Chad Zobrist Conquers Bi State Battle at Highland

    With the early postponement of the Lucas Oil late model event at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, it was time to check forecasts, radar, and track websites in hopes of finding another Saturday night destination. The alternative that stuck out was the Bi State Battle for UMP late models featured this night at the Highland, Illinois Speedway. Over the last few seasons, late model counts had been going down at the St. Louis area tracks, especially the Saturday night venues in Highland and across the river at I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri. So for 2021 the promoters of the two tracks put their heads together and came up with a plan to alternate the class between their facilities featuring a combined points fund. It seemed like in the past when either track had a cancellation, the late models would just stay home rather than cross the river to race at the other track. So I was a bit skeptical with regard to the potential success of this plan. Just goes to show what I know! Car counts in the first few weeks of 2021 have ranged from the mid to upper twenties to as high as thirty three for these weekly shows. So for the first time since the 2012 season, we were off to the Madison County fairgrounds facility that sits on a hillside in a residential area of the picturesque town of Highland. If you have never been to Highland, note that he location of the track on the grounds is quite a distance from the regular parking area.

   In addition to the late models,UMP modifieds, UMP Pro mods and street stocks would be in  action. Twenty seven of the high powered late models headed up a seventy five car field in front of a large if late arriving crowd.

   Following hot lap action, the program kicked off a bit after 7:00, a few minutes past the advertised time of 6:45. Four late model heats kicked things off, with a draw for position setting the lineups, then passing points determining the feature starting spots. Still all four of the ten lap victors came from the front row on this tight semi banked quarter mile track. Rusty Griffaw, point leader Mark Voigt, Daryn Klein, and Chad Zobrist picked up preliminary wins although Griffaw had to come from third after the front row was penalized for a bad start. Fourteen cars qualified through the passing points format, with the remaining thirteen moving to a ten lap B main. Paul Kuper was unable to make the call, leaving a dozen entrants vying for four spots. As the field jockeyed for position, a backup in turn four saw Doug Tye contact the utility tire and do a soft rollover, ending up on his top. Again the winner came from row one, as Brian Wolfmeier took the checkers first. The final two spots in the twenty five lap finale would be awarded to the top two in Bi State points not already qualified. Tye would be eligible for one of those spots, and he would borrow the #16W of Tony Wolf to start the feature.

   What started as a ten minute intermission with some watering and rolling in of the track turned in to a much longer break, as despite numerous pleas from the tower for the late models to come to staging, only a couple responded, even helping with packing in the added moisture. Finally the twenty two starters were lined up for twenty five laps, with Griffaw and Michael Kloos pacing the field. Chad Zobrist jumped to the front after lining up third when Griffaw slid high out of turn two and Kloos had to check up to stay out of the wall. With a pair of laps in the books, there was a rash of yellow flags. First Tye went for a spin, then on the restart Mark Oller looped his #67, collecting Tye. A five car pileup stopped the action on the next attempt, then one more lap was scored before Tye brought out another caution in the borrowed machine. Zobrist again took off as racing resumed, with Jordon Bauer and Kloos trying to keep pace. Kloos was able to grab second on lap eleven, and the leader caught slower traffic two laps later. Kloos was able to move to the back bumper of the #78 before disaster struck on lap fourteen. As the front pair worked traffic, both came in contact with a slower car and Kloos ended up in the backstretch wall, his strong run over. Voigt now powered to second following the Delaware restart, but he was unable to get close enough to challenge the leader. Chad Zobrist picked up the win, with Voigt in second. Bauer, Klein, and Griffaw scored top five finishes. Trevor Gundaker started eleventh and finished sixth in front of his row six mate Jason Suhre. Todd Rehg gained eight spots to run eighth. Jeff Herzog in his #11 crossed the line in ninth but was originally scored behind the #11 of Shannon Kuhn. However Herzog later stated that he was changed to ninth. 

    With a rather large number of yellow flags, only one wrecker on hand, and issues with realignments we headed for the car at 10:00 PM with three features still to be run. We were definitely appreciative of the late models being first in the feature lineup, as we had a three plus hour trip home. I am not sure if the area has had as much rain as we have locally, but the track was in good condition, and there was plenty of action, making for an entertaining evening. 

   The Memorial Day weekend is upon us, and there is no shortage of quality shows to choose from, warm weather may finally be with us, so no excuses, let's go racing!

Ricky Thornton Jr. Scores MLRA Win at Davenport

   In the covid crazy year of 2020, it was this date, May 15 before I was able to attend a dirt race. Davenport Speedway was the location, and it was a surreal event viewed from the infield stage in front of an empty grandstand as a representative of Positively Racing.com. 364 days later I returned to the historic fairgrounds speedway under far more normal circumstances, as the MLRA series made their and my second visit of the season, and it would be my fourteenth race night of 2021.

