Lee County Crowns Champs, Elston Tops Drive For Five

    After yet another rain out, Saturday was season championship night at Lee County Speedway. Although the points chase is wrapping up early, there are still several more races scheduled, culminating with the highly popular Shiverfest near the end of October. All six regular regular divisions were in action on this very warm summer evening. The Late Model championship was rolled into the Drive for Five 50 lap finale. In a somewhat complicated scenario, the points season wrapped up as the checkered flag signaled the end of the first twenty five lap segment of the feature.Then another twenty five laps would determine the Drive for Five champion. Got it?

   Just five drivers had enough nights to qualify for the top prize of $5,000 for the Late Model headliner, Darin Weisinger Jr., Jason Oenning, Tommy Elston, Jackson Frankel and Spencer Havermale. If none of those five took the checkers, the payoff would still be a tidy $2,000.

   For the championship, Weisinger Jr. had already claimed his first Late Model track title come feature time. 

   Although the Late Model headliner ran last, we will talk about it first. Thirteen cars signed in, unfortunately Havermale was a no show after breaking in his heat race. Elston and Weisinger lined up in row one, with Tommy jumping quickly to the lead. The only caution of the race came with one lap in the books as Kruze Miles looped his ride and kicked a ute tire onto the surface. Back to racing Elston opened a bit of a lead while Denny Woodworth and Weisinger Jr. also ran unchallenged in pursuit. Austen Becerra worked through the field, clearing Weisinger on lap sixteen. The high temperatures were likely the cause of the heavy attrition, and as the stoppage came at lap twenty five only seven cars remained on the track. Following a fifteen minute break for minor adjustments Rickey Frankel III retired, leaving just six drivers for the final segment. Back under green Elston hugged the inside line while Woodworth challenged briefly working a higher line, but #54 was the class of the field on this night. With ten circuits remaining Becerra moved to the rear bumper of Woodworth, taking the runner up position two laps later. With just a pair of laps to go Becerra was ready to make a move for the lead, but Elston held on to claim the $5,000 prize. Becerra finished second ahead of Woodworth. Jason Oenning won a spirited second half battle with Weisinger for fourth and Frankie Wellman rounded out the pack in sixth. Frankel III, Tanner Klingele in his Late Model debut, Benet Duesterhaus, and Kruze Miles completed the top ten.

   The first feature of the night was fifteen Sport Mods for fifteen laps. Tyler Heckart paced the first two laps with Kyler Girard pulling even as lap three was scored. Moving to the lead, third starting Girard pulled away ahead of a lap five caution. Back under green, Brandon Dale used the Delaware Style restart to power to second followed by Logan Cumby and Dakota Girard as Heckart faded to fifth. Cumby was able to use a low side move to second on lap ten, then began to narrow the gap to the leader. The yellow flag waved again with four to go, and Cumby resumed working hard to try and overtake Girard. Just as the white flag was displayed, the yellow light came on for a final time, setting up a green, white, checkers shootout. Kyler got a solid restart and cruised to the win, while Dale was able to clear Cumby on the closing lap for second. Dakota Girard started and finished fourth, while Cole Gillenwater gained three positions in fifth. Cumby was the points champion.

   All sixteen Stock Cars made the call for twenty laps. Derrick Agee took off from outside row one followed closely by David McCalla. Three laps in McCalla lost the handle in turn two, stacking up several cars and eliminating Austin O'Donnell. Agee paced the restart while Matt Picray and Jason See battled for second before See suddenly ducked to the infield. Johnny Spaw then took up the chase in second, although by this time Agee had opened a huge advantage. Kirk Kinsley had lined up in row four, and he jumped to third on lap seven. With no further cautions, Agee cruised to the win, with Johnny Spaw and Kinsley next in line. Picray topped a tight battle for fourth over Bronson Spaw, a rebounding McCalla and Jathan Fuller. Kevin Koontz finished eighth, good enough for the track title. 

   Sport Compacts were the lightest of the eighty three entries, with only nine cars on hand. Their fifteen laps went non stop, with Brandon Reu leading the distance. While Reu drove away, Kimberly Abbott, Michael Grossman and David Prim waged an entertaining battle for positions two through four. Grossman took control of the runner up spot at the half way mark, but Abbott fought back to claim second at the checkers. Prim rolled home fourth with Brandon Koch nosing out Katelynn Watts for fifth.  Reu won yet another track championship. 

   The Hobby Stock Title was on the line, with Jeremy Dooley leading Austin Stalder  by a single point come race time. But it was outside row one starter Tucker Richardson in control after an early three wide tussle with Harley Hill and Tom Killen Jr. Eventually it was Richardson and Killen driving away in a two car contest. Again the fifteen laps went non stop with Richardson claiming a narrow victory over Killen Jr. Stalder outran Dooley for third and Kyler Burmeister completed the top five. By virtue of their finish, Stalder and Dolley were declared co champions. 

