Final Arkansas Points for 2023

I hope that you all had a safe and wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! With no kids coming home, Christine and I spent the holiday in Chicago for the second year in a row visiting museums, taking a chilly river cruise, seeing Hamilton for the first time and of course eating some great food at several of the fantastic restaurants downtown. We also caught up with RacinDirt.com's Trenton Berry and his lovely and talented wife Ashley after her TV time with Chicago's Thanksgiving Parade for lunch at the Christkindl Market. So yes, we did get a little bit of racing talk taken care of as well. Trenton will be part of the talented broadcast team at both the Gateway Dirt Nationals in December and at the Wild West Shootout in January.

While we were in chilly Chicago, the 2023 racing season in the state of Arkansas wrapped up with a two-night show at the Diamond Park Speedway and for the seventh year I have the state champions in five divisions using the same 5-point scale that we use for the All Iowa Points.

For the second year in a row, and the third time overall, the Arkansas Points Late Model champion is Steven Crocker who walked away with the title winning eleven times in his twenty-one top five finishes nearly doubling up the point total of his closest competition. After ranking eighth last season, Nathan Brown moves to second on the list winning six times in eleven top five outings and third goes to Brian Woodard as the Tennessee driver had fourteen top five finishes with two of them being victories. Woodard was 23rd on the list in 2022.

From the Steven Crocker Racing Facebook page

Veteran driver Carl McDade takes his second Arkansas Points Modified title after earning points in nineteen events with six of them finding him in victory lane. After winning the championship in 2021 McDade was the runner-up last year, just two points from the top. Landon Mielke progressed up the list by four positions year over year taking the runner-up honors with seven wins in fifteen top five finishes and third goes to the defending champion Drake Findlay who won six times in fourteen top fives.

From the USRA Racing website - Mekenzie Medrano photo

Derek Hagar had a dominant season in his home state winning eleven times in fifteen top five finishes to earn his first Arkansas Points Winged Sprint Car championship. Hagar was second last year to champion Eddie Gallagher and they swap positions this season as Gallagher is the runner-up winning five times in fourteen top fives. After settling in at 15th last season, Marshall Skinner jumps to third winning twice in his thirteen points earning events.

From the Derek Hagar Racing Facebook page

With the I-30 Speedway no longer in action the number of events for the Stock Car division dropped off considerably so it only took a 29 point total for Joe Payne to win the championship. He was sixth last year scoring 28 points and he was a two-time winner in nine top five finishes in 2023. Second and third were just one and two points back respectively with Roger Witt winning twice in seven top fives while Hayden Linn had four wins in his seven top five outings.

The number of Limited Modified events in Arkansas is low as well and this year's champion is Brandon Wilson who won seven times in thirteen top five finishes. He had exactly twice as many points as did runner-up Brent Willyard who won once in nine top fives while Jared Ricketts had seven top fives to rank third.

