Oneal Tops the MARS Stars, Ryan and Werner Also Winners

    Davenport Speedway was our destination on Tuesday night as Tony Izzo brought his MARS open late model series to the 1/4 mile for the second time in 2021. The Hoker 50 would be the headline event, with IMCA late models and IMCA modifieds filling out the card. Three quality classes, a perfect show for a mid week race at a track with a curfew!

   In addition to his tour followers, Izzo was hoping to attract a few drivers on their way from the Silver Dollar Nationals event at Greenwood, Nebraska last weekend to the Prairie Dirt Classic in Fairbury, Illinois beginning on Friday. While several "big name" drivers did indeed stop by, along with several who did not go to Nebraska, what garnered the most attention was the Monday announcement that UMP modified standout Nick Hoffman would be climbing in the Team Zero car for an ailing Scott Bloomquist. The plan for the UMP Summit Nationals points leader would be to get his "feet wet" at Davenport, then head to Fairbury for the weekend. 

   While the car count may have been a bit less than hoped for, the quality, particularly among the MARS entrants, was top drawer! A solid mix of regional and national stars made up the twenty two car field, while eighteen IMCA late models and sixteen IMCA modifieds filled out the card. 

   Brandon Overton broke the fourteen second mark in qualifying and sat atop the leader board until New Mexico driver Stormy Scott broke through with a lap of 13.968 seconds to grab top honors. As is mostly the case with "time 'em and start 'em straight up" shows, the three heat races were yawners. Scott and Overton took wins from the pole, while Jason Feger captured heat two from outside row one. Mitch Morris and Spencer Diercks topped the modified heats, both from row two, while Don Pataska and Andy Nezworski were front row winners in the IMCA late model division. Both of those classes used the draw/redraw format. 

   An unusually long intermission ( thanks, T.V. coverage?) did not go completely to waste, as Dr. Al and Ricky performed their usual track magic, making the 1/4 mile oval super racy for the main events. 

   The headline event, the $10,000 to win Hoker 50 lined up first, straight up from the heat race finishes. Scott and Feger paced the field, catching slower traffic by lap six. Scott was able to negotiate the lapped traffic, and as the laps continued to click off, Feger held off Brian Shirley as the top two in MARS points battled for second. At lap twenty three, Feger slipped off the top of turn one, turning the spot over to Shirley. The race to watch was a tight battle for second through sixth, but as the lap was completed, the first caution period came. On the Delaware style restart, Hudson Oneal looked like a running back finding a seam up the middle, charging to third, then continuing his momentum into second. Oneal then cleared Scott for the lead as the race reached the halfway mark, and one lap later, the yellow flag waved again. With Feger and Scott fading back in the pack, it was now Shirley and Overton hot and heavy for second, and Bobby Pierce looking for an opening behind them. The front four gained separation from the pack, with Overton momentarily breaking free and mounting a strong challenge for the lead around lap thirty five. Meanwhile, Pierce was working on Shirley for third, but his slider was met with a successful crossover on lap thirty seven. One more trip around and Pierce claimed the third spot, even as Oneal began to put distance between himself and his challengers. The race to watch in the closing laps was the battle for fifth, as Garrett Alberson on the bottom, Ricky Weiss in the middle, and Scott up top ran three wide. As the white flag was coming out, Feger slowed on the front stretch exiting the speedway, and the yellow flag came out a final time. This set up a two lap dash to the finish with the field realigned single file. On the final trip around, Overton mounted a serious challenge and from our vantage point looked to perhaps be the winner, but the transponders scored Oneal out front by 0.026 seconds! Pierce and Shirley followed, with eleventh starting Alberson completing his late charge through the field in fifth. Weiss ran sixth, while Hoffman started in row eight and advanced to seventh at the finish. Chad Simpson, Jimmy Owens, and Scott were next, as only ten cars took the checkers.

   Twenty laps would be the distance for the IMCA modifieds. Craig Crawford and sixteen year old Charlie Mohr lined up in row one, with Mohr jumping to a commanding lead. Chris Zogg came from row two to second on lap two, and was soon challenged by Spencer Diercks. Spencer had issues early on with his super late model, but had his mod running strong. With a dozen laps to go he was in second and applying pressure to Mohr when the youngster went too hot through turns three and four, spinning and coming to a stop. Diercks and Zogg would line up side by side for the restart with Diercks grabbing the advantage. But it was now Matt Werner breaking through to challenge, and he took over the lead at the halfway point. Diercks stayed close, as the top two pulled away, and they would swap the lead again as the laps wound down. Diercks was working the high line while Werner operated on the lower half of the oval. Working the bottom in turns one and two, then drifting to the middle groove on the exit of turn four, Werner took control, only to catch the back of the pack on the final lap. He was up to the challenge, however, putting his #93 in victory lane after redrawing the number twelve and starting in row six! Diercks rolled home second, chased by Jason Pershy, Werners' row six mate Brandon Durbin, and Mitch Morris. It was a testament to the track prep to have that much movement through the field after fifty laps of super late model action!

   IMCA late models would round out the night, racing for twenty five laps. Justin Kay charged from third to take the top spot exiting turn four on lap one. Brian Harris used a jack rabbit start to jump to second in what began as a two car race. By lap five, the high riding Harris had taken over the lead, while fifth starting Matt Ryan was closing in on Kay for second. Matt completed the pass on lap seven, and two laps later he cleared Harris for the lead. Ryan and Kay worked around the infield tire barrier while Harris searched the top side for a bite. Fourteen to go and Kay moved to second, and one lap later Ryan found the back of the pack. Ryan was able to stretch his lead a bit as Kay moved around on the track looking for needed momentum. We had certainly seen this play before, but tonight there would be no late heroics for Kay, as Ryan drove to the win. Kay, who finished outside the top ten with his super late model, grabbed the runner up spot. Harris settled for third, while Chuck Hanna ran fourth. Nezworski drew the twelve chip and moved up seven spots to fifth. Young Logan Duffy was sixth followed by the veteran Gary Webb. Shawn Mulvany, Jacob Waterman, and Fred Remley completed the top ten.

