When thinking of a special event many race fans consider those to be when the World of Outlaw Sprints or Late Models drop in once or twice a year, or when the UMP Summer Nationals Hell Tour skirts the region, or when one of the many fine regional series has an event on the schedule at their home track. I am thinking that not many people would consider a show that is held on the track’s regular weekly race night, featuring the track’s regular five divisions and no “touring” drivers to be anticipated to attend to be thought of as a “special” event. That is unless you were one of the many that looked for one of the few remaining seats in the jam-packed grandstand, or unless you were one of the drivers and crew members of the 127 cars that overflowed the pits at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton on Sunday night. If you were there, or if you have ever been to one of the previous seventeen times that the track has hosted this event, then you would know that the Hogan Memorial is truly a “special” event and one to mark on your race calendar each and every season.
To honor the memory of Dick and Janet Hogan and all that they did for the sport in their hometown of Vinton the Hogan family works with Mick Trier, Dana Benning and IMCA to stage this event with the IMCA Modifieds as the headliner and this year there were 41 cars in attendance. Six heats, two B-Mains and a few provisionals would set the 27-car lineup for the 40-lap feature that would include a five minute pit stop at the mid-point of the race. Dan Chapman would draw the pole position and he would race to the early lead while fellow front row starter Kyle Krampe tried to fight off several challengers for second. The race was slowed by cautions twice in the first five laps and on the lap five restart Richie Gustin jumped up to the cushion in turns one and two and flew by Chapman for the lead down the back stretch. That move was negated though when the caution waved again as Tony Olson and Patrick Flannagan sailed off the track in turn three prior to the complete lap being scored. On the next restart Chapman went to the top in turns one and two to thwart Gustin’s charge, but it only worked until turn three when Richie was able to slide by Chapman for the lead off of four. Three more cautions around laps ten and eleven kept the field tightly bunched before the race finally found some rhythm going nine straight green flag laps and the leader Gustin was just about to catch the back of the field before the mid-race pit stop.
During the break it looked as though fuel and right side tire changes were the norm although some drivers appeared to just relax or perhaps even visit the restroom and after five minutes the field was realigned and ready to continue the action. Jerry Luloff and Chapman lined up side-by-side behind the leader as the field returned to green and both challengers showed new life as they charged past Gustin down the back stretch of lap twenty-one. But Gustin caught a huge break, his second of the night (more on that later), when Zach Rawlins spun in turn two necessitating a caution before the lap could be scored complete, so Gustin returned to the lead for the restart. Once again Luloff applied the pressure but a caution interrupted the action on lap twenty-three. Once back to green the three-car battle for the lead continued and on lap 28 it looked to me as though Luloff nosed ahead of Gustin at the start-finish line. But Gustin battled back running the high-line around the quarter-mile and firmly re-established himself as the man to beat a lap later.
The caution waved on lap 36 when Olson again disappeared off the top of turn three and a four lap shootout was now in the works. It would be delayed twice more though as cautions waved without a lap being scored and once back to green there was no stopping Gustin as he maintained a two or three car-length advantage over the final four laps to secure the victory. Chapman would edge out Luloff for the second spot, Joe Docekal started on the outside of row seven and was coming fast at the end to finish in the fourth position while IMCA Modified division rookie Cayden Carter was consistent finishing fifth in his first Hogan Memorial start.
Hogan Mod Notes…..Scott Hogan pulls all the way down to 34 Raceway near Burlington to race on Saturday nights and it is obvious that Scott is a very well-liked and respected competitor as several 34 Raceway track regulars made the long pull north for this event that honors his parents……Heat race winners were each awarded $100 from event sponsors and five drivers who do not race here on a weekly basis, Cayden Carter, Mitch Morris, Dan Chapman, Jake Bowman and Richie Gustin joined Jerry Luloff as the heat race winners…..Hogan started near the back of a strong heat and then started mid-pack in one of the two B-Mains coming up short in regard to transferring into the main event. He along with Timm Jensen as former winners of the event were added as provisional starters…..Ronn Lauritzen had an adventurous night. The driver who currently ranks fourth in the IMCA Modified National point standings had a transfer spot all but locked up in the second heat race until he shucked a drive shaft with just a couple of laps remaining. His crew made repairs and he started at the back of the first B-Main racing his way up to fourth at the checkers, but one spot out of a qualifying position. Added as a provisional starter based upon track points, Lauritzen was the reason for the first caution of the feature when he slid off the top of turn one on lap three. Things improved from there though as he was a terror on the track racing all the way from 27th up to fifth by lap twenty-three. He faded a few positions on the restart though and his night ended on a sour note as he was pushed back to the pit area during the final caution of the race……Now for Richie Gustin’s first big break of the night. The top twelve drivers did their re-draw down front during on-track introductions and Gustin drew the number ten putting him on the outside of row five for the start. Sometime during the four-wide parade laps the driver who drew number six, Jake Bowman, pulled to the infield with some kind of issue and when he returned to the track he fell in at the rear of the field. When the field then lined up two-by-two the driver who drew the number eight, Mitch Morris, lined up on the outside of the fourth row where he thought he should be having drawn the number eight while Gustin sat in front of him in the sixth spot. The race went green before the error was detected and I would not have even noticed if not for the wise young gentleman sitting in front of me, wearing a Richie Gustin t-shirt, who pointed it out as the yellow light blinked off. Would starting on the outside of row four instead of row three made a difference in the outcome? Probably not.
