"Wind from the east, not fit for man nor beast." Track announcer Jerry Mackey was already feeling a bit under the weather going into Saturday night's weekly opener at the West Liberty Raceway and a cold, damp sustained wind of over twenty miles an hour out of the east did nothing to help that as he described the action from the tall infield tower. Despite the strong wind though, track conditions were nearly perfect as drivers could race high, low and in between around the sweeping half-mile.
Chad Simpson drove the Steve Diercks owned car #30 at a pair of season ending specials in 2013 and that obviously went well as tonight the car was lettered up with Simpson's traditional #25 and, along with Diercks' strong set of sponsors, Chad's top supporter Liebe Trucking was on the side as well signalling that we will be seeing more of the driver from Marion in IMCA spec-engine Late Model events in 2014. As the track's first point race of the season the format was draw/re-draw and with Simpson pulling the number two it was likely that tonight's 25-lap feature was going to be a race for second.
It was.
As Simpson opened up a solid margin Andy Eckrich quickly moved from fifth to second and tried to maintain the fast pace. A caution for a slowing Nick Marolf on lap seven and another for Johnny Spaw's blown engine on lap ten brought the field back to Simpson and while Eckrich was able to take one look to the inside of the leader following that second restart, there was nobody that was going to pass him on this night. For Simpson it was a treat to race in front of family and friends so close to his Marion home and he thanked Steve Diercks and his crew from victory lane for giving him this opportunity. Eckrich, who won $2,000 the night before at Farley's Tri-Track Challenge, closed out a good weekend with a strong second. Colby Springsteen who won the Deery series event here two weeks ago continued to impress by running third. Brian Harris shook off the bugs that have hampered his team in the early going this season with a solid fourth place run and pole starter Nate Beuseling held on for the fifth spot.
The IMCA Modified field was twenty-one strong as Mike Weikert Jr. established the pace early in the twenty-lap main event. Kurt Kile had started eighth and was on the fly working the top side of the speedway and he drove around Weikert in turn one to take the lead on lap five. Jonathan Huston's contact with the turn four wall brought about the event's only caution and on the restart Cayden Carter made a big move around the top to climb to the third position. Carter's run leveled out from there though and it was Chris Zogg who would gradually pick away at Kile's lead over the closing laps. Entering turn three for the final time Kile had to be patient with a lapped car and Zogg made one last valiant effort, but he would come up just a couple of car-lengths short at the checkers as Kile scored the popular win. Zogg is looking like one of the most improved drivers in the region right now as he posted his third runner-up finish of the young season while Cayden Carter came from the eleventh starting spot to finish third. After taking a year off Larry Herring is back and running strong as he started next to Zogg in the fifth row and finished fourth and Dakota Hayden filled out the top five.
The IMCA Stock Car feature looked to be a ho-hum affair until a caution with two laps remaining set us up for some fireworks at the end. Brandon Jay would use his pole position start to take the early lead as David Brandies quickly moved from his third row start to second. Brandies was the class of the field and he drove past Jay on lap three to open up a big lead and with the field completely spread out I was about ready to start writing down the finish when Chris Hinrichs spun in turn three just before the white flag waved. Brandies, who had been coasting through the final laps, would now bring the field back to green and as he raced into turn three once again his motor let go in spectacular fashion sending out a huge billow of thick white smoke. The caution flag waved first for the lack of visibility and then for the opportunity to pick up the multitude of engine components left behind on the racing surface and the field was lined up two-by-two for the restart. Only six cars remained but what happened next is what you would typically see on a green-white-checkered restart on a NASCAR Superspeedway. Lane Kauffman and Shane Paris would shuffle Jay back to third at the drop of the green and as they came under the white flag Kauffman and Paris were in a virtual dead heat. They stayed side-by-side through one and two and down the backstretch entering turn three and coming off of turn four, but with the waiting checkered flag just teasing them, they suddenly could no longer run wheel-to-wheel without making major contact. As both leaders spun and Kauffman made hard contact without the outside wall, Brandon Jay was able to pick his way through the scramble and reach the checkereds first to score the improbable victory. Josh Woods and Duayne Herb also made it through while Hinrichs clipped Kauffman's car and could not make it to the stripe with heavy front end damage. Jay was your winner, but how the rest of the race was officially scored complete will remain to be seen.
Bobbie Lake passed Corey Sheetz on lap three and appeared to be headed to an easy victory in the IMCA Sport Compact main event until the caution waved for a Rick Hurlbut and Cody VanDusen get together in turn one with two laps remaining. On the restart Bill Whalen Jr. applied the pressure to Lake and entering turn three on the final lap Whalen made his move to the inside, but when Hurlbut spun again just under the flagstand the caution waved and the race was scored complete on lap nine as Lake celebrated his first career win. Whalen would settle for second, Jordan Walker was third, Sheetz finished fourth and Doug Watkins took fifth.
The IMCA Sport Mods are new to the West Liberty Raceway in 2014 and, as Mackey mentioned early in the evening, the class will go through some growing pains early on as five cars were on hand tonight. Tony Olson would take the win in his #T23 followed by Aric Becker, Charley Weber, Cody Harris and Ryan Pace. My unofficial observation is that the SportMod division is often the largest car count at other tracks these days and it will be interesting to see how steady the growth will be here at West Liberty.
It was great to spend a Saturday night at the track where I spent so many Saturday nights of my youth and I enjoyed sitting up top with several racing friends. As always thanks to promoter Keith Simmons and his staff including Kevin & Carey Feller and Doug Haack for their hospitality and I really appreciated the plug that Jerry Mackey gave to Positively Racing considering that he had no idea that I was even there!
I am closely watching the weather here on this Sunday morning to see who has the best chance of beating the rain tonight. Will it be Vinton? East Moline? Quincy? Or will it be a rare late Sunday afternoon event at the Fairbury American Legion Speedway? Here's hoping that you find me on a Back Stretch somewhere this evening!
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Friday, April 25, 2014
Sanders Scores USMTS Win At Bloomfield
Heavy rain the night before left the Mountain Dew Bloomfield Speedway a little on the soft side Friday night as the United States Modified Touring Series (USMTS) and USRA Iron Man Series for Stock Cars and B-Modifieds returned to the southeast Iowa facility for the first time in a few years. The racing surface was fast, but there were plenty of ruts and ripples to navigate leading to a very interesting night of racing.