   We were in the car shortly before 10 PM, as another large Davenport crowd filed out of the parking lot. Thanks as always to Ricky and Brenda, as well as the MARS folks for their hospitality and for another top notch event on the racy 1/4 mile! 

   Next for this race fan is a special Saturday night event this week at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, with another edition of the "Drive for Five" paying $1,000 to win for IMCA late models and modifieds. Midgets and the A.I.R.S. vintage cars will join stock cars, sport mods, and sport compacts in filling out the card in what promises to be a full night of action. Lee County is trading nights this week with 34 Raceway, where the All Start Circuit of Champions sprint cars will be in action on Friday. These two events are just the tip of the iceberg, with both sprint and stock car action all over the area this week, so check the Positively Racing calendar and head to a track near or far!

  

Dacus and Cole Wells Top Pevely Late Models

    Saturday night we made our first trip since 2019 to the I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri. Six classes of cars were on the program, including the Cash Money Super Dirt Series late models under a scorching July sun. The headline class this night was the UMP Bi State Battle late models. A two track collaboration with the Highland, Illinois Speedway has worked out extremely well for both tracks. Featuring the high powered late models on a loosely rotating basis, both tracks have seen increased car counts, with thirty one checking in Saturday. The Cash Money Series, a lower cost late model touring series based in southwest Missouri rolled in to town eighteen strong. Considering Pevely would be at the outer reaches of their travel area, that was not a bad count. Add in UMP modifieds, UMP Pro mods, sportsman and Pro 4s and the final count came in at 128. 

   Hot laps rolled off shortly after 6:15, and by 7:15 the first of eighteen heat races was on the track. Pevely does not run time trials, a plus in my book, and heats are lined up by a draw. The top eighteen in passing points move on in the super late model class while the Cash Money group appeared to use a top six redraw. The other classes appeared to use a straight up start or redraw format. As near as I could tell, none of this was explained, so some of it is just me guessing. Only the UMP late models needed a B main to fill out the starting grid, and following a brief intermission, it was feature time.

   The Pro 4 division was up first, with all but two of the twenty three scheduled cars lining up for twelve laps around the high banked third mile oval. Heat one and two winners Austin Harris and Joshua Hawkins filled row one, with heat three winner Clayton Stanfill and Chuck Johnson in row two. Hawkins, the class points leader, shot to the front at the drop of the green and survived several cautions to take the win. Bryce Pasley came from row four to claim second followed by fifth starting Morgan Greene, Johnson, and Stanfill.

   Memphis, Tennessee hot shoe Dane Dacus captured heat three from the fifth starting spot, earning enough points to line up on the pole of the twenty five lap UMP late model feature. Series regular Brent McKinnon advanced from seventh to second in heat one, good enough for the outside pole. More good reasons to oppose time trials, only one of the four heat races was won from the front row! Dacus jumped to the early lead, with McKinnon and Jordon Bauer following. Bauer cleared McKinnon on lap two, and along with Logan Martin and heat one winner Rusty Griffaw, the top five began to put distance on the field. As Dacus opened his lead, McKinnon, Bauer, and Martin raced three wide for second. Slower traffic came into play nine laps in, and as the leaders threaded the needle, tenth starting Daryn Klein blasted into the top five. Taking a shot at fourth, he made contact with a lapped car, spinning to bring out the yellow just before the halfway mark. On the Delaware restart, Martin jumped to the cushion, taking over the runner up slot then attempted unsuccessfully twice to crossover the leader in turn four. Peoria, Arizona driver Steve Stultz, who was entered in both late model classes, broke into the top five as Griffaw powered to third. With the laps winding down, Dacus and Martin pulled away from the pack, again hitting lapped traffic four laps from the finish. Martin had one last shot at the lead with three laps to go when Dacus slapped the concrete wall in turn three, but he recovered quickly, putting his #54 in victory lane. Martin took the runner up spot, trailed by Griffaw, Bauer, and Stultz. Michael Kloos started sixth and finished there while Mark Voigt moved up four spots to seventh. Kaeden Cornell started behind Voigt and ran eighth, Charlie Cole was ninth, and McKinnon faded to tenth.

   Points leader Treb Jacoby and heat two winner Rick Conoyer sat on row one for the twenty car, twenty lap UMP modified feature. Jacoby paced the opening circuit before Conoyer used the cushion to take over on lap two. Dean Hoffman cleared Jacoby for second ahead of a pair of lap three cautions, then Treb retook the spot as racing resumed. Now it was heat one winner Jim Black racing into second as the heat three winner, NASCAR driver Justin Allgaier came from a row four start to third. Conoyer continued to pound the treacherous cushion while Black and Allgaier battled down low. With those three well out front, Black made a move for the lead just as the yellow flag waved with six laps remaining. On the restart, the trio ran three wide, with Black edging ahead as a final caution came one lap later. Once more the green flag waved, and now Allgaier slipped around the fading Conoyer for second. He took a couple runs at Black in the closing laps, but the "Junkyard Dog" was up to the challenge, taking a popular win. Allgaier brought his #7 home in second, besting Conoyer, twelfth starting Steve Meyer Jr., and Hoffman.

