The racing off season has been a sad one for race fans in the area. Three men who were involved in area dirt track racing in different ways have passed from this life recently. It was not until recently that I learned that David Guymon, from Keokuk, Iowa passed away on September 28. David was a fixture along with his wife in their bag chairs behind the turn one bleachers most Sunday nights at Quincy Raceways. Although in failing health, he was always ready to talk racing until the engines fired. Although Quincy may have been his " home track, " he could be seen in the bleachers at many tracks such as West Liberty, Iowa, and Wheatland, Mo. He kept close tabs on his favorite driver, Tommy Elston. His death came one day before the season finale at QR. Unfortunately, as with so many race track friends, we lose touch during the off season and did not hear of his passing for several months. Loyal fans like David are special, and he will be missed.
On January 8, a true dirt track legend departed this world. Ernie Derr, one of the " Keokuk Comets, " died at age 92. Ernie was the king of the original IMCA, winning over 300 sanctioned features in the 50's, 60's and 70s. Along the way, he collected 12 IMCA national championships, and captured many other events, including several USAC checkers. Ernie lived across the street from my elementary school, and I remember well taking a detour down the alley to peek in his immaculate garage after school to get a peek at his 1963 Pontiac # 1. Memories of him duking it out with fellow hometowners Ramo Stott, Dick Hutcherson, and Don White will always be special for me. His passing garnered national attention and was accompanied by much deserved praise.
Just yesterday, January 20, I received an e-mail from crewman Paul Jones that Hannibal, Missouri racer Jim Brown had passed away at the too young age of 54. Jim had raced for 30 plus years, wheeling the sharp looking # 83 bomber/hobby stock at Quincy Raceways until the class was discontinued. The veteran then turned his attention to the Randolph County Raceway in Moberly, Mo., where he captured the 2013 hobby stock championship. He spent his Sunday nights in 2013 as a spectator at Quincy, and always took time to stop and update me on his Saturday night at Moberly. Jim was a rare type who was both proud when he did well, but had no trouble admitting if he messed up. I think he was pleased that we made it to Moberly last season to watch him race, and he was also proud of his track title.
Although these three men followed different paths to the race track, they were all an important part of our dirt track family and will be remembered often and missed dearly. RIP, David, Ernie, and Jim.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Countdown to 2014
As the calender turns to 2014, it is time to start thinking in serious terms about the upcoming dirt track season. My wife thinks I am jumping the gun, but scheduling vacation days at my workplace can be tough, so I am always happy to have series and track schedules out before January 1. The traveling series have done a good job this off season, and as a result, I have been able to piece together a preliminary line up. And despite the skepticism of my racing companions, opening night for me is set for March 15. This is the projected opener for Montgomery County Speedway, the 1/4 mile high banked track near the junction of I-70 and Highway 19 in east central Missouri. After an abbreviated schedule last season, the facility is set to resume a full time schedule in 2014, with colorful UMP late model driver Jim Moon taking over the reigns. With help from another late model pilot, Trace Westling, the Moonman will be staging Saturday night racing featuring four classes including UMP late models, modifieds, B-modifieds, and sportsman/street stocks. Moon seems to have done his homework, and although he will not be allowed to sell alcohol per his lease, there is room for optimism that he will be successful.
We are also considering an early season visit to one of our favorite venues, Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway, near Calvert City, Kentucky. The 3/8 mile super wide oval has been silent since previous owner Sherri Heckenast pulled the plug in I believe 2009. Once billed as the " Taj Mahal of Racing," the facility sold at auction last summer to a pair of Kentucky business men looking to restore it to premier status. They have scheduled a weekend of racing sanctioned by the fledgling NDRL series at the end of March. It appears this will be our only chance to catch an NDRL show in 2014, as this is as close as it comes to our area. Unfortunately, LaSalle, Il also has a big weekend of UMP racing on the same dates, so the weatherman may be called on to make our decision.
My " home " track of Quincy,Il Raceways will also be under new management in 2014. Last Chance Promotions, led by frontman Ken Dobson has leased the .29 mile oval, with a car show the weekend of March 15 and 16 at the Quincy Mall, followed by an opening date of April 6. They have released a tentative schedule, and an ambitious one, at that. There will be several $2,000 to win UMP late model specials, starting with the 40th anniversary 40 lap Scottie 40 on April 20, honoring the founder and long time owner of the facility. In addition, Dobson scored a major coup in securing a much earlier date for the annual UMP Summernationals show. The tour will stop by during the first full week, on Thursday, June 19, sandwiched between Spoon River Speedway and Tri City Speedway in Granite City,Il. While QR is giving the late models a few nights off, they have a nice slate of other specials planned, including MOWA, Sprint Invaders, and ASCS sprinters. Last Chance Promotions will also be in charge of the race programs in Jacksonville, and Lincoln,Il.
Saturday, April 19 is the date for the 5th annual Slocum 50 at 34 Raceway. For the first time, the race will not be an IMCA event, with a co sanction by the ALMS, MARS, and Cornbelt series. The race will pay a whopping $10,555 to win. Although some folks lamented the change, I know without a doubt that Brent would have loved the idea of a high dollar big motor race on his home track. 34 will only host one other late model show this season, a UMP Summernationals race on July.
Late model racing will return to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for the first time in a while in 2014. The MLRA series will make an appearance on Friday, June 13, one night after a stop at the big half mile in Oskaloosa.
In addition, there are a handful of Deery Brothers Summer Series and Lucas Oil races that will hopefully be a part of our early season schedule.
Check out the schedule section on the Positively Racing home page and lets make this a successful spring for all our area tracks.
Happy New Year from all of us at Racin' Down the Road!
We are also considering an early season visit to one of our favorite venues, Kentucky Lake Motor Speedway, near Calvert City, Kentucky. The 3/8 mile super wide oval has been silent since previous owner Sherri Heckenast pulled the plug in I believe 2009. Once billed as the " Taj Mahal of Racing," the facility sold at auction last summer to a pair of Kentucky business men looking to restore it to premier status. They have scheduled a weekend of racing sanctioned by the fledgling NDRL series at the end of March. It appears this will be our only chance to catch an NDRL show in 2014, as this is as close as it comes to our area. Unfortunately, LaSalle, Il also has a big weekend of UMP racing on the same dates, so the weatherman may be called on to make our decision.
