One of the biggest challenges for a promoter is when you are presenting a special event that is being threatened by weather. It is usually a "no win" situation as first of all you will have drivers and fans who will stay at home based upon the forecast, thus damaging your bottom line, and then if it does rain at some point during the program you are virtually guaranteed that somebody is not going to be happy with how you handle the situation. Tough challenges to face for any promoter, but when it is your first ever event in that role? Well let's just say that Rick and Corey Dripps faced the fury Saturday night as they presented the finale for the 2019 Dirt Knights IMCA Modified Tour at the Benton County Speedway in Vinton under threatening conditions and, as far as I am concerned, they passed the test.
One hundred and thirty seven cars in six classes signed in to compete, the Sport Mods leading the way with 36, and racing action started just a few minutes past six o'clock. Checking forecasts all day, the rain was not predicted to arrive until after ten o'clock and the heat races were clicking along at a pretty good pace until an incident in the pit area required an ambulance transport forcing the action to shut down for about fifteen minutes. During this break I would say that everybody, including the promoters, who had their phone with them checked the radar and could see that the rain was going to make an earlier than expected arrival and once we were back to racing it was not long after that hometown driver Jeremy Wheeler lost a wheel on his Four Cylinder while leading the heat race field into turn three and went for a wild ride ending up on his top in turn four.
After it was confirmed that Wheeler was out of the car and uninjured, much to the relief of the solid crowd that had thumbed their nose to the weather for one last chance to see some racing in Vinton this year, it was announced that the B-Main for the twenty-seven car field of IMCA Modifieds would be scrapped and that their feature, the main attraction of the night, would be run first even before the two B-Mains for the Sport Mods with all twenty-seven to make the start.
That was an excellent decision!
With the rain now just one county away the big field of Modifieds came to the quarter-mile oval that was about ten feet wider tonight than we have seen it in the past as the big tires that mark the infield had been pulled all the way back to the grass. I might have missed the explanation of how the lineup was set, but I have to assume that the top twelve in passing points from the heats races must have then had a draw for position as Joel Rust who had won his heat after starting eighth was lined up in the ninth position while Cayden Carter, another heat race winner from fifth, and Tim Ward who had advanced from fifth to fourth in his heat race would start the twenty-five lap main event from the front row.
The first attempt at a start did not stick as Bill Roberts Jr. spun in turn one collecting Brennen Chipp and Eric Barnes, so on the second wave of the green flag it would be Ward, the Arizona transplant, taking the lead on the high side. Carter was committed to the bottom and on lap six he would ease ahead of Ward to take the lead as drivers raced two and three wide throughout the pack behind him. Some of that three-wide traffic loomed just ahead of the leaders at the mid-race mark, but before they had to deal with it the caution would wave for Patrick Flannagan who had spun in turn two.
Ward and Richie Gustin would pair up behind Carter on the restart, but once back to racing it would be Jeff Aikey who would make it a three car battle for second. With Carter pulling away that three car tussle thoroughly entertained the crowd with Aikey taking the spot, but now needing a caution to have any chance at catching and passing Carter. That caution would come with just six laps remaining when Scott Simatovich sailed off the top of turn three and we were now set for a shootout as the stiff wind blowing into the stands picked up even more with lightning also flashing in the night sky.
When the green flag waved it was Gustin and Ward who dropped Aikey back in the running order and Gustin had now found the high line to be working to perfection for his #19G. The Dirt Knights Tour point leader coming into the night, Gustin would drive around Carter on the top to take the lad on lap twenty-one and while Carter tried to battle back for a couple of laps it would be Gustin pulling away for the victory and the Tour championship as the checkers waved. Carter would finish in second while Ward nipped a fast closing Joel Rust by inches for third. Jeff Larson moved from eighth to fifth, young Kollin Hibdon was sixth just ahead of his mentor Aikey. Eighth went to Todd Shute, Brock Bauman advanced nine spots to finish ninth and Troy Cordes completed the top ten.
I took another look at the radar to see that the green blob was now on the doorstep and since there was no doubt that this one would be a soaker I headed for the car as the first of two B-Mains for the Sport Mods was hustled onto the track. Rain drops were hitting my windshield two blocks from the speedway so I doubt that they got much further than that and checking Facebook and the ISC forum this morning I do not see anything about how everything was handled once the rain came.
What I do know is that the promoters did their absolute best with the rain arriving about ninety minutes earlier than had been predicted and due to their smart decision to move the featured attraction up in the program I was able to see what I plunked my fifteen bucks down for, so thank you Rick and Corey, I will look forward to seeing you often at "The Bullring" in 2020.
Rain has washed away the Iowa Sprint League show at the Quincy Raceways tonight and after spending sixteen hours by myself in the car chasing races the past three nights I am going to resist the urge to add six more hours to that total by driving to Rockford today for the National Short Track Championships, so perhaps you can take my seat there instead.
No racing for me next weekend as Grandpa and Grandma will be on baby sitting duty, so it will be the second weekend of the month that will start my October swing of action. Get out and support the track in your area that is taking the risk and providing you with a chance to extend your racing season!
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