quickly opened a comfortable lead as Bollinger and Weitholder slugged it out behind him. On lap eight Weitholder was able to get his nose under Bollinger and grab the runner up spot. He then tried to run down the leader, but again the race went caution free, and he could never get close enough to challenge for the win. Bollinger came home third ahead of Todd Bates and Dugan Thye.
Next to the oval came the USAC/IMRA SpeeD2 midgets. Nine cars ran the pair of heat races, but when the green flag finally waved for the feature, only six remained, with 18 laps to be contested. Chase McDermond put his #40 out front as the green waved, although he had a strong challenge early from Andy Baugh. As the laps clicked down, McDermond stretched his lead, with Baugh settling comfortably in second. For the third straight feature there were zero cautions, and McDermond held serve for the win. Baugh held the runner up spot ahead of Bart Andrews, Mark Billings, and Derek Goble.
As might be expected, the yellow flag got some use in the 18 lap IMCA sport mod finale. All 19 competitors made the call, and it was a star studded field. Adam Birck, who has raced late models, two person cruisers, and pretty much everything in between sat on row one alongside former track champ Nathan Bringer. The caution waved on lap one for debris. When the first lap was scored, Birck held the top spot with row two starter Daniel Fellows in second. Caution periods came again on laps four and five, and the Delaware restarts created some excitement. As Birck continued to lead, a battle developed between top runners Brandon Lennox and Austen Becerra, while they contested the fourth and fifth positions. The yellow came out again on lap eight, and then two laps later came one more caution as Becerra went for a spin out of turn two. After some discussion, Lennox was asked to join Becerra at the back of the pack. When racing resumed, Austen ducked to the pits, but Brandon began to pick off cars. Tanner Klingele had been running a strong third, but got shuffled back on the twelfth circuit, with Bringer grabbing third and Jeffrey Delonjay following in fourth. Austin Howes had started seventh, and he entered the top five with three laps to go. But no one had anything for Birck, who led flag to flag for the win. Fellows had a strong run in second followed by Bringer, Howes, and Delonjay. Lennox worked his way back to sixth at the checkers.
The last race on the card was the 15 lap IMCA sport compact battle. With the help of the unique three car open trailer of Girard Racing from central Missouri, eleven drivers checked in for the action. Unfortunately, Alyssa Steele lost an engine in hot laps. and the same appeared to be the case for David Prim in his heat race. So nine cars lined up for feature racing. Darin Weisinger Jr. and defending All Iowa point champ Barry Taft lined up in row one. Taft held the top spot by inches as lap one was scored, but Weisinger took the lead on lap two. A pair of yellow flags on laps eight and eleven kept things close, but Weisinger remained in control. On the final couple of laps, he slipped ever so slightly off the inside line, and going down the backstretch on the final circuit Taft was able to stick the nose of his #57 inside of the leader, completing the winning pass out of turn four. Weisinger collected runner up honors, with Kimberly Abbott picking her way to third. Jayden Delonjay and veteran Rick Girard scored the next two spots.
While I neglected to check the time as I headed to the pits, the action concluded well before 10:00.
Next Sunday, Quincy Raceways will feature mods, sport mods, sport compacts, the return of the IMCA stock cars, mod lites, and hopefully the two person cruisers will see a few more teams ready to go. The track will also host a Night of Destruction next Saturday, April 28. The first night for the UMP crate late models will be May 13.
Thanks to Jason Goble and the QR staff for a fun Sunday night of racing.
The unfortunate part of opening night was a stiff breeze that created a lot of dust for the drivers. The easterly direction of the wind kept the dust out of the grandstands, although the cars sometimes disappeared in turns one and two, and one driver told me he just raced around the turns hoping no one stopped in front of him. This also created a somewhat slippery surface, but surprisingly there were minimal caution periods throughout the night. Track workers did do some extra watering during intermission, and the nice sized opening night crowd seemed to be having a good time on this cool April evening.
As Goble looks for what classes will create the most interest, excitement, and car counts, he will be rotating about nine classes in 2018 with a count of six on most nights. With the extra class added, start times have been moved up, and hot laps on Sunday began close to 5:15 as advertised.
The UMP modifieds were the only class to time trial, with Ray Bollinger setting quick time to open the season. The eleven heat races clicked off in good time, and as it turned out only five classes raced, as there was only one entrant in the reincarnated two person cruiser class. I had no idea what to expect for the class that once drew close to 100 cars for a stand alone Thursday night show 20 plus years ago. So we will see if there is indeed enough interest in the cars going forward.