A short but stout field of B-Modifieds would be the first of three feature events on the card as only seven of the nine drivers checked in would make the start for fifteen-laps. Dan Wheeler who towed down from suburban Minneapolis would race to the early lead with plenty of pressure from Keokuk's Jim Gillenwater. The two would race side-by-side a couple of times through the first three laps before Wheeler broke away. Wisconsin's Cory Crapser drove under Gillenwater for second on lap five and then quickly closed in on Wheeler to become the new challenger for the lead. There was no stopping Crapser as he hugged the bottom line and drove past Wheeler on lap eight to then go on and post the victory. Wheeler would take the runner-up position while Carter VanDenBerg passed Gillenwater for third on the final lap. Jared Timmerman would fill out the top five.
Nineteen USRA Iron Man Stock Cars would take to the track next for twenty-laps and $750-to-win with Mike Hughes taking the lead on the initial start. A spin by Derrick Agee in turn two would require a full restart though and this time it was outside pole sitter Tom Schmitt who hammered out the early lead. The caution waved again after lap one for a Chris Hawkins spin and on the restart Kyle Falck settled into second and began to apply the pressure to Schmitt. Falck would take the lead on lap five, but as the field powered through turns one and two Shawn Foster caught a rut wrong, veered to his right and then went for a roll catching some huge airtime. Foster's car settled upright and then flames erupted from under the hood, but that was quickly extinguished and Foster climbed out unscathed.
Once back to green Schmitt would re-take the lead with Mitch Hovden now up to challenge and just after Hovden grabbed the top spot on lap nine Hawkins spun again in turn four to put an end to his evening. Hovden would continue to lead following the restart with Falck in hot pursuit and when Dillon Anderson picked up the chase in third it appeared that tonight's podium would be filled with three drivers from Decorah. With three laps remaining though Hovden missed his line and caught the rut in in turn one causing his car to bicycle and nearly tip over. He was able to save it, but in doing so he would give up three spots as the field raced down the back stretch. Falck was now back out in front and in the scuffle Mike Hughes moved back up to second. With the white flag waving Hughes made his bid for the checkers and the two drivers exited turn four nearly side-by-side and it was Falck who would win the drag race to the checkers. Anderson and Hovden would go third and fourth respectively while veteran driver Jerry Pilcher started twelfth and finished fifth.
Twenty-one USMTS cars and stars would take the green flag in the night's finale with Johnny Scott vaulting to the early advantage. That advantage would grow as the first ten laps clicked off quickly and on lap eleven a plume of white smoke billowed from the leader's car and when he slowed on the back stretch the caution flag waved. Zack VanderBeek would assume the lead on the restart first with a challenge from Rodney Sanders and then from Stormy Scott. On lap twenty the leaders were quickly closing in on Ryan Cook and Jeff Connor so Scott used it to his advantage and dove under VanderBeek for the lead in turn one. Just after the exit of turn two though Cook appeared to want to make a left turn toward the infield as Scott powered by him on the inside. As Cook made his turn he caught the right rear of Scott who then spun up the track mid-way down the back straightaway to bring out the caution.
Sanders would pounce on VanderBeek on the restart to now set the fast pace as Stormy Scott drove like a madman to try to quickly work his way back to the front of the field. By lap twenty-six Scott was racing with Kelly Shryock for sixth when contact between the two sent Shryock hard into the outside wall exiting turn four. The five-time series champ climbed from his used up race car and walked quickly to Scott's parked car to discuss the incident as Stormy would restart in the sixth position. VanderBeek was able to stay in Sanders' wake, but could not mount a challenge as Scott quickly stormed to third and began to close on the lead duo. That bit of potential drama came to an end though with three laps remaining when Scott got too high in turn one and pounded the guardrail bringing his night to a close. With just nine cars remaining on the track for the final three laps, nobody could get past the defending series champion as Sanders scored the win. VanderBeek was second while Austin Seibert started seventeenth and finished third ahead of Nate Wasmund and Daniel Hilsabeck. Dylan Smith, Joe Duvall, Jeff Connor and Charlie Baker were the remaining cars that finished the grind.
It was good to visit with USMTS owners Todd & Janet Staley and prime-time announcer Lon Oelke during the intermission and here's hoping that they will bring this show back again soon to experience the
fast and smooth track conditions that are normally found in Bloomfield. A big thanks to friend and super fan Gary Lee who waved me into a prime seat next to him and it was also nice to visit with my old high school friend Dave Dodds whose family was there to watch Shawn Foster race, and unfortunately see his night end in spectacular fashion.
Not sure yet where I am headed on Saturday night and Sunday's destination will be determined by Mother Nature. Hope to see you somewhere!
A short but stout field of B-Modifieds would be the first of three feature events on the card as only seven of the nine drivers checked in would make the start for fifteen-laps. Dan Wheeler who towed down from suburban Minneapolis would race to the early lead with plenty of pressure from Keokuk's Jim Gillenwater. The two would race side-by-side a couple of times through the first three laps before Wheeler broke away. Wisconsin's Cory Crapser drove under Gillenwater for second on lap five and then quickly closed in on Wheeler to become the new challenger for the lead. There was no stopping Crapser as he hugged the bottom line and drove past Wheeler on lap eight to then go on and post the victory. Wheeler would take the runner-up position while Carter VanDenBerg passed Gillenwater for third on the final lap. Jared Timmerman would fill out the top five.
Nineteen USRA Iron Man Stock Cars would take to the track next for twenty-laps and $750-to-win with Mike Hughes taking the lead on the initial start. A spin by Derrick Agee in turn two would require a full restart though and this time it was outside pole sitter Tom Schmitt who hammered out the early lead. The caution waved again after lap one for a Chris Hawkins spin and on the restart Kyle Falck settled into second and began to apply the pressure to Schmitt. Falck would take the lead on lap five, but as the field powered through turns one and two Shawn Foster caught a rut wrong, veered to his right and then went for a roll catching some huge airtime. Foster's car settled upright and then flames erupted from under the hood, but that was quickly extinguished and Foster climbed out unscathed.
Once back to green Schmitt would re-take the lead with Mitch Hovden now up to challenge and just after Hovden grabbed the top spot on lap nine Hawkins spun again in turn four to put an end to his evening. Hovden would continue to lead following the restart with Falck in hot pursuit and when Dillon Anderson picked up the chase in third it appeared that tonight's podium would be filled with three drivers from Decorah. With three laps remaining though Hovden missed his line and caught the rut in in turn one causing his car to bicycle and nearly tip over. He was able to save it, but in doing so he would give up three spots as the field raced down the back stretch. Falck was now back out in front and in the scuffle Mike Hughes moved back up to second. With the white flag waving Hughes made his bid for the checkers and the two drivers exited turn four nearly side-by-side and it was Falck who would win the drag race to the checkers. Anderson and Hovden would go third and fourth respectively while veteran driver Jerry Pilcher started twelfth and finished fifth.