Arkansas Points

Late Model Final 2023

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Steven Crocker Jonesboro 87

2 . Nathan Brown Marion 46

3 . Brian Woodard Ripley TN 45

4 . Brandon Poppenheimer Nesbit MS 40

5 . Chandler Petty Cabot 36

6 . Henry Gustavus Bartlett TN 36

7 . Scott Tracer Rector 35

8 . Hunter Duren Yellville 32

9 . Blaine Mattey Mountain Home 29

10 . Kyle Downs Brookland 27

11 . Mark Nichols Bono 27

12 . Mike Carr Lake Cormorant MS 26

13 . Jay Croney West Plains MO 20

14 . Mark Byram Trumann 20

15 . Kyle Beard Trumann 16

16 . Brandon Baldridge Alton MO 15

17 . Geoff Aitken Pottsville 15

18 . Chris Jones Neelyville MO 14

19 . Carson Jenkins Covington TN 13

20 . Preston Farmer Glenwood 13

21 . Bryan Glaze Little Rock 12

22 . Jerry Croney West Plains MO 12

23 . Lane Carr Lake Cormorant MS 12

24 . Ashley Newman Ripley TN 10

25 . Ben Piper West Plains MO 10

26 . Eddie Hoyer Plumerville 10

27 . Jeremy Tharp Bald Knob 10

28 . Troy Dow Munford TN 10

29 . Gavin Jordan Jonesboro 9

30 . John Hill Jonesboro 9

31 . Josh Goatcher Jonesboro 9

32 . Shane Stephens Arlington TN 9

33 . Hunter Rasdon Jonesboro 8

34 . Mark Tackitt Bakersfield MO 8

35 . Ricky Thornton Jr. Martinsville IN 8

36 . B.J. Robinson Bossier City LA 7

37 . Billy Moyer Batesville 7

38 . Bryce Clark Conway 7

39 . Dale McDowell Chickamauga GA 7

40 . Jason Prentice Vanndale 7

41 . Jim Gulley Brookland 7

42 . Jonathan Davenport Blairsville GA 7

43 . Michael George Jonesboro 7

44 . Landon Mielke Jonesboro 7

45 . Morgan Bagley Gladewater TX 7

46 . Billy Moyer Jr. Batesville 6

47 . Blake Allen Coldwater MS 6

48 . Joseph Long Bauxite 6

49 . Cade Dillard Robeline LA 5

50 . Derrick Nichols Warren 5

51 . Ethan Dotson Bakersfield CA 5

52 . Isaac Keepper Galena MO 5

53 . Jason Henry Brandon MS 5

54 . Matthew Brocato Muscle Shoals AL 5

55 . Kenny Wallace St. Louis MO 5

56 . Matt Cooper McKenzie TN 5

57 . Scott Crigler Alton MO 5

58 . Tim McCreadie Watertown NY 5

59 . Tony Anglin Walnut Ridge 5

60 . Travis Ashley Batesville 5

61 . Ashton Wilkey Batesville 4

62 . Bobby Allen Mason TN 4

63 . Chris Piper West Plains MO 4

64 . Dean Wille Warrensburg MO 4

65 . Dempsey Thompson Norfork 4

66 . Jason Redman Sapulpa OK 4

67 . Jon Mitchell Texarkana 4

68 . Kylan Garner Neosho MO 4

69 . Logan Martin West Plains MO 4

70 . Matthew Tribble Pocahontas 4

71 . Michael King Jr. Eldorado 4

72 . Peyton Foster Floral 4

73 . T.J. Hughes Hernando MS 4

74 . Timothy Culp Sheridan 4

75 . Ashlynn Sanders Hernando MS 3

76 . Brad Riley Coldwater MS 3

77 . Caleb Howard Fernando MS 3

78 . Chris Caststeel Mountain Home 3

79 . Cole Murphy Caulfield 3

80 . Devin Moran Dresden OH 3

81 . Dewayne Kiefer St. Genevieve MO 3

82 . Jeremy Petty Smolan KS 3

83 . Mike Koch Mountain Home 3

84 . Mitch Keeter Webb City MO 3

85 . Ronnie Cooper McKenzie TN 3

86 . Ryan Colby Chatham MS 3

87 . Tim Steinhaus Mountain Home 3

88 . Brandon Carpenter Coldwater MS 2

89 . Brian Rickman Columbus MS 2

90 . Cody Gentry Arlington TN 2

91 . Cody Nivens Fair Grove MO 2

92 . Craig Lindsey Trenton TN 2

93 . Dale Howard Byhalia MS 2

94 . Jeff Jordan Jonesboro 2

95 . Jeremy Emmons Doniphan MO 2

96 . Larry Newman Brookland 2

97 . Otis Lester Hernando MS 2

98 . Preston Jaymes Mountain Home 2

99 . Richard Shepler Mounds OK 2

100 . Robby Moore Poplar Bluff MO 2

101 . Austin Vincent Moody MO 1

102 . Benny Guy Crawfordsville 1

103 . Derek Brown Stoutland MO 1

104 . Dylan Murray Halls TN 1

105 . Jerry Andrews 1

106 . Kaylee Bryson Muskogee OK 1

107 . Kris Lloyd Peach Orchard 1

108 . Mark Jordan Paragould 1

109 . Riley Sheedy French Camp MS 1

110 . Scott Bell East Prairie MO 1

111 . Thomas Smith Como MS 1

112 . Walter Dunn Corning 1

Arkansas Points

Modified Final 2023

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Carl McDade Mulberry 69