   Thirty three high powered late models highlighted a 106 car field in the four divisions in action, including modifieds, sport mods, and the A.I.R.S. vintage car group.

    Things got off to a bit of a rocky beginning, as the timing loop would not be able to score the three cars per group for time trial qualifying, forcing a one car at a time format reminiscent of the 1970s. Ricky Thornton Jr. turned the fastest overall lap at 14.90 seconds, more than one second slower than the 13.77 recorded by Jason Papich when the series came to town in April.

    With qualifying out of the way, we moved quickly through thirteen heat races, and kudos to the promoters for making those races hotly contested, particularly in the sport mods, with the thirty one cars bunched into three heats on the wide quarter mile. A pair of B mains each for the sport mods and late models followed, and without a break we moved into feature racing. 

   Twenty four sport mods lined up for fifteen laps of stop and go racing. Dakota Cole charged to the lead from row one, followed closely by Shane Paris ahead of a lap four caution. Tyler Soppe stated in row three and moved to third on the restart, which lasted two laps before caution number two. Back under green, Soppe used the Delaware restart to power to the lead as Cole started slowly and was shuffled back through the pack. Soppe and Paris were joined by Jarrett Franzen in a breakaway before the next yellow flag at lap nine. This restart was called off, then three more laps were scored before yet another stoppage. Racing resumed, with only one more circuit counted before a sixth and final caution at lap thirteen also mercifully brought out the checkers. Soppe claimed the win ahead of Paris, Franzen, Ben Chapman, and Anthony Franklin. 

   All twenty five modifieds came to the grid for a twenty lap feature. Arizona transplant Tim Ward shot to the pole ahead of his row one mate Matt Werner and the duo held their positions through a pair of cautions on laps four and six. Heading down the backstretch for lap seven, Werner slipped off the top of the track, losing several positions as the final yellow flag waved with seven in the books. Ward pulled away on this the final restart, opened a commanding lead, and cruised to the win. Jake Waterman, piloting a #77 car was able to close a bit as the leader caught slower traffic, but Ward was able to build a cushion of lapped cars to secure the victory. Waterman took runner up honors in front of Mitch Morris, Eric Barnes, and double duty Spencer Diercks.

   With rain in the area, we applauded as twenty four late models rolled off turn four for thirty laps of racing. By now, the track was black and slick, with passing at a premium. Tony Jackson Jr. and Ricky Thornton sat on row one, with Thornton getting the jump into turn one despite the best efforts of Jackson Jr. to take the preferred middle line. Chris Simpson, Diercks, and Mason Oberkramer settled in behind the dominating leaders, who caught slower traffic on lap four. Thornton was fast in the middle groove, so Jackson Jr. looked to the inside, pulling even in turns one and two, but falling back as Thornton had the momentum down the backstretch. As the race neared the halfway mark, Thornton was able to gain some breathing room in lapped traffic. When the first caution came at lap eighteen for a slowing Jake Timm, the pack was running in single file fashion around that middle line. The single file restart saw no change, with the caution coming again in two laps as flat tires became an issue. In the fourth late model heat race, Garrett Alberson, fresh off a big win in LaSalle, Illinois, was running second with two laps to go when he jumped the cushion in turns three and four, sending him to a B main. From there he took the third an final transfer spot, putting him in row eleven for the main event. He was languishing well outside the top ten when the green flag flew with ten laps left. He made the decision to move one line up the track, and now began passing cars in a quick and easy (?) fashion. Two more laps, and Diercks lost his fifth place standing as he had a tire go down, bringing out another caution. Alberson resumed his charge as we went back under green. Five laps from the checkers, Chris Simpson saw his third place run end as he went off the backstretch and headed to the pits with what looked like a tire issue. A final caution came at lap twenty eight as the now third running Oberkramer came to a stop. Thornton remained in control through the green, white, checkers finish to score his first MLRA win. Tony Toste started sixth and cleared Jackson Jr. on the final lap as the #56 also appeared to have a tire go down. Alberson came all the way to fourth, passing teammate Jeremiah Hurst in those final laps. Oregonian Justin Duty drove a steady race, coming from tenth to sixth, folowed by row ten starter Daniel Hilsabeck, Blair Nothdurft, Jordon Yaggy, and twentieth starting Justin Reed. 

   We made our way to the parking lot during post race interviews with the A.I.R.S. cars waiting patiently in staging. Reports this morning indicate that Bart Miller claimed the final checkers of the night. 

