34 Raceway near Burlington put up some nice cash over two nights for the Midwest Open Wheel Association (MOWA) Sprint Cars this weekend, but it was five drivers who do not compete regularly on the tour who crashed the party and took away the lion's share of the purse.
In Friday night's opener Danny Lasoski wheeled the Mark Burch owned #1M to the $4,000 victory and if he could repeat that effort on Saturday night not only would "The Dude" collect the $5,000 winner's check, he would also be awarded an additional $1,034 for pulling off the clean sweep. And after winning the dash, Lasoski was well in position to do just that as he started Saturday's 34-lap main event from the pole.
The racing surface was now wide and slick with nearly all the drivers choosing the low line through turns one and two while on the other end of the speedway it was driver's choice between the top and the bottom. Lasoski quickly opened up a solid advantage over Jason Johnson and Brian Brown and it was not long before the leader had to deal with lapped traffic. The chasers were able to close the gap a bit as the veteran was patient, especially not forcing the issue in turns one and two, and while Johnson and Brown were able to keep him within striking distance, Lasoski continued to lead.
When Johnson entered turn one a little too hot to stay on the bottom on lap nineteen Brown slipped by him for second and now finding some extra speed around the top side of three and four he was able to close in quickly on his uncle Danny. Just when it looked like Brown might have a run on Lasoski, the leader drove by a pair of lapped cars racing side-by-side on the front stretch leaving them for Brown to deal with in turn one and when it caused him to hesitate for just a split second that was all that Lasoski needed to secure the win.
Johnson came back to make a run at Brown in the final three laps, but could not complete the pass as Brown would finish second ahead of " The Cajun Sensation" who now bases his racing operation in Missouri. Ian Madsen was one driver who did use the tip top of turns one and two to his advantage tonight as he raced in for fourth while the night's fastest qualifier Terry McCarl was fifth. This was the exact same order that these five drivers finished on Friday night as well. Jimmy Light drove a solid race to take the sixth position, hometown favorite Josh Schneiderman was seventh, Chris Urish came from the ninth row to run eighth, current MOWA point leader Jerrod Hull was ninth and Paul Nienheiser filled out the top ten.
The pits were full of Sprint Cars Saturday night as twenty-five 305 Winged Cars ran as one of three support divisions and the main event was definitely all about family in the closing laps. The 20-lap race got off to a rough start though when Shawn Whiting and Nick Guernsey tangled in turn one on the second lap sending the pole-starter Guernsey for a hard tumble off the top side of the track. While Nick was uninjured the ambulance did have to attend to somebody who had issues in the grandstand so after a short break the field was pushed off once again with Jerrod Schneiderman leading the pack. His uncle John Schulz was running second and he would keep his nephew within his sights as the laps clicked away. With three laps remaining Jerrod closed in on the lapped car of his little sister Janelle and as he showed the patience of a loving big brother, the pair's uncle tried to take advantage. When Jerrod found his opening a lap later though he eased by Janelle and was able to close out the victory in the Sebastian Sandblasting and Powder Coating #14S. Schulz, the 305 Sprint track champion at 34 Raceway this season would have to settle for the second spot. Bobby Mincer drove Corey Timmerman's #20T in for third, Ryan Jamison was fourth and Matt Krieger made a stellar run in Damian Getchell's #83D as he came from the outside of row nine to finish in fifth.
Twenty-one Mod Lites were on hand as they geared up for next Saturday's STARS Mod Lite National show here at 34 Raceway. The mini speedsters got off to rough start tonight as three cautions littered the first four laps and that was disappointing as the action was phenomenal up front with drivers racing four-wide for position. Randy Bryan held the lead for those on and off early laps until Shon Sanders was able to take advantage of a more extended green flag run on lap six. Collin Ball was on the fly after starting twelfth as we was using the extreme top of turn one to then get a run off the banking and pass one or two cars each lap flying by Sanders on lap eight to take the apparent lead. However, when Shawn Adair spun in turn two before the full lap could be scored, Ball would have to restart behind Sanders in second. Shon was able to hold off the high side assault for a couple of laps before Ball again found his niche on that high line and once out front the driver from Wapello was in control to the checkers. Bryan was able to get by Sanders late to take the second spot as they along with Jimmy May and Chase Flatt raced four-wide for second into turn one on the final lap. Flatt would spin to the infield in turn two while May would finish fourth and Charlie Brown would round out the top five.