2 . Landon Mielke Jonesboro 61

3 . Drake Findley Bryant 56

4 . Brandon Poppenheimer Nesbit MS 48

5 . Adam Maple Batesville 45

6 . Sam Osman Spiro OK 45

7 . Chad Williams Lake City 40

8 . Dillon Knight Burlison TN 40

9 . Cayden Mitchell Holcomb MO 39

10 . Kanyan Methvin Yellville 37

11 . Ashton Wilkey Batesville 34

12 . Nathan Hagar Adair OK 34

13 . Shane Kelley Imboden 34

14 . Andrew Moreno Jonesboro 32

15 . Dalton McKenzie Van Buren 30

16 . Chad Phillips Cabot 28

17 . Jason Snodgrass Mountain Home 27

18 . Shane Hight Bono 27

19 . Grayson Moore Jonesboro 26

20 . Dallas Everrett Cabot 25

21 . Spencer Hartwick Quitman 25

22 . Wendell Wallace Greenbriar 25

23 . J.T. Goodson Little Rock 24

24 . Tanner Barnhart North Little Rock 24

25 . Chanley Purtteman Brookland 23

26 . Travis Mosley Batesville 23

27 . Vance Ball Paragould 23

28 . Kelby Wright Fisher 22

29 . Brandon Smith Floral 21

30 . Nathan Stewart Bryant 21

31 . Paul Robinson Tupelo MS 20

32 . Ryan Moore 20

33 . Brint Hartwick Quitman 19

34 . Clay Caldwell Arlington TN 19

35 . Jeff Taylor Cave City 19

36 . Mike Hansen Dickinson ND 19

37 . Dennis Kimbrough Byhalia MS 17

38 . John Briggs Harrison 17

39 . Justin Whitehead Texarkana TX 17

40 . Chuck Sanders Little Rock 15

41 . Colby Richardson West Memphis 15

42 . Johnny Gustavus West Memphis 15

43 . Matthew Bolton Van Buren 15

44 . Mike Powers Burlison TN 14

45 . Justin Jarrett Maynard 13

46 . J.D. Oles Russelville 12

47 . Jacob Davidson Paragould 12

48 . Keith Brown Jr. Greenbriar 12

49 . Aaron Moss Westville OK 11

50 . Austin Rettig Sikeston MO 11

51 . Donnie Barnhart North Little Rock 11

52 . Jacob Hobscheidt Plattsmouth NE 11

53 . Jon Hays Jonesboro 11

54 . Manny Williams II Fouke 11

55 . Zane DeVilbiss Farmington NM 11

56 . Chris Henigan Marshall TX 10

57 . Chris Lewis Springdale 10

58 . Robert Powers Campbell MO 10

59 . Tim Hogan Jonesboro 10

60 . Timothy Casey Finch 10

61 . Blake Burns Jonesboro 9

62 . Chad Mitchell Atkins 9

63 . Jamey Dalton 9

64 . Pappie Leonard Ravenden 9

65 . Scott Crites Bay 9

66 . Austin Arthur Danville 8

67 . Casey Findley Bryant 8

68 . Jacob Campbell Hackett 8

69 . Jeremy Dalton Holly Springs MS 8

70 . Jeremy LaCoe Lincoln 8

71 . Kaleb Jones Bloomfield MO 8

72 . Luke Aitken West Plains MO 8

73 . Lynnsee Provence Little Rock 8

74 . Trent Taylor Benton 8

75 . Wayne Brooks Bald Knob 8

76 . Daniel Sweere Conway 7

77 . Dennis Schoenfeld Van Buren 7

78 . Jason Eddy East End 7

79 . Jason Foster Springdale 7

80 . Ken Schrader Fenton MO 7

81 . Lynn Irwin Southaven MS 7

82 . Mark Norris Searcy 7

83 . Shane Holland Pottsville 7

84 . Shawn Knuckles Poplar Bluff MO 7

85 . Billy Tedford Thaxton MS 6

86 . Carson Wyatt Brookland 6

87 . Chad Murray Paragould 6

88 . Jake Huckaby Texarkana TX 6

89 . Keith Brown Greenbrier 6

90 . Nick Glaze Cabot 6

91 . Ryan Rasberry Salina OK 6

92 . Andy Hooten Conway 5

93 . Bryce Clark Conway 5

94 . C.J. Davison Jr. Marion 5

95 . Chris Tuck Barling 5

96 . Jay Rierson Booneville 5

97 . John John Montgomery Bethel Heights 5

98 . Keaton Atkinson Hot Springs 5

99 . Kenny Wallace St. Louis MO 5

100 . Matthews Combs Paragould 5

101 . Mickey Burrell Fair Grove MO 5

102 . Richard Crow Centerville 5

103 . Shawn Walsh Ash Flat 5

104 . Thomas Newman Brookland 5

105 . Tim Ward Harcourt IA 5

106 . Tyler Wolff Fayetteville 5

107 . Cody Thompson Sioux City IA 5

108 . Adam Roy Hooks TX 4

109 . Billy Tribble Southaven MS 4

110 . Brad Calhoun Jacksonville 4

111 . Brandon Force Van Buren 4

112 . Brian Worley St. Mary MO 4

113 . Camden Perry Lincoln 4

114 . Conner Reed Spiro OK 4

115 . Craig Vaughn 4

116 . Dean Wilder Doniphan MO 4

117 . Devin Murphy Myrtle MO 4

118 . Hudson Horton Amity 4

119 . Josh Farris Harrison 4

120 . Kaleb Gallaway Rogers 4