Twenty-one USMTS cars and stars would take the green flag in the night's finale with Johnny Scott vaulting to the early advantage. That advantage would grow as the first ten laps clicked off quickly and on lap eleven a plume of white smoke billowed from the leader's car and when he slowed on the back stretch the caution flag waved. Zack VanderBeek would assume the lead on the restart first with a challenge from Rodney Sanders and then from Stormy Scott. On lap twenty the leaders were quickly closing in on Ryan Cook and Jeff Connor so Scott used it to his advantage and dove under VanderBeek for the lead in turn one. Just after the exit of turn two though Cook appeared to want to make a left turn toward the infield as Scott powered by him on the inside. As Cook made his turn he caught the right rear of Scott who then spun up the track mid-way down the back straightaway to bring out the caution.
Sanders would pounce on VanderBeek on the restart to now set the fast pace as Stormy Scott drove like a madman to try to quickly work his way back to the front of the field. By lap twenty-six Scott was racing with Kelly Shryock for sixth when contact between the two sent Shryock hard into the outside wall exiting turn four. The five-time series champ climbed from his used up race car and walked quickly to Scott's parked car to discuss the incident as Stormy would restart in the sixth position. VanderBeek was able to stay in Sanders' wake, but could not mount a challenge as Scott quickly stormed to third and began to close on the lead duo. That bit of potential drama came to an end though with three laps remaining when Scott got too high in turn one and pounded the guardrail bringing his night to a close. With just nine cars remaining on the track for the final three laps, nobody could get past the defending series champion as Sanders scored the win. VanderBeek was second while Austin Seibert started seventeenth and finished third ahead of Nate Wasmund and Daniel Hilsabeck. Dylan Smith, Joe Duvall, Jeff Connor and Charlie Baker were the remaining cars that finished the grind.
It was good to visit with USMTS owners Todd & Janet Staley and prime-time announcer Lon Oelke during the intermission and here's hoping that they will bring this show back again soon to experience the
fast and smooth track conditions that are normally found in Bloomfield. A big thanks to friend and super fan Gary Lee who waved me into a prime seat next to him and it was also nice to visit with my old high school friend Dave Dodds whose family was there to watch Shawn Foster race, and unfortunately see his night end in spectacular fashion.
Not sure yet where I am headed on Saturday night and Sunday's destination will be determined by Mother Nature. Hope to see you somewhere!
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Tuesday Notebook: April 22, 2014
Happy Earth Day!
With four weeks in the books on the 2014 season, as I turned in the updated All Iowa Points to our webmistress Sue yesterday I couldn't help but notice who was sitting on top of the Late Model standings. Brian Birkhofer is no stranger to success on All Iowa Points paying racetracks and the fact that he ranks 25th in the cumulative points over the last fourteen years is impressive given that as a driver who runs more of a "national" schedule, his number of opportunities to score points here are much fewer than those ranked ahead of him. This week, for the first time that I can ever remember, "Birky" leads the All Iowa Points Late Model standings as the only driver in the division who has scored four top-five finishes so far. A fourth and a second at I-80 along with a runner-up finish in Davenport and a fourth-place run at Burlington tallies up to 12 points three ahead of Andy Eckrich and Jason Feger who both have a win and a second-place finish. The lead will be short-lived though as Birkhofer's next appearance on an AIP track will likely be in mid-July at I-80's Silver Dollar Nationals.
Defending champion Jesse Sobbing holds a one-point lead in the Modifieds over Jimmy Gustin who always seems to get off to a fast start. Scott Hogan, who already has three wins on the young season ranks third.
Brett Lowry looks to be a championship contender in 2014 as he leads the Limited Modified standings early over Tony Dunker. Three-time winners Austin Moyer, Dan Mohr and Joey Gower are also in the top six.
On the strength of three feature wins Abe Huls has a one-point edge over defending champion Damon Murty in the Stock Car points with Jim Lynch and Jason Cook tied for third.
Dustin Griffiths has already posted three wins and seven top five finishes to hold an early eight point advantage over Nick Ulin as southeast Iowa based drivers hold down the top four spots.
No driver in any division has scored more points than Austen Becerra at this point as he already has five feature wins and nine top five finishes, all against fields of ten or more cars. That would be considered a great year for most, but it looks like Austen is just getting started as he looks for his first All Iowa Points championship. The new point structure for the division has already come into play as a couple of tracks have opened with less than ten cars.
Not enough races in yet to get a feel for the three Sprint Car divisions or the Mod Lites, but you can find those and the full rundown on the others mentioned above on the Points page at Positively Racing. Sue usually has the weekly update loaded by Wednesday or Thursday each week.
There has been some forum board discussion regarding the qualifying method used for the Slocum 50 at 34 Raceway last Saturday night and while I was not thrilled that the standard UMP Group Qualifying format was used, I do understand why given the sanctioning body's involvement through the ALMS series. You can bet that the $10,555 top prize had something to do with it as well as drivers will push for this method at higher paying events. It was a pretty darn good night of racing overall, especially given the fact that the two support classes, 305 Sprints and IMCA Stock Cars, both put on some entertaining feature races. Would the Late Model portion of the event have been better under the passing point format used at the Open Late Model sow here in April of 2013? We will never know, but I sure would like to see it used again in 2015!
I have the opportunity to score a rare four-race weekend coming up, that is if Mother Nature cooperates. On Thursday night I look forward to meeting Rodney and Debbie Ohrt for the first-time to thank them for their support of our website and, of course, to catch a great two division lineup of USMTS Modifieds and IMCA-type Late Models at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton. Yes, as of right now the forecast calls for rain on Thursday, but the WQAD FutureTrack forecast showed it being out of eastern Iowa well before noon with clearing skies to follow. I know that the area needs some rain right now, but let's hope that it is not too much in Tipton so that this show can go on. Race fans, keep it in your plans and watch the weather on Thursday before making your decision. (You can now make your decision......with impending weather this event has been postponed to Wednesday May 21st)
On Friday night I will follow Todd Staley and his talented USMTS crew down to the Bloomfield Speedway for what should be a great night of racing. Bloomfield is one of my favorite tracks as it is often wide, fast and very racy and I am sure that promoter Chris Eggers will have it ready for the hard charging, ground pounding USMTS Modifieds. My destinations for both Saturday and Sunday night are yet to be determined as I will watch to see how the forecast unfolds for the weekend, but the nice thing is that since we are now into the final weekend of April, the options are much more plentiful.