After a candy dash for the large group of youngsters in attendance and some track prep, it was feature time.
First on the card was 305 sprint cars, eight entrants for 20 laps. The top two from the Saturday night show at 34 Raceway, Brayden Gaylord and Tanner Gebhardt sat on row one. Tanner got the early lead, and quickly moved to the inside line around the oval. Gaylord stayed within striking distance, but with zero caution periods, Gebhardt maintained his advantage all the way to the checkers, as the front duo swapped their finishing spots from the night before. Ben Wagner came home third ahead of Daniel Bergquist and Dillon Tuxhorn.
The UMP mods were up next, ten cars strong for 20 laps. The car count was a bit light, but some of the best UMP drivers around were ready to do battle. Local hot shoe Michael Long and Bollinger sat on row one, and they crossed the stripe to score lap one in that order, with defending track champion Dave Weitholder in third. Michael quickly opened a comfortable lead as Bollinger and Weitholder slugged it out behind him. On lap eight Weitholder was able to get his nose under Bollinger and grab the runner up spot. He then tried to run down the leader, but again the race went caution free, and he could never get close enough to challenge for the win. Bollinger came home third ahead of Todd Bates and Dugan Thye.
Next to the oval came the USAC/IMRA SpeeD2 midgets. Nine cars ran the pair of heat races, but when the green flag finally waved for the feature, only six remained, with 18 laps to be contested. Chase McDermond put his #40 out front as the green waved, although he had a strong challenge early from Andy Baugh. As the laps clicked down, McDermond stretched his lead, with Baugh settling comfortably in second. For the third straight feature there were zero cautions, and McDermond held serve for the win. Baugh held the runner up spot ahead of Bart Andrews, Mark Billings, and Derek Goble.
As might be expected, the yellow flag got some use in the 18 lap IMCA sport mod finale. All 19 competitors made the call, and it was a star studded field. Adam Birck, who has raced late models, two person cruisers, and pretty much everything in between sat on row one alongside former track champ Nathan Bringer. The caution waved on lap one for debris. When the first lap was scored, Birck held the top spot with row two starter Daniel Fellows in second. Caution periods came again on laps four and five, and the Delaware restarts created some excitement. As Birck continued to lead, a battle developed between top runners Brandon Lennox and Austen Becerra, while they contested the fourth and fifth positions. The yellow came out again on lap eight, and then two laps later came one more caution as Becerra went for a spin out of turn two. After some discussion, Lennox was asked to join Becerra at the back of the pack. When racing resumed, Austen ducked to the pits, but Brandon began to pick off cars. Tanner Klingele had been running a strong third, but got shuffled back on the twelfth circuit, with Bringer grabbing third and Jeffrey Delonjay following in fourth. Austin Howes had started seventh, and he entered the top five with three laps to go. But no one had anything for Birck, who led flag to flag for the win. Fellows had a strong run in second followed by Bringer, Howes, and Delonjay. Lennox worked his way back to sixth at the checkers.
The last race on the card was the 15 lap IMCA sport compact battle. With the help of the unique three car open trailer of Girard Racing from central Missouri, eleven drivers checked in for the action. Unfortunately, Alyssa Steele lost an engine in hot laps. and the same appeared to be the case for David Prim in his heat race. So nine cars lined up for feature racing. Darin Weisinger Jr. and defending All Iowa point champ Barry Taft lined up in row one. Taft held the top spot by inches as lap one was scored, but Weisinger took the lead on lap two. A pair of yellow flags on laps eight and eleven kept things close, but Weisinger remained in control. On the final couple of laps, he slipped ever so slightly off the inside line, and going down the backstretch on the final circuit Taft was able to stick the nose of his #57 inside of the leader, completing the winning pass out of turn four. Weisinger collected runner up honors, with Kimberly Abbott picking her way to third. Jayden Delonjay and veteran Rick Girard scored the next two spots.
While I neglected to check the time as I headed to the pits, the action concluded well before 10:00.
Next Sunday, Quincy Raceways will feature mods, sport mods, sport compacts, the return of the IMCA stock cars, mod lites, and hopefully the two person cruisers will see a few more teams ready to go. The track will also host a Night of Destruction next Saturday, April 28. The first night for the UMP crate late models will be May 13.
Thanks to Jason Goble and the QR staff for a fun Sunday night of racing.
