Rickey Frankel picked up his first UMP super late model feature win of 2013 at Quincy Raceways on Sunday, and in doing so he kept an unusual streak going. After three nights of racing, there have been three checkered flags going to drivers who had never won a late model feature at the Broadway Bullring, following Jerry Lierly and Chad Simpson. A solid field of 20 late models signed in, with visitor Dewayne Kiefer, making the long haul from St. Genevieve,Mo setting quick time at 14.761 seconds. Kiefer rolled a " two " for the dash invert, setting up a front row with Lierly on the pole beside him. It was third starting Frankel, however, who powered through to take the win, putting him on the pole for the 30 lap finale. For the second straight week, the .29 mile oval was smooth, but lacking a cushion, and Rickey took off at the green and quickly moved to the low groove following two false starts. The first yellow before racing started saw Jim Moon from Mt Auburn,Il., a 2012 track regular,stopping on the track, dropping him from 12th to the back of the 20 car grid. After first time visitor Donnie Cisco III took a trip to the back, racing began. The caution flew again on lap three for Vance Wilson, and Lierly headed for the trailer. The action continued, but just as Frankel caught slower traffic on lap 17, the caution waved for Alan Westling. From there it was 13 green flag laps, and although Kiefer stuck the nose of his # 0 inside a few times, Rickey held on for the win. For his part, Kiefer has three regular season trips to QR, and has taken away one first and a pair of seconds. Mark Burgtorf started fourth and ran third much of the event, until Moon, the only car doing much passing, nipped him at the checkers for third. Justin Reed fell back early, but recovered to run fifth at the checkers.
Steven Delonjay continued his hot streak in the UMP modified class, setting fast time, capturing the dash, and the 25 lap finale. Michael Long chased the second generation champion to the checkers, with Shawn Deering climbing to third. Top contender Dave Weitholder ran several laps with a flat tire, pitted on a yellow and came back to run eighth.
The IMCA stock car class was 12 strong, and had an unusually wild and wooly feature with an unusual amount of bumping and banging. Abe Huls picked up the win over Jake Powers, Beau Taylor and Brandon Savage. Things got started off in interesting fashion when Steve Carlin had his steering wheel come off on the start.
Bobbby Anders topped a field of 13 IMCA Sport Mods, although Tony Dunker used a bag of tricks to try and slide by. Bobby was up to the task in in entertaing 20 lapper.
For the second consecutive week, the IMCA Sport Compact pole sitter failed to make the feature call, as Laine VanZandt was a scratch. Only nine of the 11cars took the green. Skip Dunker was on his way to a second straight win when the yellow waved on lap tenm setting up a green, white , checkers finish. On the restart, Austen Becerra charged past for the win, with Craig Bangert in third. Fourth place went to Kimberly Abbott, the only other car running at the end.
Sunday was my only race of the weekend, as a family wedding filled Saturday night.
It was only after last weeks posting that I learned that Jimmy Owens had the NDRL win at I-55 Raceway in Pevely,Mo. taken away after his tires were sent off for inspection. This gave the big check to Brian Birkhofer, and was the second such occurrence in the midwest already in 2013. Certainly makes good internet message board fodder!
Although it is warm and dry as I type this, the upcoming weekend does not sound promising. Hopefully we will be able to find some action somewhere Down the Road!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Monday, April 22, 2013
Chad Simpson Shows the Way While Bad Luck Bites Brother Chris
Once again Mother Nature offered up an overwhelming challenge, but the hard working folks at 34 Raceway and Quincy Raceways were up to the task at hand. A betting man would have needed long odds on Thursday to bet on the ALMS/MARS Cornbelt Clash late model shows taking place at the two Tri State area venues this weekend, as both towns received more than three inches of rain on Wednesday and Wednesday night. But we were assured that both tracks would do whatever it took, and a peek of sun and a strong breeze aided the drying, with tracks, pits, and even parking lots were in good shape. The race drivers responded well, with 44 super late models checking in at 34, and a solid field of 33 at Quincy. One reason I was so looking forward to these shows was the chance to see drivers compete against drivers they normally don't run with, at least on a regular basis. The 3/8 mile West Burlington oval was super fast, especially around the top side, and with my personal favorite, passing points, used for feature qualifying, the five heat races were outstanding. even so, passing points does create some oddities, especially with only the top 16 making the show. For example, the top four moved on in heats four and five, while only the top two advanced for heat two. Locals Jay Johnson and Mark Burgtorf, as well as defending MARS champion Jesse Stovall made the top six dash although they each finished third in their heat race. Two B-mains qualified four more entrants, and the only downer was the seven provisionals awarded to round out the 20 car starting field. Each sanction handed out two provisionals, and the track filled the final spot with race sponsor Denny Woodworth. Second generation ace Terry Phillips and central Illinois veteran Kevin Weaver sat on the front row of the 40 lap finale, and after a false start, Weaver took off. He held on through two caution periods before Iowan Chris Simpson took over on lap13. Two laps later, Burgtorf slowed with a blown engine, and the yellow waved again on lap 18. By now, 16 year old touring star Tyler Reddick, a native Californian now calling DuQuoin,Il home, had moved for the 26th starting spot to tenth. As the green waved, 15th starting Chad Simpson, the defending Cornbelt champ, powered to third, and then quickly took the runnerup spot. As the race stayed green, Chad was unable to close the gap on brother Chris, but as the # 32 moved down the backstretch on lap 38, Chris suddenly drove to the infield with a broken axle. Chad the walked home to collect the $4,000 top prize. Stovall filled the second spot, while UMP national and Summernational champion Brian Shirley barely held off a hard charging Reddick for third. Polesitter Phillips held on for fifth.
The 305 sprints ran a marathon companion feature, with Donnie Steward prevailing over the 15 car field, while Michael Grossman collected the 4 cylinder win, as 29 of 30 entrants took the feature green.
Kudos to the team at 34 for giving us a place to race on a clod Saturday night.