121 . Rodney Sanders Happy TX 4

122 . Roy Long Stilwell OK 4

123 . Steven Knight 4

124 . Trevor Hughes Westville OK 4

125 . Tyson Keeney Hot Springs 4

126 . Ben Tackitt Viola 3

127 . Brandon Reynolds Lamar 3

128 . Chad Tilley Dexter MO 3

129 . Chris Carter Redfield 3

130 . Cody Acklin Calico Road 3

131 . David Baser Jacksonville 3

132 . Dustin Tiger West Plains MO 3

133 . Garrett Taylor Jacksonville 3

134 . Gary Christian Broken Bow OK 3

135 . Ian McDonald Dardanelle 3

136 . J.T. Pierce Wilson 3

137 . Jeremy Vaughn Pocola OK 3

138 . Josh Harney Prairie Grove 3

139 . Lance Robins 3

140 . Monte McCollum Van Buren 3

141 . Paul Reeder Malden MO 3

142 . Preston Hickman North Little Rock 3

143 . Ricky Anderson 3

144 . Roger Witt Batesville 3

145 . Shannon Weese Van Buren 3

146 . Steve Guin Morrilton 3

147 . Tommy Cogburn Norman 3

148 . Tony Anglin Walnut Ridge 3

149 . Arlen Stewart Little Rock 2

150 . Bill Vogel Fargo ND 2

151 . Caleb Jones Sikeston MO 2

152 . Chris Nelson Malvern 2

153 . Dustin Taylor Texarkana TX 2

154 . Jacob Combs Paragould 2

155 . Jared Ricketts Decatur 2

156 . James Drummond Mountainburg 2

157 . Justin Crow Centerville 2

158 . Justin Koch Mountain Home 2

159 . Raymond Gustavus Jr. West Memphis 2

160 . Shaen Mendoza Atoka TN 2

161 . Troy Schaberg Amity 2

162 . Tyler Townsend Longview TX 2

163 . Victor Pinkerton Cedarville 2

164 . Brandon Jessen Quinton OK 1

165 . Brent Shaw West Memphis 1

166 . Chuck Tilley Essex MO 1

167 . Donnie Pate Harrison 1

168 . Hubert Cash Little Rock 1

169 . Jack Hulett Mablevale 1

170 . Jack Walker Holly Springs MS 1

171 . James Hinrichs Ava 1

172 . Jesse Tackitt Viola 1

173 . Josh Asher West Fork 1

174 . Kyle Vanstory Atoka TN 1

175 . Mark Tackitt Bakersfiled MO 1

176 . Matt Manes Harrison 1

177 . Preston Galaway Rogers 1

178 . Ryan Williams Fort Smith 1

179 . Sean Gaddis Diana TX 1

180 . Tommy Cannon Denham Springs LA 1

181 . Tyler Pulley Wynne 1

182 . Wade Douglas Forrest City 1

Arkansas Points

Winged Sprints Final 2023

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Derek Hagar Marion 70

2 . Eddie Gallagher Olive Branch MS 49

3 . Marshall Skinner Marion 45

4 . Dale Howard Byhalia MS 38

5 . Landon Crawley Benton 23

6 . B.J. Simmerman Batesville MS 20

7 . Keith Ainsworth Munsford TN 20

8 . Brad Bowden Hernando MS 18

9 . Dewayne White Byhalia MS 14

10 . Tucker Boulton Brighton TN 13

11 . Chase Howard Nesbit MS 12

12 . Chad Jones Memphis TN 11

13 . Howard Moore Memphis TN 10

14 . Andy McElhannon Nesbit MS 9

15 . Tyler Whatley Millington TN 9

16 . Wade Buttrey Fairview TN 9

17 . Jake Jones Marion 8

18 . Tyler Newcom Jonesboro 8

19 . Koty Adams Haughton LA 7

20 . Ronny Howard Nesbit MS 7

21 . Conner Wray Olive Branch MS 6

22 . Hayden Brinkley Bono 6

23 . Terry Gray Batlett TN 6

24 . Cooper Looney Jonesboro 5

25 . Hayden Martin Olive Branch MS 5

26 . Zane DeVault Plymouth IN 5

27 . Blaine Baxter Liberty Hill TX 4

28 . Marcus Thomas Corsicana TX 4

29 . Sammy Swindell Germantown TN 4

30 . Tim Crawley Benton 4

31 . Brady Baker Alexander 3

32 . Rick Kahler Memphis TN 3

33 . Ernie Ainsworth Bartlett TN 2

34 . Gage Montgomery Fredericktown MO 2

35 . Jeb Sessums Burleson TX 2

36 . Blake Mallory Joshua TX 1

37 . Chris Martin Ankeny IA 1

38 . Todd Bradford Arlington TN 1

Arkansas Points

Stock Cars Final 2023

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Joe Payne Concord 29

2 . Roger Witt Batesville 28

3 . Hayden Linn Little Rock 27

4 . Randy Weaver Little Rock 24

5 . Peyton Taylor Batesville 20

6 . Chris Dollarhide Little Rock 17

7 . Richie Tosh Salado 17

8 . Casey Findley Bryant 14

9 . Patrick Linn Little Rock 12

10 . Drew Armstrong Alexander 7

11 . Jeremy Kuykendall Little Rock 7

12 . Scooter Scruggs Little Rock 7

13 . T.J. Herndon Atwood TN 7

