Jeff Aikey started from the pole position and won the 50-lap Ideal Ready Mix Tri-Track Challenge for IMCA Late Models and the $2,000 top prize at the Farley Speedway Friday night. Sounds like it was a pretty easy night for the veteran driver from Cedar Falls, doesn't it? And now for the rest of the story.
Scott Fitzpatrick would start alongside Aikey and as those two battled door-to-door for the lead on the opening lap, sixth-starting Justin Kay hooked the cushion entering turn three and his car shot to the right going up and over the edge of the race track where he would slide quite a distance through the saturated grass before slamming sideways into a fifteen foot tall pile of dirt. It took the wrecker crew several minutes to stretch the cable far enough to hook on to Kay's car and after they were able to pull him in to a dry enough area he was able to start the car and return to the speedway where he would now start from the rear of the 24-car field.
On the restart Aikey would establish himself as the leader with Jason Rauen dropping Fitzpatrick back to third and Late Model fans around here know that when the track is tacky fast, Jason Rauen is going to be in the hunt. After all, they don't just call him "Hammer Down" because it rhymes with his last name. Using the cushion in turn four Rauen drove around Aikley for the lead on lap six and steadily built a cushion even as he was negotiating traffic. With Rauen now in control our attention moved back to the battle for second where young Tyler Droste had moved in to challenge Aikey. Droste who won his first career Late Model feature here at Farley last Friday night was able to get by Aikey as they raced down the back stretch on lap twenty-two, but just as the exchange for position occurred Rauen slowed suddenly on the front stretch stopping just before the entrance to the infield before turn one.
Once the caution waved Rauen quickly scrambled to the infield and then out the back stretch to his pit area frantically pointing at the left front of his car even though there was no visible issue with the car. With the loss of the leader Aikey and Droste would go side-by-side for the restart as Rauen returned to the rear of the field just before Doug Haack's green flag appeared once again. As Aikey again took the lead Rauen went to the tip top of turns one and two to pass five cars on that first circuit, so he was coming once again.
Droste knew that he had been able to dispose of Aikey once, so he went right back to work on the now leader once again and on lap twenty-six the youngster again made the move that this time would put him into the lead. The son of former All Iowa Points Modified champion Steve Droste and the grandson of former All Iowa Points Late Model champion Red Droste was fast once again, but the field would be brought back to him when the fourth-place car of Andy Eckrich slowed on the front stretch on lap twenty-nine. As Eckrich headed to the pits under caution so too did the third-place car of Fitzpatrick and while Eckrich did return for the restart, Fitzpatrick did not.
The race went green for two more laps before Tyler Bruening slowed and following the restart the 18-year-old Droste looked to be well on his way to his second straight victory before the engine let go on his #31 let go with eleven laps remaining. At the same time smoke now billowed out of the left front of Rauen's #98 that was back up to the fourth position taking two of the top contenders out at the same time.
Losing the leader on a caution again created a two abreast restart this time with Johnny Emerson starting next to Aikey and when the green flag waved Aikey was again able to take the lead. The final laps ran off without caution and without any change for position in the top five as Aikey would take the win over Emerson, Curt Martin, Joel Callahan and Justin Kay. Had it not been for a late rainout in Des Moines where Aikey is racing for the extra point fund money, he would not have even been here in the first place and while he started from the pole and won the fifty-lap event, the $2,000 definitely did not come with ease. And as the legendary Paul Harvey would say......
A mechanical issue took out the leader in the IMCA Modified feature as well when J.D. Auringer slowed on lap four of the twenty-lap event turning the point over to Zach Less. Patrick Flannagan applied the pressure on Less and he was able to take the lead going down the back stretch on lap nine, but before the lap was scored the caution waved for debris putting Less back out front for the restart. Flannagan would again grapple for the lead during the second half of the race, but the Wartburg college wrestler Less fought off the challenge to score the take down and take the win over Flannagan. Adam Johnson finished in the third spot, Mark Schulte came from the fifth row to finish fourth and Jerry Luloff was fifth.
The Stock Car field was short again tonight at six, and after Erick Knutsen suffered damage in a heat race scuffle it was just a five-car field that went for fifteen-laps but just like last week the race for the win was very entertaining. At the drop of the green Jerry Miles made it three-wide with the front row of Chris Luloff and Norman Chesmore and it was Miles who would hold the lead on lap one. With that strong start it looked like Miles would walk away with this one, but Luloff had other plans as he closed in on the leader in the final five laps. With just two to go Luloff pulled even with Miles and it wasn't until the final set of turn that Miles was able to shake off the challenge and score the win. Luloff and Chesmore were close behind while Phil Holtz and Uriah Frommelt were scored fourth and fifth.
Same story for the Hobby Stocks that could use more race cars, but you have to hand it to those who were there for putting on some entertaining racing. Quinton Miller won for the third week in a row and, if not for her car failing to come up to speed on a late restart for the second week in a row, Leah Wroten might have been a winner although this week she recovered to finish second. Luke Bird would take third while Eric McDonough and Randy Byerly were scored in fourth and fifth.
Five Micro Mods were on hand tonight with Jamie Whitaker scoring his first win in the division with last week's winner Brandon Maitland chasing him all the way.
And finally we get to the twenty-car IMCA Sport Mod field that started off the list of feature races with an event that seriously challenges the principles of Positively Racing. In a race that saw eight cautions in the first nine laps including a couple where drivers intentionally stopped on the track so that they could duck into the pits and try to make repairs, the fifteen-lap race mercifully came to an end after forty minutes with Austin Heacock in victory lane. The finish was definitely a good one as Tyler Soppe drove hard into turn three on the final lap and rubbed paint with Heacock making for a photo finish at the line. K.C. Ansel took third, mid-race leader Jason Doyle was fourth and Gage Neal who started the marathon from row ten finished in fifth.
After all of the rain from the day before it took quite an effort from promoter Keith Simmons and his staff to get the facility into shape just to have this race and all in attendance have to appreciate those efforts after watching the twists and turns of the Late Model feature. With the unfavorable conditions extra time had to be taken to pack the track on several occasions and that, along with the Sport Mod feature produced a final checkered flag that waved at 11;54 p.m. It was a late trip home for this weary traveler who had driven to Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin and Minnesota this week, but I had plenty of action to reflect back upon as I made the drive home.
Thanks to Keith, Jerry Mackey, Kevin Feller, Doug Haack and all of the SPI crew for their hospitality and I look forward to returning to the Palace of Speed at least a couple of more times during the 2015 season.
No racing for me tonight and I am hoping that the weather holds out for a trip to the Quincy Raceways on Sunday for the "Scottie 41", an event that drew twenty-six UMP Late Models last year. Enjoy your racing weekend!
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