   Thirty laps would be the distance for the Cash Money headliner. Heat two victor Cole Wells and double duty Stultz paced the nine rows of cars. Series points leader Mitch Keeter won the first heat, started third, and took the early lead in front of the Wells, Cole and heat three winner Justin. Ketter was on cruise control around the inside retaining wall, catching the back of the pack on lap nine. The first caution period came with fourteen laps scored. The field was reset single file, as it had been during heat race cautions, and with this being my first time with the series, I then assumed there were no double file restarts. Cole Wells was racing the mostly unused middle line around the track, and he now charged to the lead., pulling away from the field even as Keeter stayed within striking distance. With ten laps left on the scoreboard, Doug Tye, the other driver racing both late model classes, brought out the caution when he smacked the backstretch wall. Now the field was realigned Delaware style - perhaps it is only used with ten or fewer laps left? At any rate it was no problem for Cole Wells, as he stretched his margin and parked his #7 in victory lane. Keeter scored the runner up spot, while Dustin Mooneyham came on late to grab third. Justin Wells was fourth and Stultz made it two fifth place finishes for the night. Eleventh starting Jim Body III outgunned Jim Body (I?) for sixth, followed by Mike Anderson, Isaac Keeper, and Steve Johnson.

   Two more features were left to run, but the clock was ticking towards 11 PM, reports said it was raining between there and home, so we headed for the parking lot, more than pleased with the action presented on the evening. The folks sitting in front of us in the Joel Ortberg shirts may regret leaving early, as he topped the sportsman main event, while Billy Smith closed out the night taking the Pro Mod checkers. 

   Our friend Bill is visiting from the Seattle area, and we are trying to fill his racin' craving, so Tuesday night we will head for the Davenport Speedway for MARS and IMCA late models along with IMCA modifieds. Hope to see some of you there!

Halstead, Howes, Mather, Becerra, Reu Take LCS Wins

    Friday night found us back at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson, where Mother Nature has been most unkind in 2021. Rain and/or wet grounds has claimed nearly half of the races this season, with track officials adding an unscheduled Saturday night program earlier this month. High heat and humidity was the order of the day, but a nice crowd turned out, no doubt aided by the $3.00 adult admission, and the renegade pop up shower was about twenty five miles away in Hamilton, Illinois!

   A solid field of seventy three cars signed in, with twenty four IMCA sport mods leading the way. Hot laps kicked off right on time, and the eleven heat races went quickly, leading us to a brief intermission, then feature racing.

   At various times, race fans have heard a driver say " If I just had one more lap..." Well, Mark Burgtorf could have uttered that phrase not once, but twice on Friday! A dozen cars lined up for eighteen laps in the IMCA modified feature, with Burgtorf rolling off tenth in his #03B. Following a false start, pole sitter Austin Howes and third starting Dennis Laveine paced the opening circuit. The yellow flag waved again one lap later as Laveine slowed with a flat tire. Jeff Waterman then took up the challenge, closing in on the leader at various points, then falling behind as Howes continued to run a low line around the oval. At the halfway mark, Waterman made a strong run, but could not complete the pass, and one lap later, the caution waved for Levi Smith. Back under green, Howes stayed on the bottom, while Burgtorf, now running fourth, went to the cushion. Building his momentum, Mark took third with four laps left, and moved to the runner up spot two laps later. As the white flag waved, he looked poised to take the lead, but Austin stayed smooth on the bottom, and although Burgtorf pulled alongside the rear bumper of the #17A at the checkers, it was Howes picking up his first win of the season at LCS. Waterman came home third, followed by Jardin Fuller and Bill Roberts Jr. Mitch Boles lost a top five run when he pulled to the infield on the final lap. Laveine rebounded to sixth, while points leader Brandon Dale ran seventh. Top contender Michael Long was racing elsewhere on Friday.

   Twelve cars also checked in for the IMCA late model division, and this time Burgtorf , the points leader, would line up seventh. Sam Halstead and Ray Raker sat on row one, and ran one two before Matt Strassheim climbed to second on the third circuit. By the time Burgtorf cleared Jay Johnson for third on lap five, "Superman" Sam had pulled away from the pack, running around the high line of the 3/8 mile. One lap before the halfway mark of the twenty lapper, Burgtorf slipped past Strassheim for second. He then set about cutting into the sizable advantage of the #84. With no stoppages in the event, and Halstead making no mistakes, it was tough digging for Burgtorf. In the closing couple of laps he had again managed to close the gap, and as the checkers flew, there remained about one car length between the two veteran pilots. As Halstead took his first feature checkers of 2021, Strassheim held off Johnson for third and Nick Marolf advanced sixth spots to fifth after spinning out of the first heat. Denny Woodworth led the second five over Dustin Griffin, Raker, Tommy Elston, and C.J. Horn. 

   Twelve was the magic number, as that was also the count for the IMCA sport compacts. Chevy Barnes failed to make the main event call after leaving a trail of oil from his #13 in his heat race. Justin Stevenson and Patrick McKasson lined up on row one, but it was fourth starting Kaycee McGregor leading Stevenson in the opening laps. Kaycee stretched her lead as Kimberly Abbott charged to second on lap four just ahead of the yellow flag which moved Luke Fraise back to second for the restart. Contact between Jason Ash and Dyllan Bonk saw Ash retire for the night. Kimberly made it an all female top two on the restart, and one lap later, row five starter Brandon Reu powered to third. One more lap and he cleared Abbott for second. McGregor was rolling through the middle line of the track, and when she drifted a bit high coming through turn four on lap nine, Reu shot to the inside to take the lead. With the top three separated from the field, Reu, the points leader, cruised to the win. McGregor followed, with Abbott in third, Fraise fourth and Bonk completing the top five.