My " home " track of Quincy,Il Raceways will also be under new management in 2014. Last Chance Promotions, led by frontman Ken Dobson has leased the .29 mile oval, with a car show the weekend of March 15 and 16 at the Quincy Mall, followed by an opening date of April 6. They have released a tentative schedule, and an ambitious one, at that. There will be several $2,000 to win UMP late model specials, starting with the 40th anniversary 40 lap Scottie 40 on April 20, honoring the founder and long time owner of the facility. In addition, Dobson scored a major coup in securing a much earlier date for the annual UMP Summernationals show. The tour will stop by during the first full week, on Thursday, June 19, sandwiched between Spoon River Speedway and Tri City Speedway in Granite City,Il. While QR is giving the late models a few nights off, they have a nice slate of other specials planned, including MOWA, Sprint Invaders, and ASCS sprinters. Last Chance Promotions will also be in charge of the race programs in Jacksonville, and Lincoln,Il.
Saturday, April 19 is the date for the 5th annual Slocum 50 at 34 Raceway. For the first time, the race will not be an IMCA event, with a co sanction by the ALMS, MARS, and Cornbelt series. The race will pay a whopping $10,555 to win. Although some folks lamented the change, I know without a doubt that Brent would have loved the idea of a high dollar big motor race on his home track. 34 will only host one other late model show this season, a UMP Summernationals race on July.
Late model racing will return to the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson for the first time in a while in 2014. The MLRA series will make an appearance on Friday, June 13, one night after a stop at the big half mile in Oskaloosa.
In addition, there are a handful of Deery Brothers Summer Series and Lucas Oil races that will hopefully be a part of our early season schedule.
Check out the schedule section on the Positively Racing home page and lets make this a successful spring for all our area tracks.
Happy New Year from all of us at Racin' Down the Road!
Sunday, December 22, 2013
A Look in the Mirror
With the 2013 calender on its last legs, it is time to for a review of what seems like a long ago season.
For the third straight season, though not by design, I made it to the track on 45 occasions. In doing so, I visited 14 different tracks, including three new ones, bringing my total to a rather modest 56.
The new venues included Belle Clair Speedway in Belleville,Il for an opening night special in March which also opened our season. There were June trips to Macon,Il Speedway for NASCAR night with Richard Petty, Tony Stewart, Ken Schrader, and Kenny Wallace, and the UMP Summernationals show at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky. With late models as always my preferred class, I witnessed 44 late model main events, even though three shows were rained out before hot laps. This was aided by twin feature shows at Davenport, Maquoketa, and West Liberty, Iowa.
Quincy,Il Raceways, where I continued to pen an internet column, led the way with 20 nights, followed by five at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Ia, four each at Pontoon Beach,Il and Pevely,Mo. There was two trips each to Davenport and West Liberty, and single visits to Macon and Belleville, Paducah, Moberly,Mo., and Maquoketa, Independence, Knoxville, and Donnellson, Iowa. The Lee County Speedway in Donnellson was the only show with no late models on the card, but the ever popular Shiverfest offers a neat season ending show. Mark Burgtorf bested 318 late model competitors with five feature victories, followed by Bobby Pierce and Michael Long with four each, and Brandon Sheppard and Shannon Babb with three. Darrell Lanigan took the biggest one night prize at the Knoxville, Iowa late model nationals, while Brian Birkhofer benefited from a Jimmy Owens DQ to take home a cool $20,000 at the rescheduled NDRL show at I-55 Raceway in Pevely.
Along the way, we developed a diverse schedule, taking in many sanctions. There was World of Outlaws, Lucas Oil, NDRL, Mars, ALMS, Cornbelt, UMP weekly and Summernationals, IMCA weekly and Summer Series, ULMA. and MOWA ( 410 sprints.)
The 2014 schedules are being released almost daily, and next week I will offer a look ahead at some of the dramatic changes and some of our tentative plans for the upcoming season. As I pen these thoughts, it is 83 days until our projected season opener on March 15. Check the Positively Racing events calender and start your planning as well.
Until next time, Merry Christmas !
For the third straight season, though not by design, I made it to the track on 45 occasions. In doing so, I visited 14 different tracks, including three new ones, bringing my total to a rather modest 56.
The new venues included Belle Clair Speedway in Belleville,Il for an opening night special in March which also opened our season. There were June trips to Macon,Il Speedway for NASCAR night with Richard Petty, Tony Stewart, Ken Schrader, and Kenny Wallace, and the UMP Summernationals show at Paducah International Raceway in Kentucky. With late models as always my preferred class, I witnessed 44 late model main events, even though three shows were rained out before hot laps. This was aided by twin feature shows at Davenport, Maquoketa, and West Liberty, Iowa.
Quincy,Il Raceways, where I continued to pen an internet column, led the way with 20 nights, followed by five at 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Ia, four each at Pontoon Beach,Il and Pevely,Mo. There was two trips each to Davenport and West Liberty, and single visits to Macon and Belleville, Paducah, Moberly,Mo., and Maquoketa, Independence, Knoxville, and Donnellson, Iowa. The Lee County Speedway in Donnellson was the only show with no late models on the card, but the ever popular Shiverfest offers a neat season ending show. Mark Burgtorf bested 318 late model competitors with five feature victories, followed by Bobby Pierce and Michael Long with four each, and Brandon Sheppard and Shannon Babb with three. Darrell Lanigan took the biggest one night prize at the Knoxville, Iowa late model nationals, while Brian Birkhofer benefited from a Jimmy Owens DQ to take home a cool $20,000 at the rescheduled NDRL show at I-55 Raceway in Pevely.
Along the way, we developed a diverse schedule, taking in many sanctions. There was World of Outlaws, Lucas Oil, NDRL, Mars, ALMS, Cornbelt, UMP weekly and Summernationals, IMCA weekly and Summer Series, ULMA. and MOWA ( 410 sprints.)
The 2014 schedules are being released almost daily, and next week I will offer a look ahead at some of the dramatic changes and some of our tentative plans for the upcoming season. As I pen these thoughts, it is 83 days until our projected season opener on March 15. Check the Positively Racing events calender and start your planning as well.
Until next time, Merry Christmas !
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Shivering Through One More Race
For the first time in a while, the stars were aligned just right, and Darryl, Fred and I were able to take in the marquis event of the Lee County Speedway, Shiverfest. Unlike my Positively Racing colleagues, I braved the elements from the " cheap seats," but we were dressed for the conditions at hand, and an early shift in wind direction helped out.