Hope to see you somewhere this weekend on the Back Stretch!
With four weeks in the books on the 2014 season, as I turned in the updated All Iowa Points to our webmistress Sue yesterday I couldn't help but notice who was sitting on top of the Late Model standings. Brian Birkhofer is no stranger to success on All Iowa Points paying racetracks and the fact that he ranks 25th in the cumulative points over the last fourteen years is impressive given that as a driver who runs more of a "national" schedule, his number of opportunities to score points here are much fewer than those ranked ahead of him. This week, for the first time that I can ever remember, "Birky" leads the All Iowa Points Late Model standings as the only driver in the division who has scored four top-five finishes so far. A fourth and a second at I-80 along with a runner-up finish in Davenport and a fourth-place run at Burlington tallies up to 12 points three ahead of Andy Eckrich and Jason Feger who both have a win and a second-place finish. The lead will be short-lived though as Birkhofer's next appearance on an AIP track will likely be in mid-July at I-80's Silver Dollar Nationals.
| All Iowa Points | ||||
| Late Model | Iowa | |||
| Pos. | Driver | Hometown | Points | |
| 1 | . | Brian Birkhofer | Muscatine | 12 |
| 2 | . | Andy Eckrich | Cosgrove | 9 |
| 3 | . | Jason Feger | Bloomington IL | 9 |
| 4 | . | Colby Springsteen | Morning Sun | 7 |
| 5 | . | Jeff Aikey | Cedar Falls | 7 |
| 6 | . | Terry Phillips | Springfield MO | 7 |
| 7 | . | Chad Simpson | Mount Vernon | 6 |
| 8 | . | Justin Kay | Wheatland | 6 |
| 9 | . | Bobby Pierce | Oakwood IL | 5 |
| 10 | . | Jake Bridges | Waverly NE | 5 |
| 11 | . | Jason O'Brien | Atlantic | 5 |
| 12 | . | Ray Guss Jr. | Milan IL | 5 |
| 13 | . | Rodney Sanders | Happy TX | 5 |
| 14 | . | Terry Neal | Ely | 5 |
| 15 | . | Ryan Unzicker | El Paso IL | 5 |
Defending champion Jesse Sobbing holds a one-point lead in the Modifieds over Jimmy Gustin who always seems to get off to a fast start. Scott Hogan, who already has three wins on the young season ranks third.
| All Iowa Points | ||||
| Modified | ||||
| Pos. | Driver | Hometown | Points | |
| 1 | . | Jesse Sobbing | Glenwood | 22 |
| 2 | . | Jimmy Gustin | Marshalltown | 21 |
| 3 | . | Scott Hogan | Vinton | 19 |
| 4 | . | Chris Abelson | Sioux City | 16 |
| 5 | . | Cayden Carter | Oskaloosa | 14 |
| 6 | . | Jordan Grabouski | Beatrice NE | 14 |
| 7 | . | Todd Shute | Des Moines | 14 |
| 8 | . | Richie Gustin | Marshalltown | 13 |
| 9 | . | Ronn Lauritzen | Jesup | 13 |
| 10 | . | Jeff Waterman | Quincy IL | 12 |
Brett Lowry looks to be a championship contender in 2014 as he leads the Limited Modified standings early over Tony Dunker. Three-time winners Austin Moyer, Dan Mohr and Joey Gower are also in the top six.
| All Iowa Points | ||||
| Limited Modified | Iowa | |||
| Pos. | Driver | Hometown | Points | |
| 1 | . | Brett Lowry | Montezuma | 20 |
| 2 | . | Tony Dunker | Quincy IL | 19 |
| 3 | . | Austin Moyer | Dubuque | 17 |
| 4 | . | Carter Vandenberg | Oskaloosa | 15 |
| 5 | . | Dan Mohr | Clarence | 15 |
| 6 | . | Joey Gower | Quincy IL | 15 |
| 7 | . | Brandon Dale | Gorin MO | 12 |
| 8 | . | Clint Luellen | Minburn | 12 |
| 9 | . | Jason McDaniel | Eldon | 12 |
| 10 | . | Ben Kates | Toganoxie KS | 10 |
| 11 | . | Cory VanZante | Sully | 10 |
| 12 | . | Justin Medler | Minot ND | 10 |
| 13 | . | Karl Brewer | Vermillion SD | 10 |
| 14 | . | Ryan Fullenkamp | Bloomfield | 10 |
| 15 | . | Tyler Soppe | Sherrill | 10 |
On the strength of three feature wins Abe Huls has a one-point edge over defending champion Damon Murty in the Stock Car points with Jim Lynch and Jason Cook tied for third.
| All Iowa Points | ||||
| Stock Car | Iowa | |||
| Pos. | Driver | Hometown | Points | |
| 1 | . | Abe Huls | Carthage IL | 18 |
| 2 | . | Damon Murty | Chelsea | 17 |
| 3 | . | Jason Cook | Mt. Pleasant | 15 |
| 4 | . | Jim Lynch | Donnellson | 15 |
| 5 | . | Donavon Smith | Lake City | 14 |
| 6 | . | Jarrett Franzen | Maquoketa | 13 |
| 7 | . | David Brandies | Wilton | 12 |
| 8 | . | John Oliver Jr. | Danville | 12 |
| 9 | . | Kevin Opheim | Mason City | 12 |
| 10 | . | Todd Reitzler | Grinnell | 11 |
Dustin Griffiths has already posted three wins and seven top five finishes to hold an early eight point advantage over Nick Ulin as southeast Iowa based drivers hold down the top four spots.