   The IMCA stock cars featured a bakers dozen entrants for eighteen laps. Matt Kreiger appeared to be another casualty of engine woes in his #59, and was on the trailer after hot laps. Meanwhile, Beau Taylor, also fighting engines issues, elected to give up his pole start and tag the tail of the feature. This moved Chad Krogmeier to the front row, and he led third starting Jake Wenig the first trip past the flag stand. Following a lap two caution for a Jake Powers spin, Wenig snatched the lead away, with John Oliver Jr. coming from row three to second. Oliver took over the point on lap four. Suddenly all eyes were on first time visitor Cole Mather, who made the long tow in from Oelwein, Iowa. A hard charger at several east central Iowa tracks, he started tenth and defied the usual format of the stock cars hugging the inside line. Moving his #74C to the cushion at about the halfway point, he began to pick off cars. He then sat third in the Delaware style line up following a caution for Pete Stodgell with seven laps left. One more trip around and he was in the runner up spot, and he pulled alongside Oliver with four to go. As lap sixteen was scored, Mather was out front, and he then three wheeled his hot rod to the win. Olver ran second, chased by Chris Wibbell, Wening and points leader Jason Cook. 

   IMCA sport mods were moved to the final feature of the night, which again proved the right thing to do. All but two of the twenty four on hand lined up for eighteen laps of racing. Fourth starting Jadin Fuller and fifth starting Tom Bowling Jr. paced laps one and two, with Bowling leading lap three. Fuller quickly retook the spot as Bowling stumbled in turn four, turning second over to points leader and tenth starting Austen Becerra. Austen grabbed the lead ahead of a lap six debris caution Another yellow on the restart, with first Sean Wyett, then a rebounding Bowling chasing in second. With the race staying green, Becerra hit a gaggle of slower cars with six laps to go, and as he cleared that group, the yellow came out with five to go, as Matt Tucker went for a spin. Two more cautions came with three laps remaining, including some aggressive driving that ended top five runs for Bowling Jr. and Tanner Klingele. With the five cautions triggering a single file restart, the final laps clicked off uneventfully, and Becerra cruised to the win. Wyett was solidd in second, besting Fuller. Brandon Lambert and Josh Holtman rounded out the top five.

   The final checkers on the well run show came as the clock struck 10 PM! 

   Thanks as always to the Gaylords for their hospitality and for an efficient program. An important note, next week LCS will move to Saturday night for one week only, and will feature another "Drive for Five" qualifying night for late models and modifieds.

   We are planning to head south tonight, Saturday, to the I-55 Raceway in Pevely, Missouri. In addition to the regular five division program, the Cash Money Super Dirt series late models will be in action. There is plenty of great racing to be found, so head to a track near you, and remember to stay hydrated!

Weiner Nationals Title to Marlar, Campbell Tops B Mods

   Sunday we journeyed south to the Randolph County Raceway just east of Moberly, Missouri for the inaugural Weiner Nationals, Ryan Brewer Memorial. Ryan was a 25 year old tow truck driver at the speedway who lost his life due to a work related accident this spring on Interstate 70. Ryan left behind a wife and child. A group of folks headed by Reid Millard Racing went to work putting this event together to benefit the family Ryan leaves behind. One of several attractions for the evening was the Oscar Meyer Weiner mobile, thus the Weiner Nationals. In addition the evening included a World War 2 T28 war plane flyover, a hot dog eating contest, music, fireworks, and various food trucks. 

   Oh yeah, there also happened to be some racing, with non sanctioned late models doing battle in a $10,000 to win, $500 to start main event. B modifieds filled out the card with $1,500 for the winner of a twenty five lap feature. The rules for this event were adjusted to allow USRA type B mods and IMCA legal sport mods to both compete. Each class was required to be legal according to their rules, with no mixing between the two. The track runs weekly under the USRA package, with those cars typically having an advantage over the IMCA guys.

   Sandwiched in between the Lucas Oil late model / MLRA combo show at Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri on Saturday and the start of the Silver Dollar Nationals in Greenwood, Nebraska on Tuesday, Millard and track promoter Jimmy Lieurance anticipated a solid field of late models. Special sponsor packages offered twenty four businesses and the same number of junior fans a chance to share in the fun, as each would draw a name from the twenty four drivers making the late model feature. Those folks would share in driver introductions and receive a Weiner Nationals trophy should their driver win.

   When we arrived at the track, a warm July sun was beating down, and watering was in progress. A slightly less than full field of twenty three late models aided by several track regulars and a solid group of thirty seven B mods were checked in and ready to go ahead of the 5:45 advertised hot lap time. As what became a near capacity crowd continued to file in, hot laps finally kicked off close to the 6:30 race time. B mods were apparently set to use the hot lap/qualifying format, but transponder issues caused them to revert to lineup their four heats by a draw. The late models were able to qualify, with Mike Marlar pacing the field with a quick lap of 18.617 seconds around the high banked oval.

   More watering to try and tame the dusty surface was followed by the track needing run in and heat race action finally kicked off around 8:00, with the top four transferring in the B mods. With other activities mixed in, the three late model heats began to line up straight up by times. Marlar led the distance in the first eight lapper over his row one mate Daniel Hilsabeck and row two starters Ken Schrader in the Reid Millard #14, and Mark Voigt. Pole sitter Tyler Erb topped heat two ahead of the outside pole car of Gordy Gundaker. Row two starters Jason Papich and Justin Duty followed. Finally, outside row one driver Scott Crigler won the third qualifier, besting the row two duo of Trevor Gundaker and Blaze Burwell, while pole sitter Dewayne Kiefer fell to fourth.

   A pair of B mains for the B mods rounded out their twenty four car starting field with the hot dog eating contestants introduced as the cars circled the track. With B mains complete, it was time for intermission festivities. 