Not everyone followed the tour south to Quincy Raceways for the Sunday show, but Nick and Doug Herrick continued the trip from Minnesota, and Pevely, Missouri regular Ron McQuerry was on hand as well. A half dozen cars that were not at 34 added to the mix, led by Shannon Babb, who has had a great deal of success in recent years at Quincy. Group time trial qualifying was used at QR, with overall fast time going to Chad Simpson with a lap of 14.637. While the racing surface developed a couple holes at 34, the .29 mile Quincy oval stayed smooth, although the lower groove was the fast way around for much of the evening. Four ten lap heat races set the first two rows for the 40 lap $3,000 to win finale, with Simpson and Brandon Sheppard on row one, and Babb and Reddick on row two. Sheppard had completed just a handful of laps on Saturday before losing a radiator, and in marked the third time I had watched the young standout this season fail to have a top ten run. I did not mention that to him, I don't need the " bad luck " handle!
As the green flag waved, a three car scrum ended the night for Brunson Behning, as he went pitside, came back out a failed to complete a lap. As racing got underway, it was Simpson to the lead, with Babb and Sheppard side by side for second. Jake Meier got the worst of a lap five mixup in front of him, and on the restart, Sheppard took command of the runner up spot. What followed was 35 laps of green flag racing, with Simpson encountering lapped traffic by lap 18. Unlike the week before at QR, the leader was able to negotiate the slowe cars, and took a flag to flag win to sweep the weekend. Sheppard held off Babb for second, Shirley turned in another good run in fourth, and defending QR point champ Jason Perry grabbed fifth. Stovall was challenging for that spot when he exited the track on lap 26. Again, each sanction handed out two provisionals, although the track did not give any. With 24 starters, this meant only 18 qualified on the track, but this is a by product of the multi sanctioning that makes shows like this possible. Woodworth was the only one of 33 not taking the track, as he had issues before qualifying began. Mindful of the travel time on a Sunday night, QR ran the late models first on the card, with the checkers waving before 8:30! The two support classes did not turn out good numbers on Sunday, but the 12 UMP modifieds still running ran a very entertaining feature. Fast qualifier Steven Delonjay and Michael Long sat on the front row, and Delonjay took the early lead before exiting to the infield on lap eight. From there, Long held off charges by first Robbie Reed and then Dave Weitholder for a had fought win. All but one of the 12 IMCA sport Compacts took the green in the 12 lap finale of the night. Defending champion Seith Woodruff had the pole start, but could not make the call. Gary Stephenson rolled his # 24 on lap one, but was uninjured. When things sorted out, Pat Dunker cruised to the win over Kimberly Abbott. " Skippy " as he is known, has three feature wins on the young season, one each at QR, 34, and Lee County Speedway!
One driver expected for the weekend who did not appear was Bloomington, Il hot shoe Jason Feger. The reason became more apparent today, as we learned Feger has been suspended from UMP events pending an appeal for alleged tire doctoring in a heat race at the Illini 100 a few weeks back. Pending the appeal, Jason has been stripped of his $20,000 win, and faces other penalties. I am sure we will be hearing more on this in the coming weeks, especially since the suspension, if upheld, may dip into the Summernationals schedule.
Former weekly late model racer Justin Jennings was in the pits Sunday, fresh off an 18th place finish in the Saturday NASCAR Craftsman Series truck race at Kansas Speedway. The # 56J the youngster wheeled at QR is now driven by Michael Long, although repairs to the late model could not be made in time for Sunday action, after Michael lost brakes on Saturday night.
Despite more wind and cool temps, it was another fun night at Quincy Raceways.
The 305 sprints ran a marathon companion feature, with Donnie Steward prevailing over the 15 car field, while Michael Grossman collected the 4 cylinder win, as 29 of 30 entrants took the feature green.
Kudos to the team at 34 for giving us a place to race on a clod Saturday night.
Not everyone followed the tour south to Quincy Raceways for the Sunday show, but Nick and Doug Herrick continued the trip from Minnesota, and Pevely, Missouri regular Ron McQuerry was on hand as well. A half dozen cars that were not at 34 added to the mix, led by Shannon Babb, who has had a great deal of success in recent years at Quincy. Group time trial qualifying was used at QR, with overall fast time going to Chad Simpson with a lap of 14.637. While the racing surface developed a couple holes at 34, the .29 mile Quincy oval stayed smooth, although the lower groove was the fast way around for much of the evening. Four ten lap heat races set the first two rows for the 40 lap $3,000 to win finale, with Simpson and Brandon Sheppard on row one, and Babb and Reddick on row two. Sheppard had completed just a handful of laps on Saturday before losing a radiator, and in marked the third time I had watched the young standout this season fail to have a top ten run. I did not mention that to him, I don't need the " bad luck " handle!
As the green flag waved, a three car scrum ended the night for Brunson Behning, as he went pitside, came back out a failed to complete a lap. As racing got underway, it was Simpson to the lead, with Babb and Sheppard side by side for second. Jake Meier got the worst of a lap five mixup in front of him, and on the restart, Sheppard took command of the runner up spot. What followed was 35 laps of green flag racing, with Simpson encountering lapped traffic by lap 18. Unlike the week before at QR, the leader was able to negotiate the slowe cars, and took a flag to flag win to sweep the weekend. Sheppard held off Babb for second, Shirley turned in another good run in fourth, and defending QR point champ Jason Perry grabbed fifth. Stovall was challenging for that spot when he exited the track on lap 26. Again, each sanction handed out two provisionals, although the track did not give any. With 24 starters, this meant only 18 qualified on the track, but this is a by product of the multi sanctioning that makes shows like this possible. Woodworth was the only one of 33 not taking the track, as he had issues before qualifying began. Mindful of the travel time on a Sunday night, QR ran the late models first on the card, with the checkers waving before 8:30! The two support classes did not turn out good numbers on Sunday, but the 12 UMP modifieds still running ran a very entertaining feature. Fast qualifier Steven Delonjay and Michael Long sat on the front row, and Delonjay took the early lead before exiting to the infield on lap eight. From there, Long held off charges by first Robbie Reed and then Dave Weitholder for a had fought win. All but one of the 12 IMCA sport Compacts took the green in the 12 lap finale of the night. Defending champion Seith Woodruff had the pole start, but could not make the call. Gary Stephenson rolled his # 24 on lap one, but was uninjured. When things sorted out, Pat Dunker cruised to the win over Kimberly Abbott. " Skippy " as he is known, has three feature wins on the young season, one each at QR, 34, and Lee County Speedway!