| All Iowa Points | ||||
| Hobby Stock | Iowa | |||
| Pos. | Driver | Hometown | Points | |
| 1 | . | Dustin Griffiths | Ottumwa | 26 |
| 2 | . | Nick Ulin | Agency | 18 |
| 3 | . | Dane Blozovich | Exline | 15 |
| 4 | . | Mike Kincaid | Cincinnati | 15 |
| 5 | . | Cody Nielsen | Fort Dodge | 14 |
| 6 | . | Michael Pruitt | Redfield | 13 |
| 7 | . | Shannon Anderson | Atlantic | 13 |
| 8 | . | Eric Stanton | Hartford | 12 |
| 9 | . | Jason See | Albia | 12 |
| 10 | . | John Watson | Des Moines | 12 |
No driver in any division has scored more points than Austen Becerra at this point as he already has five feature wins and nine top five finishes, all against fields of ten or more cars. That would be considered a great year for most, but it looks like Austen is just getting started as he looks for his first All Iowa Points championship. The new point structure for the division has already come into play as a couple of tracks have opened with less than ten cars.
| All Iowa Points | ||||
| Four Cylinder | Iowa | |||
| Pos. | Driver | Hometown | Points | |
| 1 | . | Austen Becerra | Carthage IL | 36 |
| 2 | . | William Michel | Muscatine | 15 |
| 3 | . | Adam Gates | Cedar Rapids | 14 |
| 4 | . | Ryan Bryant | Kensett | 14 |
| 5 | . | Kimberly Abbott | Camp Point IL | 13 |
| 6 | . | Aaron Hitt | Davenport | 11 |
| 7 | . | Bill Whalen Jr. | Riverside | 11 |
| 8 | . | Cody Thompson | Sioux City | 11 |
| 9 | . | Brannon Bechen | Bernard | 10 |
| 10 | . | Zachary Dahl | Blue Grass | 10 |
Not enough races in yet to get a feel for the three Sprint Car divisions or the Mod Lites, but you can find those and the full rundown on the others mentioned above on the Points page at Positively Racing. Sue usually has the weekly update loaded by Wednesday or Thursday each week.
There has been some forum board discussion regarding the qualifying method used for the Slocum 50 at 34 Raceway last Saturday night and while I was not thrilled that the standard UMP Group Qualifying format was used, I do understand why given the sanctioning body's involvement through the ALMS series. You can bet that the $10,555 top prize had something to do with it as well as drivers will push for this method at higher paying events. It was a pretty darn good night of racing overall, especially given the fact that the two support classes, 305 Sprints and IMCA Stock Cars, both put on some entertaining feature races. Would the Late Model portion of the event have been better under the passing point format used at the Open Late Model sow here in April of 2013? We will never know, but I sure would like to see it used again in 2015!
I have the opportunity to score a rare four-race weekend coming up, that is if Mother Nature cooperates. On Thursday night I look forward to meeting Rodney and Debbie Ohrt for the first-time to thank them for their support of our website and, of course, to catch a great two division lineup of USMTS Modifieds and IMCA-type Late Models at the Cedar County Raceway in Tipton. Yes, as of right now the forecast calls for rain on Thursday, but the WQAD FutureTrack forecast showed it being out of eastern Iowa well before noon with clearing skies to follow. I know that the area needs some rain right now, but let's hope that it is not too much in Tipton so that this show can go on. Race fans, keep it in your plans and watch the weather on Thursday before making your decision. (You can now make your decision......with impending weather this event has been postponed to Wednesday May 21st)
On Friday night I will follow Todd Staley and his talented USMTS crew down to the Bloomfield Speedway for what should be a great night of racing. Bloomfield is one of my favorite tracks as it is often wide, fast and very racy and I am sure that promoter Chris Eggers will have it ready for the hard charging, ground pounding USMTS Modifieds. My destinations for both Saturday and Sunday night are yet to be determined as I will watch to see how the forecast unfolds for the weekend, but the nice thing is that since we are now into the final weekend of April, the options are much more plentiful.
Hope to see you somewhere this weekend on the Back Stretch!
Sunday, April 20, 2014
Sixth Annual Slocum Memorial To Pierce
34 Raceway is fast becoming a favorite track of seventeen-year-old Bobby Pierce. But then again the youngster out of Oakwood, Illinois, is adding potential "favorite tracks" everywhere he goes these days as he won his fifth straight outing Saturday night during the Sixth Annual Slocum 50 here in West Burlington, Iowa. Last July Pierce captured the $10,000 top prize during the UMP Summer Nationals stop here at the high-banked 3/8-mile oval and for this event that is run in memory of Late Model competitor Brent Slocum who lost his life here in a pit accident, the winner's check was the largest in track history at $10,555.
The Slocum Memorial has been an early stop on the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models the past five years before this year switching to an Open Late Model show with three sanctioning bodies involved; MARS, ALMS and the Corn Belt Clash. The change was very well received as over 3,000 fans turned out on a near perfect April evening in Iowa to watch forty-six Late Model drivers from ten states do battle. The traditional UMP method of group qualifying was used with the fastest drivers starting up front in the five heat races and then the five winners drew for their starting spot in the Dash with the way they finished being the way that they would start for the fifty-lap finale.
Jason Utter from just up the road in Columbus Junction would earn the pole position with Brian Shirley to his outside and it would be Utter who would establish the early lead as the third-starting Pierce quickly moved to second. It was clear as to who the fastest car was as Pierce drove under Utter for the lead on lap four and began to pull away as the battle for second heated up between Utter and Shirley. Running wheel-to-wheel for a couple of laps as they passed the flagstand on lap thirteen both drivers went for the same piece of real estate, the low groove in turn one, and with Utter on the inside he was now too low and tagged the implement tire with the nose of his #31 as he spun to a stop. Utter then expressed his displeasure to Shirley during the caution before going to the back of the lineup for the restart.
The winner the previous night in Davenport, Jason Feger moved to second when the green flag waved and he used up every bit of cushion that he could find on both ends of the speedway to try to keep pace with Pierce. Brandon Sheppard was also on the move despite the fact he had something out of whack with his left rear suspension following a jump of the cushion during the first ten laps. The left rear of Sheppard's car was up at least a foot higher than it should have been, but even with the handicap he was still fast. At the mid-race mark Pierce was using the now treacherous cushion in turns three and four and on lap twenty-nine he got a little too high entering turn three sending sparks flying as his right rear grazed the wall, his closest call of the night.
That cushion would end Shirley's evening three laps later while he was still running fifth as the caution waved with his car sitting sideways at the top of turn four. Feger gave it his best on the restart, but there was nobody that was going to beat "The Smooth Operator" on this night as Pierce cruised through the final laps to victory. Second would go to Feger while Sheppard muscled his wounded ride in for third, Brian Birkhofer started tenth and finished fourth while Jimmy Mars completed the top five. Ryan Gustin had to win one of two B-Mains to make the show and he then raced his way up from seventeenth to sixth. Ryan Unzicker and Jesse Stovall were next in line while Tony Jackson Jr. and Will Vaught filled out the top ten.