   The B mods kicked off the feature racing with heat winners Cole Campbell and Chris Spalding in row one and IMCA racer Austen Becerra and Dakota Girard in row two. The yellow flag waved off the initial start, before Campbell shot to the early lead. A second caution at lap five was followed by a third as the back of the field stacked up on the restart. As Spalding and Becerra battled for the chance to run down the leader, it was IMCA regular Jim Gillenwater on the move. The veteran driver started twenty first and was eighth for the lap five restart. He quickly moved to fourth as the green flag waved. Again the race was halted at lap eight, and back under green Gillenwater catfished around the inside wall to take third from Spalding. Meanwhile Campbell worked the high banks and Becerra followed in his tracks, getting close, then falling back. When a fifth caution came with twelve laps in, word went over the raceceivers that the race would now conclude with a green, white, checkers finish. Campbell took off once again, cruising to the win with Becerra in second. Gillenwaters #10 appeared to lock up as he drove down the backstretch on the final lap, and he spun in turn three, dropping him to a disappointing nineteenth place finish and needing a tow back to the pits. Dawson David started in row six and came home third followed by Kyler Girard and Terry Wilson. With all the time devoted to events other than racing, it seemed a bit hasty to cut the feature by eleven laps, but it was now time to bring the late models to the track. 

   With the introductions of the drivers and their "sponsors" complete, a few "made for TV" parade laps, and a quick fireworks display, we were racing. A weeks worth of prep work paid off, as the track was smooth, multi grooved, and plenty racy, with a pesky coating of dust being a bit of an issue in the grandstands. After finishing third in his heat, Schrader, who was racing a late model for the first time in ten years, accepted a challenge from his car owner, Millard to start on the tail, with an extra $100 going to the Addy Brewer education fund for every car he passed in the feature. All but Dick Weber made the feature call, with a couple of late arrivals lining up behind the longtime NASCAR star, but I am sure in the spirit of the gesture, he was shown starting shotgun on the field! As the cars paraded around the track, the night came to an end for fifth starting Gordy Gundaker, who spun out his driveshaft in turn two. With the green flag flying, Marlar shot to an early commanding lead, with Erb trying to keep pace, both cars well in front of the pack. Marlar hit slower traffic at lap six, but he was a master on this night, able to put his flying #157 wherever it needed to go. The first yellow flag came around lap nineteen, and as racing resumed, Erb suddenly had his hands full of Papich while Marlar skated away. He was again in traffic within about five laps, and he had folks on the edge of their seats as he skillfully weaved his way through a couple of packs of four battling for position. With three laps remaining, a final caution came as twelve year old Kaeden Clatt spun his #50 in turn four. It was only a momentary delay for Marlar, who was simply the class of the field in the thirty lapper, and he walked home with the $10,000 check and the Weiner Nationals trophy. Erb held off Papich for second, with Trevor Gundaker and Crigler recording top fives. Ricky Frankel started twelfth, climbed to fourth, then settled in at sixth at the checkers. Duty, Voigt, double duty Dylan Hoover, and Schrader completed the top ten. The final checkers waved at 11:30.

   It was a very long night, and to be truthful, it almost felt like the racing, which was very good, was secondary to the other activities. However most of the huge crowd stayed around, and seemed to enjoy themselves even as the hours grew long. Hopefully a sizable amount of money was raised for a very good cause! Thanks to Jim and Tammy for their hospitality, as well as to old friend, announcer Doug Mealy for the shout out. (Not sure what he said, though, the P.A. could use some work!)

   There are a bunch of racing options coming up this week, and it looks as though the weather may finally give us a break, so pick out an event and head to the track, and maybe we will meet up Racin' Down the Road!

Kay Leads a Parade of Winners at Davenport

   While persistent heavy rains continued to plague tracks in our immediate area, a Facebook post with pictures  from Davenport Speedway let us know that Friday night racing was on at the fairgrounds quarter mile. So we made a last minute decision to head that way for their weekly five division card plus the IMCA mod lites.

   An outstanding field of one hundred and thirty five cars piled into the pit area - amazingly all but a couple made it ahead of the 6:30  start time, even on a Friday night, and hot laps began right on schedule. In fact, the first heat race rolled out minutes ahead of the 7:00 hour!

   I'm sure the local curfew has some bearing, but Davenport does a good job of filling up the heat races as much as possible. Forty sport mods ran four qualifiers, plus a pair of B mains, twenty nine modifieds contested three heats with all cars eligible for their feature, and eighteen street stocks ran two, not three, heats. In addition, the feature races run fewer laps than most other tracks and the result is a quick moving show with a crisp feel.

   While perhaps not as much as some places, Davenport obviously has had plenty of precipitation, and the track showed early indications that it may "rut up." So promoter Ricky Kay spent much of his evening working the track during the short time it took to get cars on and off the racing surface. As a result, the track did indeed have some "character," but was plenty racy with at least three workable lines.

   Feature racing began soon after 8:00, with the IMCA sport compacts up first for a dozen laps. Josh Riley led the first couple circuits before Cyle Hawkins took control after starting in sixth. Aaron Hitt lined up behind Hawkins, quickly moved to second, and by the halfway mark, the front trio had built a half lap on the field, running nose to tail. With just a pair of laps remaining and the leaders battling lapped traffic, a multi car tangle saw Hitt turned backwards, his #813 dancing on two wheels and nearly rolling over. With Hitt done for the night, Hawkins held off Riley for the win. Cody Proehl led the Sibleys, Tim, and Todd to the complete the top five. The race ran caution free.

   Street stocks lined up next for fifteen laps. Donnie Louck and Joe Bonney raced side by side with Louck taking over on lap two. Jesse Owen came from row three to second by lap six running the inside line while Louck explored the high side. The first caution came with eight in the books, and on the Delaware style restart, Nick Hixson charged from sixth to third. Following a second and final yellow with five to go, Owen snatched the lead, but Hixson and Louck continued to swap positions with Owen until the white flag waved. On the final trip through turns three and four, Louck went over the top of the track, creating a scramble at the line. Owen held on for the win, while Brandon Setser sneaked into second ahead of Hixson. Jeff struck Jr. and Tony Von Dresky filled out the first five.