One driver expected for the weekend who did not appear was Bloomington, Il hot shoe Jason Feger. The reason became more apparent today, as we learned Feger has been suspended from UMP events pending an appeal for alleged tire doctoring in a heat race at the Illini 100 a few weeks back. Pending the appeal, Jason has been stripped of his $20,000 win, and faces other penalties. I am sure we will be hearing more on this in the coming weeks, especially since the suspension, if upheld, may dip into the Summernationals schedule.
Former weekly late model racer Justin Jennings was in the pits Sunday, fresh off an 18th place finish in the Saturday NASCAR Craftsman Series truck race at Kansas Speedway. The # 56J the youngster wheeled at QR is now driven by Michael Long, although repairs to the late model could not be made in time for Sunday action, after Michael lost brakes on Saturday night.
Despite more wind and cool temps, it was another fun night at Quincy Raceways.
Monday, April 15, 2013
My First Double Header of 2013
Despite a contrary weatherman, we somehow managed to get in back to back nights of racing for the first time in this young season. After rain spoiled the opening weekend of the new National Dirt Racing League and caused us to make the long drive to I-55 Raceway in Pevely,Mo., coming away with only a bit of bench racing, there was no way we were not going back for the reschedule. By the time I got off work and Keagan wrapped up his ACT test, Fred, Darryl, and our buddy Bill, back from the state of Washington were loaded up and ready. The sun was shining with 70 degree temps, and we were not sure how large the crowd would be, so we arrived at 3:00 to assure a good seat. As it turned out, the $35.00 ticket held the crowd down a bit, but there was still a nice gathering for the $20,000 to win, $1500 to start one day super late model show. 50 late models signed in , with a solid field of 40 plus open modifieds competing for a $2,000 top prize as the companion class. The series had kicked off the night before in Paducah,Ky., with former World of Outlaw late model champ Josh Richards besting defending Lucas Oil champ Jimmy Owens for the big prize. " Kid Rocket "
picked up where he left off by turning the 1/3 mile high banked oval at 13.457 seconds for quick time on the night. He stayed hot by taking the first heat over former teammate " Rocket Shepp " Brandon Sheppard. Eddie Carrier outran Austin Hubbard in Chad Stapletons # 32 in heat two, while Jimmy Mars topped local ace Tim Manville in heat three. Jason Feger held off Brian Birkhofer in heat four, and Dennis Erb Jr,took the checkers ahead of Bobby Pierce in heat five. The final ten lapper went to Billy Moyer over Owens. Jared Landers and Don Neal in the Moring Motorsports # 1 picked up B-main wins, and with a pair of provisionals, the 24 car field was set to go 75 laps. Mindful of the fact that only ten cars finished the race in Paducah, partly due to a rough track caused again by plenty of rain, track officials at Pevely " farmed the track several times during the night, including between the feature events. No one complained however, as the 24 car mod field laid down a lot of rubber. Modified track champion Mark Miner, a former late model ace in his own right, led the distance to take the top prize, although national standout Jason Krohn pushed him all the way, followed by Matt Mevert, Michael Long, and Rusty Griffaw.
With much fanfare and fireworks, the late model headliner was ready to go.
Billy Moyer has a long history of success at I-55, so when he drew the outside pole, it was no surprise that he shot to an early lead. The first caution came on lap nine, when Scott Bloomquist suffered rearend damage, ending his night. As the green waved, Moyer again set the pace, until Richards claimed the top spot on lap 23.Two laps late, Mars moved to second as Moyer began to fade. The caution waved for Brian Shirley at the half way mark, as Birkhofer joined the party in third. As the race resumed, 12th starting Owens found his groove on the bottom of the track. He climbed to third on lap 41, second two laps later, and he slipped by Richards on lap46. Three circuits later, Richards brought out the yellow for the final time with a flat tire. When action resumed, Owens began to stretch his lead, and he stayed in command to the checkers. Birkhofer drove by his MB Customs partner Mars, then held on as the two crossed behind Owens. Moyer had slipped to fifth, but rolled past Sheppard late to nab fourth. The second five included Erb,Pierce, 23rd starting Tim Fuller, who climbed as high as fourth before slipping back, Shane Clanton, and O'Neal.
I hope the fledgling sanction turned a profit, because this show was worth the ticket price, and I would love to see it back in 2014.
It was a quick turnaround, with Quincy Raceways on their school time schedule of 4:45 hot laps and 5:30 racing. Opening night saw 17 UMP late models and an equal number of UMP mods headline the Sunday show. It was the first night out for many of the competitors, and the new rides looked impressive indeed. Jeff has a solid recap on the Backstretch as Positively Racing was well represented at the opener. Among the surprise drivers on hand was veteran late model ace Rick Standridge who had not been to QR in many moons, and young Derek Fetter making his first visit. Also, the Richard Realty race team made the trip south with new driver Brian Harris. And holding court before - and after - the races was popular Kenny Wallace, who brought his # 36 modified to town. The NASCAR hot shoe has raced numerous times at QR, but he still draws a crowd to here his never ending stories and commentary!
The first feature out was the IMCA stock cars, and although the car count was a bit low, the racing was superb. When Abe Huls jumped out front, I thought it was over, but Terry Houston had other ideas, and he slipped around Abe with a couple laps to go to take the win. Fresh off a fourth place run at the B[mod nationals at West Plains, Mo., Tony Dunker resumed his dominance in the IMCA sport mod class with an impressive win.
After two false starts, the UMP late model 30 lap headliner went green to checkered. Harris took off from the outside pole and looked like a winner. But Jerry Lierly in his Bloomquist chassis stayed on Brians bumper, stuck his nose underneath a few times, and when Harris became trapped in traffic with two laps to go, Jerry powered around the top for his first ever super late model win. Defending champion Jason Perry, Denny Woodworth, and fast qualifier Clint Kirkham turned in top five runs.
Michael Long paced the UMP mod finale for four laps before developing a miss in his engine and going pitside. Dave Weitholder led the middle part of the 25 lapper before Steven Delonjay took over for the win. Robbie Reed challenged early, then held off Wallace for third.
The IMCA sport compact feature had plenty of action, starting with defending champion Seith Woodruff losing his right rear for the second time on the night. Contact between the top three cars coming to the white flag caused some flaring tempers, but the checkers finally flew for Craig Bangert who survived the altercation to come from third to win. Kimberly Abbott took second, and Austen Becerra came for sixth after the accident to third at the checkers.