The Four Cylinder feature had a bizarre ending that saw the winning car towed away from the front stretch with heavy front end damage. Bill Whalen Jr. started third but quickly went to the front at the drop of the green only to have his fellow row two starter Jacob Brown cruise by him on lap three. Austen Becerra was on the charge though after starting twelfth and he blew past Brown at the mid-race point of the twelve-lap event. On the following lap Becerra got a bit sideways in turn three and Brown loosened him up even more in four, but somehow Austen managed to make the save and retain the lead. As the leaders raced down the back straightaway and into turn three on the final lap the car of Larry Miller slowed and stopped suddenly up against the wall directly under the flagstand. As the flagman scrambled to switch the light from green to yellow and to trade out the checkered flag for the caution three of the back markers, including Dustin Ravelin who had been driving the last few laps with his hood up completely blocking his vision, missed Miller. Becerra was not so lucky though as he drilled the stalled black car at full speed. Fortunately both drivers were able to scramble out of their heavily damaged cars uninjured obviously upset with the circumstances. After a few moments it was determined that Becerra had crossed the start-finish line which is several yards before the flagstand here at 34 Raceway prior to the caution light coming on and so he was declared the winner. And while a tow truck hooked onto his crippled car behind him, Becerra managed a smile for the victory lane photos at the site of the crash. Brandon Lambert would be scored in second ahead of Brown and Whalen while fifth would go to Brian Mehaffy.
34 Notes......The two-day event for the MOWA 410 Sprints drew solid fields of thirty and twenty-nine cars.....Sixteen-year-old Paul Nienheiser was the highest finishing MOWA regular on Friday night with a sixth-place run.....The four fastest cars in each heat race are inverted with the top four advancing to the feature. Josh Schneiderman was the only driver from outside of the top four tonight to make a transfer as he nipped Californian Cole Wood at the line as Wood slowed coming to the checkers. Wood would come back to score the B-Main win holding off a late charge from Ben Wagoner.....The racing for the sixth and final transfer out of the B-Main heated up when Robbie Standridge and Critter Malone got together down the back stretch causing Malone to execute an airborne spin that looked like a flip, but really wasn't. Either way his car had to be returned to the pits on a hook ending his night......Jeremy Standridge would end up taking that final transfer position while Robbie Standridge would earn the MOWA provisional. Jerrod Schneiderman would start the A-Main as a track provisional....During the B-Main droplets of moisture started to fall from the sky, something that I remember from long ago that I believe they once called "rain" and as the checkers waved on that race this phenomenon actually increased to a point where some of the fans headed for cover. This shower of "rain" was brief though and our arid desert-like conditions soon returned allowing for the show to continue......One of the top contenders in the 305 division was eliminated early in the night in a hard crash during the first heat race. Jayson Ditsworth took the win here eight days ago during the USAC show and when he hopped the right rear wheel of Daniel Bergquist exiting turn two the Olson Brothers Custom Shop car #1 veered head on into the wall dropping down from the pit exit. Fortunately a big implement tire cushioned the blow some and Ditsworth was able to climb out of his damaged ride unscathed.....I have to make mention of a very sportsmanlike move by Mod Lite driver Evan Epperson, a driver that you often find running at, or near the front here at 34 Raceway in this division. As mentioned above the main event had gotten off to a slow start with three early cautions and on the restart following that third caution Epperson spun in turn two. It would have been real easy for him to just sit there and wait for the fourth caution, but instead he fired it back up and continued on even though he was now a full straightaway behind the rest of the field. Good job Evan, much more classy than the Mod Lite driver who spun into the infield on the front stretch during his heat race and then drove back to the edge of the track to intentionally pull a caution......If there is a track in the area that consistently has any better racing in the Four Cylinder division than does 34, I would like to see it.
Thanks to Jeff & Amy Laue and their entire staff for another solid night of racing that wrapped up just past eleven o'clock. The track is back in action next Saturday night September 14th with the Pepsi and Smoke E. Bones Challenge featuring the STARS National points race for the Mod Lites. The 305 Sprints, Stock Cars and Sport Mods will also be in action. Then on Saturday night September 21st, 34 Raceway will host the season championship for the Brockway Mechanical and Roofing Sprint Invaders with Four Cylinders and Modifieds also in action.
Coming up this week I would love to be able to be in Oskaloosa on Wednesday night for weekly action in September, but business commitments will keep me away. So my target is now at least one night, either Friday or Saturday, of the Yankee Dirt Classic at the Farley Speedway. Look for us there on the Back Stretch!
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