Wednesday Notebook: August 17, 2016

Still coming down off of my Knoxville high and still convinced that it was the best Championship A-Main that I have ever seen since I started going to the Nationals in 1976. Yes, there have been several dramatic finishes, most recently when Donny Schatz had his motor go south in the closing laps allowing Tim Shaffer to pass him off of turn four to steal away the 2010 Championship. That had the crowd going wild and, without that, Schatz would have won an amazing ten straight. What Donny has been able to accomplish over the past thirteen years at this event is beyond amazing and that just added to the drama on Saturday night when a driver who very few people probably picked even though he had earned a front row start simply refused to lose. The final eight laps of the race were incredible and that is what has vaulted it to the top of my list.

While I love going to the Nationals each year, it also bums me out a bit as it is the signal that the racing season is winding down. A few tracks have already wrapped up their 2016 schedule while most only have two or three events left so make sure that you get out there and support your favorite tracks so that they can close the season on a high note.

I had the honor to fill in for Jerry Mackey on the microphone last night as the Deery Brothers Summer Series visited the Dubuque County Fairgrounds Speedway. This was a rescheduled date from when the event was rained out in July and Jerry had already purchased tickets for the concert at the Iowa State Fair for Tuesday night. Knowing that his wife Marnee was really looking forward to seeing Heart, Cheep Trick and Joan Jett, Jerry made the proper decision and kept the tickets rather than saying, "Sorry honey, but I have to announce a race instead." I had a great time trying to fill his shoes for the night and it is always a pleasure to work with Keith, Kevin, Doug and the ntire SPI crew, so thank you Jerry for trusting me with the duties.

Matt Ryan battled with Dan Shelliam early before establishing himself as the leader and he then went the rest of the distance to take the Deery Series win at Dubuque Tuesday night. The run of the night though came from Joel Callahan who started the feature last in 22nd after fighting motor problems in his heat. Callahan was banging the cushion hard on both ends and got all the way up to second by lap thirty, but after swapping the runner-up spot with Tyler Bruening, Joel got over the cushion and into the wall costing him several spots. A few laps later Callahan stopped on the back stretch, his night over riding the hook back to the pits. Bruening extended his point lead by a bit with the second place run, Luke Goedert worked the low line all night in finishing third, Scott Fitzpatrick was fourth and Jeff Aikey fought off a sore shoulder to stay in the title hunt by finishing fifth.

Justin Kay debuted a new Gheer'd Up Longhorn chassis, but after dropping a few spots early he was the first to retire from the event and was scored 22nd. Kay did double duty on the night and picked his way through the Modified field to make a late run at race-long leader Mark Schulte in the 30-lap event. Schulte fought off the challenge though to collect the $1,000 winner's loot. Schulte's brother-in-law Jed Freiburger finished third with Kenny Kostenbader and Bryce Garnhart completing the top five.

So what did Donny Schatz do on the Sunday night right after the Knoxville Nationals? He headed north to the Buffalo River Race Park in Glyndon, Minnesota, where he raced his Late Model to a second place finish in a Northern Late Model Racing Association (NLRA) show. Dustin Strand was the winner in an event that paid $1,100 to win, compared to the $75,000 that Schatz collected for running second the night before.

At least two drivers picked up their first IMCA Late Model wins of the 2016 season Saturday night when Rob Moss took the checkers at the West Liberty Raceway and Jeff Segebart won at the Shelby County Speedway in Harlan.

Score another win for the ladies as Tailin Tommerdahl won the IMCA Modified feature over a field of seventeen cars at the Buffalo River Race Park on August 7th.

This bit of news was a shocker to me today as Kerry Madsen is now out of a ride here in the U.S.

The Seymour Speedway in Wisconsin has cancelled its final four races of the season.

The promoters of the Fairmont Raceway in southern Minnesota stated on the track's Facebook page this week that they will not return in 2016. Even though it is an all Sprint Car show, having nearby Jackson jump on Friday nights had to take a bite out of Fairmont's crowd.