14 . Darin Long Jacksonville 6

15 . Ricky Wrinkle Jr. Star City 6

16 . Scott Earl Hensley 6

17 . Stephen Morrow Batesville 6

18 . Hayden Hartwick Heber Springs 5

19 . John Bubbus Bauxite 5

20 . Ashton Wilkey Batesville 4

21 . Clark Evans Carlisle 4

22 . Emmett Lawson Alexander 4

23 . Mike McDougale Cabot 4

24 . Troy Burkhart Hays KS 4

25 . Arlen Stewart Little Rock 3

26 . Tony Anglin Walnut Ridge 3

27 . Wayne Brooks Bald Knob 3

28 . Zane DeVilbiss Farmington NM 3

29 . Brad Hartwick Rose Bud 2

30 . Curtis Cook Conway 2

31 . J.T. Goodson Little Rock 2

32 . Josh Rankin Alexander 2

33 . Tathan Burkhart Hays KS 2

34 . William Aycock Benton 2

35 . Dallon Murty Chelsea IA 1

36 . Drake Findley Bryant 1

37 . Jeremy Russell Brookland 1

38 . Kirk Wood Gravel Ridge 1

39 . Tommy New Dover 1

Arkansas Points

Limited Modifieds Final 2023

Pos. Driver Hometown Points

1 . Brandon Wilson Fort Smith 54

2 . Brent Willyard Van Buren 27

3 . Jared Ricketts Decatur 22

4 . Grant Williams 21

5 . Shannon Weese Van Buren 15

6 . Martin Hemphill Spiro OK 14

7 . Caleb Pence Sallisaw OK 13

8 . Mike Anderson Muskogee OK 13

9 . Skeet Amason New Boston TX 13

10 . Talvin Hayes Little Rock 13

11 . Jonathan Ferrari Alma 12

12 . Tye Hollingsworth Springdale 11

13 . Cason Harris Bella Vista 9

14 . Camden Perry Lincoln 7

15 . Adam Roy Hooks TX 6

16 . Coty Tupper Blanchard LA 6

17 . Shay Hardin Strickler 6

18 . Weston Holman Springdale 6

19 . Aaron Roy Texarkana TX 5

20 . Andy Milliken Greenwood 5

21 . Caleb Barker Elkins 5

22 . Cody Smith Kaufman TX 5

23 . Dalton Ragsdale Muskogee OK 5

24 . Johnny Gregory Alma 5

25 . Richard Crow Centerville 5

26 . Rowdy Day Greenville TX 5

27 . Ty O'Neal Muskogee OK 5

28 . B.J. Moore Texarkana 4

29 . Barry Moore Texarkana 4

30 . Hubert Cash Little Rock 4

31 . Justin Whitehead Texarkana TX 4

32 . Kenny Turner Hooks TX 4

33 . Mickey Prather Fayetteville 4

34 . Bailey Turner Hooks TX 3

35 . Braden Howell Amarillo TX 3

36 . Charlie Brummett Mountainsburg 3

37 . Chris Tuck Mulbery 3

38 . Dalton McKenzie Van Buren 3

39 . David LaCoe Adair OK 3

40 . Drake Long Stilwell OK 3

41 . Drex Johnson Van Buren 3

42 . Scott Rentfro Russellville 3

43 . Shane Hebert Scott LA 3

44 . Trey Eberle Tulsa OK 3

45 . Andrew Rossum Texarkana TX 2

46 . Britton Moore Texarkana 2

47 . Chris Mayo Bonnerdale 2

48 . Connor Mewborn Texarkana TX 2

49 . Davin Blake Adair OK 2

50 . Logan Griffin Texarkana TX 2

51 . Austin Stampley Alma 1

52 . Brady Hutchinson Grove OK 1

53 . Brandon Force Van Buren 1

54 . Cody Johnson Checotah OK 1

55 . Daylon Briscoe Paris TX 1

56 . Derick Grigsby Marshall TX 1

57 . Leonard Hudson Pottsville 1

58 . Nathan Melanson Gravette 1

A Quick Look Back At 2023

Heading into the 2023 racing season I had a goal in mind of somewhere between fifty and fifty-five  nights of racing to attend. Unlike 2022 and 2024 we did not have any week long trips planned in June and I was going to perhaps be a bit more selective as to where and when I would go racing. But with another beautiful autumn weather run allowing me to take in fifteen nights from September 1st on, my total race count swelled to sixty-two for the 2023 season. These came at 27 different tracks (up three from last year) but in just three states; Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.

Despite that good race count I failed to achieve two of my standard goals each season as I did not get to at least one pavement race in 2023 and, after the three-day show scheduled for the first weekend in November at the Brownstown Bullring in Illinois was wiped out by cold weather, I did not make it to at least one "new to me" track either.