The weatherman is continuing to be stubborn, but next Sunday night is the triple sanction - MARS, ALMS, Cornbelt Clash - $3,000 to win late model extravaganza at QR, so lets hope for two things we haven't seen much, warm and dry!
picked up where he left off by turning the 1/3 mile high banked oval at 13.457 seconds for quick time on the night. He stayed hot by taking the first heat over former teammate " Rocket Shepp " Brandon Sheppard. Eddie Carrier outran Austin Hubbard in Chad Stapletons # 32 in heat two, while Jimmy Mars topped local ace Tim Manville in heat three. Jason Feger held off Brian Birkhofer in heat four, and Dennis Erb Jr,took the checkers ahead of Bobby Pierce in heat five. The final ten lapper went to Billy Moyer over Owens. Jared Landers and Don Neal in the Moring Motorsports # 1 picked up B-main wins, and with a pair of provisionals, the 24 car field was set to go 75 laps. Mindful of the fact that only ten cars finished the race in Paducah, partly due to a rough track caused again by plenty of rain, track officials at Pevely " farmed the track several times during the night, including between the feature events. No one complained however, as the 24 car mod field laid down a lot of rubber. Modified track champion Mark Miner, a former late model ace in his own right, led the distance to take the top prize, although national standout Jason Krohn pushed him all the way, followed by Matt Mevert, Michael Long, and Rusty Griffaw.
With much fanfare and fireworks, the late model headliner was ready to go.
Billy Moyer has a long history of success at I-55, so when he drew the outside pole, it was no surprise that he shot to an early lead. The first caution came on lap nine, when Scott Bloomquist suffered rearend damage, ending his night. As the green waved, Moyer again set the pace, until Richards claimed the top spot on lap 23.Two laps late, Mars moved to second as Moyer began to fade. The caution waved for Brian Shirley at the half way mark, as Birkhofer joined the party in third. As the race resumed, 12th starting Owens found his groove on the bottom of the track. He climbed to third on lap 41, second two laps later, and he slipped by Richards on lap46. Three circuits later, Richards brought out the yellow for the final time with a flat tire. When action resumed, Owens began to stretch his lead, and he stayed in command to the checkers. Birkhofer drove by his MB Customs partner Mars, then held on as the two crossed behind Owens. Moyer had slipped to fifth, but rolled past Sheppard late to nab fourth. The second five included Erb,Pierce, 23rd starting Tim Fuller, who climbed as high as fourth before slipping back, Shane Clanton, and O'Neal.
I hope the fledgling sanction turned a profit, because this show was worth the ticket price, and I would love to see it back in 2014.
It was a quick turnaround, with Quincy Raceways on their school time schedule of 4:45 hot laps and 5:30 racing. Opening night saw 17 UMP late models and an equal number of UMP mods headline the Sunday show. It was the first night out for many of the competitors, and the new rides looked impressive indeed. Jeff has a solid recap on the Backstretch as Positively Racing was well represented at the opener. Among the surprise drivers on hand was veteran late model ace Rick Standridge who had not been to QR in many moons, and young Derek Fetter making his first visit. Also, the Richard Realty race team made the trip south with new driver Brian Harris. And holding court before - and after - the races was popular Kenny Wallace, who brought his # 36 modified to town. The NASCAR hot shoe has raced numerous times at QR, but he still draws a crowd to here his never ending stories and commentary!
The first feature out was the IMCA stock cars, and although the car count was a bit low, the racing was superb. When Abe Huls jumped out front, I thought it was over, but Terry Houston had other ideas, and he slipped around Abe with a couple laps to go to take the win. Fresh off a fourth place run at the B[mod nationals at West Plains, Mo., Tony Dunker resumed his dominance in the IMCA sport mod class with an impressive win.
After two false starts, the UMP late model 30 lap headliner went green to checkered. Harris took off from the outside pole and looked like a winner. But Jerry Lierly in his Bloomquist chassis stayed on Brians bumper, stuck his nose underneath a few times, and when Harris became trapped in traffic with two laps to go, Jerry powered around the top for his first ever super late model win. Defending champion Jason Perry, Denny Woodworth, and fast qualifier Clint Kirkham turned in top five runs.
Michael Long paced the UMP mod finale for four laps before developing a miss in his engine and going pitside. Dave Weitholder led the middle part of the 25 lapper before Steven Delonjay took over for the win. Robbie Reed challenged early, then held off Wallace for third.
The IMCA sport compact feature had plenty of action, starting with defending champion Seith Woodruff losing his right rear for the second time on the night. Contact between the top three cars coming to the white flag caused some flaring tempers, but the checkers finally flew for Craig Bangert who survived the altercation to come from third to win. Kimberly Abbott took second, and Austen Becerra came for sixth after the accident to third at the checkers.
The weatherman is continuing to be stubborn, but next Sunday night is the triple sanction - MARS, ALMS, Cornbelt Clash - $3,000 to win late model extravaganza at QR, so lets hope for two things we haven't seen much, warm and dry!
Sunday, April 7, 2013
A Memorable Race on a Special Night
The fifth annual Slocum 50 has been on the front burner virtually all off season long, and with that much hype, disappointment over the race itself could be areal possibility. But anyone who left 34 Raceway on Saturday night not thinking they had seen one of the best ever late model features in recent memory wasn't paying attention!
46 IMCA late models checked - Keagan won our personal guessing pool with a guess of 45 - to compete for the $5,555 winners check. By most accounts, the five heat races and two consys, which went nearly caution free, featured a bit of a " follow the leader " format. But a renegade rain shower with some hail mixed in which began late in consolation race number one dumped some extra moisture on the super smooth racing surface, and track personnel kept wheels moving around the 3/8 mile high banked oval until the stars came back out. The end result was a lightning fast surface that produced outstanding multi groove action in the 50 lap headliner.
The 4 cylinder feature was first on the three card program, and became something of a marathon event. Even as the checkers flew, the running order was not decided, as the top two cars did not pass post race inspection, giving the win to the third car across the line, Nicholas Hemurt. The class saw a total of 26 cars check in.
Next up was the headliner for the IMCA Sport Mods and the 15 car field ran a non stop 15 lap event. Chris Larson started up front is his # 67L, checked out early, and held on for the win.
