A Look Back to Shiverfest 2001

Coming up this Saturday night, October 24th, the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson will continue a tradition that started in 1999 with the running of "Shiverfest". This is always one of my favorite events of the year for two reasons. One, is that I had a hand in getting it started in the first place as former promoters Terry & Jenni Hoenig scheduled the initial event as "The Millennium Grand Finale" and then together we promoted "Shiverfest" until the Honeig's sold the speedway a few years back to Dave & Yvonne Sapp. The second reason is that this race continues to be a "fun" event, with hay rack rides for the kids courtesy still of Harry Hoenig as well as trick-or-treating with fantastic involvement from the drivers. There is no "big money" on the line and with no entry fees and a regularly priced pit pass the pit area often swells to the limits as drivers want one last chance to go racing before the off season sets in.

It is a great event and one that, if you haven't been to before, you will want to attend and I am guessing that like many others after you do so, you will be hooked!

I didn't know it for sure back in 2001, but the third running of "Shiverfest" would be the final race ever for the National Kidney Foundation Heartland Tour for a Cure. A traveling series for Modifieds and Hobby Stocks that I had started in 1998 was closing out its second straight season where the Iowa chapter of the Foundation had failed to deliver on the sponsorship dollars that were promised and, for the second straight year, the Tour's $18,000 in point fund money was going to be coming out of my own pocket.

That's right, fourteen years ago not only did Tour Modified champion Darin Thye earn a $3,000 point fund check, but Bruce Hanford collected a $1,000 "Southern Bonus" on top of his regular point fund check as well. Now compare that to the point fund paid out this season by the Hawkeye Dirt Tour. The 2001 NKF Tour Hobby Stock champion Rod Miller even scored a $1,000 point fund check.

To this day I still have drivers recall memories of racing on the Tour and the fun that they had all while helping to educate people about the early warning signs of kidney disease and the importance of being a signed organ donor. Each event also raised money for the local dialysis units to improve the lives of those who were fighting kidney disease.

Just like the drivers, I would love to do it all again, but this time that sponsorship money would have to be in escrow before that first race ever took to the track! Anybody interested? ;)

Make sure that you have this Saturday's "Shiverfest" on your schedule and following is a look back to the 2001 event, and the finale of the NKF Tour.

Hanford, Johnson and Miller Among Shiverfest Winners At Donnellson

Donnellson, Iowa  – For the second straight year Mother Nature blessed the racers and fans at the Lee County Speedway’s Shiverfest event with sunny skies and warm October temperatures producing an evening full of fun and action. Bruce Hanford, Greg Johnson, Jeremy Miller, David Sugars and the team of Jeff DeLonjay and Herb Murray all found victory lane, while Darin Thye made a stellar run to edge out Dan Chapman for the NKF Heartland Tour Modified championship.

The Heartland Tour Modified finale had plenty of drama with three drivers in the hunt for the Tour championship, two drivers contending for the $1,000 Southern Bonus and two more drivers fighting it out for the $500 Northwest Bonus. Tony Fraise came from the second row to lead lap one of the twenty-lap race before title contender Dan Chapman eased past on lap two. With a win Chapman would force point leader Darin Thye to finish second to earn the Tour championship and with Thye starting in row nine, everything was looking good for the Clarence, Iowa, driver. As Chapman pulled away Thye fought his way to the front and on a lap ten caution he found himself in the seventh spot for the restart. The yellow also wiped out Chapman’s lead and he now had to deal with the 1999 Tour champion Bruce Hanford. Hanford applied the pressure and on lap fourteen moved by Chapman for the lead. With Chapman now in second Thye needed to finish in fourth to tie and third to win, and with just three laps remaining he was able to get by Boone McLaughlin for that third spot. At the checkers it was Hanford taking the win and the $1,000 Southern Bonus, Chapman was second and Thye was third giving the Burlington driver the Tour championship by four points. The third title contender, John Bull, had problems early and wound up fourteenth at the finish. Kevin Pospisil’s 18^th place run was good enough to earn the $500 Northwest Bonus and Deb Jacobsmeier from the Mt. Pleasant Wal Mart store pulled out the chip of Craig Reetz for the $1,000 Wal Mart Feature Winner’s Bonus.

Cody Townsend and Jim Lampe were early leaders in the NKF Hobby Stock feature before Travis Sherwood took the point on lap four. Greg Johnson stayed with the leader and on the final lap he was able to takeover the top spot down the backstretch for the lead and the victory. Sherwood was the runner-up with Tony Becerra third. Mike Jones came from eighteenth to finish fourth while Jeff Soper completed the top five. Rod Miller of Eldon was crowned the 2001 NKF Hobby Stock champion after the event.

Jeremy Miller powered away from Jim Lynch for the win in the Stock Car main event. Jason Cook, Brad Holtkamp and Phil McClure filled out the top five. In Roadrunner action David Sugars came from third to first on the final lap for the victory, while DeLonjay and Murray held off the persistent challenge of Jarrod Richie and Jason Heck for the Buddy Car checkers.

Shiverfest must again be considered a complete success as over $2,000 was raised for the Southeast Renal Dialysis Units in Mt. Pleasant, Burlington and Keokuk.