   Thanks go out to Robert Wagener, Carrie Rouse, and the staff of Drt Trak Promotions for their on going hospitality. We are hoping to rejoin them and the MLRA crowd tonight at the West Liberty Raceway, and hopefully the weather will permit us to do so. Thanks for reading!

   

Ryan, Larson, Spaw, Bauer Grab Farley Checkers

    Wednesday night I made my first visit of 2021 to the 300 Raceway in Farley, Iowa. We arrived just past the 7:00 hour as the sixty one cars in four divisions hot lapped around the wide and fast 3/8 mile oval. After a mid April rain out, this would be the season opener for the week night four division program. The first eight heat races clicked off caution free before a three car pile up in the second IMCA late model heat race pared the field a bit. Veteran Jeff Aikey was running mid pack early in the event when he appeared to lose power on the front stretch, creating a chain reaction crash. Both Ryan Hill and Bryan Moreland found themselves behind a wrecker, as a result. Hill was able to make repairs and start the feature, but it was the end of the night for both Aikey and Moreland.

   Following a brief intermission and some track grooming, it was time to go feature racing. IMCA stock cars kicked things off, fourteen cars battling for a dozen laps. Kyle Merkes lined up on the outside pole and held off Chase Zaruba and sixth starting Johnny Spaw as the front three separated from the pack in the early laps. At the halfway mark, Spaw had moved to the runner up spot and was challenging for the top spot. Once out front, he opened a commanding lead, cruising to the win in the non stop event. Merkes came home second ahead of Zaruba. Doing double duty, Justin Kay ran fourth, with Jason Doyle completing the top five.

   A stacked field of twenty two IMCA modifieds signed in for a shot at the $600 winners check, with all of them lining up for a twenty lap feature. It was pole sitter Tyler Madigan setting the pace early, and third starting Jeff "Bone" Larson stalking him in second. Troy Cordes came quickly from row three for the best view in the house, lurking in third. As Larson made his move to the front, the caution flag waved at lap nine, negating his pass. Back under green, he wasted no time moving to the front, with the yellow flying again one lap later. Following this Delaware style restart, Cordes powered to the runner up spot. The caution flag came one more time at the fifteen lap mark, but Larson went unchallenged for the win. Cordes claimed second while double duty Aikey made a late charge to third. Brandon Schmitt made the tow from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin to run fourth, with Kip Siems in fifth. In his victory lane interview, Larson said this weekend will be something of a three state challenge for him, as he will race Friday in Darlington, Wisconsin, Saturday in Maquoketa, Iowa, and Sunday in East Moline, Illinois!

   The IMCA sport mod field was surprisingly short at ten entrants, but they all came to the track for fifteen laps. Pole sitter T.J. Fortmann wasted no time opening a nice lead as Jason Roth came from row three to second. The first of four yellow flags came with three laps scored, and Tyler Soppe came from third to first on the restart. Following a lap five caution, Shaine Bennett smacked the turn one wall hard. He continued for another circuit before his #10S began to shed debris, bringing the yellow out again with six laps scored. Soppe now had his hands full as eighth starting Troy Bauer pulled alongside the #3T. Bauer was out front for lap eight when the final caution came as Fortmann rode the backstretch wall, bouncing along while making hard contact. Only five cars were around to take the checkers, with Bauer leading Soppe, Kaylin Lopez, who lists Chowchilla, California as home, Roth, and Michael Heister.

   Late models would wind up the evening, with the dozen cars still running lining up for twenty five laps and a chance at $600. Besides Aikey and Moreland, Travis Smock did not come to the grid. A light trail of smoke had been trailing his #98 in hot laps and his heat, perhaps suggesting engine problems. The draw, redraw format in effect for opening night found teenage Logan Duffy and veteran Joel Callahan on row one. Callahan jumped to the front ahead of a lap two caution, with a mix up finding Jim Cruise stopped in turn two. Eric Pollard grabbed second on the restart, but Duffy quickly rebounded to take the spot and Matt Ryan followed to nab third. One more lap was scored ahead of a second yellow, and back to racing Ryan claimed second. Continuing his charge, Matt powered to the front on lap five. At the halfway point, Ryan was comfortably out front, Callahan ran by himself in second, while Duffy, Justin Kay, and Ron Klein ran nose to tail and side by side for third. A final caution came with four laps remaining, as Colton Leal slowed, ending his run, and Pollard ducked to the infield under the yellow. Ryan showed his dominance by again pulling away in the closing laps, while Duffy cleared Callahan for runner up honors. Kay was steady in fourth, and Chuck Hanna edged Klein in an entertaining battle for fifth. Steve Hunter and Cruise filled the final running spots at the checkers.