With all of the specials up this way weathered out in late March and early April, my first two nights of '23 were spent on consecutive Saturdays at the Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, Missouri. And with another trip to the Turkey Bowl in Springfield this past weekend, my season concluded with two nights in southwest Missouri as well. 

The Davenport Speedway and the Knoxville Raceway tied with eight nights each, seven nights were spent just down the road at 34 Raceway west of Burlington, while three of my five nights at the Lee County Speedway in Donnellson came late in the season. Three nights each were spent at Oskaloosa, Quincy, and  Vinton, with two nights each at Lucas Oil, Springfield, Stuart, Tipton and West Liberty. I made one visit this season to Harlan, Independence, Moberly, Columbus Junction, Eldon, Spoon River, East Moline, Bloomfield, Dubuque, Boone, Spencer, Lake Ozark, Maquoketa, Webster City and Memphis.

Looking ahead to 2024 it is incredible all of the news that has already been coming out from the national scene with the High Limits series buying the All Stars and looking to go nation-wide next year, to my local scene where three of my favorite promoters have thrown in the towel and new promoters are considering what's best for them perhaps while risking the overall health of racing in the area as whole. That is always a tough balance beam to navigate when we do have so many tracks in a tight geographical area when compared to most other areas of the country as I always get a kick out of the whining when somebody thinks that somebody else deliberately scheduled on their special event.

I am still of the opinion that living in southeast Iowa is the best place to be when it comes to being a short track racing fan! 

That being said, I eclipsed the 60 mark this past year and it does get harder to make those long trips home late at night, so I will probably have to factor in the cost of a hotel room for more events as I consider my schedule for 2024. Plus, I see myself doing exactly what I have warned about for the past several years when it comes to Pay Per View. There will be more nights where I will stay at home and watch all that is available to me on my subscription rather than paying for the gas, concession and a ticket at a track that I otherwise would have attended in person. Hey, the proponents of PPV have being saying for years that it is good for all of the sport, so I hope that the math continues to work out for the grass roots facilities.

As of right now, I am aiming for forty-five nights in 2024. And with good health and favorable weather, I hope to blow right past that so that I can see you as often as possible out on the Back Stretch!

Happy Holidays!

TBJ, Stevens and Jackson Headline Springfield's Turkey Bowl

Whenever the weather cooperates and allows the Turkey Bowl to be run on its traditional weekend before Thanksgiving date, we make a point to trek to the Springfield Raceway in southwest Missouri to close out our racing calendar. It seems like we catch a good weekend about every other year and, after the event had to be pushed back three times last year and was finally completed on the first Sunday of March in 2023, this weekend saw three days of seasonably cool weather with no rain.

Promoter Jerry Hoffman does a great job of hyping this event and he has managed the steady growth of it very well in this fan's opinion. This year the traditional practice night of Thursday also included the qualifying heat races for the Pure Stocks, the Legend cars and the B division on the Midwest Modifieds. That would then put the B-Mains and feature races for two of those three classes on Friday night, while the Legends will complete their Turkey Bowl on Saturday. Also moved to Friday was the qualifying heat races for the A-Modifieds and the B-Mods and that is what pulled our group in for a second night and it was obvious that we were not the only ones as the grandstands filled in steadily as race time approached at 7 p.m.

