Season Championship Night Is The Last Wednesday Race of The Year at Osky

I love going to the races on a Wednesday night as, for me at least, it fits my schedule the best. My lovely wife usually has something of her own going on, or she at least doesn’t have me scheduled to be with her at whatever she is doing that evening and a night at the races is a perfect way to break up the work week. Add to the fact that since it is a night when there is seldom competition from other tracks you just never know who might show up. Last night was my 57^th night at the races in 2013 and 14 of them (24.6%) have been on a Wednesday night, two more than my next closest race night Friday (12) and four more than the night that probably leads the list for most fans, Saturday with ten. My first race of 2013 was actually on a Wednesday when I huddled up with Ed and Linda Reichert on a chilly night in Tucson,Arizona, and sadly last night would be my last Wednesday night event of the year as it was season championship night at the Southern Iowa Speedway in Oskaloosa where I have now spent nine of those Wednesdays. It was only fitting that I said “hi” to the Wisconsin traveler Ed Reichert as we were leaving the grandstands after another fine mid-week show that even on the final night of the regular season had some interesting visitors in the pit area.

Merv Chandler was the best of a three-car field in the IMCASport Compacts as that division kicked off the five feature races.

Aaron Osweiler continues to improve in this his rookie season behind the wheel of an IMCA Hobby Stock and he would hold back the challenges of Doug Sylvester through the first six laps before the caution waved for Dustin Griffiths who had stopped in turn four. On the restart Osweiler was able to lead for one more lap before Danny Thrasher went flying by and when Bill Bonnett tried to follow him through he made contact with Osweiler entering turn one. Aaron was able to recover, but dropped three positions as Bonnett, now in second, tried to chase down Thrasher although that bid ended just a half-lap later when Bonnett’s right rear tire went flat forcing him to the pits. Sylvester then came back to life and closed in on Thrasher and with just three laps remaining the two raced side-by-side down the back stretch. Thrasher used the high line in turns three and four to retain the lead that he would then hold to the checkers. Sylvester was impressive in second, Craig Brown was in town to tune up for the 27^th Annual Musco Lighting Fall Challenge to be held here on October 4^th and 5^th and Brown came from the outside of row four to finish third. Mike Hughes and Justin Hook completed the top five.

The Modifieds were up next and while their car count was a bit light with nine, all of them were capable of taking the checkered flag in the 16-lap feature. Bill Davis Jr. was a rocket at the drop of the green as he moved from the outside of row two to the lead before the field hit turn one for the first time. With Davis threatening to make this a runaway that field of nine was whittled down a bit on lap five when Casey Greubel, Brandon Banks and Scott Dickey tangled in turn four. Greubel drove away from the scene, Banks had to change a tire and Dickey was towed to the infield. On the restart Davis was still fast, but Cayden Carter was now at least keeping him within his sights. Around lap ten Davis started having some minor handling problems and Carter began to close the gap. Then, with three laps remaining, it became evident that the right front tire was going down on the leader’s ride. Davis was trying to muscle his way to the checkers and when he slipped high in turn three coming to the white flag Carter slipped by for the lead and, one lap later, the win. Somehow Davis was able to maintain enough speed and still turn the car for one more lap around the big half-mile and he crossed the line just ahead of Andrew Schroeder to finish second. Tyler Groenendyk and track champion Jacob Murray would fill out the top five.

The IMCA Sport Mods were up next for 16-laps with another improving rookie Logan Anderson leading the way in the early going. A caution for a spin by Eric Flander in turn one slowed the pace with four laps down and on the restart Curtis VanDerWal showed why he is the 2013 track champion as he made a big move to the front. The competition is tough here at Osky each week though as the 2013 IMCA Super Nationals Sport Mod champion hails from here as well and Carter VanDenBerg closed in on VanDerWal as the laps clicked away. With two to go VanDenBerg drove hard to the bottom line in turn one and made it stick as he passed VanDerWal and the young speedster then pulled away by a few car lengths to take the win. VanDenBerg’s victory puts him back on top of a very tight All Iowa Points race in the Limited Modified division. VanDerWal was the runner up while the third-place driver was Matthew Looft from the north central Iowa town of Swea City. Looft was tied for second in the IMCA National Points going into last weekend and he was very impressive here in what I believe to be his first ever trip to the Southern Iowa Speedway as he started eleventh and finished third behind two of the best in the region. Tyler Heckart held down the fourth spot at the checkers while Brett Lowry was fifth.

Fifteen IMCA Stock Cars would close out the evening for 18-laps and an opening lap melee changed the roster of competitors quickly. The tightly packed field was racing through three and four when one of the lead cars got a bit too sideways. This sent another driver spinning and the rest of the field scrambling with six cars piling into each other in turn four. Several drivers went to the work area while the car of soon-to-be All Iowa Points champ Damon Murty had to be towed to his trailer. On the restart the Stock Cars went right back at it Southern Iowa Speedway style as Rich Vogt, Don Nunnikhoven, Brad Pinkerton and Corey Stout raced four-wide for the lead off of turn two and all the way down the back straightaway! Nunnikhoven would emerge from that pack as the leader and he would continue to set that pace until the caution waved on lap five. This caution was due to debris from an apparent blown engine on a car #18c driven tonight by winged Sprint Car driver Russ Hall of Pleasant Hill. It was my first time to see this car and it was painted similar to the car #45c that Hall races at Knoxville and around the upper Midwest so perhaps he will be doing some Stock Car racing this Fall as well. Russ will look to wrap up the 2013 Brockway Mechanical and Roofing Sprint Invaders point championship this coming Saturday night September 21^st at 34 Raceway near Burlington.

While under the caution Nunnikhoven pulled into the pit area handing the lead over to Pinkerton and as the laps wound down Todd Reitzler mounted a challenge on the lead and with just a couple of laps to go Cayden Carter made it a three-car battle for the win. Pinkerton would fight off the challenge though to take the popular win while Reitzler would finish in second. Carter would take third in his first night out with four fenders driving a Roger Kelderman entry with a #10cc on it. Corey Stout and Jason Minnehan were next in line at the checkers as only six cars went the distance.

It was another entertaining night of racing presented by Mike VanGenderen and his crew with the final checkered flag waving at 9:40 p.m. While Wednesday night racing is now complete for the season here don’t forget the Fall Challenge mentioned above on October 4^th and 5^th. I am hoping to make the Friday night edition of that event which will pull “the best day of the week” one closer to “hump day”.

Plenty of great Special Event racing coming up so get on out and support the show of your choice. I will be in Burlington this Saturday night and I do hope to see you on the Back Stretch!