    We were headed for the gates about 10:00 on what turned about to be another unusually chilly May evening. Still it was another night of quality racing, and thanks to the 300 Raceway crew for offering up an entertaining week night show through out the season. We will be watching the weather forecast as the weekend approaches, as there are several good options available. Bundle up and find a track, near or far!

Burgtorf, Long, Cook, Becerra, Blain Take Lee County Wins

    There was not a full moon over Lee County Speedway Friday night, but you could be forgiven for thinking so. Following hot laps, the track crew decided to put a generous dose of water on the 3/8 mile. By the time the extra moisture was worked in, we were about twenty five minutes getting to the first green flag, a rare occurrence at the fairgrounds facility. Thankfully, the twelve heat races ran off quickly with the only caution coming on a false start during late model heat one. 

   After a brief unscheduled intermission, all but two of the twenty five IMCA sport mods lined up for eighteen laps of action. Outside pole sitter Brandon Lambert shot to the early lead. Eighth starting Jim Gillenwater climbed to second on lap two, then grabbed the lead just ahead of a lap three caution. Two more quick yellow flags followed, and back under green, ninth starting Austen Becerra jumped to third as his row five mate Sean Wyett took the lead. Gillenwater regained the top spot ahead of a lap seven caution, but Becerra used the Delaware restart to move out front. As Becerra began to pull away, Gillenwater slowly distanced himself from a battle with Wyett for second. Becerra was about to put the #13A of Austin Poage a lap down, when Poage spun in turn two, causing Becerra to take evasive action and bringing out a final caution. Gillenwater and Wyett again battled for the second position as Becerra made it three for three in features this season at the track. Gillenwater came home second followed by Wyett, Ron Kibbe, and Jadin Fuller.

   A bakers dozen IMCA modifieds were up next, with Levi Smith pacing lap one. Kory Meyer took the top spot for the next few circuits as Michael Long worked his way forward from row five. Brandon Dale had a nose in front of Meyer as lap five was scored, with Long now in third. Two more laps, the yellow flag flew, and the second running Long blasted off the cushion to grab the lead. He quickly checked out on the field, but a second and final caution brought him back to the pack with eight laps remaining. On the restart, Dale was shuffled from second to fourth as Jeff Waterman took up the chase. Again Long built a commanding lead, scoring a decisive win. Waterman, Dale, Meyer, and Dennis Laveine completed the top five.

   It is not uncommon for the IMCA sport compacts to run a caution free feature, but not on this night! The strange turn of events began when defending track champion Brandon Reu was disqualified after his heat race win. He then lined up in row eight of the fifteen lapper in a backup (?) #27. The caution came out on lap one for debris, with David Prim then leading lap one. Following a second lap caution, Chevy Barnes took over. Prim stayed close, Kimberly Abbott joined the front duo, and Reu charged through the pack to fifth as lap five was scored. Abbott took the runner up spot on a restart just after the halfway mark, with Reu moving to fourth. With four laps left on the scoreboard, Abbott was battling with Barnes coming through turn four when both got sideways, collecting the third running Reu, ending the night for the three leaders. Prim was the new leader, the caution came again one lap later. When yet another caution came as the white flag was displayed, the race was called complete, and Prim had a win on his birthday. BUT... he was also disqualified in post race tech, turning the victory over to Ashton Blain. Kyle Hamilton moved to the runner up spot, while Jared Huele was third in the #7H normally driven by Michael Hornung Jr. Patrick McKasson and David Judd also scored top five finishes.

   All eleven IMCA stock cars took the feature green. Chris Wibbell paced the opening circuit, with Jason Cook taking control the next trip past the flag stand. As Cook stretched his advantage, Abe Huls powered from row five to second. Huls was able to close the gap a bit as the laps wound down, but it was Cook winning  the caution free event. Abe held off John Oliver Jr. for third while Wibbell nosed Beau Taylor for fifth.

   Eleven IMCA late models closed out the program in a twenty lap finale. Jay Johnson drove to the front to lead lap one, but he came to a stop just off turn two on the next circuit. He left the track behind the wrecker, ending his night early. Mark Burgtorf assumed the top spot, and he drove a masterful race, hugging the inside line in turns one and two while hitting the cushion at the other end of the track. Week one winner Denny Woodworth kept Mark in his sights, but settled for a runner up finish. Dustin Griffin and Tommy Elston staged an entertaining battle for third, with Elston taking the spot. Nick Marolf started fifth and finished there. Matt Strassheim out dueled Sam Halstead, out for the first time in 2021 in a new black machine with an "X" taped to the unadorned body. Ron Boyse was the last car on the track, as Darin Weisinger Jr. and Logan Duffy watched the final laps from the infield. 