We arrived early enough to take in all the festivities, including visiting with several drivers on the front stretch as the youngsters went trick or treating from car to car. Special thanks to a driver we had never run across, Jason Rold, from 5 hours away in Avoca, Iowa for the information, picture card, and some chocolate! It was also fun to visit with a driver from the Lynn Richard promoting days at LCS, Ned Beggs, father in law of stock car hotshoe Jason Cook., whose children were involved in the box car races, and former Hawkeye Racing News employee Kelly Underbakke Becker and her sport mod driving husband Aric, who left the Iowa Hawkeye football victory early to make it to Donnellson in time for the pre race festivities.
With all the hoopla, hot laps started only 15 minutes late, and the five classes featuring 127 cars rolled thru warmups in 25 minutes on the perfectly prepared 3/8 mile oval. I have attended dozens if not hundreds of races over the years at Donnellson and have never witnessed a better racing surface!
I will leave it to the others whose pens worked better in the warmth of the booth to do complete recaps and only say that the 23 race program featured some classic finishes. Bill Michel squeaked out a 1/2 car length win over Quincy Raceways track champion Austen Becerra in the sport compact 14 lapper after an entertaining four car battle. Dustin Griffiths continued his mastery of the hobby stock division with a win in the 15 lap affair. One time LCS late model driver Mike Hughes staged a solid run, pitting on a first lap caution, restarting 16th, and dueling side by side with Griffiths late in the race before settling for second. Red hot Curtis Vanderwal started the sport mod affair in row two, took the lead on lap three, and outdistanced Carter Vandenberg for to the checkers. B- main qualifiers Bobby Anders and Derek St Clair had moved to fourth and sixth respectively from their row nine start when the yellow waved with two laps to go. St Clair advanced one spot to fifth at the finish, while Anders got shuffled back to seventh. Jim Lynch carried the left front wheel of his # 566 off of turn two lap after lap in the stock car finale. Corey Stout led early, and made several runs at the hometown driver, but Lynch was a rocket off turn two. Twice the raced was stopped as he booted the tractor tire onto the track in turn two as he ran the low groove, but LCS does not penalize drivers for this, so he kept the top spot each time. Interestingly, Lynch ran a much higher line in turns three and four. The final race of the night, and likely my final one of 2013 was the 24 car modified headliner. And what a race it was, going non stop the entire way! When hot laps began I quickly told the guys that the # 19 would be on victory lane, and Jimmy Gustin made me look smart for once. Although he was pressured throughout by Kyle Brown and later Jeff Waterman, Gustin took the final checkers of the season, with Waterman and Brown nipping at his rear bumper.
Being an unabashed late model fan first and foremost, it had been too long since I had visited one of the tracks of my childhood but the racing and the entire program in general could not have been much better!
The rumor mill usually picks up when the season ends, but with the World of Outlaw World Finals still a week away, there is already plenty going on. Reportedly Clint Bowyer Racing is replacing one controversial pilot, Jared Landers in his # 5 machine with an equally polarizing driver in Don Oneal. The leaves the Mastersbilt house car ride held in 2013 by Oneal open - look for an announcement this coming week on who will fill that seat. Arguably the most popular late model driver in Iowa, Brian Birkhofer, has sold his two MB Customs chassis, a product he helped design, and has ordered two new Rocket chassis. Birky is also looking to downsize his hauler, with his multi car toter currently up for sale. Midwest legend Randy Korte, who continues to battle serious health issues has announced that 2014 will be his farewell season. " King Kong" has spent most of the last couple seasons in one of the # 81 rides for Riggs Motorsports, but he will return to his familiar # 00 for his final go around. And Rousch-Yates is apparently getting out of the dirt racing engine business, leaving driver such as Scott bloomquist to look elsewhere for their power plants. Those of us in northeast Missouri may have another chance to see our hometown boy Justin Jennings in another NASCAR event close to home. Gateway International Raceway near Granite City,Il will make a return to NASCAR, hosting a Camping World Truck Race the weekend of June 14 and 15, 2014. Closer to home, the new management team at Quincy Raceways is putting together a late model special to honor the 40th anniversary of the facility and its founder, the late Albert Scott. Look for the " Scotty 40" sometime in April. In the meantime, it seems like a long time until I will get to see the dirt fly, likely sometime in March, but check back throughout the offseason for facts, rumors and whatever else I can stir up.
Have a great winter!
We arrived early enough to take in all the festivities, including visiting with several drivers on the front stretch as the youngsters went trick or treating from car to car. Special thanks to a driver we had never run across, Jason Rold, from 5 hours away in Avoca, Iowa for the information, picture card, and some chocolate! It was also fun to visit with a driver from the Lynn Richard promoting days at LCS, Ned Beggs, father in law of stock car hotshoe Jason Cook., whose children were involved in the box car races, and former Hawkeye Racing News employee Kelly Underbakke Becker and her sport mod driving husband Aric, who left the Iowa Hawkeye football victory early to make it to Donnellson in time for the pre race festivities.
With all the hoopla, hot laps started only 15 minutes late, and the five classes featuring 127 cars rolled thru warmups in 25 minutes on the perfectly prepared 3/8 mile oval. I have attended dozens if not hundreds of races over the years at Donnellson and have never witnessed a better racing surface!
I will leave it to the others whose pens worked better in the warmth of the booth to do complete recaps and only say that the 23 race program featured some classic finishes. Bill Michel squeaked out a 1/2 car length win over Quincy Raceways track champion Austen Becerra in the sport compact 14 lapper after an entertaining four car battle. Dustin Griffiths continued his mastery of the hobby stock division with a win in the 15 lap affair. One time LCS late model driver Mike Hughes staged a solid run, pitting on a first lap caution, restarting 16th, and dueling side by side with Griffiths late in the race before settling for second. Red hot Curtis Vanderwal started the sport mod affair in row two, took the lead on lap three, and outdistanced Carter Vandenberg for to the checkers. B- main qualifiers Bobby Anders and Derek St Clair had moved to fourth and sixth respectively from their row nine start when the yellow waved with two laps to go. St Clair advanced one spot to fifth at the finish, while Anders got shuffled back to seventh. Jim Lynch carried the left front wheel of his # 566 off of turn two lap after lap in the stock car finale. Corey Stout led early, and made several runs at the hometown driver, but Lynch was a rocket off turn two. Twice the raced was stopped as he booted the tractor tire onto the track in turn two as he ran the low groove, but LCS does not penalize drivers for this, so he kept the top spot each time. Interestingly, Lynch ran a much higher line in turns three and four. The final race of the night, and likely my final one of 2013 was the 24 car modified headliner. And what a race it was, going non stop the entire way! When hot laps began I quickly told the guys that the # 19 would be on victory lane, and Jimmy Gustin made me look smart for once. Although he was pressured throughout by Kyle Brown and later Jeff Waterman, Gustin took the final checkers of the season, with Waterman and Brown nipping at his rear bumper.