Support class action was as good as you are going to find at a big-time Late Model show with twenty 305 Sprints and eighteen IMCA Stock Cars in action each running twenty-lap features. Jake Wenig would lead a busy pack of Stock Cars through the early laps as drivers were running three and four wide and swapping lines giving the impression that disaster was imminent, but other than a couple of spin outs the race was pretty clean. Jim Redmann was able to take the lead away from Wenig on lap eight only to have Jason Cook motor past him one lap later. Cook had started eighth on the grid and now out front he pulled away while a four car battle for second raged on. Cook would take the win by a full straightaway while Redmann prevailed in the battle for second ahead of John Oliver Jr., Ray Raker and Tom Bowling Jr.
The Sprint Car feature would see five contenders come into play during an event that had several twists and turns. When scheduled pole-starter Justin Newberry's car stalled as the field began to take form, Cody Wehrle would now be the driver to bring the pack to green and he took full advantage of the opportunity. Matt Krieger would put the challenge on Wehrle and on lap seven the two raced literally wheel-to-wheel into turn three. Now this wasn't your typical case where one driver was digging around the bottom while the other was up riding the cushion, Krieger and Wehrle were banging rubber as they both went for the low groove and as they exited turn four the contact was just a bit too much as Wehrle spun sideways and Krieger hopped his front end sending him for a tumble to bring out the red flag. The dejected Krieger who for years has incorporated Slocum's High Five logo into his own #56 received a huge ovation in support of his efforts as he walked back to the pit area.
Dave Getchell would assume the lead on the restart and the driver who took a twenty-year break from the sport before returning two years ago looked to be on his way to getting his first win since that return as, just like the Stock Car feature, the battle for second between Donnie Steward, John Schulz and Jayson Ditsworth was keeping their focus. With five laps remaining though Getchell got a little too conservative dealing with the lapped car of Heath Bundy and that allowed Schulz to snatch the lead away on lap seventeen just before the caution waved for a Dustin Clark spin in turn two. On the restart Ditsworth made two strong runs at Schulz even nosing ahead entering the corner, but the veteran driver who started his career here in a Hobby Stock before moving to a Modified and finally settling into a Sprint Car was not to be denied as John Schulz celebrated the victory. Ditsworth was a strong second with Donnie Steward bringing Kenny Bragg's #73 in for third just ahead of Dustin Whiting and Daniel Bergquist. Whiting was the hard-charger of the event coming from the sixth row and here is a bit of trivia for you, John Schulz was the All Iowa Points Hobby Stock Champion in 1995.
The Sixth Annual Slocum 50 was an overwhelming success thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Brent Slocum Foundation, the promotional efforts of Jeff and Amy Laue and everybody at 34 Raceway. Well over $5,000 was raised at this year's event and as always the Foundation promises to make it bigger and better next year. That promise has not yet been broken.
Miss you Brent....
The Slocum Memorial has been an early stop on the Deery Brothers Summer Series for IMCA Late Models the past five years before this year switching to an Open Late Model show with three sanctioning bodies involved; MARS, ALMS and the Corn Belt Clash. The change was very well received as over 3,000 fans turned out on a near perfect April evening in Iowa to watch forty-six Late Model drivers from ten states do battle. The traditional UMP method of group qualifying was used with the fastest drivers starting up front in the five heat races and then the five winners drew for their starting spot in the Dash with the way they finished being the way that they would start for the fifty-lap finale.
Jason Utter from just up the road in Columbus Junction would earn the pole position with Brian Shirley to his outside and it would be Utter who would establish the early lead as the third-starting Pierce quickly moved to second. It was clear as to who the fastest car was as Pierce drove under Utter for the lead on lap four and began to pull away as the battle for second heated up between Utter and Shirley. Running wheel-to-wheel for a couple of laps as they passed the flagstand on lap thirteen both drivers went for the same piece of real estate, the low groove in turn one, and with Utter on the inside he was now too low and tagged the implement tire with the nose of his #31 as he spun to a stop. Utter then expressed his displeasure to Shirley during the caution before going to the back of the lineup for the restart.
The winner the previous night in Davenport, Jason Feger moved to second when the green flag waved and he used up every bit of cushion that he could find on both ends of the speedway to try to keep pace with Pierce. Brandon Sheppard was also on the move despite the fact he had something out of whack with his left rear suspension following a jump of the cushion during the first ten laps. The left rear of Sheppard's car was up at least a foot higher than it should have been, but even with the handicap he was still fast. At the mid-race mark Pierce was using the now treacherous cushion in turns three and four and on lap twenty-nine he got a little too high entering turn three sending sparks flying as his right rear grazed the wall, his closest call of the night.
That cushion would end Shirley's evening three laps later while he was still running fifth as the caution waved with his car sitting sideways at the top of turn four. Feger gave it his best on the restart, but there was nobody that was going to beat "The Smooth Operator" on this night as Pierce cruised through the final laps to victory. Second would go to Feger while Sheppard muscled his wounded ride in for third, Brian Birkhofer started tenth and finished fourth while Jimmy Mars completed the top five. Ryan Gustin had to win one of two B-Mains to make the show and he then raced his way up from seventeenth to sixth. Ryan Unzicker and Jesse Stovall were next in line while Tony Jackson Jr. and Will Vaught filled out the top ten.
Support class action was as good as you are going to find at a big-time Late Model show with twenty 305 Sprints and eighteen IMCA Stock Cars in action each running twenty-lap features. Jake Wenig would lead a busy pack of Stock Cars through the early laps as drivers were running three and four wide and swapping lines giving the impression that disaster was imminent, but other than a couple of spin outs the race was pretty clean. Jim Redmann was able to take the lead away from Wenig on lap eight only to have Jason Cook motor past him one lap later. Cook had started eighth on the grid and now out front he pulled away while a four car battle for second raged on. Cook would take the win by a full straightaway while Redmann prevailed in the battle for second ahead of John Oliver Jr., Ray Raker and Tom Bowling Jr.