   Although it was anything but a typical night at Lee County, there was still plenty of good racing and more than the usual amount of controversy! Thanks to Brian, Marcie, and the crew for another fun Friday night. 

   With rain in the forecast, be sure and check with your track of choice if you are planning on a Saturday night race. 34 Raceway, for one, has cancelled their racing for tonight, probably wisely so. Happy Mothers Day, and we will hopefully see you next week!

Kay is DeFrance Memorial Winner

    Thursday night we hit the road again, this time to the Marshalltown Speedway for the 4th annual Dale DeFrance Memorial. While this race has been bitten by the weather bug in the past, there would be no such issues in 2021, although we would be well chilled before the final checkers. 

     Late models are no longer a part of the weekly program, but they would be the highlighted attraction on this night along with the five regular classes that make up the Friday night card  at the storied high banked 1/4 mile facility. All six divisions would be competing under the IMCA banner for extra money and generous contingencies with the late model winners' share topping $1,900 as bonus money continued to pour in.

   Hot laps kicked off right on time at 6:50 for the 125 cars checked into the pits, and the seventeen qualifying heats clicked off in about one hour and fifteen minutes. With stock cars and sport mods leading the way with twenty four entries each, no B mains would be needed, and as an interesting side note every car in all six divisions took the feature green flag.

   There was no intermission, ( thanks, Toby!) as the eighteen mod lites came to the track for fifteen laps. Jason Kinderknecht made the long tow from Salina, Kansas a profitable one. Finishing second in his heat race, he drew the number one chip for the feature, then led flag to flag for the win, while surviving three caution periods. Josh May applied pressure in the early going, settling for a runner up finish.Cory Sonner won a tight battle for third over Ed Griggs, while Mike Kennedy completed the top five.

   Eighteen hobby stocks battled for eighteen laps with pole sitter Matt Wahl leading lap one. Luke Schluetter paced the next circuit and  sixth starting Kaden Reynolds charged to the front on lap three as Schluetter spun his #35. The race was red flagged with twelve laps to go as a car I could not identify took a tumble off turns one and two, and that was the final stoppage. Reynolds cruised to the win, negotiating slower traffic flawlessly on the final lap. Braden Richards chased the leader, crossing the line in second, however he was disqualified in post race inspection. The runner up slot then went to Eric Knutson, who emerged from a back and forth scrum with Kyle Parizek. Schluetter recovered to run fourth in front of Jeremiah Andrews. 

   The eighteen lap sport mod feature was pretty much decided during the redraw, as Brayton Carter pulled the number one chip. Three caution periods brought "Speedy Bray" back to the pack, but that only delayed the inevitable. He wheeled his #01 on the low side in turns one and two, then pounded the cushion at the other end, opening a commanding lead after each yellow flag. Izac Mallicoat was able to keep the leader in his sights before he was shuffled back to fifth following a restart with three laps remaining. Johnathon Logue gradually worked his way from row five to second at the checkers ahead of Jenae Gustin and Dylan VanWyk. The only scary moment for the leader came after the checkers waved, as a pair of cars spun in turn one in front of him.

   The stock cars came to the track for twenty laps. After a lap one caution, pole sitter Damon Murty paced lap one. Two more cautions came in the first three laps, slowing the momentum. But from there it was clean and green. The elder Murty and third running Chanse Hollatz drove hard around the cushion, while legendary cat fisher Jeff Mueller, driving an unfamiliar #81, worked the inside line. Dallon Murty had failed to earn a redraw spot in his heat, but he advanced from row nine to the top five by lap five. The leaders hit traffic just after the halfway mark, with Mueller getting caught behind a lapped car temporarily falling behind Hollatz. This would be a sign of things to come. Back to second, Mueller closed in on the leader a bit more each lap until another lapped car slowed his momentum ever so slightly in turn three with just a couple laps to go. Recovering quickly, he and Damon crossed the finish line side by side. From our angle it looked as though Mueller had eked out a win, but official scoring had Murty out front by something like three one thousands of a second! Hollatz claimed third followed by Steve Meyer and Dallon Murty.

   Pole Sitter Richie Gustin led the opening laps of the eighteen car twenty lap modified feature. Cayden Carter powered from row four to second by lap four and began to run down the leader. As Gustin drove the cushion, Carter used the inside line to take over the lead on the eighth circuit. While Gustin and ninth starting Joel Rust fought for second, Carter quickly pulled away from the pack. Following a lone restart with eight laps to go, Rust jumped to the runner up position. He was able to briefly challenge for the lead before Carter again drove away. Tim Ward drove through the field from the eighth row to take third at the checkers, while tenth starting Dylan Thornton edged Gustin for fourth.