Being an unabashed late model fan first and foremost, it had been too long since I had visited one of the tracks of my childhood but the racing and the entire program in general could not have been much better!
The rumor mill usually picks up when the season ends, but with the World of Outlaw World Finals still a week away, there is already plenty going on. Reportedly Clint Bowyer Racing is replacing one controversial pilot, Jared Landers in his # 5 machine with an equally polarizing driver in Don Oneal. The leaves the Mastersbilt house car ride held in 2013 by Oneal open - look for an announcement this coming week on who will fill that seat. Arguably the most popular late model driver in Iowa, Brian Birkhofer, has sold his two MB Customs chassis, a product he helped design, and has ordered two new Rocket chassis. Birky is also looking to downsize his hauler, with his multi car toter currently up for sale. Midwest legend Randy Korte, who continues to battle serious health issues has announced that 2014 will be his farewell season. " King Kong" has spent most of the last couple seasons in one of the # 81 rides for Riggs Motorsports, but he will return to his familiar # 00 for his final go around. And Rousch-Yates is apparently getting out of the dirt racing engine business, leaving driver such as Scott bloomquist to look elsewhere for their power plants. Those of us in northeast Missouri may have another chance to see our hometown boy Justin Jennings in another NASCAR event close to home. Gateway International Raceway near Granite City,Il will make a return to NASCAR, hosting a Camping World Truck Race the weekend of June 14 and 15, 2014. Closer to home, the new management team at Quincy Raceways is putting together a late model special to honor the 40th anniversary of the facility and its founder, the late Albert Scott. Look for the " Scotty 40" sometime in April. In the meantime, it seems like a long time until I will get to see the dirt fly, likely sometime in March, but check back throughout the offseason for facts, rumors and whatever else I can stir up.
Have a great winter!
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
The Dog Ate My Homework - Liberty 100 Notes
Saturday night Fred, Darryl, and I headed out for what is likely our final late model race of 2013. I had every intention of penning a recap on Sunday, but events of the day kept me away for most of the day. And yesterday, the flu bug came to visit and it was not a good day! So this report is late, but I will carry on anyway.
According to announcer Jerry Mackey, the two night Liberty 100 show at West Liberty, Iowa Raceway drew 150 competitors. Among those, several drivers entered in more than one class, and it looked like a couple others may have used the same car in more than one class.
Although we make the journey only on night two, this race is one of my favorites, with the opportunity to see two late model classes in action. And with most of the preliminaries - including 22 heat races - running on Friday, the Saturday format lends itself to plenty of action ending in good time. Even with the program swelling to seven classes this year, we were done around 10:30.
The night started with pole dashes for the top six in each class, with last chance races scheduled next. As it turned out, the car counts were such that the IMCA modifieds ran a position dash to set the remainder of the starting field , as the top nine rows were already set. Only the IMCA late models ran an elimination race, with 14 cars set to take the green to fill six starting spots.
With not so much as a short break the first feature rolled out at 7:10. This marked the first appearance in the fall special for the IMCA sport mods. The 15 lap event ran with only one mid race caution, and second generation driver Andrew Schroeder took a close win over Tyler Sobbe and Janae Gustin, the up and coming female member of the Gustin clan. Reportedly the sport mods will replace the open mods at West Liberty in 2014. Not to diminish the sport mods, but I will truly miss the opens at Liberty, as they consistently stage outstanding battles on the 1/2 mile, even with less than full fields.
David Brandies swept the weekend with a win in the IMCA stock car finale. Again only one caution slowed the action. Tad Payne took second, while Matt Greiner came from last to third behind the wheel of the # 57 driven Friday night by Blaine Doplar.
Kurt Kile took the early lead in the IMCA modified feature. Following a lap three yellow, Richie Gustin used the Delaware restart to grab the lead. It took a couple of tries to get back to racing following a lap nine stoppage, and Dan Chapman took the runner up spot, as Kile fell to fourth. On lap 17, Kile regained the second spot, but Gustin held on for the win. Chapman, Steve Stewart, and Andrew Schroeder filled out the top five, with 23 of 25 starters still running at the checkers.
The ten lap feature for the 4 cylinder cars had the closest finish of the night. Nate Chandler and Cory Sheetz swapped the lead in the early laps. Bill Whelan took second on the fifth circuit, and grabbed the lead two laps later. It was a side by side finish, as Whelan edged Chandler at the line, with Sheetz taking third.
Next came the 50 lapper for the open late models, with 19 cars taking the green, as Brad Stewart did not make the call. The Simpson brothers sat on the front row, and outside polesitter Chris took the quick lead. The yellow waved on lap four, as Nick Marolf was leaking fuel. On the restart, fifth starting Jason Utter moved to second. After a lap nine caution, and a turn three pileup on the restart, Justin Kay took third, with Utter falling to fourth. On lap 12, it was Utter back to third. On lap 21 Brian Harris powered to fourth, four laps later the yellow waved for a debris caution from Harris' car, and before racing resumed, his car lost power, ending his run. On the restart Utter grabbed second and briefly challenged Simpson. As the race stayed green the rest of the way, Chris stretched his lead, taking a flag to flag win. Utter held the runnerup spot ahead of Chad Simpson, Kay, Denny Eckrich, Spencer Diercks, visiting UMP hot shoe Scott Schmitt, and Darrell Defrance, the top eight on the lead lap. Dave Eckrich, Joel Callahan, and Todd Hormel were the last cars running at the checkers.
The open mod 20 lapper was next with 17 starters. Again Kirt Kile had the pole, and led through a lap six caution, the only one of the event. On lap eight Brad Dierks powered past for the lead, holding it to the checkers. Kile held off Bruce Hanford for second, with Ryan Dolan and Chris Zogg rounding out the top five.