   The outcome of the Modified title seemed in little doubt, although a late race event might have altered the order. Again sixteen cars lined up for twenty laps. Kurt Kile charged ahead from the pole, with Jared Eckrich in pursuit. By the third trip past the flag stand fifth starting Austen Becerra had powered to second, and two more laps were scored when he crossed the line side by side with Kile for the lead. Lap six saw the double duty Becerra in command. As he increased his advantage over Kile, a tight three car battle developed behind them between Jared and Jace Eckrich and Jaden Fuller. With just four laps remaining, the presumptive track champion, Jace Eckrich got crossed up exiting turn two and was briefly pointed towards the infield. Fortunately the rookie diver was able to "right the ship," only losing two spots as opposed to a potentially disastrous trip to the tail of the field. Owing to the tremendously good condition of the three eighths mile oval, this was yet another non stop feature. Becerra cruised to the win followed by Kile, Jared and Jace and Fuller. As mentioned Jace Eckrich drove the Flyin' 50 to the track title. 

   The final checkers waved about 10:30 with a twenty minute fireworks show following. Lee County will be in action next Friday night with the rained out Lee County Fair Sprint Invader contest on tap followed by a Night of Mayhem on Saturday. Check the track website for details.  

   Quincy Raceways will be in action tonight, Sunday August 17, however hot laps have been pushed back to 7:00 P.M. in an effort to counteract the heat. Hope to see you there! 

A Night of Mayhem at Quincy Raceways

    For the first time in nearly a month, Quincy Raceways came alive on Sunday night. For the rescheduling of the rained out Quincy Auto Supply event, a huge crowd turned out on a beautiful fall like evening. In addition, a nice field of seventy one race teams signed in to do battle. The track was ready to go in near perfect condition, with hot laps/qualifying kicking off right the 5;30 advertised time. 

   The racing took an interesting turn early when UMP Pro Crate Late Model National points leader Denny Woodworth could not keep his car running to record a qualifying time trial, which would relegate him to the back of his heat race. Meanwhile, it was Jamie Wilson topping the fourteen car field with a lap of 14.436 seconds, while Success, Mississippi hot shoe Chase Holland bested a dozen UMP Modifieds at 14.518 seconds.First time visitor Tyler Brown smacked the wall in his sharp looking #2 Modified, bringing his night to an early end. 

   Ten heat races clicked off quickly, and following a timely intermission we seemed on track for a quick program. And then... 

   Crown Vics were up first in the feature order, eleven strong for a dozen laps. Dakota Damron would lead the first half of the race, surviving one yellow flag before Jacob Jones moved to the front on lap six. Just as Jones took over, a second and final yellow came when rim riding Braxton Dieker smacked the turn three concrete, ripping off a wheel and also putting a hole in his radiator. Following a rather lengthy delay for clean up, tenth starting Jake Etter came roaring through the pack, taking over the runner up position on lap nine. That was as far as the track points leader could go, as Jones drove on for the win. Damron, Alex Hatfield and Isaac Little also collected top fives.

   Nine of the eleven DirtCar 4 Cylinders were able to line up for fifteen laps. This race ran non stop, with third starting Spencer Coats leading from start to finish. Jay Kunce chased the #7C after moving to second on lap three, but was unable to mount a serious challenge. Matthew Mackey and Dyllan Bonk came next. Landon Neisen was a late arrival after competing in the $100,000 to win event at Kokomo, Indiana, and he rolled home in fifth. 

   The program was still moving along rather quickly as the Late Models came to the track. Darin Weisinger Jr. paced lap one before his front row mate Jamie Wilson edged ahead on lap two ahead of a yellow flag for Frankie Wellman. Jason Oenning took advantage of the Delaware Style restart to drive to second, and another caution came with four scored for Rickey Frankel III. With his issues fixed, sixth starting Woodworth was on the move, powering to third on lap six. A third stoppage came at lap nine for a slowing Bill Berghaus, and on the restart disaster struck! Second generation rookie Aiden Perry may have contacted the concrete in turn two, vaulting high in the air, clearing the wall and landing on the pit road gravel. All I saw was the car high above the wall as he then disappeared from sight. After a while it was determined that Perry would not need the quickly on the scene EMT's. Unfortunately, the Kryptonite #27 was not as fortunate as the driver. Following cleanup Woodworth outran teammate Oenning from the Delaware start to take over second. Three more times the yellow flag would fly before staying green for the final five circuits. Woodworth would make several attempts at Wilson, and as they came to the white flag Denny made the winning pass. It would be the second victory in two nights for the Late Model Lawyer. Wilson would settle for second. Oenning, Christian Miles, Jackson Frankel, Weisinger Jr. and Kruze Miles would survive the carnage, while Spencer Havermale, Ryan Aden Jr. and Jeffery Delonjay would be credited with top tens. 

   As it turned out, I would have plenty of time to check on the Perry team during the Modified twenty lapper. First heat winner Dave Weitholder jumped to the early lead ahead of Holland, with the first caution two laps in. Back to racing, double duty Jacob Rexing charged from third to the lead before Weitholder regained the position ahead of a lap three stoppage. The green flag again waved, and exiting turn two Weitholder suddenly appeared to lose power, creating a pile up of epic proportions. In total five cars were eliminated, with Justin Reed perhaps receiving the worst damage. The #B4 was hit multiple times while sideways and knocked perpendicular to the track, nearly going upside down. As might be expected the clean up was quite a lengthy one, although again thankfully the medical team was not needed. Only five cars remained when racing resumed, with the yellow flag waving one more time. Rexing was now the leader as Holland stayed in his shadow. Finally with three laps to go Holland used a diamond move off turn and gained enough momentum to drive past Rexing for the lead and the win. Shawn Deering and Michael Vanderiet Jr. were the only other survivors, with rookie Jonoth Nelson credited with fifth. 