Sunday, April 22, 2018
Babb Tops at the Slocum 50
It was a cool, grey sky Saturday evening at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa, but that did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm surrounding the tenth running of the Slocum 50. For the first nine years of the race honoring the late Brent Slocum, Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt had presided over the event as the leaders of the charitable Slocum Foundation. But this year the long time couple changed hats as the new owner/promoter team of the historic 3/8 mile facility, now in its sixth decade of operation. The race was moved to the third Saturday of April this season to facilitate the first year of sanctioning by the Midwest Late Model Racing Association, familiarly known as the MLRA. And based on the excellent turnout of 37 super late models, it will hopefully be the beginning of a yearly partnership with the southern Missouri based organization. The late models were racing for a cool $10,555.00 to win, a nod to the #5 that Slocum carried on his late models. Also on the card were two weekly classes at 34, the 305 sprints vying for a $1,000.00 winners check, and the IMCA stock cars battling for a top prize of $555.00.
Following hot lap action, the late models qualified two at a time for two timed laps, with each driver scored by his best lap. Chad Simpson was the overall fast qualifier with a lap of 15.715 seconds around the high banked oval.
The 305 sprints then ran a pair of heat races for the 17 cars on hand, with Ryan Jamison and Harold Pohren taking the wins.
Up next was four ten lap late model heats, lined up by time trials, fast cars on the front. As a result, all four winners came from the inside pole position. Chad Simpson bested row two starter Will Vaught in heat one, while Dave Eckrich outran row two starter Mitch McGrath in heat two. Shannon Babb got the jump on outside row one starter Billy Drake to capture heat three, and Chris Simpson did the same to Ryan Unzicker in the final heat, both of those drivers former Slocum winners.
Three stock car heats set the 19 car starting grid for their main event later in the evening. Tom Bowling Jr., Jeff Mueller, and Kurt Kinsley took the heat race checkers.
With the top four in each late model heat moving on to the feature, the remaining 21 drivers were lined up for a pair of 12 lap B mains, with the top three from each heading to the main event. Brian Shirley, who finished second to Chris Simpson the night before at the Davenport Speedway topped Joe Godsey and Jake Neal in the first consy, and Spencer Diercks grabbed the final qualifier over Rob Toland, and Kolby Vandenbergh. Kolby had just missed transferring out of the B main at Davenport. A host of series provisional starters, plus a couple of MLRA regulars using emergency provisionals swelled the starting grid for the finale to 27 cars.
Following a quick presentation of the Slocum Foundation scholarship award, the 305 sprints lined up for 20 laps of feature racing.
The first caution came on the opening lap, as Jamison got turned around between turns three and four. Back to racing, an altercation at the backstretch exit saw the cars of Pohren and Dave Getchell get upside down, with Pohren flipping multiple times. Nick Guernsey was also forced to take evasive action. The resulting red flag delay gave Jamison a chance to make repairs and rejoin the field without missing any laps. Getchell and Guernsey also made it back out, while Pohren was done for the night. On the third try, row two starter Brayden Gaylord wheeled his # 13 to the front, with pole sitter Jared Schneiderman and Daniel Berquist battling for second. Schneiderman saw his run end on lap eight, and one circuit later Tanner Gebhardt moved to the runner up spot. The yellow waved one more time on lap ten, but Gaylord was dialed in, and he negotiated slower traffic for the final three laps to grab the win. Gebhardt took second followed by Ben Wagner, Berquist, and Guernsey.
Track officials then decided the racing surface was locking down, so it was decided to do some " farming " to create the opportunity for the final two features to be competitive. While it created a bit of a delay, it did make for exciting racing for the stock cars and late models.
Kinsley vaulted to the early lead in the stock car feature, with David Brandies taking over on lap two. Following a lap six caution, John Oliver Jr. used the Delaware restart to take second. The red flag halted the action on lap eleven as Doplar flipped his mount between turns three and four. With cleanup complete, the green waved, and now it was Abe Huls on the move. He jumped to the third spot, then took second as the yellow waved on lap 15. The tightly bunched pack saw several cars get shuffled out of contention on the restart, and as the leaders prepared to take the white flag, once more the yellow flew instead. This set up a two lap dash for cash, With Brandies hanging on for the win. Huls ran second, with Oliver third. Brandon Rothzen was piloting a #33 stock car, and came all the way from the last starting spot to take fourth. Kinsley completed the top five. With the West Liberty Raceway idle this year, Brandies will be searching for a new Saturday night track, and should give 34 strong consideration after his victory.