The night and season finale was the 24 car IMCA late model 50 lapper. Outside polesitter Jeff Aikey grab the top spot at the green, holding off Denny Eckrich until lap seven. Justin Kay was on the move early, coming from row eight to seventh by lap 15. Around lap 20 seventh starting Chad Simpson in the Diercks # 30 moved to third. The caution flew on lap 22 as Kays' ride appeared to lock up as he tried to get to the pits. As the green waved, 12th starting Andy Eckrich moved to fourth, on lap 25 he took third, and one lap later he was in second. Tommy Elston was also picking off cars, moving to eighth from his row 11 starting slot. As Andy was steadily closing on his brother, his run ended suddenly on lap 44. Denny then cruised to the win, giving him two top fives for the night. Chad Simpson mirrored that with a runnerup finish to add to his third place run. Aikey was third, while Ryan dolan finished fourth on the Dralle # 1 ride. A pair of 15s came next, Kyle Hinrichs fifth and Brian Harris sixth. Elston, Spencer Diercks, Nate Beuseling, and Joel Callahan completed the top ten. For Diercks, it was a sixth and an eighth, and a pair of tenths for Callahan.
Although I hope to get in at least one more race in 2013, if it doesn't happen, this installment of the Liberty 100 would be a fine way to wrap up the season!
According to announcer Jerry Mackey, the two night Liberty 100 show at West Liberty, Iowa Raceway drew 150 competitors. Among those, several drivers entered in more than one class, and it looked like a couple others may have used the same car in more than one class.
Although we make the journey only on night two, this race is one of my favorites, with the opportunity to see two late model classes in action. And with most of the preliminaries - including 22 heat races - running on Friday, the Saturday format lends itself to plenty of action ending in good time. Even with the program swelling to seven classes this year, we were done around 10:30.
The night started with pole dashes for the top six in each class, with last chance races scheduled next. As it turned out, the car counts were such that the IMCA modifieds ran a position dash to set the remainder of the starting field , as the top nine rows were already set. Only the IMCA late models ran an elimination race, with 14 cars set to take the green to fill six starting spots.
With not so much as a short break the first feature rolled out at 7:10. This marked the first appearance in the fall special for the IMCA sport mods. The 15 lap event ran with only one mid race caution, and second generation driver Andrew Schroeder took a close win over Tyler Sobbe and Janae Gustin, the up and coming female member of the Gustin clan. Reportedly the sport mods will replace the open mods at West Liberty in 2014. Not to diminish the sport mods, but I will truly miss the opens at Liberty, as they consistently stage outstanding battles on the 1/2 mile, even with less than full fields.
David Brandies swept the weekend with a win in the IMCA stock car finale. Again only one caution slowed the action. Tad Payne took second, while Matt Greiner came from last to third behind the wheel of the # 57 driven Friday night by Blaine Doplar.
Kurt Kile took the early lead in the IMCA modified feature. Following a lap three yellow, Richie Gustin used the Delaware restart to grab the lead. It took a couple of tries to get back to racing following a lap nine stoppage, and Dan Chapman took the runner up spot, as Kile fell to fourth. On lap 17, Kile regained the second spot, but Gustin held on for the win. Chapman, Steve Stewart, and Andrew Schroeder filled out the top five, with 23 of 25 starters still running at the checkers.
The ten lap feature for the 4 cylinder cars had the closest finish of the night. Nate Chandler and Cory Sheetz swapped the lead in the early laps. Bill Whelan took second on the fifth circuit, and grabbed the lead two laps later. It was a side by side finish, as Whelan edged Chandler at the line, with Sheetz taking third.
Next came the 50 lapper for the open late models, with 19 cars taking the green, as Brad Stewart did not make the call. The Simpson brothers sat on the front row, and outside polesitter Chris took the quick lead. The yellow waved on lap four, as Nick Marolf was leaking fuel. On the restart, fifth starting Jason Utter moved to second. After a lap nine caution, and a turn three pileup on the restart, Justin Kay took third, with Utter falling to fourth. On lap 12, it was Utter back to third. On lap 21 Brian Harris powered to fourth, four laps later the yellow waved for a debris caution from Harris' car, and before racing resumed, his car lost power, ending his run. On the restart Utter grabbed second and briefly challenged Simpson. As the race stayed green the rest of the way, Chris stretched his lead, taking a flag to flag win. Utter held the runnerup spot ahead of Chad Simpson, Kay, Denny Eckrich, Spencer Diercks, visiting UMP hot shoe Scott Schmitt, and Darrell Defrance, the top eight on the lead lap. Dave Eckrich, Joel Callahan, and Todd Hormel were the last cars running at the checkers.
The open mod 20 lapper was next with 17 starters. Again Kirt Kile had the pole, and led through a lap six caution, the only one of the event. On lap eight Brad Dierks powered past for the lead, holding it to the checkers. Kile held off Bruce Hanford for second, with Ryan Dolan and Chris Zogg rounding out the top five.
The night and season finale was the 24 car IMCA late model 50 lapper. Outside polesitter Jeff Aikey grab the top spot at the green, holding off Denny Eckrich until lap seven. Justin Kay was on the move early, coming from row eight to seventh by lap 15. Around lap 20 seventh starting Chad Simpson in the Diercks # 30 moved to third. The caution flew on lap 22 as Kays' ride appeared to lock up as he tried to get to the pits. As the green waved, 12th starting Andy Eckrich moved to fourth, on lap 25 he took third, and one lap later he was in second. Tommy Elston was also picking off cars, moving to eighth from his row 11 starting slot. As Andy was steadily closing on his brother, his run ended suddenly on lap 44. Denny then cruised to the win, giving him two top fives for the night. Chad Simpson mirrored that with a runnerup finish to add to his third place run. Aikey was third, while Ryan dolan finished fourth on the Dralle # 1 ride. A pair of 15s came next, Kyle Hinrichs fifth and Brian Harris sixth. Elston, Spencer Diercks, Nate Beuseling, and Joel Callahan completed the top ten. For Diercks, it was a sixth and an eighth, and a pair of tenths for Callahan.
Although I hope to get in at least one more race in 2013, if it doesn't happen, this installment of the Liberty 100 would be a fine way to wrap up the season!
Monday, September 30, 2013
The final weekend in September gave us a chance for one more two race
weekend, and thanks to yeoman work by the two track crews, we were able
to witness some excellent racing. Despite the forecast, Saturday
morning, Keagan and former late model driver Rick Coats joined me as we
headed for Knoxville, Iowa for the final night of the Lucas Oil Late
Model Nationals. Darryl and Fred were able to take in all three nights
of the event, and we were hoping Saturday would not be a wash out. I
always like to get to Knoxville around noon time for a couple of
reasons. One is to take in as much of the atmosphere as possible, and
two, I am always on the hunt for a parking spot that allows me a base
close to the grandstands and the ability to make a quick exit from the
grounds. It seems that the free parking areas are getting to be less and
less in recent years, with areas where we used to park now roped off.