   Only six cars started the Street Stock fifteen lap feature, and order was restored for a bit as this race went non stop. Levi Long set the early pace while Rexing moved past Chris Spalding for second on lap four. On the next trip around Rexing moved to the front as Long, Spalding and Jake Powers ran side by side and nose to tail for second. Rexing would pull well ahead, cruising to the win. Long made a white flag pass of Powers for second, as only those three remained at the checkers. Spalding and Rudy Zaragoza received credit for fourth and fifth. 

   B Mods had the top car count at sixteen, and they all came to the track for twenty laps. Tanner Klingele led A. J. Tournear early, with Reed Wolfmeyer using a Delaware restart to power to second.  The lead duo raced in tight formation before Klingele finally managed to break away. But as the race stayed green, Tanner caught slower traffic near the mid point allowing Wolfmeyer to close the gap. With just three laps remaining Klingele was caught behind a slower car while Reed was able to thread the needle to take over the lead. The yellow flag then waved and it was determined that Wolfmeyer was in fact the leader. The final restart was single file, and Wolfmeyer drove home to the win. Klingele came next, with Bobby Anders third in a Dave Weitholder #05. Double duty Spalding and Tournear also recorded top fives. 

   Even with the considerable carnage, the well run program still wrapped up just after 9:30. Thanks to the QR team for their hospitality. A couple of important notes, although the schedule shows no racing next Sunday, August 10, the decision was made to host a non points event with the six regular classes. I am sure the unusual number of rain outs made this an easy call. And in case you missed it, the call has also been made to switch to weekly Friday racing in 2026 with Sundays being a rain date. 

"New Generation" Shines at LCS

      With Mother Nature finally deciding to cooperate, promoter Neal Kohlmorgan was able to get the Lee County Speedway ready for racing on Saturday. Incredibly this would already be the final Drive for Five qualifier for the UMP Pro Crate Late Models, with $1,000 on the line for the feature winner. The five other regular weekly classes filled out the card on an evening that felt more like late September than early August. Toys for Tots would be the beneficiary of the program, with an unwrapped toy able to be swapped for free admission at the spectator gate. 

    The three eighths mile D shaped oval was in top racing condition for the 73 race teams that rolled through the pit gate, including a handful of late arrivals. With racing action sparse everywhere in the month of July, there was an interesting mix of drivers, old and new that came to race this Saturday. 

   In addition to the late arriving drivers, the average sized crowd was slow to fill in, and with hot laps complete and racing actually kicking off a few minutes before 6:30, some folks missed more than a handful of qualifiers.

   Aided by the always appreciated "one and done" rule, the eleven preliminary events clicked off in timely fashion, with just a short break leading us into feature racing.  

   Late Models were first on the card all evening, and come feature time all eleven lined up for twenty five laps. Polesitter Spencer Havermale paced the opening pair of laps before his row one mate Denny Woodworth moved to the front on lap three. Early contact between Jackson Frankel and Christian Miles left Miles with a flat left rear tire with both drivers out of the event. While Woodworth opened a commanding lead, Havermale and track points leader Darin Weisinger Jr. battled hard for second. Second generation Weisinger finally completed the pass for the runner up spot with eleven laps remaining, but by now Woodworth had more than a straightaway advantage. In the closing laps Denny came upon a gaggle of cars racing for position causing his lead to shrink a bit, but with zero yellow flags he cruised to victory. Weisinger Jr. and Havemale followed while Kruze Mile topped a tight battle with Tommy Elston to round out the first five. First year Late Model racer Frankie Wellman ran sixth ahead of Jason Oenning and Jeff Dotzert. The Frankel cousins, Rickey III and Jackson were credited with ninth and tenth. Woodworth is currently the UMP Pro Crate Western division and National Points leader.

   Fifteen Stock Cars signed in to do battle for twenty laps. Shane Richardson led a tight pack early with Dave McCalla nipping at his heels. On lap four Beau Taylor jumped to the runner up spot taking along Derrick Agee in third. The caution fest started at lap six, with the action stopped a total of five times, quite unexpected for the usually well behaved Stockers. Following the first yellow flag, Agee used the Delaware restart to climb to second, then began to hound Richardson for the lead. Those two swapped the position through the mid point of the event while seventh starting Nathan Wood worked his way to third. Six laps from the checkers Wood used a high side move to power from third to the lead, negated by a final caution. With five laps left on the board Wood muscled his way to the front, then held on for the win. Agee won a close duel with Richardson for second. Fourth running Taylor contacted the guardrail in the closing laps, ending his run, with McCalla and Matt Picray completing the top five. 