It was then time for the Slocum 50, with Andy Eckrich and Tom Goble pacing the 24 car field following a near perfect " missing man " parade lap. The youngest of the Eckrich brothers jumped to an early lead, with the yellow waving on lap four, as Darrell Defrance and Luke Goedert got together. Andy continued to set a torrid pace, as brother Denny tried to chase him down. On lap 17, Andy contacted the back stretch wall, and seemed to lose just a bit of his speed, allowing Denny to close in. The two brothers ran side by side for several laps, with two caution periods slowing the action as the pack neared the halfway point of the race. By the lap 24 restart, Tom Darbyshire had advanced to fifth from his tenth row starting spot. as action resumed, Darb slipped past 12th starting Jeff Aikey for fourth. The Eckrich boys swapped the lead one more time, with Denny taking over for good on lap 30. Three laps later, Darbyshire made hard contact with the backstretch wall, going up on two wheels, and coming to a stop on the top side of turn three. It was a disappointing end to a dramatic run by one of the late Slocums closest friends. On the restart, Aikey edged by third running Jason Utter, the the defending series champ drove around Andy on lap 40 for second. With the race staying green, he was unable to close the gap on a jubilant Denny Eckrich, who pumped his fist around his window net as he took the checkered flag. Follwing Aikey, was Brian Harris in the Richard Realty # 15R, who charged from the 21st starting spot to third, collecting the $555 hard charger bonus. Andy Eckrich held off Utter to round out the top five. Colby Springsteen rolled home sixth, and his $538 sponsored " Honus Bonus, " honoring his late crewman Jeremy Wagner, went to Denny Eckrich, who led lap 38. Jeremiah Hurst, 24th starting Justin Kay, who earned the only provisional, the hard charger award for most cars passed in his heat and consy combined without otherwise qualifying, Goble, and Joel Callahan completed the top ten.
Eckrich became the fifth different winner of the race in the five years it has been held. Attesting to the quality of the field was the all star list of drivers not making the show, including Ray Guss Jr, previous winner Matt Ryan, Curt Martin, Jay Johnsonm Rob Toland and many others. Thanks to Promoters Amy and Jeff Laue, and Slocum 50 front man Brad Stevens for a special night of racing. The Deery Brothers Series moves to the West Libery Raceway next Saturday night. As for our group, our plans are up in the air, but weather permitting, we will hopefully see you all somewhere Down the Road.
46 IMCA late models checked - Keagan won our personal guessing pool with a guess of 45 - to compete for the $5,555 winners check. By most accounts, the five heat races and two consys, which went nearly caution free, featured a bit of a " follow the leader " format. But a renegade rain shower with some hail mixed in which began late in consolation race number one dumped some extra moisture on the super smooth racing surface, and track personnel kept wheels moving around the 3/8 mile high banked oval until the stars came back out. The end result was a lightning fast surface that produced outstanding multi groove action in the 50 lap headliner.
The 4 cylinder feature was first on the three card program, and became something of a marathon event. Even as the checkers flew, the running order was not decided, as the top two cars did not pass post race inspection, giving the win to the third car across the line, Nicholas Hemurt. The class saw a total of 26 cars check in.
Next up was the headliner for the IMCA Sport Mods and the 15 car field ran a non stop 15 lap event. Chris Larson started up front is his # 67L, checked out early, and held on for the win.
It was then time for the Slocum 50, with Andy Eckrich and Tom Goble pacing the 24 car field following a near perfect " missing man " parade lap. The youngest of the Eckrich brothers jumped to an early lead, with the yellow waving on lap four, as Darrell Defrance and Luke Goedert got together. Andy continued to set a torrid pace, as brother Denny tried to chase him down. On lap 17, Andy contacted the back stretch wall, and seemed to lose just a bit of his speed, allowing Denny to close in. The two brothers ran side by side for several laps, with two caution periods slowing the action as the pack neared the halfway point of the race. By the lap 24 restart, Tom Darbyshire had advanced to fifth from his tenth row starting spot. as action resumed, Darb slipped past 12th starting Jeff Aikey for fourth. The Eckrich boys swapped the lead one more time, with Denny taking over for good on lap 30. Three laps later, Darbyshire made hard contact with the backstretch wall, going up on two wheels, and coming to a stop on the top side of turn three. It was a disappointing end to a dramatic run by one of the late Slocums closest friends. On the restart, Aikey edged by third running Jason Utter, the the defending series champ drove around Andy on lap 40 for second. With the race staying green, he was unable to close the gap on a jubilant Denny Eckrich, who pumped his fist around his window net as he took the checkered flag. Follwing Aikey, was Brian Harris in the Richard Realty # 15R, who charged from the 21st starting spot to third, collecting the $555 hard charger bonus. Andy Eckrich held off Utter to round out the top five. Colby Springsteen rolled home sixth, and his $538 sponsored " Honus Bonus, " honoring his late crewman Jeremy Wagner, went to Denny Eckrich, who led lap 38. Jeremiah Hurst, 24th starting Justin Kay, who earned the only provisional, the hard charger award for most cars passed in his heat and consy combined without otherwise qualifying, Goble, and Joel Callahan completed the top ten.
Eckrich became the fifth different winner of the race in the five years it has been held. Attesting to the quality of the field was the all star list of drivers not making the show, including Ray Guss Jr, previous winner Matt Ryan, Curt Martin, Jay Johnsonm Rob Toland and many others. Thanks to Promoters Amy and Jeff Laue, and Slocum 50 front man Brad Stevens for a special night of racing. The Deery Brothers Series moves to the West Libery Raceway next Saturday night. As for our group, our plans are up in the air, but weather permitting, we will hopefully see you all somewhere Down the Road.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Our First Rainout
Saturday we loaded up the Sonata and four of us headed to I-55 Raceway in Pevely,Missouri for what was to be the $20,000 to win lid lfter for the newly created NDRL late model series. Designed by southern late model team owner John Kennedy, the NDRL is scheduled to be a five race mini series beginning with shows at Paducah International Raceway followed by Pevely, then three races in October back east. With Paducah cancelled early Friday and a sketchy forecast for Saturday in Pevely, several teams headed for the two nights of racing in LaSalle,Il. LaSalle was offering up a $2,000 to win show on Friday, won by Dennis Erb, Jr., and a $10,000 to win Saturday finale, captured by Brian Birkhofer. With LaSalle a tidy four hour drive, we decided to gamble on Pevely, and we stayed dry until we were about five miles from the track. Even as the Cody McCarver concert went on, the sprinkles continued, and we decided not to buy tickets until closer to race time. Instead, we ventured down to pit road and visited with a few drivers as the rigs continued to arrive. Although the rain never came hard, it just refused to quit, and with around 30 super late models already in the pits, including the likes of Bloomquist, Owens, Clanton, McCreadie, and UMP national champ Brian Shirley, as well as some big name modifieds, the decision was made to pull the plug about 4:00. We briefly considered crossing the river and trying our luck at Highland Speedway, but the odds did not look good, so we headed back north. As it turned out, Highland did manage an abbreviated program, but I was tucked in bed when the final checkers fell there!