But with an arrival just after 11:00, we found a good spot and hoped to
wait out the persistent rain, which alternated between drizzle and light
showers. About 3:00, as forecast, the rain was finally gone, and the
track crew went to work. I doubt there is another track closer than
Eldora that could have raced under those conditions, but the Knoxville
guys made it happen. And only 15 minutes late to boot!
The Thursday night car count had been 72, with all but two returning for Friday. On Saturday the number stood at 66 with three preliminary events scheduled to finalize the 32 car starting field. The first 12 rows were locked in, leaving six qualifying spots and two provisionals up for grabs.
First up was the 12 lap D feature, with nine cars making the call. Ely, Iowas Skip Frey took the early lead, soon yielding to Cuba, Ill. pilot Steve Lance Jr. Steve was wheeling brother Tims back up # 48 car that Brian Shirly drove on the UMP Summernationals Tour. The second generation driver took the win, with Frey, Michael Smith , and Dustin Walker in the # 77A normally driven by Justin Asplin also transferring to the tail of the 15 lap C Main.
That race opened with a scary moment, as Charlie McKenna got sideways in turn one, was hit by another car, and bounced in the air, landing atop the # 58 of Ray Guss Jr. Neither driver was injured, both were done for the night. Brian Birkhofer came from row three to take the lead on lap ten and the win, with two of the Eckrich brothers following him to the checkers, Andy second and Dave third. Thler Breuning rounded out the all Iowa top four transfers.
The 20 lap B feature belonged to Texan Morgan Bagley, as he took off from the pole position to capture the win. The third Eckrich brother, Denny powered from row five to make the big show with a runnerup finish. Shannon Babb, Mars champion Tony Jackson Jr., Ryan Unzicker, and IMCA national champion Justin Kay also nabbed transfer spots. Birkhofer made a dramatic charge, coming from the back of the pack to battle with Kay for the six spot. He was eventually able to get around both Justin and Unzicker, only to blow a tire coming through turn four on the final lap. He was forced to get out of the gas as he was headed for the fence, and thus fell from the top six.
Billy Moyer, Jr, and Dennis Erb Jr picked up the provisional starting spots, and with little delay, the 32 car field was on the track for 100 laps, $40,000 going to the winner. Although Dale McDowell had the pole, Josh Richards sat alongside, and the " Rocket Man " had dominated the two $7,000 to win 25 lappers on Thursday and Friday. Richards took the early led, and by lap eight he had caught the back of the pack. 13 laps in,. third starting Darrell Lanigan took the second spot, and seven laps later he took the lead. The first yellow waved on lap 33, and by then the front two had pulled away to a big lead. following another caution seven laps later, fifth starting Jason Feger moved to the third spot. With 59 circuits to go, UMP national point leader Brandon Sheppard was running in tenth when he made contact with the turn three fence ending his run. During the cleanup, sixth running Earl Pearson Jr. saw his night end, as he went pitside. On the restart, Mc Dowell retook third. Billy Moyer was now the man on the move, 14th to fifth as the leaders again began to pull away. Lanigan found separation from Richards, but with 22 to go, Josh mounted a comeback. Moyer charged to third with 20 laps left, and three laps after Richards moved back to the lead. With the front two battling, the red came out with six to go, as Eddie Carrier Jr. rolled his # 28C in turn three. With less than ten laps remaining, the field reset in single file formation. As the green flew, fifth place Don Oneal charged hard into turn one, making contact with Feger, sending Jason flipping hard. Once order was restored and the race went green, Lanigan made a late charge around Richards, to take his first Knoxville win, denying Richards the weekend sweep. Tim McCreadie was strong at the end, racing back to third, 2012 winner Steve Francis came from 22nd to fourth, while Moyer faded slightly to fifth. John Blankenship led the second five ahead of Brady Smith and Scott Bloomquist, by my count the final cars on the lead lap. Jimmy Owens and Chad Simpson completed the top ten.
Knoxville is as close to a " can't miss " race as there is for me, and the 2013 version did not disappoint!
After a late night drive home and a few hours sleep. it was time for season championshop night at Quincy Raceways. Quincy was hit with quite a bit of rain on Saturday, and the track crew worked hard to get both the racing surface and the pits ready for the final night of racing. 73 cars checked in for the five divisions of racing. The track was a bit dusty and one lane in the late afternoon sun, but at intermission the track crew did some reworking, and there were two racy grooves for the features. The three IMCA classes started their main events straight up, but that only meant fifth starting Brandon Savage had some work to do in the IMCA stock car 20 lapper. Brandon used the high side to overtake pole sitter and track champion Abe Huls to pick up his fourth win of the season. Savage raced out to a big lead, with Huls holding off Terry Houston at the finish.
Fast timer, dash winner and points champion Steven Delonjay had the pole for the 22 car UMP modified finale, but it was outside row one starter Rusty Griffaw who shot to the lead. Griffaw kept his # 16 in the high groove until a mid race restart when he changed to the inside line. With about ten laps to go, Justin Reed was able to clear Delonjay using the high groove, and Dave Weitholder, who missed qualifying and started deep in the pack, moved to third. Dave, by the way, found problems with his power plant, ans was running a 6 cylinder engine in his # 05! After a lap 22 yellow bunched the field, a multi car pile up on the backstretch starting up front eliminated several contenders. Griffaw was in front of the mess, and he picked up his second QR win of the season ahead of Delonjay and Robbie Reed.
The UMP late model feature ran next. The 30 laps went caution free. Scott Schmitt made the long tow to QR on Sunday, Scott was leading UMP Illinois state points, and was reportedly fourth in the national points battle. He saet quick time, picked up the dash win, and led the first three laps of the main event.
Mark Burgtorf then took over the top spot, and held on for his third win of the year at his home track. Schmitt took home the second spot, with Rickey Frankel third.
The IMCA sport mod main event hit the 25 minute time limit at about the lap nine mark, then clicked off 11 caution free laps.Point champion Tony Dunker led the distance, his ninth feature win in a row, Brad Holtmeyer and Trever Hagerbaumer followed.
The final race of the 2013 season was the IMCA sport compact finale. The 2013 champion Austen Becerra staged a great duel with Kimberly Abbott until late in the race when Kim drifted up the track, turning the runnerup spot over to Jared Dunker.
My wife is starting to ask how much longer the race season is, so my nights at the track may be numbered. But hopefully there is still a night or two remaining in 2013!
The Thursday night car count had been 72, with all but two returning for Friday. On Saturday the number stood at 66 with three preliminary events scheduled to finalize the 32 car starting field. The first 12 rows were locked in, leaving six qualifying spots and two provisionals up for grabs.