And, in a bit of good news, the Vermilion County Speedway in Danille, Illinois, that closed down in June will get another chance from the folks that operate the Daugherty Speedway in nearby Boswell, Indiana. Their first race at VCS is scheduled for Sunday, September 4th.

The Shottenkirk.com Sprint Invader Nationals weekend is next up on my schedule with Friday night action at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson and Saturday night at 34 Raceway near Burlington. The weather forecast at this point is looking pretty iffy, but it was the same for a couple of nights at Knoxville last week and everything ran off as planned. It is all about the timing and the location of the rain so don't let a forecast scare you off, wait until raceday and check the radar!

I am hoping to get those two shows in because after that, due to other commitments I will go more than two weeks before I can get to another show when the Sprint Invaders visit the Quincy Raceways on Sunday September 4th. Not looking forward to a 15-day break when the racing season is already winding down!

The updated Minnesota points follow as well the "Hot 100" from the Back Stretch National Dirt Late Model points.

		Minnesota Points
		Late Model
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Don Shaw	Ham Lake	74
2	.	Jeff Massengill	Keewatin	63
3	.	Harry Hanson	Eleveth	60
4	.	Corey Nelson	Canby	47
5	.	Jeff Wildung	Nassau	44
6	.	Darrell Nelson	Hermanton	37
7	.	Casey Meyer	Wahpeton ND	36
8	.	Zach Johnson	Kensington	29
9	.	Shawn Meyer	Wahpeton ND	26
10	.	Brad Seng	Grand Forks ND	25
11	.	Scott Ward	Watertown SD	25
12	.	Cole Schill	Horace ND	22
13	.	Terry Lillo	Duluth	22
14	.	Jeff Provinzino	Hibbing	21
15	.	Kevin Robertson	Enderlin ND	21
16	.	Rick Schroeder	Montevideo	17
17	.	Kyle Peterlin	Hibbing	16
18	.	Matt Gilbertson	Montevideo	16
19	.	Aaron Lillo	Proctor	14
20	.	Mike Balcaen	Winnipeg MB	14

		Minnesota Points
		Modified
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Brandon Davis	Medford	91
2	.	Bob Broking	Grand Rapids	79
3	.	Tim Johnson	Brainerd	74
4	.	Brandon Beckendorf	Danube	71
5	.	Johnny Broking	Grand Rapids	71
6	.	Shane Sabraski	Rice	66
7	.	Jason Cummins	New Richland	65
8	.	Jeffrey Larson	Lakefield	63
9	.	Tyler Limoges	Redwood Falls	62
10	.	Don Eischens	Richmond	61
11	.	Phil Braun	Danube	57
12	.	Clint Hatlestad	Glencoe	55
13	.	Rob VanMil	Barnesville	52
14	.	Brady Gerdes	Villard	50
15	.	Josh Beaulieu	Bemidji	48
16	.	Billy Kendall III	Baxter	47
17	.	Josh Angst	Winona	47
18	.	Jeremy Nelson	Rogers	44
19	.	Denis Czech	Rice	42
20	.	Kelly Shryock	Fertile IA	41

		Minnesota Points
		Limited Modifieds
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Matthew Looft	Swea City IA	119
2	.	Skeeter Estey	Kelly Lake	95
3	.	Tim Kanten	Milan	89
4	.	Jeremy Nelson	Zimmerman	78
5	.	Tony Rialson	Cottonwood	76
6	.	Jesse Skalicky	Fargo ND	74
7	.	Ashley Mehrwerth	St. Stephen	73
8	.	Eric Lamm	Zimmerman	73
9	.	Jason Vejtruba	Atwater	70
10	.	Brandon Mehrwerth	St. Stephen	68
11	.	Jason Andrews	Estherville IA	67
12	.	Dave Siercks	Princeton	62
13	.	Kylie Kath	Owatonna	62
14	.	Jared Boumeester	Waseca	58
15	.	Travis Saurer	Elizabeth	57
16	.	Danny Myrvold	Heron Lake	53
17	.	Justin Froemming	Garfield	52
18	.	Kelly Jacobson	Fargo ND	51
19	.	Dan Paplow	Dundee	49
20	.	Dan Wheeler	Savage	49
21	.	Tyler Kintner	Hibbing	49