   The late model finale was scheduled for forty four laps, a nod to the car number of the nights' honoree. Twenty three cars came to the grid, with a pair of veteran drivers, Joe Zrostlik and Greg Kastli setting on row one. Kastli, the heat one victor shot to the early lead before fourth running Joel Callahan spun in turn two on lap three. By this point, row four starter Justin Kay had entered the top five, and Matt Ryan, who finished out of a redraw position in his heat, had climbed from fourteenth to ninth. Two more circuits and Kay was fourth, even as Kastli built a nice lead. With six laps in the books, Kay was third, and Ryan up to sixth. Kay charged to second on lap ten, Kastli caught the back of the pack, and his lead began to evaporate. With fifteen scored, Kastli and Kay were nose to tail in heavy traffic. As Greg ran a low line, Justin used a strong move through the middle to take the lead out of turn four as lap nineteen was scored, followed by a quick yellow flag. The caution waved again on the restart, but back under green, Kay began to stretch his advantage, opening up a nearly straightaway lead before another caution with twenty five laps down. Zrostlik grabbed second on the Delaware restart, but Kay again put distance on his challengers. Hitting slower traffic with a dozen laps left, Kay remained in control, scoring his one hundredth IMCA late model feature win. Zrostlik claimed runner up honors, while Todd Cooney made a late charge to third. Kastli and Ryan completed the first five. Sean Johnson drove a steady race to finish sixth in front of Jeff Aikey, Logan Duffy, Gary Webb, and Darrel DeFrance.

    The final checkers waved shortly after 10:30, completing a top notch night of fast paced, non stop racing! It was good to visit with our central Iowa racing friends, and thanks to the Eiseles for saving us some prime seats. Tonight, Friday, we will return to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for weekly racing, with extra money added to the IMCA late model purse. Hope to see you there!

  

G Money Tops Vinton Late Models

   With the addition of SLMR rules late models, a solid field of ninety five race teams filled the pit area at the Benton County Speedway Bullring in Vinton, Iowa on a beautiful Sunday night. 

   Even with a short delay for minor grader work to repair a dip between turns one and two, the twelve heat races ran off in less than an hour and with a minimum of caution flags. A brief intermission and all twenty three IMCA sport mods lined up for fifteen laps around the fairgrounds 1/4 mile oval. 

   Joe Docekal shot from the pole position to the lead over Chowchilla, California driver Kaylin Lopez as lap one was scored. As the leader, now with a commanding lead, caught slower traffic at the halfway mark, the first yellow flag of the race was displayed. On the restart, Docekal drove off the top of turn three and the second running car of Brett Thomas spun,collecting Brandon Tharp and Ben Chapman, bringing out another yellow and sending all four front runners to the tail for the restart. With the leader now at the back, Lopez and Tony Olson lined up side by side, with Olson taking over the top spot. Two more times the caution came out, but Olson was not deterred, and he cruised to the win. With both coming from row six, Logan Anderson won a back and forth duel with Dylan Van Wyk for second. Brian Kauffman came from tenth to fourth, and Ryan King moved up ten spots to fifth.

   A dozen IMCA hobby stocks battled for fifteen laps. Kaden Reynolds had been victorious in every feature dating back to last summer, but he was out on lap one with a flat tire. Matt Brown grabbed the early lead, but the last driver other than Reynolds with a win, Nathan Ballard, took over ahead of a lap four yellow. With one more lap scored, the red flag was displayed as the ambulance was needed in the pit area which is off turns one and two. Racing resumed right away as Slater, Iowa driver Eric Knutson briefly challenged for the lead. With Ballard and Knutson settling into spots one and two, a three wide scrum developed for third. Following the front duo to the checkers it was Jacob Floyd, Joren Fisher, and Braden Richards. 

    Twenty five laps would be the distance for the late models, and all but one of the eighteen checked in, Andy Eckrich, came to the grid. Richie Gustin redrew the pole position, with John Emerson alongside in the car normally driven by Ben Seeman. Gustin soon opened a sizable lead as the front pack ran around the top of the slippery oval. The first caution came eight laps in as veteran Greg Kastli lost a top five run sliding off the backstretch. Charlie McKenna did a power move to second on the restart, and Emerson slipped over the top of turn three. Now it was Chad Holladay charging to second on the restart followed by Jason Hahne to third. Jeff Aikey had lined up in row five, and he climbed to fifth with ten laps complete. With eight circuits remaining, Gustin was preparing to put returning veteran driver Kevin Kirkpatrick a lap down when Kirkpatrick spun right in front of him. Fortunately Gustin was able to take avoid the spinning #33, keep moving, and retain his lead on the restart. As the pack came through turns three and four, McKenna did a slide job on Holladay in an attempt to grab the second spot, but Hahne took advantage of the inside line to pass both cars. With those three locked in a battle for second, Gustin pulled away for the win. Aikey charged to the runner up spot following a final caution with two laps to go, followed by Hahne and McKenna. Luke Pestka was able to outlast Holladay for fifth. Jeff Tharp, Darren Ackerman, Luke Goedert, and Dave Eckrich filled out the top ten.