Already the NDRL has rescheduled for the weekend of April 12 and 13 for Paducah and Pevely. While both the World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil Series were off this past weekend, the Outlaws will be in action the 12th and 13th. Still, the single day $20,000 to win, $1,500 to start format should draw plenty of top notch competitors. Unfortunately, we will now have to choose between Pevely, the always exciting IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series race at West Liberty, and the Corn Belt Clash at Peoria. Maybe this time, we will let the weatherman have some input. In the meantime, this Saturday will hopefully find us at the 5th annual Slocum 50 summer series race at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. As of now, the forecast looks promising. 34 Raceway and Lee County Speedway in Donnellson both have one night of racing in the books, so if you have not been to a track yet, what are you waiting for? Be sure and say " Hi " when you see us Down the Road.
Already the NDRL has rescheduled for the weekend of April 12 and 13 for Paducah and Pevely. While both the World of Outlaws and Lucas Oil Series were off this past weekend, the Outlaws will be in action the 12th and 13th. Still, the single day $20,000 to win, $1,500 to start format should draw plenty of top notch competitors. Unfortunately, we will now have to choose between Pevely, the always exciting IMCA Deery Brothers Summer Series race at West Liberty, and the Corn Belt Clash at Peoria. Maybe this time, we will let the weatherman have some input. In the meantime, this Saturday will hopefully find us at the 5th annual Slocum 50 summer series race at 34 Raceway in West Burlington. As of now, the forecast looks promising. 34 Raceway and Lee County Speedway in Donnellson both have one night of racing in the books, so if you have not been to a track yet, what are you waiting for? Be sure and say " Hi " when you see us Down the Road.
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Babb Bags the Big Bucks at Belle Clair
Our 2013 racing season began on Friday night with a first ever visit to the Belle Clair Speedway on the St Clair County Fairgrounds in Belleville,Il. We had attempted to take in a show at the 1/5 mile facility last summer, but heavy rains ended our journey 40 miles from the track. Although the weather has been anything but agreeable this month, I kept my vacation day and was rewarded with a warm but cloudy day. Taking the long way around to miss bridge construction and minimize rush hour traffic, we still arrived an hour or so before hot laps, plenty early to catch up with friends Bob and Reta Litton, who had made the long trip down from Iowa City. Bob said they planned to stay over and catch the companion Saturday night show at Highland,Il Speedway. Unfortunately, the Saturday night show was rained out and will be run next Saturday night, the same fate that befell Highland in 2012, as we drove down for both nights.
On Friday however, the rain stayed away, and the track was in pretty good shape considering all the moisture we have had. The car count was a bit lower than expected, but still produced a solid count of 22 UMP late models, 23 UMP modifieds, 9 AARA sportsman cars, and 9 pure stocks. even though it was opening night, the program began right on time, and we decided that must be an every week thing, as the large crowd arrived early, especially for a Friday night. The late models ran second on the card, with 3 ten lap heat races. Michael Kloos took the first late model checkers of the season, besting Scott Schmitt. Greg Kimmons the held off Shannon Babb in heat 2, while Brandon Sheppard wheeled his # B5 home ahead of John Beck in the final 10 lapper. Unfortunately, Beck was unable to make the call for the dash, captured by Kloos over Kimmons, and Beck was also a no show come feature time. A consy was also run, which turned out to be a position dash, with Kevin Weaver outrunning Steve Lach to the checkers. Only 4 cars made the call for the modified dash, so track officials waved off the race, awarding starting spots to all 4. The 11 preliminary events took just over a hour, and the track crew then went to work to repair a hole that had developed in turn one on the still tacky surface.
The intermission was not a long one, and the pure stocks rolled out for a 12 lap main event. Gili in the # G1 and Randy Dietzel started side by side in row one and ran that way for 2 laps before a caution reset the field single file. That was the advantage Gili needed, as he outdistanced Dietzel the rest of the way. I apologize for not having first names on some of the support class drivers I was unfamiliar with, but the track announcer spoke a bit too softly, and had a habit of using only last names.
Next up was the 40 lap late model Shamrock 40 headliner paying $1500 to win.Kloos and Kimmons had the front row, with Sheppard and Babb in row 2. Kloos took off at the drop of the green, looking to sweep the night in his # 6K machine. On lap 7 Babb got by Kimmons for second, and three laps later, he grabbed the lead. At this point, however, Sheppard appearded to have the fastest car on the track, as he overtook Kloos and set his sights on Babb. As the caution waved a couple laps later, Sheppard ducked to the pits with a flat right rear tire. The field was quickly reset, and although Brandon rejoined the tail, he completed only one more circuit before heading back to the infield. From that point on, the only challenge for Babb was negotiating slower traffic, and he did have some tense moments, including nearly getting hooked together with Lach. The race stayed green the rest of the way, and although he was slowed somewhat while trying to put last years winner Weaver a lap down, his lead was never in jeopardy. Kyle Logue made a late move to slip by Kloos for a runnerup finish, while Brent Kreke adavanced from row 4 to grab fourth. Mark Voight also advanced 6 spots to round out the top five, the second five was headed up by Schmitt, ahead of Kimmons, Daryn Klein, Mike Hammerle and Mike Schulte. With most of the 20 car starting field around at the finish, no scoreboard, and only one caution period, I soon had to be in midseason form with the pen and notebook - I think I did more writing than watching! Have 4 # 10 cars in the field also made things interesting. Besides Schmitt and Klein, of whom I was familiar, veteran Rick Standridge was wheeling a # 10 instead of his usual # 12, and a 19 year old driver I had never seen, Jacob Magee made the long haul from Caney, Kansas with, yep, a # 10!