   Starter Kevin Eggleston continued to risk carpel tunnel as all twenty one Sport Mods raced in spurts for fifteen circuits. Again five times the yellow flag waved during the fifteen lap skirmish. Although he gave up the lead a couple of times, those passes were called back and I believe Kyler Girard was scored in first for each official lap. Adam Birck was the early challenger before heading to the infield while running in third with four laps to go. Logan Cumby took up the chase using the top side while Girard hugged the tires down low. The field went single file after caution number four and Cumby eased ahead with two circuits left before a final caution restored Girard to the top spot. The #00 stayed out front for the final two times around, giving Girard the hard fought win as Cumby settled for second. Cody Agee finished where he started in third as did Colton Livezey in fourth. Tyler Heckart advanced five positions to round out the top five. 

   Both the Sport Compacts and Hobby Stocks were short on cars, with only one heat for each. Five cars took the feature green for the Compacts, with all fifteen laps going caution free. Brandon Reu shot to the early lead and paced the field throughout. Luke Fraise stayed within striking distance, but could never close the gap enough to make a move. Kimberly Abbott worked her way around Blaine Lambert for third, while Christopher Harding came home in fifth.  

   Seven Hobby Stocks also ran a non stop fifteen circuits. Austin Stalder took the point at the green while Tom Killen Jr. and Tucker Richardson battled side by side for second. Killen was able to break free, and he grabbed the lead on lap four. One lap later Richardson also cleared Stalder as the front three pulled well away from the rest of the field. For several laps Richardson tried to put the nose of his #28 inside of the leader, but to no avail. As the laps wound down, Killen gained a bit of separation and Richardson soon had to contend with a charging Stalder. Killen Jr. made the long drive from Des Moines a successful one with the victory. Richardson held off Stalder for a runner up finish while Jeremy Dooley and Brayden Wood rounded out the first five. 

   It took until the final feature for the title of this recap to write itself. All fourteen Modifieds lined up for twenty laps. Dakota Simmons grabbed the lead from the pole position with fourth starting Adam Eckrich in second. As Simmons stretched his advantage, third starting Jace Eckrich moved to second on lap five. It took just one more time around and Jace was up to challenge Simmons for the top spot. As those two raced ahead of the pack, Jace made his move to the front on lap ten. Simmons stayed on the bumper of #50 as the laps wound down. Fifteen laps in, third running Blaine Webster suddenly lost the handle on his #7, bringing out the only yellow flag. On the restart Jace Eckrich drove off to the win. But in my mind, the story of this race was three of the next generation of the dirt track famous Eckrich family finishing in the top five! Simmons held second with Adam Eckrich in the #151 in third. Jordon Walker made a late pass to claim fourth over the #58 of Jared Eckrich in fifth. While brothers Dave, Denny and Andy Eckrich continue to carve out wins around the mid west, it looks like an upcoming generation of Eckrichs are preparing to carry on a proud family tradition!

   A satisfying night of racing concluded at about 9:30. Lee County Speedway will present the final night of track points next Saturday, with the Drive for Five finale on August 16 before heading to their "post season" schedule. 

   This beautiful Sunday has us anxious to get back to Quincy Raceways tonight with the heat and rain cancellations hopefully just bad memories going forward. 

 

 

This 'N' That

     So far today it has not rained here in Canton, so it must not be a race night! At this rate, I am on track for my fewest races covered since a medical procedure and that doggone virus wiped out a fair portion of the 2020 season.

    Scrolling through Facebook today it was interesting to see some folks bemoaning the fact that there were multiple races this evening in eastern Iowa as multiple county fairs are going on. I do applaud those who wish to attend as many races as possible rather than watching from the recliner, however in lieu of a workable solution, I hope everyone considers themselves lucky to be at the track. The particular bone of contention this week appears to be that Maquoketa and Dubuque are both racing tonight with Dubuque apparently having switched from a Thursday night event in the past. Given that promoters or race directors or whoever is likely at the mercy of their respective fairboard I would not expect much to change. Just a guess, but I am betting that both tracks will be well attended, and looking at My Race Pass, it would seem there were enough cars for solid programs at both venues. In addition, it would seem there are simply not enough nights to go around. Tuesday night found fair racing in West Union, with Dubuque and Maquoketa ( and Oskaloosa!) tonight, then just down the road in Columbus Junction tomorrow! 

    If only we were so fortunate here in the my area. Perhaps week night racing is the way to go. After rain again washed out racing last weekend in the Tri State area where Iowa, Missouri and Illinois converge a couple of promoters have made some notable decisions. Lee County Speedway promoter Neal Kohlmorgan will take advantage of a scheduled night off (ironically for the county fair) for Quincy Raceways and will present Sunday night racing in Donnellson this week, July 27. Hot laps for the regular six divisions will begin early at 4:00 to hopefully get drivers and fans headed home early. In fairness to his regular racers, this will not be a points paying event. 

   And speaking of Quincy Raceways, after a half dozen or so Sunday night rain outs, track owners/promoters Jeff and Renee Delonjay have already made the announcement that 2026 will see the switch to full time Friday night racing with Sunday as a rain date, a move that had been considered for this season. Meanwhile QR will be back in action Sunday August 3, and the MARS Late Model show that was rained out last Sunday has been rescheduled for Sunday, September14, although the Summit Modifieds will not be on the card. 