   With the forty car field whittled down to twenty four, the IMCA sport mods lined up for fifteen laps. The yellow flag waved twice in the first lap as pole sitter Adam Birck led his row one partner Rance Powell and Logan Veloz. Another lap scored, and a jam up coming off turn two saw Tyler Soppe crossed up and he was then pinballed by several cars. His #3T suffered heavy damage and the delay was a long one as multiple cars needed towing assistance. Back to racing, Birck was working the low groove while Powell did business up top. Veloz took over the runner up spot ahead of a final caution for debris around the halfway point. Birck and Veloz ran side by side sharing the lead until Ryan Walker jumped in, taking second with four laps to go. Birck moved slightly off the bottom of the track, and coming through turn four to the checkers, Walker slipped to the inside to take the win. Birck settled for second in front of Veloz, row eight starter Brandon Jewell, and Ben Chapman.

   A dozen mod lites battled for a dozen laps, and Mike Zemo Jr. appeared to destroy the field, ahead at the checkers by more than one half lap. Although I do not know what the infraction was, he failed post race tech, turning the win over to Blake Gonzales in what had been a nip and tuck battle with Jon Padilla for second. Michael Dominguez, Californian Kaden Cochrun, and Rob Guss also recorded top five finishes. 

   Twenty laps would be the distance for the IMCA modifieds, with all but two of the twenty nine drivers taking the green flag. Matt Stein shot from the pole to lead lap one, trailed by sixth starting Mitch Morris and Jake Morris. Brandon Durbin nabbed third on lap two. Mitch Morris took over the lead and began to stretch his advantage even as Matt Werner and twelfth starting Travis Denning began to pressure Durbin for third. Heavy traffic came into play by lap eight, but Morris did a good job of maintaining his lead. Meanwhile, Denning won the battle behind him, moving to second. In the closing laps of the non stop event, he began to close on the leader, and he was within a couple car lengths of Morris as the checkers waved. Spencer Diercks started tenth and finished third, easing past Werner in fourth, while Charlie Mohr gained eight spots to come home fifth. 

   IMCA late models for twenty five laps would close out the night, with Mike Haines and Kelly Pestka scratched, leaving a twenty one car starting grid. Nick Marolf lined up outside row one, leading Brian Harris, Gary Webb, and a hard charging Matt Ryan to complete lap one. A caution flag at lap two saw the night end for veteran Leroy Brenner. Young Logan Duffy had dropped out of his heat race and started twenty first, but he powered to eighth by lap four. However Ryan was also on the move, third at lap eight and then to second as Marolf hit slower traffic. Ryan and Harris had caught the leader by lap twelve, and Ryan took over at lap fourteen, even as eleventh starting Justin Kay entered the top five. Harris grabbed second with sixteen in the books, and three more trips around saw the caution flag out for debris, erasing a big lead for Ryan. Duffy headed to the pits at this time, giving up I believe fourth position. On the restart. Kay powered from fourth to second, setting his sights on the front runner. Three more laps and Kay used the inside groove to take over the lead. Ryan was not done yet, however, and as the top two came to the white flag, he muscled the lead away from Kay. But as they worked to turn one, the caution waved a final time for debris, and with the lap not complete, Kay lined up back in front. Ryan now had his hands full with Harris on the Delaware restart, and Kay was able to secure the victory. Ryan dropped briefly to third, but rebounded for runner up honors, Harris brought the Doug Curless #99 home in third, topping twelfth starting Andy Eckrich and tenth starting Andy Nezworski. Jacob Waterman ran sixth in front of Gary Webb, Fred Remley, and  Chuck Hanna, with Todd Van Tassel completing the top ten.

   The final checkers waved just past the 10:00 hour, concluding yet another night of excellent racing at the famed fairgrounds. Thanks as always to Ricky and Brenda Kay and their staff for their hospitality and for going the extra mile to present a quality program under less than ideal conditions.

    We will take tonight off, then head south on Sunday to the Randolph County Raceway just outside Moberly, Missouri for the Weiner Nationals, featuring the infamous Weiner mobile. The activities, featuring a $10,000 to win late model headliner with $1,500 to win for B modifieds is a benefit for the family of Ryan Brewer, a tow truck driver at the track who lost his life this spring in a work related accident along I-70. Along with a healthy payout for both classes, there will be a hot dog eating contest paying $1,000 to win, food trucks, and other activities for young and old alike! Hopefully we will see some of you there!

Aikey is Osborn Memorial Winner

    Tuesday night we visited the Buchanan County Fair in Independence, Iowa. On the card was the Buchanan County Fair Late Model Showdown, also billed as the Denny Osborn Memorial. Denny was a long time racer in central and eastern Iowa and a multi time track and series champion who passed away earlier this year. With no races scheduled for the fair this year, late model racer and business man Travis Smock along with Todd Summers set about putting this event together, including finding numerous sponsors. As a result, they arrived at a purse of over $33,000, featuring $7,200 to win the late model main event as well as $1,000 for IMCA modifieds and IMCA for stock cars. Late model heats would be twelve laps in length, and the late model feature would be sixty laps, thus a total of seventy two laps for those completing both races. In case you did not know or haven't guessed by now, 72 was the number on the familiar orange Osborn car. The late model would run under the old Indee Open rules package, with passing points used to set the feature lineup. Mods and stocks would use a draw / redraw format.

   An outstanding field of thirty eight late model drivers checked in along with twenty six modified and twenty three stock car teams in front of a packed grandstand.