   The IMCA stock car class had the smallest turn out with a late arrival bringing the count to ten. Nine of them lined up for fifteen laps of feature racing. Jason Doyle led the opening circuit, but it was fifth starting Dallon Murty leading lap two. The younger Murty, driving his fathers car on this night quickly checked out in the non stop event. Jay Schmidt soon worked to the runner up slot while Doyle held off Leah Wroten and Miciah Hidlebaugh in an intense battle for third.  

   All fifteen IMCA modifieds made the feature call, with eighteen laps the distance. Hometowner Jerry Dedrick paced the first three trips past the flag stand while a group of four ran side by side at times for second. Lap four saw Santa Maria, California pilot Dylan Thornton grab the top spot, quickly opening a sizable lead. Derrick Stewart took over the second spot at the halfway point but he had nothing for the leader, who had a straightaway advantage as he caught slower traffic with five laps to go. His five and a half second lead evaporated slowly, and he had to come back to the pack when the first caution came with two laps remaining. The yellow waved a second time as the white flag was displayed, and rather curiously the race was called complete at that point. Regardless, Thornton scored a dominant win in front of Stewart, Troy Cordes, Dedrick, and Jason Briese.

   The final race of the evening came as all seventeen IMCA sport compacts prepared for a dozen laps of action. Vinton driver Zeke Wheeler charged from outside row one to pace the early laps. Chuck Fullenkamp made the long tow from West Point, Iowa to take over at lap five from his row four start, as tenth starting Nathan Chandler powered to second. From there Chandler, making a return to racing while battling health issues, ran in Fullenkamps' tracks, appearing to occasionally letting the leader know he was there. At the waving green signaling only two laps remained, Chandler moved up the track one line and the pair took the white flag side by side. Chandler then edged ahead at the checkers with an apparent win. However word came to us on the drive home that he had been disqualified. I do not know what the infraction was, but the victory then went to Fullenkamp. Second through fifth was Logan Clausen, Travis Losenicky, Wheeler, and William Michel. 

   As we left the bleachers, we were greeted by a smiling Rick Dripps, who we  thank along with Kim Dripps for their hospitality. We were able to smile back considering we had witnessed a six division, ninety five car program that lasted three hours and fifteen minutes including hot laps, and had us in the car at 8:45! This track truly is an excellent Sunday evening destination, and we hope to make it so again this 2021 season.

    Our plans are to be back in that part of Iowa this Thursday for the Dale Defrance Memorial program at the Marshalltown Speedway. At this time on Monday morning, the weather forecast is sketchy, but a few days ago the same was true concerning our Sunday plans in Vinton, so we will cross our fingers and hope to see our Iowa friends again this week as we go Racin' Down the Road!

  

  

Callahan and Carter Top Drive For Five Openers

    Friday night was race night number two for the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson and the first installment of the "Drive For Five" for IMCA late models and IMCA modifieds. The two featured classes were both vying for a $1,000 top prize in this first of seven preliminary events. Drivers competing in at least five of the seven special races will be racing for a $5,000 winners' share in the championship event. Those entering less than five times will still be able to eligible to collect a $2,000 top prize in the finales. The three other regular IMCA classes, stock cars, sport mods, and sport compacts filled out the card on a beautiful spring evening. 

   A stacked field of nineteen late models and sixteen modifieds was topped only by twenty five sport mods, as the pits swelled to eighty three entrants.

    The track was once again in excellent condition, and the eleven qualifying heats ran off in timely fashion, setting the lineups for the main events. A longer than usual intermission saw the top point gatherers from 2020 honored on the main stage. The presentations were originally set for last Friday, but were pushed back one week I assume due to last weeks chilly temps. There were no such concerns on this night, however, as it was a beautiful evening and a large and very enthusiastic crowd turned out to enjoy the festivities.