   Both of these tracks, as well as 34 Raceways just up the road in West Burlington have had more than their share of weather related cancellations in 2025, so let's fill up those stands here and everywhere as the season enters the "Dog Days" of August! 

      

Fair Food and Close Racing at West Liberty

   Wednesday was race night at West Liberty Raceway as a highlight of the Muscatine County Fair. For the past couple of years the legendary high speed half mile has been silent except for this once a year event.  The 2025 edition was under the direction of the Davenport Speedway team of SR Promotions, headed by Jeff Struck. The Karl Chevrolet Pro Late Model Tour topped the bill with a $1,500 to win contest. IMCA Modifieds battled for a $1,000 top prize while IMCA Sport Mods raced for $500 to win. A non sanctioned Street Stocks/Stock Cars feature paid $600 thanks to an extra donation. Finally the Nostalgia Stock Car Series and Midwest Jalopies filled out the busy card. 

   An ominous forecast once again turned into a pleasant evening for racing, with just a bit too much humidity to call conditions perfect. As a result, the midway was bustling with people, and come race time the grandstands were packed from turn four all the way to turn one!

   Seventy five teams signed in to do battle, a nice turnout for a week night event, especially considering that there is no weekly racing at the facility. 

   It took a while to get the surface rolled in, but heat race action rolled off in fine fashion. Seventeen Late Models were divided into three qualifiers, and although Luke Pestka crossed the line first in heat one driving a Nick Marolf team car, he was scored last in the running order with no explanation given. Veteran Denny Eckrich captured the first of two Modified heats for the seventeen competitors, but he slowed dramatically as he took the checkers, with a puff of smoke behind his #50. He then scratched from the main event.  

   Intermission proved to be a lengthy one as track crews worked to widen the racing surface.

   Midwest Jalopies staged the opening feature, with Matt Fulton Sr. overtaking Austin Honts for the win in the ten lap affair. Tom Honts came home in third. 

   A dozen IMCA Sport Mods lined up for fifteen laps. Tim Plummer has dominated this class my last several visits to West Liberty, so when he redrew the outside pole position I was expecting to see the blue #66 in victory lane. Indeed, he shot to the front, pulling away quickly before the yellow flag waved with one lap scored. Nick Aupperle was sitting facing the wrong way in turn two, and as the field shuffled to avoid his stalled car, Jason Bear drove over his #5, getting upside down. After a delay. Bears' #?4U was finally towed away while Aupperle was able to make enough repairs to rejoin the pack. Once again Plummer pulled out to a nearly straightaway advantage while a great battle raged behind him for positions two through five. A final caution came with four laps to go, but Plummer again drove off to a convincing win. Trey Rock used this Delaware Style restart to grab second from Matt Fulton Jr., who then held off Jason Roth by inches for third. Shaun Slaughter completed the first five. In victory lane, Plummer stated how he prefers running the "big" tracks, saying this was his first race of 2025!

   Only nine of the twelve Street Stock/Stock Cars survived to race for fifteen circuits. Donnie Louck charged ahead from outside row one chased by Cary Brown and Johnny Spaw. About three laps in (the scoreboard was not operational), the lone yellow flag came out, and on the restart Brown took the inside, leaving the high line for Spaw. The veteran powered his #600 to the front as he and Louck pulled away in a two car duel. Behind those two, Brown, Matt Picray, Casey Shelliam and Keegan Wells battled for position. With five laps remaining, Shelliam saw his run end with a flat tire. In the closing laps, Spaw was able to increase his lead while Brown also gained separation in third. Spaw cruised to a popular win, with Louck second and Brown in third. Picray narrowly topped Wells for fourth. 

   The Late Model headliner was shortened by five laps to twenty, with all seventeen cars taking the green flag. Division rookie Dallon Murty rocketed from outside row two to take the lead down the long back stretch, with J.D. Auringer in pursuit. Six laps in the caution flag would fly as Scott Strauss slowed in front of the grandstands, turning into the pit area with fire showing in the engine compartment of his #34. Andy Eckrich was the fair race winner one year ago, started sixth on the grid, and lined up Delaware Style with seventh starting Nick Marolf behind the leader. Marolf was able to ease past Eckrich for second, but Murty had already opened a commanding lead. Marolf was only making small gains when Murty finally caught the tail of the field, with a gaggle of cars racing for position. Just as Marolf appeared ready to make his move, Murty was able to split a pair of slower cars and open a bit of breathing room. But Marolf surely had the faster car on this night, and running up close to the turns one and two barrier on the final lap, he used his momentum to charge to the front down the back straightaway. The thrilling finish found a very excited Marolf in victory lane. Murty held on for runner up honors while Eckrich raced home in third. Auringer and pole sitter C.J. Horn rounded out the top five. Brandon Hamburg was steady in sixth followed by Matt Ryan, National Dirt Hall of Famer Jeff Aikey in a #1X machine, Chase Brunscheen and Jess Bodin.

   With post race festivities complete, just six of the seven Nostalgia Late Models came to the track for ten laps. As the yellow flag waved, the clock passed 10:30, and with early calls for the three of us, we regretfully began the long distance walk to our parking place. Long time racer Bert McDaniel was leading the pack in the Curt Hansen #9 tribute Camaro as we made our way to the car, and a check of the results showed Bert picking up the win over Terry Matty in the Benny Hofer replica #50 and Dan Kessler in his #00. 

