After attending a graduation party in Solon Friday evening, Jean and I headed east for the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton for the only dirt track racing that was taking place in the eastern part of the state after this week of heavy rains. We arrived around 7:40 p.m. to catch the last two heat races and we then settled in for six feature races following some track prep during intermission.
The seven car Hobby Stock field came up to the quarter-mile first and they packed in the added moisture for several minutes before taking some hot laps to make sure that the track was ready. Then, as soon as the green flag was waved to start their twelve-lap main event, two of the cars pulled off the back stretch and headed to the pit area. Start and park in a Hobby Stock? Pole-sitter Brad Louck spun down through the infield on that opening lap allowing Gene Ehlers to race off to a big lead as Walt King, Dalton Simonson and Bruce Yoerger stayed closely bunched racing for second. There was no catching Ehlers who cruised to an easy win with King, Simonson, Yoerger and Louck next in line at the pay window.
The Legend Cars ran in a tight formation during the early laps until Hal Russell and Tyler Kelly broke out of the pack. Russell hugged the bottom line and after a few laps of waiting for him to make a mistake, Kelly then went up a groove to make his challenge. The two ran wheel-to-wheel for a couple of laps before Kelly secured the lead at the mid-race point of the twenty-lapper and he then slowly pulled away to take the win. Russell finished second ahead of his daughter Adrian Hartman while early leader Keith Meyer and Craig Peekenschneider were fourth and fifth.
Eleven Sport Mods took the green for twelve laps with a scramble on the front stretch sending Matt McGranahan and Ben Chapman for a spin. On the restart Don Mohr made a big move coming from the sixth starting spot to take the lead on the opening circuit. Eric Pollard had restarted in the fourth row and he chased Mohr to the front as well and those two drivers ran three laps door-to-door before Pollard secured the lead on lap five. A caution on lap six bunched the field up once again only to see Pollard pull away on the restart to take the win. Mohr would take the second spot followed by Doug Burkhead, McGranahan and Jarrett Franzen.
The Four Stocks were up next with nine cars set to go for ten laps and it was some cat going by the name of Skippy Bobby bolting to the lead from his second row starting spot. Bobby's crew of Stan Dupp, Ben Dover, Rusty Pipes and Fred Farnsworth were rooting him on from the pits but there was no holding back the two dominant cars here of Mitch Bielenberg and Jacob Ellithorpe as they drove past Skippy on lap three. Ellithorpe was able to keep pace, but he could not mount a challenge for the lead as Bielenberg went on to take the win. Tristan Clark ruffled Bobby's feathers turning him sideways in turn one mid-race, but both drivers continued on to finish third and fourth while Brandon Setser came from the tail to take fifth.
Nate Yoerger raced to the early lead in the Outlaw Super Bomber headliner before Donnie Louck drove past him on lap four. The red flag waved the next lap when Jed Holland rolled over on to his roof and while sitting on the front stretch the left front tire went flat on the leader's car. Louck would head to the pits for a tire change and then restarted ninth quickly moving back toward the front of the field. In just three laps he was racing Joe Bonney for the fourth spot only to see contact between the two result in a spin for Louck in turn three. Yoerger would lead the field back to the green with eight laps to go and again Louck spun on the front stretch setting him well behind the field as he kept it going to avoid his second caution. Donnie Louck may have been the fastest car on the track in this one, but misfortune would keep him out of the top five as Nate Yoerger went on to take the win holding off a late challenge from Bonney. Mitch Schmitz, Justin Yarolem and Wayne Hora were next in line.
Eighteen Modifieds would take the green for the twenty-lap finale with Dan Klatt at the top of the scoresheet for lap one. There was no holding back Ryan Dolan though as the three-time defending All Iowa Points Modified champion took over the lead on the second lap and, despite a pair of cautions during the second half of the race, Dolan would go unchallenged to the victory. Dan Chapman came from sixth to finish second, Bruce Hanford moved from eighth to third, Ryan DeShaw started tenth and finished fourth while Dan Albright filled out the top five.
The final checkered flag waved just past 9:30 and I am looking forward to a return to Tipton on Tuesday night June 11th when both the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models and the Hawkeye Dirt Tour for IMCA Modifieds will take to the racy quarter-mile. Hope to see you there!
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