   There was plenty of passing in the heat races, particularly in the mods and late models, where eight heat races produced only two winners from the front row. Late model heats went to Brian Harris, who started sixth, and Jason Rauen, and Luke Goedert, who both came from row two. Only outside pole sitter Justin Kay won from the front. Modifieds saw Joel Rust come from row two and Ronn Lauritzen and Brennen Chipp from row three. Only Chris Simpson took the victory from row one. This is quite a departure from the "time trial and start straight up" shows I have seen of late! The stock car were the first class out and they did not follow the narrative, with Cole Mather, Philip Holtz, and Tom Schmitt all winning from the front.

   Following heat race action it was intermission time and a bit of track prep with the stock car feature. a pair of late model B mains, then the mod and late model feature still to go.

   All twenty three stock cars lined up for twenty laps of racing. A pair of yellow flag events delayed the opening lap, but when it was finally scored, polesitter Johnny Spaw was out front. As Spaw hugged the inside tire barriers, Holtz challenged him on the high line. Meanwhile Mather and Dallon Murty raced side by side behind the front duo. Lap seven saw a real traffic jam as Mather, Holtz, and Murty battled three wide for second, with Schmitt and tenth starting Dustin Vis right there, as well. Murty took control of the runner up spot, and as the crossed flags signaled halfway, Murty pulled alongside the leader. While Murty nosed ahead, another caution period slowed the action one lap later. About three more laps and Spaw regained the top spot again running the very bottom line around the 3/8 mile oval. One more lap and it was Murty edging back in front. Spaw could pull ahead in turns one and two, but Murty was faster at the other end of the track. A final caution set up a green, white, checkers finish with Murty in front. As the white flag waved, he changed his line a bit, taking away the bottom groove from Spaw as they raced to the checkers. In victory lane, Dallon stated it was his twenty fifth feature win of the season. Not bad for a sixteen year old who would later climb back in the Travis Smock #98 for what I am guessing would finish out his first night racing a late model. Spaw was runner up, followed by Mather, Holtz, and Vis.

   The two late model B mains qualified the top four in each to round out the twenty four feature starters. Darin Duffy, in a Jeff Aikey #77 team car took the first B, while Dave Eckrich claimed the second one. Indeed, you almost needed a scorecard to keep track of the late model class on this night, as Duffy was only one of several drivers piloting other drivers cars. Fortunately, announcers Ryan and and Jason did a good job keeping things sorted out!

   All twenty six drivers came to the grid for the twenty five lap modified main event. Heat winner Chris Simpson redrew the pole start, and he quickly shot to the lead ahead of a lap five caution. As racing resumed, Chris opened a sizable advantage, as Mike Burbridge, Timmy Current, and Troy Cordes in a Denny Osborn themed orange #72 battled behind him. A second and final caution came for a multi car scrum on lap fourteen as Simpson was staring at slower traffic ahead. With clean air and open space in front, he then cruised to the flag to flag win. Burbridge took second, chased by the big mover of the race, the twelfth starting Rust. Cordes and Derrick Stewart completed the top five.

   It was now time for the headline event. Twenty four cars lined up for sixty laps and a $7,200 payday. Ben Seeman was behind the wheel of a Wally Lawless designed orange #72 tribute car on this night. While Ben did not qualify for the feature, he led the field in parade laps, then tagged the tail for a couple of green flag laps as well. Brian Harris started outside row one in the Doug Curless #99, and he paced the early laps before dropping the wheels off the top side entering turn three, losing several positions. Local standout Sean Johnson then put his #8R out front with sixth starting Justin Kay in hot pursuit. Slower traffic came into play on lap ten, and two circuits later Kay grabbed the lead. The bottom groove was now the preferred line, and about lap fifteen, Chad Simpson in the Jay Johnson #93 found his way around Sean for second. Five more laps and Jeff Aikey made his way to third after starting outside row five. The only stoppage of the race came two laps from halfway when contact sent top five runner Darren Ackerman spinning in turn three. Following the Delaware double file restart, Aikey bolted to the front from the outside line. He began to build his lead, but traffic again became a factor by lap thirty eight. Kay began to make up ground, as the front group of Aikey, Kay, and Simpson found separation from the field. A jam up on lap forty two when the leader appeared to check up slightly saw Kay have to take evasive action, and he actually drove inside the turn four barrier, losing the runner up spot to Simpson. Several back of the pack cars were exiting the track, but Jeremiah Hurst in the Joel Callahan #40 was fighting for position in the low groove in front of Aikey, who dared not attempt a high side pass. With about six laps remaining, Aikey was able to nose around Hurst in what would seal the deal for the veteran from Cedar Falls. With Hurst between himself and second place, Aikey drove on to the win. Simpson raced home second, besting Kay, ninth starting youngster Logan Duffy, and Sean Johnson. World of Outlaw late model contender Tyler Bruening moved up six spots to claim sixth, while Murty drove a steady sixty laps finishing seventh. Harris battled back to eighth, trailed by Jason Hahne, and Ryan Gustin in the Jon Emerson #87.

   Racing concluded just after 10:00 PM on a beautiful evening to be outside. Thanks to Travis Smock and the folks at Indee for their hospitality. Yours truly will now change things up a bit, as grandson Keagan has persuaded me to join him and his lovely bride Megan at the NASCAR Camping World truck series race this Friday on the famed Knoxville Raceway 1/2 mile dirt oval. Go Jake Griffin!

Alberson Edges Hurst for MLRA Win

    Saturday night we capped off three nights of holiday weekend racing, reaching the unofficial halfway point of the 2021 season. Race night number twenty six was my fifth visit of the year to Brad Stevens and Jessi Mynatts' 34 Raceway in West Burlington, Iowa. The MLRA late model series made their third visit of 2021 to the 3/8 mile facility, with $5,000 awaiting the winner. Three IMCA classes, modifieds, stock cars, and sport compacts all battled for extra money in support of the open late models.