   Results for the IMCA Modified twenty lap finale show Spencer Diercks with the win from P2 over Kurt Kile, Chris Zogg, Eric Barnes and Mitch Way. 

   We have heard the rumblings before about the possibility of the big half mile track being shortened, and always take such talk with a grain of salt. But either way, the West Liberty RACEWAY holds a lot of memories, and I look forward to the next race there, whenever that may be.

   Plans for the upcoming weekend are to get back to Lee County Speedway on Saturday for another UMP Pro Late Model Drive for Five, and then Quincy Raceways on Sunday as the MARS Series comes to town featuring $5,000 to win for the Late Models and $2.000 for Modifieds. Don't forget to stop by and say "Hi!."

Becerra Triples Up, "Speedy Bray" and Oliver Jr. Hit Doubles at 34 Raceway

    Saturday night I found my way back to 34 Raceway near West Burlington, Iowa. On tap was the remaining features from last weeks' early rain out followed by a regular six division program. Only the 305 Sprint feature from the prior Saturday had been completed along with six laps of the IMCA Late Model main event. As there was extra money on the line for the rained out portion it was expected that most of the competitors would return for a crack at two paydays. Indeed, one hundred and sixteen cars filled the pit area, and even with a scheduled early start time, everyone settled in for a twenty seven race marathon! Around three inches of rain had fallen at the track on Friday night, so it was a minor miracle that track crews were even able to get the grounds in shape. In fact when I arrived at 4:30 tractors were working the pit area non stop to create parking spots. With a lot of hard work, the track stayed smooth and fast throughout the program. 

   Cars continued to roll through the pit gate right up until hot lap time, but things got going just a couple ticks after 6:00 under hot, sunny skies. 

  First up was the remaining nineteen laps of the rained out Late Model feature. Matt Ryan brought the returning eighteen cars to green. Three times the yellow flag would fly, but each time the "Worlds' Fastest Art Teacher" would drive off from his challengers. There was an interesting battle for second between Logan Veloz, Austen Becerra, and Jay Johnson, who crossed the stripe behind Ryan in that order while Evan Miller was close in fifth. Mark Burgtorf led the second five, topping Tommy Elston, Dustin Smith, Gary Webb and Sam Halstead. 

   Seventeen IMCA Sport Mods lined up for twenty laps.The caution flag waved numerous times even after a lap one pile up. Brayton Carter took command early, a good thing for him as this race actually hit the time limit around the mid point. Kevin Goben gained seven positions from his scheduled starting spot to take second ahead of twelfth starting Trey Rock, Ryan Reed and fifteenth starting A. J. Tournear.

   Next came IMCA Stock Cars, again seventeen starters for twenty laps. David Brandies and John Oliver Jr. battled at the front before Oliver took command on lap four. He slowly increased his advantage, cruising to the win. Brandies held on to second chased by double duty Brayton Carter in #7V, Corey Strothman and Jared Miller.  

   Nineteen IMCA Modifieds lined up for another twenty lapper. Charlie Mohr powered to the early lead with Andrew Hamburg close behind. Fourteenth on the original line up, another two division racer Becerra was on the move and with a bit of help from an early caution, he charged to the runner up spot on lap six. He then quickly ran down the leader, driving around Mohr on lap fourteen after a hard fought duel. Austen then pulled away for his first win of the night. Mohr came home second followed by Trevor Fitz and Denny Eckrich. Spencer Diercks used a last lap pass to advance from the tail of the field to round out the top five. 

   All fifteen IMCA Sport Compacts on hand started the make up twelve lap feature. Luke Fraise was the early leader before his #9 gave out, ending his run. A close back and forth battle then developed between Lukas Rick and Caleb Giese. Rick would prevail to pick up the win with Giese settling for second. Dyllan Bonk was strong in third, finishing ahead of Alex Hayes and Darin Smith. 

   Breaking up the feature action, the 305 Sprints had run their pair of heat races, and following the Compact make up track crews went to work tickling the racing surface while co promoter Jessi Mynatt entertained the sizable gathering with scavenger hunt games.  

   With the number of events on the docket, the plethora of caution flags and the track rework, I decided early to not be a clock watcher, but I know we were deep into the evening when the remainder of the regular race program began. Fourteen more heat races would be needed to set the feature lineups, and during that action the 305 Sprints came to the track for their fifteen lap feature. Only nine of the eleven cars on hand made the call. Following some first lap hanky panky, row two was moved up to take the green flag. McCain Richards grabbed the initial lead, battling hard with Riley Scott. Meanwhile John Barnard, Sherman, Il. lurked in third. Back to racing after a lap five caution Barnard shot to the lead after restarting in third, taking along Tanner Gebhardt in second. Although Tanner continued to apply pressure in a two car scrum, the race belonged to Barnart. Scott drove a steady race to grab third ahead of Richards and Lincoln Martin. Barnard had come from row three while Gebhardt lined up ninth. 