It was now time for the 50 lap headliner. Chad Simpson and Babb lined up on row one, but it was outside row two starter Chris Simpson powering to the first lap lead. After his dominant performance the night before at Davenport, it looked like the race might have a back to back winner for the first time. But as the large crowd in unison held up five fingers on lap five, a yearly tradition, Babb used a high side move to take the lead. As the leaders caught slower traffic on lap nine, several cars got in a scrum, bringing out the yellow. Back under green, it was now eighth starting Unzicker on the move, as he took fourth, and one lap later he slipped past Chad Simpson for third. Unzicker and Chad then battled back and forth before Simpson regained the advantage. By the 15th circuit, Billy Drake was on the move, challenging Unzicker for fourth. Babb once again found himself in traffic on lap 18, and Chris Simpson quickly closed in. One lap after the crossed flags signaled the halfway point of the 50 laps. Drake powered to fourth, taking Dave Eckrich along in fifth. The elder statesman of the racing Eckrich brothers had lined up in row two, faded early, but was now on the move. The race stayed green as the laps clicked off, and there were cars all over the track with little attrition. This resulted in constant traffic concerns for the leader, but the veteran Babb skillfully picked his way through the still competitive back of the pack. The Simpson brothers were able to keep the #18 in sight even as they waged a sometimes side by side battle for the runner up spot until the closing laps when Babb was able to gain a cushion of a couple of lapped cars. In those final laps the track had once again slicked off, making passing a tough chore. A jubilant Babb picked up the big check, announcing in victory lane that his nervous wife was waiting at home, expecting the birth of their child in the coming days! Chris held off Chad for second, and was quick to thank his brother for racing him clean for the runner up spot. Chris now has two wins and a second in MLRA events so far this season. Drake was impessive in fourth, while Eckrich was solid in fifth. Unzicker led the second five, followed by Vaught, Jesse Stovall, Payton Looney, and Mason Oberkramer. Shirley and Tyler Bruening finished second and third respectively Friday night, but could managed only eleventh and twelfth on Saturday.
34 Raceway will be back next week with regular season action, while the MLRA will return to the region in two weeks, with a Thursday night, May 3 date at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson followed by a return trip the next night to Davenport where they will tackle the 1/4 mile.
The new team at 34 has already made several improvements, including a new spectator entrance/ exit road which improved traffic flow considerably. And in my two trips so far in 2018, the racing surface has been smooth and fast! Thanks to Jessi and Brad for their hospitality, be sure to check out 34 Raceway for a solid Saturday night race program.
Tonight, Sunday, I plan to make it a triple header weekend as the sun is shining and new owner.promoter Jason Goble should be able to finally lift the lid on the 2018 season at Quincy Raceways.
Following hot lap action, the late models qualified two at a time for two timed laps, with each driver scored by his best lap. Chad Simpson was the overall fast qualifier with a lap of 15.715 seconds around the high banked oval.
The 305 sprints then ran a pair of heat races for the 17 cars on hand, with Ryan Jamison and Harold Pohren taking the wins.
Up next was four ten lap late model heats, lined up by time trials, fast cars on the front. As a result, all four winners came from the inside pole position. Chad Simpson bested row two starter Will Vaught in heat one, while Dave Eckrich outran row two starter Mitch McGrath in heat two. Shannon Babb got the jump on outside row one starter Billy Drake to capture heat three, and Chris Simpson did the same to Ryan Unzicker in the final heat, both of those drivers former Slocum winners.
Three stock car heats set the 19 car starting grid for their main event later in the evening. Tom Bowling Jr., Jeff Mueller, and Kurt Kinsley took the heat race checkers.
With the top four in each late model heat moving on to the feature, the remaining 21 drivers were lined up for a pair of 12 lap B mains, with the top three from each heading to the main event. Brian Shirley, who finished second to Chris Simpson the night before at the Davenport Speedway topped Joe Godsey and Jake Neal in the first consy, and Spencer Diercks grabbed the final qualifier over Rob Toland, and Kolby Vandenbergh. Kolby had just missed transferring out of the B main at Davenport. A host of series provisional starters, plus a couple of MLRA regulars using emergency provisionals swelled the starting grid for the finale to 27 cars.
Following a quick presentation of the Slocum Foundation scholarship award, the 305 sprints lined up for 20 laps of feature racing.