The Sprint Car feature would see five contenders come into play during an event that had several twists and turns. When scheduled pole-starter Justin Newberry's car stalled as the field began to take form, Cody Wehrle would now be the driver to bring the pack to green and he took full advantage of the opportunity. Matt Krieger would put the challenge on Wehrle and on lap seven the two raced literally wheel-to-wheel into turn three. Now this wasn't your typical case where one driver was digging around the bottom while the other was up riding the cushion, Krieger and Wehrle were banging rubber as they both went for the low groove and as they exited turn four the contact was just a bit too much as Wehrle spun sideways and Krieger hopped his front end sending him for a tumble to bring out the red flag. The dejected Krieger who for years has incorporated Slocum's High Five logo into his own #56 received a huge ovation in support of his efforts as he walked back to the pit area.
Dave Getchell would assume the lead on the restart and the driver who took a twenty-year break from the sport before returning two years ago looked to be on his way to getting his first win since that return as, just like the Stock Car feature, the battle for second between Donnie Steward, John Schulz and Jayson Ditsworth was keeping their focus. With five laps remaining though Getchell got a little too conservative dealing with the lapped car of Heath Bundy and that allowed Schulz to snatch the lead away on lap seventeen just before the caution waved for a Dustin Clark spin in turn two. On the restart Ditsworth made two strong runs at Schulz even nosing ahead entering the corner, but the veteran driver who started his career here in a Hobby Stock before moving to a Modified and finally settling into a Sprint Car was not to be denied as John Schulz celebrated the victory. Ditsworth was a strong second with Donnie Steward bringing Kenny Bragg's #73 in for third just ahead of Dustin Whiting and Daniel Bergquist. Whiting was the hard-charger of the event coming from the sixth row and here is a bit of trivia for you, John Schulz was the All Iowa Points Hobby Stock Champion in 1995.
The Sixth Annual Slocum 50 was an overwhelming success thanks to the hard work and dedication of the Brent Slocum Foundation, the promotional efforts of Jeff and Amy Laue and everybody at 34 Raceway. Well over $5,000 was raised at this year's event and as always the Foundation promises to make it bigger and better next year. That promise has not yet been broken.
Miss you Brent....
Saturday, April 19, 2014
Feger Flies Davenport Checkers Friday Night
It wan an absolutely beautiful Spring evening in Davenport, Iowa, Friday and with Open Late Models attacking the big half-mile a huge crowd came out to watch as thirty-six drivers signed in. And for the second year in a row a driver who is better known for his short track skills walked away with the $3,500 top prize in the event that was co-sanctioned by MARS and the Corn Belt Clash series.
Using passing points in the heats followed up by a Dash for the top six, Jimmy Mars and Jesse Stovall would earn the front row for the forty-lap main event with local favorite Brian Birkhofer lined up third next to Jason Feger. Mars would take the lead on the opening lap as Birkhofer got by Stovall for second and the race was on between the two former business partners at MB Customs. Birkhofer was not able to mount a serious challenge though and on lap six Feger made his move. Flying past Birkhofer on the high side for second, there was no stopping this momentum as two laps later Feger made quick work of Mars to take over the lead.
The fifth running Stovall slowed with a flat tire on lap eighteen stopping Feger's runaway and he was given plenty of time to change the tire and restart at the back of the cars who remained on the lead lap. Prior to the caution Ryan Gustin had moved to fourth and was closing in on Birkhofer, but on the double file restart Birkhofer was able to get a jump off the bottom to take away second from Mars while Gustin faltered on the low side and slipped back to seventh. Even though he was ten to fifteen car lengths back, Birkhofer was able to match Feger's pace and when traffic came into play once again that lead began to shrink. The leader had just cleared the lapped cars of Justin Asplin and Denny Eckrich a lap before when they raced side-by-side for position down the back stretch and into turn three. Knowing that he was running out of laps Birkhofer split the middle clearing Asplin, but as his charge took him up the track Eckrich ran out of room and tagged the concrete wall in turn four causing the final caution of the event with eight laps remaining.
Once again Birkhofer was able to stay with Feger on the restart and the crowd buzzed when it looked like he had a run on the bottom of turns three and four with three laps to go, but Feger was solid on the cushion and did not falter over the final laps to repeat his victory from April of 2013. Birkhofer would have to settle for second, Mars would take third and Ryan Gustin would race his way back up to fourth only to come up 19 pounds light at the scales. That would put Chad Simpson in the fourth position in the official finish while Jason Utter took fifth.
Notes......The thirty-six car field was a pleasant surprise bolstered by at least three or four drivers who would have otherwise been at Farley's Deery Brothers IMCA show that was washed out by heavy rains earlier this week. It was also good to see a couple of drivers who I believe are new to traveling with the MARS series make the long trip up from Ozarkland as I am guessing that it was the first time that Jon Driskill and Jeff Roth had raced on a big fairgrounds half-mile......Two drivers had issues during hot laps as Jason Rauen had a left front wheel come off at speed and Denny Eckrich had a pretty impressive fire erupt under the hood of his car......Birkhofer started sixth in the first heat race and made a last corner charge for the lead only to be nipped at the line by Brad Looney.....Jason Utter made the crowd gasp with his first lap move in the third heat race as he got the bottom to stick and go from third to first in front of Jesse Stovall. Proof that you don't win it on the first lap though, Stovall came back to pass Utter late for the win.....In each of the first three heat races a car with the #58 (Dave Eckrich, Ray Guss Jr., A.J. Diemel) on it finished in the third spot. There were no more 58's left to run the fourth heat......Will Vaught made a final lap pass of Lance Matthees to take the final transfer out of the second B-Main and "The Thrill" made the most of it in the feature as he came from 20th to finish sixth......Stovall made a great recovery after the flat tire racing his way back up to seventh.....Tony Jackson Jr., Diemel and Asplin completed the top ten.....MARS and the CBC will join the ALMS West series tonight (Saturday) at 34 Raceway in Burlington for the $10,555-to-win Brent Slocum Memorial.
Modifieds and the local Street Stock division also raced on the half-mile in support of the Late Models with fourteen and ten cars respectively signed in. Steve Jackson would lead the opening laps of the Street Stock main before Donnie Louck slipped by, but with five laps remaining Jackson was making his move to regain the lead when sparks suddenly showered from under his car bringing his race to an abrupt end. Louck would then fight off a challenge from Cary Brown to take the victory with Brown second and Chad Coyne in third. Cord Williams was the fourth and final car on the track at the checkers while Jackson was credited with fifth.