		Minnesota Points
		Winged Sprints (410)
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Casey Mack	East Grand Forks	14
2	.	Kerry Madsen	St. Marys NSW	14
3	.	Wade Nygaard	Grand Forks ND	13
4	.	Austin Pierce	Grand Forks ND	12
5	.	Craig Dollansky	Elk River MN	11
6	.	Danny Lasoski	Dover MN	8
7	.	Shane Stewart	Bixby OK	8
8	.	Daryn Pittman	Owasso OK	7
9	.	Ian Madsen	St. Marys NSW	7
10	.	Bob Martin	East Grand Forks	6
11	.	Sammy Swindell	Germantown TN	6

		Minnesota Points
		Winged Sprints (360 & 305)
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Michael Stien	Ceylon	53
2	.	Bill Johnson	St. Peter	29
3	.	Brandon Allen	St. Peter	27
4	.	Gregg Bakker	Sioux Falls SD	26
5	.	Colin Smith	Sheldon IA	24
6	.	Bruce Anderson	Trimont	20
7	.	Scott Winters	Butterfield	20
8	.	Trevor Serbus	Olivia	20
9	.	Kaleb Johnson	Sioux Falls SD	19
10	.	Skylar Prochaska	Lakefield	17
11	.	Ian Madsen	St. Marys NSW	15
12	.	Val Urman	Roseville	15
13	.	Jeremy Schultz	Stewart	14
14	.	Tim Kaeding	San Jose CA	14
15	.	Derrik Lusk	Jackson	13
16	.	Jesse Lindberg	Sioux Falls SD	13
17	.	Ryan Bowers	Ham Lake	13
18	.	Casey Friedrichsen	Arthur IA	12
19	.	Jesse Cripe	South Haven	12
20	.	Justin Allen	Gaylord	12

