Brown and Lasoski Thrill A Huge Missouri State Fair Crowd

With three premier divisions, the ASCS Warrior Region Sprints, the MLRA Late Models and Modifieds, the annual Missouri State Fair race in Sedalia is always one that I try to work into my schedule and for the first time in a few years I was able to do that Sunday night. The big half-mile is not a high-speed track like Knoxville and on this warm and sunny evening it was even "slower" than usual, but the dry-slick surface never locked down and the 98 drivers on hand were able to work one of three grooves around the speedway.

Heat race action went off pretty well with only a couple of minor incidents although the Sprint Car drivers who started on the outside of the back rows absolutely abused the flagman. With no chalk line off turn four and since not one single start was called back on the night, several drivers channeled the chorus of this 1984 hit from Van Halen. It was so bad that on the fourth and final heat the driver starting outside of row four was side-by-side with the pole-sitter as the field entered the front stretch.

The Modified feature was first on the card and it turned into a forty minute drama with several story lines across nine cautions. Jason Bodenhammer was the leader at the drop of the green with Jim Moody challenging early using the high line through the corners. The first caution waved on lap five and on the double file restart Moody was shuffled back with Richard Foster now picking up the challenge before a caution on lap ten waved for debris. From there, things got a little wild. Foster and Jason Thompson made contact off turn two following the restart and after Foster showed his displeasure on the track the extra curricular activities between the two continued in the pits. Back to the racing Terry Schultz was now Bodenhammer's challenger only to have his right front tire go flat entering turn one on lap sixteen and when Schultz slowed the caution appeared. The hometown favorite changed the tire and returned to the back of the field for the restart where he picked off about five cars on the first lap before the caution waved again on lap seventeen.

On this restart the crowd went wild as the leader Bodenhammer was tagged by Shad Badder in turn one spinning Bodee and bringing out another caution. Some cheered and some booed as Bodenhammer tried to return to the front of the realignment, but he was sent to the rear while Badder retired to the pits likely disappointed in himself for his involvement in the incident. Kyle Westerhold picked up the point from there but a lap later Bodenhammer was sliding sideways down the front stretch after being pinched into the wall and that ended his evening. On the restart Moody got a nice restart and drove under Westerhold coming to the green and while Westerhold gave it his best to take that lead back over the final six laps he could not get the job done as Moody took the win. Westerhold was second followed by Curt Potter, Mark Hoover and Schultz.

John Anderson had only one moment of concern in the 30-lap Late Model feature and that was when the lapped car of Bob Cummings spun right in front of him entering turn one on lap eighteen. Other than that Anderson made this one a bit of a yawner going flag-to-flag from the pole position, a starting spot that he earned by racing from sixth to first in his qualifying heat earlier in the night. Al Purkey prevailed in the battle for second with David Turner while Brantlee Gotschall and Alan Vaughn completed the top five.

The stage was now set for the 25-lap Sprint Car main that through the first half of the race looked as though it would be a walkaway for Danny Lasoski. The Dude started fourth and came across the start-finish line in a dead heat with Brad Loyet on lap one before establishing himself as the leader into turn one. Lasoski enjoyed nearly a straightway lead over Loyet and Brian Brown when on lap thirteen he got into the back push bar of Dakota Carroll coming off turn four turning her nearly sideways on the frontstretch and the caution waved when Carroll coasted to a halt in front of the judges stand. On the restart Brown used the high line off turn two to take the lead from Lasoski with the two touching going down the back stretch bringing back memories of their famous tussle at Knoxville several years ago. Lasoski fought back and put a slider on Brown in turn two to regain the lead on lap nineteen and as the laps wound down the two approached slower traffic. Coming off of turn four to the white flag Lasoski chose the high line and Brown took the very bottom around a lapped car and Brown's line was the better choice as he took the lead from Lasoski and then held him off over the final lap for the win. Randy Martin came home third ahead of Tony Bruce Jr. while the Warrior Region point leader Loyet settled for fifth.

It was great to be in a grandstand full of race fans and even though the track conditions were on the dry side, the racing was definitely worth the trip!