The twenty-lap Modified feature was a good one as Brandon Durbin established a big early lead. Jason Bahrs had started eighth and on lap nine he moved to second a full straightaway behind Durbin, but that lead would evaporate quickly as Bahrs prepared his challenge. With just two laps to go Bahrs drove deep into turn three to put the slider on Durbin and as Jason drifted up the track in four, Durbin kicked it off the cushion to make the crossover move and the two leaders raced down the front stretch side-by-side. Bahrs now had the preferred higher line into turn one and he was able to take the lead and the win to the cheers of the large and enthusiastic crowd. Durbin would have to settle for the second spot, Bob Dominacki came from ninth to third, Ken Kostenbader finished fourth and Kelly Meyer was fifth.
A big thanks to promoter Bob Wagener and his talented staff including Carrie Rouse, Ken Reimers, Phil Roberts and Mike McGuire for their hospitality and, as always, a professionally presented program. The Davenport Speedway begins its very solid weekly program on the quarter-mile oval next Friday night featuring the IMCA Late Models, Modifieds and Sport Mods along with the Street Stocks and Four Cylinders and depending upon the weather I might just be back in the Quad Cities again next weekend.
Tonight it is on to 34 Raceway in Burlington for the annual Brent Slocum Memorial. The weather looks perfect, the car count will be solid and many of the region's top stars will be on hand. If you are a Late Model fan this is one show that you are not going to want to miss!
Using passing points in the heats followed up by a Dash for the top six, Jimmy Mars and Jesse Stovall would earn the front row for the forty-lap main event with local favorite Brian Birkhofer lined up third next to Jason Feger. Mars would take the lead on the opening lap as Birkhofer got by Stovall for second and the race was on between the two former business partners at MB Customs. Birkhofer was not able to mount a serious challenge though and on lap six Feger made his move. Flying past Birkhofer on the high side for second, there was no stopping this momentum as two laps later Feger made quick work of Mars to take over the lead.
The fifth running Stovall slowed with a flat tire on lap eighteen stopping Feger's runaway and he was given plenty of time to change the tire and restart at the back of the cars who remained on the lead lap. Prior to the caution Ryan Gustin had moved to fourth and was closing in on Birkhofer, but on the double file restart Birkhofer was able to get a jump off the bottom to take away second from Mars while Gustin faltered on the low side and slipped back to seventh. Even though he was ten to fifteen car lengths back, Birkhofer was able to match Feger's pace and when traffic came into play once again that lead began to shrink. The leader had just cleared the lapped cars of Justin Asplin and Denny Eckrich a lap before when they raced side-by-side for position down the back stretch and into turn three. Knowing that he was running out of laps Birkhofer split the middle clearing Asplin, but as his charge took him up the track Eckrich ran out of room and tagged the concrete wall in turn four causing the final caution of the event with eight laps remaining.
Once again Birkhofer was able to stay with Feger on the restart and the crowd buzzed when it looked like he had a run on the bottom of turns three and four with three laps to go, but Feger was solid on the cushion and did not falter over the final laps to repeat his victory from April of 2013. Birkhofer would have to settle for second, Mars would take third and Ryan Gustin would race his way back up to fourth only to come up 19 pounds light at the scales. That would put Chad Simpson in the fourth position in the official finish while Jason Utter took fifth.
Notes......The thirty-six car field was a pleasant surprise bolstered by at least three or four drivers who would have otherwise been at Farley's Deery Brothers IMCA show that was washed out by heavy rains earlier this week. It was also good to see a couple of drivers who I believe are new to traveling with the MARS series make the long trip up from Ozarkland as I am guessing that it was the first time that Jon Driskill and Jeff Roth had raced on a big fairgrounds half-mile......Two drivers had issues during hot laps as Jason Rauen had a left front wheel come off at speed and Denny Eckrich had a pretty impressive fire erupt under the hood of his car......Birkhofer started sixth in the first heat race and made a last corner charge for the lead only to be nipped at the line by Brad Looney.....Jason Utter made the crowd gasp with his first lap move in the third heat race as he got the bottom to stick and go from third to first in front of Jesse Stovall. Proof that you don't win it on the first lap though, Stovall came back to pass Utter late for the win.....In each of the first three heat races a car with the #58 (Dave Eckrich, Ray Guss Jr., A.J. Diemel) on it finished in the third spot. There were no more 58's left to run the fourth heat......Will Vaught made a final lap pass of Lance Matthees to take the final transfer out of the second B-Main and "The Thrill" made the most of it in the feature as he came from 20th to finish sixth......Stovall made a great recovery after the flat tire racing his way back up to seventh.....Tony Jackson Jr., Diemel and Asplin completed the top ten.....MARS and the CBC will join the ALMS West series tonight (Saturday) at 34 Raceway in Burlington for the $10,555-to-win Brent Slocum Memorial.
Modifieds and the local Street Stock division also raced on the half-mile in support of the Late Models with fourteen and ten cars respectively signed in. Steve Jackson would lead the opening laps of the Street Stock main before Donnie Louck slipped by, but with five laps remaining Jackson was making his move to regain the lead when sparks suddenly showered from under his car bringing his race to an abrupt end. Louck would then fight off a challenge from Cary Brown to take the victory with Brown second and Chad Coyne in third. Cord Williams was the fourth and final car on the track at the checkers while Jackson was credited with fifth.
The twenty-lap Modified feature was a good one as Brandon Durbin established a big early lead. Jason Bahrs had started eighth and on lap nine he moved to second a full straightaway behind Durbin, but that lead would evaporate quickly as Bahrs prepared his challenge. With just two laps to go Bahrs drove deep into turn three to put the slider on Durbin and as Jason drifted up the track in four, Durbin kicked it off the cushion to make the crossover move and the two leaders raced down the front stretch side-by-side. Bahrs now had the preferred higher line into turn one and he was able to take the lead and the win to the cheers of the large and enthusiastic crowd. Durbin would have to settle for the second spot, Bob Dominacki came from ninth to third, Ken Kostenbader finished fourth and Kelly Meyer was fifth.
A big thanks to promoter Bob Wagener and his talented staff including Carrie Rouse, Ken Reimers, Phil Roberts and Mike McGuire for their hospitality and, as always, a professionally presented program. The Davenport Speedway begins its very solid weekly program on the quarter-mile oval next Friday night featuring the IMCA Late Models, Modifieds and Sport Mods along with the Street Stocks and Four Cylinders and depending upon the weather I might just be back in the Quad Cities again next weekend.
Tonight it is on to 34 Raceway in Burlington for the annual Brent Slocum Memorial. The weather looks perfect, the car count will be solid and many of the region's top stars will be on hand. If you are a Late Model fan this is one show that you are not going to want to miss!
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