First up was the 12 lap D feature, with nine cars making the call. Ely, Iowas Skip Frey took the early lead, soon yielding to Cuba, Ill. pilot Steve Lance Jr. Steve was wheeling brother Tims back up # 48 car that Brian Shirly drove on the UMP Summernationals Tour. The second generation driver took the win, with Frey, Michael Smith , and Dustin Walker in the # 77A normally driven by Justin Asplin also transferring to the tail of the 15 lap C Main.
That race opened with a scary moment, as Charlie McKenna got sideways in turn one, was hit by another car, and bounced in the air, landing atop the # 58 of Ray Guss Jr. Neither driver was injured, both were done for the night. Brian Birkhofer came from row three to take the lead on lap ten and the win, with two of the Eckrich brothers following him to the checkers, Andy second and Dave third. Thler Breuning rounded out the all Iowa top four transfers.
The 20 lap B feature belonged to Texan Morgan Bagley, as he took off from the pole position to capture the win. The third Eckrich brother, Denny powered from row five to make the big show with a runnerup finish. Shannon Babb, Mars champion Tony Jackson Jr., Ryan Unzicker, and IMCA national champion Justin Kay also nabbed transfer spots. Birkhofer made a dramatic charge, coming from the back of the pack to battle with Kay for the six spot. He was eventually able to get around both Justin and Unzicker, only to blow a tire coming through turn four on the final lap. He was forced to get out of the gas as he was headed for the fence, and thus fell from the top six.
Billy Moyer, Jr, and Dennis Erb Jr picked up the provisional starting spots, and with little delay, the 32 car field was on the track for 100 laps, $40,000 going to the winner. Although Dale McDowell had the pole, Josh Richards sat alongside, and the " Rocket Man " had dominated the two $7,000 to win 25 lappers on Thursday and Friday. Richards took the early led, and by lap eight he had caught the back of the pack. 13 laps in,. third starting Darrell Lanigan took the second spot, and seven laps later he took the lead. The first yellow waved on lap 33, and by then the front two had pulled away to a big lead. following another caution seven laps later, fifth starting Jason Feger moved to the third spot. With 59 circuits to go, UMP national point leader Brandon Sheppard was running in tenth when he made contact with the turn three fence ending his run. During the cleanup, sixth running Earl Pearson Jr. saw his night end, as he went pitside. On the restart, Mc Dowell retook third. Billy Moyer was now the man on the move, 14th to fifth as the leaders again began to pull away. Lanigan found separation from Richards, but with 22 to go, Josh mounted a comeback. Moyer charged to third with 20 laps left, and three laps after Richards moved back to the lead. With the front two battling, the red came out with six to go, as Eddie Carrier Jr. rolled his # 28C in turn three. With less than ten laps remaining, the field reset in single file formation. As the green flew, fifth place Don Oneal charged hard into turn one, making contact with Feger, sending Jason flipping hard. Once order was restored and the race went green, Lanigan made a late charge around Richards, to take his first Knoxville win, denying Richards the weekend sweep. Tim McCreadie was strong at the end, racing back to third, 2012 winner Steve Francis came from 22nd to fourth, while Moyer faded slightly to fifth. John Blankenship led the second five ahead of Brady Smith and Scott Bloomquist, by my count the final cars on the lead lap. Jimmy Owens and Chad Simpson completed the top ten.
Knoxville is as close to a " can't miss " race as there is for me, and the 2013 version did not disappoint!
After a late night drive home and a few hours sleep. it was time for season championshop night at Quincy Raceways. Quincy was hit with quite a bit of rain on Saturday, and the track crew worked hard to get both the racing surface and the pits ready for the final night of racing. 73 cars checked in for the five divisions of racing. The track was a bit dusty and one lane in the late afternoon sun, but at intermission the track crew did some reworking, and there were two racy grooves for the features. The three IMCA classes started their main events straight up, but that only meant fifth starting Brandon Savage had some work to do in the IMCA stock car 20 lapper. Brandon used the high side to overtake pole sitter and track champion Abe Huls to pick up his fourth win of the season. Savage raced out to a big lead, with Huls holding off Terry Houston at the finish.
Fast timer, dash winner and points champion Steven Delonjay had the pole for the 22 car UMP modified finale, but it was outside row one starter Rusty Griffaw who shot to the lead. Griffaw kept his # 16 in the high groove until a mid race restart when he changed to the inside line. With about ten laps to go, Justin Reed was able to clear Delonjay using the high groove, and Dave Weitholder, who missed qualifying and started deep in the pack, moved to third. Dave, by the way, found problems with his power plant, ans was running a 6 cylinder engine in his # 05! After a lap 22 yellow bunched the field, a multi car pile up on the backstretch starting up front eliminated several contenders. Griffaw was in front of the mess, and he picked up his second QR win of the season ahead of Delonjay and Robbie Reed.
The UMP late model feature ran next. The 30 laps went caution free. Scott Schmitt made the long tow to QR on Sunday, Scott was leading UMP Illinois state points, and was reportedly fourth in the national points battle. He saet quick time, picked up the dash win, and led the first three laps of the main event.
Mark Burgtorf then took over the top spot, and held on for his third win of the year at his home track. Schmitt took home the second spot, with Rickey Frankel third.
The IMCA sport mod main event hit the 25 minute time limit at about the lap nine mark, then clicked off 11 caution free laps.Point champion Tony Dunker led the distance, his ninth feature win in a row, Brad Holtmeyer and Trever Hagerbaumer followed.
The final race of the 2013 season was the IMCA sport compact finale. The 2013 champion Austen Becerra staged a great duel with Kimberly Abbott until late in the race when Kim drifted up the track, turning the runnerup spot over to Jared Dunker.
My wife is starting to ask how much longer the race season is, so my nights at the track may be numbered. But hopefully there is still a night or two remaining in 2013!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Perry Cashes In At Quincy
Sunday night was the next to last night at Quincy Raceways for the 2013 season. 66 cars signed in on a pleasant evening in the five divisions. Steven Delonjay set quick time in the UMP modifieds at 15.903 seconds, then rolled a " 2 " to set the dash invert. As qualifying went along, the track improved dramatically, and UMP national late model point leader Brandon Sheppard blistered the .29 mile oval at 13.487 seconds. He rolled a " 3 "to set the late model dash lineup. Following heat race and dash action, the track crew took some time to knock down the cushion, and the feature track was plenty fast.