It was good to see " King Kong " Randy Korte behind the wheel of his # 00. Randy continues to struggle with serious health problems, and continues to amaze with his ability to still race competitively. He moved from row 7 into the top ten before finishing 11th, the last car on the lead lap. Pre season hype said Korte would be driving a # 81 car for Riggs Racing, taking over for Scott James, so I am not sure what the story was with him in # 00.
Although it was just past 9:00, Darryl had an early call on Saturday, so we headed for the car as the modified feature rolled out. The results I recieved said Dean Hoffman outdueled Jason Ketrow for the $ 750 top prize, while the # 10 of Homan topped the sportsman finale.
Kudos to Don Hoener and his crew for making our first visit to Belleville, and our first race of 2013 a good time!
This weekend is also the Quincy Raceways mall show. Approximately 37 good looking machines filled the mall area, lead by around 20 modifieds, UMP open, and IMCA sportmods combined. 8 IMCA sport compacts were also on hand, as well as 4 IMCA stock cars and a light field of 4 UMP late models. We were at the mall early, and there were not a lot of drivers on hand to visit with. This was a day we needed to spend working on the house as we continue to settle in, so it was a quick walk through. There were 2 new UMP late models on hand, with second generation driver Jared Schlipman showing off his # 42 as he moves up from the mods, and former crate late model driver Cliff Powell had his # 6 on display. The QR season opener will be Sunday, April 14, with the tri sanctioned ALMS-MARS-Cornbelt $3,000 to win show the following Sunday, April 21.
The weather forecast does not look too promising for next weekend, indeed, the Scotland County, Mo spring special has already been cancelled, so we will probably stay close to home and continue to work on getting settled in while preparing our former home to sell. The first race has us wanting more however, so I guess we had better work faster!
Hope to see you down the road.
On Friday however, the rain stayed away, and the track was in pretty good shape considering all the moisture we have had. The car count was a bit lower than expected, but still produced a solid count of 22 UMP late models, 23 UMP modifieds, 9 AARA sportsman cars, and 9 pure stocks. even though it was opening night, the program began right on time, and we decided that must be an every week thing, as the large crowd arrived early, especially for a Friday night. The late models ran second on the card, with 3 ten lap heat races. Michael Kloos took the first late model checkers of the season, besting Scott Schmitt. Greg Kimmons the held off Shannon Babb in heat 2, while Brandon Sheppard wheeled his # B5 home ahead of John Beck in the final 10 lapper. Unfortunately, Beck was unable to make the call for the dash, captured by Kloos over Kimmons, and Beck was also a no show come feature time. A consy was also run, which turned out to be a position dash, with Kevin Weaver outrunning Steve Lach to the checkers. Only 4 cars made the call for the modified dash, so track officials waved off the race, awarding starting spots to all 4. The 11 preliminary events took just over a hour, and the track crew then went to work to repair a hole that had developed in turn one on the still tacky surface.
The intermission was not a long one, and the pure stocks rolled out for a 12 lap main event. Gili in the # G1 and Randy Dietzel started side by side in row one and ran that way for 2 laps before a caution reset the field single file. That was the advantage Gili needed, as he outdistanced Dietzel the rest of the way. I apologize for not having first names on some of the support class drivers I was unfamiliar with, but the track announcer spoke a bit too softly, and had a habit of using only last names.
Next up was the 40 lap late model Shamrock 40 headliner paying $1500 to win.Kloos and Kimmons had the front row, with Sheppard and Babb in row 2. Kloos took off at the drop of the green, looking to sweep the night in his # 6K machine. On lap 7 Babb got by Kimmons for second, and three laps later, he grabbed the lead. At this point, however, Sheppard appearded to have the fastest car on the track, as he overtook Kloos and set his sights on Babb. As the caution waved a couple laps later, Sheppard ducked to the pits with a flat right rear tire. The field was quickly reset, and although Brandon rejoined the tail, he completed only one more circuit before heading back to the infield. From that point on, the only challenge for Babb was negotiating slower traffic, and he did have some tense moments, including nearly getting hooked together with Lach. The race stayed green the rest of the way, and although he was slowed somewhat while trying to put last years winner Weaver a lap down, his lead was never in jeopardy. Kyle Logue made a late move to slip by Kloos for a runnerup finish, while Brent Kreke adavanced from row 4 to grab fourth. Mark Voight also advanced 6 spots to round out the top five, the second five was headed up by Schmitt, ahead of Kimmons, Daryn Klein, Mike Hammerle and Mike Schulte. With most of the 20 car starting field around at the finish, no scoreboard, and only one caution period, I soon had to be in midseason form with the pen and notebook - I think I did more writing than watching! Have 4 # 10 cars in the field also made things interesting. Besides Schmitt and Klein, of whom I was familiar, veteran Rick Standridge was wheeling a # 10 instead of his usual # 12, and a 19 year old driver I had never seen, Jacob Magee made the long haul from Caney, Kansas with, yep, a # 10!
It was good to see " King Kong " Randy Korte behind the wheel of his # 00. Randy continues to struggle with serious health problems, and continues to amaze with his ability to still race competitively. He moved from row 7 into the top ten before finishing 11th, the last car on the lead lap. Pre season hype said Korte would be driving a # 81 car for Riggs Racing, taking over for Scott James, so I am not sure what the story was with him in # 00.
Although it was just past 9:00, Darryl had an early call on Saturday, so we headed for the car as the modified feature rolled out. The results I recieved said Dean Hoffman outdueled Jason Ketrow for the $ 750 top prize, while the # 10 of Homan topped the sportsman finale.
Kudos to Don Hoener and his crew for making our first visit to Belleville, and our first race of 2013 a good time!
This weekend is also the Quincy Raceways mall show. Approximately 37 good looking machines filled the mall area, lead by around 20 modifieds, UMP open, and IMCA sportmods combined. 8 IMCA sport compacts were also on hand, as well as 4 IMCA stock cars and a light field of 4 UMP late models. We were at the mall early, and there were not a lot of drivers on hand to visit with. This was a day we needed to spend working on the house as we continue to settle in, so it was a quick walk through. There were 2 new UMP late models on hand, with second generation driver Jared Schlipman showing off his # 42 as he moves up from the mods, and former crate late model driver Cliff Powell had his # 6 on display. The QR season opener will be Sunday, April 14, with the tri sanctioned ALMS-MARS-Cornbelt $3,000 to win show the following Sunday, April 21.