Perhaps the slow and steady growth of the crowd came from the fact that they first had to search for a usable parking space. When we arrived at the track at 5:30 the parking lot was nearly full and I immediately became concerned about finding a good seat. It didn't even cross my mind that with over two hundred cars in the pits, nearly all of these cars in the parking lot belonged to those who were already in the pit area preparing for the second night of racing. As that grandstand crowd then showed up, apparently several people made a poor choice of space and the entrance road to the pits became totally blocked. This would later result in about a fifteen minute delay as the announcers first asked the crowd to please move their cars, and then later started ridiculing those who were still parked on the entrance road. That, along with a threat of either being towed, or picked up with a front loader and moved, the road was finally cleared and we were able to go back to racing. This was very important in that if there would have been a need to get an ambulance out, or a fire truck in, that road had to be clear.

There were two other delays in the Friday program as well. These two nights would bring me to 62 events on the season and thankfully, I rarely see a fire that doesn't go out on its own. The third race of the night was the third B-Main for the Pure Stocks and when Chris Diamond was unable to avoid a car that had spun in front of him exiting turn four, the impact ignited and big fire in the front end of his car. Thankfully he was able hustle out of the car and as one of the infield workers tried to use a small extinguisher, both Diamond and the other officials were waving for the fire crew that was parked in the pits off the back stretch.

Perhaps it was because the driver was already safely out of the flames, but the fire track seemed rather nonchalant as they made their way over to the front stretch and, as Diamond fumed over the slow response, they calmly climbed out of the truck and then took another minute or so to unwind the hose and prepare their equipment. Once the flow of water started, the fire was quickly doused and we could hear the frustrated driver expressing his thoughts on the slow response. 

Just two races later, during the Midwest Mod "A" class second heat race, James Redus got squeezed up the track while running the cushion and he made some pretty hard contact with the front stretch wall. He stayed on the throttle though going right back to the cushion in one and two, but as he raced down the back stretch the under side of his car burst into flames and he would slow in turns three and four before coming to a halt in nearly the same spot on the infield where the Pure Stock had burned.

Once again the fire crew was up in the pit area, perhaps replenishing their water supply (?) and this time they were a bit faster on the move as Redus unbuckled and got out of his flaming car uninjured. They were very quick in getting the hose unfurled and the water flowing, but this time they were faced with a difficult challenge as the fuel had likely been knocked loose and the nearly full fuel cells was continuously feeding the fire. The crowd watched in awe as the flames continued despite the valiant efforts of the firefighters and soon a brave push truck driver shoved the car forward to try to get it out of the pool of fuel.

This helped for a few seconds, but the fuel was still pumping out and the fire came right back to its previous intensity in a new position. After another minute or two the car was shoved backwards and finally the flames were doused. The crowd gave a sarcastic cheer and while it did seem like they could have handled the first fire better, the only thing they could have done on this second incident would have been to have something other than water to use. I'm sure that the Willard fire crew will take a lot of heat online, but as long as they learned from these two experiences in order to "do it better" next times, drivers and fans need to remember that, without them, we would not be able to race. And yes, that snowman appears to be waving the fire crew down from the back pits.

The qualifying races were entertaining on the multi-grooved surface and we stayed for one of the two main events that would be presented on this Friday night. In the past I have seen James Redus win here in the station wagon Pure Stock and I don't know if this is that same ride or not, but it would be a flag-to-flag victory for Allen Thompson in the Ghostbusters themed wagon adorned with flashing Christmas lights that he switched on while taking the checkers. Trenton Houston and Jody Tillman would each come from the fifth row to finish second and third, while Robbie Jones and Chris Tonoli filled out the top five.

A second round of A-Mod heats and the Turkey Bowl race for the Midwest Mod "B" class were still to be run, but with the temperature now ready to dip into the thirties and knowing that we had another full evening of racing ahead of us on Saturday, we headed for the gate.

It was a near perfect day for November racing in southwest Missouri on Saturday with sunny skies and light winds and the fans flocked to the Springfield Raceway for the finale of Turkey Bowl XVII. The parking lo issued was eased a bit by allowing passenger cars into the pits since two classes that had around 100 cars had completed their program on Friday, although one pour gentleman from Arkansas was paged several times to go to his vehicle where a sheriff's deputy was waiting for him.