The first caution came on the opening lap, as Jamison got turned around between turns three and four. Back to racing, an altercation at the backstretch exit saw the cars of Pohren and Dave Getchell get upside down, with Pohren flipping multiple times. Nick Guernsey was also forced to take evasive action. The resulting red flag delay gave Jamison a chance to make repairs and rejoin the field without missing any laps. Getchell and Guernsey also made it back out, while Pohren was done for the night. On the third try, row two starter Brayden Gaylord wheeled his # 13 to the front, with pole sitter Jared Schneiderman and Daniel Berquist battling for second. Schneiderman saw his run end on lap eight, and one circuit later Tanner Gebhardt moved to the runner up spot. The yellow waved one more time on lap ten, but Gaylord was dialed in, and he negotiated slower traffic for the final three laps to grab the win. Gebhardt took second followed by Ben Wagner, Berquist, and Guernsey.
Track officials then decided the racing surface was locking down, so it was decided to do some " farming " to create the opportunity for the final two features to be competitive. While it created a bit of a delay, it did make for exciting racing for the stock cars and late models.
Kinsley vaulted to the early lead in the stock car feature, with David Brandies taking over on lap two. Following a lap six caution, John Oliver Jr. used the Delaware restart to take second. The red flag halted the action on lap eleven as Doplar flipped his mount between turns three and four. With cleanup complete, the green waved, and now it was Abe Huls on the move. He jumped to the third spot, then took second as the yellow waved on lap 15. The tightly bunched pack saw several cars get shuffled out of contention on the restart, and as the leaders prepared to take the white flag, once more the yellow flew instead. This set up a two lap dash for cash, With Brandies hanging on for the win. Huls ran second, with Oliver third. Brandon Rothzen was piloting a #33 stock car, and came all the way from the last starting spot to take fourth. Kinsley completed the top five. With the West Liberty Raceway idle this year, Brandies will be searching for a new Saturday night track, and should give 34 strong consideration after his victory.
It was now time for the 50 lap headliner. Chad Simpson and Babb lined up on row one, but it was outside row two starter Chris Simpson powering to the first lap lead. After his dominant performance the night before at Davenport, it looked like the race might have a back to back winner for the first time. But as the large crowd in unison held up five fingers on lap five, a yearly tradition, Babb used a high side move to take the lead. As the leaders caught slower traffic on lap nine, several cars got in a scrum, bringing out the yellow. Back under green, it was now eighth starting Unzicker on the move, as he took fourth, and one lap later he slipped past Chad Simpson for third. Unzicker and Chad then battled back and forth before Simpson regained the advantage. By the 15th circuit, Billy Drake was on the move, challenging Unzicker for fourth. Babb once again found himself in traffic on lap 18, and Chris Simpson quickly closed in. One lap after the crossed flags signaled the halfway point of the 50 laps. Drake powered to fourth, taking Dave Eckrich along in fifth. The elder statesman of the racing Eckrich brothers had lined up in row two, faded early, but was now on the move. The race stayed green as the laps clicked off, and there were cars all over the track with little attrition. This resulted in constant traffic concerns for the leader, but the veteran Babb skillfully picked his way through the still competitive back of the pack. The Simpson brothers were able to keep the #18 in sight even as they waged a sometimes side by side battle for the runner up spot until the closing laps when Babb was able to gain a cushion of a couple of lapped cars. In those final laps the track had once again slicked off, making passing a tough chore. A jubilant Babb picked up the big check, announcing in victory lane that his nervous wife was waiting at home, expecting the birth of their child in the coming days! Chris held off Chad for second, and was quick to thank his brother for racing him clean for the runner up spot. Chris now has two wins and a second in MLRA events so far this season. Drake was impessive in fourth, while Eckrich was solid in fifth. Unzicker led the second five, followed by Vaught, Jesse Stovall, Payton Looney, and Mason Oberkramer. Shirley and Tyler Bruening finished second and third respectively Friday night, but could managed only eleventh and twelfth on Saturday.
34 Raceway will be back next week with regular season action, while the MLRA will return to the region in two weeks, with a Thursday night, May 3 date at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson followed by a return trip the next night to Davenport where they will tackle the 1/4 mile.
The new team at 34 has already made several improvements, including a new spectator entrance/ exit road which improved traffic flow considerably. And in my two trips so far in 2018, the racing surface has been smooth and fast! Thanks to Jessi and Brad for their hospitality, be sure to check out 34 Raceway for a solid Saturday night race program.
Tonight, Sunday, I plan to make it a triple header weekend as the sun is shining and new owner.promoter Jason Goble should be able to finally lift the lid on the 2018 season at Quincy Raceways.
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