   Following completion of the heats it was back to feature action. Now twenty of the Sport Mods on hand would try again to run twenty laps. Sadly, the result was only marginally better than the first attempt. At least a half dozen yellow flags somewhat spoiled what was a great race up front. On the third try at a start, Levi Laymon grabbed the lead, battling with Jarrett VanDenBerg. Jarrett would move ahead on lap three only to have Levi take it back one lap later. On the fifth circuit seventh starting Sean Wyett cleared VanDenBerg for second. Another pair of caution periods followed, and now the field was lined up single file. Wyett powered to the lead, then tucked into the low groove along with his two pursuers. Brayton Carter had started in row five, was now up to fourth, and decided to try the high side. Bingo! He rocketed to third on lap seven, then dove low to move to the runner up spot on lap eight. Again the caution stopped the action one lap later, then back to racing Carter went downstairs to grab the lead on lap eleven. Wyett fought back with a successful slide job on lap twelve to regain the top spot, but Carter then muscled his way back to the front ahead of a final yellow flag period during which Wyett appeared to express some displeasure with the proceedings. With a final green flag, Carter drove off for win number two on the night. Wyett held second while Kevin Goben added a third place finish to his earlier runner up after starting in row six. Cole Stichter advanced six positions to fourth, and A.J. Tournear made it a pair of fifths for the #14AJ.

   I will now confess that I had been peeking at the time on my cell phone, and it was now not only past my loosely self imposed curfew of 11:30, but Saturday night had turned into Sunday morning. But all except Josh Schneiderman of the two dozen Late Models were lined up for twenty five laps, too good to resist! Seventy six year old National Dirt Hall of Famer Gary Webb and twenty five year old Evan Miller filled out row one, with Miller jumping out front of a very busy Austen Becerra, Webb and Jay Johnson. Miller opened a nice lead before a lap four caution for debris. Following the restart, the caution waved as Dustin Smith rolled to a stop in turn two in a cloud of smoke, and at the same time a multi car pileup occurred between turns three and four. It took a bit to detach the cars of Jeremy Pundt and Chris Zogg, then back to racing Miller and Becerra drove off in a two car battle while Logan Veloz and Matt Ryan moved to the next two spots. Things were about to get interesting as Miller caught the tail of the field, but the yellow waved for a final time on lap eleven. The lineup was set single file, and Veloz and Ryan both slipped around Becerra. Now it was Veloz pressuring the leader while Becerra and Ryan battled close behind. As Carter had done the race prior, Becerra now moved to the top, clearing Ryan for third. Slower traffic came into play on lap eighteen, and absolutely "ripping the lip," Austen drove around Veloz and closed quickly on Miller, finally making the winning pass in thrilling fashion three laps from the checkers. He continued to drive off into the night, scoring his second win in three tries. Miller came home second and I must have been really tired, because I apparently missed some closing lap action! Ray Raker was third at the line followed by Curtis Glover and Jay Johnson. Cruz Birkhofer struggled early in the night, but advanced fourteen positions to come home sixth in front of Webb, Tommy Elston, Sam Halstead and twenty first starting Brandon Hamburg. Veloz and Ryan fell to thirteenth and fourteenth in the running order. 

   There were three features still to run, but it was a couple minutes ahead of 12:30, and this old timer was gassed with a seventy five minute solo drive ahead! With a hat tip to My Race Pass, congratulations to John Oliver Jr., yet another double duty driver, on his Stock Car win, and to Becerra, who collected three firsts by sweeping the Modified main events to go with his Late Model checkers! And also to Luke Fraise, who rebounded from a DNF to grab the regular Compact main. 

   A special thanks to Brad, Jessi and their crew, who not only had a quick turnaround from a great Thursday show, but for putting in the extra work thumbing their nose at the weather and delivering another excellent racing surface with lots of action. 

   After a very short night and early church, it feels like nap time, then hopefully the skies clear so I can land in my regular perch tonight at Quincy Raceways. Hope to see you there! 

   Update: Quincy Raceways rained out Sunday, July 13. Next up is a visit by the MARS series on Sunday, July20. 

Alberson Wins a Thriller at 34 Raceway

    Thursday night we journeyed north to 34 Raceway near West Burlington, Iowa for their annual Lucas Oil Late Model Series event sponsored in part by Denny Woodworth, Attorney at Law. The stars of the traveling series came in pursuit of championship points and a $15,000 winners' check. Keeping in mind that this was a week night show, track owners/promoters Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatt wisely scheduled just a pair of additional classes to fill out the program. One of their regular weekly divisions, IMCA Modifieds chased a $1,000 payday, while another "part time" class, Mini Hauler Trucks competed for $200 to win. 

   It was a beautiful July day that greeted the drivers and the large group of fans to the high banked three eighths mile speed plant. At the same time, storms were rolling across central Iowa, victimizing another special event in Tipton. And as several IMCA Modified drivers hustled the one and a half hours from there to West Burlington, a pesky sprinkle brought a temporary halt to the action at 34. Hot laps had been completed and six of the twenty seven Super Late Models had made their time trial run before the drizzle became to much to continue. It took about thirty minutes for action to resume, and officials decided to start from scratch. A quick round of hot laps and then Late Model qualifying began from the beginning on what was a lightning fast racing surface. In fact the 14.683 fast lap by Tyler Bruening was almost a half second faster than the quick time turned in during the Slocum 50 weekend in April. 

