I don't watch racing live on the internet, but I tuned in on that morning and tears filled my eyes as Scott Watson, who himself is battling a series of health problems called the action. As I recall Caleb did go for a spin in his first lap at speed, but after that he kept the car straight and just like any other rookie driver got faster and faster with each lap. And when he earned his way to victory lane, well who can forget that smile.
I'm using the picture here from the Oskaloosa News story from that day as that way it will show up with the link to this blog entry, I hope that is okay with them. After all, it was all about that smile, and that dream that came true on that August morning just a month or so shy of his passing that we all needed to remember last night at the Inaugural Caleb Hammond Memorial.
Once again the pits were full on Tuesday night with more than 120 cars in six divisions headlined by the return of the Modifieds. Yes, there was some big money on the line, both in the purse and from several people who just wanted to add to the night, but you had a sense that most of the drivers would have been here just like they were a year ago with no purse on the line, just to make a kid's dream come true.
Sprint Cars were added to the weekly program recently and tonight would be their third appearance with eleven drivers signed in. Josh Most in Rick Germar's #93 was here for the first time and it looked like he was going to runaway with tonight's win. With three laps remaining though the second place car of Dillon Alexander spun in turn two and the caution erased the full straightaway lead held by Most. Two more cautions for incidents involving the first night winner Logan Alexander left just two laps to run with last week's winner Jonathan Hughes now running in second. Most was not able to get away from Hughes as the green flag waved and Jonathan even made a run at the leader in turn three.
That effort was not successful but it did set him up for a big run down the front stretch and after the lead duo took the white flag Hughes dove to the bottom in turn one and then executed the perfect slider to take the lead from Most into turn two. With his momentum stifled for a split second, Most was not able to return the favor in turns three and four as Hughes took his second straight win at Osky. Garrett Alexander and Doug Sylvester were next in line while Dillon Alexander rallied back into the top five at the checkers.
I don't recall a larger field of Sport Compacts for a weeknight show at Oskaloosa as twenty-three drivers were on hand to race ten laps for a $500 top prize. Local favorite Brandon Allison would lead the opening laps, but following an early restart Nathan Chandler would drive around Allison to take the lead. Two time defending All Iowa Points champion Barry Taft would emerge from a tight battle for second with track point leader Trent Orwig, but once there he was unable to reel in Chandler who scored the win. Taft and Orwig were next in line followed by Chuck Fullenkamp, who had started eleventh, and Nathan Moody as Allison dropped out of the race on the final lap.
The Hobby Stocks were up next and with $1,000 on the line the battle was intense on the opening lap as drivers battled for an early advantage. Exiting turn four Derek Kirkland, Dustin Griffiths and Brandon Cox were three wide and banging doors near the front of the field when Cox spun sideways gathering Griffiths and sending the rest of the field scrambling. In all nine cars were involved in the melee with four of them suffering too much damage to restart. Locked in the track's point race, Griffiths had his crew remove the damaged front end body work from his car and he restarted at the back of the remaining thirteen car field.
Christian Huffman would lead the way for the first three trips around the fast half-mile before Mike Hughes was able to get some low line bite in turn one. Cautions on laps seven and eleven would bunch the field back up for restarts, but on each one Hughes would drive away eventually taking the win. The race for second was a good one over the closing laps as Clint Nelson found some speed and moved from fourth to second at the checkers. Griffiths brought his "wounded animal" as described by announcer Jerry Mackey in for third, Huffman finished fourth and Kirkland completed the top five.
The Sport Mod field of twenty-two was absolutely stacked with talent including a couple of drivers, Ben Moudry and Jared Boumeester, who will also be in action tonight at Oskaloosa, more on that later. Brayton Carter drew the pole position for the 16-lap main event and you just knew that the young driver would be hard to beat on his hometown track. Logan Anderson kept him honest though as the battles raged on behind them until the mid-race mark when Colton Livezy spun off the back stretch in order to give himself the opportunity to get to the work area under caution.
Livezy had been battling for a top five spot when his left front hood pin failed leaving him with impaired vision and with tonight's speeds and traffic that was no way to race, so after removing the hood Livezy rejoined the field at the rear. On the restart rookie phenom Dylan Van Wyk spun in front of the field in turn one, but he was able to let the car coast backwards directly facing the oncoming traffic who all amazingly split Van Wyk both high and low with no contact.
Two laps later though Van Wyk found himself tangled with Jeff Frana at the exit of turn two ending the night for both drivers.
Once back to racing Anderson now had to deal with a challenge from Curtis Van Der Wal for second allowing Brayton Carter to drive away for the convincing flag to flag victory. Anderson would hold on for second leaving third to Van Der Wal while Cayden Carter brought the DeJong Racing #30m from tenth to fourth. Jason Hall held on to complete the top five.
Stock Cars would be up next for $1,000-to-win and they would have a hard time getting going with three early cautions. Once that was out of their system though the race would go green over the final thirteen laps with a three car breakaway out front. Damon Murty was dialed into the cushion and while both Todd Reitzler and Cayden Carter made efforts on the bottom they could not clear Murty who would go the distance for the win and pick up an additional $100 for winning on his first visit to Oskaloosa in 2019. Reitzler and Carter were on his rear bumper the entire way as Derrick Agee and Nathan Wood finished fourth and fifth.
The return of the Modifieds would close out the evening for thirty laps with $2,000 going to the winner and it was a diverse field of twenty with drivers from Iowa, Missouri, California, Arizona and Wyoming in attendance. Bruce Hanford would use the pole position to take the lead at the drop of the green with the first of just two cautions slowing the race on lap four. Driving in his third feature race in a row on a warm evening, Cayden Carter was on the move after starting eleventh and he was soon poised to challenge for the lead. Hanford did a nice job fighting him off for a few laps, but when the leader dropped his right rear tire off the top of the back stretch for a split second on lap twelve that was all that Carter needed to take the point.
Just after that lead change the caution would wave again for Jerad Fuller who had spun exiting turn two. Earlier during the redraw Fuller had accepted the challenge to start at the rear of the field earning him an immediate $300 with an additional $700 to be added to his winnings if he could finish in the top three. I believe that at the time of his spin Jerad had moved up to sixth, but his night would end here on the back of a tow truck.
Following the restart perhaps Cayden took out a bit of his frustration from not winning in his first two features of the night as he simply drove away from the competition to take the win by more than a straightaway over Todd Shute. Hanford would fight off a late challenge from Lance Mari to hold down third as Austin Howes took fifth.
It was a full night of racing all for the low price of eight dollars and a large Southern Iowa Fair crowd filled the stands early. However, with a twenty-five minute intermission and perhaps one too many classes it turned into a late night for a Tuesday with the final checkers waving at 11:23 with much of the crowd already gone for the evening. Hopefully they will be well rested and ready to return tonight though as Todd Staley brings the United States Modified Touring Series to town along with the USRA Ironman Series for the B-Mods and Stock Cars. Hobby Stocks will be in action as well for night number two of racing at the Southern Iowa Fair in Oskaloosa.
For the second year in a row the USMTS show in Osky is on the same night as the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models at the CJ Speedway in Columbus Junction and, since I made the trip to Osky last year, tonight I will take the back roads north to Columbus Junction.
Two great events to choose from on a Wednesday night in July. Our part of the country is truly the best place to be if you are a race fan!