Results

Heartland Tour Modifieds

1^st Heat – 1. Tom Goble, Burlington 2. Tony Fraise, Montrose 3. Darin Duffy, Hazleton 4. Jamie Aikey, Cedar Falls

2^nd Heat – 1. Bruce Hanford, Davenport 2. Dan Helm, Milan IL 3. John Bull, Rock Island IL 4. Gary Dreyer, Fowler IL

3^rd Heat – 1. Dan Chapman, Clarence 2. Jim Roach, Kahoka MO 3. Jack Stotts, Trenton MO 4. Kelly Bartz, Quincy IL

4^th Heat – 1. Boone McLaughlin, Mediapolis 2. Cory Richards, Burlington 3. Jeff Gerhardt, Niota IL 4. Troy Cordes, Dewar

Scott’s Quality Seeds B-Mains

1^st – 1. Darin Thye, Burlington 2. Ron Barker, Dubuque 3. Jim Lynch, Bloomfield 4. Dan DeMey, Denison 5. David Holder, Clarence MO 6. Jon Orwig, Chariton 7. Jon Passick, Waterloo 8. Jim Powell, Hannibal MO 9. Michael Irwin, Keokuk

2^nd – 1. Paul Lawson, Fort Madison 2. Dave Hemsted, Lone Tree 3. Kit Hovey, Fort Dodge 4. Joe Hooper, Camp Point IL 5. Robbie Kincade, Trenton MO 6. Kevin Pospisil, Worthington MN 7. Jardin Fuller, Memphis MO 8. Charles Baker, Labelle MO 9. Michael Larson, Hannibal MO 10. Darin Weisinger, Mendon IL 11. Jim Kuhlmeier, Fort Madison

A-Main – 1. Hanford 2. Chapman 3. Thye 4. McLaughlin 5. Barker 6. Lynch 7. Fraise 8. Duffy 9. Roach 10. Gerhardt 11. Goble 12. DeMey 13. Stotts 14. Bull 15. Dreyer 16. Hemsted 17. Hovey 18. Pospisil 19. Aikey 20. Richards 21. Lawson 22. Cordes 23. Bartz 24. Helm 

Heartland Tour Hobby Stocks

1^st Heat – 1. Bobby Greene, Tracy 2. Jim Lampe, Carroll 3. Ben Cloke, Douds 4. Matt Burgtorf, Quincy IL

2^nd Heat – 1. Greg Johnson, Burlington 2. Rod Miller, Eldon 3. Cody Townsend, Bloomfield 4. Robbie Rains, Bonaparte

3^rd Heat – 1. Gary White, Hamilton IL 2. Rodger Dresden, Keokuk 3. Travis Sherwood, Ottumwa 4. Kirk Kinsley, Wapello

4^th Heat – 1. Tony Becerra, Carthage IL 2. Kris Walker, Oskaloosa 3. Jeff Soper, Alexandria MO 4. Chad Krogmeier, Burlington

Scott’s Quality Seeds B-Mains:

1^st – 1. Bruce Summers, Hamilton IL 2. Tim Breuer, Oquawka IL 3. Rocky Fosdyck, Selma 4. Robert Kephart, Donnellson 5. Zach Sobaski, Washington 6. Patrick Profeta, Hamilton IL

2^nd – 1. Mike Jones, Waukon 2. David Breuer, Burlington 3. Mark Holt, Memphis MO 4. Robert Warner, Fort Madison 5. Bob Lynch, Ottumwa 6. Steve Landgrebe, Oskaloosa

A-Main – 1. Johnson 2. Sherwood 3. Becerra 4. Jones 5. Soper 6. Lampe 7. D. Breuer 8. Walker 9. Greene 10. Krogmeier 11. Cloke 12. Miller 13. T. Breuer 14. Fosdyck 15. Kinsley 16. Burgtorf 17. White 18. Holt 19. Rains 20. Mike Hiller, Dunkerton 21. Tim Staley, Muscatine 22. Summers 23. Townsend 24. Dresden

Stock Cars

A-Main – 1. Jeremy Miller, Batavia 2. Jim Lynch, Bloomfield 3. Jason Cook, Mt. Pleasant 4. Brad Holtkamp, Mt. Pleasant 5. Phil McClure, Floris 6. David Boyd, Conesville 7. Ryan Meyer, Wayland 8. Jim Redman, Lockridge 9. Harley Hill, Wayland MO 10. Josh Walker, Mystic 11. Jerry Pilcher, Ottumwa 12. Mike McClure, Bloomfield 13. Jerry McElderry, Altoona 14. Matt Greiner, Washington 15. Dennis Harwood, Mt. Pleasant 16. Lonnie Taylor, Bloomfield 17. Ryan Reece, Columbus IL 18. Mike Walrod, DeSoto 19. Jeremy Dooley, Plano 20. Randy McClure, Eldon 21. Chris Hawkins, Drakesville 22. Bert McDaniel, Eldon 23. Don Kanselaar, Centerville

Buddy Cars

A-Main – 1. Jeff DeLonjay/Herb Murray 2. Jarrod Richie/Jason Heck 3. Lance Stott/Paul Kropf 4. Tim Gerleman/Ray Tedrow 5. John & Jenni Peterson 6. Roger & Jeremy Brockett 7. Kris Smothers/J.J. Fleck 8. Jeff & Darren Skow

Road Runners

A-Main – 1. David Sugars 2. T.J. Newberry 3. Ed Balmer 4. Chris Wibbell 5. Richard Bank 6. David Burdette 7. Justin Hamilton 8. Jim Wilsey