With a stiff breeze blowing out the north and temperatures dropping into the high 30's by the time the final checkered flag flew just past 8:30 p.m. the 2013 edition of "Shiverfest" at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson will be remembered as one of the coldest in the fifteen year history of the event. However, with near perfect track conditions and a diverse field of 125 cars in five divisions the racing action was as good as I have witnessed at this show with the night's finale definitely warming the hardy fans who stayed until the end. And who knows, the event just might have a new slogan for 2014.
The Sport Compacts were first on the list for feature races and there were plenty of potential winners in the twenty-two car starting field. Usually when Austen Becerra starts from the front row you can count on a runaway, but with this gathering of four bangers including Adam Gates and now two-time All Iowa Points Champion Merv Chandler starting mid-pack there would be plenty of action. After an early caution for the jack-o-lantern painted car of Kyle Hamelton on lap two, the restart saw a multi-car scuffle in turn two involving Chandler and Scott Smith whose car rolled over one time before he was able to drive it away. Chandler restarted at the rear and drivers raced four and five wide as Laine VanZandt kept the pressure on Becerra for the lead. William Michel had started tenth, just ahead of Gates and they were steadily coming to the front while Chandler was hustling back as well. With the laps clicking away Michel moved to second and when Gates retired to the infield Chandler was up to fourth and was ready to pass former track champion Darin Smith for third.
When Chandler door-slapped Smith in turn four to make the pass, Darin took offense and would return the favor on the following lap to loosen up the veteran driver. With that tussle going on behind them the race would now be decided between the top two and on the final lap Michel drove hard to the low groove in turns three and four hoping to make it stick. The challenger found the bite that he needed as he nipped Becerra at the line by a mere bumper to score the victory. Smith prevailed over Chandler in the battle for third while Kimberly Abbott was not far back in fifth.
Eighteen Hobby Stocks were up next for fifteen-laps with Des Moines driver Cody Cleghorn racing to the lead only to see the red flag wave as drivers completed the opening lap. Dane Blozovich spun sideways coming out of turn four and Rick Barlow drilled him hard in the left front. Both drivers climbed from their cars uninjured, but there were plenty of fluids to be dried up before racing could continue. Once back to green Dustin Griffiths squeezed by Cleghorn on the outside of turn four to take the lead on lap number three. Mike Hughes who had pitted during the red flag period was charging back to the front and he would challenge Griffiths over the final four laps sticking his nose under the leader on several occasions. Griffiths did not flinch though and maintained his line to hold the lead to the checkers and score the victory. Hughes was a close second, Jacob Keiser continued his solid Fall season with a third-place run ahead of Cleghorn and Jason See.
The Sport Mods drew the largest car count of the night with 33 and the twenty-four drivers who qualified for the A-Main were solid from front to back. But in this division one driver has been the man to beat during the month of October and when Curtis VanDerWal drew the third starting position this race had a clear-cut favorite as the green flag waved. Logan Anderson has impressed during his rookie campaign and he was able to hold back the challenges for the first three laps before VanDerWal found the opening that he needed on the inside and took the lead. The racing was intense behind the leader as Anderson tried to fight off northeast Iowa hotshoe Brian Mahlstedt and newly crowned All Iowa Points Champion Carter Vandenberg. When Anderson spun in turn one with three laps remaining that would put a new set of challengers on the rear bumper of VanDerWall for the restart, but there would be no stopping Curtis as he won for the fourth weekend in a row. Vandenberg would collect the runner-up stash with Mahlstedt taking third. Brett Lowry made a late move up to fourth while hometown driver Derek St. Clair raced his way up to fifth after winning the B-Main and starting nineteenth.
Pole-sitter Lane Kauffman would pace the opening laps of the Stock Car headliner before fellow front row starter Jim Lynch took over on lap three. With the best 24 drivers of the 28-car field starting the A-Main the racing was solid from front to back as Lynch showed the way. Corey Stout would mount a couple of challenges on the outside while Lynch used the ultimate low-line to travel the shortest distance possible around the 3/8th-mile oval. Contact with the track tire marking the bottom of turn two by the leader caused a caution with eight laps to go and that same tire came into play again late, but Lynch was able to hold off all challengers to take the win and he celebrated his victory with a burnout up against the frontstretch wall. Stout would finish in the second spot, Jason Cook started on the outside of row six and finished third, Abe Huls came from the fifth row to take fourth and John Oliver Jr. started next to Huls and finished right behind him in fifth.
The twenty-four-car Modified field would close out the evening for twenty laps with Jimmy Gustin moving to the front at the drop of the green. Kyle Brown would find the low groove to his liking as he moved up from fifth to challenge Gustin who was riding the high line around the speedway. Brown would pull ahead of Gustin going down the back stretch on lap four only to have "Jammin' Jimmy" come right back on the outside to still hold the official lead at the start-finish line. Brown would again take the lead in turns one and two only to have Gustin come right back in three and four and amazingly this would continue for the next six laps. Meanwhile Jeff Waterman, Ronn Lauritzen and Cayden Carter had positioned themselves just a few car-lengths behind the lead duo ready to pounce once lapped traffic came into play. When Gustin had to enter turn three a bit higher to clear Levi Smith that allowed Brown to finally score the official lead on lap eleven, but three laps later when Brown had to squeeze under Scott Simatovich entering turn three that was the break that Gustin needed to regain the advantage.
Waterman now made it a three car battle for the front and as he and Brown swapped positions over the final five laps that allowed Gustin to put a couple of car-lengths on his primary challengers and he held on to take an exciting win in a race that went green to checkers. In victory lane announcer Dan Workman ask Jimmy about the thrilling back and forth battle with Brown and Gustin replied, "that was the most fun that I've had with my pants on!" Waterman would edge out Brown for the second spot, while fourth row starters Carter and Lauritzen would run fourth and fifth just ahead of Dakota Hayden.
As usual, at least when Mother Nature allows the event to be run, Shiverfest rounded out the Iowa racing season in fine style and after this thriller the event may now have a new tagline for 2014. Shiverfest: The Most Fun That You Will Have With.......nah, we probably shouldn't go there.
A big thanks to Dick and Joyce Eisle who included us in their booth along with Warren and Carol Busse and Positively Racing colleague Ryan Clark. We were a warm and happy group due to the hospitality of promoter Mike VanGenderen. Check back in on the Back Stretch later this week as I will wrap up the 2013 racing season with the announcement of the All Iowa Points Champions.
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