The great thing about the Hogan Memorial is that while the Modifieds are the featured class, it is also a “special” event for the support divisions as well and all four classes enjoyed some extra cars, especially the Sport Mods where more than thirty drivers signed in. Dan’s son Ben Chapman would lead the opening lap of the Sport Mod feature only to spin to the infield in turn three on lap number two. Young Tyler Droste was already in a position to assume the lead after starting in row six and it looked like he just might run away from the field. Racer Hulin had other plans though as he came from deep in the field himself to get into second and while Droste hugged the bottom on both ends, Hulin used the top trying to make a run on the leader. To do so though Hulin needed to drive a perfect lap and get a little help from Droste in the form of the slightest mistake, but the third-generation driver obviously has the skills of the champions before him as he was perfect himself the rest of the way to victory. Hulin would have to settle for the runner-up position on this night with Kurt Moeding, Jim Buhlman and Danny Dvorak completing the top five. Dave McDonald and Jake Strayer were battling hard for the third-spot mid-race before contact sent both of them for a spin. Strayer had started behind Droste after winning one of the two B-Mains.
The Stock Car main event saw a couple of the top contenders eliminated in a wild accident on the opening lap. Pole-sitter Mike Galli got sideways in front of the field in turn two and, as he slid down the track, he soon blocked the line of several drivers in the bottom groove who were still hard on the gas. The chain reaction incident saw Damon Murty get sideways and then rollover as Scooter Dulin’s car drove up and over Murty’s ride. After a couple of tense moments the crowd cheered as both Murty and Dulin crawled out of their cars uninjured. Once underway this one turned into a classic battle of “whose line is the best” as Andy Bryant had the kite string out on the top side while John Emerson was the catfish working the bottom. Bryant would lead the first two laps, Emerson paced the field for laps three and four, Bryant came back to lead lap five only to give up the lead for good a lap later as Emerson would race on to the checkers. Bryant was able to hold off another low-line racer Norm Chesmore to finish in the second spot with Jason DeShaw and Phil Holtz completing the top five.
The Hobby Stocks were the first of the five features on the card and they struggled a bit early on with a freshly watered race track. After a few laps though they were running four grooves wide with Doug Laughridge and Justin Stander racing hard for the lead. On lap eight current point leader Scott Pippert went to the cushion in turns one and two and drove past both Laughridge and Stander to take a lead that he would build onto over the final seven circuits on his way to victory lane. Laughridge would hold down the second spot with Brian Happel taking third ahead of Stander and Rod Grother. Chris Luloff who was leading his heat race earlier in the evening before spinning out started the feature in row eleven and finished eighth while Ben Lucas who pulled his #7 Hobby Stock north from Willow Park, Texas, to race in Iowa for the holiday week finished in the 11th position.
The first few laps of the Sport Compact feature were wild to say the least with drivers going five-wide at one point down the back stretch. An early caution though put the field back in a single-file order and it was Steve Miedke who stormed to the lead on lap three and then cruised to a convincing win. Brad Chandler came from the back of the pack to finish in the second spot just ahead of his father Merv, while Brett Vanous was fourth and early leader Neal Nabholz finished fifth.
A big thanks to all involved who have kept this tradition alive now for eighteen years and with the overwhelming support shown by the sponsors, the drivers and the fans there is no doubt that the Hogan Memorial will truly be a Special Event for many years to come! For more coverage of tonight’s action click on over to Positively Racing and check in with Dick and Joyce Eisele on the “4dFan Report” and with Ryan Clark “In Staging”.
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