		The "Back Stretch"
		Dirt Late Model Points
Pos.		Driver	Hometown	Points
1	.	Josh Richards	Shinnston WV	214
2	.	Scott Bloomquist	Mooresburg TN	188
3	.	Jonathan Davenport	Blairsville GA	175
4	.	Bobby Pierce	Oakwood IL	137
5	.	Shane Clanton	Locust Grove GA	123
6	.	Brandon Sheppard	New Berlin IL	94
7	.	Dennis Erb Jr.	Carpentersville IL	82
8	.	Dale McDowell	Chickamauga GA	80
9	.	Billy Moyer	Batesville AR	78
10	.	Jared Landers	Batesville AR	77
11	.	Don O'Neal	Martinsville IN	74
12	.	Brian Shirley	Chatham IL	73
13	.	Tim McCreadie	Watertown NY	68
14	.	Chris Madden	Gray Court SC	57
15	.	Earl Pearson Jr.	Jacksonville FL	55
16	.	Mike Marlar	Winfield TN	55
17	.	Rick Eckert	York PA	53
18	.	Jimmy Owens	Newport TN	48
19	.	Darrell Lanigan	Union KY	46
20	.	Jason Feger	Bloomington IL	46
21	.	Brandon Overton	Appling GA	45
22	.	Casey Roberts	Toccoa GA	45
23	.	Jackie Boggs	Grayson KY	43
24	.	Ryan Unzicker	El Paso IL	43
25	.	Devin Moran	Dresden OH	41
26	.	Gregg Satterlee	Rochester Mills PA	41
27	.	Jesse Stovall	Galena MO	41
28	.	Chris Simpson	Marion IA	40
29	.	Max Blair	Centerville PA	38
30	.	Donald McIntosh	Dawsonville GA	37
31	.	Jason Covert	York Haven PA	37
32	.	Billy Moyer Jr.	Batesville AR	34
33	.	Terry Phillips	Springfield MO	34
34	.	Willie Milliken	Leland NC	34
35	.	Chris Ferguson	Mount Holly NC	33
36	.	Frank Heckenast Jr.	Orland Park IL	32
37	.	Jimmy Mars	Elk Mound WI	30
38	.	Steve Francis	Ashland KY	30
39	.	Tyler Carpenter	Parkersburg WV	30
40	.	Dale Hollidge	Mechanicsville MD	29
41	.	Eddie Carrier Jr.	Salt Rock WV	26
42	.	Devin Gilpin	Columbus IN	24
43	.	Mark Whitener	Middleburg FL	24
44	.	Riley Hickman	Ooletwah TN	24
45	.	Rusty Schlenk	Jackson MI	24
46	.	Tony Jackson Jr.	Lebanon MO	24
47	.	Dona Marcoullier	Houghton Lake MI	23
48	.	Johnny Pursley	Clover SC	23
49	.	Kevin Weaver	Gibson City IL	23
50	.	Kyle Bronson	Brandon FL	23
51	.	Tim Dohm	Cross Lanes WV	23
52	.	Steve Casebolt	Richmond IN	22
53	.	Cory Hedgecock	Louden TN	21
54	.	Justin Kay	Wheatland IA	21
55	.	Doug Drown	Wooster OH	20
56	.	Ross Bailes	Clover SC	20
57	.	Eric Wells	Hazard KY	19
58	.	Greg Johnson	Bedford IN	19
59	.	Jared Miley	South Park PA	19
60	.	Jason Hiett	Lincoln AL	19
61	.	Ryan Gustin	Marshalltown IA	19
62	.	Shannon Babb	Mowequa IL	19
63	.	Dave Hess Jr.	Waterford PA	18
64	.	Corey Conley	Wellsburg WV	17
65	.	Freddie Carpenter	Parkersburg WV	17
66	.	Mason Zeigler	Chalk Hill PA	17
67	.	Tyler Crowder	Tallahassee FL	17
68	.	Tyler Erb	Magnolia TX	17
69	.	Chad Simpson	Marion IA	16
70	.	Dennis Franklin	Gaffney SC	16
71	.	Devin Dixon	Apollo Beach FL	16
72	.	Donald Bradsher	Burlington NC	16
73	.	Jason Krohn	Slayton MN	16
74	.	Kyle Beard	Trumann AR	16
75	.	Russell Erwin	Beaverdam VA	16
76	.	Zack Dohm	Cross Lanes WV	16
77	.	Rich Bell	Sheffield IL	15
78	.	Ricky Weiss	Winnipeg MAN	15
79	.	Tim Manville	Highland IL	15
80	.	A.J. Diemel	Navarino WI	14
81	.	Josh Putnam	Killen AL	14
82	.	Rhett Carter	Blackshear GA	14
83	.	Ricky Thornton Jr.	Chandler AZ	14
84	.	Tanner English	Benton KY	14
85	.	Caleb Ashby	Cunningham TN	13
86	.	Don Shaw	Ham Lake MN	13
87	.	Eric Spangler	Lake City MI	13
88	.	Jack Sullivan	Greenbriar AR	13
89	.	Jeff Rine	Danville PA	13
90	.	Michael Lake	Uniontown PA	13
91	.	Rob Blair	Titusville PA	13
92	.	Ronny Lee Hollingsworth	Northport AL	13
93	.	Ryan VanderVeen	Six Lakes MI	13
94	.	B.J. Robinson	Blanchard LA	12
95	.	Chad Zobrist	Highland IL	12
96	.	Cory Dumpert	Lincoln NE	12
97	.	Daulton Wilson	Fayetteville NC	12
98	.	David Payne	Murphy NC	12
99	.	Dylan Yoder	Selinsgrove PA	12
100	.	Jeff Provinzino	Hibbing MN	12
101	.	Joel Callahan	Dubuque IA	12
102	.	Jon Henry	Ada OH	12
103	.	Matt Cosner	Ridgely WV	12
104	.	McKay Wenger	Fairbury IL	12
105	.	Michael Chilton	Salvisa KY	12
106	.	Michael Kloos	Trenton IL	12
107	.	Randy Weaver	Crossville TN	12
108	.	Rodney Sanders	Happy TX	12