   With the awards handed out, all but one of the fifteen sport compacts lined up for fifteen laps of feature racing. Pole sitter Chevy Barnes shot to the lap one lead, while fifth starting Luke Fraise took over on lap two. Meanwhile, defending class champion Brandon Reu advanced from row four to the second spot in those same two circuits. It took only one more trip around the 3/8 mile for Reu to assume the lead and quickly put distance on the field. As a gaggle of cars battled for second through ninth, tenth starting Chuck Fullenkamp powered to second about lap seven. The leader caught the back of the pack with three laps to go, but encountered no problems, scoring his second win in two tries at the fairgrounds facility. After a false start, the race ran non stop. Fullenkamp came home second, while Kimberly Abbott made a late move around Fraise for third. Dyllan Bonk completed the top five.

    Eighteen late models lined up for twenty five laps. Ray Raker was a scratch, as the steering appeared to break on his #07 in his heat race and he smacked the turn two guardrail ending his night. Second heat winner Joel Callahan from Dubuque and Ben Seeman from Waterloo were surprise visitors to the track, and they redrew the front row for the feature. At the green flag, they took off in that order. As  they began to pull away, row two starters Matt Strassheim and heat one victor Logan Duffy waged an intense back and forth battle for third. Callahan caught slower traffic just before the halfway mark, and although Seeman kept the leader in sight, he was not able to get close enough to mount a serious challenge. Duffy, the youngster from Independence, was able to clear Strassheim in traffic even as Tommy Elston joined the battle for third through fifth. Again it was a non stop event, with Callahan cruising to the win. Seeman ran all twenty five laps in second, crossing the line ahead of Duffy, Elston, and Strassheim. Dustin Griffin moved up four spots to finish sixth in front of Nick Marolf, heat three winner Dave Eckrich, Mark Burgtorf, and week one winner Denny Woodworth.

    The string of consecutive green flag laps came to an end on lap one of the twenty two car eighteen lap sport mod feature. Third starting Brandon Lambert took the early lead, as row five starter Austen Becerra charged through the field. His gains were negated by the caution, and he was shuffled back a bit as racing resumed. Again he powered towards the front, but a lap four caution slowed his momentum. Back under green, it was Nicholas Profeta taking the high line to the lead, with Becerra now in fourth. Two laps later, Becerra moved to third, then to second in another pair of circuits. With seven laps remaining on the scoreboard, he executed a slide job off turn two for the lead. A quick yellow came as Lambert spun out of the third position, rejoining the back of the pack. Tom Bowling Jr. grabbed the runner up slot as Becerra began to stretch his advantage. The final stoppage of the race was brutal, as a multi car pile up on the front straightaway resulted in John Renier braking for a slowing car and being hit hard while flipping his #113 machine. Renier walked away from the grinding crash, but his car suffered heavy damage. As the field realigned, Becerra had a right front wheel pointing at an odd angle, and it looked doubtful that his steering would survive the remaining six laps. Although he had obvious issues, particularly in turns three and four, the #22 held together for his second win in two weeks at LCS. Bowling Jr. got close, but settled for second while A J Tournear was strong in third. Josh Holtman held off Jim Gillenwater to round out the first five.

   It would be sixteen laps for the stock cars, but it only took two for John Oliver Jr. to grab the lead from Jeremy Pundt. The week one runner up traded places with week one winner Jason Cook. Oliver opened a nice sized lead, pounding the cushion in turns three and four while hugging the low line at the other end of the track. Cook changed lines searching for more speed, but settled for second in another non stop event. Birthday boy Beau Taylor also cat fished around the bottom of the track in third while Chris Wibbell operated one lane higher. Wibbell was able to take the spot on the final lap, while Pundt came home in fifth.

   All sixteen modifieds lined up for twenty two laps to complete the program. The "Gas Man" Cayden Carter redrew the pole position, led lap one and never relinquished the spot. Ethan Braaksma slipped around outside pole sitter Jeff Waterman for second ahead of the first of two yellow flags. Michael Long fell out of his heat race, putting him eleventh on the grid, but he charged to fourth on the restart, then to third on lap three. A lap five caution negated his move to second, but he put a slider on the leader in turn two before being crossed back over by Carter. The race was then red flagged for a medical emergency in the pits. On the restart, Long was shuffled back several spots. Meanwhile Carter was leading the pack on the high line around the D shaped oval. As Carter caught slower traffic, a three car battle developed for second. With six laps to go, third running Dennis Laveine slid high, with Long grabbing the spot on the slick track. Braaksma tried to close as the laps wound down, but Carter remained in command. for the win. Chris Zogg completed the top five.

   Lee County will be back in action next Friday, with the next installment of the Drive For Five on May 14. 

   Thanks to Brian, Marcie, and the staff for a fun Friday night. I apologize for this report being later than usual, but we are having provider issues with out internet service this weekend.