The IMCA stock cars ran first, and after a false start, Brandon Savage charged to the early lead, building a big advantage. There was a great four car battle for the second spot between Jake Powers, Terry Houston, point leader Abe Huls, and Beau Taylor. Taylor was back after missing several weeks while he repaired his # 2T. A caution on lap ten brought Savage back to the pack, and on the Delaware restart, Huls jumped to second. But the night belonged to Savage, who again opened up a nice lead, taking his third win of the year on his first wedding anniversary. Huls, Houston, Taylor, and Jerry Jansen filled out the top five spots.
All but one of the 20 UMP mods took the green flag, with Delonjay jumping to the early lead. With Dave Weitholder hot on his bumper, the front two pulled away, hitting slower traffic by lap seven. The first caution came on lap 11, as Adam Birck, and visiting David Baldwin from Perrysville, In. got together while lapping slower cars. On the restart, Justin Reed kept the front two in his sights, while Milo Veloz in the # 242 car out of Peoria, and Jake Griffin began a charge towards the front. The yellow flew again two laps later, and on that restart, Danny Lake powered into fourth. Veloz and Russ Coultas swapped the fifth spot on laps 17 and 19, but on lap 22 Veloz headed pitside, as Griffin took over the fifth spot. Delonjay lead flag to flag, but Weitholder pushed him all the way. Reed claimed third ahead of Lake, and Griffin came from row seven to take fifth running the high side of the track. It was win number 12 of the year for Delonjay.
The UMP late models ran next, 11 strong. Baldwin came to town with both a mod and late model, but he was having engine issues in his late model, so he skipped qualifying and his heat race, tagging the tail for the 30 lap feature. Outside pole sitter Denny Woodworth jumped to the early lead, locked in a duel with dash winner Mark Burgtorf. Jason Perry soon joined the fray, and by lap eight he had moved to second as Sheppard made it a four car battle. On lap 11 Sheppard took third, four circuits later Perry muscled past Woodworth for the lead. On lap 16 Sheppard appeared to get in the back of Woodworth, and he then slowed and headed for the pits as the caution came out. On the restart, Jared Schlipman and Bill Genenbacher got mixed up, ending Genebachers run. Michael Long also retired at this time. From there the race stayed green until the end. Perry, the 2012 track champion took his first win of 2013, followed by Burgtorf and Woodworth. Schlipman and John Beck put on a show as they battled for fourth, with Jared taking the spot. Ron Elbe ran sixth, and Baldwin and his sick power plant was seventh, as Rickey Frankel dropped out on lap 19.
The program took a dramatic slowdown as the 14 IMCA sport mods attempted a 20 lap feature.
Cautions too numerous to count dominated the action, with Tony Dunker prevailing for yet another win over Tanner Klingele, Todd Reed, Brad Holtmeyer, and Bob Cowman.
The IMCA sport compacts closed out the night, with Alex Baker leading lap one. Brandon Lambert then took over on lap three but could not hold off the charge of Austen Becerra, who took over for good three laps later. Lambert stayed close to the checkers, with Spencer Coats, Kim Abbott and Alex Baker completing the top five.
Next Sunday will bring the 2013 season to a close at Quincy Raceways, with the new promoters in place for 2014 already. There is still a months worth of racing in the area, so take in as much as you can. I know I will!
The IMCA stock cars ran first, and after a false start, Brandon Savage charged to the early lead, building a big advantage. There was a great four car battle for the second spot between Jake Powers, Terry Houston, point leader Abe Huls, and Beau Taylor. Taylor was back after missing several weeks while he repaired his # 2T. A caution on lap ten brought Savage back to the pack, and on the Delaware restart, Huls jumped to second. But the night belonged to Savage, who again opened up a nice lead, taking his third win of the year on his first wedding anniversary. Huls, Houston, Taylor, and Jerry Jansen filled out the top five spots.
All but one of the 20 UMP mods took the green flag, with Delonjay jumping to the early lead. With Dave Weitholder hot on his bumper, the front two pulled away, hitting slower traffic by lap seven. The first caution came on lap 11, as Adam Birck, and visiting David Baldwin from Perrysville, In. got together while lapping slower cars. On the restart, Justin Reed kept the front two in his sights, while Milo Veloz in the # 242 car out of Peoria, and Jake Griffin began a charge towards the front. The yellow flew again two laps later, and on that restart, Danny Lake powered into fourth. Veloz and Russ Coultas swapped the fifth spot on laps 17 and 19, but on lap 22 Veloz headed pitside, as Griffin took over the fifth spot. Delonjay lead flag to flag, but Weitholder pushed him all the way. Reed claimed third ahead of Lake, and Griffin came from row seven to take fifth running the high side of the track. It was win number 12 of the year for Delonjay.
The UMP late models ran next, 11 strong. Baldwin came to town with both a mod and late model, but he was having engine issues in his late model, so he skipped qualifying and his heat race, tagging the tail for the 30 lap feature. Outside pole sitter Denny Woodworth jumped to the early lead, locked in a duel with dash winner Mark Burgtorf. Jason Perry soon joined the fray, and by lap eight he had moved to second as Sheppard made it a four car battle. On lap 11 Sheppard took third, four circuits later Perry muscled past Woodworth for the lead. On lap 16 Sheppard appeared to get in the back of Woodworth, and he then slowed and headed for the pits as the caution came out. On the restart, Jared Schlipman and Bill Genenbacher got mixed up, ending Genebachers run. Michael Long also retired at this time. From there the race stayed green until the end. Perry, the 2012 track champion took his first win of 2013, followed by Burgtorf and Woodworth. Schlipman and John Beck put on a show as they battled for fourth, with Jared taking the spot. Ron Elbe ran sixth, and Baldwin and his sick power plant was seventh, as Rickey Frankel dropped out on lap 19.
The program took a dramatic slowdown as the 14 IMCA sport mods attempted a 20 lap feature.
Cautions too numerous to count dominated the action, with Tony Dunker prevailing for yet another win over Tanner Klingele, Todd Reed, Brad Holtmeyer, and Bob Cowman.
The IMCA sport compacts closed out the night, with Alex Baker leading lap one. Brandon Lambert then took over on lap three but could not hold off the charge of Austen Becerra, who took over for good three laps later. Lambert stayed close to the checkers, with Spencer Coats, Kim Abbott and Alex Baker completing the top five.
Next Sunday will bring the 2013 season to a close at Quincy Raceways, with the new promoters in place for 2014 already. There is still a months worth of racing in the area, so take in as much as you can. I know I will!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