   If you are a regular reader of my ramblings (Thank you!), you know that I am not a fan of the time 'em and start the fast cars up front in the heat races. But as my science teachers stated many years ago, there will be exceptions that prove the rule. And Thursday night was the exception! In heat race one it was third starting Garrett Alberson pulling out to a dominant win while his row two mate Brandon Sheppard won a hard fought battle with Chris Simpson for second. Fast timer Bruening suffered a flat tire on lap three, rejoined the tail of the field, but could not crack the qualifying top six in the remaining five laps. Multiple lead changes were featured in heat two before series points leader Ricky Thornton Jr. claimed victory after lining up in fourth. Amazingly this eight lapper included the top four in Lucas Oil series points in the top four finishing spots, with the winner followed by Devin Moran, Jonathon Davenport and Hudson Oneal. The final qualifier was captured by pole sitter Carson Ferguson only after a tight battle with his row one partner Brandon Overton. 

   With Missouri youngster Kayden Clatt dropping out of heat three and scratching for the remainder of the program, track promoters elected the increase the feature starting field to twenty six, so the B Main was dropped. 

   Following a brief intermission all but two of the fifteen Mini Haulers lined up for twelve trips around the high banked three eighths mile oval. The only caution period came on the opening start when Brett Timmerman looped his machine in turns three and four. On the original restart, pole sitter Brian Tipps shot to the front chased by Caleb Ealey. Just before the half way mark Ealey went above the cushion exiting turn two, falling back to sixth before he could recover. Tipps was sailing around the speedway, catching a group of trucks racing for position on lap ten. But the veteran had no trouble weaving through the traffic, cruising to the win to go along with his heat race win. Payton Lain took runner up honors ahead of Timmerman, Darin Ronner and Lyle Timmerman. Sixth finishing Ealy was the other heat race winner.  

   It would now be fifty laps for the headline class. Alberson and Thornton Jr. would fill out row one, with Garrett putting his #58 out front. Five times the yellow flag would fly in the first ten circuits, the worst coming with four laps scored, ending the night for Chris Simpson with Sheppard and Clay Stuckey also involved. Moran had now moved from row three to the second spot, and as racing resumed he was locked in a great battle with Thornton Jr. for the position. Fifteen laps in Thornton apparently blew a tire, contacting the turn three concrete. He was able to make quick repairs, but reentered the track about a half lap behind the field as Overton used the high line to take second on this restart. As the race stayed green and failing to gain much ground, Thornton spun in turn two, now rejoining the pack at the tail. As Alberson continued to lead, Moran powered to second. Around the mid point of the event, the fast line seemed to switch to the treacherous top groove, and there was much back and forth race going on throughout the field. Alberson would finally catch the tail of the pack , but the yellow flag would again fly thirty laps in as Moran suffered a flat tire while running second. After pacing the field for thirty five circuits, Alberson suddenly saw Overton charge around using that fast high line. A final caution came with eleven laps to go when Thornton again slowed between turns three and four and was hit hard by Daulton Wilson. This would end the night for the #20RT. Oneal charged to second on the restart while Overton appeared to be on cruise control, opening a nice lead. But as they raced each other hard, Oneal and Alberson all of a sudden were closing on the leader, and with three laps to go Oneal took a look down low, Overton moved to block and Alberson, who had spent much of the race running a lower line, came roaring past on the high side! With the excited grandstand on their collective feet, Alberson took the checkers for his first series win of 2025. Oneal also slipped around Overton for second, with Davenport and the steady Ferguson also recording top fives. Chad Simpson used his somewhat under powered crate engine to work from row eight to a sixth place finish ahead of Daniel Hilsabeck, twenty second starting Bruening, and rebounding Sheppard and Moran. With Thornton scored in twentieth, Davenport now becomes the points leader as the series heads to Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri for two nights of action Friday and Saturday. I would have to agree with announcers James Essex and Dustin Jarrett that this fifty lapper is a candidate for "Race of the Year!"

   With such an outstanding Late Model race and with the track still looking plenty racy, we eagerly anticipated more of the same from the stacked eighteen car Modified field. But for whatever reason, it simply did not happen. The twenty lap finale went caution free with minimal passing. In fact, the top four would finish exactly as they lined up, running in formation. In  the early laps Austen Becerra and Trevor Fitz staged a tight battle for second before Becerra finally broke free. Pole sitter Tripp Gaylord cruised to the win. First heat winner Cayden Carter raced home in fourth while heat two victor Dylan Thornton charged from row five early before settling in fifth. Dakota Simmons and Eric Barnes, topped John Oliver Jr., who raced in the top five early before dropping back. Chris Zogg and Logan Anderson rounded out the top ten. 

   Even with the rain delay, racing was completed by 10:30. Thanks to Brad, Jessi and the Lucas Oil crew for a great night of mid week action. And a special thanks from my group to Denny and Jason.

   Tonight we look forward to a special Friday night program at Quincy Raceways, then a regular night of action plus make up features Saturday back at 34 Raceway.