The weather forecast does not look too promising for next weekend, indeed, the Scotland County, Mo spring special has already been cancelled, so we will probably stay close to home and continue to work on getting settled in while preparing our former home to sell. The first race has us wanting more however, so I guess we had better work faster!
Hope to see you down the road.
Monday, January 14, 2013
This and That
Saturday night, January 12, Keagan and I attended the Quincy, Il. Raceway awards ceremony. When we began our journey, it was just beginning to snow a bit, and we knew the forecast was dicey at best, We arrived at Turner Hall in Quincy just before 6:00 PM for an hour of bench racing before things officially kicked off. Talking to track officials, we learned that track announcer Doug Mealy, who was to emcee the event, traveled from his Fulton, Missouri home as far as New London, Missouri before icy conditions caused him to turn around and head back home. But we were there, so...
The biggest news of the evening was the announcement that the $2,000 to win ALMS late model show on Sunday April 21will now be tripled sanctioned along with the Cornbelt Clash series and MARS, with the purse now $3,500 to win and $400 to start the main event. This ties in nicely with the MARS, Cornbelt $4,000 to win show the night before at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. The April schedule really looks good for us, hopefully the weatherman cooperates!
We talked to 14 year old phenom Jake Griffin, who enjoyed a solid run in the Florida Governers Cup race on the asphalt at New Smyrna, Florida in November. The # 08 crew will be racing in Georgia later this month, the heading back down for Speedweeks action on both the dirt and asphalt in February. Jake should again be a fixture at QR in 2013 in both the UMP late model and UMP modified classes.
Rickey Frankel will be back wheeling a brand new late model, while brother Jason has sold his # 0F and is not sure of his plans for 2013 yet. Jason says he is 80% recovered from the badly broken wrist that ended his 2012 season and required surgery to insert plates and screws. Frankel brother in law Michael Long, who is busy building and selling modified chassis from his new Quincy home will again be a two class racer at QR, wheeling his own modified as well as the Jennings Racing late model. Vance Wilson is looking to field two late models this season, a UMP machine for QR, and another ride for the reopened Moberly, Missouri track, which will feature the ULMA late models, of which Vance is a past champion. Rumor has it that modified ace Jared Schlipman will join the ranks of second generation late model drivers from Quincy, however we did not see Jared to confirm the rumor.
With the elimination of the hobby stock class for 2013, the plans of the drivers from that class is a hot topic. We did learn that track champion Jake Powers is making plans to move up to the IMCA stock car class, although there are still some details to work out. Points runnerup Kimberly Abbott has retired the # 71 machine she has raced for five seasons, but the team is constructing a new IMCA Sport Compact for 2013 as she searches for that elusive championship.
After we enjoyed a tasty meal and the awards portion of the evening was beginning, we got a phone call indicated that the roads had become quite treacherous. So reluctantly we headed home, traveling about 35-40 MPH and witnessing three cars that had slid off the road.
The Quincy Mall car show is the weekend of March 16 and 17 - we hope to begin our 2013 season that same weekend, as the UMP late models are set to compete in specials that Friday night in Belleville, Il followed by a Saturday companion event in Highland, Il, both St Louis area tracks. Weather permitting, we will be able to attend one or the other. In the meantime, we are in the process of buying a new home nine miles up the road in Canton, Mo., after 34 plus years at the same address here in LaGrange. So wish us luck on that, and make your early season plans now for 2013. Only 8 1/2 weeks and counting!
The biggest news of the evening was the announcement that the $2,000 to win ALMS late model show on Sunday April 21will now be tripled sanctioned along with the Cornbelt Clash series and MARS, with the purse now $3,500 to win and $400 to start the main event. This ties in nicely with the MARS, Cornbelt $4,000 to win show the night before at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. The April schedule really looks good for us, hopefully the weatherman cooperates!
We talked to 14 year old phenom Jake Griffin, who enjoyed a solid run in the Florida Governers Cup race on the asphalt at New Smyrna, Florida in November. The # 08 crew will be racing in Georgia later this month, the heading back down for Speedweeks action on both the dirt and asphalt in February. Jake should again be a fixture at QR in 2013 in both the UMP late model and UMP modified classes.
Rickey Frankel will be back wheeling a brand new late model, while brother Jason has sold his # 0F and is not sure of his plans for 2013 yet. Jason says he is 80% recovered from the badly broken wrist that ended his 2012 season and required surgery to insert plates and screws. Frankel brother in law Michael Long, who is busy building and selling modified chassis from his new Quincy home will again be a two class racer at QR, wheeling his own modified as well as the Jennings Racing late model. Vance Wilson is looking to field two late models this season, a UMP machine for QR, and another ride for the reopened Moberly, Missouri track, which will feature the ULMA late models, of which Vance is a past champion. Rumor has it that modified ace Jared Schlipman will join the ranks of second generation late model drivers from Quincy, however we did not see Jared to confirm the rumor.
With the elimination of the hobby stock class for 2013, the plans of the drivers from that class is a hot topic. We did learn that track champion Jake Powers is making plans to move up to the IMCA stock car class, although there are still some details to work out. Points runnerup Kimberly Abbott has retired the # 71 machine she has raced for five seasons, but the team is constructing a new IMCA Sport Compact for 2013 as she searches for that elusive championship.
After we enjoyed a tasty meal and the awards portion of the evening was beginning, we got a phone call indicated that the roads had become quite treacherous. So reluctantly we headed home, traveling about 35-40 MPH and witnessing three cars that had slid off the road.
The Quincy Mall car show is the weekend of March 16 and 17 - we hope to begin our 2013 season that same weekend, as the UMP late models are set to compete in specials that Friday night in Belleville, Il followed by a Saturday companion event in Highland, Il, both St Louis area tracks. Weather permitting, we will be able to attend one or the other. In the meantime, we are in the process of buying a new home nine miles up the road in Canton, Mo., after 34 plus years at the same address here in LaGrange. So wish us luck on that, and make your early season plans now for 2013. Only 8 1/2 weeks and counting!
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