   Twenty four late models signed in on the second night of the series swing through the Hawkeye state, matching the Friday turnout at 300 Raceway in Farley. For the second night in a row, Billy Moyer Jr., from Batesville, Arkansas, turned in the quick time, earning the pole position in heat number one. The third generation driver was able to win that heat, thus claiming the pole start in the feature later on. Missouri UMP regular Jeff Herzog chased Moyer to the checkers, followed by Iowas' Chad Simpson and Mason Oberkramer. Series points leader Tony Jackson Jr. charged to the heat two win from inside row one, topping 2020 champion Jeremiah Hurst, South Dakota pilot Blair Nothdurft, and Nebraskan Tad Pospisil. Garrett Alberson from the state of New Mexico but racing out of the Quad Cities, came from outside row two to capture the final heat over Daniel Hilsabeck, Oregonian Justin Duty, and California driver Jason Papich. Add in a handful of Illinois hot shoes, and that makes nine states represented in the twenty four car field!

   With preliminary action and a brief intermission in the books, it was time to go feature racing. 

   IMCA stock cars were up first for twenty laps. It was a total shock to see John Oliver Jr. tag the tail of the thirteen cars still running. On the first lap of the first heat race of the night, John found his #05 pushed into the backstretch fence by the #3T of Robert Thompson. The force of the impact sent the third generation driver upside down and over multiple times. His mangled machine was towed to the trailer, while Thompson was "retired" for the evening. When the feature lineup rolled out, the #05 rolled out minus both front fenders and the hood, but apparently still somewhat driveable. Chris Wibbell paced lap one from the pole position, but as the field exited turn four to complete lap two, David Brandies powered out of a four wide pack and took the lead. The caution came one lap later for Matt Krieger, and back under green Corey Strothman set his sights on the leader. Brandies, racing mostly on three wheels, had the advantage in turns one and two, while Strothman was better in three and four. A final caution came at lap fifteen as Cody Washburne nailed the big tractor tire blocking the opening on the backstretch. Wibbell used the Delaware style restart to challenge Strothman for the runner up position, with Brandies now able to cruise to the win. Strothman crossed the line in second, but was apparently disqualified in tech, giving second to Wibbell. Jeremy Pundt, Jason Cook, and Jake Wenig completed the top five. Oliver muscled his damaged ride to sixth.

   All but one of the fifteen modifieds then lined up for twenty laps. Mitch Morris fired off a bit too early on the start, and he was sent back one row ahead of the next waving of the green flag. Outside row one starter Bill Roberts Jr. paced the opening circuit, with Jason Pershy close behind. Dennis Laveine came from sixth to grab second place on lap three, but Roberts was building a commanding lead ahead of a lap seven yellow flag for a multi car mix up in turn three. Debris on the track brought the yellow back out on the restart, and on the next attempt, Laveine came through turn four a bit too "hot," pushing up the track and dropping to fourth. Once more the caution came with eight laps remaining, and now it was Michael Long taking up the chase in second. Long was looking for a $500 bonus after a Friday night win at Lee County, but he soon had his hands full with Troy Cordes on the charge. The checkers came for Roberts in a flag to flag effort, while Cordes edged Long for second. Jordan Hicks and Laveine rounded out the first five finishers.

   William Michel and Bobby Douglas paced the thirteen sport compacts in their twelve lap money race. Following a lap one restart, Douglas led Michel to the stripe. As Douglas continued to lead, Michel found himself in a fight for second with Larry Miller, tenth starting Jason Ash, and Robert Sturms. Douglas saw his night come to an unhappy end when a slower car blocked his path out of turn two, with contact sending Douglas to the trailer. When racing resumed, Miller inherited the lead, but Ash had other ideas. After a tight battle, Ash grabbed the top spot and the victory. Miller held off Michel but was also DQ'ed post race. Michel, Sturms, Noah Kayser, and Alex Hayes then filled out the top five. 

   Forty laps would be the distance for the late models, with Moyer Jr. and Jackson Jr. sitting in row one. Moyer held the top spot until lap three, when Jackson took over. Alberson followed Jackson to the front and that pair soon found separation as they battled for the lead. Alberson moved ahead on lap six, and was stretching his advantage until catching slower traffic at lap eleven. As Jackson began to cut into the lead, the caution came for a Tim Simpson spin. Jackson drifted high out of line on the restart, falling back several positions. Alberson again pulled away from the pack as Hurst now took up the battle with Moyer for second. They battled through slower traffic, with Hurst finally taking the spot on lap twenty seven. He immediately began to reel in his Roberts Racing teammate, briefly taking over the lead on lap thirty seven. Hurst appeared to be faster running around the very bottom of the track while Alberson did business one groove higher. Meanwhile, Nothdurft was also running the inside line, and Hurst could not make the needed pass. To his credit, Nothdurft was holding his line, as all good racers do, it was simply, unfortunate for Hurst that the #76 was there. Alberson was able to retake the lead and hold on for his first MLRA win. Hurst settled for second, giving his teammate a good natured handshake. Moyer finished third, besting Pospisil and Jackson. Duty paced the second five in front of Chad Simpson, Oberkramer, Chris Simpson, and Tony Toste in the one yellow flag event.

   The final checkers came about 10:00, with a fireworks display offered next. But after three straight nights, I was ready to head for the parking lot and home! Saturday was a special night for yours truly, as in addition to meeting up with my regular companions, I was able to spend time with good friends Steve Slocum and Mike Hopkins. Many thanks, as always to Brad and Jessi for their hospitality, and especially to Jess for the visit, the photo, and the kind words! We will for sure be back at 34 in eleven days for the Lucas Oil late model series make up date on Thursday, July 15. Grandson Keagan has us set up for a visit to Knoxville Raceway next Friday for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, and with racing around the area all next week, who knows where we may wind up! Thanks for reading, and we will see you at the track!