A minimal amount of hot laps were on the itinerary, but when drivers who "had issues on Friday" were allowed to get on the track as well, apparently more than 100 of them had "problems". The extra laps under the setting sun dried out the track more than Friday and the slicker surface was an obvious challenge for several drivers who were racing and sinning at the back of their B-Mains. That, along with a first heat race crash in the Late Models that saw Carl Murphy go for a roll and had Tony Jackson Jr.'s car end up on top him made for a longer than expected set of qualifying races as the show struggled to get into a groove.

Finally it was feature time with the Legend Cars up first for twenty laps and twenty-seven of them, including three that were not ere for qualifying on Thursday, making the start. The top three starters raced in tight formation for the first ten laps before the first caution waved, and they continued to race each other hard through three more cautions. In the end it would be Jay Reynolds leading from start to finish to take the win over Tyler Garretson and Trenton Simon. Steve Harshbarger was the big mover coming from twelfth to fourth while Braxton Rupp finished where he started in fifth.

The B-Mods were up next for twenty-five laps and with one of the hottest drivers in the division, Damian Kiefer, starting from the front row the second generation driver from southeast Missouri had to be one of the favorites. The young driver had the cagey veteran Ken Schrader starting to his outside though and they would swap the lead in the opening laps until Kiefer gained control on lap four. A flat tire caused Trevor Fitz to slow on lap eleven and on the restart arguably the top driver in this class over the past several years, Kris Jackson took the lead from Kiefer.

Another caution lap thirteen gave us the final restart and as Jackson pulled away over the second half of the race to take the win it would be Schrader that would take the race for second. Ryan Gillmore battled his way toward the font coming from eleventh to finish third, Kiefer slipped back to fourth at the checkers while Dalton Keith closed out the top five.

With $7,575 going to the winner, technically the Modifieds were the headliners on this weekend that paid tribute to the legendary Larry Phillips and with his son Terry starting sixth many of the hometown fans were pulling for him to take the win in the fifty lap event. Quincy's own Mark Burgtorf would set the pace early though until pole-sitter Sawyer Crigler took the point on lap eight. The caution would wave two laps later when Tanner Mullens slowed at the top of turn four and while Crigler maintained lead after the restart it was the seventh starting Tom Berry Jr. that was clearly on the move working the low line around the banked quarter-mile.

Berry would take the lead on lap twenty-two, but just three laps later as Dakota Sproul slowed in front of him in turn four, the leader made contact and spun Sproul to the infield. Crigler would cross the stripe ahead of Berry before the caution waved, so it would be Sawyer that would again set a slow and unsteady pace back to green. Not pashed by the incident, Berry went right back by him going down the backstretch to get back to the point on lap twenty-six and he would then drive away from the field over the second half of the race to take a convincing victory.

Crigler held off Dylan Thornton to cross the line in second, but it was later announced that he had not passed tech. That moved Thornton to the runner-up pay while Phillips officially finished third. Ken Schrader rounded out an impressive night in fourth while Shawn Knuckles was credited with fifth after starting from fourteenth.

An impressive field of fifty-one Open Late Models had been whittled down to twenty for thirty laps with Arkansas driver Tyler Stevens bringing the field to green. Dillon McCowan would quickly get to second and this one would be a chase between the top two drivers in the MLRA rookie-of-the-year chase, an honored secured by McCowan. On this night though, Stevens would prevail in a race that went non-stop as Tyler collected the $5,000 winner's check.

Stevens lost McCowan after putting aside a pair of lapped cars early, but as the laps wound not only Dillon, but the cars of Logan Martin, Ryan Gustin and Justin Zeitner were all cutting into the lead. That was how they would finish, second through fifth with Martin coming from tenth, and Gustin from ninth.

It was now just past 10:30 on a show that had started with hot laps just past four, so we headed for the warmth of our hotel room ahead of the finale for the Midwest Mod "A" class. We love our annual trip to the Turkey Bowl as long as it can be run on the original date of the weekend prior to Thanksgiving and it will once again be on my schedule as the likely finale for 2024. As always it is fun to travel with friends Danny Rosencrans and Fred Peters, although we missed having Daryl Voth and Barry Johnson with us this year, and it was great to spend a couple of race nights with Wisconsin's David Schlise and his friends Derek and Nick. I also want to thank guest announcer Jerry Vansickel for the Positively Racing mention!

This will wrap it up for race recaps in 2023, but keep checking in on the Back Stretch during the offseason as we still have the state points for Missouri, Arkansas and Texas to complete followed by our Best of the Midwest standings. Then, over the Holidays, we will again present our updated Cumulative All Iowa Points standings for all nine divisions. Plus you never know when I might express my opinion on some of the interesting things going on in dirt track racing right now!

Thanks for checking in and have a Happy Thanksgiving!